Explore by your favorite genre:
Best Music of 2011 (according to moi)
As a music lover and avid music discovery guy, I can’t help but throw out this list. Thanks to my good friend TJ for the reminder. Here is my top 10 list of 2011 albums.
No real surprises other than probably what I’m excluding that the mags will praise. I did not enjoy Fleet Foxes or Toro Y Moi for example. I actually did not like most of the “chill wave glo-fi” stuff that came out and I hope it’s a trend that will wither away. But I do think it’s good music and excellent musicianship. It’s just too emo/pop sounding for me. I can’t believe how much really good music in 2011 was so emoish! Maybe a mood for this sound will strike me at one point but in general I do wish there was more boldness to the excellent sounds coming out lately.
I tried to restrain from glorifying albums that I heavily enjoyed such as Zomby’s Dedication, Modeselektor’s MonkeyTown and Rustie’s Glass Words because I know they are only good if you are as vested into the electronic genre as I am. However, if you like experimental electronic music, you MUST check those out.
I very much wish I could include some 2010 albums, such as Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker and Gold Panda’s Lucky Shiner. They were probably more awesome for me in 2011 than they were in 2010 and I would happily put them at the top of the list, so if you haven’t heard those two, get them now. And if you like good dirty guitars, definitely get Tame Impala. Best rock album in a long time for me.
I must also give an honorable pop mention to Katy B’s debut. I dug her pop music meets dubstep thing, amazing voice and good style. Call it my guilty pleasure.
So that’s my ramble. The list:
1. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient - I don’t know what it is about this album. Like Tame Impala, this band just knows how to rock with their balls clearly on. They have this Bob Dylan meets Tom Petty meets progressive rock meets indie rock thing that’s very alluring. Their album is more about the journey. There’s nothing to hit you on the face with awesomeness but when you finish it, you want to listen to it again and again. The textures are deep, the guitar is exactly what a rock guitar should sound like, and they just never get old. Not the best album of the year probably, but it is my favorite. I’d love to see an explosion of this type of rock (and Tame Impala) rather than all the emoish stuff going around, which is also partially on my list I suppose.
2. Girls - Father Son Holy Ghost - Chris Owens’ voice has always turned me off to this band, which is weird because it is also Girls’ best asset. On this second album, the strong instrumental guitar rock just helped me get past it, up to the point that I’m now into it. This is Jack Johnson meets Tame Impala or something. And I very much appreciate Owens’ different style now. If you are into good progressive rock with distinctive modern vocals - this will first throw you off, but then you will want more and more of it. This is probably 2011’s most unique rock album, and yes, it has balls behind the playful vocals. A+ for unique style.
3. Nicolas Jaar - Space is Only Noise - Nicolas Jaar literally floored me this year. I am in awe of this kid (he is 21 or 22) and for half the year I was devouring everything he’s ever done, every interview about him, all his singles, and everything released by Lamb & Wolf, the label he is on, and Clown & Sunset, the label he owns. Nicolas Jaar was my favorite musician to discover in 2011, but I have to say I don’t think this album is his best work nor do I think he has come out with his best work yet. This guy is going places. If you are into Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada or anything from the golden era of IDM, you’ll like this. But not because he sounds anything else like it, but because this guy has absorbed all the twists & turns that electronic music has done in the last few years, and incorporated them all to create his very own style. The work is mellow, mature, lots of subtext. Not nearly as explosive as he can be. But worth it. Also, if this allures you, get Gold Panda. Another major guy to look out for in electronic music.
4. The Antlers - Burst Apart - This is a very mellow album. But it’s just so beautiful, so haunting, so elegant. I don’t know a lot about the Antlers yet but these songs have stayed in my head throughout the last few months and every time I turn to this album I find a new golden nugget, a new discovery. If you are into melancholy and grandiosity, but you want to experience it with a peaceful mind and a relaxed vibe, this is the album for that mood in 2011 in my book.
5. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake - I just have to appreciate when an artist with a career history like PJ Harvey busts out an album as consistent as “Let England Shake” - from the grandiose ode ballad to England to the album’s rockier hits like “Let England Shake” this album fits in very well in 2011 - it sounds very different from Harvey’s previous works, it has lovely textures, and there’s a lot of stuff to discover jam packed in every song. The pace of the album is great too, something you can play repetitively and enjoy.
