The Year of the Rabbit: Things What I Liked in 2011, 25-1
Check out Fishtonian.com’s Spotify Playlist for The Best in The Year of the Rabbit.
25
K-Holes
K-Holes
Hark! Is that the saxophone of Hawkwind I hear? No, but it’s the fucking K-Holes. Laying down a bed of Doom & Gloom lo-fi mirth, these NYC toughs deliver pure, straight-up punker creep rock. Musical brethren with the aforementioned Dirty Beaches, but with a fuller band sound, the K-Holes play music to hunt for gasoline to during our imminent, inevitable Ragnarök.
24
Yuck
Yuck
Now here’s a 90s rock revival record I can get behind! Some artists’ efforts to rehash the more brooding music of that flannel-maligned decade usually fall short with me, but the happier stuff, especially when sounded out by the kids (yeesh…) in Yuck, comes off as pure fun and an unbridled expression of love for this ultra-melodic pop-rock sound. Whenever I listen to this record I’m transported to the hallowed halls of Liberty High in My So-Called Life, where the sweet sounds of Buffalo Tom, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, The Grays, Hum and Frozen Embryos rang righteous and true. I call her Red. Fast-forward back to the future though for the realization that this record was recorded with fucking GarageBand, and get a taste of the wonderful, inevitable death of the lumbering Dinosaur Music Model. Most Fun Record of 2011. There I said it.
23
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.
M83
If young Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and that creepy-voiced elven fellow rode those unicorns into the sunset through a vaseline-blurred lens whilst the flowers of all the trees in the forest gently fell to the ground, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming would have to be the soundtrack. More epic and sprawling than its predecessors (but not necessarily better than them; I still hold the biggest torches for both Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts and Saturdays = Youth), this record is sonically joyful and mesmerizing. I highly recommend blasting it while driving along a country road through a pastoral scene. It is so choice.
22
Nostalgia, Ultra.
Frank Ocean
Where the hell did this guy come from? Seriously, the last thing I would ever expect to fall out of the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All collective is smooth R&B. But Frank Ocean brings poignant, lush grooves with the some of the frankness (pun INTENDED!) of OFWGKTA infused in his lyrics, those very obviously written by a guy in his early twenties. Ocean told his label that was ignoring him to fuck off and released his first record as a free mixtape in one of the great “Fuck Big Labels” moments of 2011. The record shares some the darkness of The Weeknd’s 2011 releases, but Nostalgia, Ultra is much lighter in comparison, especially with his excellent sample choices (Coldplay, MGMT, Radiohead, Eyes Wide Shut, The Fucking Eagles) and production. Also, way to rewrite “Hotel California” and actually make it interesting! I like to think Ocean took his name from Billy and we’ve got ourselves a new ambassador of Smooth.
P.S. This record gets the My Good Lady Wife’s #2 Release of 2011 Award.
P.P.S. I also hate it when bitches be trippin’ about Radiohead.
21
Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libre
Mantana Roberts
2011: Year of the Experimental Concept Saxophone Album. Really? Apparently. I was turned on to this record through Christopher Weingarten’s excellent contributions to The Village Voice’s Yes In My Backyard Blog. Roberts’ improvisational, emotionaly naked portraits of female African-American characters throughout history are both heart-wrenching and startling, and her methods of mixing standard western notation with visual scoring is fascinating. It is equally fascinating to hear what the 16-piece ensemble makes of her fevered visions. The narrative snippets that Roberts weaves throughout this performance, in the style of walking through a character’s scattered memories, is truly inspired, as are the emotional responses delivered by the musicians. Coin Coin is slated to be just the first in a 12-part series, and I can’t wait to hear more.
20
Underneath the Pine
Toro y Moi
Chaz Bundick of Toro y Moi got caught in the middle of a lot of “Chillwave” arguments last year, in which a lot of critics either praised the “scene” of reverb-drenched, murky artists or tore them a new asshole with a constant barrage of insults.
