Sure, it’s February, and perhaps we’ve missed the “Best Of” rush for 2011, but the site launched in full on Feb. 1, and it’s impossible to be late on a retrospective of sorts. I’m going to go ahead and get this out there: I really like making lists. I don’t know if it’s the uniformity of it all, but lists just feel right. The new year gives me an opportunity to reflect on 2011, which I feel was a monster year in regards to music – one of the best in a long time. Maybe it just feels that way because 2010 was so disappointing, but 2011 did have some truly amazing albums.
It was a year in which three of my favorite artists released albums that I’d been waiting for, collectively, for about six or seven years. And, as it happens, my favorite album of 2011 belonged to none of those. It was a rather surprising and confusing time, but there’s nothing wrong with that kind of surprise, is there? I’ve decided to forego an official numbering of the list, but the ordering in this post is close enough, anyway. There’s plenty of genres represented here, from indie to psychedelic to progressive metal, so expect anything when you’re checking out the previews. On to the list!
Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain, In The Cloud
There’s something about Portugal. The Man that kept me from listening to them for a very long time, up until 2010, when I caught the video for “The Dead Dog,” which suddenly made me fanatical and set me into a cold sweat every other half hour, searching for some form of stream with which to listen to In The Mountain In The Cloud. It did not disappoint, delivering the same eclectic psychedelia that I now consider required listening while writing. [Sample - So American]
Protest The Hero – Scurrilous
While I’m getting farther and farther from the various genres of metal these days, when you’re in the right mood, nothing is quite as good as a nice jam to some Protest The Hero. Note that there are several moods this applies to (including moods of the sexy variety), and it will never, ever let you down. Under any circumstances. The soaring highs and destructive pace is perfect for … to me … just about anything you can possibly think of. [Sample - Moonlight]
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
It really does feel weird to be writing positive things about one of the Gallagher brothers after Oasis broke up. I readily admit that petty squabbles leading to breakups and solo careers don’t sit right with me, but High Flying Birds was such a profoundly interesting and masterfully executed piece of music that I had to listen to it over and over and over again. It doesn’t stray far from the Oasis formula, but then again, why would you? It is perhaps Noel’s best work on all fronts since Morning Glory. [Sample - The Death Of You And Me]
Lisa Hannigan – Passenger
I’m a newbie to Lisa Hannigan, but this album occupied the top of my playlist for several straight weeks. Her voice is calm, controlled, but with the edge of someone like Alanis Morrisette, which to me is a huge positive because Alanis is basically one of my top five humans ever. This album is breathtaking in its own simplicity … the instrumentation manages to take a back seat while still feeling prominent, but it’s very clear that it’s her soft, cooing voice that makes it all. Unless you happen to have a distaste for great music and doing that thing where your mouth forms that smile thing, you’ll enjoy this. [Sample - A Sail]
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Someone I’m not very fond of listed this album as his favorite of 2011 (this was about mid-way through 2011), so naturally I ignored this one for a little while. What can I say? I like to hold a grudge. But after seeing it more and more in that vein, I gave it a download, and wondered why I’d never given PJ Harvey a listen. I’d always heard the name before, but never once did it garner a play on my media player of choice. I’m not positive what this album is about, I seem to lose track of everything when it’s on, but every time I’m in focus, I’m struck by amazing female vocals and a purposeful beat behind them. It’s better explained by your ears, though. [Sample - In The Dark Places]
Dessa – Castor, The Twin
It’s essentially impossible for me to not include Dessa in some kind of list. If, perhaps, the list was “Top Ten Artists I Would Never Put In A Positive Top Ten List Outside Of This One,” then sure, I wouldn’t include her. As it stands, you’re likely to see about as much as her as I can possibly include because she’s just absofrickinlutely amazing. I’ve got a crush on her. Spoiler alert, if she were a dude, I’d be gay. So there’s that. This isn’t strictly a “new” release, but it’s some re-imaginings of some of her best tracks and it makes for a unique, enriching hip-hop experience. Her lyrics are unrivaled, and I draw a spark of inspiration from her every time I listen. [Sample - Dixon's Girl]
Ben Marwood – Outside There’s A Curse
This is an album that snuck up on me in more ways than one. I’d read about it somewhere, probably at Whats The Ruckus?, and gave it a pass after listening to about ten seconds of a track they’d uploaded from it. As it turns out, that is my second-favorite track on the album, and I don’t think I’ve sang songs from an album more than I have with Outside There’s A Curse. “Singalong,” “Toil,” and “J.J. Abrahm,” completely take over my brain and make it ridiculously hard to concentrate on anything other than the fact that songs this catchy shouldn’t be allowed to exist. [Sample - JJ Abrams]
Fair To Midland – Arrows & Anchors
Their first major-label release, Fables From A Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True sustained consistent listening from its release in 2007 all the way until the beginning of 2011. Here, “consistent” actually does adhere to the strict definition – I listened to it every single day, skipping maybe five in all. I’ve never been so excited for an album in my entire life, and this one didn’t disappoint. If not for the uber-compression of the mix, it’d easily be my top album of the last decade or so. As it stands, it’s a highly-compressed, but highly-energetic exercise in how to keep metal interesting. The vocals, lyrics and instrumentation are absolutely top notch and listening is much better than reading, so check it out. [Sample - Short-Haired Tornado]
The Dear Hunter – The Color Spectrum
It’s not often that I get excited for a concept album, be it one that is supposed to tell a story or one where the music is crafted to incite specific imagery outside of the norm, but this album (or collection of EPs, if you must) intrigued me because of TDH’s deafening awesomeness. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The EPs are broken up into colors, and the songs on said EPs represent those colors. I was struck the entire time just how well these colors were conveyed, from the meaningful but upbeat green to the cabaret madness of violet, it’s all there and it’s all so masterfully done. [Sample - Lillian]
Larry and His Flask – All That We Know
This album hit me like a freight train doing … whatever speed is the norm for freight trains to be considered fast. Not only have I never heard of these guys, I didn’t realize just how much I friggin love banjos. I’ve always had a taste and fondness for bluegrass and folk is always a must, but the fusion thrown together with a punk outfit and a high-energy singer has just thrown me over the edge of “I like this,” and directly into “Holy mother of titties, this music is like crack!” When you’re dealing with something like bluegrass, you let your strings do the talking. Larry and His Flask apparently didn’t get the memo, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. [Sample - Ebb and Flow]
