What could be more ridiculous than trying to rank the thousands of singles and albums you’ve bought and heard over a lifetime? Here we go …
I have re-ranked both singles and albums in December 2024, and I have also included the original charts I wrote at the end of 2011.
| | Top albums of 2011 |
| |
| 1 | Sea Power | Valhalla Dancehall |
| 2 | Young Knives | Ornaments From The Silver Arcade |
| 3 | Kate Bush | 50 Words For Snow |
| 4 | Thomas Tantrum | Mad By Moonlight |
| 5 | Art Brut | Brilliant! Tragic! |
| 6 | Scumbag Philosopher | It Means Nothing So It Means Nothing |
| 7 | Fashoda Crisis | Him Make They Learn Read |
| 8 | Viva Brother | Famous First Words |
| 9 | Something Beginning With L | Beautiful Ground |
| 10 | Cowboy Racer | Love STatiOnaRY |
| 11 | Eliza Newman | Pie In the Sky |
| 12 | Luke Haines | Nine And A Half Psychedelic Meditations On British Wrestling Of The 1970s And Early '80s |
| 13 | CSS | La Liberacion |
| 14 | Kate Bush | Director's Cut |
| 15 | Pop Will Eat Itself | New Noise Designed By A Sadist |
| 16 | Lovely Eggs | Cob Dominos |
| 17 | Scaramanga Six | Cursed |
| 18 | Little Roy | Battle For Seattle |
| 19 | They Might Be Giants | Album Raises New and Troubling Questions |
| 20 | Colorama | Llyfr Lliwio |
| 21 | Cornershop | Cornershop And The Double-O Groove Of |
| 22 | PJ Harvey | Let England Shake |
| 23 | Elbow | Build A Rocket Boys! |
| 24 | A Small Document | The New Middle Ages |
| 25 | Dutch Uncles | Cadenza |
| 26 | Box Codax | Hellabuster |
| 27 | Gordon Withers | The Joy Formidable on Cello |
| 28 | Yuck | Yuck |
| 29 | Victorian English Gentlemen's Club | Bag Of Meat |
| 30 | Kaiser Chiefs | The Future Is Medieval |
| 31 | Shonen Knife | Freetime |
| 32 | Joy Formidable | The Big Roar |
| 33 | Connan Mockasin | Forever Dolphin Love |
| 34 | Human League | Credo |
| 35 | MJ Hibbett & The Validators | Dinosaur Planet |
| 36 | Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks | Mirror Traffic |
| 37 | Coldplay | Mylo Xyloto |
| 38 | Erland and the Carnival | Nightingale |
| 39 | Florence and the Machine | Ceremonials |
| 40 | Boy | Mutual Friends |
| 41 | Surfquake | Surf And Destroy |
| 42 | Killed By 9V Batteries | The Crux |
| 43 | Le Monnier | Russian Doll Life |
| 44 | Esben and the Witch | Violet Cries |
| 45 | Half Man Half Biscuit | 90 Bisodol (Crimond) |
| 46 | Wu Lyf | Go Tell Fire To The Mountain |
| 47 | Hehfu | Music For My Broken Ears |
| 48 | Boxer Rebellion | The Cold Still |
| 49 | Radiohead | The King Of Limbs |
| 50 | Bob Geldof | How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell |
| 51 | Friendly Fires | Pala |
| 52 | Brian Robertson | Diamonds And Dirt |
| 53 | Sleepy Dogs Band | Blues Infection |
| 54 | Mogwai | Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will |
| 55 | Boy George | Ordinary Alien - The Kinky Roland Files |
| | Original chart - top albums of 2011 |
| |
| 1 | Young Knives | Ornaments From The Silver Arcade |
| 2 | Kate Bush | 50 Words For Snow |
| 3 | British Sea Power | Valhalla Dancehall |
| 4 | Art Brut | Brilliant! Tragic! |
