UTG’s Best Of 2011: Music

Under The Gun Review

2011 is coming to a close and as such, it is time to announce who we think delivered the best entertainment of the year.

This year has been huge, both for entertainment and Under The Gun, so cutting things down to a simple top 10 list proved damn near impossible. To combat this, we decided to let each member of our staff, if they desired, create a list of their favorite albums, Eps, single, and the like. You can view those lists after the jump.

The following lists are only the beginning of UTG’s 2011 celebration. Stay tuned for our top comedy and film picks, as well as never-before-seen UTG TVs, and more in the coming weeks.

James Shotwell (Founder/Editor)

Best Album

1. Fireworks – Gospel
2. Drake – Take Care
3. The Wonder Years – Suburbia…
4. Iwrestledabearonce – Ruining It For Everybody
5. I Am The Avalanche – Avalanche United
6. The Devil Wears Prada – Dead Throne
7. Bright Eyes – The People’s Key
8. The Dear Hunter – The Color Spectrum
9. Aiden – Some Kind Of Hate
10. Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

Worst Album

1. I Set My Friends On Fire – Astral Rejection

Best EP

1. Pentimento – Wrecked
2. American Opera – Demo
3. Crown The Empire – Limitless
4. William Control – Novus Ordo Selcorum
5. Childish Gambino – untitled/free EP

Best Single

1. Enter Shikari – “SSSnakepit”
2. Fireworks – “Arrows”
3. Drake – “Headlines”
4. The Wonder Years – “Local Man Ruins Everything”
5. Pusha T – “Alone In Vegas”

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Grant Trimboli (Chief Operations Manager/News Writer)

Best Album

1. Portugal. The Man – In the Mountain, In the Cloud
2. The Dear Hunter – The Color Spectrum EP Collection
3. Fireworks – Gospel
4. Bon Iver – Self-titled
5. The Wonder Years – Suburbia
6. Animals As Leaders – Weightless
7. There For Tomorrow – The Verge
8. La Dispute – Wildlife
9. Dream On Dreamer – Heartbound
10. I Am The Avalanche – Avalanche United

Worst Album

1. Design The Skyline – Nevaeh

Best EP

1. We Are The Union – Graveyard Grins
2. Pentimento – Wrecked
3. Wolves At The Gate – We Are The Ones
4. Ligeia – Welcome To Palm City
5. Farewell Fighter – The Way We Learn

Best Single

1. Fireworks – “Arrows”
2. Mac Miller – “Donald Trump”
3. The Wonder Years – “Came Out Swinging”

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Jacob Tender (Managing News Editor)

Best Album

1. Parachute – The Way it Was
2. Bayside – Killing Time
3. The Cinema – My Blood is full of Airplanes
4. Fireworks – Gospel
5. The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing
6. Transit – Listen & Forgive
7. Childish Gambino – Camp
8. The Cab – Symphony Soldier
9. Panic! at the Disco – Vices and Virtues
10. Gavin DeGraw – Sweeter

Worst Album

1. Design The Skyline – Nevaeh

Best EP

1. Late in the Playoffs – Everything I Know
2. Roy English – FearLove
3. Cartel – In Stereo
4. Bad Rabbits – Stick Up Kids
5. Squid the Whale – New War

Best Single

1. Late in the Playoffs – “Blue Eyes”
2. The Cab – “Bad”
3. Bayside – “Mona Lisa”

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Ben Howell (UTG TV Editor/Producer)

Best Albums

1. Scale The Summit – The Collective
2. Animals As Leaders – Weightless
3. The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing
4. I Spy Strangers – The Kind Of Dirty You Can’t Wash Off
5. Hundredth – Let Go
6. Rise Against – Endgame
7. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows – D.R.U.G.S.
8. Dead By April – Incomparable
9. Texas In July – One Reality
10. Four Years Strong – In Some Way Shape or Form

Worst Album

1. Rihanna – Talk That Talk

Best EP

1. Enter Shikari – Quelle Surprise
2. With The Punches – It’s Not The End of The World
3. Handguns – Don’t Bite Your Tongue
4. Hit The Lights – Invicta
5. Dikembe – Chicago Bowls

Best Single

1. Enter Shikari – “Quelle Surprise”
2. Mac Miller – “Donald Trump”
3. Texas In July – “Magnolia”

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Jordan Munson (Rock/Metal Critic)

Best Album

1. Nero – Welcome Reality
2. Portugal. The Man –In The Mountain In The Clouds
3. Battles – Gloss Drop
4. Junius – Reports From The Threshold Of Death
5. DJ Shadow – The Less You Know, The Better
6. The Roots – Undun
7. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
8. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
9. Moving Mountains – Waves
10. Dad Rocks! – Mount Modern

Worst Album

1. Lou Reed & Metallica – Lulu. Mother. Fucking. Lulu.   

Best EP

1. Minus The Bear – Hold Me Down
2. DJ Shadow – I Gotta Rokk
3. Job For A Cowboy – Gloom
4. Between The Buried And Me – The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
5. Validation – Call To Preserve

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Grace Duffy (Music/Film Critic)

Best Album

1. Sum 41 – Screaming Bloody Murder
2. Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
3. Icon For Hire – Scripted
4. Gym Class Heroes – The Papercut Chronicles Part II
5. Within Temptation – The Unforgiving
6. Nightwish – Imaginaerium
7. Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones
8. Adele – 21
9. Hailey, It Happens – Aurora
10. La Dispute – Wildlife

Worst Album

1. Rihanna – Talk That Talk

Best EP

1. La Dispute/Koji – Never Come Undone
2. Canterbury – More Than Know
3. We Are the Union – Graveyard Grins
4. Family Force Five – III
5. Wayward – With Love

Best Single

1. Florence and the Machine – “No Light, No Light”
2. Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”
3. Sum 41 – “Screaming Bloody Murder”
4. Taylor Swift – “Sparks Fly”
5. Katy Perry (feat. Kanyé West) – “E.T.”

