This month sees some special Audiophilia updates as the gang give you their favourite music from last year. First up, Michael Harris tells us his Top 10 albums… in alphabetical order. Because that’s how we roll.

Adele – 21

She’s beautiful, soulful, powerful, charming, and with her second album she made sure that you felt every one of her many pains. Break-ups and break-downs she belts out every note in this album with heartbreaking strength that only improves upon what she did in 19. Can’t wait for more.

The Black Keys – El Camino

As I said in Decembers edition of Audiophilia, El Camino is an evolution and a progression in the sound of an already great band. Blues rock becomes a bit more poppy and mainstream but never loses the delta soul.

The Dear Hunter – The Color Spectrum

One of the most impressive collections that I’ve ever encountered in music, this set of EPs covers an immense range of musical and songwriting styles, and though I know the idea of multiple albums with multiple styles has been done before, I haven’t seen it done better.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Ragged Wood was one of the best albums of the last decade and with their second effort they have produced a stripped-down series of diary entries with deep reflection belied by the pleasing, folky vocals and music of Pecknold and Co.

Kevin Devine – Between the Concrete and the Clouds

Its a crying shame that K-Dev hasn’t recieved the accolades and praise that a songwriter and singer of his quality deserves. The best thing out of Brooklyn, and one of the finest gentlemen that I’ve ever spoken to is still making music that is personal, disarming, and a joy to listen to.

La Dispute – Wildlife

Simply, La Dispute is the band that I wish Rise Against still was. They started as a bit immature and simple, but while retaining that honesty and spirit, they have matured and become a cohesive band that knows how to work together to make something amazing.

Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math

Andy Hull doesn’t want to lose that loving feeling. He and the other boys from Manchester Orchestra have become a very different band from the quiet, introspective group that I first saw 5 years ago, now possessing a well-earned musical maturity and versatility without losing their talent for writing extemely clever songs.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Scandalous

If you don’t know who they are you need to stop reading this review and listen to this amalgamation of rock and roll, motown, and James Brown soul. No other album this year has been nearly as fun to listen to.

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

After listening to this album, I have come to the decision that I’m going to marry Annie Clark in a tasteful private ceremony in the Hamptons with a small afterparty in our estate off of the beach. There will be hors d’oeuvres and wine. That is all.

Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation

Eight tracks of what I can only feel should be the soundtrack to the next Spike Jonze or Wes Anderson film. Absolutely calming and happy throughout, this is the chill-out album of the year and a near match for The xx from last year.

The year is almost over but Aaron Poole, Katie Delz and Michael Harris have come together to recommend some music to see you out. So check out our picks below and click here to read/listen to our previous lists.

Katie:

For this month, I’ve decided to recommend some music that I feel is the type of stuff one should listen to as the year closes out. Maybe you had a really nice year and all your wildest dreams came true. Maybe your year was as uneventful as watching paint dry. But listen, a ‘paint-drying’ year is just as important as one that was successful, and you need some tunes to calm you down and soothe your weary soul.

That is why I chose Beach House‘s self-titled debut album as my pick this month. This dream-pop goodness came into the world in 2006, and is adorned with a calm simplicity of organs, programmed drums, and Victoria Legrand‘s voice that is guaranteed to subdue even the most anxious of people.

So here is what you do, dear DOOM! reader; Acquire this album, make a hot drink of your choice, and take a loving (or hatred-filled) look at your myriad 2011 memories.

Michael:

The Roots – Undun (Released December 2, 2011)
On their eleventh studio album since 1993, The Roots continually impress with their ability to move beyond the limitations that are generally imposed on Hip-Hop. Bringing in lyrics that are relevant, poetic, and accessible while testing their own musical boundaries with far reaching influences and stripped down beats. Notable tracks are “Tip the Scale (feat. Dice Raw)” and “Make My (feat. K.R.I.T. and Dice Raw)”

The Black Keys – El Camino (Released December 6, 2011)
The Black Keys haven’t done bad forthemselves over the past 10 years, releasing 6 studio albums, two EPs and one hell of a collaboration record in Blakroc. With El Camino, their seventh record, The Ohio duo continue to impress with a sound that no other band is doing quite so consistently or quite so well. If you’re a fan of The Black Keys already, you’ll find the familiar chugging beats and soulful guitar but their sound is definitely evolving further away from their strictly blues-rock roots. Standout track include “Little Black Submarines” and “Stop Stop“

Aaron:

The idea of a comedy band can be both positive and negative. Cheesy examples can be found at Open Mic Nights across the world but Flight of the Conchords, Paul & Storm, Tenacious D (at least for one album) are good examples of novelty bands making great music. I won’t include parody musicians because, well, that’s a different kettle of fish. Ireland now has an act that can compete in this genre, The Rubberbandits.

With their almost incomprehensible Limerick City accents and catchy hip-hop tunes these YouTube heroes got themselves a number 1 hit last christmas but it has taken them a year to release the debut album this month, Serious About Men. It’s a double album with a mix of both their songs and some prank phone calls they featured on their YouTube channel.

While I like the album and I’m perfectly happy to recommend it to everyone I must say that I’m slightly dissapointed there aren’t more songs. The vast majority of the album has been online for a long time now and I was hoping to unearth some new stuff but this is pretty much a direct copying of the YouTube material and it feels like too long a wait for just that.

Anyway, enjoy the song that kicked off their crazy ride just over a year ago. (NSFW)