35. Imperial Teen – Feel the Sound (Merge). I missed out on this band during its infancy in the mid 90’s, but decided to give this new record a chance. Great indie power/pop in the mold of Ted Leo or Rilo Kiley. “Runaway”, “Last to Know”, and “Hanging About” are the highlights.
34. Diamond Rugs – S/T (Partisan). Diamond Rugs is a collaboration between John McCauley of Deer Tick, along with other members of Deer Tick, the Black Lips, Dead Confederate, and Los Lobos. The result is similar to the Middle Brothers release last year. The highlights include “Hightail”, which opens with a riff similar to “La Bamba” and then goes into a rollicking country rock number, along with “Gimme a Beer”, “Call Girl Blues”, and “I Took Note.” Since becoming a big Deer Tick fan a few years ago, this record along with the Tim EP was a nice placeholder until the next proper album.
33. Ceremony – Zoo (Matador). This album was much higher on my list back in the summer but started falling as I got into more new albums. Nonetheless it’s a solid old school punk record, at times even recalling early 00’s next wave punk bands like the Hives or Vines. It kind of tails off a little after the first half of the record though. “Hysteria”, “Citizen”, “Adult”, and “Repeating the Circle” were my favorites.
32. La Sera – See the Light (Hardly Art). This is the sophomore record from the side project of the Vivian Girls’ Katy Goodman. While it has some definite high points, I just didn’t find it quite as good as the debut, however the high points are really high. “Love That’s Gone”, “Please Be My Third Eye”, and “Break My Heart” are the high points.
31. Ben Kweller – Go Fly a Kite (The Noise Company). This is a bit of a comeback record for Kweller, after he did his “country” record in 2009, which kind of lost me a bit. This recalls his earlier releases more with a mix of finely-crafted pop/rock songs and some rockers. The highlights are “Mean to Me”, “Jealous Girl”, “Free”, and “Time Will Save the Day”.
30. Best Coast – The Only Place (Mexican Summer). I have listened to this album quite a bit because I still have a soft spot for Bethany Cosentino. I wanted to like it more than I did. Yeah I know the lyrics are kind of weak at times and the “verse, verse, chorus, repeat lines in verses” formula in virtually every song gets redundant. It was produced by pop/rock wizard, Jon Brion, who has collaborated with Rhett Miller, Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple, and Spoon, among others, in the past. So the setup was there for a huge sophomore record, and it just didn’t live up to expectations. Brion smoothed out the lo-fi rough edges and you were left with an album that just seemed to lack the punch of the first record. And that might have been ok if the lyrics had been better. Nevertheless, “The Only Place”, “Why I Cry”, “Better Girl”, and “Let’s Go Home” are catchy and sugary-sweet enough to have the harshest critics humming along.
29. Metz – S/T (Sub Pop). Overall, I haven’t been as down with the newer hardcore bands, but this record was pretty good. The songs on these albums tend to start running together for me, unless I’m listening to a mix of different records. Throughout the year I was checking out various singles and EPs from this band and then was flabbergasted when I heard they were putting out a debut LP that quickly on Sub Pop. Anyway, my favorites are “Headache”, “Wet Blanket”, “Wasted”, and “Negative Space.”
28. Rhett Miller – The Dreamer (Maximum Sunshine). You won’t find any more finely-crafted collection of twangy pop songs than this collection. While it lacks the high highs of previous solo records, from front to back this may the most consistent solo record from the Old 97’s frontman. It also sort of sticks to the same musical thread giving the album a feeling like Rhett and a cast of friends could have banged these songs out in his garage in one night. “Lost Without You”, “Long Long Long”, “Out of Love”, and “Picture This” are the highlights of the usual pop/rock ditties. “Swimmin’ in Sunshine” and “Marina” are the kind of songs you could listen to on repeat all day, the latter with just mainly Miller and his acoustic guitar working their magic.
27. Green Day – Uno! (Reprise). This legitimately seemed a like a back to basics, return to roots kind of record for Green Day, similar to Warning or even the Clash’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope. It would have been fine and my preference if they had stopped here, but then they went and released two more records afterwards, neither of which is as solid front to back as this one. When you are going the “back to basics” route, the key is to release 10 or 12 songs that kick people’s asses and leave them wanting more, not flooding the market with similar-sounding albums. Back in the 90’s and early 00’s when Billie Joe had a lot of extra songs, they’d wind up being released as complimentary “side projects” under the names Pinhead Gunpowder or Foxboro Hot Tubs, but I guess these days the pressure is there to release everything as “Green Day”. If you prefer the sound of the band pre-Punk Operas, this will be more to your liking. Check out “Nuclear Family”, “Stay the Night”, “Carpe Diem”, “Sweet 16”, and “Oh Love.”
