Re: End of 2011 Round-up

Preliminaries:

Alternate universe top 5 album: Maria Minerva - Hypothetical Single Album. In 2011 Estonia's Maria Minerva released two full length albums and two EPs of exquisitely blissed out dream-pop that sounds like eavesdropping through cheap motel walls on Gary Numan and Kate Bush getting it on during a Baltic blizzard. Had she combined the best tracks off of those four releases into one single album, she might have topped my list. Instead, she had four releases which each contained a few tracks of amazingly atmospheric and creepy pop music swaddled with a lot of filler.
[www.youtube.com]

Consolation Prize: The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar The adorable Ritzy Bryan and those other guys would've ranked much higher if so much of the album wasn't recycled from earlier releases. I love this band and love this album, but its four best songs were already on last year's A Balloon Called Moaning so no dice on it making a 2011 list.
[www.youtube.com]

TOP 15 COUNTDOWN:

15. Imelda May - Mayhem Although insurance commercials have made me sick of the word "mayhem," it sounds pretty damn tasty rolling off the tongue of an Irish rockabilly spitfire.
[www.youtube.com]

14. Johan Agebjorn - Casablanca Nights "Italo-disco" is a categorization that's been much in vogue over the last couple of years, mainly as a way to allow hipsters to like '80s vintage dance music whilst still being able to sound snobbish about it. You can't like "Let's Hear It for the Boy" but if you can toss around a learned sounding label for stuff that sounds exactly like it, well, that's okay then. Whatever. As long as the indie kids find ways to dance without putting quotation marks around it that's probably a good thing. Sally Shapiro's producer Agebjorn turned out a dance album as glossy and infectious as anything in the mainstream this year, but it was "Italo disco" on an indie label. So it's okay for me to include it here. Plus, and most importantly, Agebjorn possesses a rare ability to make synthesizers sound achingly human and emotionally wounded.
[www.youtube.com]

13. The Horrors - Skying The Horrors added a healthy dose of New Gold Dream-era Simple Minds to their middle period Psychedelic Furs update. In other words, they dangled catnip before my nose and I went for it.
[www.youtube.com]

12. Glenn Campbell - Ghost on the Canvas It's easy to take someone for granted until you know you'll be losing them soon. Glenn Campbell has been around forever and has not been hip since dinosaurs ruled the earth. But the knowledge that he's fighting a losing battle with Alzheimer's combined with a clutch of great songs by the likes of Westerberg and Pollard and Isaak spurred Campbell to deliver a lump-in-the-throat farewell. My most powerful music moment of the year was taking an early Sunday morning walk along the shore of Lake Michigan and listening to Campbell's version of "Hold On Hope" on the iPod.
[www.youtube.com]

11. Destroyer - Kaputt Back in April I said I liked this album but predicted it wouldn't make my end of year list. But Dan Bejar's mix of Avalon, David Sylvian, Al Stewart and "The Captain of Her Heart" stuck with me and grew on me for the entire year.
[www.youtube.com]

10. Marissa Nadler - Marissa Nadler Nadler has always resided in the same pocket universe as Hope Sandoval and the Woman in the Radiator from Eraserhead, but on her eponymous fifth album she began to dabble in more conventional singer-songwriter tropes. Not enough to make Colbie Caillat start looking over her shoulder or anything, but enough to begin to get her attention from NPR and other mainstream outlets that pride themselves on believing they're edgy. Fortunately, she kept enough of her off-kilter vibe even on the more conventional cuts to make the album a fascinating one.
[www.youtube.com]

9. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo I was a little late getting on the Kurt Vile train - I came to him via the War on Drugs connection - but better late than never. Exemplary Philadelphia psych-folk.
[www.youtube.com]

8. Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials In a year when Kate Bush herself released two(!) albums, one pretty damn good (Fifty Words for Snow) and one kind of pointless (Director's Cut), and other Bush acolytes like Zola Jesus, St. Vincent and Tori Amos released excellent (or at least ambitious and respectable, in Amos' case) albums, it was the most commercially successful one of the bunch that turned out the best Bush album of the year. Florence Welch is unafraid to traffic in the big ideas and quasi-bombast that Bush herself once did so well, and fortunately she has the talent to pull it off.
[www.youtube.com]

7. S.C.U.M. - Again Into Eyes Don't honestly know a whole lot about their background, beyond the fact that they're an excellent shoegaze-pop band.
[www.youtube.com]

