--
First off, much of the most engrossing releases of 2011 were distributed in unfortunately limited quantities on the cassette format. Since these tape-based selections are nearly unobtainable, they've been granted their own list:
Cassettes:
10. Toning - Pitch the Drone (Stunned)
9. Hubble - Hubble Linger (NNA Tapes)
8. Xiphiidae - Honeyguise (Rotifer)
7. Basked Unit - Talc Plates (Housecraft)
6. Sean McCann - Sean McCann (Ekhein)
5. Peat Raamur - Currants (Rotifer)
4. Endless Caverns - Sensei Deprivation (Existential Cloth)
3. Thoughts on Air - Lazy Haze (Cloud Valley)
2. Venn Rain - Place in World (Tranquility Tapes)
1. Pierrot Lunaire - Turn Back the Hands of Time (Hooker Vision)
EPs:
5. Fielded - White Death (Sophomore Lounge)
4. Andy Stott - We Stay Together (Modern Love)
3. Orchal and Vir - Orchal and Vir (Elestial Sound)
2. Benoît Honoré Pioulard - Plays Thelma (Desire Path)
1. bbigpigg - Phantom Photography (Self-Released)
Honorable Mentions:
Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings (Carpark)
Ducktails - III: Arcade Dynamics (Woodsist)
Joan of Arc - Oh Brother (Joyful Noise)
Korekyojinn - Tundra (Magaibutsu Limited/Skin Graft)
The Men - Leave Home (Sacred Bones)
Zac Nelson - The Same Hypnotic Point (Debacle)
Chris Rehm - Worries, etc. (Chinquapin)
Ricardo Donoso - Progress Chance (Digitalis)
Submotion Orchestra - Finest Hour (Exceptional Blue)
Wye Oak - Civilian (Merge)
25. Skoal Kodiak - Kryptonym Bodliak (Load)
Skoal Kodiak are fresh blood for Load Records' burgeoning thirst for frenetic and jarring rock evisceration, fed through a swarm of circuit-bent muddle and dance-informed tumult, and their introductory full-length Kryptonym Bodliak encapsulates the eccentric, playful, and terrifying all at once.
24. Real Estate - Days (Domino)
As evinced by Days' cover, the blue skies that adorned Real Estate's self-titled album have been eclipsed by gray, but the band manages to derive as much enthusiasm from the dreary and drab as they can. Reflective guitar lines, gentle rhythms, and saccharine vocals constitute the embellishments of their sophomore outing.
23. Radiohead - The King of Limbs (XL)
Four years after In Rainbows, one of the most reliable acts in rock music unveil The King of Limbs, an opus with not a single "Bodysnatcher" in sight and almost devoid of rock essentials. Radiohead pursue an unforeseen procedure of songwriting, basing Thom Yorke's sprawling croons over meticulously looped cadences. As another chapter in the discography should do, The King of Limbs continues to define the spirit of Radiohead while baffling devotees all the same. Considering the fluctuating accompaniment of "Bloom" and "Little By Little" the band feels so incredibly comfortable in this state that it seems effortless, spawning anxiety for forthcoming efforts despite the album's final words.
22. GDP - Useless Eaters (Run For Cover)
GDP is one of modern hip-hop's least sung heroes: his exigent inflection and dense, claustrophobic instrumentals are an instant earshot, but his lyricism holds just as much water. He addresses provocative social commentary ("My mind is a gun, body is the bullets / Bodily fluids are a communion to the village") and voices some divertingly quote-worthy humor ("She came on stage and then I came on stage"). Useless Eaters is a comprehensive view of GDP's character, creatively presenting a multitude of captivating emotions and sentiments.
21. Xela - Exorcism (Self-Released)
Putting the final nail in Xela's coffin, Exorcism undergoes absorbed layering of field recordings, synth, and effects whisked into John Twells' dingily opaque monolith. Heavily enveloping and stirring, these 47 minutes patiently amass and stun with thoughtful progression.
20. Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair (Dead Oceans)
Bursting with rain-soaked guitar delay and thudding drum pads comes Colorado duo Gauntlet Hair, who propose a billowing ilk of pop that dips its toes into fortes claimed by Animal Collective and Cocteau Twins. As irresistable as their tunes may be, the band's self-titled debut prompts a challenge to locate the music immersed within smoggy production. Rather than a deterrence, it allures, eliciting equal attention to Gauntlet Hair's adroit ear for melody and atmospherics.
19. The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (History Always Favours the Winners)
I would consider Leyland Kirby's latest release as the Caretaker "uneasy listening." Aged vinyl surface noise crackles like an open fireplace and repetitive, constantly unresolved classical passages permeate Bliss, removing consciousness of place and embedding only its brief phrases in your memory.
18. Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure (Mexican Summer/Software)
Equipped with Juno-6's, 808's, and Casios, Tigercity's Joel Ford and Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin detail a fictitious Joey Rogers' descent into technological brainwash through the eyes of 80's pop anachronism. While tunes like the rigid "Emergency Room" stun on impact, the beatless instrumentals in the character of "Dead Jammer" amorphously unfold, allowing listeners to absorb Chanel Pressure's digital pastoral.
17. Givers - In Light (Glassnote)
It'd be easy to claim that Givers came out of nowhere if they didn't flirt with the craft of world-informed indie pop from the likes of Dirty Projectors and-- to a lesser extent-- Vampire Weekend. Otherwise, the band saturates In Light with astounding guitar work, glistening electronics, and staggering structures, Givers aren't wholly unique, but that their songwriting stands out among most is a statement to prevail undisputed.
16. The Field - Looping State of Mind (Kompakt)
Axel Willner's latest work as the Field plays as another comparable entry to a lengthy catalog of expansive techno excursions, though its title aptly describes his current approach. Here, subtle variation and reverberating cycles of audio samples stand as testament to to the narcotic immersion that Looping State of Mind embodies.