But Bundick is a prime example of the obvious error of slapping a broad label across a bunch of dudes just trying to record some tunes. Last year’s Causers of This was clearly (even to many of the critics deriding the “chillwave sound”) a step beyond offerings from prime targets like Neon Indian and (gasp!) Salem, but on this year’s Underneath the Pine, Bundick steps up his game, spotlighting his musicianship and delivering a wonderful record that seems to say, “Fuck the haters. Toro y Moi son!” These jams are Bachelor Pad Aphrodisiac, featuring slinky, danceable grooves and blistering basslines. His follow-up EP Freaking Out is equally enjoyable. Buy them both, and chill.
19
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
One of my favorite aspects of music in 2011 is the exciting marriage of indie rock to Funk/Soul/R&B. Ruban Nielson’s one-man project under the UMO moniker was one of my most frequent listens of the year. Incredibly catchy and fun weirdo Psych-Funk featuring straightforward, raw drum grooves reminiscent of later-period Beatles Ringo Starr, funky bass breakdowns, strange vocals and well-written, highly dancable tunes. This record emits a heavy analog haze of pot smoke and tape hiss. Go take a stroll around the city with this on your headphones. Seriously . I’ll wait until you get back.
18
Harbors
All Tiny Creatures
It’s rare to hear “Prog,” “fun” and “upbeat” as descriptors for the same record, but All Tiny Creatures pull it off with this positive, Post-ish Proggy-Pop album that invokes the spirit of the 80s synth-driven incarnations of The Who & Rush. ATC is the brainchild of Thomas Wincek, a member of the Collections of Colonies of Bees/Volcano Choir/Bon Iver/Megafaun collective of exciting, adventurous musicians exploding out of the Midwest. Many of these musicians, including indie-Starchild Justin Vernon, contribute. Highly recommended for the prog/post/instrumental/experimental contingent, as are previous records from Collections of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir.
17
We Are The Champions
Jeff the Brotherhood
JEFF the Brotherhood is another hook-heavy, melodic psych-rock outfit with 90s DIY influences, whose We Are The Champions is top-of-the-heap, fuzzed out, Sabbath-leaning (in its best moments) stoner rock that goes good with weed smoked through a beer can. Not much else needs to be said here.
16
Strange Mercy
St. Vincent
Annie Clark’s 2011 release Strange Mercy reveals an artist at the top of her game. I was blown away by her debut, liked-but-didn’t-love her sophomore release, but this record has it all: it’s both melodic and angular, inviting and isolated, a display of Clark’s role as righteous guitar shredder, warm, chilly, and weird. Hey, prog dorks who’ve actually managed to land girlfriends – this may be your happy medium with that special someone who has tired of hearing your diatribes about Robert Fripp’s cascading, superfluous guitar theatrics ad nauseum. And to all of you indie hipster shmoes holding a candle to the quirky cuteness of Zooey Deschanel–your dumb annoying crush is so five minutes ago. Le sigh…
15
House of Balloons / Thursday / Echoes of Silence
The Weeknd
Probably the most shining example of the 2011 marriage of Indie and R&B (is this R&B’s answer to the Alt-Country scene?), Abel Tesfaye and producers Doc McKinney, Illangelo and Zodiac create a dark, almost-Goth version of R&B records, going beyond surface-level sexual innuendo and delving into a much darker, carnal dungeon of substance abuse and debauchery while still maintaining mainstream sounds. Had these mixtapes been albums released on a big label, House of Balloons’ “Wicked Games” may have been the biggest selling and charting single of 2011. And what cover song better suits Weeknd’s style than Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana”? I hope this trend of flipping off the Mega-Ultra-Gi-Huge-ic Three-Headed Conglomerate and reclaiming music for the people continues. Who could have guessed that Toronto (also home to Drake) would host the true resurrection of smooth R&B?
P.S. This record gets the My Good Lady Wife’s #1 Release of 2011 Award.
