Guardian Music: Archive

Dec 21st

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Dec 20th

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Dec 20th

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The best songs of 2011

The top 40 tracks of the year, as voted for by Guardian writers 1 Lana Del Rey – Video Games 2 Azealia Banks – 212 3 Tyler, the Creator – Yonkers 4 Joe Goddard – Gabriel ft Valentina 5 Frank Ocean – Swim Good 6 Nicki Minaj – Super Bass 7 Beyoncé – Countdown 8 Adele – Rolling in the Deep (Jamie xx Remix) 9 Rihanna – We Found Love 10 A$AP Rocky – Peso 11 Tune-Yards – Bizness 12 PJ...

Dec 19th

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Best albums of 2011, No 1: PJ Harvey - Let England... →

England did indeed shake this year to the sound of riots, protests and distant wars. No wonder, then, that PJ Harvey’s raw yet meticulously researched record hit a nerve

Dec 16th

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Best albums of 2011, No 2: Katy B – On a Mission →

Not only did Katy B showcase a new direction for dance music, she offered a fresh perspective on love, lust and London nightlife

Dec 16th

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Best albums of 2011, No 3: Frank Ocean –... →

Unafraid to tackle suicide, abortion and absent fathers, this free mixtape introduced one of our most refreshing new R&B stars

Dec 15th

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Best albums of 2011, No 4: Beyoncé – 4 →

The thrill of pop is its instant rush, yet Beyoncé’s fourth album was a refined record that showed she was in it for the long haul

Dec 13th

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Dec 13th

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Why won't Grooveshark remove my music? →

“After several takedown requests, even more versions of my song appear on Grooveshark than before. That’s why I applaud Universal’s decision to take the digital music site to court.” more >

Dec 12th

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Best albums of 2011, No 5: Bon Iver – Bon Iver →

The story behind Bon Iver’s debut album was so perfect some wondered if its fragile beauty was a one off. But the follow-up wove an even more ravishing tapestry of folk, ambient and MOR

Dec 12th

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Best albums of 2011, No 6: James Blake – James... →

In a year in which we questioned our obsession with all things retro, James Blake pulled off the unthinkable, taking dubstep, soul and even barbershop to create a new musical language

Dec 9th

See all the fun you're missing if you're not...

http://storify.com/guardianmusic/celeb-stories

Dec 8th

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Best albums of 2011, No 7: Metronomy – The English... →

In returning to his roots, Joe Mount pursued a more pastoral direction for Metronomy’s third album – and found his voice

Dec 8th

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Best albums of 2011, No 8: The Weeknd – House of... →

This free download was anything but throwaway. The chillwave-tinged R&B spoke of codeine, cold sex and pills … and invited you to luxuriate in Abel

Dec 8th

Dec 6th

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Albums of 2011, No 9: Rustie – Glass Swords →

Rustie’s debut album was a splash of Technicolor, escapist fun that drew on trance, rave and the Seinfield theme. Could it be this generation’s Club Tropicana?

Dec 6th

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Dec 5th

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Best albums of 2011, No 10: Tune-Yards - whokill →

Starting our countdown of the top 10 albums of 2011, Merrill Garbus’s second LP was a rowdy, politicised burst of lo-fi pop that resonated in a year defined by protest…

Dec 5th

2 notes