Top 5 albums of 2011 so far

[lamradio]

Yeah, Circuital is the only one on my disappointment list so far.

 

I actually liked it when I first heard it.. But I haven't listened to it since...

[lizish]

1) Fucked Up - David Comes to Life

2) Christine Fellows - Femme des Chez Nous

3) Singing Adams - Everybody Friends Now

4) Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming

5) Middle Brother - Middle Brother

6) Jennifer Castle - Castlemusic

7) $100 - Songs of Man

8) Dawes - Nothing is wrong

9) Maggie Bjorklund - Coming Home

10) Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

11) Dirtbombs - Party Store

12) Daniel Romano - Sleep Beneath the Willows

 

almost and will likely include:

 

Alela Diane, Sharon Van Etten

 

 

disappointments - Social Distortion

[PopTodd]

I can't believe that I am the only one with Raphael Saadiq on their list. Wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjTccwj0IZc

[cryptique]

The Dawes record, for sure.

 

Also, haven't seen this mentioned by anyone yet:

 

 

Will definitely be in my top 5 for the year, and I say that with full confidence despite the year being not quite half over.

[lizish]

I can't believe that I am the only one with Raphael Saadiq on their list. Wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjTccwj0IZc

 

Like the Charles Bradley better. Grittier.

[nodep5]

From what I have purchased

 

1. Decemberists - The King Is Dead (easy #1/this is timeless/didn't even really like this band/crazy good)

2. Gillian Welch - The Harrow And The Harvest (great songs speak for themselves)

3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (just beautiful)

4. J Masics - Several Shades Of Why (some cool tunes here/i have a soft spot for j)

5. Iron/Wine & The Head And The Heart - (hit and miss for both records, but I have enjoyed them)

 

I'm awaiting to purchase:

MMJ

Vetiver - The Errant Charm

[choo-choo-charlie]

Circuital rules, whatever.

 

It took me a few listens to warm up to it, but once I did, I think it's great. It seems we're in the minority with this one. I also like the DBT record, which appears to be a disappointment to many.

[Artifice]

I can't believe that I am the only one with Raphael Saadiq on their list. Wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjTccwj0IZc

 

I bought it. I should probably list it as just missing the cut. I like several of the songs, but rarely just spin the whole thing. Might just not be my taste.

 

Also, I pretty much have to get that fucked up record. Too many people are saying they love it.

[Moss]

If I have to pick, these are the ones I have been returning to the most:

 

• PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
• Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
• The Decemberists – The King is dead
• Kurt Vile – Smoke ring for my halo
• David Lowery – The Palace guards

These could easily sneak on the list by the end of the year:

 

My Morning Jacket – Circuital

 

Dawes – Nothing is wrong

 

Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin

 

Drive by Truckers – Go Go Boots

 

Jason Isbell – Here We Rest

[tinnitus photography]

the new Thurston Moore record is ridiculously beautiful.

[Moss]

the new Thurston Moore record is ridiculously beautiful.

 

Yeah, that's one I need to pick up. I listened to it a couple times when it was streaming no NPR and it sounded amazing. Somehow he gets that Sonic Youth guitar orchestra dissonant beauty sound on acoustic.

[PopTodd]

Yeah, that's one I need to pick up. I listened to it a couple times when it was streaming no NPR and it sounded amazing. Somehow he gets that Sonic Youth guitar orchestra dissonant beauty sound on acoustic.

oohhh.... sounds promising.

EDIT: The AllMusic review entices me even more:

