{"id":47661,"date":"2011-12-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/2011-the-magificent-mainstream\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T07:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T07:31:34","slug":"2011-the-magificent-mainstream","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/2011-the-magificent-mainstream\/","title":{"rendered":"2011: The Magificent Mainstream"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes radio rewards me with something I actually want to listen to. In a year where songstresses like Adele and Florence Welch are reigning supreme and the indie acts I remember debuting are now six albums deep, there was much to love. I found a handful of albums that I played to death, and while that means I neglected some indie standouts, some of the discs here are guaranteed to be my favorites for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"florencemachine_ceremonials_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n
\n


Florence + The Machine \u2013 Ceremonials<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Continuing her reign as one of rock\u2019s coolest, boldest singers, Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine delivers an album that builds on all the promise of 2009\u2019s Lungs, <\/i>and then some. She has an ear for the eerie, for layers of harmonies and instrumentation that sound like the background to your most haunted dreams. And yet, in the fractured poetry of her lyrics \u2013 hordes of devils and quiet drownings feature prominently \u2013 there is an honestly that resonates through every word and every chord.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cShake It Out,\u201d \u201cNo Light, No Light\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

\"redhotchilipeppers_you_150\"<\/a>
<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n


Red Hot Chili Peppers \u2013 I\u2019m With You <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

It took just two spins of this album for me to declare it my top album of 2011, and four months after its release, my verdict still stands. This disc streamlines 2006\u2019s sprawling Stadium Arcadium, <\/i>presenting the best of these California rockers who have only gotten better with age. From the magnum opus \u201cBrendan\u2019s Death Song\u201d (which I honestly have trouble listening to too often because I worry about playing it out \u2013 it\u2019s that <\/i>wrenching and rafter-reaching) to the thrash of newcomer Brendan Klinghoffer\u2019s guitars throughout, there\u2019s not a song on this record that isn\u2019t their signature mix of raw yet well-crafted. <\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cBrendan\u2019s Death Song,\u201d \u201cMeet Me At The Corner,\u201d \u201cAnnie Wants A Baby\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\"davidguetta_nothing_150\" <\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
\n


David Guetta \u2013 Nothing But The Beat<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

When pop sounds this good, it\u2019s hard not to love it. French superstar DJ David Guetta is a mastermind of the genre, creating slick, revved-up beats that sound all the more excellent when paired with the who\u2019s who of pop: Nicki Minaj, Usher, Jessie J, and the list of collaborators goes on. Not a lot of substance here, of course, but sometimes you need music that makes you want to dance, drive fast, live hard. Plus, anyone who can make me not despise Nicki Minaj is clearly doing their job well.<\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cTurn Me On (featuring Nicki Minaj)\u201d, Without You (featuring Usher)\u201d, \u201cTitanium (featuring Sia)\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\u00a0\"ladygaga_born_150\"<\/td>\n\n
\n


Lady GaGa \u2013 Born This Way<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I find it strangely refreshing that for all the media blitz surrounding Lady GaGa, when you strip away the egg costumes and swaths of glitter, there is an amazing artist to be found. With every release, her sound evolves and matures, combining sparkling, sassy rhythms with sheer bravado. It\u2019s heartening to have a superstar like GaGa putting out the message that it\u2019s okay to be weird and different because we were \u201cBorn This Way.\u201d Elsewhere, material like the stomping girl power anthem \u201cSchi-e\u201d and gorgeous love song \u201cYou And I\u201d (featuring Queen\u2019s Brian May on guitars!) makes this a perfect pop record with surprising heart. <\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cSchi-e,\u201d \u201cMarry The Night,\u201d \u201cYou & I\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

\"adele_21_150\"<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n


Adele \u2013 21<\/i><\/b> <\/p>\n

Adele has the curse of awesomeness. You can\u2019t turn on the radio without hearing the now-classic kiss-off \u201cRolling In The Deep\u201d or \u201cSomeone Like You,\u201d which even on the thousandth listen remains starkly resonant. But it\u2019s hard not to love this diva with the soaring voice and the guts to wear her heartbreak on her sleeve. 21 <\/i>is a perfect mix of ballads that make your chest ache and stomping, powerful songs that would make anyone think twice before wronging Adele.<\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cSet Fire To The Rain,\u201d \u201cSomeone Like You\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"foofighters_wasting_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n
\n


Foo Fighters \u2013 Wasting Light<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

To put it simply, this is rock done right: throbbing guitar riffs, raucous drums, Dave Grohl\u2019s stadium-ready wails. Every cut on Wasting Light <\/i>is coiled tight with power, ready to unload at the listener in a crash of power chords. Even the more heartfelt songs (\u201cDear Rosemary,\u201d \u201cWalk\u201d) are churning with energy. For an album that\u2019s this solid, I can only imagine how much better this material is played live.<\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cArlandia,\u201d \u201cI Should Have Known,\u201d \u201cBridge Burning\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\"badmeetsevil_hell_150\"<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/td>\n

