Metacritic Best New Albums of 2011 (update 26/4/2011)

This playlist is based on albums scores found on the aggregator Metacritic, a website that "distills the opinions of the most respected critics writing online and in print to a single number". The playlist features all albums that, in the latest 90 days, got a minimum critics score of 70. After three months, as they disappear from Metacritic main page, the albums will disappear from the main playlist, too; anyway, they will be saved in the archive playlist (see below). 


As you can see, music critics are nice guys: in 90 days, they managed to give good rates to more than 200 albums! It's some weeks that I don't update these playlists, so list of new entries is pretty long, including new works by Beth Ditto, TV on the Radio, The Kills, Joan As Police Woman, Explosions in the Sky and many more. This is also the week when the two playlists start differentiating: the first is actually dedicated to last 90 days albums, the last is the archive of previously published albums. Enjoy!

METACRITIC BEST NEW ALBUMS
Source: Metacritic
Albums available on Spotify: 167 out of 207 (80,67%)

New entries are in bold.

Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise (metacritic score: 87)
Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave (78)
Demdike Stare - Tryptych (87)
Jonny - Jonny (74)
Seefeel - Seefeel (71)
North Mississippi Allstars - Keys to the Kingdom (70)
The Hot Club of Cowtown - What Makes Bob Holler (79)
Mind Spiders - The Mind Spiders (70)
Faust - Something Dirty (72)
Amanda Palmer - Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (77)
David Lowery - The Palace Guards (73)
Spokes - Everyone I Ever Met (76)
Todd Snider - Live: The Storyteller (85)
Ricky Martin - Musica + Alma + Sexo (72)
The Dirtbombs - Party Store (73)
George Michael - Faith (Special Edition) (90)
The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts (73)
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam (78)
Peaking Lights - 936 (79)
Crowbar - Sever the Wicked Hand (79)
Kurt Elling - The Gate (74)
Akron/Family - S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (78)
Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo (73)
Jessica Lea Mayfield - Tell Me (73)
Teddy Thompson - Bella (71)
Cut Copy - Zonoscope (72)
Nicole Atkins - Mondo Amore (72)
... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - Tao of the Dead (73)
Motorhead - The World Is Yours (70)
The Babies - The Babies (70)
Cowboy Junkies - Demons: The Nomad Series, vol.2 (73)
Sims - Bad Time Zoo (79)
Tristen - Charlatans at the Garden Gate (81)
The Skull Defekts - Peer Amid (73)
Shugo Tokumaru - Port Entropy (71)
East River Pipes - We Live In Rented Rooms (76)
Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting (77)
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972 (87)
Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines (71)
Hayes Carll - Kmag Yoyo (& Other American Stories) (78)
Saigon - The Greatest Story Never Told (89)
The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps (71)
Sonic Youth - Simon Werner a Disparu (75)
Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots (78)
Beans - End It All (70)
Bright Eyes - The People's Key (70)
Yuck - Yuck (81)
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (88)
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (77)
Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra (80)
Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger
June Tabor - Ashore (75)
Loch Lomond - Little Me Will Start a Storm (74)
Michael Chapman - Fully Qualified Survivor (96)
The Caribbean - Discontinued Perfume (77)
The Luyas - Too Beautiful To Work (70)
Johnny Cash - Bootleg vol.2, From Memphis To Hollywood (78)
Brad Mehldau - Live in Marciac (81)
DevilDriver - Beast (81)
Darkest Hour - The Human Romance (74)
King Creosote - Thrawn (78)
The Psychic Paramount - II (81)
The Builders and the Butchers - Dead Reckoning (78)
Danielson - The Best of Gloucenter County (73)
Malachai - Return to the Ugly Side (76)
The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh (76)
Bayside - Killing Time (84)
Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place (81)
Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pine (79)
Six Organs of Admittance - Asleep on the Floodplain (76)
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - We're New Here (82)
Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, vol.1 (82)
Adele - 21 (75)
Mr. Dream - Trash Hit (79)
Stateless - Matilda (75)
Middle Brother - Middle Brother (76)
Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High (77)
Buddy Miller - The Majestic Silver Strings (70)
The Baseball Project - Baseball Project vol.2: High and Inside (78)
Papercuts - Fading Parade (71)
Lucinda Williams - Blessed (79)
Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Boomer (71)
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing (75)
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (83)
Eisley - The Valley (71)
Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style (82)
Devotchka - 100 Lovers (72)
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi (78)
Beth Ditto - EP (78)
Those Dancing Days - Daydreams & Nightmares (70)
Sierra Hull - Daybreak (77)
Dirty Beaches - Badlands
Micachu & The Shapes - Chopped and Screwed (71)
Grails - Deep Politics (81)
Starfucker - Reptilians (71)
Vijay Iyer - Tirtha (81)
Buffalo Tom - Skins (74)
Wires Under Tension - Light Science (71)
Rival Schools - Pedals (77)
Wye Oak - Civilian (81)
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo (82)
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now (73)
Raekwon - Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (74)
Parts & Labor - Constant Future (77)
Sara Evans - Stronger (74)
Baby Dee - Regifted Light (78)
FaltyDL - You Stand Uncertain (79)
Snowblink - Long Live (79)
Moritz von Oswald Trio - Horizontal Structures (80)
Trap Them - Darker Handcraft (75)
The Naked and Famous - Passive Me Aggressive You (72)
Black Joe Lewis - Scandalous (83)
Eleventh Dream Day - Riot Now (70)
Funeral for a Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon (77)
Screeching Weasel - First World Manifesto (81)
The Dodos - No Color (79)
Rise Against - Endgame (77)
J Mascis - Several Shades of Why (78)
Cornershop - Cornershop & The Double-O Groove Of (80)
Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now (75)
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar (77)
Trembling Bells - The Constant Pageant (77)
The Weeknd - House of Balloons (87)
Nostalgia 77 - The Sleepwalking Society (81)
Solomon Burke - Hold On Tight (71)
Eulogies - Tear the Fences Down (74)
Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (75)
Pharoahe Monch - W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) (79)
Keren Ann - 101 (76)
Jennifer Hudson - I Remember Me (74)
Egyptrixx - Bible Eyes (81)
Acid House Kings - Music Sounds Better With You (81)
The Strokes - Angles (71)
James Blake - James Blake (81)
Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now (75)
Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep (80)
Burial - Street Halo (83)
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Cotonou Club (79)
Moon Duo - Mazes (73)
Ladytron - Best of 00-10 (74)
Mary Mary - Something Big (70)
Royal Bangs - Flux Outside (74)
Amon Amarth - Surtur Rising (79)
Southeast Engine - Canary (82)
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse (81)
Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose (74)
Hunx & His Punx - Too Young To Be In Love (70)
Bibio - Mind Bokeh (78)
Yelle - Safari Disco Club (71)
Peter, Bjorn and John - Gimme Some (73)
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong (78)
Obits - Moody, Standard & Poor (75)
The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck (79)
Erland and the Carnival - Nightingale (72)
Josh T. Pearson - Last of the Country Gentlemen (76)
Radiohead - The King of Limbs (80)
The Blackout - Hope (76)
Ambrose Akinmusire - When the Heart Emerges Glistening (88)
Anna Wilson - Countrypolitan Duets (70)
Alela Diane - Alela Diane & Wild Divine (72)
Maritime - Human Hearts (77)
Robbie Robertson - How To Become Clairvoyant (71)
The Kills - Blood Pressures (76)
Jim Jones - Capo (72)
Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years (73)
Metronomy - The English Riviera (77)
Little Scream - The Golden Record (78)
Young Widows - In and Out of Youth and Lightness (81)
Hauschka - Salon des Amateurs (82)
Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (77)
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan in Concert: Brandeis University 1963 (75)
Letlive - Fake History (86)
Ponytail - Do Whatever You Want All The Time (75)
Vessels - Helioscope (73)
TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light (82)
Thursday - No Devolucion (88)
Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What (88)
The Pretty Reckless - Light Me Up (78)
Panda Bear - Tomboy (80)
Low - C'Mon (81)
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane (77)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Here We Rest (76)
The Feelies - Here Before (80)
Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion (77)
Atmosphere - The Family Sign (73)
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (78)
Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys! (83)
Joan As Police Woman - The Deep Field (73)
I'm From Barcelona - Forever Today (80)
O'Death - Outside (70)
tUnE-yArDs - Who Kill (86)
The Unthanks - Last (81)
Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks (75)
Nedry - Condors (82)
Dennis Coffey - Dennis Coffey (85)
Thao & Mirah - Thao & Mirah (77)
Steve Earle - I'll Never Go Out of This World Alive (77)
Prefuse 73 - The Only She Chapters (78)
Emmylou Harris - Hard Bargain (72)
Daedelus - Bespoke (78)
Kode9 - Black Sun (78)
Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (80)
Cass McCombs - Wit's End (75)
Times New Viking - Dancer Equired (76)
Poly Styrene - Generation Indigo (74)
Holy Ghost! - Holy Ghost! (71)
Kort - Invariable Heartache (79)