26. Now, Now – Threads (Trans). This full-length debut album from the re-named Now, Now reminds me a little of Tegan & Sara but also fits nicely in with other similar female-led indie-pop bands like Stars or even Seapony. Some of these songs are just hauntingly beautiful. The highlights are “Prehistoric”, “Lucie, Too”, “Dead Oaks”, “School Friends”, and “Thread.”
25. Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet on Sky (Jagjaguwar). Even as much as I love the guitar-playing of J Mascis and the overall talent of Lou Barlow, the Dino Jr. reunion albums in retrospect were probably not quite as good as we thought at first. You could argue that sonically they were basically like the 90’s Dino Jr. output, but with the original lineup back in the fold to add more interest and more fawning “return to basics” coverage in the music world. That being, said, no Monday morning QB’ing here….I thought the first reunion album was great, the second was good, and even this third album, while kind of covering the same territory is still pretty darn good. The Lou songs are really good and J’s guitar playing, while similar to other recent songs, is still J. I have a feeling this could be one of those albums we’ll revisit in like 5 years and be like, “Wow, that was a lot better than I remembered it.” The highlights include, "Watch the Corners", "Pierce the Morning Rain", "Recognition", "See It On Your Side", "Almost Fare", and "Rude."
24. Seapony – Falling (Hardly Art). Hot on the heels of a 2011 debut album that I really loved, Seapony returned in 2012 with a sophomore effort that’s just a tad disappointing. It covers the same ground with songs that are a combo of redundant or just not quite as good as most of the songs on the debut. You could probably write that about 90% of follow up albums I’ve heard in recent years (see Best Coast and La Sera previously). The highlights include “Outside”, “Tell Me So”, “What You Wanted”, and “Never Be.”
23. Woods – Bend Beyond (Woodsist). Another year and another good album from Woods. While I think At Echo Lake and Sun and Shade were stronger, this was still a really strong release. The highlights include “Bend Beyond” which sounds like something from late 70’s Neil Young, “Cali in a Cup”, “Find Them Empty”, “Size Meets Sound”, and “Impossible Sky.” Like with most of these genre of records, the whole album sort of works together, so the highlights or lowlights aren’t as obvious.
22. Jimmy Cliff – Rebirth (Sunpower). I’ve heard this album compared to Johnny Cash’s recordings with Rick Rubin and it makes sense. A legend beginning a “rebirth” of sorts being produced by someone who idolizes him, in this case Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. Cliff is now 64 but you wouldn’t know it as his vocals are still as strong as they ever were. Shortly after getting this album, I went back and listened to some of his bigger hits from the 70’s and it’s amazing how similar the vocals sound. The album is a mix of originals and covers (“Ruby Soho” and “Guns of Brixton”) and some songs co-written with Armstrong. The highlights include the aforementioned covers, along with “World Upside Down”, “One More”, “Outsider”, and “Ship Is Sailing."
21. Japandroids – Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl). For awhile this year this record was hovering in my top 5. But then better albums came along. It’s basically more of the same – driving post-punk guitar rock from the Vancouver noise rock duo. Even though they are covering similar ground “The Nights of Wine and Roses”, “Evil’s Sway”, “Younger Us”, and “The House That Heaven Built” will still have you playing air guitar with the best of them.
It's that time of year again, in which I attempt the somewhat futile and thankless exercise of trying to rank the top 50 or so new albums I listened to during the year. With music never more disposable and easy to acquire than it is now, these kind of lists at least serve as a useful reminder and a reason to reflect on all that "content" you acquired in the last year. And I guess it helps put some kind of value on it, during a time when it's essentially a value-less commodity to many. You know that album you downloaded for free somewhere in early March and listened to 3 times, well this is an opportunity and an excuse to go back and listen again.
Part One is below - containing a list of live shows, best EP's/Singles/Compilations/Reissues, etc, and the other albums that didn't make it the final round. Part Two will be the "Honorable Mentions" and albums that just missed the cut. And the final parts will be my Top 25 albums of 2011. So without further ado, let's begin with the usual throat-clearing items.
