When listing the top albums of 2011, Adele deservedly takes top billing. But it’s also worth noting that this was a very good year for rock. Five of my top 10 albums rocked convincingly, and that’s not counting Radiohead, the Tedeschi-Trucks Band or Wilco, which could be considered rock bands, albeit with a slightly lighter touch. Here are the CDs that rocked me in 2011.
1. Adele: “21” (Columbia Records). The competition for album of the year ended when “21” arrived. Headlined by “Rolling in the Deep,” an emphatic soul-flavored thumper of a tune, with a powerhouse vocal, “21” shows that Adele has only grown more dynamic as a songwriter and performer since her auspicious 2009 debut, “19.” While she hasn’t forsaken the soul-edged balladry of her debut, Adele’s sound is a bit tougher and more rocking on “21.” Still young at only 23, Adele is growing in all the right ways on “21.”
2. Wild Flag: “Wild Flag” (Merge). Out of the ashes of Sleater-Kinney emerged Wild Flag, with Janet Weiss and Carrie Brownstein from that fine Portland group. Some of Sleater-Kinney’s jagged punk sound carries over to Wild Flag, which is based in both Portland and Washington, D.C. But this band shows a poppier slant (“Romance” and “Endless Talk” have particularly catchy moments). Fans still lamenting the breakup of Sleater-Kinney can cheer up now.
3. Radiohead: “The King of Limbs” (self-released). Radiohead continues to delve into skittering synthetic rhythms and layered keyboard and electronic tones here, but “The King of Limbs” is more approachable and melodic than some of the band’s other recent albums. The CD winds down with three ballads that rely less on futuristic electronics and add an organic dimension that could signal yet another stylistic frontier for the ever-exploring, ever-adventurous Radiohead.