Though it’s somewhat surprising Thurston Moore and Beck didn’t work together prior to Demolished Thoughts, their collaboration lives up to its promise, delivering an album of psychedelic chamber folk that is the perfect meeting of both artists’ mellow sides. At times, Beck the producer feels like a junior version of his longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich -- and indeed, Beck brings some of the expansive intricacy of works like Sea Change to this set -- but here he’s truly accomplished, embellishing Moore’s songs with special effects that really are special. “Illuminine”'s rippling harps and sparkling electronics conjure a vast, dusky twilight filled with fireflies, while the strings and layers of other sounds on “Blood Never Lies” float along like pieces of dandelion fluff. These filigrees add a beauty that doesn’t get in the way of Moore’s strumming and melodies, whether they’re angular or flowing, or both, as is the case with “Mina Loy”'s descending drones. Beck also adds a trippy depth to Demolished Thoughts that is often breathtaking, particularly on “Circulation,” a tone poem about vinyl that grows from atonal acoustic riffing into a sound-world of sawing, strafing strings, and on “In the Silver Rain with a Paper Key”'s meditative shimmer. This approach is a big change from Moore’s previous solo effort, the much more down-to-earth Trees Outside the Academy, which felt like a more distinct entity from Moore's work with Sonic Youth. In some ways, Demolished Thoughts' size and polish rivals anything he’s done with them, and it’s hard not to hear echoes of the band on several of these songs. “Benediction” opens the album with the kind of pastoral ruminations Moore has been dabbling in since Washing Machine, albeit given an extra glow thanks to the hypnotic layers of percussion, keyboards, and strings woven throughout. Meanwhile, “Orchard Street”'s stream-of-consciousness evocation of New York feels like it’s just down the block from Murray St. Of course, it’s hardly bad or surprising that Moore’s work resembles itself, especially not when the results are this compelling.

[DrNo]

From what I have purchased

 

1. Decemberists - The King Is Dead (easy #1/this is timeless/didn't even really like this band/crazy good)

2. Gillian Welch - The Harrow And The Harvest (great songs speak for themselves)

3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (just beautiful)

4. J Masics - Several Shades Of Why (some cool tunes here/i have a soft spot for j)

5. Iron/Wine & The Head And The Heart - (hit and miss for both records, but I have enjoyed them)

 

I'm awaiting to purchase:

MMJ

Vetiver - The Errant Charm

 

Oh crap--how did I forget J Mascis?! I've probably listened to that more than most of the other records on my list... so killer.

[bleedorange]

hadn't heard Mount Moriah. great stuff! thanks.

 

I second this. Listening to it right now.

[brianjeremy]

Oh crap--how did I forget J Mascis?! I've probably listened to that more than most of the other records on my list... so killer.

 

That's my opinion too. I can't seem to get away from that record. Here's my list in no particular order:

 

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

J Mascis - Several Shades of Why

Destroyer - Kaputt

Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

The Decemberists - the King is Dead

 

Honorable mentions:

Mars Classroom - The New Theory of Everything

REM - Do the Collapse

Dawes - Nothing is Wrong

[people are leaving]

Top Tier

 

Peter Bruntnell - Black Mountain UFO

Daniel Romano - Sleep Beneath The Willow

Hayes Carll - Kmag YoYo

Robert Pollard - Space City Kicks

The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Rafael Saadiq - Steam Rollin'

The Booze - At Maximum Volume

The Red Button - As Far as Yesterday Goes

Gillian Welch - The Harrow and The Harvest ( this will begin its ascent soon I'm sure)

 

 

The following are rekkids that contain a few tracks I enjoy, but as a whole, come up short.

 

Vetiver - The Errant Charm

Woods - In Sun & Shade

Jonny - S/T

The Insomniacs - Just Enjoy It

Sloan - The Double Cross

Destroyer - Kaputt

Sonny & The Sunsets - Hit After Hit

Low - C'mon

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

James Blake - S/T

Bibio - Mind Bokeh

Young Montana - Limerence

Mars Classroom - theory of everything

Lifeguards - waving at the astronauts

Kurt Vile - smoke rings

Smith Westerns - Dyed in Blonde

Brent Cash - how strange it seems

Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - dirty radio

 

Compilation

Chris Mills - the heavy years (2000-2010)

 

Disappointment Pile

Title Tracks - In Blank

 

Patiently waiting on :

Richard Buckner - our blood

Richmond Fontaine - the high country

Fountains of Wayne - sky full of holes

Daniel Tashian - (of The Silver Seas) - arthur

Wilco

 

 

Intrigued by

Charles Bradley

Mount Mariah

[solace]

impossible for me to keep it to 5

 

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Kurt Vile - Smoke Rings For My Halo
3. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - S/T
4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
5. Bill Callahan - Apocalpyse
6. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital
7. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
8. James Blake - James Blake
9. Destroyer - Kaputt
10. The Decemberists - The King is Dead
11. J. Mascis - Several Shades of Why
12. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest (only heard it twice so far, but it's that good and will likely move up)
13. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
14. Middle Brother - S/T
15. Cults - S/T
16. Low - C'mon
17. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
18. The Antlers - Burst Apart
19. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
20. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
21. Akron/Family - S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
22. Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
23. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
24. The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low
25. Peter Wolf Crier - Garden of Arms