6. Real Estate - Days R.E.M. said farewell in 2011 with a worthy album, and the Decemberists made a pretty great R.E.M. album, also. But Real Estate best conjured up the ambience and free-floating mystery of that band's early days, without sounding that much like that's what they were trying to do. Nice!
[www.youtube.com]

5. Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi Scott Walker and PJ Harvey had a baby girl who Nick Cave instantly attempted to seduce. Most promising newcomer, singer-songwriter division.
[www.youtube.com]

4. Iceage - New Brigade Most promising newcomers, band division. After a decade of the years 1980-81 dominating indie-rock, a bunch of Danish teenagers delivered the first album that goes toe-to-toe in ferocity with the greats of the post-punk era. New Brigade was a brief but furious howl that sounded like something one would have stumbled across in the import racks in 1981 sporting a mysterious Peter Saville cover.
[www.youtube.com]

3. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient While normally it's a bad thing when a key member leaves a good band, sometimes it works out for the best for everyone. Kurt Vile left the War on Drugs, and 2011 got two of its best albums out of the deal. Even more exemplary Philadelphia psych-folk.
[www.youtube.com]

2. PJ Harvey (TIE)- Let England Shake Anna Calvi's spiritual mom moves from the personal to the political and proves that longevity isn't an automatic curse. Twenty years into an exemplary career Harvey continues to hover at the top of her game, putting out work that's more vital than it has any right to be.
[www.youtube.com]

2. Wilco (TIE) - The Whole Love After the over-baked A Ghost is Born, the half-baked Sky Blue Sky and the "can't even be bothered to put it in the oven" Wilco (The Album), I was more than ready to write off Wilco as the most over-rated band of the 21st century and one that had read (and believed) way, way too much of its own press. I was quite happy for them to prove me wrong (maybe - let's see what they do next) with the masterful The Whole Love.
[www.youtube.com]

1. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life Who said punks could make ridiculously ambitious concept albums? A triumph!
[www.youtube.com]

Honorable Mention:
Kate Bush - Fifty Words For Snow
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Zola Jesus - Conatus
Wire - Red Barked Tree
James Blake - James Blake
Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams
Wild Flag - Wild Flag
Soft Metals - Soft Metals
The Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Austra - Feel It Break
Summer Camp - Welcome to Condale
Katy B - On a Mission

Most Welcome Comeback:
Thomas Dolby - A Map of the Floating City It's nowhere near being in the same league as The Golden Age of Wireless or The Flat Earth (minus "Hyperactive") but it has enough thoughtful and intelligent stuff on it (and little enough whimsical nonsense) to make it well worth hearing and to make one hope that Dolby sticks around for a while this time. And doesn't find himself in an Aliens Ate My Buick mood any time soon.



Post Edited (12-07-11 10:31)

Amazing list, Breno! Here's my top 10 for the year. Most of my faves it seeems are from the first two quarters:


1) Destroyer - Kaputt
2) The Vaccines - What Did You Expect?
3) Big KRIT: Return of 4 Eva
4) Wussy - Strawberry
5) Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
6) PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
7) Wire - Red Barked Tree
8) Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low
8) Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
10) James Blake - James Blake



Post Edited (12-07-11 01:55)

I love that Shabazz Palaces album as well, Nosepail.

25 individual songs I loved from albums not mentioned above:

1. Adele - "Rolling in the Deep"
2. Seapony - "Dreaming"
3. Minks - "Funeral Song"
4. The Elected - "Babyface"
5. Other Lives - "For 12"
6. Something Fierce - "Empty Screens"
7. The Rosebuds - "Woods"
8. Raphael Saadiq - "Radio"
9. Mike Adams at His Honest Weight - "Bad Weather"
10. Radiohead - "Morning Mr. Magpie"
11. I Break Horses - "Winter Beats"
12. The Vaccines - "If You Wanna"
13. Boris - "Party Boy"
14. Cold Cave - "Pacing Around the Church"
15. EMA - "California"
16. Memory Tapes - "Wait in the Dark"
17. Amanda Mair - "House"
18. Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks"
19. Country Mice - "Morning Sun"
20. Cults - "Abducted"
21. Washed Out - "Amor Fati"
22. Ringo Deathstarr - "Weekend Dudes"
23. Jessica 6 - "Prisoner of Love"
24. Miranda Lambert - "Fine Tune"
25. R.E.M. - "UBerlin"



Post Edited (01-13-13 17:35)

Regarding Wild Flag, I gotta say that I have a hard time listening to it because of the vocals. My wife loves 'em and I get to hear it a lot, but never has Carrie's and Mary's singing annoyed me as much as they do in this band. Some of the songs Carrie sang in S-K were a little grating to me, but I'd never really thought twice about Mary's voice on the recs I have by her or her bands. But she just sounds really flat on the Wild Flag album and Carrie seems more affected than ever.