Listen to it on Spotify (latest 90 days albums):
Mammoth (full albums): HTTP, URI. (SR0539)
Lite (3 tracks each album): HTTP, URI. (SR0540)


... WHILE THE FOLLOWING ALBUMS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE IN THE ARCHIVE PLAYLIST:

Broken Records - Let Me Come Home (metacritic score: 71)
Bardo Pond - Bardo Pond (71)
Kudos - Surf City (75)
Joe Lovano Us Five - Bird Songs (86)
Abigail Washburn - City of Refuge (70)
Wire - Red Barked Tree (77)
Cage The Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday (76)
British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall (70)
Aurelio - Laru Beya (81)
White Fence - Is Growing Faith (78)
Pearl Jam - Live On Ten Legs (72)
Tennis - Cape Dory (79)
Social Distortion - Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes (71)
Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde (83)
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers - Teenage and Torture (79)
The Greg Allman Band - Low Country Blues (80)
Braids - Native Speaker (76)
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (77)
William Tyler - Behold the Spirit (79)
LCD Soundsystem - The London Sessions (81)
Say Hi - Um, Uh Oh (75)
John Renbourn - Palermo Snow (74)
Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming (78)
Lori McKenna - Lorraine (70)
Apex Manor - The Year of Magical Drinking (77)
Lia Ices - Grown Unknown (75)
Sid Tourè & Friends - Sahel Folk (78)
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Love EP (77)
Delicate Steve - Wondervisions (84)
John Vanderslice - White Wilderness (74)
Minks - By the Hedge (75)
Talib Kweli - Gutter Rainbows (72)
Gang of Four - Content (72)
Destroyer - Kaputt (84)
Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings (73)
Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean (79)
Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing (71)
Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs. Evil (77)

The Archive (all 2011 albums)
Mammoth (full albums): HTTP, URI. (SR0541)
Lite (3 tracks each album): HTTP, URI. (SR0542)