there were a lot, a lot of good discs released this year. apparently, a lot of overrated discs too. critics weak end of year lists make 2011 seem pretty marginal. the allmusic.com blog had 30 or so reviewers putting in best of 2011 lists…for a total of 297 different albums. the only constant was shabazz palaces’ black up, which isn't bad, but isn't among the best either. seems to be overrated due to the novelness of it. now, allmusic.com is far from definitive and i disagree with them as much as i disagree with these kinds of lists. across the board, however, it seemed that many subpar releases were highly rated based on the artists' reputations. for example, new albums from jane's addiction and black keys are decent, but not nearly to the mind melting level that put those people on the map. i don't hear a lot of staying power that will leave those discs as well regarded in time as thickfreakness or nothings shocking. on the flip side, some well established acts did reinvent themselves. thurston moore, wilco, iron & wine, red hot chili peppers, did put out some of their best stuff to date. quite a few newer (sophmore) acts have put out some exceptional stuff. i wanna credit them accordingly. this is about 2011. reputation does not matter. i am not here to promote billboard or aid sales.
all that said, my top list has it's bias and is quite open to criticism due to four of the top ten being from oregon. to get right down to it, i put a lot of stock in live performances as it gives life to the product which has been documented on the recording. since not a lot of big name national or international musicians tour to eastern oregon, it stands to reason that i haven't the chance to experience that music fully enough to credit their recordings as highly. not saying seeing the artist live is a requirement, but also asking would you hire an applicant based solely on the resume without some sort of interview? bias or not, these discs represent the cream of the 200 or 300 crops i listened to this year. regardless of names or brands, 10 discs + 10 that stand up well to repeated listenings, seem to get better and better. i would challenge anyone to hear these albums, see these bands, and not be completely blown away. and if there is anything that deserves to be in the same list as these, then i would be happy to give it a listen.
top ten:
sons of guns – oregon slogan
black joe lewis & the honeybears – scandalous
hank III - guttertown/ghost to ghost
secnd best – teach ‘em to purr
the dø – both ways open jaws
does it offend you, yeah? – don’t say we didn’t warn you
oxcart – the beekeeper constellation
wilco – the whole love
jared mees & the grown children – only good thoughts can stay
the pack a.d. - unpersons
honorable mentions:
iron & wine - kiss each other clean
abigail washburn - city of refuge
the strangled darlings - devil in outer space: an opera
the death set - michel poccard
buffalo death beam - salvation for ordinary people
mr. gnome - madness in miniature
girl in a coma - exits & all the rest
the human eye - they came from the sky
tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l
kurt vile – smoke ring for my halo
teenburger - burger time
sons of guns – oregon slogan
just because people in l.a. and n.y. haven’t heard oregon slogan that doesn’t mean it’s not the best disc of the year. the awesomeness within goes well beyond the state. the only advantage bias serves is that the local consumer has had the chance to see the live version, which is crucial. sons of guns has always brought it live, so perhaps recording a cd “live” in the studio over just a few days made the recording more representative? certainly, what is on the cd is exactly what you get live.
oregon slogan features various themes on road stories that blend together nicely. there is no losing interest in the diversity of sounds and directions. as soon as this ends, you’ll want to push play and take the trip all over again. it is quite common for growing bands to suffer a sophmore slump, and to be sure sons of guns first lp (clutch, 2007) was a hard to beat crowd pleaser. however, the sheer emotion and conviction of oregon slogan, makes me struggle to recall much about clutch...that disc now feels like an ignored relative relegated to watching a blowout football game alone in the basement after the more popular uncle shows up at thanksgiving dinner. adding the tight rhythm section of wayne callahan and jeff grammer were critical free agent aquisitions. instead of being just a good frat house party band, sons of guns is now a team of all americans. the sweat that gregory rawlins put into his songwriting workouts over the last few years is especially evident in his guitar work. the dual frontman roles between him and mike surber is a full on assault to any competition. whatever they have done building up to oregon slogan, sons of guns are now a national title contender. all record label scouts should take notice quick, sons of guns are a bonafide first round draft pick. give it a few listens yourself and you should be hard pressed not to agree it is among the best cds released this year.
black joe lewis & the honeybears – scandalous
emo music be damned! blues, funk and soul has taken control! black joe lewis is modern blues for 2011. there is a reason the album is called scandalous. there is a reason the cover has a seductive woman. because this album is on every account risque. the lead track, living in the jungle, was a huge hit. having a seven-plus minute track batting second was a bit risky, but if slow blues ain’t your bag just consider it a breather. you will be boogying all night with the rest of the funky numbers. guitars rip, horns wail, drums bash and you’ve got no hope to out grunt smooth daddy black joe. screaming jay hawkins would be proud. it’s all the more amazing considering black joe didn’t pick up a guitar until he was working in a pawn shop at age 20. the more i listen, the more i am upset i did not attend the waterfront blues fest in portland. you just know these guys ripped it up, in one of the biggest parties on that great summer holiday. one reviewer, michael franco, compared this to the basement party of animal house and asked “what the hell happened to the primal groove, the stanky strut, the carnal possession of it all, scandalous is the soundtrack to your next party. in fact, after giving it a spin or two, you might just throw a party in its honor.” so try it out. try to swing it in booty city! not since trixie smith has blues been this dirty and raunchy. grits anyone?
