Best Coast has announced a release date for the highly anticipated follow-up to their widely acclaimed 2010 debut Crazy for You. The Only Place is set for release May 15th. A tour begins with a few dates in March, seemingly to make an appearance at SXSW in Austin, then picks up steam in mid May and spans through late July. …
In cased you missed it, take a listen to this report from Fresh Air. Reflecting upon the release of their Complete Works, rock Historian, Ed Ward takes a look at The Smiths, and what has made them so influential for over two decades.
Listen to the Fresh Air report
Watch The Smiths - This Charming Man
Watch The Smiths - How Soon is Now
Watch The Smiths - William
February is quickly approaching, and I’m just now getting to my 2011 list. But who cares about another stupid “Best of the Year” list? Well since nobody reads this blog but me, let’s just say I care. I’m not trying to impress anyone with a super obscure eclectic list of music nobody’s ever heard of. These are simply the releases that received lots of play in my car, home or office during the past year. I typically have many favorites throughout a year’s time, but only these are the kind of albums you can start at track one and let play. The need to skip ahead over a track here or there is rare. In this new age of single downloads over full album purchases, I find this trait to be even more admirable. Shouldn’t artists still be making entire albums, not just hit singles?
These are listed in no particular order, as I cannot rank and file based upon importance or merit. In my opinion, these are the best of the year, while admittedly, I have left off some widely acclaimed releases. So I didn’t include Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes or Wye Oak. I like all of those albums, but they just weren’t my cup of tea this year I suppose. They didn’t make it into my heavy rotation, so they are not included on this list. My list doesn’t need to be the same as everyone’s. So there.
Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose
Watch Those Darlins - "Screws Get Loose"
I first heard of Those Darlins back in November of 2010. I had tickets to see the Black Lips at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, and Those Darlins just so happened to be the opening band. As the crowd slowly rolled in, they began to gravitate toward the front of the room to get a closer look at this mostly all girl band (drummer Linwood Regensburg being the exception). Kelley, Nikki & Jessi Darlin started out as a drummer-less three piece in Nashville, debuting in 2008 with a more country inspired self-titled release. It included catchy, and at times quite twangy tracks such as “Snaggle Tooth Mama”, “DUI or DIE” and a song about coming home drunk and eating an entire chicken called “The Whole Damn Thing”.
Their 2011 release is a lot less twangy and a lot more jangly, especially the opening title track. “Hives” and “Boy” both stand out for their simple catchy riffs and sweet girlie lyrics, while “Be Your Bro” and “Fatty Needs a Fix” assert a more sexually indifferent, almost comical tone. Some have criticized Screws Get Loose for pulling the band away from their more country roots. After listening to the album, it’s true I couldn’t help but miss some of their earlier Nashville charm. But this release does well to combine a more mainstream appeal with a remaining hint of their Tennessee influence.
♦
Beirut - The Rip Tide
Watch Beirut - "Santa Fe"
While reminiscent of Calexico, Beirut infuses their music with brass arrangements in just the right proportions. Unlike Calexico, however, Beirut uses these arrangements without invoking a Latin feel to their songs. Instead, their sound is more worldly, less specific to a region, and you begin to wonder where the heck their influence comes from. Beirut’s founding member, Zach Condon, does hail from New Mexico, so there’s the obvious link to the Southwestern US sound. But still, many of their songs evoke a more European influence than anything. Regardless, this album is amazing, although less sentimental and emotionally gripping as their previous releases.
♦
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Watch The Joy Formidable - "Austere"
When I first heard The Joy Formidable last spring, I couldn’t quite put my finger on their appeal. But I soon realized it’s their familiarity that drew me into their debut release The Big Roar. Considering I’ve never heard of this band before 2011, that may sound odd, but it doesn’t take long for their songs to remind you of an earlier time. The Joy Formidable are evocative of a band from the 1990′s, with a sound that reaches back to bands like Sponge, Sonic Youth or Foo Fighters. It’s energetic noise driven rock with a glossy pop infused finish. Perhaps recognizing his own influence on the bands songwriting, Dave Grohl actually tweeted that “Whirring” was the best written song of the year, and invited the band to open several dates for Foo Fighters last fall.
Lead singer Ritzy Bryan is utterly adorable when speaking into a microphone with a small voice and delightful Welsh accent. But once the music begins she transcends her tiny self and pours her voice over every song, while sometimes rolling on the floor beating her guitar into a pulp. I witnessed this kind of scene first hand last spring as a tornado ripped away parts of St. Louis’ Lambert International airport a few miles away. Everyone at that show in the (thankfully underground) art gallery forgot it was even storming outside.
♦
Jessica Lea Mayfield -Tell Me
Watch Jessica Lea Mayfield - "Our Hearts are Wrong"
All I can think of when I try to describe Jessica Lea Mayfield’s voice is the word Buttery. It’s just buttery- smooth, rich and sweet. Her album Tell Me has appeared on the 2011 best of lists for both singer-songwriter and country or alt-country releases. This young artist may find herself in that unenviable position of not being country enough for country, while not being poppy enough for pop. Fortunately artists in a similar multi-genre genre that have come before her have found a dedicated fan base and garnered much critical acclaim (Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch or Neko Case come to mind).
