Very bummed to hear of the lack of music listening party, but still very happy we've built a great community based on this site and the Music Sharing group on Facebook...The music that got me through this year..
10) Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellean
9) Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
8) Wild Nothing - Nocturne
7) The xx - Coexist
6) Best Coast - The Only Place
5) The Shins - Port of Morrow
4) Beach House - Bloom
3) Divine Fits - A Thing Called the Divine Fits
2) Tame Impala - Lonerism
1) Passion Pit - Gossamer
Bonus:
Deftones - Koi No Yokan ---came out to late in the year/didn't hear about it til my list was pretty much decided, but a great effort if you are a fan of early Deftones ( Around the Fur, White Pony) very reminiscent of that.
10. Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour / Golden Mile E.P.
I actually enjoy this better then the new Grizzly Bear Album. Grizzly Bear as a band is played out. The next phase is clearly their solo work and side projects.
9. Mac DeMarco - 2
This is what I would respect former PHISH fans listening too. Unfortunately that is not the case. Anyway, He's @ the Empty Bottle March 21st, 2013 and that is cool.
8. How to Dress Well - Total Loss
This groups name says it all.
7. Joey Bada$$ - 1999
This 17 year old Brooklyn Rapper has the whole world ahead of him. I am rooting for you kid. Don't make me look bad.
6. Matthew Dear - Beams
Not his best work, However his shows in Chicago @ Lincoln Hall and in San Diego @ the Casbah were amazing. Earned him a nice spot on this list.
5. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid M.A.A.D City
"Money Tree's is the perfect place for shade and that's just how I feel..."
Dr. Dre, thank you.
4. DIIV - Oshin
Amazing Debut Album, great live show @ Empty Bottle this year...which leads into my next selection...
3. Wild Nothing - Nocturne
Also great at that same Empty Bottle show. If you like 80's music the likes of; Tears for Fears, The Cure and other darker more sophisticated 80's stuff, you will like this.
2. John Talabot - fin
The culmination of dance music from every electronic sub-genre. This album is completely intoxicating.
1. Liars - WIXIW
Liars completely abandoned any signs of their previous sound and pull it off amazingly. They have come a long way from their humble beginnings as a dance/punk band from NY. They reinvent themselves on almost every album. This has been a long time coming since they have made my list with every album they have ever released. Cheers to one of my favorite bands of all time.
Well, so much for 2011, another year down, another large amounts of new albums listened to - and a bunch of new artists (new for me at least) crack my top 10... a Top ten that I would like to describe as "who needs a title for the album anyways". Without further ado (and no matter what I say won't make up for the fact that today is January 8th) - but to my argument, last night my family celebrated our Christmas - so it still feels 2011.
10. Portugal. The Man - In the Mountain In the Cloud
This band starts my top ten as the band that received the best response from a student of mine in class. Everyday, my Spotify is playing tunes in my classroom during passing periods / my prep time (and usually tunes that my students have no clue on the band) - and some time in December I was playing this album, and a student who was entering my class frankly asked "Mr. Meddaugh, what in the world are you listening to?" ... sorry to report that student more than likely didn't acquire the album.
9. Cut Copy - Zonoscope
I still have a hard time forgiving this band for being severely late to Pitchfork in '08 - since me and my friends decided that the last show we would see that night was Cut Copy... only to get a mashed up trio of musicians that played earlier in the day. Zonoscope brings me back to why I like this band so much - poppy, psychedelic music that forces my head to bob up and down when I listen to it.
8. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne
The album to prove to my students that I am hip - this collaboration between the two give me wh7.at I like in hip-hop. Kanye West's popped up hip-hop, along with Jay-Z's flow, and although some of the songs on the CD I need to skip, altogether it is an album I listened to a lot in 2011.
7. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
A new band for me in 2011, the two together have perfect voices for each other. It makes me appreciate an album full of slow love songs, with the title track thrown in the mix, which was a song I use to hate, but this album stayed on play in my car for a full two weeks straight.
6. James Blake - James Blake & Enough Thunder
I think I am cheating when I mash his two albums together, but I don't think Top Ten Albums have too many rules, and so if this is a rule, I'm breaking it. James Blake's style and made-in-the-home sound is exactly what others (example: Owl City) sucked at. To me, his cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" shows his ability as an artist, and is so depressingly good, it was placed in my Top 10.
5. Cults - Cults
Although I was late to the Cults party (not fully giving this album a chance until Thanksgiving Break) - it has been on regular rotation since then, and I am beginning to understand the hype behind the album. Although I don't know how much staying power the band has... as of right now, and in 2011, this album worked very well.