\n


<\/b><\/p>\n

Bad Meets Evil \u2013 Hell: The Sequel<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

This is an album that begs to offend you; oddly enough, that\u2019s why I adore Eminem, who pairs up with former enemy Royce Da 5\u201d9\u2019 on this splintering, raucous collection of rhymes. Each rapper is in an eternal struggle to outmatch the other, and it\u2019s an incredible thing to witness them boast and brag among equally blistering backbeats. This disc is like the twisted stepsibling of Kanye West and Jay-Z\u2019s matchup, and I don\u2019t think these two MCs would have it any other way. <\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cWelcome 2 Hell,\u201d \u201cEcho\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"boniver_st_150\"<\/td>\n\n
\n


Bon Iver \u2013 Bon Iver<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

This is the album that lifts Bon Iver from the myth of Bon Iver \u2013 that is, the frozen cabin and heartache that spilled out in the form of For Emma, Forever Ago. Emma <\/i>is still probably my favorite album of all time, so no release will ever come close. But this self-titled disc is excellent nonetheless, full of textured soundscapes and cryptic, refrigerator-magnet poetry that begs to be dissected. When he sighs, \u201cAt once I knew I was not magnificent\u201d on the shambling, gorgeous \u201cHolocene,\u201d it was the moment that solidified the album for me. Bon Iver can wash his albums in marvelous layers and lyrics you have to hold up to the light to get a grip on, but his way of rendering emotion and mood is nevertheless strangely precise.<\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cBeth\/Rest,\u201d \u201cCalgary\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"deathcab_codes_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n
\n


Death Cab For Cutie \u2013 Codes And Keys<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I owe this album a full review, but suffice to say, it\u2019s another strong entry in the Death Cab catalogue. Subtler and more experimental than 2008\u2019s Narrow Stairs, <\/i>the tracks here shimmer with slow-build, and Ben Gibbard\u2019s lyrics are as lovely as ever. This record saw Gibbard falling in love and getting married, and such lightness is written in the rhythms of lines like \u201cWe are one, we are alive\u201d from the album\u2019s title track and songs like \u201cStay Young, Go Dancing.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cHome Is A Fire,\u201d \u201cYou Are A Tourist\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"jayzkanyewest_watch_150\"
<\/a> <\/td>\n		\n
\n


Jay-Z & Kanye West \u2013 Watch The Throne<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Nobody does epic quite like the combination of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Rap\u2019s titans come together on this ostentatious, glorious clash of egos, and it\u2019s just awesome. Amid the boasting about their collective riches is some honest musing on fatherhood (\u201cNew Day\u201d), race, and growing older. Pick this up for the novelty value alone and stay for the two of the most legendary MCs battling it out, not to mention some excellent cameos. Lead single \u201cOtis\u201d morphs Otis Redding into a fabulous boast for the ages (\u201cI made \u2018Jesus Walks\u2019 so I\u2019m never going to hell\u201d \u2013 of course, Kanye) and it\u2019s basically the album in a nutshell: fun and fabulous.<\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cWhy I Love You,\u201d \u201cNo Church In The Wild,\u201d \u201cNew Day\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"lupefiasco_lasers_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n
\n


Lupe Fiasco \u2013 Lasers<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Under pressure from his label, Lupe Fiaso nevertheless put out one of his most accessible albums to date. It\u2019s probably more radio friendly than purists would like, but there\u2019s something to be said about his ability to craft songs this alive and honest that manage to stay stuck in your head. From the raw power of \u201cWords I Never Said\u201d to the rich production of \u201cState Run Radio,\u201d every track here is worth the struggle it took to get this album released.<\/p>\n

Standout tracks: \u201cThe Show Goes On,\u201d \u201cBeautiful Lasers\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"okkervilriver_far_150\"<\/td>\n\n
\n


Okkervil River \u2013 I Am Very Far<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Shame on me for getting caught up with so much other music this year that I let this release slip by me. As always, Will Sheff and co. crafts songs that pierce you, that make you want to do something profound to match the mood of the music. From the shivering violins of \u201cWhite Shadow Waltz\u201d to the strangely funky \u201cYour Past Life As A Blast,\u201d which reminds me of David Byrne, I Am Very Far <\/i>requires your attention but will pay off in spades for the effort.<\/p>\n

Standout songs: \u201cThe Valley,\u201d \u201cYour Past Life As A Blast\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes radio rewards me with something I actually want to listen to. In a year where songstresses like Adele and Florence Welch are reigning supreme and the indie acts I remember debuting are now six albums deep, there was much to love. I found a handful of albums that I played to death, and while […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":50270,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"tags":[],"feature_type":[5609],"class_list":["post-47661","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","feature_type-best-of"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/feature"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47661"},{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}