Don Harrison’s Top 11 of 2011 - "Radio Wowsville"
1. Radiohead – The King of Limbs (self)
2. Dodos – No Color (Frenchkiss)
3. Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler / The Dream (In The Red)
4. Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming (Dunham)
5. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (SubPop)
6. Mekons – Ancient and Modern (Sin)
7. Dengue Fever – Cannibal Courtship (Fantasy)
8. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)
9. Wooden Shjips – West (Thrill Jockey)
10. Doomtree – No Kings (Doomtree)
11. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for my Halo (Matador)
Reissue of the year:
Beach Boys – the Smile Sessions (Capitol) – People will claim that this isn’t a reissue. But it is. Much of this work was released over the years on Beach Boys albums, and these sessions have been bootlegged (and sampled and mashed up) numerous times, and presented in sound quality that almost matches the Capitol restoration. Classify it how you like, the original “Smile” is still one of popular music’s greatest trips, and it was long past time that these doomed sessions got an “official” release. Note: Only diehards will really need the tricked out boutique edition of this package, but I predict that either version will provoke moans of pleasure and earfuls of joy.
Honorable mentions: Tom Waits – Bad As Me (Anti), Wilco – The Whole Love (dBpm), Akron/Family – “S/T II: The Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT” (Dead Oceans), Michael Hurley – “Fatboy Spring” (Secret Seven), Raphael Saddiq – Stone Rollin’ (Columbia), Washed Out – Within and Without (Subpop), Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania (In the Red).
Mitchell Olivier - "Turn Me On"
Mixtapes/7”s
- A$AP Rocky – LIVELOVEA$AP Mixtape (S/R)
- Clams Casino – Instrumentals Mixtape (S/R)
- Dive – Sometime 7” (Captured Tracks)
- Bleached – Searching through the Past 7” (Suicide Squeeze)
LPs
- Burial – Street Halo (Hyperdub)
- Peaking Lights – 936 (Not Not Fun)
- Real Estate – Days (Domino)
- Cass McCombs – Wit’s End (Domino)
- Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
- James Pants – James Pants (Stones Throw)
Blair Amberly - "Garage Sale"
my 10 favorite (garage) records of 2011 (looks like the year of self-titled records):1. Apache Dropout - S/T (Family Vineyard)
2. White Wires - WWII (Dirtnap)
3. Acid Baby Jesus - S/T - (Slovenly)
4. Shannon & the Slams - Sleep Talk (1234Go!)
5. Mikal Cronin - S/T (Trouble in Mind)
6. Royal Headache - S/T (Goner)
7. The People’s Temple - Sons of Stone (Hozac)
8. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread (Drag City)
9. Peach Kelli Pop - S/T (Infinity Cat)
10. Davilla 666 - Tan Bajo (In The Red)
DJ Versus - "Bad Blood"
Here's my Top 10 LPs In No Specific Order Other Than, Oh, The Alphabet:
Aerea Negrot - Arabxilla (BPitch Control)
Borden, Ferraro, Godin, Halo, Lopatin - FRKWYS Vol. 7 (Rvng Intl.)
Cut Hands - Afro Noise Vol. 1 (Very Friendly, Susan Lawly)
Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther Sounds)
Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting (Polydor)
Junior Boys - It's All True (Domino)
Laurel Halo - Hour Logic (Hippos in Tanks)
Legowelt - The TEAC Life (self-released)
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica (Software)
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972 (Kranky)
10. Future Islands- On the Water (Thrill Jockey)
9. Destroyer - Kaputt 2011 (Merge)
8. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy (4AD)
7.Kurt Vile- Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)
6.tUnE YarDs- WHOKILL (4AD)
5.John Maus- We become the pitiless censors of ourselves (Ribbon Music)
4.Cults - Cults (In the name of columbia)
3.Crystal Castles - (II) Re release (Fiction?)
2.M 83 - Midnight City - (M 83 Recording Inc)
1.Girls - Father Son Holy Ghost Fantasy (True Panther Sounds)
This year there were so many great albums it was hard for me to just choose 10.
For the fans of hard electronic beats and disco struts, The Future Islands, The Cults, Destroyer, St. Vincent, John Maus, The Crystal Castles and M83 all pulled out their synthesizers to make varied and memorable albums that would make anyone dance.
Merrill Garbus, tUne-yaRDs, fused African beats with her playful, Nina-esque voice and created a truly unique album in WHOKILL. I really respect this album for its isidiosyncrasies, even if I don't care for the choice capitalization of LeTTeRs.
As Kurt Vile plucks his guitar, melancholia pours out his lyrics in Smoke Ring For My Halo . The song "Baby'Arms" makes it hard for this girl who loves broody men to resist the man and the album.
Holy Moley! Girls takes you on a ride in Father from poppy Honey Bunny to the gospel guitar ending Vomit. This album takes from the LP Album as a confessional, but it is more refined and as each song builds to an end you just want more and more. I haven't had a full year with Father, Son, Holy Ghost, but it is ending 2011 as my favorite and will continue on into 2012.
ye olde tuesday afternoon rocke show top 10 (Dave Moore)
1. jonathan wilson- gentle spirit (bella union)
sprawling, stoney california laurel-canyon rock plus mad guest stars ripping with restraint. get with it on a rainy day.
