The KEXP DJs hear thousands of albums every year, but in 2011, which ten really stood out for them? Find out as KEXP looks at each DJ’s list through the month of December, leading up to our 2011 Top 90.3 Countdown, as voted on by YOU, the KEXP listener! Voting ends on Monday, December 19th, so let us know your favorites now, and tune in on Friday, December 30th to hear which albums made the list!
Zola Jesus from our CMJ Broadcast at the Ace Hotel NYC, 10/19/11
photo by Victoria VanBruinisse (more photos)
DJ El Toro’s 2011 Top Ten Albums
| rank | album | artist | label |
| 10 | James Blake | James Blake | Universal Republic |
| 9 | The Sound of Everything | Thousands | Bella Union |
| 8 | The Harrow & The Harvest | Gillian Welch | Acony |
| 7 | 50 Words for Snow | Kate Bush | Anti- |
| 6 | Skying | The Horrors | XL |
| 5 | Black Up | Shabazz Palaces | Sub Pop |
| 4 | Only in Dreams | Dum Dum Girls | Sub Pop |
| 3 | Strange Mercy | St. Vincent | 4AD |
| 2 | Conatus | Zola Jesus | Sacred Bones |
| 1 | Helplessness Blues | Fleet Foxes | Sub Pop |
DJ El Toro hosts the variety mix show on Wednesday nights from 9 PM to 1 AM on KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle and kexp.org. His weekly rant, “Weird At My School,” appears infrequently on the KEXP Blog. Please follow DJ El Toro (aka Kurt B. Reighley) on Twitter and/or Tumblr!
