The Head and the Heart | Kind of Bleu

Kind of Bleu’s top albums of 2011, with links to each review in the countdown.

Honorable Mentions:
Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan & Chris Thile – The Goat Rodeo Sessions
Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong
I’m From Barcelona – Forever Today
Panda Bear – Tomboy
My Morning Jacket – Circuital

20. Chris Thile & Michael Daves – Sleep With One Eye Open

19. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life

18. Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What

17. Wild Flag – Wild Flag

16. Tom Waits – Bad as Me

15. The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart

14. James Blake – James Blake

13. The Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck

12. Wilco – The Whole Love

11. Feist – Metals

10. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s a Corporate World

8. Middle Brother – Middle Brother

7. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire

6. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

5. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

4. The Antlers – Burst Apart

3. Destroyer – Kaputt

2. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

1. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

15. The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart

Seattle’s The Head and the Heart self-released their debut album last year. It gained the attention of Sub Pop Records, who re-released The Head and the Heart this year.

Before you question the album’s placement on this list, the Sub Pop release was completely remastered and features a re-recorded version of “Sounds like Hallelujah” and the addition of “Rivers and Roads.” These aren’t bonus tracks, tacked on to the end, they’re integral to the album. The album was also released for the first time on vinyl this year.

The folk-rock band has gone from selling CD-Rs at open mic nights to opening for The Decemberists and My Morning Jacket on the strength of this album. “Lost in My Mind” and “Down in the Valley” are two of the album’s many near-perfect songs.

The release date is irrelevant. The Head and the Heart is one of the year’s best.