2011 Shows
Dismemberment Plan–
The Starlight Ballroom 1/27/11
Titus Andronicus
– the First Unitarian Church 4/28/11
Alejandro
Escovedo/Jesse Malin – World Café Live 5/5/11
Face to Face
– the Trocadero 5/21/11
Jesse Malin and
the St Mark’s Social – Johnny Brenda’s 12/9/11
Best Live, EP, Singles Compilations,
Reissues, etc
Ryan Adams - "Wasted Years". Not officially released, but Adams did this great acoustic cover during a BBC radio session of Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years." Worth downloading from You Tube (see above)
Alkaline Trio – Damnesia (Heart and Skull). I found myself liking this more on
subsequent listens. This is an album of acoustic re-recordings of some of their
best songs. Some of which – “Calling All Skeletons”, “Mercy Me”, “Nose OverTail”, and “Every Thug Needs a Lady” work well in this re-interpretation. Some
others don’t. A surprising high point was the Violent Femmes cover “I Held Her inMy Arms.” And “I Remember a Rooftop”, Dan Andriano’s new song included on here (probably a leftover from his solo album),
is a keeper.
Best Coast-Wavves – Summer is Forever Split EP (Mexican
Summer). Mostly old songs on here except
Best Coast’s gem “When You Wake Up.” Worth seeking out for that.
The Biters
– All Chewed Up - EP (Underrated Recordings). The Biters recall Cheap Trick or
Thin Lizzy 70's rock so they stand out among their peers.
Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High - EP (Sub Pop). This was a nice preview for the LP
that would come later in the year.
Frost Watson – S/T - EP (no label). I saw these guys open for Titus Andronicus and
was impressed. Solid debut EP that recalls 60’s British invasion pop/rock
(Kinks, Beatles) updated to sound fresh with today’s garage rock bands.
Rhett Miller – The Interpreter (Maximum Sunshine). A live solo acoustic covers
album from the Old 97’s front man, recorded at Café Largo in West Hollywood at
his final show there as a final tribute to the club that closed its original intimate location
and moved elsewhere. This was sort of Miller’s local bar where he’d try out new
tunes and play lots of solo acoustic shows back when he had an apartment a
few blocks away. He covers all of his major influences – David Bowie, the Beatles,
the Kinks, Elvis Costello, the Pixies, etc, plus some of his peers like
Wilco/Billy Bragg and Elliott Smith. All in all, it was an enjoyable listen, even if it was all covers. But I could listen to Rhett Miller sing the phone book and be o.k.
Oupa – Forget (Boiled Egg). Solo EP of piano ballads from Yuck’s frontman, Daniel Blumberg. Sounds like more melodic, but less busy Kid A-era
Radiohead.
R.E.M. – Life’s Rich Pageant reissue (Capitol). I listened to this reissue for a solid
month this summer, on the 25th anniversary of its release. The bonus disc is the
“Athens demos”, 19 tracks consisting of early versions, outtakes, etc, that were recorded in
Athens (duh) before the final less raw recording was made. Among other things, it has the
early version of “Bad Day”, plus great outtakes like “Wait”, “Mystery to Me”,
and “All the Right Friends” (the first song the band ever wrote together). If you’re reading this you know who R.E.M. is
and you probably know how great this 1986 release was. Go buy it if you don’t
have it.
Jay Reatard - You Get No Love/I Am Growing - Single (Shattered). The final recordings of Jay Reatard. RIP. Cover art kind of says it all.
The Rolling Stones – Some Girls reissue (Universal/Virgin). This was the “last great Stones
album” in my opinion and was finally reissued this year, with a 2nd disc
full of outtakes that missed the cut. The mid-late 70’s were such a vibrant
time in music, where you had punk, rock, funk, country-western honky-tonk (remember Urban Cowboy and theElectric Horseman?), disco, and early hip-hop all
percolating, especially in a big diverse city like NY. Some Girls seems to
capture the whole late 70’s NY vibe better than most other records at the time,
even those made by native New Yorkers.
Toy Soliders – Get Through the Time EP (Ropeadope Records). Not to be confused
with the Martika song. This is a local Philly folk-blues band I’d heard good
things about. At times they sound quite a bit like Ryan Adams. I finally checked them out after seeing their really good opening
set for Jesse Malin.
Kurt Vile
- So Outta Reach - EP (Matador). Nice
supplement to Smoke Ring For My Halo. “Life's a Beach” and the cover of
Springsteen’s “Downbound Train” are worth it alone.