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Sean Reid (Music Critic)

Best Album

1. The Horrible Crowes – Elsie
2. Balance & Composure – Separation
3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
4. Thursday – No Devolución
5. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?
6. Basement – I Wish I Could Stay Here
7. Great Cynics – Don’t Need Much
8. Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
9. The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing
10. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

Worst Album

1. All Time Low – Dirty Work

Best EP

1. Late In The Playoffs – Everything I Know
2. Turnover – Turnover
3. Glassjaw – Coloring Book
4. Diamond – Don’t Lose Your Cool
5. The Tower and The Fool – XIII 7″

Best Single

1. Spy Catcher – “Remember Where You Were When Michael Jackson Died”
2. The Wonder Years – “Local Man Ruins Everything”
3. M83 – “Midnight City”

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Brian Leak (Interviewer/News Writer)

Best Album

1. A Lot Like Birds – Conversation Piece
2. Mariachi El Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx II
3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
4. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
5. Born of Osiris – The Discovery
6. La Dispute – Wildlife
7. Last Chance to Reason – Level 2
8. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
9. Scale the Summit – The Collective
10. The Jezabels – Prisoner

Worst Album

1. Lou Reed and Metallica – Lulu

Best EP

1. Hawkboy – Hawkboy
2. Between the Buried and Me – The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
3. Trophy Scars – Never Born, Never Dead
4. The Dear Hunter – The Color Spectrum (Green)
5. The Dear Hunter – The Color Spectrum (Yellow)

Best Single

1. Wye Oak – “Civilian”
2. Mariachi El Bronx – “48 Roses”
3. The Weeknd – “The Knowing”

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Tori Thomas (News Writer/Photographer)

Best Album

1. Panic! At The Disco – Vices & Virtues
2. Gym Class Heroes – The Papercut Chronicles II
3. Foster The People – Torches
4. Patrick Stump – Soul Punk
5. The Cinema – My Blood Is Full Of Airplanes
6. Never Shout Never – Time Travel
7. States – Room To Run
8. Austin Gibbs – Charlie
9. The Cab – Symphony Soldier
10. Breathe Carolina – Hell Is What You Make It

Worst Album

1. Cobra Starship – Night Shades

Best EP

1. Kitten – Sunday School
2. Brighten – I’ll Always Be Around
3. Anarbor – The Mixtape
4. Jon Walker – Home Recordings
5. Sky Ferreira – As If!

Best Single

1. The Cinema – “Kill It”
2. Foster The People – “Helena Beat”
3. Kitten – “Chinatown”

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Christopher Blincoe (Photographer)

Best Album

1. Rise Against – End Game
2. The Devil Wears Prada – Dead Throne
3. Angels and Airwaves – Love ll 
4. Memphis May Fire – The Hallow
5. The Plot In You – First Born
6. I See Stars – End of The World Party
7. Serianna – Inheritors
8. Sleeping With Sirens – Let’s Cheers To This
9. Breathe Carolina – Hell Is What You Make It
10. Like Moths To Flames – When We don’t Exist 

Worst Album

1. Iwrestledabearonce – Ruining It For Everybody

Best Single

1. Sleeping With Sirens – “Do it now, Remember it later”
2. The Plot in You – “Miscarriage”
3. For The Fallen dreams – “Strange Faces”

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Kriston McConnell (News Writer)

Best Album

1. The Devil Wears Prada – Dead Throne
2. Asking Alexandria – Reckless and Relentless
3. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows – D.R.U.G.S.
4. Iwrestledabearonce – Ruining it for Everybody
5. Alesana – A Place Where the Sun is Silent
6. Greeley Estates – The Death of Greeley Estates
7. Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
8. Casino Madrid – Robots
9. Dream On, Dreamer – Heartbound
10. Serianna – Inheritors

Worst Album

1. Design the Skyline – Nevaeh

Best EP

1. Between the Buried And Me – The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
2. Royal – This Portrait, Your Creation
3. In Fear and Faith – Symphonies
4. Camisado – Pulse
5. Horizons – It’s All Worth Reaching For

Best Single

1. Make Me Famous – “We Know It’s Real”
2. My Heart to Fear – “The Witching Hour”
3. Playing For Keeps – “Enlighten Me”

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Kellie Gannon (Photographer)

Best Album

1. Patrick Stump – Soul Punk
2. Blink 182 – Neighborhoods
3. Destroy Rebuild Until God Show – D.R.U.G.S
4. There For Tomorrow – The Verge
5. Sleeping With Sirens – Lets Cheers To This
6. You Me At Six – Sinners Never Sleep
7.  Transit – Listen & Forgive
8. I Am The Avalanche – Avalanche United
9. Oh Sleeper  – Children of Fire
10. I See Stars – The End of The World Party

Worst Album

1. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV

Best EP

1. Glassjaw – Coloring Book
2. Transit – Promise Nothing
3. You, Me, And Everyone We Knew – Things Are Really Weird Right Now
4. Mayday Parade –  Valdosta
5. Cartel –  In Stereo

Best Single

1. Sleeping With Sirens – Do It Now, Remember It Later
2. Blink 182 – Up All Night
3. Freesol – Fascinated

James Shotwell
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2 Responses to “UTG’s Best Of 2011: Music”

  1. nahbro says:

    Not a single nod for The Flood? 

  2. WaywardChris says:

    Damn, thanks for the EP credit Grace.  So glad you enjoyed the EP! =)