2. a.a. bondy- believers (fat possum)
another album's worth of crazy beautiful music from mr. bondy. this one manages to sound just like the ocean...
3. borrowed beams of light- stellar hoax (world records)
homegrown rockers deliver again...don't sleep.
4. delicate steve- wondervisions (luaka bop)
imagine if ween were a really upbeat instrumental afro-beat band...on david byrne's label!
5. bon iver- bon iver (jagjaguar)
just can't help it...this album was gorgeous. i listened to it a lot.
6. unknown mortal orchestra- s/t (fat possum)
so fun...manages to sound brand new AND retro...strange and infectious.
7.tuneyards whokill? (4ad)
some powerhouse tunes here from a force of nature.
8. vetiver- the errant charm (sub pop)
always solid vetiver...also featured on the jonathan wilson record, so winning extra points...
9. crooked fingers- breaks in the armor (merge)
this is eric bachmann from the archers of loaf...i will always represent for eric. as good a songwriter as is out there...and 20 years or so in...cheers, sir.
10. j. mascis- several shades of why (sub pop)
another old-schooler still bringing it, just with an acoustic guitar. you go, j.
11. kurt vile- smoke ring for my halo (matador)
this album probably should have made my top ten...but is it really so bad to be 11?
perhaps kind of a mellow assortment, but that's how the musical (y)ear went down for me in 2011. thanks to the teej (staff and volunteers), my dj partner court, and all the callers/listeners this last year...i've been having a great time bringing you rocke for your tuesday afternoon.
1. jonathan wilson- gentle spirit (bella union)
sprawling, stoney california laurel-canyon rock plus mad guest stars ripping with restraint. get with it on a rainy day.
2. a.a. bondy- believers (fat possum)
another album's worth of crazy beautiful music from mr. bondy. this one manages to sound just like the ocean...
3. borrowed beams of light- stellar hoax (world records)
homegrown rockers deliver again...don't sleep.
4. delicate steve- wondervisions (luaka bop)
imagine if ween were a really upbeat instrumental afro-beat band...on david byrne's label!
5. bon iver- bon iver (jagjaguar)
just can't help it...this album was gorgeous. i listened to it a lot.
6. unknown mortal orchestra- s/t (fat possum)
so fun...manages to sound brand new AND retro...strange and infectious.
7.tuneyards whokill? (4ad)
some powerhouse tunes here from a force of nature.
8. vetiver- the errant charm (sub pop)
always solid vetiver...also featured on the jonathan wilson record, so winning extra points...
9. crooked fingers- breaks in the armor (merge)
this is eric bachmann from the archers of loaf...i will always represent for eric. as good a songwriter as is out there...and 20 years or so in...cheers, sir.
10. j. mascis- several shades of why (sub pop)
another old-schooler still bringing it, just with an acoustic guitar. you go, j.
11. kurt vile- smoke ring for my halo (matador)
this album probably should have made my top ten...but is it really so bad to be 11?
perhaps kind of a mellow assortment, but that's how the musical (y)ear went down for me in 2011. thanks to the teej (staff and volunteers), my dj partner court, and all the callers/listeners this last year...i've been having a great time bringing you rocke for your tuesday afternoon.
DJ Poubelle - "Radio Freedonia"
songs
Eminem featuring Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent,Stat Quo, Cashis - “Syllables” (leak)
Earth Girl Helen Brown - “Hit After Hit” (Forest Family)
Chancha Via Circuito remix - “Caracol” by Tremor (ZZK)
Mss. - “Sundown” (live in concert)
Sly Stone - “Get Away” (Cleopatra)
albums
Connan Mockasin Forever Dolphin Love (Because/Phantasy)
White Fence Is Growing Faith (Woodsist)
DJ Burn One - Joints (mixtape)
Protistas - Nortinas War (Cazador)
Shabazz Palaces - Black Up (Sub Pop)
DJ Hummingbird Feeder - "Madame Psychosis Hour"
Mist - "House" (Spectrum Spools)
the Psychic Paramount - "II" (No Quarter)
Ducktails - "III: Arcade Dynamics" (Woodsist) / split 12" with Dracula Lewis (No Fun Productions)
Dum Dum Girls - "He Gets Me High" EP (Sub Pop) / "Only in Dreams" (Sub Pop)
Alvarius B. - "Baroque Primativa" (Poon Village / Abduction)
Ryan Garbes - "Sweet Hassle" (Woodsist / Hello Sunshine)
Thee Oh Sees - "Castlemania" (In the Red)
David Lynch - "Crazy Clown Time" (PIAS / Sunday Best)
Radiohead - "the King of Limbs" (self-released)
TwinSisterMoon - "Then Fell the Ashes…" / Natural Snow Buildings - "Waves of the Random Sea" (Blackest Rainbow)
Gabriel Cooper
Gabriel Cooper
Kurt Vile – Smoke Rings for My Halo (Matador)
Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Merge)
Mux Mool – Drum EP 2 (Ghostly)
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop
Tune-Yards – w h o k i l l (4AD)
Deerhoof – Deerhoof vs. Evil (Polyvinyl)
Fossil Eyes – Fossil Eyes (Genpop)
The Ladybug Transistor – Clutching Stems (Merge)
Low – C’mon (Sub Pop)
The Weeknd – House of Balloons (self-released)
No comments:
Post a Comment