14
Let England Shake
PJ Harvey
Hearing music that could be attributed to Man Man in the opening bars of “Let England Shake” was definitely an indicator that Miss Polly Jean had once again strayed pretty far from the farm, with stunning results. Naturally, after focusing on the piano on her previous album , Harvey would choose autoharp for her followup, right? So, a concept album largely about England’s disastrous battle of Gallipoli in World War I set to autoharp-driven music, playfully referencing songs like “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” “Summertime Blues” and the “Regimental March” bugle call. I know what you’re thinking, and Ian Anderson is nowhere to be found here. Nor is Rick Wakeman available to produce it on ice. Instead of overblown and ridiculous, Harvey and her usual cohorts send up a haunting, blunt portrait of political violence. Leave it to PJ Harvey to put out the best anti-war record in the past 30-odd years. Also, count the rash of strong female artists producing prog-tinged records another pleasant surprise of 2011.
13
Smoke Ring For My Halo
Kurt Vile
Local boy done good! Local boy done good! OK, OK, I swear there’s no bias here, despite the excitement that much of Philadelphia is feeling that this shining talent is being recognized far beyond our borders since signing with Matador and becoming “a puppet for the man.” Both Vile’s wonderful acoustic fingerstyle playing and his hard Violators edge break through on this record, but the former dominates, often through a sheen of more modern sounds that push Vile’s sound forward instead of steeping it in the past. His stoned vocal delivery is enough to put anyone into a state of Zen, and clearly illustrates how he and War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel got together in the first place. The pastoral, sun-drenched “On Tour” followed by the anthemic “Society Is My Friend” is a fine example of this record’s reach; Smoke Ring For My Halo is truly a culmination of all the excellent Kurt Vile releases that preceded it.
12
Relax
Das Racist
“I’M FUCKING GREAT AT RAAAPPING!” This much is true Heems. Das Racist tore Hip Hop two new assholes last year with mixtapes Shut Up Dude and Sit Down Man, and did not disappoint in 2011 with their first “official” release. Some people have slapped that useless, empty “hipster” label on Heems, Kool A.D. and Dap, criticizing them for apparently being too intelligent, but those people don’t know much about anything. If all you want to hear in Hip Hop is “I’m so rich; let me explain how rich exactly” or “I’m the best, everyone else is not, etc.” then by all means, avoid Das Racist. For brilliantly satirical insights about race, fame and popular music in America; rhymes that flow but are equally enjoyable read with a reference guide; and ridiculous, infectious beats; listen no further. Their Merry-Pranksta Rap (I need to trademark that shit) walks a thrillingly fine line, as some would consider songs like “Girl” and “Booty In The Air” jokes, solely poking fun at dance music, if they weren’t such good dance songs. Add a comic hypeman who operates behind the scenes as Das Racist’s spiritual and political advisor, and you have sealed the deal.
11
Horse Heaven
Creepoid
While listening to Philly upstart Creepoid’s Yellow Life Giver EP last year, I found myself digging the record but wanting something more. When I heard them live for the first time, I received it, and couldn’t get enough. And when they emerged from the studio with producer Kyle “Slick” Johnson and their debut LP Horse Heaven, the earth moved. All the essential elements collided, and the sound was that of a psych-rock-freak-folk juggernaut, relaxed yet kinetic, both the unstoppable force and the immovable object, poised to destroy any walls attempting to harness it. Their songs are skillful in their seduction but not afraid to clobber you in the head when going in for the kill. I’d love to hear more of the poppier tunage of The G, an earlier project featuring most of the Creeps, seep into future work, but either way, my guess is that Creepoid has been fed after midnight and will soon spread to infect the rest of an unsuspecting populace. Be ready.
10
Let It Beard
Boston Spaceships
After the heartbreaking disbanding of Guided By Voices (who will NEVER reunite unfortunately), many wondered if Bob Almighty’s solo output would ever again retain the focus it did under the GBV moniker. After his first proper post-GBV release, the excellent From A Compound Eye, his projects steadily declined in quality (for me anyway). But while many rallied around his Boston Spaceships band as a true return to form, I just couldn’t feel it. With Let It Beard, I finally heard the light. In true classic rock form, this double LP is the perfect interweaving of all the best elements of GBV (catchiness, perfectly crafted rock anthems seemingly pulled right out of the air, both the lo-fi hissy nuggets and the polished latter-day productions), along with assorted snippets of Circus Devil weirdness, proggyness of the Pollard/Tobias collaborations, and the gentle pluck of an elder statesman occasionally taking it easy and kicking a back porch vibe. As I’m sure Tom Scharpling would agree, Boston Spaceships have earned their beards on this record. “Let it beard. And get all weird.”
