Albums of the year so far?

What's your favorite five albums of the year so far? Mine are  Shabazz Palaces' Black Up, Panda Bear's Tomboy, Peaking Lights' 936, Big K.R.I.T. Returnof4eva and Destroyer's Kaputt

I really enjoyed Symphony X's new album Iconoclast. With new Anthrax and Dream Theater albums hitting this week (on my Birthday, no less) I think I'll have two more strong contenders for my album of the year.

@HisDudenesssaid:

Big K.R.I.T. Returnof4eva and Destroyer's Kaputt

^Agree with these two.

Also want to add:

Kendrick Lamar - Section 80

Tuneyards - WhoKill

DJ Quick -The book of David

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Danny Brown - XXX

Elzhi - Elmatic

Thundercat - The Golden Age of Apocalypse

Between the Buried and Me- Parallax: The Hypersleep Dialogues.

It's actually a 3 song EP but it's still 30 min long and I love it

Rev Theory - 'Justice'

Really fell in love with "I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone" by Maybeshewill. Some great post-rock.

Movits! – Ut ur min skalle

@SMTDante89 said:

I really enjoyed Symphony X's new album Iconoclast. With new Anthrax and Dream Theater albums hitting this week (on my Birthday, no less) I think I'll have two more strong contenders for my album of the year.

Opeth in 2 days, too.

So far I really liked Dropkick Murphy's "Going Out in Style". Not their best, but still pretty awesome. I fully expect the new Blink 182 album to top it though when it comes out. At least I'm hoping. Really really really hoping.

It wasnt a very good year for music. I don't think I bought any album from 2011.

Seether's Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray 
 
  

That chili peppers album is fucking great- I wish there was more modern music I could get into- I just don't like a lot of it.

Oh man there's so much greatness it's unreal. I'll just list my favourites so far in alphabetical order.

Beardfish - Mammoth
Bispora - The Cycle EP ( full EP stream and free download)
Caligula's Horse - Moments from Ephemeral City ( full album stream)
Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction (and to a lesser extent, Ghost)
Fair to Midland - Arrows & Anchors
Gorod - Transcendence EP
Leprous  - Bilateral (I can't recommend this one enough. It's awesome.)
Magic Pie - The Suffering Joy
The Omega Experiment - Karma EP (very Townsend-esque,) ( full EP stream and free download)
Opeth - Heritage (though I should listen to it a few more times; it hasn't really gripped me yet)
Textures - Dualism
Thence - These Stones Cry from the Earth (one song, 57 minutes)
Unexpect - Fables of the Sleepless Empire

And we still have a new albums from Haken and Mastodon both coming very soon.

@AhmadMetallic: You haven't heard the new Opeth yet? It's been out there for like a week and a half. Get to it, man!

@TooWalrus: Is it anything like the single? Because I like RHCP but the single was terrible.

hmm if I had to pick a single album RIGHT NOW it would be Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction.

I also really enjoy Boris - New Album, Battles - Gloss Drop.

@Mr_Skeleton said:

@TooWalrus: Is it anything like the single? Because I like RHCP but the single was terrible.

See, I really liked Raindance Maggie, it's not the high point of the album, but I like it quite a bit. Actually, I don't like most of that shitty rap-rock they were doing a few years ago- I'm way more into this stuff (though I'm well aware my taste in music is broken compared to the people around me).

"Hell: The Sequel" by Bad Meets Evil. Except for Lighters, because Bruno Mars had no fucking business on that album. They should've got Kendrick Lamar to sing that hook instead of that fucking menopause-music singing fairy.

Tech N9ne's "All Sixes and Seven's" also deserves a mention, since it's got a few fucking phenomenal songs. Sublime With Rome get credit for not having a fucking terrible album as many expected, but it was still a little "meh" at the end of the day. I think ultimately that my album of the year will be a toss-up between The Dirty Heads' new album and Hopsin's "Knock Madness".

Almost forgot The King of Limbs by Radiohead, not their greatest but definitely one of the greatest albums this year.

@TooWalrus: Their albums before Californiacation were mostly funk, after that it was mostly rock. I guess the funk just isn't your style, but I also prefer Californication and Stadium Arcadium.

Foo Fighters Wasting Light is easily my favorite album so far this year. So good.

Runner-ups would include:

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee part 2

Dropkick Murphy - Going out of Style

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Scandalous

Fucked up - David Comes to Life

Protest the Hero - Scurrilous

Tyler, the Creator - Goblin

This year has been, and continues, to be amazing. There's no way I could pick one album.

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

Devin Townsend Project - Ghost & Deconstruction

Between The Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues

Last Chance To Reason - Level 2

Scale the Summit - The Collective

Tesseract - One

There are some other albums I haven't spent enough time with yet, like Primus' Green Naugahyde, Anthrax's Worship Music and Opeth's Heritage. Megadeth, Meshuggah, Mastodon,Pain of Salvation, and Animals As Leaders still have albums coming out this year, so we're far from done. I'm so excited for the new Animals as Leaders album, the first one was incredible.

If I had to pick one, it would be Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events. It's the best album they've produced since 1999, and I simply can't get enough of it.

St Vincent- strange mercy is brilliant

Danny Brown - XXX

Aficionado - Aficionado

Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me

Defeater - Empty Days & Sleepless Nights

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

living in the 90s

Bayside- Killing Time
Taking Back Sunday- Taking Back Sunday

Well, definitely NOT FUCKING KING OF LIMBS.

Ok, I haven't listened to any other albums this year. Wake me up when Franz Ferdinand releases something.

@AhmadMetallic said:

@SMTDante89 said:

I really enjoyed Symphony X's new album Iconoclast. With new Anthrax and Dream Theater albums hitting this week (on my Birthday, no less) I think I'll have two more strong contenders for my album of the year.