Which is a shame, 'cuz the music is pretty damn good. Anybody besides me have a problem with the vox?

it actually sounds like a dumb question, but is King Of Limbs too mainstream for TP'ers?

damn.,..it's my number 1 for 20!!

rounding out the top 10

viva voce
dessa
destroyer
vaccines
rosebuds
sloan
etc etc



Post Edited (12-12-11 22:01)

my mp3 player says:

Lady Gaga - "Schibe"
Art Brut - "Clever Clever Jazz"
Cute Lepers - "The Noisy Song"
The Vaccines - "If You Wanna"
Girls - "How Can I Say I Love You"
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - "Senator"
Selena Gomez & The Scene - "Who Says (acoustic)"
Jill Sobule & John Doe - "Under The Bridge" (not that one)
White Fence - "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory"

I am VERY surprised Rumer didn't get a fraction of the notice Adele got. Practically the reincarnation of Karen Carpenter and I'd be surprised to see Rumer on any Top 10's anywhere.

My top 40 for the year (in no particular order):

AM & Shawn Lee - Celestial Electric
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Blue Sky Black Death - Noir
The Cars - Move Like This
The Chain Gang of 1974 - A Wayward Fire
The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical
Daedalus - Bespoke
Dengue Fever - Cannibal Courtship
Devotchka - 100 Lovers
Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams
Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - Rocket Science
Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
The Funk Ark - From the Rooftops
The Horrors - Skying
Booker T. Jones - The Road from Memphis
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Dan Markell - Eleven Shades of Dan Markell
Mates of State - Mountaintops
Imelda May - Mayhem
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
Parts & Labor - Constant Future
Real Estate - Days
The Red Button - As Far As Yesterdays Goes
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
Sloan - The Double Cross
Starfucker - Reptilians
Matthew Sweet - Modern Art
tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L
Trombone Shorty - For True
Thievery Corporation - Culture of Fear
Twin Shadow - Forget
Viva Voce - The Future Will Destroy You
The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
Wild Flag
The Yes We Cans - Better Days
Federica Zammarchi - Jazz Oddity

I need to get that Wild Flag record, methinks. I've heard it once and dug it, but it's one of those albums that people I trust with diverse tastes all seem to agree on.

The Dum Dum Girls record was the big refreshing surprise for me this year. I hate the name, but I listened to it on recommendation of a buddy and really fell in love with it.

I didn't realize Trombone Shorty had a new one! I need to give that a spin soon.

I'm possibly gonna have to do actual top 10 lists for a couple of different outlets this year. So this is my list of contenders, plus some stuff I think was just notable listening. (Not the only records I enjoyed, but the ones mostly likely to get 4 stars in the old R.S. rating system.) Doing these lists always reminds me, though, of how many records I hear every year and how many of those get short shrift in the listening department (i.e. St. Vincent, Damon & Naomi, Boris, JC Brooks, the Horrors, MMJ) through no fault of their own. Anyway...

Antietam – Tenth Life (Carrot Top)
The Bevis Frond – The Leaving of London (Woronzow)
The Blessings – Tomahawk Inn (self-released)
The Blurries – Paper Cuts (self-released)
The Breakers – s/t (Wicked Cool)
Brother Eye – Emotional Fingers (self –released)
Churchwood – s/t (Saustex)
Dennis Coffey – s/t (Strut)
Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep (Heavenly/Downtown)
The Cynics – Spinning Wheel Motel (Get Hip)
The Decemberists – The King is Dead (Capitol)
Destroyer – Kaputt (Merge)
Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams (Sub Pop)
Eleventh Dream Day – Riot Now! (Thrill Jockey)
The Ettes – Wicked Will (Krian/Fontana)
Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence)
The Feelies – Here Before (Bar/None)
Ghost – Opus Eponymous (Rise Above/Metal Blade)
The Green Pajamas – Green Pajama Country! (Green Monkey)
Brian Henry Hooper – Trouble (Spooky)
If By Yes – Salt on Sea Glass (Chimera)
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean (Warner Bros.)
The Jim Jones Revue – Burning Your House Down (Punk Rock Blues/Burnside)
John Paul Keith – The Man That Time Forgot (Big Legal Mess)
Tommy Keene – Behind the Parade (Second Motion)
David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights – Left By Soft (Merge)
Leatherbag - Yellow Television (self-released)
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Scandalous (Lost Highway)
Nick Lowe – The Old Magic (Yep Roc)
Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters – The Ordeal of Civility (Knitting Factory)
Mastodon – The Hunter (Reprise)
Michael Monroe - Sensory Overdrive (Fontana)
Jack Oblivian – Rat City (Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum)
Sam Phillips – Solid State: Songs From the Long Play (Littlebox)
Robert Plant – Band of Joy (Esperanza/Rounder)
Graham Reynolds – Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington (Innova)
Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (Columbia)
Social Distortion – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (Epitaph)
Soriah with Ashkelon Sain – Eztica (Projekt)
Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter – Marble Son (Station Grey/Thirty Tigers)
Tom Waits – Bad As Me (Anti-)
Gillian Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest (Acony)
Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning (K Scope)
Wino – Adrift (Exile on Mainstream)
Wiretree – Makeup (self-released)