9
W H O K I L L
tUnE-yArDs
Not gonna lie here, it took me a few listens to get past the some of the vocals on W H O K I L L, but the African polyrhythms yelled at me to persevere, and now I listen to this record and can’t imagine having ever been turned off by it. It’s filled with Merrill Garbus’ quirky yet sonically soaring vocals, rich rhythms and lo-fi-via-studio arrangements, plus the welcome addition of Nate Brenner’s rubber band basslines. There isn’t much else that sounds like this. Each listen introduces you to something new, and the marriage of complexity and fun is infectious.
8
Slave Ambient
The War On Drugs
I recently got to listen to this record on a road trip, which is really the way to go. As if “Americana” wasn’t expected to be frozen in a certain era, of Guthrie’s dust bowl and the subsequent Dylan-led revival, as if it was able to move with time and technology but still keep its core. Slave Ambient is also wonderful accompaniment while surveying our fair city, especially the scrap yards. On songs like “Come to the City,” listen as the bass line and drumbeat echo the voices trapped in the abandoned factories. The ramblin’ spirit of early Dylan and the sonic space-under-water exploratory spirit of Pink Floyd mesh in an increasingly unique way through War On Drugs’ work. Who knows what’s next? I can’t wait to find out.
7
Civilian
Wye Oak
Wye Oak, the Baltimore duo of sultry-voiced Jenn Wasner and is-he-drumming-AND-playing-organ? wunderkind Andy Stack, play songs full of dark, reflective and moody songs that build towards cathartic release. Much like Family Band’s 2010 release Miller Path, Civilian is music to cross the wasteland to. The AMC trailer creators sensed this when they featured the album’s titular track in their The Walking Dead second season sneak preview, and I’ll be damned if I don’t project to some migratory post-apocalyptic fantasy whenever I listen to it now. But this record has quite a few songs that paint such a picture, and I’m pretty sure Civilian would have conjured these daydreams regardless of the trailer. Wasner’s song craft has matured over the past couple years, and her gift of making haunting dirges out of any guitar part she plays is remarkable.
P.S. If you are not watching The Walking Dead, then what the hell is wrong with you? Get on that for Christ’s sake.
P.P.S. Wye Oak also get my Best Cover of 2011 award for their A.V. Club rendition of Danzig’s “Mother”:
6
Ex Military
Death Grips
AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH! AGGRESSIVE RECORD OF 2011! When you open your mixtape with the insane ranting of Charles Manson, your ass is on the line to deliver, and Death Grips does so with the rawest mixtape of the year. Out of nowhere samples from Black Flag, Link Wray, Bowie, Syd-Barrett-freakout Pink Floyd, early Beastie Boys and (Holy Shit) The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, paired with the screaming-in-your-face, PCP-riddled delivery of MC Ride, Exmilitary is a shipment of old, damp dynamite, and it feels like you could get your hand blown off at any moment for fucking with it. If you injected Death Grips with a full political agenda to go with its already Public Enemy fury, the streets of America would be smoldering within weeks. And now…
5
Wit’s End
Cass McCombs
…for something completely different. WARNING TO LISTENERS: Please do not listen to this record if you are suffering severe bouts of depression or are operating heavy machinery. Wit’s End is a warm blanket wrapped around a NyQuil-induced calm. But Cass McCombs works so deftly within it, crafting gorgeous sad-bastard pop songs, that you can’t close your eyes and let the record’s atmosphere knock you out cold. Finally, a Nilsson for MY generation! Best listened to whilst looking out a window at a gently falling rain. Worst listened to after a heartwrenching breakup. Seriously, don’t do that. Just give me a call, we’ll talk shit on her and go see a comedy. It’ll be fine. Stay away from the McCombs.
