8. Roommate - Guilty Rainbow

It's weird how an album finds you. Some take a while, repeated listens, you have to shelve for a while and come back later only for it to speak to you. Others are instantly appealing. These albums seem to be connected to you before ever knowing they existed, and on only first listen everything is alive and you find yourself. I believe that Roommate's Guilty Rainbow falls into the latter. The opener was immediately engaging, and somewhere during the bridge on August Song, he sings, "No one understands why kittens purr, and why people die, No one understands why." Accompanied by strings that swirl up and come crashing down on you, I'm telling you right then and there I was like, I get it. The rest of the album takes you to unexpected places. Flicker Flame is arguably the best song on the album, and I love the line, "Nobody owes you for your righteous rage, you got paid, you got paid, you got paid move on move on." Now what is interesting is that there are two covers on the album. The first is The Country With A Smile, by Ned Collette. First off, love Ned Collette. Future Suture is an incredible album, beautiful and haunting. Roommate nails it. They make it their own and had you not known it was a cover, you would probably think it was theirs. Ghost Pigeon and Snow Globe are huge standout tracks, delivering some of my favorite moments on the album. On Ghost Pigeon, that drum beat, the driving bass, God it is so good. And on Snow Globe he sings, "If your someone no one wants to be around, where do you go at night?" as if he's asking us. The final track and second cover they do is Smothered In Hugs by GBV, which let's just be honest, as a general rule, you do not fix what is not broken, you do not tamper with perfection. YOU DO NOT COVER GBV. Trail Of Dead tried with GoldHeart Mountaintop Queen Directory, to mediocre at best, awkward at worst. And Roommate slows it down and fucking kills it, in a very good way. It's wonderful. Again, they make it their own and had you not known it was a cover... All in all I was floored on first listen. It's deeply melancholic, yet engaging. Repeated listens have just yielded more rewards. I've listened to it regularly since around its release. It deserves so much more praise than it has gotten and should be in everyones year in lists.

9. Dirty Beaches - Badlands

From the moment I heard the polarizing Speedway King, I knew I was listening to something special. I mean, to take one loop and make it so engaging... shit's not easy. Add to the fact that his sound is so familiar, I mean painstakingly. This is the album you wish you came up with. He nails it. When Horses came in the first thing I thought (first listen, so high, apologies) was this is like the soundtrack to a forgotten Tarintino flick. But rightfully so. He has this knack for taking old emotions, or rather, emotions you have about older things, and turning them into something so new. His music DOES evoke those feelings, those memories, of being younger, and hearing those 50's and 60's era songs. I was never a big fan, when I was kid, of my parents music. But it was only as I grew older that I began appreciating our music history, and artists that I knew Of, began artists I actively seeked out. And that is what I love about this album. You can hear the influences: doo-wap, rockabilly (Elvis keeps coming up,), surf, etc... But he has this great take on it. And I wouldn't be so quick to write it off on the production, which is fantastic by the way. These are cleverly thought out tracks, each one built upon the last. The first half of the album moves along pretty good, containing more of the faster and heavier tracks. Horses, Sweet 17 and A Hundred Highways all flow nicely into another, offering different variations of that classic oldies rock and roll style. Vocals are strong throughout, as he yelps and hollers his way through them. To me, words are not that important here, as they (imo) act as more a part of the music itself. But he does have his own style which suits perfect and with slower tracks like True Blue, and Lord Knows Best, you can actually get something out his lyrics: mainly love and loss. True Blue is a true stunner, a huge standout track, that transitions you into the rest of the album, which is focused on more slower songs. Lord Knows Best is focused on this main piano loop, that has this great old-timey sound to it, and the last two tracks are instrumental. Everything about Badlands is tied to this retro-meets-post-apocalyptic sound. It can be devastating and it can be beautiful, but mainly, it rocks. Needless to say, but this is a guy to definitely follow, as I cannot wait to see what he has coming next, i.e. LONE RUNNER.

10. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2 Judges

What a strange, beautiful album. Truly a grower, it demands multiple listens. I know my jazz, I know my post-rock, I've never heard something quite like this. I was actually surprised that I know him through other artists he's worked with, which include Tom Waits and Arcade Fire. Super multi-talented, this guy plays clarinet, sax, horns, you name it, and they all appear on the album. And if you've heard it, you know that he can make squelches and screeches and blares and noises you didn't think were possible with them. Seriously, how does he do that? You want to get technical? Everything you hear is recorded LIVE with one shot takes. No overdubs or looping. That is insane considering that after the haunting opener, Judges kicks in and you wonder how the guy has time to breathe. Everything that follows is a surprise. Things continue to pick up on The Stars In His Head (Dark Lights Remix) before dropping off to the horns (trumpets?) on All The Days I've Missed You (ILAIJ I.) I mean, you can hear the emotion behind those horns. This turns into From No Part Of Me Can I Summon A Voice, which if you've got the right headphones, is a sonic mindfuck. It's interesting that the next track has the first spoken word since the last five seconds of Judges. Slightly reminiscent of that first Explosions album track Have You Passed Through This Night?, it compliments the music fine. . There were those who didn't run... There were those who kissed the grey skies... There were strangers, and conmen... There were those who laid there bodies down... We are being told a tale, but a grim one it seems. A Dream Of Water appropriately ends with gentle waves washing on shore. Home is an unsettling listen that could probably easily find home in a Korine flick. Now again, surprises. Just when you think you've figured out the album, vocals on Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes are SUNG, achingly. Gone are the computerized vocals from earlier as Shara Worden delivers her powerful blues. As far as single tracks go, the following Clothed In The Skin Of The Dead has to be my personal favorite track. It's playful. It almost takes a break from the overall somber mood of the album, perhaps on purpose. Small, yet nice interlude into Red Horses (Judges 2,) where horns imitate percussion and right on till the end. The closer is a mirror to track four which breaks and bleeds and finally burns away into nothing. All in all, this is one of the most sonic, emotional and all out impressive albums of the year.

Top 25 Songs of 2011

1. Mane Mane - Skin Fox (original)
I got this all the way back in January and since then, have rarely gone a few days without listening to it. Released on the Skin Fox ep, this is just a good old fashioned ep with one original and a bunch of remixes by other artists and the original remains my favorite. It just has a brilliant beat/hook. Slightly Avalanches-esque. Maybe that's why I love it so much. Sorry I couldn't find the original, but the Danny Tanner of Gobble Gobble version is still very nice.

2. Main Attrakionz - Diamond of God
Favorite track off the album. Every line is a killer, my favorite being, "Reply to her text, she ain't givin head, but should I see her tho? nigga smash to ya said..." I love the beat, I love everything.

3. Minks - Funeral Song
On an album full of mostly chill songs (NOT CHILLWAVE), Funeral Song comes out of nowhere right smack in the middle of the album and rocks out. It's that perfect "end of summer" track that should not be missed on any mixtape. I swear if you didn't know, and you walked in on the bridge, you'd think it was The Cure, in a good way.

4. The Men - Think
First single off of Leave Home destroys everything. Nothing is the same.

5. Destoyer - Savage NIght at the Opera
What's so exceptional about this track is how much Dan Bejar does with so little. The drum beat never strays, never changes up, but somehow feels like it's building thanks to the accompaning music: driving bass, those ethereal synths, and his songwriting, which contributes like, three verses. Get lost in it.

6. Death Grips - Beware
If my ears had jaws, they dropped when I first heard this. Pretty sure I read that the opener is an excerpt from a Charles Manson quote. While it sets the tone of things to come on the album, Beware stands perfectly on its own. This is the sound of destruction and rebirth, and it's so outstandingly original.

7. The Weeknd - House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls
While I think that this free mixtape was extremely overhyped and kind of a letdown, House of Balloons (track) is still worth checking out as it does definitely deserve all the praise. Everything you've heard and read about this one song is true. It's the embodiment of The Weeknd. It's everything they (he?) are about. It's their ace and it rules and they (he?) know(s) it.

8. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers
Like many, I had never heard of Odd Future and Tyler, The Creator until Kanye West posted on his twitter account BEST VIDEO 2011 earlier this year. I was right there, with everyone: Kanye says it's cool, I have to check it out. Obviously, there were already like a million hits, and I remember reading one comment that read, " If you're here because of the Kanye tweet, FUCK YOU. swag." The video loaded and Tyler eats a cockroach and hangs himself. I had to show my friend. So the weeks went on and I found their Tumbler and downloaded Bastard and and Earl and anything else I could get my hands on with Odd Future on it. I loved it, all the while still spinning Yonkers in anticipation of Goblin. I purchased it the day of, and after that intro, which at the time I thought to myself, holy shit, I feel like he recorded this yesterday, as the subject matter was very up to date, Yonkers played. I had heard it a hundred times by then but I will be the first to say when the beat kept going and Tyler came in for a third verse, I got chills. It was a total surprise and a holy shit moment. Later on just last month I watched as he took the Best New Artist at the Mtv Music Video Awards. The look on his face was priceless.

9. Big K.R.I.T. - Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism
Let's just consider the fact that I shouldn't relate to this song, as I am as white as they get, and the track is deeply about a black man that is fed up with racism and the the negative hatred behind the word nigger. However, there is so much more to it. It's about expectations. It's about life's struggles. And it has this sultry jazz horn and this laid back drum beat. He grabs your attention and never let's go. While I can never directly relate to this song, I can however understand the need to stand for what you believe in. Tell the world...

10. Fucked Up - Under My Nose
My favorite track off David Comes To Life. The whole thing is a concept album about who cares, but the music is so fun, and I feel like the band has grown so much since their last album. Starts off simple enough with the guys playing the hell out of a three chord progression. Later, during the bridge, Damian takes a break from yelling and the guitars take off like a swirling tornado in your brain. You find yourself wondering, "How are they doing this?" You think you figure it out and then it keeps going harder and getting faster, your head spiraling out of control. It works it's way back to the chorus, and as he knew what you just went through, he screams, "It's all been worth it!"

11. Cloud Nothings - Should Have
Proof that pop punk will never die. However, Cloud Nothings are nothing to write off. They are actually successful in sounding like their peers, but the feeling they evoke is nostalgia rather than the need to buy chucks and mosh. Perhaps it is the dreamlike production, but even the cheeky lyrics and the somewhat whiny vocals remind me of where I've been, those feelings I once had, that TIME in my life... where everything was new and wonderful and girls and punk rock and friends... this song is a trigger to those emotions and my younger self and my connection to music, and it's so much fun to go there.

12. Fashawn - Closer (Remix)
If we are to consider the spectrum of AMAZING hip hop artists out there, Fashawn has got to be the coolest. I mean, check out the cover of Higher Learning 2 mixtape; that's black Bart Simpson, skateboard and all. Also consider that he has like ten mixtapes since he debuted in 2006. Dude is hard working, and I find that he gets better with each listen. Closer is a remix of J Dilla's So Far To Go, and if you've heard both versions, you know that Fashawn totally makes it his own. Nothing crazy, just a simple song about wanting to be close to someone and them not returning those feelings. Fashawn is so comfortable and so confident, you'd forget he's only 23. I don't know, of all the tracks off Higher Learning 2, I found myself coming back to this one the most. Maybe Fashawn says it best, "It's not a love song, it's just a real song."

13. Yuck - The Wall
I thought the 90's were dead. Or at least I thought everyone was done with it. Over it. Forgotten about (much to my disappointment.) Along comes Yuck and all of my favorite fuzzy guitars are back, guitar solos, driving bass... Take everything you love about Built to Spill, Pavement, Archers, etc. and toss them in a blender and you have Yuck. Not perfect, but the aesthetic is there, and goddammit I love them for trying. The Wall is that perfect song. The mixtape completer. Catchy as hell and perfect for bringing back those air guitar solos we love doing so much.

