Best of the Bloglin 2011: The 10 Most Disappointing Albums
Whelp, they can’t all be winners can they? But let’s not deny ourselves the precious schadenfreude of singling out the albums that, in 2011, just didn’t cut it for us. Whether they be promises unfulfilled, ideas left half baked, or a stubborn inability to evolve, there were all sorts of disappointments this year.
A lot of these albums ended up on other people’s best of lists, so yeah, we might be trying to instigate a little somethin’ somethin’. But mainly we’re just trying to speak the truth, and despite the hype. these were the 10 biggest disappointments of the year…
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10. Bon Iver - S/T [Jagjaguwar/4AD]
The plasticine nature of Bon Iver half makes me believe that Justin Vernon’s story about his sojourn into a cabin to record his debut album might have been a fabrication all along. Any sort of genuine emotion displayed on that release is replaced by pap.
Humorously enough, there is only one really good song on the album, and it’s closer “Beth/Rest”, the only track that’s more than open about its ridiculousness, full of lite-rock synths and goofily soaring vocals.
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9. The Strokes - Angles [RCA/Rough Trade]
Finally, after all these years, The Strokes return with their fourth album and it is… super underwhelming. Apparently, though this is not surprising, Julian Casablancas and the rest of the band weren’t exactly on the best terms during the recording of Angles.
Whereas a record like Is This It was buoyed up by the pure exuberance of a band that was in perfect harmony and creative cohesion, Angles is a hodgepodge of mostly boring, nothing more than competently executed ideas.
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8. Cut Copy - Zonoscope [Modular]
Much like another group that appears later on our list, Cut Copy was a progenitor of a movement, only to return some years later selling the same formula only to find that their contemporaries had pretty much used up all our goodwill for the sound.
Zonoscope still remains the weaker of their three records, but to be honest Cut Copy had quite the difficult task in front of them to return to anywhere near their past relevance.
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7. Lupe Fiasco – Lasers [Atlantic]
Not gonna lie, I was never a fan of Lupe. He was always a little too precious for me, a little too faux intellectual, but maybe I just didn’t get it. Nevertheless, even his most ardent supporters pretty much agreed Lasers was crap.
I remember randomly being in Union Square about a year ago and seeing a bunch of people crowded around looking up at the wall above the (still open) Virgin Megastore. I found out it was a preview for Lasers. People seemed really excited, then 5 seconds of a video of Lupe showed up on the wall, sans any sound, then an ad for his record label. That was it. Sounds about right.
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6. Björk - Biophilia [One Little Indian]
No one would ever fault Bjork for her ambition and creativity, but when you’re always trying to be way out there, you’re gonna miss sometimes. Unfortunately, Biophilia was weighted down by its own lofty concepts.
Part album, part iPad app suite, part performance piece, Biophilia was mediocre at a lot of things and not very good at any one thing. Bjork invented new instruments for the album. I suggest she goes back to the tried and true ones.
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5. Radiohead – The King of Limbs [TBD/XL]
It’s not that The King of Limbs is bad. It’s just that Radiohead releases are held to a very high standard, one which this surprisingly slapdash sounding collection of borderline boring tracks does not live up to.
People didn’t know whether they still had it in them for In Rainbows, but now many regard that as their best album. Though we all wished it, lightning just didn’t strike twice here, and King of Limbs was the last thing an album wants to be: forgettable.
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4. Drake – Take Care [Cash Money]
I’ll probably catch some flack from the rest of the crew for this, but I actually like Take Care (sorry!). That being said, I’m ready to throw on the devil’s advocate suit and pick apart what is most certainly a pompously self-obsessed, gloomily confessional pseudo-rap album from an MC with a nasal flow that wears out its welcome quick.
Unfortunately, this album never seems to end, with tracks being stretched well beyond breaking point and interspersed with “interludes” and other such useless things. We get it Drizzy: you’re sad. Put it on livejournal.
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3. Justice – Audio, Video, Disco [Ed Banger]
If only Justice had left it at †. A strange album that unexpectedly snagged a slice of the zeitgeist, † is the sort of record that if you thought back to the time you were really into it you’d have trouble remembering just why that was.
Nonetheless, it still held onto some of its cache. Audio, Video, Disco on the other hand seems wildly unnecessary, and instantly forgettable.
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2. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne [Def Jam]
Turns out that “don’t let me get in my zone” was less of a threat and more of a mantra. I would like to say that this album just collapsed under the weight of its own hype, but weren’t people wary of this from the start?
Both rappers, no matter how much the swear they weren’t, are clearly on autopilot for this record, or maybe they have truly become so delusional they believe their mere presence is enough to captivate us. Though, judging by Watch The Throne‘s presence on a lot of year end lists, maybe they were right…
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1. James Blake – S/T [Atlas]
Like a lot of albums on this list, James Blake is not terrible. It’s certainly by no means good either. It’s not much of anything really. After the so-high highs of CMYK and Klavierwerke, we were more or less chomping at the bit for the first full length release from the young Mr. Blake. Where would he take dubstep next? Where would this glottal stop filled vocalist employ his mastery of piano in the world of techno? How great could the album be?
And then we were given this… thing. Well, there sure was a lot of singing, so much so that to call it an electronic album would almost be a stretch. There’s no inherent problem with the singer songwriter thing, but Blake isn’t very compelling as either. His vocal tics become boring quickly, and the repetition that was so effective in his bass music is just annoying when put to words. Sorry James Blake, better luck next time. We’re all rooting for you.
- Whole Milk
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:35 pm
who the fuck is james blake? how can that be no. 1
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Not keeping up with music are we?
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
guess not. too much rickross
December 23rd, 2011 at 12:53 pm
…all up in my earholes
December 23rd, 2011 at 1:06 pm
The problem with all these albums is the fact that almost all of these artists are uber hyped up and there for liked by so many. Most of these albums do have at least 1 song that is, if only a little bit, captivating enough to try and listen to it again. Where Bon Iver lacks the feel of his debut album and James Blake just didn’t completely get it right, did Kanye and Jay-Z just totally fuck up everything.
December 23rd, 2011 at 1:59 pm
What the fuck about that Tyler kid…that was the most over-hyped fucking let down I’ve ever heard!!!
December 23rd, 2011 at 2:50 pm
I have to differ on putting James Blake as most disappointing album of the year. Contrary to everybody else on this list: it’s his fucking debut. Put his next album on top of this list, fine. But the only thing he did wrong was not to do the exact same thing as his EPs. Certainly the hype on Watch the Throne was a million times bigger – not to mention Carter IV or We’re New Here.
December 23rd, 2011 at 2:57 pm
What he did wrong was try be Antony & The Johnsons instead of James Blake.
December 23rd, 2011 at 3:09 pm
He tried to be a grown up musician, yes. Turns out he’s just an emo 20 something… To me that’s a graceful failure.
December 23rd, 2011 at 3:27 pm
on this list: albums too popular for you guys to like
December 23rd, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Then how would that explain all of the popular albums included on the Top 50? Or that Kanye was in our top #3 last year?
December 23rd, 2011 at 3:52 pm
there aren’t that many “popular” albums in your top 50. i like the top 50 you guys posted, besides a few big albums you missed. this list just seems to distinctly be albums that got a lot of love/hype from other sites (3 of these are in pitchfork’s top 10) or sold well and aren’t cool enough to be on the main list because of it.
seriously, calling bon iver “disappointing” and “barely listenable” is one of the most ridiculous things i’ve read on the internet in 2011, especially compared to some of the stuff you guys have given good reviews. i mean, nostalgia, ultra in the top 10 and bon iver is not even in the top 50? i love frank ocean, but nostalgia as an album is fucking terrible. he sings over hotel california for like 8 minutes, what the fuck is that? just sayin
December 23rd, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Fuck, this list is right on point. I disagreed with a few of the top 50 albums and couldn’t believe trash talk wasn’t in the best eps, but this list, this shit is pitch fucking perfect.
December 23rd, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Dan,
1. This isn’t our list of our top 10 bad albums of 2011. It’s a list of 10 albums we had much higher hopes for, and as such were “disappointing.” Believe me, I really wanted to love new albums from Justice, Cut Copy and Watch the Throne.
2. Nothing is here because it’s either popular or sold well. By that logic why wouldn’t we have put a Weeknd release here if we’re trying to stick to albums that were popular? Or why would we have put House of Balloons at #2 in the Top 50? Yes every artist here is relatively well known. But let me ask you this: How could an album from an artist no one knows nor has any expectations for truly be deemed disappointing? Disappointment stems from a level of expectation.
