Tyler Kendig’s top-five albums

Now, the problem with creating any 2011 best-of list – especially about music – is that you just can’t make everyone happy. So instead, this isn’t “the” best-of list, it’s “my” best-of list.

The Antlers – Burst Apart:
It’s sad, but The Antlers will never make an album as good as 2009’s “Hospice.” But that’s okay, because even though “Burst Apart” isn’t quite as heart-wrenching as “Hospice,” it’s probably for the best. And, as a helpful Pitchfork reviewer pointed out, “(lead singer Peter) Silberman isn’t holed up in a Brooklyn apartment waiting for his heart to be atomized between albums.”
Still, there’s no denying the emotion conveyed by this indie-rock group’s third album. But don’t let that indie-rock label lead you astray; I know some of you avoid the genre like the plague. If you’re looking for lyrics that make you feel, interesting instrumentation and more than a touch of the morose, The Antlers’ newest has your back.
Key tracks: “Rolled Together,” “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out,” “Putting the Dog to Sleep.”

SBTRKT – SBTRKT:
New forward-thinking UK producer SBTRKT (pronounced like the vowels aren’t missing), released this self-titled debut last year, which melds elements of contemporary bass music with left-field hip-hop beats.
The thing that sets SBTRKT apart from his peers, though, is accessibility. While SBTRKT is grouped under the post-dubstep label, he eschews the genre’s often murky, experimental leanings in favor of more club-ready tracks.
The first single, “Wildfire,” featuring Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano incorporates some of the wubs of the softer side of modern dubstep, while still remaining to sound catchy and danceable.
Overall, SBTRKT keeps the mood, beats and guest vocal spots refreshingly varied and the occasional xylophone-esque instruments he employs throughout add a nice touch.
Key tracks: “Wildfire,” “Trials of the Past,” “Pharaohs.”

Destroyer - Kaputt:
Remember those smooth Top-40 hits of the late 70s? Me either. But Dan Bejar does, and he brings it back for his 9th album, “Kaputt.”
The album plays like a hazy, coke-fueled 2 a.m. after-party, and I’m not putting words in Bejar’s mouth. In the title track Bejar wistfully sings, “Wasting your days. Chasing some girls, all right. Chasing cocaine through the back rooms of the world all night,” over the backdrop of an all-but-forgotten era.
It’s all there: cue the soft, Bruce Hornsby-esque piano chords, the dated drum machines and let the cheesy sax and guitar fill the gaps behind Bejar’s obtuse, referential lyrics.
In the end, it’s a treat to hear Bejar craft a masterpiece that sounds as fresh as ever, all the while employing a sound that’s now all but kaput.
Key tracks: “Chinatown,” “Savage Night at the Opera,” “Kaputt.”

The Weeknd – House of Balloons:
The Weeknd (yeah, he likes to drop vowels too) is the stage name of Abel Tesfaye, but nobody knew that when he dropped this free post-R&B mixtape in March. That air of mystery fits Tesfaye well as his foggy, nocturnal debut features enough over-indulgent sex and drugs to fill an abnormal psychology textbook.
The mixtape features two Beach House samples, if only to ensure that he stays hip with the hipsters, but he’s wise in mixing up his left-field source material on other tracks. You’ve got to give credit to a guy who gives the Siouxsie and the Banshees hit “Happy House” a club-ready makeover, and then makes it the title track. Luckily, his production is as lush as the lifestyle he leads, even when the not-safe-for-work lyrics make you want to take a cold shower afterward.
Key tracks: “House of Balloons,” “The Morning,” “The Party & the After Party.”

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx – We’re New Here:
In 2010 the late, great Gil Scott-Heron released “I’m New Here,” his first album in 16 years. In 2011, Jamie xx, of moody indie-pop band The xx fame, remixed it and called it “We’re New Here.” The album showcases Scott-Heron’s voice while Jamie xx layers in dense instrumentals and beats.
“NY is Killing Me,” starts off desolate and even when the drums, syncopated bass and Scott-Heron’s raspy growl fall in it’s not much of a reprieve. By the end Scott-Heron’s mantra, the song title, won’t leave your head as the last minute opens into a gorgeous mess of drums, marimba and pitch-shifted voices.
Sadly, the album is also the source of Drake and Rihanna’s hit song “Take Care,” but Scott-Heron’s rasp proves much more effective than Rihanna’s auto-tune.
Key tracks: “My Cloud,” “NY is Killing Me,” “I’ll Take Care of U.”
And no, I don’t wear big hipster glasses.