Top 20 Albums of 2011: 20-19

20. Take That - Progressed



The "parent album" was one of my favorites of last year, and this continuation kept up the quality. To me, this didn't sound at all like a collection of leftovers. In fact, in some ways this is even more experimental than Progress. It's also more uptempo and, while it's not as consistently brilliant as the group can be, it has its share of blistering highlights.

19. Rogue Traders - Night Of The Living Drums



A long time in the making, this represented the band's first album with their new vocalist. She's really the reason why I love the album and, at times, am annoyed by it. When the music soars, like on Would You Raise Your Hands, Don't Think I Love You and Like It Ends Tonight, it's some of the best stuff of the year. Then there are tracks like If You Wanna Taste It and Sign Language that, unfortunately, prevent this from going higher on my list. Still, it's an overall solid album.

Rogue Traders - Don't Think I Love You

"God knows that I've tried"

Australia's Rogue Traders just (finally) released their first album with new vocalist Mindi Jackson. It was worth the wait! I really like Mindi's vocals--they remind me of early Kylie with a punk edge. On the whole, the album is very 80's inspired and mostly uptempo. It's definitely a progression from their earlier work with Natalie Bassingthwaighte. Less straight ahead dance and more new wave. If you've heard the singles, you know what to expect. One of my favorite tracks is Don't Think I Love You, which has an amazing, soaring chorus. It begins as a slow synth ballad but quickly bursts into a propulsive, sing-along melody. According to the band, the song came to life when they thought of mashing up Prince's Purple Rain and Blondie. It's a pretty good description, and the track's a total success. Ditto for the album.

Rogue Traders - Don't Think I Love You by nohfap

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Rogue Traders - Would You Raise Your Hands

"If I raise my hands would that make you dance?"

Rogue Traders is one of those bands that I should love. Yet their music has never really done anything for me, until this single. I've enjoyed all of their prior singles to a point, but they've never been enough to make me want to investigate an album. Now the band's back with a new singer (the punky Melinda Jackson replaces now-solo Natalie Bassingthwaighte). This is going to be sacrilege to long-time fans, but I actually prefer Jackson's Minogue-gone-punk vocals to Bassingthwaighte's, which tended to be more dance diva. Their sound this time around ups the electro influences, and this is by far the best single I've heard from the band. In fact, it's one of the best songs of this genre I've heard all year. They even sample one of my musical heroes, Adam Ant. And it's one of those brief, we're-gonna-honor-you samples, as opposed to the usual we're-gonna-exploit-your-success sample. The beat is ferocious and the vocals sneer while still retaining a definite pop edge. There's a hungry, urgent energy at play here that's completely refreshing. I may just have to give the next album a listen. This is a Rogue Traders I can get behind.

Rogue Traders - Would You Raise Your Hands by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.