4. Beirut - The Rip Tide
Zach Condon rarely disappoints, and the Rip Tide was a great album. Apparently I enjoy Balkan Folk Music, if only I could go back in time and see the reaction of my 14 year old self when I told him this... would be priceless.
3. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
As my brother said to my grandma when I received this vinyl for Christmas "It's what the kids are listening to these days". And yes, it is. Another band that I would love to inform my 14 year old self I would be listening to an electronic French Band when I am older, reaction would be priceless. A band that I took a liking too in 2009, and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming does a fine job replacing Saturdays=Youth in my playlist. With that being said, M83's hit song "Midnight City" is being just tossed around the marketing world these days.
2. The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart
When I first heard them at Turner Hall opening for Iron & Wine, I knew this band's album was going to make my list. This is one album that Pitchfork got wrong with their 2.1 rating, Head and the Heart's album is hit after hit. Seeing them again in the Fall at Turner Hall, it was weird seeing them 3 months later, and everyone now knew their songs. Listening to them on Austin City Limits last night, this band has character. This album is what I like in music, and with songs "Rivers and Roads" and "Down in the Valley"... along with "Lost in My Mind" this album is about as addicting as it gets.
1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Justin Vernon did it again, and re-created himself in the process. Their concert in July was my show of the year (followed closely by Arcade Fire in Chicago) - this album is a work of art. Each song has its moment, and no matter where the sound goes, I am intrigued. Call me a Wisconsin Homer... but this band topped the charts for me in 2011.
Well there it is - onto 2012! (...we are 8 days in already).. and Go Packers.
10. Brent Hinds Presents - "Fiend Without a Face/ West End Motel"
I happened to catch a review of this two disc set on Pitchfork and decided to give it a try, since I'm a huge fan of Hinds' day job Mastodon. I have to say I didn't know what to expect, but this turned out to be a very enjoyable listen. The first disc - "Fiend Without a Face" - is full of awesome surf guitar freakouts, with vocals, but not a lot of intelligible words. The second disc can be described as somewhat demented pop. It veers seamlessly between country, acoustic folk, and piano ballads, but all the songs feel just somewhat off. If nothing else, this album is an extremely entertaining listen and nice respite from the sometimes heavy-handedness of Mastodon.
9. Portugal The Man - "In the Mountain, In the Cloud"
Every year, almost I can count on Portugal, the Man to provide a quality album of dreamy, psychedelic pop songs, and this album is no different. Portugal, the Man is probably the closest thing we have to early Oasis now. Their Lolla set was a highlight of the weekend.
8. TV on the Radio - "Nine Types of Light"
Earlier in the year, I would have said this album would have made my top three. After repeated listens, however, only about three-fourths of the album really sticks with me. The band dials back the funk just a little too much on this one. While some of the slower songs like "Second Song" and "Killer Crane" are still stunning, the pace is disrupted too much. Thankfully, songs like "Repetition" and "No Future Shock" provide that patented TV on the Radio future funk.
7. Washed Out - "Within and Without"
I have to admit that I'm not as with the electronic music explosion of the last couple years as everyone else is, but the few albums that I like, I like a lot. Washed Out is different from the rest in that they're not afraid to let the songs breathe and have a little space in the music. This is a great, chill album for the morning ride into work, but it shouldn't be dismissed as pure background music.
6. The War on Drugs - "Slave Ambient"
If Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Pink Floyd all collaborated on an album, this would probably be the result. The songs on this album manage to sound both epic and subdued all at once. Great driving album.
5. M83 - "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"
I had a weird relationship with this album this year. When I first heard it, I didn't think I liked it that much - but I also found myself wanting to listen to it all the time. Much like Washed Out, M83 isn't afraid to let songs breathe instead of packing as many hyper-compressed sounds as possible onto a track, diminishing their effects and boring the listener. Even at two discs long, "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" sounds fresh and vital the whole way through
4. Mastodon - "The Hunter"
I always feel I have to qualify my love of Mastodon with saying that I don't really like metal, per se. Somehow, Mastodon avoid most of the self-indulgence that make most metal unlistenable. This is a band that clearly has chops to burn, but the ridiculously technical nature of a lot of the songs doesn't feel forced. Everything part serves a purpose, it just happens to be played by someone insanely talented. "The Hunter" sheds a lot of the seriousness of their last few albums and makes for a really enjoyable listen.
