Tune-age Explosion from 2011

Like I said, 2011 was a very needful year for music. While I didn't always have a lot of time to research and listen to new music, I did find the time whenever possible. Of the 100+ new albums I listened to or purchased in 2011, These were my favorite 10. I base my list simply on time spent listening and how obsessed with the album I got. This obviously excludes some of the techno or experimental albums because they aren't the kind of album that you listen to over and over and over.

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
There are the albums that grow on you and there are albums that instantly blow your mind into a furry of obsession, leading to repeat after repeat after repeat after repeat. M83’s album “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” accomplished the latter, and completely dominated the last 25 percent of 2011. While critics have used words like “dark” and “lonely as positive monikers for the album, I walk away from each listen completely lifted, bright and filled with joy.

It is a 2 hour dream, and for me the dream is one that brings hope for greater things in the worlds my mind inhabits every day. Even more impressive is that this album is M83’s 6th
album and in many ways, his greatest. Many bands fall victim of debut success, only to deliver, at best, decent albums for the rest of their career. Instead, M83 reaches a dominating high. I’ll be honest, after listening to Saturdays = Youth I was pretty sure that that was the last M83 album I’d be interested in. It seemed he was losing his focus and starting to look for more general success. Well, he got it – but without losing a bit of M83 credibility in my mind. I can’t recommend this album more.

The Antlers – Burst Apart
I had no expectations when I sampled the songs from Burst Apart. While it sounded dreamy, pretty and nice, it was the song No Widows that caught my full attention and compelled me to purchase the album. With each listen I became more addicted. It is through this album that I learned I have an obsession with the juxtaposition of opposites. Burst Apart is a gorgeous, wonderful album sonically. But when you listen to the words, it is dark, sad, and honestly very selfish and disgusting. With songs like “Putting the Dog to Sleep” and “I Don’t Want Love”, what can you expect?

But that combination of beautiful and ugly captivated me for the last six months, locking this album as my #2 of 2011.

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
This album was all the rage in January. There wasn’t a critic out there that wasn’t applauding PJ Harvey’s letter of love and disgust to England’s involvement in war through time. But I was not
interested. I had listened to six PJ albums and pretty much hated every single one. If I hadn’t had shoulder surgery, I am pretty sure that I would never have listened to this album. But I was bored, immobile and didn’t really have any friends as we had just arrived in Florida. So I gave it a listen. Then I listened again. Then I purchased. Then it became my staple album for driving to and from physical therapy for the next four months.

There is really no reason why I love this album so much. It’s about England and war and I
am not a political person nor do I care much for war stories. But I loved the rich infusion of British folk into rock and in the end I loved the songs for their music and for their message.

James Blake – James Blake
You’ll remember that James Blake made my favorite music of 2010. From The Bells Sketch to CMYK and Klavierwerke, I was obsessed. So when I heard he was finally releasing a full length album, I couldn’t wait. Hooray! I purchased the album at midnight Monday and listened all the next morning as I sat on the exercise bike. I was surprised to hear that these songs sounded nothing like what I had fallen in love with in 2010. James was crooning, tinkling on the piano, and pouring his little heart out over 12 delicious songs. I ate it up along with the hype. But it wasn’t just me trying to hold on to an artist that I had loved for his beats and techno swells. I continued to love this album all year and every time it comes on I turn it up.

But I’m worried. I don’t think that this is a format that James can hold on to and keep my
interest. He released several new songs after this and I became a bit tired of the piano ballads. At his concert I was reminded of how much I love his strong history in post-dubstep beats.
I guess I fall in the crowd that is growing, begging for him to make a glorious return. We’ll see what happens in 2012.

Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
I’ll be upfront and say that I am from Boise and thus have a vested interest in the success of a Boise artist like Youth Lagoon. I first heard of the band from a Boise friend and began listening to his two song release July + Cannons over the summer, anticipating greatness. I was pleased to see Pitchfork snatch him up with their loving arms and help the eventual explosion of his popularity at the release of The Year of Hibernation. Thankfully, the album lived up to the hype. While his formula is singular, there is something inviting, warm and nostalgic about the sounds and words in each song. Not every song is perfect, but the album as a whole is.

