The Internet is almost entirely responsible for the collapse of the recording industry, but it hasn’t made a music fan’s life all that much easier. The amount of releases of all kinds (LPs, EPs and, of course, MP3s) and the pace with which music is released makes compiling a comprehensive “Top 10” list nearly impossible. So, with much bias, I present the albums released this year that allowed for consistent and repetitive (and obsessive-compulsive) listens.

*1. “Dye It Blonde” – Smith Westerns*

These young Chicago guys didn’t do a lot of maturing between the first and second releases, and that’s a good thing. What did change, however, was their studio budget, which allowed the group to take their Beatles-esque hooks and add a touch of glam rock a la T. Rex. But instead of going the retro route, Smith Westerns turned out a catchy, psychedelic and irresistible album. Led by Max Kakacek’s burning guitar parts and Cullen Omori’s “youthful lyrics”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmmLRt0p-fg, “Dye It Blonde” is at times romantic, playful and full of life.

*2. “Helplessness Blues” – Fleet Foxes*

The near perfect harmonies might be the least impressive aspect of Fleet Foxes’ amazing “sophomore release”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyP0DACgdgc. Armed with a more robust sound, lead singer Robin Pecknold wonders about life, his position within and the vastness of the universe. It’s humbling and uplifting in the most sincere way possible.

*3. “Wild Flag” – Wild Flag*

Calling Wild Flag a supergroup might be a disservice to the band, whose first album was the most raucous and least pretentious rock album of the year. Over twisting, “soaring guitar melodies”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J8n9R8rnB8, the all-girl group celebrates the release such music can provide. In a year as dismal as 2011, that outlook was very welcome and, quite frankly, long overdue.

*4. “The King of Limbs” – Radiohead*

““The King of Limbs””:https://www.dailyillini.com/index.php/article/2011/02/radiohead_reworks_old_tricks_for_fuller_more_human_effects_on_ldquothe_king_of_limbsrdquo is so rhythm-heavy that the band had to employ another drummer to recreate the tunes live. Those glitchy, looped staccatos were not easily digestible at first. But subsequent listens revealed the beautiful complexity with which these songs were crafted. Thom Yorke is still as disenfranchised with the world as ever, but with “The King of Limbs,” he might be suggesting the best anecdote to looming worldwide “catastrophe is to dance”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8 the fear away.

*5. “Relax” – Das Racist*

Das Racist got weird on their first proper release. Instead of straightforward hip-hop, the wise-ass New York trio favored steel drums and Bollywood “soundtrack samples”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc__3nsfxwA. Even the lyrics took a turn for the less hysterical and more tongue-in-cheek this go around; the group took aim at mundane hip hop themes and gave them a much needed skewering. The combination makes it the most impressive hip hop album of the year.

*6. “undun” – The Roots*

Though its proper release date is Tuesday, the time The Roots’ “undun” spent streaming online had me convinced it would be one of the best of the year. Weaving intricate and philosophical raps from master rhymer Black Thought, The Roots have crafted a “haunting tale”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqYFclG1hdw of greed, death and dealing crack. Band leader and producer Questlove turns in his best performance yet by making understated melodies fit with the bleak story line.

*7. “Stone Rollin’” – Raphael Saadiq*

Industry veteran Raphael Saadiq has made a career off his undying love for the classic Motown sound. But on this year’s “Stone Rollin,” Saadiq “ups his own ante”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeKaHBMKows and creates up-tempo jams that are classics in their own right.

*8. “James Blake”- James Blake*

Blake’s best showing this year was condemning the “pissing match” that is the American version of hyper-aggro dubstep. But the London-born Blake could have let his music show which brand of bass music was superior. His ambient, electronic, “haunting tunes”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0 are as moody as anything released this year. It’s a neo-noir classic for the electronic dance music scene.

*9. “The Smile Sessions” – The Beach Boys*

Infamously scrapped after head Beach Boy Brian Wilson dealt with writer’s block, depression and drug abuse, the newly released Smile Sessions master recordings have fulfilled every fanboy’s “wildest dream”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptxwWt2JeGQ. The product lived up to the hype, and produced some of the most druggy and gorgeous melodies the legendary group ever recorded.

*10. ““Watch The Throne””:https://www.dailyillini.com/index.php/blog/on_the_town/2011/08/off_the_record_kanye_west_and_jayz039s_team_up_falls_short – Jay Z and Kanye West*

Was it a little insensitive to the masses battling the effects of a stagnate economy? A little. But should we have expected the two most bloated egos in pop music to do anything beside mention their success and wealth? Watch The Throne was a celebratory album full of “grandiose music”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoEKWtgJQAU and witty exchanges between Kanye West and Jay Z, who with this album certified their spot atop the pantheon of rap superstars.

_Joe is a senior in Media._