I am obsessed with music. Most of my friends and even acquaintances know this. These days I find myself spending nearly all my free time listening to music. I'm open to pretty much any type of music, although I have leanings towards alternative rock, electronic, and increasingly folk. The idea behind this blog is pretty simple...I want to help other people discover great music. It won't be limited to new releases, although there will be quite a few of these. Rather, anything that's new to me and seems noteworthily good will probably get a mention on here. I make no promises about how frequently I'll post. Check back as frequently as you want.
For now, here's a list of my top 10 albums from 2011 which I compiled last Christmas. Some of the information is out of date, but whatever. If you don't like the list, get out.
First, EPs:
Ghost City USA (Ms Mr): If you haven't heard this, go and listen to it right now. This is the best music I heard this year by a long shot. Ms Mr is a guy/girl duo from Brooklyn...nobody really knows anything about them, and they popped onto the music scene really suddenly this summer. I guess the music is electronic pop, but not typical techno. The four songs on the EP (including one cover of a Patrick Wolf song) are all extremely epic with huge orchestral themes accompanied by the girl singing. The vocals are ridiculously impressive: very tuneful and powerful. It's best listened to on a really good sound system, at high volume.
A Frightened Rabbit EP (Frightened Rabbit): I was introduced to Frightened Rabbit by Patch Pollitt (a friend of a friend) in the middle of October, on a church retreat. They are a Scottish rock band, decently big in the UK and the US. Their sound is pretty folky, but they have some pretty loud songs with a larger variety of instruments. The lyrics are really thoughtful and interesting. In some ways they sound a bit like Snow Patrol. Some of the songs are pretty haunting.
Kickstarter EP (The Narrative): I came across the Narrative through thesixtyone.com (a great resource for finding new music, although you won't like everything on there)...I was immediately shocked by how melodic and polished the music sounded for a band I had never even heard of. They are from Long Island. They've been around for a few years but haven't gotten really big for some reason. When I ordered their albums they sent me a hand-written note! It's another guy/girl duo (with another dude occasionally playing some backing instruments), and they both have incredible voices. They make a lot of use of very melodic piano riffs. The style of some of the songs might be a bit poppy for some people's tastes. But I defy anyone to listen to this EP and not be impressed with their style and musical talent. The Radiohead cover is particularly good.
Nightlife (Phantogram): Phantogram's yet another guy/girl duo (popular thing these days, evidently). Most of their music is quite electronic, with driving beats and lots of synthesizer sounds, and ethereal female vocals. To me, this EP sounds more melodic and slightly easier to listen to than their other stuff, although the percussion is still prominent and the cool beats are still what makes the songs. I really like these songs. They will get stuck in your head.
Now on to the top ten full-length albums of the year. After much consideration, this is what I've come up with:
10. Junk of the Heart (The Kooks): Jessica Batson introduced me to this English rock band a couple of months ago. I started out listening to all their older albums, which I didn't like initially because they are all pretty unpolished. But their most recent album is a huge step forward in terms of the simplicity and cleanliness of the melodies. The vocals are also much more tuneful. They sound a lot like the Beatles on some songs, with very catchy riffs and good drum lines. Again, it's best listened to loudly on good speakers.
9. Megalithic Symphony (AWOLNATION): I had heard one single from this album, "Sail", on the radio in Colorado for months...it didn't really grab me, although the rhythm was intriguing. Then I heard another single from the album, "Not Your Fault", and was immediately much more interested. I think this is their first full-length album. The group is from southern California. The musical style is a bit hard to describe. It's quite hard rock, with some significant electronic influence. The vocals are pretty loud and "shouty", although melodic and tuneful for the most part. The beats are extremely catchy and good.
8. Gold in the Shadow (William Fitzsimmons): Greg Bailey introduced me to William Fitzsimmons last summer during the Wild West Relay. He is from Illinois. The musical style is somewhat electronic, but he uses a variety of instruments, and all his songs have prominent percussion. All the songs are fairly quiet. The subject matter is always pretty dark...he is generally contemplating ruined relationships, loss, and loneliness. Apparently his material is all about his parents' divorce, and then his more recent divorce. It's depressing, but musically very engaging. It's perfect for listening to on your own.
7. The Family Tree: The Roots (Radical Face): I've been into Radical Face for about a year now...it's one of the many musical projects of Ben Cooper, a singer/songwriter from Jacksonville. He is an insomniac, and records all his own stuff, mostly in a shed behind his house. The style is very similar to the previous Radical Face albums, "Ghosts" and "Junkyard Chandelier", in that the music is very atmospheric, consisting mostly of piano and vocals. A lot of other instruments make appearances as well...he records tracks over themselves. The melodies are fairly grand and anthemic. It took a few listens for the style to grow on me, but I was pretty obsessed after 2 or 3 times.
6. Mylo Xyloto (Coldplay): Each new Coldplay album is so hugely anticipated that sometimes I have doubts about whether it can live up to the hype. Mylo Xyloto came out in October, and it is really good. They released a couple of singles before this: "Paradise" and "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall"...I was really impressed with these songs and they got stuck in my head. The album itself is pretty similar to their previous stuff, although a bit more poppy and electronic-influenced. I really like their mixture of quieter, slower, and mostly instrumental songs as well as huge anthemic songs. A lot of their songs build to a climax in a cool way, too. This album is really easy to listen to, and intrinsically pleasant.
5. Neighborhoods (Blink-182): I never really liked blink-182 growing up...their stuff was too rocky, and their material too immature. There were a few exceptional songs, like "Miss You" and "Stay Together for the Kids". But the balance of their music didn't appeal to me. Then I heard a couple of songs from their new album, Neighborhoods, released this autumn, on the radio. They were incredibly good, so I checked out the entire album, which is also excellent. I developed a greater appreciation for the lead singer's voice (which is incredible). The musical style is very similar to their old stuff, with fast drum hooks and cool chord progressions. The lyrics, though, are significantly more meaningful, dealing with family and relationship issues (for the most part). The songs are still somewhat profanity-laden, but it feels more appropriate and less gratuitous than in some of their earlier work. Whatever everyone else thinks about blink-182, I really like this album and think it was one of the best of the year. It's incredible to listen to on a loud, good sound system.
4. Young Love (Mat Kearney): My older brother introduced me to Mat Kearney when he was first becoming big...it must have been about 7 or 8 years ago now. His earlier albums were excellent, and really highlighted his skill and diversity in songwriting. Before "Young Love", he hadn't released a new album in a few years, and this one sort of took me by surprise. For some reason I didn't check it out immediately, perhaps because the one single from it that I had heard on the radio is about the least interesting song on the album. But the entire album is amazingly good, considered as a whole. The style is similar to his previous work, although it has evolved slightly and become perhaps more poppy. The melodies and harmonies are extremely pleasant. I have a hard time believing anyone who likes music could not like this album, if they are honest with themselves.
3. Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm (Benjamin Francis Leftwich): This guitar player and songwriter from England is exceptionally talented. He had previously released a couple of EPs, which were very good. This album has some of his earlier work on it, but also includes a lot of new songs. His style is very acoustic and folky, but it doesn't feel like there is anything lacking. The tunes are really good, and there are some good backing vocals as well. He has an interesting, introspective-sounding voice which works well with the guitar. I think it's only a matter of time before his stuff takes off in the US and becomes really popular. His live recordings (some of which are on YouTube) are really good and show that he's not just good in the studio.
2. Never Trust a Happy Song (GROUPLOVE): GROUPLOVE is a group of American musicians who met in Greece a few years ago. They have a really unique, energetic sound, and it's demonstrated in a great way on this album. The lead guy and girl singer have amazing voices, and the background guitar and drum riffs are incredible. They show a lot of diversity in the style of the songs they play. Some of them are faster and very rocky, and others are slower and quieter. The songs get stuck in your head in an amazing way. Again, I recommend listening to it on a really good sound system, very loudly. I am really excited to see them live next spring in SLC (they are opening for Young the Giant).
1. Love and War and the Sea in Between (Josh Garrels): I'm convinced this man is a genius. He is a Christian singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon, and has been putting out music for several years. It only came to my attention a few months ago. Since that happened, I've been telling as many people as I can about him. This, his most recent album, is more than an hour long with over 20 songs, and the diversity of music on it is remarkable. Nearly every instrument imaginable is heard on the album, in a very tuneful way. On some songs, his vocals sound very folky, almost like Johnny Cash. Other songs sound gospel, and other songs are straight rap. The drum beats are very simple, but highly syncopated. The lyrics are very well thought out and interesting. I cannot recommend this album highly enough. Another huge bonus is that it is available on his bandcamp site for free. I think it was the best album of the year.
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