3. Where and when did we call the Bon Iver album “unlistenable?” It’s totally listenable. It’s also utterly forgettable. The album has randomly come on my iTunes playlist countless times since it’s release and I still wouldn’t be able to hum or identify a single song from it if put on the spot. Let alone want to go and just put it on.
4. I love “American Wedding.” I’m sure I’m not alone here.
December 23rd, 2011 at 4:40 pm
i totally understand, but i find it odd that these are all albums that are generally popular most other places. that was my original criticism. how could you have been disappointed by bon iver? it was their second album, and another album of sad acoustic i’m-in-a-cabin music would be boring as fuck. i don’t see how, in any way, that album can be a disappointment, especially when there weren’t really any expectations for it. same thing with drake’s album, it was much better than anything he’s ever done. how can you say that’s a disappointment? what did you expect him to do? i don’t see how his album can be considered a letdown unless you were expecting it to be the best album ever, which only drake himself would think. by making a list of disappointing albums and admitting that there needs to be a level of expectation for these artists, you’re basically admitting this is a list of popular music you wanted specifically to hate on.
from the original review of bon iver – “Over processed and under inspired, Bon Iver, Bon Iver barely justifies a full listen, let alone a repeat play.” i’m totally confused by this. the drums on perth are “forgettable”? the lyrics on holocene? the vocals on hinnom? how is beth forgettable? that’s just not listening to the tracks, they are all totally unique and very easily distinguished from one another. you’re admitting in the review that you barely listened to the full album; that’s not only unprofessional but it seems like the album is being reviewed just for the sake of saying it sucks.
December 23rd, 2011 at 5:02 pm
1. So you’re saying, because these were popular in other places we should accept that they’re good and by not doing such we’re merely hating on them just to hate? If that’s what you want to think be my guest but that’s not the case. And your argument completely falls apart when you acknowledge that albums within our Top 50 did included albums that were as you say “generally popular most other places.”
2. Something being “unlistenable” and something “barely justifies a full listen” are not the same thing. I’m also not the person who reviewed that Bon Iver album. But I can assure you that Daf — as much as it probably pained him judging from his review — most definitely listened to the Bon Iver album in it’s entirety. I’ll say that Daf was harsher on the album than i would have been. I didn’t hate it with the passion he did. I merely found it forgettable, hence why it’s here. What I don’t understand is how you can say there were their no expectations for Bon Iver new album? Last I checked this was an album plenty of people (myself included) were looking forward to hearing because i do like what you call “Im in the cabin” music. But just because it sound like it was constructed while being out in the woods doesn’t automatically make it great. Nor what I look for in that type of music, which is something riveting and haunting. This just sounded like style over substance to me.
3. In regards to Drake, what I expected Drake to do is perhaps release a solid album that wasn’t as pandering and full of filler. Is that really so much to ask for? Ina year where RnB was a strong undercurrent in so many great releases, is asking a guy who strafes the line between RnB, Pop and Hip Hop to pull it all more cohesively together too much to ask for? No. Especially when he has the talent and access to producers to do it.
December 23rd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Wow surprised by how on point this list is with disappointment being so subjective. I like a lot of the albums on this list but I was also quite disappointed and/or get why others could be disappointed with any of these even if I wasn’t.
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:15 pm
I too, found Bon Iver completely bland and forgettable. I didn’t get the hype about it at all. I think Dan might be Bon Iver himself, which he’s so upset by it’s inclusion in this list.
I think Mishka has the best year end lists for sure, keep it up. Although, I do agree with Prolly that Aesthetica was kinda dull, haha.
December 23rd, 2011 at 7:45 pm
i wish
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Mad confused as to how James Blake is on this list. That record was brilliant. Parts of it were just as groundbreaking and experimental as his EPs, and perhaps better executed (and in turn, more accessible). As a whole, the variety of styles covered on the record was impressive and showed how diverse Blake really is. Plus now your girlfriend wants to cuddle with his nutsack because he sounds like Justin Vernon with a british accent when he sings.
That said, the rest of this is spot on. Good lookin out, you smelly ass hood rats.
December 24th, 2011 at 12:55 am
My Top 5
5. Bon Iver
4. Smith Westerns
3. Bad Meets Evil
2. Foo Fighters- That new record complete crap. Dont understand how people liked it. Also new Anthrax licked balls.
1. Tyler the Creator- Goblin was shit. All the new songs were stupid.
January 1st, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Perfect list