I suspect the top spot will be a 3-way dual between the Decemberists, the Feelies and the Blurries. Which says a lot about where my tastes mostly lay this year.

I'll let reissues lie.

12/16/2011 edit: posting this list has actually been very helpful to me. Looking at it now, I can clearly see which LPs actually stand above the others and can make a top 10 by process of elimination.



Post Edited (12-18-11 02:34)

Green Pajamas have a new record? Wow. i had no idea.

Yep, and contrary to the title, it's not really a country record. They just dial down the psych a little bit and dial up the folk. Usual high standard of songwriting.

I would have thought you of all people would not neglect the Black Watch's Led Zepellin Five. (Worth mentioning if only for the title!) Unless, that is, you just didn't like the album too much. I have not decided where it would fit into my list, but since yours was sort of "all contenders" list I'd've figured it would get in . . .

Here's what I cut it down to for Blurt:

Top 10 New Releases

The Bevis Frond - The Leaving of London (Woronzow)
The Blurries - Paper Cuts (self-released)
The Breakers - s/t (Wicked Cool)
Brother Eye - Emotional Fingers (self-released)
The Decemberists - The King is Dead (Capitol)
The Feelies - Here Before (Bar/None)
Leatherbag - Yellow Television (self-released)
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin' (Columbia)
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & the Harvest (Acony)
Wiretree - Makeup (self-released)


Top 10 Archival/Reissues

Peter Case - The Case Files (Alive)
The Church - Starfish (Second Motion)
Giant Sand - reissues (Fire)
Human Switchboard - Who's Landing in My Hangar? Anthology 1977-1984 (Bar/None)
Paul Kelly - Greatest Hits: Songs From the South Vol. 1 & 2 (Gawd Aggie/Universal)
Stephin Merritt - Obscurities (Merge)
Nova Mob - The Last Days of Pompeii (Cond'or/MVD)
Sir Douglas Quintet - The Mono Singles '68-'72 (Sundazed)
Ups & Downs - Out of the Darkness: Sleepless, Singles & Other Stories (Feel Presents)
The Who - Quadrophrenia: The Director's Cut (Universal)

Frankly, it says a lot more about my tastes than what "the best" of 2011 was.

I've not heard much by Mutemath since their debut (which I liked quite a bit. Not sure why I've not followed them since), but as to why they're ignored by Pitchfork, as near as I can tell Pitchfork has a fairly pronounced bias against artsy/prog-leaning alternative bands signed to major labels.

A quick search on Pitchfork for the first two bands that sprang to my mind as having a comparable mindset to Mutemath revealed that P-fork has also completely ignored the existence of Porcupine Tree (Pitchfork's "artist page" for them contains the band's name and a notable lack of any other content) and has covered only the two most recent albums by Muse, seemingly just for the opportunity to pan them. Dream Theater is likewise MIA on P-fork.

So bands that lean in the direction of prog without any pretense of trying to be "indie" about it just don't seem to be Pitchfork's bag. They do cover Mastodon, Boris and other similar bands, though, so prog-metal seems to be an acceptable field of study for them.



Post Edited (01-06-12 21:40)

I would never in a million years describe Mutemath as prog-leaning, nor would I ever compare them to PT and DT. I'm a fan of both bands (well, maybe not so much DT these days), so its not like I'm not thoroughly familiar with their music. Anyway, not trying to put down what you stated, just never heard MM described the way you did.

Tell me more about this:

Paul Kelly - Greatest Hits: Songs From the South Vol. 1 & 2 (Gawd Aggie/Universal)

I have the Songs from the South from, well, whenever it was issued. Did they do a double-disc version?