hank williams III - guttertown/ghost to ghost
has done more than enough to make a name for himself the past ten or more years. hank III is more musically adept to every genre than anyone, except maybe tom waits (who makes a cameo on ghost to a ghost, by the way). there was not one, but five albums hank III released this year. back in may, he released the long awaited hillbilly joker after many years legal battle with curb records. then on september 16, four albums came out. a country-metal album (whatever country metal is, see what i mean about genre adeptness) and a doom metal album. then guttertown was packaged together with ghost to a ghost. it is probably not necessary to hear all of these cds, though i expect the entertainment level is high in each. straight up, though guttertown is quintessential hank III. it’s the type of country he is known for, a close approximation of what his grandfather did, with a more white trash spirit of his dad, and the ass kicking spirit of his tattoo ridden body. words don’t do this record justice. just listen to it and party.
secnd best – teach ‘em to purr
the idea of a new secnd best cd was good for a lot of praise from me, but nonetheless it lived up to expectations. i won’t call it the best disc of the year because i don’t wanna influence the faint kittens to get overly excited. it comes out aggressive and pounding, the rhythm section will leave your ass kicked...and then track two starts. for real reason, they ask “how hard can you groove? how hard can you swing?” lyrically, a lot of button-pushing, rabble rousing that one would expect from the same guys that sang wake up, we care about nothing and f*** the f***ing media, but when not being critical of the state of the union, they show some philosophical self-reflection. who thought secnd best could be a bunch of intellectuals? musically, there is a lot of playfulness. seven days a weak feels like a cat fight between the guitars and bass. at it’s worst, this cd is interesting. at it’s best, this cd has some future secnd best classics. a lot of different styles cycle throughout. the confusing part of this cd is the “hidden track” 21. this is just weird. a sort of medley retrospective of their career, led by kyle “hernandez” though i might sooner listen to a cat meow for 24 minutes. even though there is a holiday song on this cd, it is not recommended that you give this to your mother for xmas. otherwise, highly recommended.
the dø – both ways open jaws
one of those selections that always makes me wonder what else out there am i missing? on the new release shelf, i would have glanced both ways over without a second thought had our music director not brought it to my attention (thanks jeni!). after i heard it once, i heard it about 50 straight times. that fact makes it an automatic qualifier for the top ten list. a pretty big deal in europe right now, this duo is as spooky as you would expect of a finnish band and bubble-gummy as you would expect of a french band. the melodies are sweet, but then olivia merilahti’s tender vocals step up a notch to smack you unforgettably in the face. dan levy handles a hot mess of instrumentation to perfection. though the band could share the stage with any trendy band out there, they don’t really fit. this may be “pop” music, but it is unique in a way that can’t really be explained in simple terms. both ways could wedge its way into just about any era. certainly, gonna be sick is an instant rabble rouser theme song. if bohmeian dancing is not a club standard yet, it should be soon and will be as soon as someone hires kid yoshida to dj their club... like every other disc on my top ten list, this one defies genre classification. i’ve seen it listed as electropop and freakfolk, though i would be hard pressed to define those categories. slippery slope is pretty much hip hop, while was it a dream? could nearly be played on american country music radio. how about we just call it classical music while we’re at it? that’s where dan and olivia’s roots are. whatever you call it, it is mesmerizing.
does it offend you, yeah? – don’t say we didn’t warn you
kid yoshida supporting disco? i was turned on to this album after i gave a short tribute to martin rushent, a legendary engineer in the seventies for bands like fleetwood mac, t-rex and the stranglers. he drifted into work in the electronica field in recent years. he produced don't say we didn't warn you, which features his son james on vocals and bass. the album was released a couple months before martin passed away on june 4. apparently, the band was named after a quote from the office tv show, at least the album is better named. this has been described as punk/electonica and it actually does well to bring together two genres. fans of either rock or electronica will be shaken and stirred. the disc flows like space rock, but with danceability. the acoustic intro for the lead track seems odd, but the mood reappears a few times. many moods range from light-hearted, fun poppy acoustic guitar to heavy duty trance with some sinister synthesizer to even a bit of hip hop. a couple songs seem like filler, but as whole this will spiral you into space. the only downside for me was the finale broken arms doesn’t have the punch to the gut that an album titled don’t say we didn’t warn you would warrant. rather, it closes on the soft harmonious note that the album starts with. maybe a future look of the band? seems interesting. supreme tracks: we are the dead, pull out my insides, yeah!, the monkeys are coming, wrestler, wrong time, wrong planet.
