2011. 50 ALBUMS

In a year where law makers and the entertainment  industry made more pressure than ever to try to regain some power against piracy - therefore make independent artists life harder, we also had more mediums and ways of sharing and distribute music blossoming. Major allies of independent music - sites like Soundcloud and Bandcamp - became, once and for all, vital for artists and listeners while more ways of accessing music (user radios, podcasts) gained popularity. I believe we passed the halfway point of a cultural movement that is going towards a highly personalized way to release and consume music.
Tomorrow I'll say a few things about albums and artists from the list below. Also, highlights and a podcast with 45 songs from 2011.

50 THE WAR ON DRUGS SLAVE AMBIENT secretly canadian
49 RAINBOW ARABIA BOYS AND DIAMONDS  kompakt
48 VARIOUS ARTISTS A TRIBUTE TO CLUB TROPICANA VOL. 2  beko dsl
47 HONG KONG IN THE 60S MY FANTOMS  proper songs
46 RADIATION CITY THE HANDS THAT TAKE YOU  apes tapes
45 YOUTH LAGOON THE YEAR OF HIBERNATION  lefse
44 SUMMER CAMP WELCOME TO CONDALE  moshi moshi
43 YOUNG GIRLS YOUNG GIRLS  home skool
42 ROMANTIC STATES A SHELL IS BORN  self released
41 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA  fat possum
40 COMET GAIN HOWL OF THE LONELY CROWD  what's your rupture?
39 MOUSTACHE OF INSANITY ALBUM OF DEATH  fika
38 HUNX AND HIS PUNX TOO YOUNG TO BE IN LOVE  hardly art
37 JESPER LUNDAGER DYEING LILIES BRIGHTER COLOURS  self released
36 SCATTERED TREES SYMPATHY  roll call
35 THE FOREVER PEOPLE THE FOREVER PEOPLE  self released
34 EGIL OLSEN KEEP DREAMIN - KEEP MOVIN  ellersoul
33 NICK CAMILLO AD INFINITUM  a little bit weird
32 THE BILINDA BUTCHERS REGRET, LOVE, GUILT, DREAMS  self released
31 CULTS CULTS  columbia / in the name of
30 GENERATIONALS ACTOR-CASTER  park the van
29 JINJA SAFARI LOCKED BY LAND  cooperative music
28 BART & FRIENDS STORIES WITH THE ENDINGS CHANGED  lost and lonesome
27 LA SERA LA SERA  hardly art
26 VIOLENS NINE SONGS  static recital
25 MATES OF STATES MOUNTAINTOPS  barsuk
24 CODE PIE LOVE MEETS RAGE  flagless
23 MANEL 10 MILLES PER VEURE UNA BONA ARMADURA  warner
22 BIG TROUBLES ROMANTIC COMEDY  slumberland
21 SECRET CITIES STRANGE HEARTS  western vinyl
20 DESTROYER KAPUTT  merge
19 ACID HOUSE KINGS MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU  labrador
18 CRAFT SPELLS IDLE LABOR  captured tracks
17 HEHFU MUSIC FOR MY BROKEN EARS  bleeding gold
16 KALLE MATTSON ANCHORS  parliament of trees
15 SWTHRT COMPACT DISC  self released
14 LITTLE JUNGLES WUT'S GOIN THRU YER HEAD  self released
13 THE SOUND OF ARROWS VOYAGE  skies above
12 SEAPONY GO WITH ME  hardly art
11 VARIOUS ARTISTS ONE YEAR OF ORIGINAL MUSIC FROM FEBRUARY RECORDS  february
10 GOLD-BEARS ARE YOU FALLING IN LOVE?  slumberland
09 SEA LIONS EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEA LIONS  slumberland
08 FAN MODINE GRATITUDE FOR THE SHIPPER  daniel 13
07 LA ESTRELLA DE DAVID MARACAIBO  canada
06 THE CITY AND HORSES WE WILL NEVER BE DISCOVERED  paper garden
05 LA BIEN QUERIDA FIESTA  elefant
04 TENNIS CAPE DORY  fat possum
03 EAST RIVER PIPE WE LIVE IN RENTED ROOMS  merge
02 AZURE BLUE RULE OF THIRDS  hybris / matinée
01 FRENCH FILMS IMAGINARY FUTURE gaea