Music of 2011

Not a good year for music for me.  Most things I was looking forward to just let me down (looking at you, Radiohead).  Can't say I discovered any new bands that blew me away either.  I did discover a band that literally took everything I hate about popular music these days and rolled them all up in a ball of shit called LMFAO. 

I think the one album I listened to more than any other this year would have to be the Archers of Loaf Icky Mettle reissue. I've probably listened to it more this time around than when it first came out.  It held up very well, and still sounds fresh to me.  

If there's one thing I would like for 2012, I would say a new Pissed Jeans album. 

Absolutely LOVED tUnEyArDs' second album (though I HATE the mixed capitalization thing). And I thought the new Moby album was his best since Play. Aside from that, checked out a lot of stuff with critical buzz and I found it all pretty dull.

For some reason I just can't get behind tuneyards. Just doesn't translate for me. "David Comes to Life" by Fucked Up has been getting a lot of play lately, and I just found a great new album by Two Star Symphony called "Titus Andronicus" (it's a strings suite based on the play) that might be my favorite thing of the year. I don't know if that has anything to do with its own merits or the fact that it was an honest surprise, but it's definitely worth a listen.

Gotta disagree with the general negativity so far because 2011 brought us:

Torches - Foster the People

Wasting Light - Foo Fighters (their best for some time)

Collapse into Now - REM (their best since the 90's and then they split!)

Yuck - Yuck (grunge is back baby)

Crazy Clown Time - David Lynch

Last Night on Earth - Noah and the Whale

Circuital - My Morning Jacket

Neighborhoods - Blink 182 (a great come back, although haters gonna hate)

Drive - OST

The Woman OST - Sean Spillane

Hurry up we're dreaming - M83

Passive Me, Aggressive you - The Naked and Famous

There are probably more but these were the stand outs for me anyway...

I am not exposed to a lot of new music these days, but the two bands I discovered and enjoyed this past year are Mumford and Sons and We Were Promised Jetpacks.

I tend to agree regarding mainstream disappointments in 2011.  Radiohead is probably the biggest offender.  For every track I love on KoL, there's a track I can't get into.  I don't want to say its a bad album, because it isn't.  I just think they've set the bar so high for themselves that its a bit hard to not be underwhelmed by an 8 track album, especially where the best songs sound like In Rainbows B-sides.  

However, I'm big on electronic/dance music, and I thought there was plenty to love in that general area.  And because lists are great:

1. Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do?

2. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming

3. Aeroplane - In Flight Entertainment

4. Umphrey's McGee - Death By Stereo

5. Holy Ghost! - Self Titled

6. Benoit & Sergio - Where The Freaks Have No Name (EP)

7. Drive OST

8. Active Child - You Are All I See

9. SBTRKT - Self Titled

10. Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure

Wasn't really thrilled with the music of 2011 overall, although honestly I didn't put as much time into seeking out new stuff as I usually do. Nevertheless, here's my list (other than my top 3, these could be in any order):

10. The Decemberists - The King is Dead

9. Talib Kweli - Gutter Rainbows

8. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life

7. Beirut - The Rip Tide

6. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

5. The Horrors - Skying

4. The Roots - Undun

3. In Flames - Sounds of a Playground Falling

2. Tom Waits - Bad As Me

1. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

I don't listen to a lot of music, but I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Adele yet, especially considering that she basically owned 2011. It's rare that the most popular artist is also actually good. I know I love me some "Turning Tables" and "Someone Like You".

Turning Tables is one of my favorite songs of the year. But aside from a couple other songs, I tend to get a little bored with the album. Nothing against her voice, which is fantastic.

Just realized the other day that Radiohead finally released The Staircase/Daily Mail single.  They have been playing these live since the album came out, and I think both are two of the best song from the whole latest input.  I don't know why they didn't just put these on the album.  It would have made a (in my opinion) more solid ten song album.  They had also released another two songs on Record Store Day, but I didn't think much of either one of them.  

As far as Adele goes, not my style.  It doesn't help that at work they listen to one of those top 5 (I figure because they only play the same 5 songs every hour) stations, and I had to hear Rolling in the Deep about ten times in eight hours, five days a week.  At the time I didn't even know it was Adele, all I knew that whatever it was I wanted to stop.  Then when I eventually found out it was Adele, I was thinking "This is the person everyone is going on about?"  I didn't get it.

But to be fair, if I had to listen to Daily Mail by Radiohead that often, I would probably hate that also.

As I tend to do with this thread (jesus, just look at last year's), I can go overboard. Here are a list of my (provisional) favorite albums and songs of 2011.

Favorite Albums: