Albums of 2011
10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jr.
Favorite Tracks: ALLGoddammit, I‘m having a bit of a personal crisis squeezing these dudes into my top ten. They really just barely edged out their competitors. But the only thing holding them back is their fucking TERRIBLE name. And it‘s a trend. An awful trend. Com Truise, Ringo DeathStar. Theses kids are good at making music, and picking terrible, horribly ironic names. PLEASE STOP! (The songs are so good)
9 - Zola Jesus - Conatus
Favorite Tracks: Shivers
Hey, you know what? Sometimes shit‘s rough. Have some Zola Jesus.
8 - Telekinesis - Twelve Desperate Straight Lines
Favorite Tracks: car Crash, I Cannot love YouThis is an important album, especially if ou break up with someone, or you want to break up with someone.
7 - The Generationals - Actor/Caster
Favorite Tracks: Ten-Twenty-Ten, I Promise
Filling the gap that the Drums left empty with their disappointing sophomore effort, The Generationals put out a steadily rocking true-blue pop album with modern sensibilities.
6 - Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Favorite Tracks: Baby‘s Arms, Runner Ups, Jesus Fever
Slated as my favorite album as of Summer Short List roundups, Kurt held strongest of the early year releases. This album really hit me as I was toiling, with headphones in, under full rain gear at work, digging drainage trenches in the pouring rain. If you imagine that tableau while listening, I think you‘ll see where I was at.
5 - Fucked up - David Comes To Life
Favorite Tracks: Queen of Hearts, The Other Shoe, Turn The SeasonI was shocked....SHOCKED!! When I realized that this would be placing in my top ten. I haven‘t heard a hardcore album this compelling in a decade. MVP for motivating me on my "angry runs".
4 - St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Favorite Tracks: Cruel, Surgeon, Champagne YearIt is incredibly delightful to watch Annie Clark grow as a songstress; strange, beautiful, enticing.
3 - Wye Oak - Civilian
Favorite Tracks: Holy, Holy; Civilian, We were WealthA couple band that is deep and dark and brooding, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack are growing in a fantastic way that makes me proud to wear a tee-shirt sporting their band‘s logo, any time I leave my house for social reasons. I realize how poorly constructed that sentence was, but I don‘t care. They are that good.
2 - EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Favorite Tracks: California, Milkman, butterfly knife, Red StarMelodic, edgy, and singeing. It was really difficult not to give Erica M Anderson the number one position this year, but FUCK, she came close.
1 - Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Favorite Tracks: Perth, Calgary, Holocene, Beth/Rest
I knew it when I heard it. #1. Fantastic effort, Mr. Vernon and company. Keep it up.
Honorable Mentions of 2011
5 - Cloud Nothings - S/T
Despite having the grossest videos I;ve seen in recent times, these guys are great. Remind me of the LookOut Records stuff from the early 90‘s.
4 - Washed Out - Within and With Out
A successful major sophomore effort....sometimes a bit innocuous.
3 - James Blake - S/T
Stunning...I expect great things from him as anartist and producer
2 - PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Great modern anti-war album
1 - The War On Drugs -Slave Ambient
Kurt Vile‘s old compatriots share his sound, and delve into Springsteen territory....great album.
Singles of 2011
5 - EMA - California
4 - Lord Huron - Stranger
3 - The Antlers - I Don‘t Want Love
2 - St. Vincent - Cruel
1 - M83 - Midnight City
Best concert of 2011
The New Pornographers/ Ages and Ages & Givers
I couldn‘t give it to just one! Both put on PHENOMENAL live shows!