It’s true Jessica is young, but her songwriting has an old-fashioned appeal that makes her instantly likable. Nothing can be more off-putting than a young upstart singing the blues about heartache, or how much they’ve seen and done, and so on. But her words come across as genuine, and her voice is again, so sweet, that I could listen to her sing a phone book.
♦
WILD FLAG -Wild Flag
Watch Wild Flag - "Romance"
WILD FLAG first began creating a buzz with a few dates in New York and down the east coast leading up to their March 2011 SXSW appearance. That brief run of shows pre-dated their self-titled release by six months, but certainly caused enough of a stir to keep their fans anticipating the full-length album released in September. Then they added a flurry of dates throughout the summer and fall to support the release.
When I caught their show at The EARL in Atlanta last spring, most people there had yet to hear anything by the band, they only knew they were in for a good show. The overall agreement that night was simple enjoyment of solid rock performance, raucous and loud. It’s a welcome relief to see a new band that just rocks, and does it extremely well. And because the band is made up of seasoned musicians, most notably Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, who have done all of this before with other groups, there’s no air of attitude, gimmicks or over the top antics. Nobody needs to prove anything, and it appears they really are just in it for the fun of performing and creating great music. I’m already anticipating their next tour, but for now I will just have to settle for playing this CD over and over again.
♦
Phantogram -Nightlife EP
Watch Phantogram - "When I'm Small"
I discovered Phantogram late in the year, shortly after the release of their Nightlife EP. I quickly found their blend of catchy lyrics and electronic beats impossible to get out of my head. Their potential mainstream appeal is even further broadened by singer Sarah Barthel, whose vocals are reminiscent of Emily Haines (Metric, Broken Social Scene). It’s only a matter of time before Phantogram sells a hook for an iTunes ad and soon everyone will be singing their songs, whether they realize it or not.
♦
Wilco – The Whole Love
Watch Wilco - "Born Alone"
Every six months or so, I fall in love with Wilco all over again. Maybe I dig out Summerteeth for a whirl, and then can’t stop replaying it for weeks. Or during a nastalgic period, I’ll slip in Being There and drift back to a simpler time; when my biggest worries were mid-term papers and making it my record store job on time, and Jeff Tweedy sang about riverboat gambling. Most recently I’ve been in a Sky Blue Sky phase. I’ve found “Either Way” is the best remedy for a gray winter morning, while reassuring my sometimes wistful heart. The entire album is a work of art, touching, melancholy yet uplifting, while at times technically awe-inspiring (i.e. “Impossible Germany”).
Needless to say, I anxiously awaited the release of The Whole Love this year, not sure what to expect. “Art of Almost” starts out moody, layered with effects and strings, but then inexplicably turns to a driven, almost psychedelic jam that stretches the track out another three minutes. “Dawned on Me” and “Born Alone” are the obvious stand outs. Their sounds and structures are nothing new for Wilco, but they each meet or surpass the high bar they have set for themselves years ago, and we expect as much with each release. “Black Moon” and “One Sunday Morning” fit the presumed inclusion of a few somber, but lovely if not downright sad tracks. While ”Sunloathe” sounds as if it could have been taken from Brian Wilson’s Smile. After a few listens, it becomes apparent this album was meant to be a culmination of sorts, taking pieces from many of their releases and coming up with a sum of their past parts, so to speak.
♦
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Watch PJ Harvey - "Words That Maketh Murder"
At first listen this album grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. The arrangements are stirring and almost over the top without being garish. PJ Harvey’s haunting vocals tell tragic stories depicting the gruesomeness of war and the devastation left behind. Because the depth of each song is so captivating, initially you almost miss the point of the lyrics. It takes a few listens to fully absorb the magnitude of the story being told.
A few critics have panned Let England Shake for being a concept album about a decades old war. But writing albums about old wars is nothing new, and who is to say any of these songs aren’t relatable to today’s conflicts? This album is timeless, and will go down as one PJ Harvey’s finest works as well as one of 2011′s best releases.
♦
Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Watch Radiohead - "Lotus Flower"
Dark, moody and tightly wound, many of The King of Limbs tracks feel more reminiscent of The Eraser, Thom Yorke’s solo release than any earlier Radiohead release. There are elements from some of their previous albums scattered throughout, most noticeably Amnesiac. “Little by Little” for example, watery and sullen, sounds as if it might have originally been written for Amnesiac, while “Morning Mr. Magpie” feels tense, compressed, more Hail to the Thief.
“Codex” is this album’s “Sail to the Moon”. It stands out as the gem of the album, weaving a lone piano with ethereal sounds and a melody that sucks the breath right out of your lungs. If this song doesn’t affect you, you must be dead inside.
Noticeably missing off of this album is a guitar driven rock anthem; no “Electioneering”, no “National Anthem”, no “Bodysnatchers”. The absence of this usually present rock-relief is obvious on this release, which at first listen left me pining for something more up-beat and solid. But after a few more plays, you don’t miss it as much, and I now enjoy the full album as it is, appreciating that they aren’t using the same formulas over and over again.
With each release they obviously strive to create something that stands alone as a work, not relying on early albums to back it up. But still, we can’t help to always look back to earlier releases and compare, and how can we not with an album as monumental as OK Computer in their catalog? Regardless, unlike some of my other longtime favorites that are still making music, Radiohead continues to make one remarkable album after another, never seeming to lose their touch and always pushing the envelope. For that I appreciate each release differently because of, not in spite of their distinctiveness.
