Best of 2011

This year, the local standouts for me have been …

BEST AUSTRALIAN ALBUMS
1. Unicycles, Tiger Choir (Hobart)
2. Hunter's Moon, Feathers (Brisbane)
3. Meditations On The Sun, Melodie Nelson (Sydney)
4. Hurtsville, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders (Sydney)
5. They Will Run, The Sea Thieves (Adelaide)

BEST EP
Dreams, Oliver Tank (Sydney)

BEST DEMO
Heavy Owen (Sydney)

BEST MIXTAPE
Hookz 4 by Fishing (Sydney)

TOP 20 AUSTRALIAN SONGS
1. "The Summer Is Done With Us", Palms (Sydney)
2. "Late and Sedated", Noceans (Adelaide)
3. "Last Night I Saw Everything In Slow Motion", Oliver Tank (Sydney)
4. "Over Under", Magic Silver White (Melbourne)
5. "Waiting", Melodie Nelson (Sydney)
6. "Horses", High Highs (Sydney/Brooklyn)
7. "Cold Feet", Jack Ladder (Sydney)
8. "Bird on Shoulder", Tiger Choir (Hobart)
9. "Alisa", Cut Copy (Melbourne)
10. "Coast To Coast", Twerps (Melbourne)
11. "All Night Long", The Frowning Clouds (Geelong)
12. "Your Love", Peak Twins (Adelaide)
13. "Japanese Cymbals", White Palms (Brisbane)
14. "Keys and Locks Don't Work" Cat Cat (Canberra/Melbourne)
15. "Starting At The End", The Sea Thieves (Adelaide)
16. "Romulus", Voltaire Twins (Perth)
17. "Speak of the Devil", Hermitude (Sydney)
18. "Big Cats", Outerwaves (Brisbane)
19. "Left To Fight", Oblako Lodka (Melbourne)
20. "A Boat?", Caitlin Park (Sydney)

Also noteworthy: "Tuki Bird", Flwrgn (Sydney); "Carpet Rash", Total Control (Melbourne); "Ghostwalking", New War (Melbourne); "Hell & High Water" by A Casual End Mile (Sydney) and "Masaya", Taku (Perth).

MOST FUN BAND TO SEE LIVE
Fishing (Sydney) on one end of the spectrum and Royal Headache (Sydney) on the other.

BAND TO KEEP AN EYE ON
High Highs (from Sydney, now based in Brooklyn - started out the year giving out tracks for free on Bandcamp and now they're looked after by Elton John's management company).

MOST PROMISING BAND
Noceans (Adelaide)

BEST OPENING/CLOSING TRACKS ON ANY ALBUM THIS YEAR
Twerps (Melbourne) - "Dreamin'" and "Coast To Coast"