2011 in music. • Page 2

1. The Wonder Years - Suburbia, I've Given You All, And Now I'm Nothing
2. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
3. Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes

4. ASAP Rocky - Live.Love.ASAP.
5. Title Fight - Shed
6. Transit - Listen and Forgive
7. Drake - Take Care
8. The Story So Far - Under Soil and Dirt
9. Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies
10. La Dispute - Wildlife

11. The Hotelier - It Never Goes Out
12. Seahaven - Winter Forever
13. Fireworks - Gospel
14. Pianos Becomes the Teeth - The Long Lack After
15. Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guild Pride

16. Merchant Ships - For Cameron
17. Florence and the Machines - Ceremonials
18. Balance and Composure - Separation
19. Basement - I Wish I could Stay Here
20. Spraynard - Funtitled

21. Man Overboard - Man Overboard
22. A Loss For Words - No Sanctuary
23. The Swellers - Good For Me
24. The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne
25. Kendrick Lamar - Section 80

2011 was my senior year. This was the year that truly set me into the emo and pop punk world.

 

Goddamn, just realized I forgot literally my favorite or second favorite album of this year:

Bry Webb - Provider, which is unfortunately not on Spotify at the moment.

I’ve mentioned in past threads how I feel Constantines are the most unfairly forgotten of the 00s guitar indie bands. A big part of their excellence is how unique and great Bry Webb’s vocals are. This, his first solo album, continues that trend. Tremendous songwriting and some fine supporting production makes this album as good as any proper Constantines album to me. Not the easiest to recommend when YouTube seems to be the only streaming option at the moment, but I highly recommend y’all take it for a spin. First song is magic and you’ll know if it’s for you or not right away.

 

1. M83 - Hurry up, were dreaming
2. st. Vincent - strange mercy
3. Joyce Manor - S/T
4. Bon Iver
5. FF - Helplessness Blues

 

Joyce Manor, Title Fight, Balance and Composure, Hotelier, Into It Over It, Fireworks, The Story So Far, La Dispute, Touche Amore, Pianos Become The Teeth ..... a lot of bands that I got into in the mid 10s that were releasing their first few albums in these years and I was totally in a different musical mode at the time. I have a lot of listening to do lol

 

I also want to defend Lupe Fiasco's Lasers. While that album gets a ton of hate for just being a studio record, its fun as fuck. I've really come around to The Show Goes On. Words I Never Said is still one of my fave Lupe songs. Out of My Head has such a banger of a hook.

Album is good. Fuck anyone who says otherwise.

 

With you on this one. I really liked it at the time too and was very baffled by all of the critical hate. So much so that I think I actually tried to convince myself at the time that I didn't like it as much as I did. Great example of critics/blogs having a negative impact on artists.

 

Not really among my favourite albums but Sundome by Battles, featuring the great Yamantaka Eye, might well be my favourite song of 2011. It just builds into something absolutely joyous.

 

I never listened to Lasers before. Skimming through it now makes me think he wanted to go the B.o.B. route.

 

I think most of that hate stems from Lupe not even liking the record. The label wanted something that was gonna to catch on, making him drastically change his vision. I'm sure the singles wouldn't have been on the record without the studio pressure.

 

Got it got it. So was Food and Liquor II the album he wanted to make? I like quite a bit of that one too.

 

Here is his take from wiki:

Speaking about the album with the Chicago Sun-Times, Fiasco has stated: "Lasers is a great album. I'm actually happy with the record. I feel I got to say what I wanted even with – It doesn't make up for what it took to get through it. It's still being argued and debated upon. ... The climate of this record was very weird, in some instances surreal. I became very abstract. I had to create this commercial art that appeases the corporate side. I had to acquiesce to certain forces. Hopefully within that I snuck in some things I actually wanted to say any way I can."[16] In an interview with The Guardian, Fiasco has expressed that during the recording process of the album he has dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts: "It was mentally destructive. I say it with a certain laissez-faire now because I'm past it [...]. I was super-depressed, lightly suicidal, at moments medium suicidal – and if not suicidal, willing to just walk away from it all completely."[17]\

He originally wanted to retire after his third album. I'm glad he didn't, becuase he's put out two pretty good records since.

 

Parts are similar to the story behind Cole World. It was a weird time.

 

2011 will always be the year of Levels by Avicii for me. I was in college so every social situation I found myself in would have that song in the background at some point

 

1. All Get Out - The Season
2. The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
3. Mat Kearney – Young Love

4. Mutemath - Odd Soul
5. Needtobreathe - The Reckoning
6. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
7. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
8. Thrice - Major/Minor
9. Balance and Composure - Separation
10. Mansions - Dig Up the Dead

 

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
3. The Dangerous Summer - War Paint

4. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
5. Drake - Take Care
6. Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See
7. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
8. Thrice - Major/Minor
9. Patrick Stump - Soul Punk + Truant Wave
10. Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

11. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
12. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
13. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and Keys
14. Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
15. Lights - Siberia
16. The Black Keys - El Camino
17. Jay Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne
18. Adele - 21
19. The Civil Wars- Barton Hallow
20. City and Colour - Little Hell

Honorable Mentions: Foster the People, The Strokes, Feist, St Vincent, Avril Lavigne, Yellowcard, Childish Gambino, Beastie Boys, Lady Gaga, Blink 182 and Lil Wayne.