| 5 | Thomas Tantrum | Mad By Moonlight |
| 6 | Scumbag Philosopher | It Means Nothing So It Means Nothing |
| 7 | Lovely Eggs | Cob Dominos |
| 8 | Colorama | Llyfr Lliwio |
| 9 | Cowboy Racer | Love Stationary |
| 10 | Fashoda Crisis | Him Make They Learn Read |
| 11 | Tortoise Family Connections | Extraterrestrial Kestrel |
| 12 | MJ Hibbett and the Validators | Dinosaur Planet |
| 13 | Luke Haines | Nine And A Half Psychedelic Meditations On British Wrestling Of The 1970s And Early '80s |
| 14 | Radiohead | The King Of Limbs |
| 15 | Joy Formidable | The Big Roar |
| 16 | CSS | La Liberacion |
| 17 | Pop Will Eat Itself | New Noise Designed By A Sadist |
| 18 | Little Roy | Battle For Seattle |
| 19 | Something Beginning With L | Beautiful Ground |
| 20 | Eliza Newman | Pie In The Sky |
| 21 | Erland and the Carnival | Nightingale |
| 22 | Killed By 9V Batteries | The Crux |
| 23 | Boxer Rebellion | The Cold Still |
| 24 | They Might Be Giants | Album Raises New And Troubling Questions |
| 25 | Kaiser Chiefs | The Future Is Medieval |
| 26 | Wu Lyf | Go Tell Fire To The Mountain |
| 27 | Kate Bush | Director's Cut |
| 28 | Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks | Mirror Traffic |
| 29 | Le Monnier | Russian Doll Life |
| 30 | A Small Document | The New Middle Ages |
| 31 | Victorian English Gentlemen's Club | Bag Of Meat |
| 32 | Box Codax | Hellabuster |
| 33 | Mogwai | Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will |
| 34 | PJ Harvey | Let England Shake |
| 35 | Florence and the Machine | Ceremonials |
| 36 | Esben and the Witch | Violet Cries |
| 37 | Yuck | Yuck |
| 38 | Elbow | Build A Rocket Boys! |
| 39 | Half Man Half Biscuit | 90 Bisodol (Crimond) |
| 40 | Coldplay | Mylo Xyloto |
| 41 | Human League | Credo |
| 42 | Friendly Fires | Pala |
| 43 | Brian Robertson | Diamonds And Dirt |
| | Original chart - top tracks of 2011 |
| |
| 1 | British Sea Power | Mongk II |
| 2 | Lovely Eggs | Don't Look At Me (I Don't Like It) |
| 3 | Young Knives | Human Again |
| 4 | Kate Bush | Wild Man |
| 5 | CSS | City Grrl |
| 6 | Cowboy Racer | Fly My Plane |
| 7 | Art Brut | Lost Weekend |
| 8 | Metronomy | The Look |
| 9 | Finger | Die! Die Superhero! |
| 10 | Nurse Who Loved Me | Little Things |
| 11 | Scumbag Philosopher | Heroes At Home |
| 12 | Howling Bells | Into The Sky |
| 13 | Baddies | Tiger Face |
| 14 | Jensen Code | I Am Cargo |
| 15 | Fiona Bevan | Us And The Darkness |
| 16 | Colorama | Eleri |
| 17 | Ultrasound | Welfare State |
| 18 | Something Beginning With L | Last Night's Party |
| 19 | Young Knives | Woman |
| 20 | Thomas Tantrum | Sleep |
| 21 | Killed By 9V Batteries | Worst Of Total Anarchy |
| 22 | Luke Haines | Inside The Restless Mind Of Rollerball Rocco |
| 23 | Wind-Up Birds | Some Slum Clearances |
| 24 | Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks | Stick Figures In Love |
| 25 | Boxer Rebellion | Step Out Of The Car |
| 26 | Tortoise Family Connections | Mother |
| 27 | Vile Electrodes | Play With Fire |
| 28 | Cashier No 9 | Oh Pity |
