5dots (in brief)

Best of 2011

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:30:58 -0800

Folks, I will level with you: two weeks ago, I was pretty sure I wasn’t actually going to be able to do my traditional end of the year best music round up. The past few months, I haven’t been in a position where listening to new music is as convenient as it used to be, and I haven’t been very good about making time to do it. And I’m still getting records, and I know there’s so many that came out this year that I haven’t listened to yet, and I was thinking that I probably just haven’t kept up well enough to bother putting out a list this year.

But then I checked my iTunes, and it turns out that there’s a bunch of good stuff from this year that I can share with you! So, in the usual caveats - lists like this are inherently subjective, if I’ve left something out that doesn’t mean I hate it, etc. - I really have to emphasize that there are some records that came out this year that I’ve really wanted to listen to, and just haven’t gotten around to yet. Hopefully next year, I’ll do some kind of 2011 leftovers post.

(I mean, hopefully next year I’ll have more time to listen to new music, and more time to write about it, so maybe this blog won’t go months without being updated again.)

(if you’re inclined, here are my previous lists: 2008, 2009, 2009 addendum, 2010, 2000’s)

As always, these records are in first name alphabetical, because I’m lazy, and don’t really believe in ranking things.

Oh, and I might have forgotten the obvious: I’m making all of these available for free download. Complete, full albums; click the links for .zip files. I say this every year, but, again: if you like something, it’s really for the best if you can support the artist in some way. See them live, buy merch, or perhaps even buy their record if that’s how you roll. If the links don’t work, and it’s after, let’s say, the first week of January or so, that’s on purpose. No complaining if you were slow.

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings

This might be my record of the year. Super catchy, simple, fast, lo-fi pop songs. Never fails to get my energy up.

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol.2: Judges

A little inconsistent, but where it works, it really works. Sounds I wouldn’t have thought came out of an instrument, or even one person.

Cults - Cults

Solid little pop songs. Just enough retro/lo-fi vibe to keep it interesting.

The Death Set - Michel Poiccard

This record has a really nice tone running through it - sad, but optimistic. Given that it’s about a friend’s death, it does a really good job of addressing that while still being upbeat and positive about living life.

Dope Body - Nupping

The best take I’ve heard on grunge in 15 years. Heavy, gritty, but with little technical flourishes. And really great bass tone.

Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer

Considering that I don’t really care for The Fiery Furnaces, I really didn’t expect to like this record. But it’s a really solid set of accessible, 70’s-leaning pop songs.

The Field - Looping State of Mind

I love the narrative of these songs - just setting up a sound, and letting it run for a while.

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

With every album, I find GGD to be that much more accessible and approachable, but without being any less interesting. I mean, it opens with a really slow-building 11 minute song, but it’s still basically pop - that’s quite a trick.

Hella - Tripper

After some disappointing releases under the Hella name, they’re back to what I love: angular, random jams with weird hooks tucked inside. A little heavier, more metal-sounding than previous records, which suits them fine.

Jens Lekman - An Argument with Myself

Such a lovely EP. Jens basically can’t disappoint me. The title track is everything I love about his songwriting: catchy, tuneful hooks, and a cleverness that’s not too precious. And under all of it, there’s a feeling you get that it’s all true. (Which isn’t always crucial, and I don’t mean to slag fiction-oriented writers, but in songs about feelings, there’s something that really resonates about non-fiction.)

Krallice - Diotima

What I love about Krallice is their unrelenting precision. It’s incredible to hear blast beats that don’t let up for 12 minutes, or the guitar lines that sound like they’ve been quantized exactly to the beat. There’s something about it that makes me think of minimal techno, honestly - it’s that same attitude of staying in one scene for an extended period, and just letting yourself space out there. With Krallice, everything is so precise that there are no edges to escape that scene.

La Sera - La Sera

More lo-fi pop tunes. I was a little surprised to like this record so much more than the new Vivian Girls record (which isn’t bad at all), but there you go. Great hooks.

Lemuria - Pebble

The astute may recall my falling in love with Lemuria late last year, not long before this album came out. I’d fallen so hard for their previous album, “Get Better”, that it took me a little time to warm up to this one. And even though I still probably prefer “Get Better”, there’s some great songs here as well.

Low - C’mon

I forget about Low pretty often, honestly. When this album came out, I said the same thing I did when their previous one came out: “oh, hey, a new Low record. I should listen to that; I really like Low. Why do I always forget about them between records?” They do seem to be getting better with each recent release. “Try to Sleep” is a wonderful, wonderful song.

Madeline - Black Velvet

I spent a lot of this year listening to Madeline’s “The Slow Bang”. I liked, but didn’t love “White Flag”, her last album from 2009, and so I’d started thinking that maybe “The Slow Bang” was her peak, for me. And while that might still be true, “Black Velvet” is a really enjoyable record as well. Recorded with a full band, and so missing some of that immediacy and intimacy that I love in “The Slow Bang”, but instead pushing forth that those are mostly pop songs. And seriously, “Hurry Up Pronto” is an insanely catchy song.

Rye Rye - RYEot poweRR

Solid club jams all the way through, but it’s the remix of “Party in the USA” that gets it on my list. That shit kills.

Tennis - Cape Dory

Admittedly, I find the fact that all of the songs are about sailing kind of unrelatable. But they’re still catchy pop tunes that stayed stuck in my head a lot.

Tiger & Woods - Through the Green

You know what makes disco better? If it was more like minimal techno.

tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L

It’s kind of hard not to like this record; there’s really something for everyone on it. Great afro-pop horns, atypical song structures, pop hooks, meaningful lyrics. The whole package.

The Weeknd - House of Balloons

In terms of lyrical content, this record is pretty objectionable. In terms of sonics, and mood, and hooks, it’s pretty fantastic. Whether or not the lyrics are meant seriously - I lean towards not; it sounds much more like painting a picture of numb depravity than actually reporting on personal experiences - it’s still a pretty singular sound that I had trouble not listening to.

P.S. Eliot (13) The Beach Boys (13) Streetlight Manifesto (11) Islands (2) Tullycraft (1)...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:16:55 -0800

5dots (in brief)

Best of 2011

P.S. Eliot (13) The Beach Boys (13) Streetlight Manifesto (11) Islands (2) Tullycraft (1)...

Tennis (10) Mates of State (4) Madeline (2) Serious DJs (1) 5dots (1) () () () ...

Jawbreaker (11) Paramore (11) The Eames Era (6) Cat Stevens (6) The Flaming Lips with...

Zomes (15) Rafter (12) The French (11) Thao & Mirah (11) Thurston Moore (9) Phil Cook...

The Mountain Goats (14) Girls Names (10) Eleanor Friedberger (10) Gang Gang Dance (10) Cex...

I saw Allo Darlin’ live last month, and they did a cover...

Madeline (12) Bobby (12) Adele (11) Twilight (9) Balam Acab (5) Philip Glass (1) () ...

A few years ago, I heard a record by Madeline, liked it, and...

Lemuria (23) Rye Rye (18) Colin Stetson (14) Jeff The Brotherhood (11) Cloud Nothings (11)...

Seapony (12) Liturgy (12) Brave Irene (8) The Tigermilks (4) The Magnetic Fields (1)...

jj (10) DOPE BODY (10) Beirut (6) The Eames Era (6) Jawbreaker (4) () () () ()...

Okkervil River (11) Krallice (7) The Flaming Lips (4) Elliott Smith (1) Smith Westerns (1)...

The Death Set (40) Big Freedia (26) Beirut (23) Those Dancing Days (23) Weekend (21)...

Mount Kimbie (15) Matthew Sweet (15) Those Darlins (12) Tune-Yards (10) Low (10) Belle...

The Eames Era (27) The Olivia Tremor Control (25) Eux Autres (20) The Vaselines (19)...

Cloud Nothings (44) Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (26) The Apples in Stereo (22)...

I listened to this Cloud Nothings record after already realizing...

The Magnetic Fields (26) The Death Set (15) Eric’s Trip (15) La Roux (12) Elliott...

Friends, I will be honest: I just plain haven’t felt like...