Top 25 Albums of 2011

An inordinate amount of my favorite albums this year were debut releases. While that might mean 2011 was a relatively light year on fantastic albums from established acts, it's cool to have some new blood.

25)  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical 

After the disappointing 'difficult second album' Some Loud Thunder and a long hiatus, Hysterical is an enjoyable effort from a band I wasn't sure I'd ever hear from again.

24)  Wild Beasts - Smother   

"Lion's Share" is great.


23)  Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver  

I've seen this record topping a lot of lists at #1. I just don't find it as compelling or exciting to place it that highly, but there is some beautiful music here. "Holocene" is a great song.

22)  James Blake - James Blake

Although officially released in 2011, I most listened to James Blake back in December 2010. Admittedly, I have to be in the right mood for this, but it is an interesting sound. Kudos for showing me that it's possible to use auto-tune and have it not be terrible.

I don't know shit about dubstep, and I don't really plan on rectifying that anytime soon, but James Blake has established himself as an artist of interest.

21)  Caveman - CoCo Beware

"Thankful" is fantastic.

20)  Radiohead - The King of Limbs

Damn that album art is cool.

I was disappointed by The King of Limbs upon first listen, and I can't say my feelings about this record have radically changed. Previous record In Rainbows showed us that Radiohead could be post-Kid A weird and could still rock out (see "15 Step"). The King of Limbs was essentially Radiohead telling me "but we don't want to rock out".

I still hate opening track "Bloom", which remains insufferably minimal and clicky and totally non-musical.

So how is this one of my favorite records of 2011? Well it's still Radiohead. Thom Yorke's voice is still amazing. Not to turn a positive into yet another complaint, but I'd have to say Radiohead are coasting on Thom's voice with this record. You don't have a great singer on here and a number of these songs would be dismissed immediately.

Anyway, this album is saved for me by Side B, starting with 'single' "Lotus Flower" and especially the hauntingly beautiful piano-driven track "Codex", one of my favorite songs of the year.

19)  Mister Heavenly - Out of Love 

I won't really get into how Mister Heavenly are a supergroup of sorts. I was interested because of Nick Thorburn's (Unicorns / Islands) involvement, and I was not disappointed.

This group/record coined the term 'doom wop', which I guess means it has a poppy sound but with some menace underneath. Some fun and catchy songs.

18)  Active Child - You Are All I See 

Active Child employs harp and electronics in his dream pop music. "Hanging On" was a monster song for me, loved it. And "Playing House" featuring How to Dress Well is an interesting slice of alternate universe R&B music.

Ultimately I might have liked the overall direction on Active Child's EP better, but this is a solid album with a handful of great songs. I'll be excited to see what he does next.


17)  Washed Out - Within and Without

As with Active Child above, Washed Out's debut LP Within and Without is not as impressive as his EP Life of Leisure. I've heard this effort described as 'lazy', and I can't really refute that.  Still, songs "Amor Fati", "Eyes Be Closed", and "Before" are great 'chill' electronic music.

16)  Destroyer - Kaputt  

I'm a big fan of Dan Bejar, but I will admit I generally like him better when he's collaborating with A.C. Newman in The New Pornographers. Kaputt might be the best Destroyer record though.

15)  Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation


Youth Lagoon's debut record The Year of Hibernation was a surprise for me, and it took me a little while to get into it. Vocals being distorted and buried under reverb and other effects is very much in vogue nowadays, but even still, this dude from Youth Lagoon, his vocals are ultra fragile. If he's 'hibernating', his vocals are coming to the song from a distant place, from deep inside a cave somewhere.

Anyway, this makes it a bit difficult to connect with the vocals at first. But you let the songs play. A typically used song structure here is the song starts off slowly and builds, and then the undercurrent explodes. And those buried vocals nonetheless manage to effectively convey some powerful emotions. Now I'm really enjoying this.


14) Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

I was very sad to hear about Wolf Parade's 'indefinite hiatus', and while I still am, Handsome Furs, which features Dan from Wolf Parade and his wife, came along with by far their best record yet, giving me hope for a post-Wolf Parade career.

There are some interesting themes in the lyrics, about being in another land, about censorship and oppression.