Opeth in 2 days, too.

you can listen to opeth now.... Alot of people hated heritage, but I personally love it. It's not in the traditional style of opeth records, but it's still good.

@TooWalrus said:

@Mr_Skeleton said:

@TooWalrus: Is it anything like the single? Because I like RHCP but the single was terrible.

See, I really liked Raindance Maggie, it's not the high point of the album, but I like it quite a bit. Actually, I don't like most of that shitty rap-rock they were doing a few years ago- I'm way more into this stuff (though I'm well aware my taste in music is broken compared to the people around me).

As a huge chili peppers fan(i.e. love everything they have done except one hot minute) I am digging the new album. I thought Raindance Maggie was boring and dull, but the rest of the album is pretty good. It is nothing ground breaking, and a few times I felt like I heard a certain part of the song before, but I still am really having a lot of fun listening to it.

favorite albums so far have to be 
 
Chase & Status - No More Idols 
Nero - Welcome Reality  
Brookes Brothers - Brookes Brothers 
Indivision - 365 Days 

This is amazing.

I haven't had the chance to grab Opeth's Heritage yet, but I'm looking forward to listening to that.

Elzhi's Nas tribute mixtape "ELmatic" has been my favourite album of the year, and I'm not even a huge hip hop fan.  I honestly think I might like it more than Illmatic (although Illmatic is certainly much more of an achievement simply for its groundbreaking originality)

@Th3_James said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

@SMTDante89 said:

I really enjoyed Symphony X's new album Iconoclast. With new Anthrax and Dream Theater albums hitting this week (on my Birthday, no less) I think I'll have two more strong contenders for my album of the year.

Opeth in 2 days, too.

you can listen to opeth now.... Alot of people hated heritage, but I personally love it. It's not in the traditional style of opeth records, but it's still good.

I feel that I wouldn't have enjoyed "another Opeth record", if you get me. Ghost Reveries was their masterpiece, and Watershed just didn't do much for me. I really dig the 70's prog rock vibe that oozes out of Heritage. It's definitely a grower, it doesn't concern itself with being typical Opeth, and doesn't abuse the 6/8 Opethian riffs.

Altar of Plagues - Mammal 
Deafheaven - Roads to Judah 
Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax:  Hypersleep Dialogues  
Tyler, The Creator - Goblin 
Thou - The Archer & The Owle

Fuck me, I keep forgetting Goblin came out this year. That definitely deserves credit, although I think it's a bit rough when taken as an entire album.

going with an early released one i really liked hard times and nursery rhymes by social distortion then 
foo fighters-wasting light:easily a great mix and sound from all of there albums 
the chili peppers new album im with you sounds fantastic 
dropkick murpheys- going out in style: not there best album warriors code was my personal favorite but still good  
asking alexandria-reckless and relentless: yes i know im going to get crap for picking a metal core band but sue me it sounds good with the clean vocals 
 not a big year for alot of music but there was some good albums in there

Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Knife Man

VELTPUNCH - His Strange Fighting Pose

Fucked up - David Comes to Life

Bomb the Music Industry! - Vacation

The Death Set - Michel Poiccard

Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

Heartsounds - Drifter

Spraynard - Funtitled

Two Hand Fools - House Parts

Power Quest - Blood Alliance
 
Probably the best power metal album in years. Has a lot of feel good tracks, very memorable riffs and even has a catchy song about our generalised economy. Amazing stuff lol
 
A close second to album of the year so far for me would be...
 
Dreamtale - Epsilon
 
Many will compare them to Iron Maiden but I feel as if they have become their own thing and found their own unique sound with this album. This also happens to be power metal for the record.
 
I really wanted to love Dream Theater's new album as much as their 2009 effort but it turns out that 'A dramatic turn of events' is complete arse.

It's already been said but "I'm With You" by RHCP is probably my album of the year.

@Melvargh said:

@Th3_James said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

@SMTDante89 said:

I really enjoyed Symphony X's new album Iconoclast. With new Anthrax and Dream Theater albums hitting this week (on my Birthday, no less) I think I'll have two more strong contenders for my album of the year.

Opeth in 2 days, too.

you can listen to opeth now.... Alot of people hated heritage, but I personally love it. It's not in the traditional style of opeth records, but it's still good.

I feel that I wouldn't have enjoyed "another Opeth record", if you get me. Ghost Reveries was their masterpiece, and Watershed just didn't do much for me. I really dig the 70's prog rock vibe that oozes out of Heritage. It's definitely a grower, it doesn't concern itself with being typical Opeth, and doesn't abuse the 6/8 Opethian riffs.

I love all opeth albums, but Still Life is my favorite. Other than that I can't decide which other ones I could rank in any order. They are all so fucking good.

  Nero - Welcome Reality   

Sam Roberts - Collider  
 
Its a freakin awesome album!

Vakill - Armor of God

I can't stop jamming this album!

I've really enjoyed Saves The Day's Daybreak so far. It's probably the most solid and cohesive of their last few albums. It reminds me a lot of In Reverie, which I really like, but without the same air of pretension that I tend to associate with it. And it has a few really neat callbacks to their previous material, which I'm a sucker for.
 
I can't even think of anything else I've listened to from this year though. The new The Get Up Kids' album was pretty disappointing now that I think about it, even though I really liked it for the first couple of weeks after its release. And I enjoyed the latest Eisley album in the same "I can enjoy Eisley for what they are" kind of way that I enjoy all of their stuff.

@bonesquad: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light absolutely my favorite album of the year. So sad to see no one else even give it a mention.

edit: saw someone else mention it, felt a little better lol.