Dissapointments:

 

MMJ (it's still decent and better than Evil Urges, but wish i loved it more)

Jason Isbell (my least favorite of his 3 by a wide margin)

Radiohead (again, not awful, but i would really have liked to love more than 3 songs)

Beastie Boys (also way better than To The Five Boroughs, but i still had zero interest in continuing to listen further after a half dozen spins)

Black Joe Lewis (loved his EP and first LP, but this one falls flat minus a few tracks)

Elbow (gorgeous, but a let down after their last stunner)

[bleedorange]

impossible for me to keep it to 5

 

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Kurt Vile - Smoke Rings For My Halo
3. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - S/T
4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
5. Bill Callahan - Apocalpyse
6. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital
7. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
8. James Blake - James Blake
9. Destroyer - Kaputt
10. The Decemberists - The King is Dead
11. J. Mascis - Several Shades of Why
12. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest (only heard it twice so far, but it's that good and will likely move up)
13. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
14. Middle Brother - S/T
15. Cults - S/T
16. Low - C'mon
17. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
18. The Antlers - Burst Apart
19. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
20. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
21. Akron/Family - S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
22. Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
23. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
24. The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low
25. Peter Wolf Crier - Garden of Arms

Dissapointments:

 

MMJ (it's still decent and better than Evil Urges, but wish i loved it more)

Jason Isbell (my least favorite of his 3 by a wide margin)

Radiohead (again, not awful, but i would really have liked to love more than 3 songs)

Beastie Boys (also way better than To The Five Boroughs, but i still had zero interest in continuing to listen further after a half dozen spins)

Black Joe Lewis (loved his EP and first LP, but this one falls flat minus a few tracks)

Elbow (gorgeous, but a let down after their last stunner)

 

I agree with all your disappointments except for Radiohead. Also interesting that 3 of your top 4 are albums I disliked.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Hot Sauce Committee rules, whatever.

[solace]

I agree with all your disappointments except for Radiohead. Also interesting that 3 of your top 4 are albums I disliked.

 

you love that EMA record of which i love 3 songs and hate the rest

 

as for Kurt Vile, i can see him not everyones thing, esp. if that is your first exposure to him. much like Dawes he's way way better live.

 

Hot Sauce Committee rules, whatever.

 

honestly i think i'm just tired of the Beasties at this point...

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Well that's an even bigger shame.

 

I think it's easily #4 for me, after PB, CYH and IC. Far exceeded my expectations.

[lamradio]

Kurt Vile has to grow on you... I flat out didn't like Smoke Ring when I first heard it... Then after a few late night drive listens, I fell in love with it.. "Childish Prodigy" is great as well.

 

btw, I'm finally going to get to see him at the 40 Watt in August. Stoked..

[solace]

Well that's an even bigger shame.

 

I think it's easily #4 for me, after PB, CYH and IC. Far exceeded my expectations.

 

what can i say... Mpls hip hop scene is so great that i honestly mostly listen to the likes of P.O.S., Sims, Cecil Otter, Brother Ali, etc. when it comes to hip hop these days.

[Dude]

MMJ (it's still decent and better than Evil Urges, but wish i loved it more)

Jason Isbell (my least favorite of his 3 by a wide margin)

Radiohead (again, not awful, but i would really have liked to love more than 3 songs)

Beastie Boys (also way better than To The Five Boroughs, but i still had zero interest in continuing to listen further after a half dozen spins)

Black Joe Lewis (loved his EP and first LP, but this one falls flat minus a few tracks)

Elbow (gorgeous, but a let down after their last stunner)

 

How about The Strokes - Angles? Probably another disappointment, but I kinda like that record - at least the first half.

 

The Kills - Blood Pressures - thoughts?

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

So far, Dawes is the best of the year (in my book). Love the Middle Brother record too. There's a really nice record out by a band called Deep Vibration. (kinda surprised that there's no love for these guys here)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_JWSPPmlGo