Tune Yards – WHOKILL
There were two powerhouse female rockers this year – Tune Yards and St. Vincent. While I recognize that St. Vincent’s album is unique, well written and has all the components of an alternative darling, for some reason it just wasn’t very fun. With all the experimental and boundary stretching, I just wanted to have some fun. Doesn’t mean the St. Vincent album wasn’t great, it just means I didn’t end up feeling it as much when it came out. Tune Yards brought the fun with all the other stuff…and thus received massive amount of time on my iPod. Powa was one of my favorite songs of the year.

Washed Out – Within and Without
2011 was full of synthy pop chill wave style electronica. Most of it was okay, but some of it really
sucked. But there were a few albums that really found a special space in my life. Washed Out’s album was the biggest one, thanks to its sensual, dreamy, and calming reverb, “let’s get it on” type beats, and hot lyrics. I would never have guessed this album to make my top 10 until it was November and I was still putting it on in nearly every occasion.

Nicolas Jaar – Space is Only Noise
Speaking of getting it on, you should get this on your iPod/Pad/Touch right now. I was smitten
with Nicolas Jaar’s beat laden debut album for the good first half of the year and still listen to it often to this day. But it’s not just the beats, but the complexity of the samples and rich
sounds infused left and right. It’s the avoidance of techno beats and typical bpms amidst seemingly groovetastic songs. In the end, it feels like the best love inducing album of the year.

The Weeknd – House of Balloons, Thursday, Echoes of Silence
I’ll be at first to admit that if it weren’t for all the hype around The Weeknd, I probably would never have listened to them and if I did, I might not have given them much attention. Just another R&B group with a quirky name and eye catching album covers. But I did get caught up in the hype – big time. I downloaded House of Balloons the second I heard about it and played it at home during lunch one day. I was instantly obsessed with Abel Tesfaye’s voice mixed with grimy guitars and dark, skanky hooks. I mentioned early that I really like opposites and the stories and themes of The Weeknd’s songs are the exact opposite of my personal life – so I find myself loving them. I loved House of Balloons for its consistency and amazing lyrics, I loved Thursday for its theme and story line, and while I have only listened to Echoes once, I think it might have a nice mix of both.

My Morning Jacket – Circuital
As I was writing this list, I had Fleet Foxes album “Helplessness Blues” as the final album on my top 10 list. As I sat and thought about it, I realized that I really only love three songs on that album and like the rest of them so-so. When I listen to it, I end up skipping songs to listen to the three that I love. My Morning Jacket’s album Circuital, on the other hand, only had one mind blowing song on it that I instantly obsessed over. But I kept listening to the album and soon found that I really, really liked every song. It became the good-old-fashion rock album that was missing from my iPod in 2011. I can’t help but sing my brains out to Outta My System and Holding on to Black Metal. Knowing that Z was such an amazing album, I really didn’t think MMJ could produce another album that would have me swooning – but Circuital did it.

Honorable mentions of some albums that either didn't make the list because they aren't the type of album you listen to non stop or because they couldn't quite compete with the ones above:

Deadbeat - Drawn and Quartered

Domonik Eulberg - Diorama

Mates of State - Mountaintops

Jamie XX and Gil Scott Heron - We're New Here

Ngunzugunzu - The Perfect Lullabye

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee 2

Sebastian - Total

Panda Bear - Tomboy

And finally, favorite songs of 2011:

No Widows - The Antlers

Circuital - My Morning Jacket

I Got a - Nicolas Jaar

Powa - Tune-Yards

The Words that Maketh Murder - PJ Harvey

NY is Killing Me - Gil Scott Heron and Jamie xx

A Dedication - Washed Out

Walking Far From Home - Iron and Wine

I Never Learned to Share - James Blake

Limit to Your Love - James Blake

House of Balloons/Glass Table - The Weeknd

Steve McQueen - M83

Slow Motion - Panda Bear

Ow! - Depressed Buttons QWERTY remixes

Graveyard - Feist

Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

Montezuma - Fleet Foxes

HR 8938 Cephi - Deadmau5

Desire - Mates of State

Montana - Youth Lagoon

Enjoy!