3. Handsome Furs - "Sound Kapital"
Full disclosure, I'm a huge dan Boeckner fan, including the Handsome Furs and Wold Parade. Handsome Furs' latest does not disappoint. Full of paranoid, urgent vocals, spare production, stark beats and slashing guitars, this is how I wish most electronic rock was done
2. Girls - "Father, Son, Holy Ghost"
Originally, I wrote off Girls as the latest indie flavor of the month. Once I gave them a chance, however, I ended up being glad I did. Their latest is a great album that veers effortlessly from jangly pop, to Sabbath-esque riffs, to soulful ballads. This band should have a bright future.
1. Arctic Monkeys - "Suck it and See"
I was really late on the Arctic Monkeys' bandwagon, but they've grown into one of my favorite bands. Suck it and See combines the youthful punk exuberance of their earlier albums with the prog-lite of their last album, "Humbug" and throws in some perfect brit pop for good measure. Great, effortless collection of solid rock and roll songs.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Here we go, in no particular order.
Tom Waits: Bad As Me. Initially I was disappointed this wasn't stronger, this being his first new material in seven years. But I found myself enjoying it anyway. What more matters?
The Pack A.D.: Unpersons. Two-girl garage-punk band kickass album of the year.
Limes: Tarantula! Sort of a slacker Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which makes for a fun listen.
Silos: Florizona. Walter S. and friends back with a mighty fine collection that doesn't break much new ground but jumps out of the speakers.
Lydia Loveless: Indestructible Machine. Kickass drunk-young-female-alt country album of the year. Great voice.
Art Brut: Brilliant! Tragic! Critics didn't like this much but I truly enjoyed the Black Francis production (Pixies sound) mixed with the witty/ wacky lyrics and singing
Felice Brothers: Celebration, Florida These guys totally surprised by advancing their material beyond alt country roots, into some mighty fine, deep tunes.
TV On the Radio: Nine Types of Light I played this one the loudest and longest on my car stereo. One of the best concerts I ever experienced when they came to the Pabst.
The Kills: Blood Pressures Like the Tom Waits CD, it took me a while to warm up to this, but it's a solid album with the exception of one track where the guy sings.
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake Every PJ album is an event and in this case it's haunting, heartfelt and, as always, in a class of its own.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Brandor's Late Ten
Put me in the anti-sax camp. Here are my picks for the
albums that have been sticking in my brain this year.
Agesandages, Alright You Restless
Agesandages sticks out as one of the better family bands to
come out of late. Sing-a-longs and hand-claps are a plenty.
The Black Keys, El Camino
Black Keys frustrate me. I almost wish they would just get
it over with and let me down. Instead I will suck it up and dance around my
living room to this album.
Blessed Feathers,Songs from the Mouths of the Middle Class
Not just a pick for local release. I waited much of the year
in anticipation of this first official release on Milwaukee’s own Listening Party label. They
delivered a great album and left me excited to see what develops for this young
band. Their music is Wisconsin youth and I’m
not ashamed to say that I’m a total sucker for it.
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Perhaps you’ve heard. It’s good.
Megafaun,Megafaun
A new addition to my rotation but it’s grown on me fast. It
looks like it is going to be my wintertime jam. The kind of album you wake up, brush
your teeth to.
Peaking Lights, 936
Pleasantly surprised by the chill dub induced songs produced
by this couple; but even more surprised that they hailed (up till recently)
from Madison, WI. Once again leading me to wonder what
other beautiful sounds floating around our backyard am I missing?
While I can’t say this album as a whole was great, I felt
compelled to put it on my list. The online phenomenon that is Odd Future
managed to grasp the attention of many people. Even more interesting to me than
the guerrilla online war to get people’s attention was how quickly they lost
that attention. To say that Tyler
the Creator’s flash rise to infamy caused him to implode would seem to credit
more bang than I feel existed. It was more of a subtle deflation. Curious to
see what’s next… or maybe not.
The War On Drugs, Slave Ambient
This album was a creeper for me. While there are a couple
songs on it that were big stand outs, the album as a whole grew on me with
every play. tWoD was also one of the best live shows I had a chance to see/hear
this year which helped solidify the album as a top ten for me.
The Weeknd, House of Balloons & Thursday
Silky vocals and tight production. New and exciting r&b that
easily wanders out of the genre. Oh, and the lyrics are kind of dirty. Play on
your first date only with the purest of confidence and the most indecent of
intentions.
Yuck, Yuck
By far the album to get the most play from me. While all the
albums I’ve listed I like as a whole, this may be the only one I love song for song; beginning to end.
Wilco returns to form with a record that
brings back the exhilarating tension between experimental pop and alt-country
that made records like Being There and
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot such enduring
pieces.