This was basically a year of a lot of good/decent albums, but hardly anything GREAT. My #4-10 can be rearranged any way and it wouldn't make a difference to me. Same with my #11-20.

 

Extremely hard to pick the best from my top 3, but I'm going with this order:

1. Thrice - Major/minor. Love me some grunge-ish Thrice.
2. City and Colour - Little Hell. Absolutely love this record. We found each other in the dark, Little Hell, Fragile Bird, Weightless, Silver and Gold... lots of great songs.
3. Foo Fighters - Wasting Ligh. My 2nd favorite record from the Foos, only behind The Colour and the Shape. Hit after hit after hit.

 

Really, really great year

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
2. German Error Message - After the Warmth
3. Bomb the Music Industry - Vacation

HM:
The Hotel Year - It Never Goes Out
The Weeknd - House of Balloons
Action Bronson - Dr. Lecter
Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies
Arrange - Plantation
Balam Acab - Wander/Wonder
Beyonce - 4
Drake - Take Care
Guerre - Darker My Love
How to Dress Well - Just Once
Jay Z x Kanye - Watch the Throne
Kendrick Lamar - Section80
Laura Stevenson & The Cans - Sit Resist
Los Campesinos - Hello Sadness
Lil B - I'm Gay
Spraynard - Funtitled
Terius Nash - 1977
Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Danny Brown - XXX
James Blake - James Blake
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
Rustie - Glass Swords
Clams Casino - Instrumentals
Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
Elite Gymnastics - Ruin 1 + 2
Ford and Lopatin - Channel Pressure
Araabmuzik - Electronic Dream
A$AP ROCKY - LIVELOVEA$AP
SBTRKT - SBTRKT
Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra.

 

good work

 

somehow missed both Joyce Manor and The Lack Long After. JM would be an honorable mention and TLLA would probably be in the 4-20 list.

 

Stacked year

 

1. Bright Eyes - The People's Key
2. MuteMath - Odd Soul
3. I Am The Avalanche - Avalanche United
4. The Throne - Watch The Throne
5. Saves The Day - Daybreak
6. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
7. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
8. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing
9. Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday
10. Givers - In Light
11. Big D & The Kids Table - For The Damned, The Dumb & Delirious
12. Portugal. The Man - In The Mountain In The Cloud
13. Feist - Metals
14. The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum
15. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Don't Say We Didn't Warn You
16. Blink-182 - Neighborhoods
17. Drake - Take Care
18. Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder
19. Maniac - Mania
20. Eisley - The Valley

 

All Black Everything is an all-timer

 

Just re-ranked this one last year, for the 10-year:

1. The Dangerous Summer – War Paint
2. Butch Walker – The Spade
3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Tough cuts:
The Horrible Crowes – Elsie
The Damnwells – No One Listens to the Band Anymore
Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong
Matt Nathanson – Modern Love
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
Jack’s Mannequin – People & Things
Adele – 21
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow

Also love:
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Jason Isbell – Here We Rest
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Yellowcard – When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes

Honorables:
Eric Church – Chief
Transit – Listen and Forgive
Augustana – Augustana
Charlie Simpson – Young Pilgrim
Mat Kearney – Young Love
Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
Switchfoot – Vice Verses
The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Miranda Lambert – Four the Record
Will Hoge – Number Seven
Stolen Silver – Stolen Silver
The Swellers – Good for Me
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
The Black Keys - El Camino
Hailey, It Happens - Aurora
City & Colour - Little Hell
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes & Keys
Frank Ocean - Nostalgia ULTRA
Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
The Script - Science & Faith
Mansions - Dig Up The Dead
Meg & Dia - Cocoon
Mree - Grow
The Wonder Years - Suburbia

 

1. HTRK - Work (Work, Work)
2. Clams Casino - Instrumentals
3. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

There's something about my favourite HTRK material that I find bleakly hypnotic. It's relatively minimalist a lot of the time - 808s, bass, synth, vocals - but the beats and the restrained melodies draw me into the gloomy tone of the songs. Despite the title, a lot of this record seems to be about sex and lust, and Jonnine has a really cool impressionistic element to her lyrics.

Instrumentals is a bunch of broadly instrumental reworkings of tracks Casino Clams had worked on with other artists. I often find beats are the best route for me to lock in with the emotion of a track and this satisfies on both sides. Lush, melancholy, gorgeous. Very much a headphone album for me; a record I can easily lose forty minutes to.

Space Is Only Noise is really difficult to adequately describe - sort of techno, sort of ambient but not really, sort of electronic but sometimes not, some elements with saturated production, some not. Really diverse, genuinely experimental music where he takes a track exactly where he feels it should go, nothing more, nothing less. Despite how eclectic this album is, it's really easy to listen to. The little melodies, the rhythms, the tones...perfectly restrained and beautiful.

Honourable Mentions:

• Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
• Nils Frahm - Felt
• Harold Budd/Robin Guthrie - Bordeaux
• Eraldo Bernocchi/Harold Budd/Robin Guthrie - Winter Garden
• James Ferraro - Far Side Virtual
• Dale Cooper Quartet - Metamanoir
• Milieu - Eufloria

Feels a bit weird not putting that Bon Iver record in my top three, especially given my actual three won't put any dent in the scores, but I don't think I've even listened to it for two or three years. If it ends up second by a point, I'll take the blame.

 

Ah damn I totally forgot about Jack's Mannequin and Meg & Dia!
Neither would've made my top 3, but probably would've ranked both somewhere in the #15-20 range.