The music that was put out in 2011 was pretty amazing. There was some great stuff produced and a few of the new bands have made it to my “favorite” list. My list could go on forever but I’m keeping the “album” section to a minimum since I’m more of a “song” person but I will point out a few honorable mentions such as Vetiver ‘The Errant Charm’, Dum Dum Girls ’Only in Dreams’, and The Head and the Heart self-titled album. Sub Pop seems to raise the bar every year and I was lucky enough to be invited by my friends at the label to see them perform in Philly at one of their first performances ever. Since then, they have taken off like a rocket and have gained a huge following. Their live performance is really entertaining. Civil Wars also put out an amazing album this year with ‘Barton Hollow’. The duo is a perfect match vocally and their harmonizing will floor you. I’m really surprised Radiohead’s ‘King of Limbs’ wasn’t on more people’s top 10 lists. This album is another gem by the band but Radiohead rarely does anything half-ass. As for my favorite albums, the list is as follows:
BEST ALBUMS
1. St. Vincent, Strange Mercy- This album blew my mind. She is so unique and an incredible talent musically and lyrically you have to experience it for yourself. She’s paving a new path and is already one of the greats.
2. Bon Iver, Bon Iver- This album is just so beautiful. The melancholy vibe is intoxicating. Justin Vernon does falsetto so well.
3. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues- Robin Pecknold and co. honor tradition told with talent and grace. I love their music. It brings you to such a calming place. It’s like yoga for the ears.
4. War on Drug, Slave Ambient- I didn’t think I’d really like this album. I kind of thought it would sound a lot like Kurt Vile (whose album I really like as well) so I was skeptical about the originality but I was completely wrong. They are an amazing talent and I hold them up there with the likes of Wilco and Dawes. They’ll be around awhile to make Philly proud.
5. tUnE yArDs, w h o k i l l- the music by tune yards’ Merrill Garbus is so unique. The percussion heavy beat is a real uplifter. I have to say I’m not too keen on the name. Especially as a writer (annoying) but I’m willing to ignore that cuz she’s just so good.
Laura Marling, A Creature I Don’t Know this folk singer sweet heart, is finally getting the recognition in the states that she deserves. She certainly works hard for her mere 21 years of age. She was exposed to the classic folk artists at a young age by her musical parents and started her music career in her mid teens. She’s gained much respect among her peers and finally is making a name for herself with her latest album in the states.
Wilco, The Whole Love I’ve always appreciated their music but it’s easy to forget about a band when so much time has passed between albums. I’m so glad they are back and better than ever.
BEST SONGS
This list is songs I discovered in 2011. Some may have been recorded in 2010 but weren’t released until 2011 or I didn’t discover till 2011 but these are the ones i listened to over and over again. Like I said, I’m more about songs than albums, so I don’t necessarily know what the whole albums these songs are on are like. Some songs are singles from albums that won’t be released until 2012 so keep a look out and some are from 4 song ep’s. If you are looking for something new then check them out.
KOL, Southbound- I don’t think it is any secret that Kings of Leon is my favorite band. I have favorite songs from every album and I don’t put my nose up to any album. They all have gems, but my all time favorite song is Southbound aka Back Down South. Way back when, Spin reported that the song was a cover of The Allman’s Bros. “Southbound” but they were wrong. I heard the song the first time it was ever played at the Borgata in Atlantic City the night before so I took it upon myself to badger Spin on Twitter until they rewrote the article. That was fun. I few of us got on board with that one. Unfortunately, KOL was forced to change the name but to me it will always be Southbound. I think it’s my favorite song because everything about it rings true to Americana and to be even more specific Southern America. Caleb just seems to be in his element when he sings that song and just like with anything when you are doing something you are passionate about it comes across in the end. That really shows in this song and when he performs it. Caleb has always implied he’s a country singer deep down inside and this proves it….and that’s why I love it so much.