9.) Mayer Hawthorne, How Do You Do
Hawthorne’s infuses pseudo-sexist humor
into his revival of the guiltiest pleasures of 70s soul. In doing so, he’s made
a record that keeps listeners off balance in the best possible way.
8.) Tune-yards, WHOKILL
Quirky, experimental pop that thrives on
the pings of toy pianos and trashcans set against Merril Garbus’ dynamo-through-a-tin-horn
vocals.
7.) The Decemberists, The King is Dead
I’ve heard it said that this is the best
R.e.m. album since Automatic for the
People. I’m inclined to agree.
6.) The Antlers, Burst Apart
Tightly crafted and elaborately textured indie-rock.
5.) Jens Lekman, An Argument With Myself
(E.P.)
The Swedish crooner’s witty and eclectic
mix of Cole Porter, calypso, dance beats, and tragicomedy makes for an inviting
, e.p. I can’t wait for the full album to come out.
4.) Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
The Fleet Foxes take a step forward trading
some of the elaborate CSNY-style vocal harmonies for a sparer, occasionally
rock-driven sound.
3.) St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
I was ready to jump on the “I’m so over St.
Vincent” bandwagon until I heard the new album. Annie Clark weaves some very
catchy hooks into her usual avant-industrial-opera.
2.) The Head and the Heart, The Head and
the Heart
A buoyant and melodic record of nearly
flawless, folk-pop love songs.
1.) Wye Oak, Civilian
Like a lot of people, I found Jenn Wasner’s
haunting vocals and Andy Stack’s minimalist burn on the drum kit compelling
stuff. I think that what strikes me most about the Wye Oak record is the way
it’s able to capture a sense of drama and even sublime terror without feeling
overbearing or dour. This is a highly listenable and yet striking album.
I've opted to just include my 10 most enjoyed albums without regard for any 1-10 rankings. What can I say, I've grown lazy in my old age. The albums are in alphabetical order to ensure I don't show any favoritism.
Army Navy - The Last Place A pop album for the US Weekly crowd about a supposed affair with a supposedly married and famous Hollywood actress (supposedly). This is the first time I have seen the music videobut now I can no longer unsee it.
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 Their best album since my all-time favorite Hello Nasty (yes it is even better than Hot Sauce Committee Part One, there I said it) keeps it fun and even rips off Splinaz with the "Cellular Destruction"-esque "Ok". Imitation is the highest form of flattery, they say.
The Black Keys - El Camino This selection might be suffering from recency bias but all their love seems to have disappeared. I think this album is pretty front-loaded but when the front half is as strong as this one is well then who cares? "Little Black Submarines" makes me miss the White Stripes :(
The Decemberists - The King is Dead Finally Colin Meloy figured out a way to stop writing masturbatory concept albums and write some good old fashioned generic country-pop songs. Now if only he could figure out a way to stop working the words "dirigible" and "sinew" into every fourth song.
Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes What? I'm the only person who still listens to Fountains of Wayne you say? Well screw you, this album is their best since the self-titled debut. Yes I know that isn't saying that much. Who invited you anyways? "A Dip in the Ocean" deserves to be twice the infectious Top 40 hit that "Stacy's Mom" was.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong This album is suffering from the opposite of recency bias (I can't come up with a good made-up term). Their second album might not have the pure hits of the first album but is more consistently good throughout.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Mirror Traffic It sounds like Stephen Malkmus hated touring with Pavement so much that he is starting to enjoy life with the Jicks a bit more. Gone are the painful noodling sessions of the past two albums to be replaced with some great songwriting. Beck produced this album and did a great job making it sound just like every other Stephen Malkmus album.
Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics EP The Decemberists - Long Live the King EP I'm gonna cheat here and smash these two EPs together into one "album" even though they sound nothing alike and have nothing in common. But they are both worthy of making this list aside from being about 50% too short. Surfer Blood continue to be my favorite new band.
The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient If you've always wanted to hear a Bob Dylan impersonator sing over some vaguely drone-y music than I can't recommend SlaveAmbient strongly enough. For everybody else, it's still a damn good album!
Yuck - Yuck This is another great album. I don't know, I'm running out of stuff to say.
BONUS!!! My favorite songs not on the above albums Peter Bjorn and John - "May Seem Macabre" This is a straight-up 80s jam about two corpses (I think). Or maybe one of them is actually a necrophiliac. Either way it's fuckin cool and weird.
I'm lucky enough that I can turn my computer on most days - let alone link video or pictures in this list - so here's my "just the facts" Top 10 of 2011. Judge away - I'm doing the same to you!