4
The Golden Age of Apocalypse
Thundercat
In a year full of sweet, funky, nimble bass grooves, none brought it more furiously than Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner, a GIANT in the realm of bass. Having spent most of his career playing for the likes of Erykah Badu, Suicidal Tendencies, Snoop Dogg, Bootsy Collins, and myriad others, he’s recently come into focus for lending his supreme chops and vocal talents to last year’s Flying Lotus masterpiece Cosmogramma, and he dropped The Golden Age of Apocalypse to acclaim this year. Oh, and he’s only 25. Jesus. For those of you who got way into Fusion through Miles Davis, the Weather Report, Return To Forever, et al., it’s your lucky day, because ol’ Thundercat has rescued the genre from the depths of its Kenny G dungeon and brought it up to date with the help of Flying Lotus’ production. Evoking the best elements of albums like Marvin Gaye’s I Want You and Mile Davis’ In A Silent Way, tGAoA is the kind of exciting artist debut that reveals more with each listen, and leaves musician-dorks like myself begging for followup after followup.
3
Apocalypse
Bill Callahan
I was introduced to Callahan’s work by I Wish I Were An Eagle, his 2009 sparse, song-forged monolith of humanity’s cloying life questions. I loved it more with each listen, and it gradually rose to the tippy-top my favorite records list for that year. His followup is just as engaging and inquisitive, leaving behind the meticulously structured musical arrangements of its predecessor for looser, improvisational grooves and vamps which give this album more of a Tales of the American Road vibe, effectively rolling back the wave of Manifest Destiny to examine the American in its wake. Callahan has stated his meaning of the word “apocalypse” in the context of a revelatory awakening, which certainly comes across on this record. He is both critical of and empathetic toward this “wild, wild country / It takes a strong, strong / It breaks a strong, strong mind.”
2
New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Colin Stetson
Seriously, there is more than one experimental saxophone record out this year? Stetson builds an epic Apocalyptic Fever Dream out of saxophone sounds, both played and incidentally created, circular breathing and the spoken word contributions of Laurie Anderson. When one hears about this record and how it was built, he or she cannot accurately imagine what it will actually sound like. Stetson’s interweaving and looping of sax playing, popping and striking creates the myth of some other captivating world, and Anderson’s apocalyptic poetry on tracks like “A dream of water” and “Fear of the unknown and The Blazing Sun” is chilling, adding a voice to the feelings and fears projected throughout Stetson’s layers of mirth. I sat slackjawed listening to this record, and it continues to block all else out and amaze me with each subsequent listen. The most thrilling and intriguing album of 2011 by far.
1
The Stepkids
The Stepkids
As usual, my Number One slot was ever-changing, as it will be after I post this list. But this album, more than any other, best captures the music I was into this year: Funky analog Soul grooves peppered with psychedelics and featuring accomplished musicianship. Also, fun. There’s a Zappaesque vibe to a lot of the vocals that adds the weird fun vibe that always pulls me in for the kill. I’m also of the mind that all current Soul music recorded with “analog” sounds and that sweet style that was born in the 60s does not deserve this “retro” label that so many attach to it. Yes, there are some artists that try to put it on like a flashy coat, using the style in an empty or gimmicky fashion (Raphael Saadiq comes to mind), but the fact is this style, slow-cooked to perfection by the likes of the Funk Brothers, Booker T & The MGs and the Memphis Horns, will always be a valid genre because of how earth-shatteringly good it is. Why feel the need to distance yourself from it because somebody didn’t come up with it on a laptop last week? Sure, add to it, mix it up, make endless permutations, but don’t abandon that incredible core. The Stepkids isn’t a perfect record, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s fun, it grooves, it has room for growth and improvement and the musicians that can rise to the task. I hope to hear a lot more from these guys in the very near future.
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And which album got me the most street cred with my 19-year-old art students you ask? Why “Relax” by Das Racist of course! I’m so hip.