"Memories of the Future", "When I Get Back", and "Repatriated" are favorite tracks of mine.

13) Mother Mother - Eureka

This Canadian band is massively underrated, at least here in the US. Some of the best alternating male/female vocals I've ever heard, wonderful pop sensibilities. Every song on here is super catchy. If you like say, The New Pornographers, absolutely check this out.


12) Starfucker - Reptilians

I wrote a lot about this record when it first came out, so I'd best simply direct you to my review.

11) TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

TV on the Radio return, and they're not producing edgy spacey music so much anymore. No, here on Nine Types of Light, they're more into balladry. Still it's damn good stuff. Easily one of the most underrated albums of the year.

10) Nerves Junior - Bright As Your Night Light

Another fantastic debut record. Thanks go to We Listen for You for making me aware of this band. They remind me of Radiohead in some ways, but maybe with a bit more swagger? There are some spacey electronics, but they are used more to add additional texture, rather than being the driving force of the songs. Just listen to this record.

09) Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair



And yet another debut. Gauntlet Hair have some of the tribal singing elements that remind me a bit of Animal Collective, but way more rockin'. Strong percussive grooves, fun and very energetic songs.

"Lights Out" especially is amazing.


08) The Antlers - Burst Apart


I completely ignored Antlers' previous record Hospice, and I still haven't quite put the time in to try and get into it, but I love this record, Burst Apart.

Emotional, tightly crafted songs.


07) Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Girls have a more 'straightforward' rock sound than most groups I would rank as my favorites. As in, they don't do electro-pop or none of that stuff that I'm often drawn to. But Girls make well-crafted music that comes off as genuine and heartfelt, and that stands on its own.

06) M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

The criticism that applies to virtually every double album ever released also applies here - there is some filler. But M83 was going for big and epic here, and he achieves it. The level of imagination is high, and there are some gorgeous sounds.

"Midnight City" might just be the single of the year.

05) Atlas Sound - Parallax

What would a year end list be without a contribution from Bradford Cox, the insanely prolific frontman of Deerhunter who releases his solo material under the moniker Atlas Sound?

Bradford has never done such singer-songwriter material before. This doesn't have quite the same edge for me as Logos, which is likely the point - this is far and away the most accessible Atlas Sound record.

"Te Amo", "Mona Lisa", and "Angel Is Broken", among others, are beautiful.

04) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Whoa, where did this come from? Unknown Mortal Orchestra, or UMO, have a sound that feels both vintage and modern, kinda bluesy, with a really deep low end.

"Jello and Juggernauts", "Ffunny Ffriends", and "How Can U Luv Me" are all fantastic. 

03) Neon Indian - Era Extraña

With Era Extraña, Neon Indian delivered for me on the promise of Psychic Chasms, made more of a pop record, with perhaps some darker material underneath. Alan Palomo gave us more of the pure pop he was working with in VEGA, and he really hit my pleasure center with those bleeps and bloops and synths.

"Hex Girlfriend" is my favorite. "Polish Girl" is crazy catchy. "Arcade Blues" has grown on me to become another favorite.

An incredibly addictive listen overall.

02) Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine

What a fucking year for Toro y Moi. 2010 saw Toro emerge as a promising new artist with his debut Causers of This. His brand of electronic-based music was grouped together along with Neon Indian, Washed Out, Small Black, and others under the 'originally a joke' term 'chillwave'.

Toro resurfaced quickly in 2011 with Underneath the Pine, switching it up and exchanging his electronic samples for more standard instrumentation, going for a more organic feel. And it fucking works. The sound is lush, really paints an atmosphere. Toro definitely proved for me he is not to be pigeonholed in any one sound, and he gave us some great songs in the process.

The funky "New Beat", "Still Sound", and especially my favorite cut "How I Know" are all great.

To say nothing of the fact that Toro y Moi followed this up with the EP Freaking Out, which is something of a mix of the styles from Causers of This and Underneath the Pine, and is also fantastic.

01) Cut Copy - Zonoscope

 

Cut Copy's Zonoscope came out early in 2011, and I can't say that it jumped to the top of my list immediately. Over the course of the year, however, my love for this band and this record grew. Ultimately, I have to say this is my most consistently enjoyable collection of songs to be released this year.