6. Explosions in the Sky - Take Care Take Care Take Care - This might be the less inventive album on my list but you can’t fault a band for sounding so good at being themselves. Yes, the era for grandiose progressive rock instrumentals is definitely not 2011. Hell, even Battles and Sigur Ros are now doing normal indie rock vocals. But Explosions in the Sky managed to release an album so detached from every trend going on right now that you can tell it comes from their heart. This is a beautiful work of great guitars, a solid mood, and not an emoish trace in the whole shebang, which I’m happy to keep repeating that it bothers me a lot. Every time I put this album on around people they comment on its beauty. Guitar lovers rejoice - this is the album for you.
7. Radiohead - The King of Limbs - If you know me, you knew this album was going to be here. So no surprises. When I heard the very first note of this album I was stoked. If your favorite Radiohead album is The Bends or OK Computer, this isn’t for you, but if you can honestly say you loved Kid A, this is Kid A for 2011. No longer being able to be electronically inspired by new sounds from Aphex Twin, Autechre and Boards of Canada, Yorke, an avid and very progressive electronic music fan now turned to Flying Lotus and Modeselektor for inspiration. Radiohead may no longer be cranking out albums that perfectly describe our moment in history, but they are still releasing very inventive music to keep us stimulated. People are going to change their minds about this one when they see it live too. Under all that electronic sound, there’s Johnny, Ed, Phil and Collin doing their thing. It’s not the most consistently stunning album they’ve done to be sure, but it does have a special place in their overall discography.
8. Cults - Cults - This band is very much “The XX” of 2011 - poppy, young, but darn talented - clearly evoking nostalgic feelings amidst that bubble gum. The opening track shows just how hard these guys can rock. Every other tune, while soft, has guitar textures that quite hit the spot. Cults, like the XX, have created an album that appeals to everyone, harms nobody, and leaves them open to go in just about any direction. The band knows how to maintain the balance between pop and experimentation extremely well on this album which is why it works so well and is so impressive. Let’s hope they keep this together. It’s a tough one to maintain.
9. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for my Halo - Kurt Vile, who somehow still seems to be a part of The War on Drugs despite not appearing in their latest album, has become much more popular than his fellow War on Drugs bandmates. And while I like the band more than his solo stuff, it’s clear this is just as talented americana rock with an indie/2011 flavor. Another great guitar album with very impressive songwriting that will make you pause to make sure you can absorb all of the lyrics. Not something I can say for everyone.
10. Bon Iver - Bon Iver - I’ll be terribly honest. I’m not that big of a fan. But the (retired?) music critic in me can’t help but put this on the list. It most certainly will be #1 in most lists this year. And I totally respect the musicianship in it. If only it wasn’t so darn emo! The textures are glorious, the mood is quite decent, and the album is definitely VERY 2011. Get it if you don’t mind the softyness. I’ll keep waiting for it to put me in awe, I know it has it in there.
Best track of the year: Mazzy Star - Common Burn. I cannot believe Mazzy Star released this track in 2011. This is an amazing California band from the glory era of the 90s that hasn’t released new material in many, many years. But when you put this on it sounds like something from a brand new band in 2011 with its mellow vibe, folksy/countryish guitar and clever lyrics - and it’s JUST AS GOOD if not better than their classic stuff. It’s amazing, I can’t wait for their new album. Much respect for this comeback.
Also must mention Burial’s massive tune: Street Halo. Burial’s keeping us in the waiting for a proper album release but the release of Street Halo and its 2 b-sides was more than enough to confirm why he is one of the most interesting electronic musicians right now.
Music I’ve Discovered in 2011.
The lack of ballsy rock took me on a journey back to the 60s where I discovered/ got into bands like Love, Iggy Pop, Ten Years After, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Blue Cheer.
My return to Venezuela got me all into Hector Lavoe who is my absolute favorite musical discovery for 2011. This man is legendary. And whether you like salsa or not you must check him out. Hector single-handedly got me heavily into salsa, merengue, cumbia and musica llanera this year, which I was happy to explore a whole lot of, including classics from Willie Colon and Oscar De Leon.
I just recently got the entire Columbia discography of Miles Davis and been into a jazzy mood lately. But it’s been contemporary jazz pianist Brad Mehldau who’s been stuck on repeat as of late in the jazz camp.
And my cousin who suddenly got a kick for old school soul got me turned on to Al Green (now that’s R&B I can listen to!) and The Zombies.
Long live music.