oxcart – the beekeeper constellation
a couple years in the making, beekeeper is not a radical departure from past oxcart, though it is somewhat of a coming of age disc. it mixes many moods and feels and tons of melodic hooks with a variety of instruments. not a lot separates beekeeper from an early gilmour-era pink floyd record. that may be a bold statement, but get this cd, turn out the lights, turn on the surround sound and zone out. you will be floored. lyrically, it follows a progression from minimum wage labor to self-discovery. the concept, according to oxcart, “a young beekeeper finds himself thrust into the angry maw of an unforgiving war and returns a changed man, haunted by visions and ghosts of those he loves. unable to reconnect, he takes solace only in the company of his bees and a vision of himself unto the stars.” if you can’t relate to the concept or be moved by the ripping grooves of a band frequently compared to a wide variety of folks from pink floyd, the sword, kyuss, qotsa, our lady peace, coheed and cambria, muse, burt bacarach, screeming trees then this music is not in your cosmos. but if you are serious with the tunes, this will be the best thing you have heard in eons. i often talk about popular music needing to re-invent itself. well, oxcart can lead the way.
jared mees & the grown children – only good thoughts can stay
mad guitars, piano, organ, vibraphone, viola, trumpet, cello, as many backing singers as a phil spector production = big sound with oodles of sing along party anthems. there is a reason why jared mees runs one of the hippest record labels in the northwest. he knows what makes people groove. lyrics only being the half or it, they still give a cozy image of what one would expect the music to sound like:
...we feel lucky like a penny that some penny pincher saved / we could get dropped in the gutter and still make somebody’s day...
...the time! the time! the slippery time we wish we could get back / the crackle and the hissing of the kindling and the tenderest of flames...
...the kids were all ecstatic but their passion was just too much to endure / you sent me a blurry photo saying why can’t music always be this pure...
...waves are crashing over the tops of of the sails, breaking the backs of those big humpback whales and singing, oh no oh my god, i can’t believe, sweet surrender, tattoo that ship on my sleeve / holy hallelujah i’m losing hold, there’s so many thing i want, but all i’m getting is old...
wilco – the whole love
there are about 5000 reviews of the whole love album online. rolling stone said this sounds like the beatles if they had still been together in 1974. spin said “ those who dismiss wilco as dad rock must have pretty complicated relationships with their fathers.” the guardian uk said, “they straddle the span between rock and leftfield hard places with the surefootedness of mountain goats.” who comes up with this shit? sounds like what kid yoshida would say about sons of guns. all i will add is that this is no doubt wilco’s best album since yankee hotel foxtrot. there is a reason why their upcoming concert at the schnitz is way sold out and scalping online at $100. that is pretty much enough said. seriously, what record starts off with a seven-minute jam and manages to keep the listener reeled in for the entire lp? if you don’t love this, you don’t love love.
the pack a.d. – unpersons
unpersons was a last minute addition to the top ten list as sort of a passion play on my part. the new black keys album got a load of love from the media, while the pack a.d. saw the bet and raised double. two girls from vancouver, bc that will kick dan and patrick back to akron. unpersons has moved me so much, i am thinking an early january trip over to portland to see these chicas at the doug fir is just about in order. the press release says it all "produced by jim diamond (who brought you electric 6, detroit cobras and white stripes) on their fourth album and as gritty and intoxicating as ever, maya & becky pound punk & blues into a fuzzy pulp. sirens lures you in with that feminine snarl & keeps you planted until the drums have burned solidly through your skull." - Mint records "lord almighty, do they rock – in a gritty, unhinged, kind of frightening manner." – Toronto star
and a few others that were probably worthy of a top ten spot...
iron & wine – kiss each other clean
most reviews early on were calling this as a 70s record, and while it is somewhat psycheldelic and set up for arena stages, there is little 70s about the sound. in places, it is more like dixieland or doo wop. the horns make it nearly danceable. has iron and wine ever been danceable? a shocking step up, but still a distinctly iron & wine record. it has enough of the old style folkie that fans have come to know iron & wine by, but sam really puts out some rockers this time.
abigail washburn - city of refuge
another passion play here, because i did not find this on anyone's list. for all the accolades that adele got this year, abigail got totally lost in the shuffle. city of refuge is every bit as good as 21, but unlike adele, abigail did not title her album to reflect it actually being recorded two years ago.
the death set - michel poiccard
buffalo death beam - salvation for ordinary people
mr. gnome - madness in miniature
girl in a coma - exits & all the rest
strangled darlings – the devil in outer space: an opera
the human eye - they came from the sky
tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
teenburger - burgertime
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