Adam's Top Ten

1) Song Of Return - Limits
This Scottish band was called Union of Knives and changed their name for whatever reason. This is their first release as Song of Return. I've found that they are pretty much unknown in the U.S. To me they sound like Nine Inch Nails mixed with britpop (bigger choruses and melodies). Bands just don't sound like this anymore.


2) The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
I was blown away the first time I heard this album. A lot about this band screams out "1990s" - the distorted Smashing Pumpkins style guitars, the female singer, and the lively performances. They just rock.


3) The Get Up Kids - There Are Rules
I did not expect anything this good to come from GUK's return, especially since they've changed their style a couple of times with poor results. This album features a lot of sounds that we've never heard from the band before. It's edgier than their past pop-rock stuff, but not as hyper as their emo stuff.


4) The Cars - Move Like This
I was just a kid when The Cars were in their heyday, so I never really listened to them other than the radio hits. Randomly sampling this album left me impressed. I can see how bands like Weezer are influenced by The Cars. This is just an all around fun, well-written album.


5) Golden State - Division
I've followed the leader singer, James Grundler, for a while now. He started with the Din Pedals in the 90s, which was a remarkable band even if they were trying to sound exactly like Radiohead. He then started Paloalto, which had the same British influences but more of a pop sound. Golden State continues that. This is their first album, but they have been putting out singles and EPs for most of the last decade. From what I gather, they are more of a "local band" in Los Angeles since they haven't toured outside of California. If you like older U2, you'll like this album. There is nothing new here, but it's really good.


6) White Lies - Ritual
White Lies follows the path of Interpol and Editors, being heavily influenced by Joy Division. Ritual is a big improvement from their first album. There are a lot more "singles" on Ritual - songs that you can sing along to with well-placed synthesizers. These songs are just plain catchy.


7) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
They sound like a mix of a variety of 80s and 90s alternative bands. Each song sounds like a different influence. You'll hear a bit of The Cure, New Order, and Smashing Pumpkins. And that's a good thing.


8) Low - C'mon
Low is a band that I hadn't ever listened to before this album. This is just a solid indie rock album. I'm not sure what else to say.


9) Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
As you would expect, this sounds very much like the Oasis songs that Noel sang on. While there is nothing on here that can match the best of Oasis, it is a very pleasant listen. The Beady Eye album was also decent, but Noel's songwriting skills give this album the edge.


10) Thursday - No Devolución
Thursday were the "next big thing" about ten years ago. Their music went out of style, but I still followed them. While their recent albums were nothing special, No Devolución is their most interesting album since their beginning. The first half of the album very atmospheric, and makes it a solid swan song for the band.

Doug D's Top 10

Long time reader/first time poster...Here goes.

10. The Naked and Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You

What I learned about myself from this album is that I still really enjoy somewhat anthemic pop songs.  This albums has it's share.  "Punching in a Dream" and "Young Blood" especially.  While nothing off the walls groundbreaking, this is a good album.  Starting and ending strong with "All of This" and "Girls Like You" respectively.

9. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

It seems ballsy to start an album with a 7 minute song, but "The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie" holds your attention and offers a peak into where the next 11 tracks will take you.  This album also offers a good finish from "Craddle" to the end.

8. Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See

Enjoyable album from start to finish.  Interesting to see them playing large arenas now as the secondary draw to The Black Keys.  I wonder if thats an overestimation of the Black Key's popularity or Arctic Monkey's stateside popularity.  I'm digressing. 

7. My Morning Jacket - Circuital

My reaction and subsequent feelings of this album seem to be in line with others who have this on their list.  It took more than 3 listens to really get the hang of this album.  Once it grows on you though, you can really appreciate what Jim James and co. are doing.  "Holding on to Black Metal" is probably my favorite track.  MMJ has earned the multiple listens from its past work, and I'm glad I stuck with this one.

6. Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

I might have needed to get clarification on its eligibility, but it looks like its e-commerce debut was within the rules dictated for 2011.  As the large part of my music listening is during the morning and evening commutes, this album has been a steady part of the rotation to get past the lull of driving home.  Starting off with "Rock n' Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)" this EP takes you on a nice uptempo and interesting journey.  Sure, he overuses some drops "like oh my god", but throughout he keeps it moving continuously forward and ends on a nice note with "With Your Friends (Long Drive)".   Apparently this has gone gold in Canada and is nominated for a Grammy...

5. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l

I stumbled onto this album in late August when I was perusing "top 10 so far" lists.  It was pretty amazing for me to find out this is essentially all done by one person, Merrill Garbus.  "Gangsta" is my favorite track.

4. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

"Second Song", "No Future Shock" and "Killer Crane" are all standouts on a very strong album.  If you have a chance, check out the companion program on Palladia which gives videos to a few of these songs.  It definitely enhances the appreciation of Nine Types of Light.

3. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

I dont really have anything unique to add to what has already been said about this album in previous posts.  It's phenomenal.  I will add that my favorite track is "Claudia Lewis". 

2. The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart

This album really grabbed me, and I think it's because it brings me back to early David Gray, which I really love.  It is probably the only non-skip album I've found in 2011.  "Coeur D'Alene", "Down in the Valley", "Lost in My Mind" and "Honey Come Home" are all standouts. 

1. Cut Copy - Zonoscope

This album was the first exposure I've had to this band.  I remain the only person I've found who prefers it to "In Ghost Colours".  It likely has more to do with the chronology in how I heard them.  "Need You Now" is my favorite song in 2011.  From the slow build up to the drum fill "1 e + 2 e a 3 e a 4 e + a" leading into the vocals.  The song carries with it a comforting familiarity, as if you can picture yourself at a high school dance or watching a Molly Ringwald movie and this song is part of that memory.  "Where I'm Going", "Pharaohs & Pyramids" and "Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution" make up my favorite three songs in a row on any album this year.  The album finishes strong on "Sun God" which allows you to slowly ease out of the album. 

Tarik aka The Architect's Top 10 Albums of 2011

I would say this year has to be the hardest to pick my favorite albums.  I spent a quite a bit of time switching albums in and out of my list. After taking a couple of shots, I finalized my list.

10. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up (Sub Pop).  This former member of Digable Planets, put out one of the most stand out hip hop releases of the year.  Released on Sub Pop records,  Black Up is full of layers and textures that you would never find in a hip hop album.  Check out his performance earlier this year on KEXP.
Highlight track: "Swerve..."




9. Lianne La Havas - Lost & Found (Warner Bros).  When Bon Iver's Justin Vernon was so blown away by someone's performance on Jools Holland and then ask that artist to open for Bon Iver's tour on the spot, you have to be something special.  That something special is Lianne La Havas out of England.  I have been checking her music out since the middle of 2011, and featuring her on my show Rhythm Lab Radio.  Some say she is where Corrine Bailey Rae left off. However, she is much more than that.  Just listen to her EP Lost & Found and you will realize that she is something really special.  Check out the standout track and video for "No Room For Doubt" featuring Willy Mason, and you can see why Justin Vernon was blown away.

8. Thundercat - The Golden Age Of Apocalypse (Brainfeeder).  What do you get when you take the bassist for Suicidal Tendancies, who also worked with Erykah Badu ands Snoop Dogg, and team him up with Flying Lotus?  You get my number 8 album of 2011.  Stephen Bruner aka Thundercat created a masterpiece with Flying Lotus  to  produced his debut release The Golden Age of Apocalypse.  Thundercat takes hip hop, electronic music and jazz and integrates it seamlessly into one amazing debut release. 

7. Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting (Polydor/Candent).  When it comes to today's R&B, I have to say the Brits are doing it better than the States.  The Brits are more willing to break the mold and bring in new influences to R&B such as electronic music, rock, and more.  Jamie Woon put one of those groundbreaking albums that could redefine what R&B can be. Woon's voice is soulful and haunting at the same time. Not only a singer/songwriter, Woon is also a producer, which probably what make this album really special. Even Pitchfork agrees.
Check out our(88Nine) interview with Woon at this past SXSW.

6. The Weeknd - House Of Balloons (Self-Released).  All I can say about this Canadian artist is DAMN!!!  To be honest, when The Weeknd's first mixtape dropped, I ignored it for a few weeks (probably one of the biggest music related mistakes I made in 2011).  The Weeknd, similar to Jamie Woon, took R&B in to places I didn't think was possible.  If R&B and urban music had an answer to Bon Iver, it would be The Weeknd.  House of Balloons reminds me of early Massive Attack, Portishead, but instead of being made in Bristol, it was made with a street sensilbility that can be only found in North America. Even Florence & The Machine was blown away, that they asked The Weeknd to remix their new single "Shake It Out."  What makes this even better, is that the album is FREE.  The Weeknd have released two other mixtapes, but House of Balloons is an instant classic.

5. Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale (Communion Records).   Michael Kiwanuka's voice is the best soulful voice since  Bill Withers. Kiwanuka doesn't mimick Bill Wither voice, but has his own unique sound that blends the sound of the 60's soul with a subtle influence of the music of Fela Kuti.  A true present and future gem. With a full release on the way in 2012, he will definitely be on my best of 2012 list.

4.  Bon Iver - Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar). This album is when I became a true fan of Justin Vernon.  Their sophomore album is simply lush and beautiful.  A solid album from the beginning to the end.  Even though the album might be considered folk/indie, it has a definite soulful quality.  Vernon's voice is versatile and fits well with all the songs.  After seeing Bon Iver live this past summer, the album earned a spot in my top 5 of 2011. Now, I'm waiting for Vernon to do a funk album or collaborate with The Weeknd. 

3. Little Dragon - Ritual Union (Peacefrog). Ritual Union is Little Dragon's third album and one of their best releases.  This group from Sweden made an album that is playful and fun to listen to over and over.  Little Dragon is one of those groups who can redefine R&B and urban music and they do it very well on this album. Watching Little Dragon perform these songs live only proves why Ritual Union is number 3.  

2.  James Blake - James Blake (Universal Republic).  I knew James Blake initially as an electronic producer, an amazing producer.  Blake put out some amazing releases on the label R&S records.  He recently put out a new EP entitled Love What Happened Here, which is simply gorgeous.  But when he took his style of production and blended with his minimal, but rich voice, Blake create a masterpiece.  Blake not only created an amazing piece of sonic art, but he change the perceptions and stereotypes of what electronic music is and can be.  The production on his album sounded like nothing in 2011 or even in 2010.  His cover of Feist's "Limit To Your Love" blew me away.  It still surprises me that people I know who are not fans of electronic music, love this album.  

1. SBTRKT - SBTRKT (Young Turks).  England's SBTRKT dominated my playlist all year with their first single "Wildfire" featuring Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano.  It is my favorite track of the year, and when I got my hands on the full length, it solidified it's position as my number 1 album of 2011.  Blending sounds of hip hop, soul, reggae, electronic into something that put a smile on my face everytime I listened to it.  Then I saw SBTRKT live in Chicago.  Best live performance of 2011!!! SBTRKT's album is not only filled with dance cuts, but with amazing songs. When you can listen to an album, while chilling at home and at a different time it can make you dance, you have something truly unique and special.

Honorable Mentions:
James Vincent McMorrow - Early in The Morning
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Lights
Lana Del Rey - Video Games/Blue Jeans
Clams Casino - Instrumentals
Jono McCleery - There Is
Alex Clare - Lateness of the Hour
Jamie xx - Far Nearer
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
CREEP - You/Days
Toro Y Moi - Freaking Out/Underneath the Pine

Kelly Marks' Top Ten of Twenty-Eleven

Heavy on the folk, blues and Americana, here are my most-played albums of the year:

1. William Elliott Whitmore – Field Songs
From the second I heard the weathered blues voice of William Elliott Whitmore accompanying the solo banjo cradled on his knee at a street festival in Chicago a few years ago, I was captivated. There’s a soul-stirring sadness and strength in his voice that’s truly beautiful and all-together comforting. His latest release, “Field Songs”, is a concept album focused on the pitfalls and the pleasures of traditional, rural farm life. A little less political and a lot less produced than his 2009 album “Animals in the Dark”, “Field Songs” gets back to the simple structure and soulful heart of Whitmore’s delta-river bluesy music. The album begins appropriately with the sounds of a small farm at dawn. Birds chirp and a rooster crows as Whitmore plucks the opening notes to “Bury Your Burdens” on his banjo. From there it builds into a heart-felt blend of optimistic anthems in the face of hard times. Songs like “Everything Gets Gone” and the album’s title track, “Field Songs”, touch on the somewhat cliché message of living while we can, but the simplicity in which Whitmore tells us that “the best of times ain’t happened yet” and reminds us that “we’re just here for a little while” begs a real, no-nonsense, plain-and-simple listen. “Not Feeling Any Pain”, brings the album to a full-circle close, both lyrically (“Well the fields are plowed, my work is through, now the day is done / Nothing left for me to do but toast the setting sun…”), and with its music, carrying out a similar chord progression to that of the album’s opening track. As “Field Songs” ends, fading out to Whitmore humming against a background of chirping crickets, it’s almost impossible not to envision him reflectively gazing out over an open field at twilight from a rocking chair on the porch of a small farmhouse.

2. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest

This was the first “official” new album Gillian Welch has released since I became a fan of her music. I bought it soon after it hit the shelves this summer, but it took a little while to find heavy rotation on my stereo. There’s something about the harmonies of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings over bluegrass that I felt coincided nicely with the lingering fall and onset of winter. It’s also a bit of a layered album. Full of the duo’s familiar clean-cut and quiet melodies, “The Harrow…” first seems like simple compilation of songs from another time (mentioning farmers and their mules, and mothers at beauty parlors and siblings at drive-in movies), but grows into a complex, intertwined album that reflects on the present as it draws from the past.

3. Blessed Feathers – From the Mouths of the Middle Class

Stinging Nettle, Honeysuckle by Blessed Feathers

Accordion, banjo, acoustic guitar, resonant drums and reverberant, minor-key vocals fill this sophomore release from local folk group Blessed Feathers. The group’s dual, melancholy vocals are somewhat reminiscent of the XX, if the XX gave up electricity, moved to the northwoods, read Throeau, and wrote folk music. Not to say that this in any way reflects on Blessed Feather’s actual creative process (to my knowledge). The band, hailing West Bend, rather seems to have drawn their inspiration from everyday life as young and struggling members of the middle class (a very relatable position to be certain). As its title would suggest, “From the Mouths of the Middle Class” is filled with somber yet inspirational anthems for the restless, working-class person whose hopes have yet to find fulfillment. Tracks such as “Somebody Else’s” and “Winter Sister” lament over a looming sense entrapment and stir up an impatient desire for the onset of better days.

4. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing

Nils Edenloff trades in ballads of vast northern landscapes and small town Canadian life for songs about despair and general heartbreak, and it kind of works. After 2009’s passionate and driving “Hometowns”, RAA fans were left with high expectations for what the band would do next. The openings of the two albums could not be more different. “Hometowns” began with the declarative “The Ballad of the RAA”, while “Departing” starts with the more laid back “Two Lovers”. In a way this sets the tone for the rest of the album (especially to those who were familiar with their original work). There are still the fast-paced, fervent songs like “Stamp” and “Tornado ’87”, but overall, Departing settles from an explosive overture and ventures into more common ground.

5. The Builders & The Butchers – Dead Reckoning
The Builders and The Butchers - Lullaby by LAMusicBlog
The Builders and The Butchers are like the Decemberists’ distant cousins from the south that don’t get invited to many family functions because they scare the children (in reality both are from Portland and bear no relation). With a nasal voice and lyrics that could easily be found in the sermon of an old-time tent revival, frontman Ryan Sollee leads the band in more deep, dark ballads of southern gothic folk rock.


6. The Black Keys – El Camino
The Black Keys don’t seem to know a great deal about cars. But that’s alright, because what they do know is how to write a catchy, catchy tune. “El Camino” is instantly likable. I was sold on the album after the first three tracks, and then the break in “Little Black Submarines” completely sealed the deal.






7. The Decemberists – The King is Dead



I really enjoyed the epic tale Meloy narrated on “The Hazards of Love”. That being said, I’m glad this isn’t a concept album. The stories are short and simple, and the songs are light, warm, catchy and up-beat. 10 extra credit points for involving Gillian Welch.




8. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

I am apparently a sucker for incredibly long, three-part songs. Last year it was Sufjan Stevens’ twenty-three minute “Impossible Soul” off Age of Adz, and this year the Fleet Foxes took the cake with “The Shrine / An Argument” (though it came in somewhat short at just over eight minutes). The harmonies on this album are (as always) incredible, built into lingering songs that just get stuck in your head.


9. The Head & The Heart

My only regret is not listening to their work until after they played Milwaukee.

10. David Bazan – Strange Negotiations

I didn’t love this album as immediately as 2009’s “Curse Your Branches”, but as I stood in Cactus Club this past fall and heard Bazan play several of its tracks intertwined with old favorites, I said to myself, “oh, yeah…I do really like this new album”, which happens more often than not after I see live shows.






Albums that were hard to cut from the list: 
Beirut – The Rip Tide
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic
Wilco – The Whole Love

2011 Top Ten: Erin Wolf

Catacombz: Catacombz (Organalog)

Vast, spacey wonderfulness from a local band who brings an even heavier attack on their live shows. Innate rhythmically and full of soaring sounds to inspire, this one's super enjoyable for its elements of psych and krautrock that call to mind both CAN and Trans Am. A muscular masterpiece.