My understanding is that this is a double disk combo of two volumes of greatest hits disks called Songs From the South - one that covers '85-97 and one that covers '98-'08. If you have the first SFtS, you've got a duplicate of disk 1. I think that's by far the stronger disk, though that may just be because of prior familiarity with the songs. But disk 2 has some real gems on it as well.

Never heard anything by Mutemath, but this discussion does remind me of another burning question:

Where the hell is that Porcupine Tree review, Toland? I believe you promised us by the end of the year....

It's done and turned in. Ira is working his editorial magic prior to posting.

Fantastic. I've already got much of the PTree discography (I think), so I'm mainly just interested in having something for the What's New page!

The Porcupine Tree review is up. Check the p's. Thanks, Ira!

> Green Pajamas have a new record? Wow. i had no idea.

Antietam and Eleventh Dream Day still are around? Wow. I had no idea.

Song from 2011 that almost redeems the irredeemable:

Lou Reed & Metallica - "Junior Dad."

Say what you will about the rest of Lulu (opinions are extremely divided, with some calling it an unmitigated disaster while others consider it an ill-conceived catastrophe - there seems to be little middle ground between these poles), "Junior Dad" kicks genuine ass - it's a slow-burning epic drone that builds actually tension and drama, and coming at the end of the album it's a genuine WTF moment, leaving the listener wondering "if they could do that, what the hell was the rest of that wankery all about?" (It doesn't hurt that there's a viola droning away in the background for large chunks of the song, deliberately recalling a past collaborator that Reed was a little more sympatico with.)

Of course, you can find videos on Youtube of Reed playing the song with Laurie Anderson and John Zorn a couple of years before anyone ever had the anti-Eureka of teaming him up with Metallica and it has absolutely zilch to do with bad girl Lulu and her inevitable meet-not-so-cute with Jack the Ripper, making it the least collaborative thing the collaboration produced. Instead, it seems to just be Metallica providing backing on a song that Reed apparently had lying around for years.

Otherwise, the possibility that it might inspire someone to watch Pandora's Box is pretty much the best thing one can say about Lulu.



Post Edited (12-09-11 09:34)

[www.youtube.com]

suck it and see

So many interesting, worthwhile albums/tracks. I do so love this board.

A few observations:

1. R.E.M. breaking up led me to re-evaluateCollapse Into Now. I still think it's imperfect, but "Oh My Heart" is probably my favorite post-Berry song. And I usually detest the sappy, sub-Spielberg R.E.M. stuff.

2. I'm a pretty big Sleater-Kinney fan, but I never cared a whole lot for Helium or anything Mary Timony-related, but it's unreal how much I love that Wild Flag album. You're definitely dealing with two of the more idiosyncratic vocalists in the business, but from the first time I heard it I've felt they were born to share vocal duties with one another. I might be overselling the dynamic a bit.

3. While I love for Wild Flag's debut, as I've been putting together this year's Besto disc for friends, family and strangers, I keep getting stuck listening to The Decemberists' The King is Dead over and over. It may be the most satisfying album I've picked up since Dogs Die in Hot Cars' Please Describe Yourself, which was 7 or 8 years ago. It's total comfort food. It's the album a lot of us hoped Dreams So Real was going to make 20 years ago.

One last response on the Wild Flag tip and I'll stop clogging up this thread with extraneous diversions: Yep, Jermoe, I'll grant you that Carrie and Mary do seem born to sing together, as it often took me a minute on the first listen to figure out which one it was (Mary actually seems flatter and Carrie is more hiccup-y). Maybe their vocal styles didn't grate on me so much until it was effectively doubled up. Anyway, it's a good album (as is that Decemberists' one), but neither of them would make my top 10 list for the year (which I don't/won't actually compile, but still....).

Great lists! I haven't had the chance to hear all the great music this year and these lists will make good resources.

No one on here has Yuck on their lists?

My top ten songs (nothing unusual here.)