Jorna’s Top 10 of '11
10. Real Estate – Days – I think given more time with
this album, it would find itself higher on the list. But I really like their
happy, upbeat sound, they are like my Jaill of 2011. “Out of Tune” is on heavy rotation
these days, but the whole production is a hidden gem of this year.
9. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto – I’m pretty sure they
take away your hipster-cool kid card if you admit to liking Coldplay. That’s
okay, I don’t own skinny jeans anyway. But then again, I’m also the girl who
brought an entire Top 10 list of country albums a few years back.I digress. I thoroughly enjoy listening
to this album. My pick is “Paradise.” The beauty of the interwebs is that you
can download the album from iTunes or order it from Amazon so no one will catch
you actually purchasing the CD.
8. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire– After the debacle
of Orion in 2010, a split from the Cardinals, and well, the marriage to Mandy
Moore still standing, I was starting to believe Ryan might no longer be capable
of producing something that could restore my faith. Ashes & Fire is a great
reunion of his old sound. “Lucky Now” is a solid first single off the album,
lyrically a cross between “Two” and Come Pick Me Up” and musically one part “La
Cienega Just Smiled.”
7. Adele – 21– It must suck to be so depressed at 23. But it makes for a
terrific release. “Set Fire to the Rain” and of course, “Someone Like You” top
the list. If you are going through a break up do not listen to this album.
6. Danger Mouse &
Daniel Luppi – Rome– A brilliant collaboration! Although I
feel like there are two camps on this performance – you either love it or think
it is ridiculous. Maybe it is my love of classical. Or perhaps an extension of
my ongoing love affair with Broken Bells. Whatever the reason, I dig the
concept and flow of this album while applauding the effort of producing a
cinematic feature without the accompanying pictures.
5. Feist – Metals- This Canadian stole my heart (the 2nd to do so
in a year). Her smoky-bluesy voice makes me want to sit in a dark club sipping
dirty martinis and smoking cloves.But since I like neither of those things, I’ll stick to the album on
repeat.I suggest checking out
“Graveyard”.
4. jamie xx & Gil
Scott-Heron – We’re New Here –
Dear jamie xx, I love you. You are amazing. Please create/record/remix more
tracks as soon as you can.And an
enthusiastic thumbs up for the genius of combining your ethereal electronic
sound with the funky vibe of Gil Scott-Heron. Sincerely, Me. PS – a new record
from the xx would be terrific as well, but I’ll take what I can get. Check out
– “I’ll Take Care of U”
3. The Weeknd – House of Balloons– Love. This.
Album. Reminiscent for me of a Mark Farina Mushroom
Jazz joint only with a fuller, darker, more lush sound mixed with some sort
of neo-soul stylings. Moves along impassively without being boring or caring
about building up to a self-imposed apex. This would have been the perfect
soundtrack to my younger years, just out of college while I was living in
Madison working for the student movement – chillin’ on my friends’ couch any
given night, a pack of busted up Swisher Sweets on the coffee table and Famous
Dave’s on speed dial… J
2. Wilco – The Whole Love– We were lucky
enough to fall in to last minute tickets to the Vic show in Chicago and I’ll
forever be a fan because of it! I remember the first time I saw I Am Trying to Break Your Heart in the
summer of 2003 when my taste in music was much more La Cage and less Turner
Hall. Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate Wilco and in particular, Jeff
Tweedy. His guidance last year on Mavis Staples’ album was beyond reproach.For me it was always about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and I was hopeful
the new album would live up to that fame. “I Might” is catchy and most fans
will tell you that the 7+ minutes of “Art of Almost” is the best part but I’m
going with “Born Again” for the win. Or “Capitol City.” Maybe “Whole Love”…
it’s all pretty great.
1.James Vincent McMorrow – Early in the Morning – Melancholy
and moody and romantic and heartbreaking all that the same time. He is a
phenomenal storyteller taking the listener on a very personal self reflective
journey. McMorrow’s like a more effusive folksy version of The National – dark
and brooding lyrically with sweet guitar and piano chords to accompany his soft
almost-whispery tenor voice. This album gets my top pick of the year because it
drew me in from the first listen and hasn’t let go yet. Highly recommend “We
Don’t Eat” and “If I Had a Boat”.
Honorable Mentions –
Scars on 45 – Give Me Something EP (only bc it’s an EP it
didn’t make the Top 10)
The Weeknd - Thursday
They Might Be Giants – Join Us
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts
Cold War Kids – Mine Is Yours
Shows of the Year –
1. Ray LaMontagne/Brandi Carlile -Theatre St. Denis, Montreal
(not only amazing, but also my birthday present)
2.The National
– Aragon Ballroom, Chicago&
Riverside Theater, Milwaukee