Delaney Davidson: Bad Luck Man (Voodoo Rhythm)

A friend first clued me into Davidson, a New Zealand musician who (with plenty of black humor) wilts together melting and sardonic blues and roots music that sounds if it came straight out of the swamps of the South and not from a native Kiwi. Davidson made an appearance in Milwaukee a couple years ago; here's hoping he comes back so I can meet him and shake his hand for being such a wonderful curmudgeonly and wistful lyricist. This album's one of those 'feels good to feel bad' deals.

Battles: Gloss Drop (Warp)

What happens to a band normally after their main vocalist quits (in this case Tyondai Braxton)? In Battles' case, it totally worked in their favor, for it directed them into new territory. Braxton's vocals almost took the band into true oddball territory, its cartoonish manipulations making it seem like the second coming of Fantasia or some weird, but brilliantly rhythmed, joke listeners weren't meant to get. Still oddball, but somehow more interesting and attainable, the math-rock and prog-rock elements are all present, but added with a bevy of guest vocalists (Gary Numan, Kazu Makino, Matias Aguayo). Each song shines a new light onto emerging sub-genres like tropical disco, trance and stoner rock.

Richard Buckner: Our Blood (Merge)

I'm gonna be honest. I'd never much listened to Richard Buckner before this album came out, and for whatever reason, I'm mad. But I can catch up, I suppose. Buckner's album was the one that was played probably the most. Not necessarily my favorite, but the most comforting thing to listen to, somehow; the most thought-provoking. His gentle and worn vocals remind me oddly of Willie Nelson (even though the two sound not very much alike) and his manner is that of a wise confidant. Buckner's performance at Linneman's this past summer was one of my absolute favorites that I saw, for he is as much as a storyteller as David Bazan (if you're familiar) in live performance, incredibly composed and compelling, and it was one of those where an hour easily passed as mere minutes.

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake (Vagrant)

Pretty sure that Let England Shake, to those who heard, spoke to the world as a whole, Harvey sending out an alarm call, pretty and twisted, to waken sleeping senses. This album thoroughly made me feel (and think) uneasy, containing a weird beauty that called desperate times of a storied country to rise and meet current conditions. Such a beautiful and haunting listen -- perhaps Harvey's ultimate masterpiece.

Colin Stetson: New History Warfare Vol. 2:Judges (Constellation)

This album, alone, pretty much blew my mind this past year. The musician, himself -- armed with a bass saxophone and some mighty, mighty circular breathing aligned with the composition of the entire album, is a stunner. With thoughtful spoken word woven through from the one and only Laurie Anderson and a version of Blind Willie Johnson's "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying" with My Brightest Diamonds' Shara Worden on vocals, it's an intense, but hopeful work from one of Montreal's brightest in experimental music. Yeah, it's a saxophone, but then again, no it's not. This one might change your attitude if it leans towards dislike of an amazing instrument that is capable of doing so much more than just being in E Street bands and the like.

Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)

If I hadn't heard Kurt Vile before the album, I would probably gush a whole bunch more, but since I have, I'll just say that this particular album from Vile was as lovely as usual and had plenty of 'dang' moments. He's an introspective lyricist, his face-to-the-window writings not so entirely devastating as much as they're encouraging, and whether he's stubbornly barking about being a "Puppet to the Man" or comforting himself with the rhythmic fingerpicking of "My Baby's Arms", his voice, its gravelly growl to sad dog howl, is amazingly the main contender, even with his fingers pulling heartbreaking notes on the strings of his guitar.

Canopies: Canopies EP (self-released)

The local group that seemed to surface from nowhere made me remember just why I loved New Order and new wave so damn much in high school and was so ready to turn to dreampoppers such as Galaxie 500, right after. Shimmering guitars crown steady synths and percussion and the effect couldn't be much more brilliant and promising, except that the boys manage to add pretty vocals on top of it all. Nice triple-threat.

Wye Oak: Civilian (Merge)

Wye Oak has always managed to floor me. I first saw them play live at the Highbury Pub (maybe three years ago?) and as a duo, they brought so much squalor and pretty anger to their music, that it was impossible to keep jaw from hitting floor. Arrestingly good vocalist/guitarist Jenn Wasner is magic (and very, very talented), and Civilian continues along the path that the band has been quietly/loudly traversing for years, waiting for folks to notice. They finally are.

Bill Callahan: Apocalypse (Drag City)

A lovely, lovely album. Even when Callahan's stories are so personal (as they often are) it's nearly impossible to tie anything of one's self to them as a listener. Yet, Callahan manages to be transfixing and all-involving as a writer, still. His albums are novels and if Callahan was an author he might be a running with the likes of Cormac McCarthy, John Steinbeck and J.D. Salinger, if that makes any sense.