15. Balkans - Balkans (Double Phantom)
On their debut, Balkans produce a set of sharp, straightforward indie rock songs that don't define their own mien as much of it does reinstate the brilliance of early Strokes and Walkmen efforts. It may be blasphemy to suggest, but the 10 songs presented on Balkans rival that of the aforementioned acts, which prompts curiosity of its reception given another decade.
14. Grouper - A I A: Dream Loss / Alien Observer (Yellowelectric)
A I A feels like an odd step for Liz Harris. Contrasting the clarity that graced 2008's Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill, this double-LP submerses the scope of her pattern-developing songs through the obscuring murk of Wide or Way Their Crept. Grouper has struck a perfect medium through this coupling of old and new visages, though, as Harris' austere voice is blanketed by her fervent guitar melodies. Dream Loss wanders into malaise, whereas its successor, Alien Observer, is tangibly comforting.
13. Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies (Big Scary Monsters)
My affection for Algernon Cadwallader's second full-length refers directly to my experiences with their previous; sparkling, hypermelodic guitars; half-shrieked-half-sung, nostalgia-centric lyricism; and punchy cadences comprise Parrot Flies as well as everything that I value in modern emo. Good music + good components = good album.
12. Death Grips - Exmilitary (Third Worlds)
The cunning Death Grips gang are to be credited for defying hip-hop stereotypes to boundary-pushing heights. With subject matter regarding obsessions with drugs and sex, references to Minutemen and Sonic Youth, and becoming your inner demons, Exmilitary conjures noise-rap reckless abandon backed by abusive and intricately designed beats.
11. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica (Mexican Summer/Software)
Replica seems to be the first piece of Daniel Lopatin's work to polarize, though is also the first to distance his Oneohtrix Point Never project from just about any other synth-rekindling artist today with a beautiful, haunting, and bewildering crossbreed of kosmische and plunderphonics.
10. Gay Beast - To Smithereens (Skin Graft)
Their previous exploits are remarkable stabs at no-wave revivalism, but Gay Beast really hit their stride on their third (and possibly final) To Smithereens, achieving stellar hook prowess and constantly shifting arrangements.
9. Apollo Brown - Clouds (Mello Music Group)
Leaving hip-hop to solely its instrumentals is an immeasurably challenging tightrope act for a producer, but it seems to be a total breeze for Apollo Brown. Clouds' 50 minutes and 27 tracks emit more sentiment than the accompaniment of an emcee could, rendering their interpretation universal yet consistently provocative.
8. Doomsday Student - A Jumper's Handbook (Anchor Brain)
Generally speaking, I would anticipate my noise rock album of the year to explode with detail, but Doomsday Student's execution remains straight and narrow throughout A Jumper's Handbook, with piercing guitar leads, pummeling drum assault, and vulgar ramblings; nothing I could expect more from the men once behind Arab on Radar.
7. Boris - New Album (Tearbridge/Daymare)
Rather than churning out -2BPM doom chords (as many would bargain on) Boris produce a sonically hyperactive foray into J-pop brimming with creativity and even rivaling their most acclaimed material.
6. Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs. Evil (Polyvinyl)
Deerhoof have refined their music tremendously since their noise-ridden beginnings. 2007's Friend Opportunity may still hold the title of their poppiest album yet, but Deerhoof vs. Evil ranks in the same league. As understood by plenty, though, Deerhoof are as eager to experiment as they are to organize: their whimsy for unmistakable pop is keener than ever, and the aid of elaborate production has opened the doors for innumerable structural shifts, which the band relentlessly takes advantage of.
5. Sean McCann - The Capital (Aguirre)
Sean McCann is, in my eyes, an ideal musician: To have put such forethought into so much output within a single year calls for great admiration. It may also intimidate new listeners, for the question of locating his finest work has yet to be answered. The Capital is my favorite of his and what I consider his most immediate yet; its first side is characterized by tonal outpour, as strings and electronics revel in sheer harmonic ecstasy; the closing two pieces are the remnants of the preceding fervor, gradually accumulating color. The Capital embraces a dichotomy of volume and restraint, and is an unbelievably moving listen from start to finish.
4. Bibio - Mind Bokeh (Warp)
Stephen Wilkinson puts his music at risk on his latest album under the Bibio moniker: Mind Bokeh, in its title, notes what is given the most attention-- the background. From there, it provides a vast array of sounds, in which few of these sounds share a link. That variety illuminates Wilkinson's appetite for experimentalism and the momentum within each transition.
3. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Fat Possum)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra amalgamate past and present styles into a blend only they can claim, which is really all one would hope from a modern outfit. From the fuzzy vintage fidelity to the creative refrains, UMO envision a distinct spin on pop.
2. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up (Sub Pop)
Hip-hop has blossomed and ventured into daring realms in 2011, and none more cerebral than Shabazz Palaces' particular journey. Referencing his days in Digable Planets and lamenting the decline in quality of the genre he's long championed, Ishmael Butler voices poignant commentary on our current musical state while Tendai Maraire transmits the message through an abstract, metaphysical, and cosmic lens of production.
1. Grooms - Prom (Kanine)
Grooms debuted two years ago with Rejoicer, a vivid snapshot of seminal acts that peaked before the turn of the millennium, from Sonic Youth to Polvo. And though Prom is deeply rooted in nostalgia, the band exhibits its darker facets-- times of insecurity and angst. It's gnashing and visceral but equally colored by beauty and grace; frontman Travis Johnson puts it best before "Aisha"'s tense close: "These are my primitive feelings on sophisticated dealings."
0 comments:
Post a Comment