These are the stand-out albums of the year as far as I'm concerned. I liked Bon Iver and Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes upon first listening, but I've only listened to each two or three times more.

The Black Keys: El Camino
Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for my Halo
Nicolas Jaar: Space Is Only Noise
Radiohead: King of Limbs
The Weeknd: House of Balloons
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake

Pitchfork's list of the top 50 albums of 2011. The best albums of 2011 according to Dutch music critics and Ted Gioia's selection of the 100 best albums of the year (mostly jazz and world).