Bandage

It’s that time of year again. The time I ponder the bigger questions in life. Questions like: Is there a difference between favorite and best when you’re putting together your own “Best of…” list? How can we make these lists when music is completely subjective? If music is completely subjective, why is it so obvious how bad Nickelback is?

My point is that this is just an opinion. But I like to think it’s a reasonably well informed opinion. I’ve spent this whole year (and especially this last month) listening to over 100 albums from the year. That being said, I’m well aware that 100 albums isn’t anywhere close to all the music that has come out this year. I’ve listened to some of these albums a lot and some of them not nearly as much as I wish I could. (Despite my best efforts, I still have a job. It’s really getting in the way of this hobby.)

 Without further ado, here’s my list along with some awards for this year. Please post YOUR best albums in the comments along with any criticism of my list. The whole point of this is to start some discussion… and also to indulge my musical neuroses. But mostly it’s the discussion thing. So discuss, dammit.

 25. Feist - Metals: After 2007’s The Reminder came out, things kind of changed for Leslie Feist.  Every person with a TV set and an affinity for Apple products walking around singing “1, 2, 3, 4, tell me that you love me more.”. A little darker, a little more serious, Metals is a bit of a departure from the formula that got her so much popularity. It often works, but maybe I’ve become more comfortable with The Reminder’s  Feist. I’ll be honest, I miss the poppy Apple commercial songs. But the voice, as always, is something special.

 Highlights: A Commotion, Comfort Me

 24. Drake - Take Care: Drake has always been a tough sell for me. I just felt like every time I heard a song that I was sick of on the radio, I would ask someone who it was, and their response would invariably be “Blah Blah Blah with Drake!” or “Drake with so and so!” It just got old. But Take Care seems to be of a different mold. The creativity and execution are about as good as it gets this side of Kanye, and there are some flat out catchy tunes on this album. Man, I’m sure Drake has always dreamed of some 29 year old bearded white guy talking about how “catchy” his “tunes” are. You’re welcome, Drake. You’re welcome.

Highlights: Take Care, Over My Dead Body

 23. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation: In researching my write up for Youth Lagoon, I discovered that the brain child behind Youth Lagoon is 22 year old Trevor Powers. 22!!! Are you FUCKING kidding me? I don’t even wanna do this anymore, because I’m so angry about it. Whatever. It’s really good like…lo-fi ambient pop music. Or something. Whatever. It has super catchy, beautiful vocal lines too. And his voice is really good. Just listen to the album. Then you can hate him too. But really like his music.

 Highlights: Cannons, Afternoon

 22. Yuck - Yuck: Sometimes people act like it’s a bad thing when your influences are super obvious within the first 30 seconds listening to the first track on the album. And that may be true, especially if your influences are like Nickelback or Staind. (I’m shooting for 5 Nickelback jokes in this whole thing. So far, so good.) But if you can execute it well, and your influences are bands like Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and My Bloody Valentine…you’re in pretty good shape. This is a top to bottom album; one of those albums you never wanna hit next on because what you’re listening to at that very moment is too good to change. Just sit back and enjoy, you fidgety bastards.

 Highlights: Shook Down, Operation

 21. Das Racist - Relax: I’ll be honest, this is a personal choice. That Drake album may be technically better than this album as far as hip hop execution goes, but when you can reference My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead in the same verse, you score some points with this guy. Plus, I have a TON of fun listening to this album. Heems and Kool AD are really smart, really funny, and really talented. It makes for a hip hop album that’s challenging but never a burden and fun but never a joke. “Yo, I’m in the building. Building with Belding. DR. Something like a neo-rap Zack Attack. Finna spark an L and have a Big Mac Attack.” Later in the same song (Rainbow in the Dark), they throw in a Jeff Mangum reference. It’s like hip hop where I’m finally in on the joke.

 Highlights: Rainbow in the Dark, Punjabi Song

 20. Wilco - The Whole Love: Wilco has made me so sad for so long. They created one of my favorite albums of all time in 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but really haven’t done much memorable since. I’m not sure who coined the term, but my friend Mike always calls it “dad-rock,” and it’s an apt description. No risks. Boring. I kinda had the feeling that Wilco didn’t really have any greatness left in them.  The Whole Love finally ends that thought. It’s not a perfect album like Yankee was, but it’s a step in the right artistic direction. Let’s hope they’ll continue to make beautiful music for a long time.

Highlights: The Art of Almost, Black Moon (A seriously stunning song. One of my favorites of the year.)

 19. Real Estate - Days: If there’s an album this year that’s going to make your foot involuntarily start tapping, this is probably it. Real Estate just pumps out catchy song after catchy song like they’re a factory that mass produces catchy songs.  Anyway, the beautifully chorused vocals, the simple melodic keyboard parts, and the bright guitar riffs make this album pretty impossible to dislike. Seriously, I’m convinced if you don’t like it, you probably just hate things that make you happy. So stop being such a grouch.

 Highlights: Easy, Wonder Years

 18. Radiohead - The King of Limbs: I remain convinced that this album is better than I think it is. If this was some new band that I was hearing for the first time, maybe this album would be the best of the year. Unfortunately, Radiohead is not a new band, and you can’t help but placing this album low in their catalogue. In most ways, the album just feels unfinished. I think for the first time, I was disappointed by a Radiohead album, but it’s a testament to them that I still feel like this is a really solid album. Codex is an all-time great Radiohead song, and there’s not really a bad track on the album. See? I’m trying to convince myself to move it higher. I gotta move on before I convince myself it’s the best album of the year.

 Highlights: Codex, Lotus Flower

 17. Panda Bear - Tomboy: This album has so many different sounds and ideas, but ultimately it’s a collection of pop songs, and they’re really good songs at that. Lennox has such a soothing, ethereal quality to his voice *and the effects on his voice), and it makes the rest of the complex ambiance fade into the distance…but not in a bad way. The Beach Boys on acid sense is still there, and it still works…really well. It’s always complex, but manages to also always be pleasant. I think it can be hard to do both sometimes.

 Highlights: You Can Count On Me, Drone

 16. Tom Waits - Bad As Me: The first exposure I got to Mr. Waits was when I watched HBO’s The Wire, when his song “Way Down in the Hole” was used as it’s theme. His version of the song was used for season 2. I remember it always being my favorite by a lot. I always knew he was a legend, but I never actually listened to his music. Didn’t really seem like it would be my cup of tea. Well, it turns out I was really wrong. Like, extremely wrong. Bad As Me is a clinic. Listening to this album was equal parts unsettling and exhilarating. Ideas on top of ideas all with that signature gravelly voice. Not having extensive knowledge of Waits’ catalogue turns out to be a blessing, because I was just able to take this album as exactly what it is: one of the best of the year.

 Highlights: Chicago, Bad As Me, Kiss Me

 15. Beirut - The Rip Tide: Zach Condon has been playing music under the name Beirut since 2006, when he was 19 years old. It’s not surprising that his albums have kinda grown up with him. The Rip Tide is clearly his most mature work to date; with stunning string and horn arrangements, beautiful musicality, and there’s always Condon’s signature crooning. It’s nice to see Condon stick to his musical guns and really continue to explore HIS sound. It just keeps getting better and better.

 Highlights: The Rip Tide, East Harlem

 14. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo: This album is kind of a bummer, I won’t lie. Let’s just say I can’t see myself riding around in my car on a beautiful sunny summer day pumping Kurt Vile out my opened windows. It’s just not that type of rock music. But man, is it ever effective. Whether he’s channeling Tom Petty or Bob Dylan or one of his several other rock and roll influences, Kurt Vile gets it right. His lyrics almost feel unintentionally poignant, which I love. “I bet by now you probably think I’m a puppet to the man. Well, I’ll tell you right now, you best believe that I am,” he lazily sings in Puppet to the Man. Or how about in Peeping Tomboy where he so accurately describes how I feel about half of the time: “I don’t want to change, but I don’t want to stay the same. I don’t want to go, but I’m running. I don’t want to work, but I don’t want to sit around all day frowning.” Mmmm hmmm.

 Highlights: Puppet to the Man, Peeping Tomboy

 13. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues: In perhaps the least surprising development of 2011, Fleet Foxes produced another stunningly beautiful album. To me, there was no chance this album wouldn’t be exactly what it was: a perfect folk rock album. Beautiful harmonies, beautiful lyrics, blah blah blah. It’s so good that it almost gets boring. It sounds silly to say, but it’s predictability is exactly what kept it out of my top 10. There are no big steps forward from 2008’s self titled debut. That shouldn’t stop you from listening to this album. Fleet Foxes continues to be one of the smartest and most talented indie rock groups out there, and I promise you will have at least one of their songs in your head all day if you listen to this album.

 Highlights: Just listen to the whole album.

 12. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde: Just listen to the instrumental bridge on the song Imagine, Pt. 3. Seriously…go listen to it. I’ll wait. *twiddling thumbs*

 I KNOW. And listen to these lyrics! ” In corners of your heart, I tried to make love grow. Imagine all the windows if the walls are out of stone. Oh can’t you see, what you’re doing to me? But you’ve always got me coming back for more.” Loving it.This album (and that song specifically) was probably my most played of the summer of 2011. Great guitar riffs, awesome synth parts, and really catchy vocals. Now THIS is an album I’m blasting out of my non-existent car that I don’t own. It’s an exceedingly upbeat album that gives back what you put in.

 Highlights: Imagine, Pt. 3, Weekend, All Die Young

11. Cut Copy - Zonoscope: DANCE PARTY!!! Okay, stop dancing now. Seriously, stop. I’M TRYING TO TALK. The quintessential electro-pop-rock-dance album (HA.) of 2011, Zonoscope is so much fun. My friend Nick described it to me like this: “It’s not like they’re doing anything groundbreaking, they just do everything so well.” I think I underrated this album all year until I really started focusing on making this list. It kinda reminds me of that Daniel Tosh joke where he asks, “Have you ever tried to frown on a jet ski?” Well, I ask…have you ever tried to frown listening to Cut Copy? I say it can’t be done.

 Highlights: Take Me Over, This Is All We’ve Got

 10. Atlas Sound - Parallax: This album instantly struck me, which I feel like Bradford Cox productions don’t always do. I always describe his music as somewhat robotic. It’s always technically very good, but that’s pretty much it. I feel like his writing over the past couple years has taken a turn. There’s a little more emoting. A little more humanity, if you will. (I love saying “if you will.”) My favorite track on the album, Te Amo, is the perfect example of this. It’s Bradford Cox out of his vocal comfort zone. You hear him stretching and struggling to reach some notes, and the results make me wanna smack him and tell him to do that more often. The rest of the standard Atlas Sound um….sound….is still there. It sounds like it was produced by one person in a bedroom, but somehow that doesn’t diminish the work; it enhances it.

 Highlights: Te Amo, Terra Incognito

 9. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints: This album came out in May. I downloaded it…I mean went to my local record store and picked it up….shortly thereafter. I can honestly say I listened to it once and didn’t think it would be something I was interested in. It’s uncharacteristically noisy for my tastes I guess. So I picked it back up a couple months ago and found it to be an intensely singular album. Maybe the most unique album of the year. It’s intensely beautiful while maintaining a very noticeable edge. Very noticeable. Try these lyrics on for size from the song Butterfly Knife: “C’mon look me in the eye. 20 kisses with a butterfly knife.” Yikes. Intensely uncomfortable. But Erika M. Anderson (formerly of Gowns) pulls it all together with her hauntingly gorgeous voice and makes it impossible for you to stop listening.

 Highlights: Breakfast, California

 8. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong: If you’re a fan of 90’s alternative rock, the influences of PoBPaH (even the fucking shortened version of their name is way too long) are immediately obvious. You’ll hear Smashing Pumpkins, probably some My Bloody Valentine, throw in some Pavement if you want. And if you like those bands, you can’t help but immediately love this album. When your influences are so obvious, you have to write good songs and Pains (I think I like that better than PoBPaH) consistently delivers.

 Highlights: The opening 3 tracks just tear the roof off. (Belong, Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now, Heart In Your Heartbreak)

  7. James Blake - James Blake: Everyone focuses on the stripped down dubstep sound of James Blake, but I’m here to tell all ya’ll something. All ya’ll. Listen up. It’s all about that voice. The voice is what holds the fragile musical arrangements together. It’s the glue that keeps the delicate pieces together. Without that voice? The whole damn thing falls apart. In the end, James Blake makes an album unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It feels like you can pick out each individual part and see what it’s role is. It’s an experience that I’ve never had musically. It’s so bare, but it works. Man, does it work.

 Highlights: Limit To Your Love, Wilhelm’s Scream, Why Don’t You Call Me

 6. Girls - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: With Girls, the beauty is in the simplicity. Musically and lyrically, Christopher Owens and JR White keep it simple (stupid). Don’t let yourself think that simple means easy or boring. Crafting pop songs as good as these is anything but easy, and the result is anything but boring. If you like music, you’ll find a reference point that will get you interested. Whether it be the Beach Boys, The Beatles, or Elivis Costello…Girls pretty much pays homage to every type of 20th century rock and roll. The results are stunning and show a huge amount of growth from their 2009 album called…well, um….Album.

Highlights: Just A Song, Honey Bunny, Myma

 5. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life: Have a state title to win? Or like a big presentation? Or um…some other thing that you need to get really pumped up for? You should probably listen to this album. It kinda makes me wanna punch some random person in the face. In a good way. Besides the fact that it is incredibly intense, it is so unbelievably well executed. Guitars layered on guitars layered on more guitars. And then you put Damien Abraham’s relentless screaming/singing over all of it. Wowza. It is intense. And impressive. The only criticism you could have is that it’s intense and impressive for too long (the run time is 78 minutes). So strap in and get ready, cuz this album does. not. stop.

 Highlights: Life In Paper, The Other Shoe, Queen of Hearts

 4. Tune-Yards - W H O K I L L: I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Merril Garbus aka Tune-Yards twice in the past year. If her album impresses you, wait till you see everything she does live. Looping her own voice, drumbeats, and ukulele to create these multi-layered pop songs…it’s just breathtaking. And then there’s her voice. I’m convinced the woman could fight crime or something with just the power of her voice. Unbelievable technique and range, and she’s absolutely fearless. It comes through on the album, and it only gets better when you get to witness it in person. She’s one of the most talented performers I’ve ever seen. She has unique talent and unwavering dedication (she has to, to pull off some of the things she pulls off). Do yourself a favor, get this album. It will give you goosebumps. Your goosebumps will have goosebumps… probably. I’m not sure if that’s a real thing or not.

 Highlights: Gangsta, Bizness, Powa

 3. M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming: Ambition is a tricky thing. It can lead you to greatness, but it can also lead you to a convoluted mess that no one cares to listen to. Anthony Gonzalez flirts with this line a little bit, but he manages to somehow never lose you across two albums and 74 minutes of relentless shoe-gazey brilliance. The highlights are so high that I thought for awhile it may end up being my album of the year, but in the end it’s ambition does sometimes get the better of it. I think you could chop out a few minutes, and it still would be just as brilliant. But there’s no denying that it’s epic. Gonzalez continues to make everything bigger, and he’s proving that he can handle it.

 Highlights: Midnight City, Steve McQueen

 2. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy: What to say about this album? Ugh. Annie Clark is unbelievably talented. She writes these killer art pop songs that manage to be soft but edgy all at once. She combines these killer guitar solos with that heavenly voice. I truly don’t know how she does it. She’s been doing it for awhile now, but Strange Mercy puts together all the elements and pops out one of the best albums of the year. I’ve already noticed that it’s not getting nearly enough run in the year end lists, and that disappoints me. Pick a track. Any track. You’ll be impressed. Simply put, she’s one of the most talented all around performers out there right now.

 Highlights: Strange Mercy, Chloe in the Afternoon

 1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver: Those of you that know me well have known this was coming for about the last 7 hours (I assume that’s how long this whole thing has taken to read). I’ve had a man crush on Justin Vernon ever since 2008’s For Emma, Forever Ago; everyone’s favorite album to listen to while sobbing uncontrollably in a dark corner. Don’t worry, there are still some sob worthy moments on this album, but he dispenses with the gut wrenching acoustic tracks and opts for a COMPLETELY different approach on the self-titled follow up. The results are gorgeous. The opening track, Perth, sounds almost like a track that could have been included in Vernon’s 2009 collaboration with Collections of Colonies of Bees, Unmap. There are layers upon layers of sounds: strings, driving drumbeats, horns…but the trademark falsetto reminds you that this is indeed a Bon Iver album. Holocene is one of those songs you could see yourself sobbing while listening to, but there’s more here. Sure, there’s better production quality, but it’s like Vernon is finally able to explore the complete scope of his ideas. Holocene becomes more than just a stripped down, sad, acoustic song…the layers don’t detract from the overall effect, they add to it. Vernon has taken the success of For Emma and really shown us who he is. It’s appropriate then, that this, Vernon’s second full length album, would be self-titled.

 Highlights: The whole damn thing.

The Hipster Snobbiness Award (for the albums that everyone else seems to like, but I don’t get…like, at all):  Destroyer - Kaputt, Iceage - New Brigade

 The What the Hell Are You All Thinking? Award (for the most underrated album of the year): St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

 The Sorry I Have a Job Award (for the albums that I liked but haven’t listened to enough yet): Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes, PJ Harvey - Let England Shake, Black Keys - El Camino, Wye Oak - Civilian, The Weeknd - House of Balloons, Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow

The Sorry I’m Such a Snob Award (for the albums that I should listen to more, but I probably won’t because I’m too pretentious): Adele - 21, Beyonce - 4,  Lady Gaga - Born This Way, Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials