Top Albums and Songs of 2011

So, how was 2011? Incredible live gigs were witnessed. Indie legends Sonic Youth and R.E.M. called it quits, while legends-that-never-fully-got-their-due Pulp and Cibo Matto returned for brief reunion tours. Skrillex stripped dubstep of any grace or melody and unleashed a monstrous, kid-friendly corpse that inspired the flooding of YouTube with countless "dubstep remixes" of everything from Rebecca Black to the "You dun goofed!" guy. In terms of new music, seemingly everyone channeled r&b, chillwave became more of a tsunami, and the more grating the synth pop, the more crossover appeal it generated. In regards to the year's best albums, some didn't fit into the trends du jour or get the career-making "Best New Music" tag and were subsequently overlooked by most, and some were hyped to the point of ubiquity and have appeared on every other list. Nevertheless, these are the albums that were dearest to the heart of Simply Fuss Free in 2011

Simply Fuss Free's Guide to Every Top Albums of the Year List

December's here, which means that music critics are taking a break from discovering new music and sorting out what the last 11 months have yielded. Ever get tired of seeing nothing but the same albums in a slightly different order on every blog's end-of-the-year list? Fortunately, the science squad team here at Simply Fuss Free has cracked the formula behind the average annual list of top albums that you will read over and over again in 2011 and beyond.