| 29 | Kate Bush | Misty |
| 30 | Thomas Tantrum | Hot Hot Summer |
| 31 | Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | AKA … What A Life! |
| 32 | British Sea Power | Stunde Null |
| 33 | Local Girls | Kitty (Is A Bad Kitty) |
| 34 | Brownies | Finger |
| 35 | Pre New | I Believe In Jackie |
| 36 | Horrors | Still Life |
| 37 | Erland and the Carnival | Map Of An Englishman |
| 38 | Lovely Eggs | Allergies |
| 39 | Radiohead | Lotus Flower |
| 40 | P J Harvey | The Words That Maketh Murder |
| 41 | Difference Engine | (I Don't Have Your) Money |
| 42 | Lianne Havas | Final Form |
| 43 | Yuck | Get Away |
| 44 | Dutch Uncles | Cadenza |
| 45 | Prince Edward Island | You Look Like I Need A Drink |
| 46 | Pop Will Eat Itself | Chaos And Mayhem |
| 47 | Jonny Cola and the A Grades | Alpha Male |
| 48 | Maybeshewill | Red Paper Lanterns |
| 49 | Battles | Ice Cream |
| 50 | Primitives | Rattle My Cage |
| 51 | Lamplight | Get Away |
| 52 | Monmon | Leeds Brig |
| 53 | Little Roy | Come As You Are |
| 54 | Brownies | Tropical Linda |
| 55 | Inspiral Carpets | You're So Good For Me |
| 56 | Good Natured | Skeleton |
| 57 | Breton | Edward the Confessor (radio edit) |
| 58 | Pillar Box | Feel The Wave |
| 59 | Digitalism | 2 Hearts |
| 60 | Kaiser Chiefs | Little Shocks |
| 61 | Grouplove | Colours |
| 62 | Death Of Death Of Discotheque | Preset 3 |
| 63 | Tai Chi Swayze | Stumble Home |
| 64 | Korda Marshall | Wake Up |
| 65 | Joy Formidable | I Don't Want To See You Like This |
| 66 | Heike Has The Giggles | Crazy In Love |
| 67 | Vukovi | Try Before You Buy (Use Your Sex) |
| 68 | Le Corps Mince De Francoise | Future Me |
| 69 | Coldplay | Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall |
| 70 | Younghusband | Carousel |
| 71 | Austra | Shoot The Water |
| 72 | Punk TV | Solar |
| 73 | Dears | Thrones |
| 74 | Hyperbubble | Welcome To Infinity |
| 75 | Mogwai | Mexican Grand Prix |
| 76 | Darvaza Hole | Observational Frame Of Reference |
| 77 | Strange News From Another Star | Last Night I Happened Twice |
| 78 | Naked and Famous | A Geek In Wolf's Clothing |
| 79 | Finger | In A Fragment Of Time |
| 80 | Cold Mailman | Ruby |
| 81 | History Of Apple Pie | Mallory |
| 82 | Stanley | Sandwiches and Tea |
| 83 | Foo Fighters | Rope |
| 84 | Awolnation | Sail |
| 85 | John Foxx And The Maths | The Shadow Of His Former Self |
| 86 | Tall Poppies | Antony |
| 87 | Fashoda Crisis | Animals |
| 88 | Jonny | Candyfloss |
| 89 | Wu Lyf | Dirt |
| 90 | Auction From The Promise Club | Under China |
| 91 | Little Barrie | Surf Hell |
| 92 | Art Brut | Unprofessional Wrestling |
| 93 | Hera Hjartardottir | Rattle My Bones |
| 94 | Evans The Death | Hello Seems To Be The Hardest Word |
| 95 | Jim Bob | Mr Blue Sky |
| 96 | Florence and the Machine | No Light, No Light |
| 97 | Asobi Seksu | Fluorescence |
| 98 | Everything Everything | Photoshop Handsome (Entrepreneurs Socratic-Suplex remix) |
| 99 | Birdland | Everybody's Dreaming |
| 100 | Billy Bragg | Never Buy The Sun |
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