Yes, the record is somewhat front loaded, though I honestly I can't imagine being in a band and not putting my best foot forward when making a record. Also, late track "Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat" is amazing. 15-minute song "Sun God" might stretch on for too long, but is an interesting experiment, and works as a closer.

"Need You Now" and "Blink And You'll Miss A Revolution" are absolute bliss.

Finally, that album art is just the best.

Radiohead - Lotus Flower (Video)

This is pretty much an "Optimistic" from Kid A type situation, where Radiohead have taken one of the only tracks from their new record that works as a standard 'song', so they can make it a single and shoot a video for it.

There's a whole meme of taking this video footage of Thom Yorke dancing and setting it to different music, for comedic effect.

Radiohead - 'The King of Limbs' Out Now

Christmas has come early for Radiohead fans, as the band's just-announced album The King of Limbs, which was set to be released tomorrow, is available NOW.

The King of Limbs

You can pay the $9 for the record, or you can stream it below.

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs by KROQ

Radiohead Press Photo

New album requires new photo of the band. Radiohead hanging out among the trees.

Radiohead - 'The King of Limbs' Drops This Saturday

Note to other bands: this is how you do it. Fucking surprise us with an album announcement! Radiohead have pulled a sneak attack once again.

Radiohead's new record is called The King of Limbs and is available digitally THIS SATURDAY, February 19. Five days from now. You can pre-order at the site below.

The King of Limbs

The record is also available as the *world's first* Newspaper Album. Two clear vinyl records, a CD, a purpose-built sleeve, and a shit-ton of artwork. This format is a bit pricey, but having ordered the deluxe set for In Rainbows, I can tell you the band puts together a damn fine piece of packaging.

I dig the spooky artwork and title. Tremendously excited to hear what new sound Radiohead have developed.

When In Rainbows came out, it was legendary for a similarly quick announcement and release, but also for a pay-whatever-you-want 'tip jar' pricing model. It appears that element has been dropped - it's $9 for a 320k high-quality MP3 copy of the album. I, for one, am happy to spend nine bucks on this, but others may make a bigger deal that they didn't stick with the model they pioneered. Unless there will be pay-whatever-you-want after the pre-sale, but that seems unlikely. 

Radiohead - 'Kid A' 10th Anniversary

Radiohead's Kid A turns 10 today...and yet it still sounds like it comes from the future.

New Radiohead Record in 2k10

Radiohead guitarist Ed O' Brien has stated in an interview that the band's new album is 'hopefully' only 'a manner of weeks' until completion.  This isn't quite as exciting as the In Rainbows announcement, which was basically "we have a new album, it's done, you can download it for whatever price you want in a couple of weeks".  Nonetheless, Ed's statements strongly suggest that Radiohead's 8th record will see the light of day in 2k10, which is definitely good news.

Ed also indicates that the recording process is 'very different' from what they did last time, and that he feels like this is the best record they ever made.  I feel like artists/bands are always saying shit like that, so it doesn't mean much, but hey, it's new Radiohead.  That's enough said.

last.fm Artists 16-20

16. Weezer - 459 plays
I have loved Weezer for a long time.  Power pop nerd rock heroes!  Like fellow 90's originating phenomenon The Simpsons, Weezer are well past their prime.  My favorite part of Raditude was their cover medley of MGMT's "Kids" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", and that was one of the bonus tracks.

Nonetheless, I am glad Weezer are still around, still making records, still touring.  The Blue Album is pretty much perfect.  And Pinkerton is incredibly powerful.  I dig a few tunes off of The Green Album, and I think I loved Maladroit more than anyone.

17. Wavves - 441 plays
I listened to Wavvves a lot, for a while there.  New songs "Mickey Mouse" and "Cool Jumper" got a bunch of spins too.

18. A.C. Newman - 416 plays
The New Pornographers is definitely a team, but this dude still seems like the captain.  Anyway, his first solo album The Slow Wonder is pop perfection.  Get Guilty didn't best it, but it would have been hard for any follow-up to do so.

19. Radiohead - 401 plays
In Rainbows really is a damn good album.  And of course OK Computer is a classic.  I don't know if Kid A is the absolute best album to be released in the 00's, as multiple lists have claimed, but it's up there, definitely one of the most monumental.