Gotye,Someone I use to know This Australian musician by way of Belgium is creating a buzz with his catchy tune. it’s got a great riff and fellow Australian, Kimbra, lends her vocals to the studio track and video. Other musicians are starting to cover it as well, check out Ingrid Michaelson’s version here.
Gary Clark Jr, Bright Lights This guy seems to have popped up from nowhere but the fact is, he’s been playing music since childhood and has won a few awards in his hometown of Austin TX. He’s got a Hendrix vibe and you can hear a lot of old school blues influences in his music. There hasn’t been a musician like Gary Clark Jr. probably since Hendrix.
Cat Power, King Rides By This song was released along with a video featuring Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao for the FESTIVAL OF CHILDREN FOUNDATION & THE ALI FORNEY CENTER . When you buy the songs the proceeds go directly to these organizations. A charity both Cat Power and Manny Pacquiao support. Not only is the song intoxicating but the video is mesmerizing. It’s simplicity and perfectly timed video of beat to bag punches will put you in a trance-like state. I’ve only picked 2 video’s for my ‘best of’ this year and this is one of them. Watch below and you will see what I mean.
Amos Lee, Windows are Rolled Down This is probably the most main stream song I have on my list but it doesn’t mean I’m a snob to mainstream music. Adele put out an amazing album this year too. I just never turn my dial from WXPN and they are heavy from the alternative stuff. They are also big fans of homeboy Amos Lee, and that’s the first place I heard this song. The city boy belts out this great folksy/country tune like he was born and raised in the land of Dixie. Such a great cruisin song, with the windows rolled down of course.
Creepoid Grave Blanket like I said, Philly is exploding with great musicians and Creepoid is on the top of this list. (stay tuned for my best of Philly bands coming soon). Grave Blanket has this eery vibe throughout most of the song then breaks out into a guitar thrash that will have you head bangin’ ala 80′s metal style. It’s just a really cool song.
Alabama Shakes, I Found You- I happened to come across a band called The Shakes a while back on Facebook. They needed to change their name and were asking for suggestions. They had like maybe 100 followers at the time. I went to their band page and listened to their songs and was completely hooked. I asked myself, how could this band not be signed? Well, fast forward to now and we have Alabama Shakes who are taking the world by storm and who have just been signed by ATO Records. A Lot can happen in a year. Check out ;I Found You;. Amazing!
As anyone can attest, it is very hard to narrow it down to just a few when we’ve had such an amazing year in music. I’m sure I’ll do a face palm in a few days when i realize I forgot someone but I wanted to go with the ones who instantly popped in my head as those are obviously the ones that left the biggest impact on me. I did a top 5 list of albums for my female artist page for examiner combined with a top 5 to look for in 2012. You can find that here. The best albums of 2012 is just for the first 2 months so I’ll be adding to that so keep checking back or you can look for a link here.
You can find video’s of all these artists through the links I’ve provided and through search on the side bar. Everyone of them have been posted on this site. Take a look around there may be other artists you will diiscover or be reintroduced to on this site. Feel free to leave your favorites in comments, as well.
Happy New Year!
BEST VIDEOS
In general I have issues with video’s. I think they had their place at one time but they just seem like a big waste of time and money in the digital computer age. I’d rather watch a live performance from a fan then some poorly thought up story acted out awkwardly by a musician. Just give us some behind the scenes stuff of them goofing around back stage if you have to, but in reality most of them are flat-out lame.
Cat Power-King Rides By
As I mentioned, this video is just hypnotizing. Whether you are intrigued by the perfect sync between the music and the man or the accuracy of Manny’s skills I don’t know but I watched it over and over. It’s a perfect fit for the song.
Fleet Foxes- The Shrine
An Argument, An Animated Film by Sean Pecknold.
This is an animated film shot by the lead singer, Robin Pecknold’s brother, Sean Pecknold. The fight with the sea creatures near the end is just perfect. Sean is extremely talented and has done other films on the band. You can find his films and photography here.
Click to listen to The Civil Wars' "Disarm (Live)"
