Albums of 2011 : Numbers 20 and 19

20 - Radiohead : The King of Limbs
Announced suddenly, released ahead of schedule and almost more of an EP than a proper full-length, yet Oxford's most famous sons' eighth studio record was still something of a triumph of the experimentalist married to the band's more traditional sound. There was the skittering, off-kilter dance of 'Lotus Flower' and 'Bloom', but the final trio of 'Codex', 'Giving Up the Ghost' and 'Separator' point straight to why a Radiohead album is awaited with such baited breath by most music fans. Sure, it might have been something we've kinda heard before, but it was done brilliantly. Add in the remixes found on TKOL RMX 1234567 and it's a mighty fine body of work.

19 - The Middle East : I Want That You Are Always Happy
Formed in 2005, released a record in 2008, split up, reunited to release this album in 2011, and now they've gone and split up again. Australia's The Middle East have never made things easy for themselves, and also never really seemed entirely happy being in the belly of the music industry machine. It's a shame, because with I Want, they produced an epically beautiful record of, at turns, fragile and rousing alt. country. Cracking harmonies, layers of instrumentation, wonderful songwriting....they'll be sadly missed.

The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy

Australians The Middle East have taken the long route round to releasing second album proper I Want That You Are Always Happy. Formed in around 2005 they released first album Recordings of The Middle East in 2008 and promptly split up. They reconvened eight months later and released an EP, essentially a truncated version of the album, containing the wonderful 'Blood'. I blogged about them back in February 2010, in this rather pathetic and slightly embarrassing post. Two years on and we've got the new album, and it's been worth the wait.

The band play what could be best described as alt.country, but there's so much more to the record than just that. Opening with the fragile 'Black Death 1349' and the gorgeous piano-led 'My Grandmother Was Pearl Hall', what's immediate is how Jordan Ireland's vocals have come into their own since those early records. He has a wonderful voice and when it combines with Rohin Jones and Bree Tranter's vocals (the Tranter-led 'Jesus Came To My Birthday Party is a rocking departure from many of the other tracks) it's something truly magical.

There are many fine moments on this record, such as the twanging and Gothic 'Land Of The Bloody Unknown', the barely-there Satie-esque piano lilt of 'Sydney to Newcastle' and the country-rockin' 'Dan's Silverleaf'.

One of the most wonderful moments is the elegiac 'Ninth Avenue Reverie' - "you said that you loved him / but you were just too young...you say a lot of things" - which floats on banjo and gently wheezing accordion. I kind of wish the album finished after this song, it just seems like the perfect way to end a record, left with a smile on your face and a tear rolling down your cheek.

However, there's still the epic 'Deep Water' with some beautiful slide guitar to enjoy, and then finally the clattering 'Mount Morgan End' to cap it all.

What's great is that The Middle East move through genres without the record losing focus, and that's due to the immense talent of the band. I Want That You Are Always Happy isn't a perfect record, but at halfway through the year it's doubtful that you'll find many records better than this in 2011. If they can keep going and not be tempted to break up again, these Aussies might just be at the start of a brilliant new beginning.