20. The Raconteurs - 396 plays
Jack White doing power pop inflected rock with a full band!  Sign me up.  Loved their performance at Terminal 5 a couple years back.

"Steady, As She Goes", "Salute Your Solution" and "Consoler of the Lonely" can be added to White's list of anthems.

2010 Anticipated Albums

2009 has been a great year for music. It looks like 2010 is gonna pretty sweet too. There are a bunch of albums I'm looking forward to in the new year...

Spoon - Transference
The last LP we got from Spoon is 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, with fantastic songs like "Don't You Evah", "The Underdog", and "Don't Make Me a Target". This year we got an EP from Spoon called Got Nuffin. It turns out that EP was an appetizer for the new album, with the title track "Got Nuffin" showing up on Transference as well. I didn't think too much of that track at first, but it's definitely grown on me. And now we have the piano-based single "Written in Reverse", which I'm loving. It sounds vaguely menacing and has a cool groove to it. Spoon have been producing solid albums time-after-time for many years now. I don't expect this effort to be any different. One interesting tidbit that I heard is that the band produced this album themselves for the first time.

Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Yeasayer's Odd Blood is the album to beat for 2010, so far. How can I say that? Um, because I've listened to it 7 times already. It's a funny world we live in now where albums are leaked out onto the internet months before their official release. But you've gotta draw the line somewhere, and my Best of 2009 list is already written. This album has a little less folk and world music influence than Yeasayer's All Hour Cymbals, and a little more electro pop and funk. I love All Hour Cymbals, but I don't need another one. I'm happy with the direction Yeasayer have moved in. These are catchy, incredibly listenable tunes. "Ambling Alp", "Madder Red", and "ONE" are early standouts.

Rolling Stone's Most Underrated Albums of the Decade

Rolling Stone - Most Underrated Album of the Decade

Okay, no.  Radiohead's Hail to the Thief is NOT one of the most underrated albums of the decade.

I understand that a criminally underrated album doesn't have to come from some obscure band.  There's a formula for something being underrated, and it goes something like this...

Underratedness = Awesomeness / Recognition

So if an album is great and lots of people say that it's great, that album has been properly rated.  Same thing if an album is shit and lots of people say that it's shit, or they don't even bother to listen to it in the first place.

Similarly, there are different ways an album can be underrated.  I can listen to an album that I find to be fucking amazing, that I consider to be easily one of the best albums released all year, and yet no one has even heard of the band, much less listened to the album.  That's one way.

Another way is for a band that everyone has heard of to release a stellar album that generally gets more ratings of "it's okay" or "meh" than "great".

But Radiohead?  Radiohead are probably the most critically jizzed-on band of our time.  They are hailed as geniuses.  Every album they've released since The Bends is considered to be a masterpiece or a near-masterpiece.  I'm not saying they don't deserve it.  Radiohead are an awesome band.  They've produced some damn fine albums.  But the words "Radiohead" and "underrated" should never be put together.  And yet this is your #1 example of an underrated album this decade?  Seriously, Rolling Stone?  Really?

To be fair, I like Hail to the Thief.  It's a good album.  The song "There There" is excellent.  But people know this album is good.  It got great reviews, it was on "best of the year" lists.  It just didn't set the world on fire like OK Computer or Kid A did.

The only argument you could make is that HTTT is relatively underrated, within the Radiohead catalog.  I could make the same argument for Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam.  Like Radiohead, it's hard to say that anything by Animal Collective is underrated.  They may not be popular in the mainstream, but shit, in the world of indie rock, they could not possibly be getting more love.  They're my favorite band right now, but even I would say they get enough praise.  Any more would be excessive.

Strawberry Jam, AnCo's previous album before Merriweather Post Pavilion, is generally considered to not be one of their best.  But I love it.  It's not as good as MPP, but I'm pretty sure I like it better than Feels, which gets way more praise.

But even taking this approach, I don't see it.  I don't think Hail to the Thief is even Radiohead's most underrated album.  That would be Amnesiac, which largely gets overshadowed by Kid A, even though it might have Radiohead's best song on it - "Pyramid Song". 

So there ya go - Hail to the Thief is a solid album from a consistently great band.  But criminally underrated?  Hardly.