Wavves – Life Sux - EP (Ghost Ramp). You'd have thought the highlight of the year for Wavves would have been having bassist Stephen Pope getting kicked out of the MTV awards for drug possession, among other things. But no, this is one of the best EPs of recent memory for me. It includes “Bug” (song of the year?), “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl”, and "Nodding Off", along with other tracks included on the expanded version like“TV Luv Song”, and “Mickey Mouse." I’m a stickler for separating EPs and
LPs, otherwise this would have probably been in my Top 10.
The Rest
The Elected
– Bury Me in My Ring (Vagrant). This is the 3rd album from Rilo
Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett’s side project (or now full time project, I
guess). Overall these songs could use more punch.
Get Up Kids
– There Are Rules (Quality Hill). The Get Up Kids return after hiatus with a
new album that sounds a lot more like Death Cab For Cutie. I give them credit
for doing something different than Emo meets Squeeze, as their last few
albums sounded. A few decent songs and the rest was boring.
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts (Matador). Pretty good 2 or 3 songs on this
album and the rest sounds nothing like you’d expect from Thurston Moore, for
better or worse. But hey when you’re in a legendary band and you make solo
records on the side, might as well make very different records than what you’d
make in your regular band. And I assume Sonic Youth is calling it quits
considering Moore and Kim Gordon are splitting in real life, so it should be
interesting to see what Moore does after this.
Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman) – World Wide Rebel Songs (New West). You could probably guess from artist and title
what this sounds like - more stripped down socio-political folk-blues songs
from the former Rage Against the Machine guitarist.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m Without You (Warner Bros). Without guitar god John Frusciante in the
band, the Chili Peppers seem more like a funky Sugar Ray with less catchy songs. Honestly, I never really cared much for what they've done on the albums without Frusciante. Even when the songs were kind of boring and same-sounding, at least you’d hang
in to hear what interesting guitar thing he would add.
There probably wasn’t a more high profile album I wanted to hear less than this
one in 2011.
The Strokes
– Angles (RCA). While there are some pretty good songs on here, overall this
just feels like the result of a band getting back together after a hiatus for
the paycheck and mailing it in. Too many of their potential best “Strokes
songs” ended up on their various side projects instead. And even though "Under Cover of Darkness" was a really good song, there just weren't enough other worthy songs on here. Ultimately this was the
most disappointing album of the year for me, since expectations were so high. For
many numerous reasons, I wanted so badly for this album to be great and it was just o.k.
Thee Oh Sees – Castlemania (In the Red), Carrion Crawler / The Dream (In the Red).
I really don’t have much to say about these guys. I gave some of their stuff a
listen and it just never grabbed me. I didn’t dislike it, but it just never
rated on my radar. And overall just too many releases for me to really dive into any particular one.
Eddie Vedder –Ukulele Songs (Universal). What? Yeah one rock’s greatest frontmen
put out an album of songs played on ukulele. You know that Pearl Jam song, “Soon Forget?” It’s the one nobody really ever liked, but occasionally he’d play it in
concert during the “solo” part of the encore, while the rest of the band
rested? Just imagine 16 songs like that. Oddly, neither of the 2 most famous
“rock” ukulele songs – R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” or the Who’s “Blue, Red,
and Grey” are included among the few covers on here. Pearl Jam’s “Can’t Keep” however is reinterpreted
on ukulele. It’s actually not a terrible album and it puts emphasis on Vedder’s
vocals, which is never a bad thing. If you’re a Pearl Jam completist, throw
this on a random playlist and you’ll enjoy it more than hearing 16 songs in a
row that all kind of sound the same.
Vivian Girls – Share the Joy (Polyvinyl). Not a bad album, but in general I’m
just kind of sick of most this retro 60’s garage/psychedelic surf rock/Phil
Specter “wall of sound” trend of recent years. And the Vivian Girls are the
poster children for it for me. With so many bands like this sounding the same,
you have to bring some unique (or just really “good”) vocals to keep my
interest. If the vocals sound like the singer is disinterested in the song,
I’ll probably be also.
The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian). I really wanted to like this album by a local Philly band. It's not a bad album, just sounds
like guys trying too much to sound like Kurt Vile. I just seem to recall Bob Dylan made a few albums (like Empire Burleseque, etc) in the mid 80's with keyboards and synths and such to try to sound more trendy and relevant at the time. That’s what this whole album sounds like to me.