1. Beth/Rest - Bon Iver
I love this song. Sure it's wrapped up in an 80's power ballad type sound…but it is just twisted and distorted enough that it won't be on a Peter Cetera or Bruce Hornsby album.
[www.youtube.com]
2. Green Aisles - Real Estate
wistful and melancholic
[www.youtube.com]
3. Wait - M83
This is an amazing Pink Floydish ballad. Majestic
[www.youtube.com]
4. Forget You All The Time - Cloud Nothings
I wasn't into this album as much as his previous but this song is just gorgeous. It's also the answer to the question - What if you took the songs "I Wanna be Adored" and "Game of Pricks" and mixed them together?
[www.youtube.com]
5. Eve - Reigning Sound
I love the this late 60's Psyche-Pop sound. I still listen to the era heavily. These guys nail it with this song.
no link
6. Gentle Girl - Ryan Trott
Great Surf Pop. The singing is out of tune but sweetly so.
no link
7. Still Sound - Toro Y Moi
Michael Jackson backed by an Indie band.
[www.youtube.com]
8. Stutter - Yuck
I think this is a guilty pleasure. I listened to this album over and over at the beginning of the year…and it still holds up.
[www.youtube.com]
9. Poor in Love - Destroyer
around 1:35 some drums start tapping and then it really starts grooving at 2:00. To me, this song is the high point of one of the years best.
[www.youtube.com]
10. Sad Girls - Big Troubles
really good fuzzy lo-fi pop. funny video too
[www.spencerdennis.net]

Totalji, I dont think the Yuck album is a great album and it's definitely not a creative album, but I have to admit, "The Wall" which consists of two chords and about 7 words, is probably my favorite song of the year.

for you HOLLYWOOD glamour boys

unreal rhett,
i just played bandwagonesque.

the tp IS telepathy!

So, here's the playlist of my Besto 11:

1. "Oh My Heart" – R.E.M., Collapse Into Now
2. "Don't Carry It All" – The Decemberists, The King is Dead
3. "Countdown" – Sondre Lerche, Happy Holidays from Sondre Lerche
4. "Romance" – Wild Flag, Wild Flag
5. "Long Burn the Fire" – Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee, pt. 2
6. "Rider" – Okkervil River, I Am Very Far
7. "Jack Sparrow" – The Lonely Island feat. Michael Bolton, Turtleneck & Chain
8. "What I Heard" – Blondie, Panic of Girls
9. "Northern Lights" – St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
10. "Born Alone" – Wilco, The Whole Love
11. "Should Be Gone" – The Feelies, Here Before
12. "San Jacinto" – Peter Gabriel, New Blood
13. "Strawberry Swing" – Frank Ocean, Nostalgia Ultra
14. "Strange Nostalgia for the Future" – Cut Copy, Zonoscope
15. "This Is Al We've Got" – Cut Copy, Zonoscope
16. "Two Cousins" – Slow Club, Paradise
16. "Brain Sex" – A.Dd+, When Pigs Fly
17. "That's My Bitch" – Jay-Z & Kanye West, Watch the Throne
18. "Coming Home" – Diddy/Dirty Money, Last Train to Paris
19. "Ultra Violet" – The Killers, AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered
20. "Paradise" (Sex Ray Vision Remix) – Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto bootleg

> it actually sounds like a dumb question, but is King Of Limbs too mainstream for TP'ers?

No, I don't think so. But then again, I included an Elton John album on my Top 40 list for the entire 2000s. So my answer, by definition, may be suspect.

I'm always playing catch-up so didn't purchase a huge number of 2011 releases.
But I have been enjoying:

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Das Racist - Relax
Sand Pebbles - Dark Magic
Wire - Red Barked Tree
ShrewmS - Brisbane Doghouse

And the jury is STILL out on The People's Key.

I really look forward to these, since I have a difficult time keeping up with what's new and great and good, and I respect everyone's opinion on here enough to purchase stuff just based on recommendations.

thank you, Los Angeles!

hAPPie Neu Yr JIM,
WE loVE yoU in FLorIdA

I listened to a number of new releases this year (mostly on Spotify), and very little fired up my rockets and demanded repeated listens. I'll admit, though, that comparitively speaking, I didn't listen to all that much new stuff. Here are the few that I liked enough to include in a year-end list:

MuteMath - Odd Soul (Easily the best new album of the year IMO and the only one I actually purchased; why Pitchfork has written NOTHING on these guys over the past 5 yrs and their 3 albums is beyond me)

Others:

Wilco
PJ Harvey
Maya Azucena
Teenage Fanclub
St. Vincent

Albums that received a lot of hype for reasons I haven't figured out:

Bon Iver
Fleet Foxes
Kate Bush (snore; I love Kate, but this put me to sleep)
M83

zoo - Anytime a Teenage Fanclub album is released is a time of celebration for me.

I know it's gimmicky but Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" gets my vote for catchiest tune of the year.

Gimmicky and catchy seldom interfere with one another. (I prefer FTP's "Helena Beat" myself.)