It’s that time of the year again, and as we say farewell to 2011 and greet 2012 many of us here at WKNC reflected on what the best albums of the year were. Much like the previous two years I sent out a request to the Daytime staff to see what their favorite albums of 2011 were, and below are their top five individual favorites.

 

Sarahnade

 

 

 

 

1. The Dodos- No Color
2. The Decemberists- King is Dead
3. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
4. Givers- In Light
5. Future Islands- On the Water

 

Hurricane Julia

 

 

 

 

1. tUnE-yArDs- w h o k i l l
2. Darwin Deez- Wonky Beats
3. Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside- Dirty Radio
4. Tom Waits- Bad as Me
5. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Wolfroy Goes to Town

 

John

 

 

 

 

1. James Blake- James Blake
2. Rangers- Pan-Am Stories
3. Amen Dunes- Through Donkey Jaw
4. Thee Oh Sees- Carrion Crawler/The Dream
5. Grouper- A I A: Alien Observer/Dream Loss

 

Psychonaut

 

 

 

1. TV on the Radio- Nine Types of Light
2. M83- Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
3. Zola Jesus- Conatus
4. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
5. Coma Cinema- Blue Suicide

 

DJ Walter-Ego

 

 

 

 

1. Andrew Jackson Jihad- Knife Man
2. Metronomy- The English Riviera
3. Crystal Stilts- In Love With Oblivion
4. Black Lips- Arabia Mountain
5. Starfucker- Reptilians

 

Mollypop

 

 

 

 

1. Sarah Jarosz- Follow Me Down
2. Chris Thile & Michael Daves- Sleep With One Eye Open
3. Bombadil- All the Rain Promises
4. The Decemberists- The King Is Dead
5. Mandolin Orange- Haste Make, Hard Hearted Stranger

 

DJ Radio Dead

 

 

 

 

1. Shabazz Palaces- Black Up
2. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
3. tUnE-yArDs- w h o k i l l
4. Jay Z and Kanye West- Watch The Throne
5. Radiohead- The King of Limbs

 

DJ Ones

 

 

 

 

1. Wye Oak- Civilian
2. The Dodos- No Color
3. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
4. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
5. James Blake- James Blake

 

May Day

 

 

 

 

1. The Drums- Portamento
2. Future Islands- On the Waterfront
3. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
4. The Dodos- No Color
5. The Joy Formidable- The Big Roar

 

DJ Flipside

 

 

 

1. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
2. Yuck- Yuck
3. Real Estate- Days
4. Delicate Steve- Wondervisions
5. Ponytail- Do Whatever You Want All the Time

 

DJ Mason

 

 

 

 

1. tUnE-yArDs- w h o k i l l
2. Braids- Native Speaker
3. Youth Lagoon- The Year of Hibernation
4. Panda Bear- Tomboy
5. Deerhoof- Deerhoof vs. Evil

 

Anastassia

 

 

 

 

1. Yuck- Yuck
2. Braids- Native Speaker
3. Girls- Father, Son, Holy Ghost
4. Balam Acab- In Motion
5. Real Estate- Days

 

Chuck

 

 

 

 

1. Balam Acab- Wander/Wonder
2. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
3. Holy Other- With U
4. The Weeknd- House of Balloons
5. Liturgy- Aethethica

 

What are your favorite albums of the year? Comment below.

Ever wonder what your favorite local artists are listening to?  What inspires them to make the music we enjoy?

Let us introduce you to a new feature here at WKNC that introduces you the music that our artists listen to!  From here on out we will be regularly be bringing you into the headphones of local bands and friends of local music!

This week the members of Birds of Avalon have graciously sent us lists of what they have been currently rocking out to!

 

• Led Zeppelin- Down by the Seaside.
• Chicago- 25 or 6 to 4
• Joe Jackson- Steppin Out
• Sparks- Nothing to Do
• Van Halen- Little Guitars
• Steely Dan- My Old School
• Clipse- Ride Around Shinnin
• Benji Huges- The Mummy
• The Cherubs- Stag Party
• And now and for the rest of my life: Brenton Wood- The Oogim Boogum Song

David Mueller-Bass

• Cut Copy- Unforgettable Season
• Lyres- How Do You Know?
• Bob Dylan- The Gates of Eden
• A Tribe Called Quest- Award Tour
• The Horrors- I Only Think of You
• DOOM feat Empress Starhh- Still Dope
• Fever Ray- Dry & Dusty
• Franco- Mambu ma Miondo
• Kurt Vile- Freeway
• Crystal Stilts- Departure

Scott Nurkin- Drums

• Sarolta Zalatnay – Hadd Mondjam El
• Bonniwell Music Machine – Astrologically Incompatible
• Carlton and the Shoes – Never Give Your Heart Away
• Alphonse Mouzon – Mind Transplant
• The Millineum – The Know-It-All
• Buffalo Springfield – It’s so Hard to Wait
• Joe Jackson – Friday
• Love – You Set the Scene
• Masters Apprentices  – War or Hands of Time
• The Paragons – Left with a Broken Heart

Cheetie Kumar- Guitar

• Harmonia-Monza-Rauf Und Runter
• Neu-Hallogallo
• Deerhoof-Tears and Music of Love
• Brian Eno-Sky Saw
• Wizzard-French Perfume
• Wire-French Film Blurred
• Pretty Things-She’s A Lover
• George Harrison-I Dig Love
• The Germs-Lexicon Devil
• Gong-You Can Kill Me
• King Crimson- Great Deceiver

Paul Siler-Guitar

• The Band-King Harvest (has surely come)
• The Bee Gees-I Close My Eyes
• Dungen-Gor Det Nu
• The Beatles-Blue Jay Way
• Polvo-In This Life
• Bob Dylan and the Band-Katie’s Been Gone 
• Charlie Parker-Bluebird
• Lets Active-Talking to Myself 
• Joni Mitchell-Free Man in Paris 
•  Free-Oh I Wept
• Flaming Lips-In the Morning of the Magicians 

Birds of Avalon fans should be excited to know that their new album, Uncanny Valley, is coming out June 23 with a tour kicking off at the Local 506 on June 13th.