Back to The Best Albums of 2011

18. Girls, 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost'

Amazon

Whether singing to ex-girlfriends or his mother, who famously allowed him to be raised in the Children of God religious cult, Girls leader Christopher Owens spends his band's muted sophomore album with his heart in his hands, pleading for love. Last time out, he turned his pain into sunny California pop; here, he lets things get a little gray. -- K.P.