14. Danny Brown - Radio Song
...In referencing the industry, "There's no originality, carbon-copy singles..." Enter Danny Brown to fill that void. While there are MANY songs on XXX you could claim are his best, Radio Song is the fucking kick in the balls to his peers (specifically Wiz Khalifa), the genre, you name it. "They say you need a hit, I jerked off this single..." Danny Brown is pissed. He's fucking "rattling the cage" like Batman did. He's different, and "oh so original," as he put it. And he's right. Radio Song is the biggest FUCK YOU I've heard all year, and I love it.

15. Roommate - August Song
Favorite track off this brilliant album. Every time I hear it, I like it more, and I find new things I hadn't heard before. Deeply beautiful, try not to be overcome when he loops, "No one understands" at the end. It's like waves crushing you.

16. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
What to say about POBPAH... Probably no other band I can think of so proudly wears EVERY single influence on their sleeves. If their self-titled was blatantly 80's, Belong is blatantly early 90's, and oh do they rock out. It's like watery arena rock, and Belong is their anthem. Cheesy as fuck, but you have to love it.

17. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Shore Points
I love Lenses Alien, and I love Cymbals Eat Guitars. The album is a little less grand than Why There Are Mountains, but it is a lot more focused. Coming off the amazing opener, Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name,) Shore Points is I believe the perfect balance of their old sound and the new.

18. Wilco - Whole Love
The new album might be one of their best falling behind YHF and after Summerteeth. It's really good, and I like it more and more
as I listen to it. Works to the best of Tweedy's songwriting which is blurring the line between a sad song and a happy one, you just know you feel something.

19. Dirty Beaches - True Blue
Best track off Badlands. This might be the saddest song I've heard all year (at least as far as the mood of the song), but it's also quite beautiful, which keeps me coming back.

20. Sic Alps - Cement Surfboard
Favorite off Napa Asylum. These guys have the best garage, pop, rock, sound and the album is full of these two minute gems.

21. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Thought Ballune
All I can say is UMO is the best new band of the year.

22. M83 - Midnight City
If there's one thing you can always count on, it's for M83 to put out one or two amazing songs on their new album. 2008 brought us Kim and Jessie and this time he gives us Midnight City. The album is truly epic (2xcd/lp) and just seems to get bigger as the tracks move on. While I found the album to be a bit too familiar (if you've heard Before the Dawn Heals Us and Saturdays = Youth you're covered,) there were still a few surprises, the Intro ft. Zola Jesus, Year One, One UFO, and Midnight City, the first single off Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.

23. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Senator
Off the excellent new album by The Jicks, Mirror Traffic, Senator is proof that Malkmus is still on top. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anyone?

24. Curren$y - This Is The Life
This was my favorite off Weekend At Burnies (love the title.) Dude is one of the hardest working out there. I think he put out 3 mixtapes this year (very well might have been more) and collaborated with who knows how many. I think This Is The Life sums it up for him.

25. Spaceghostpurrp - GET YAH HEAD BUST
This is some of the best underground rap I've heard. Complete with Mortal Kombat samples, GET YAH HEAD BUST is a pretty dark descent. Half way through it's like his words are crawling underneath your skin.

The Year In Music 2011

So it's been a while since i updated this thing. If you noticed last year all I got done was the worst music of 2010, which is stupid. I never even told you guys what the best was. Looking back, I realize that this entire thing was supposed to be about awesome music that I love and to share with anyone who was interested. It was not to bitch about music I don't care for. I thought about deleting the post, but I'll leave it up to remind myself of how big of a dick I can be. What do they say? Another year older, another year wiser? Something like that. That being said, I am super excited to give you what is in my opinion, the best music of 2011. Never before has there been so much great music put out in a year; I can barely keep up with it. I wanted to finish this before all the major sites start shitting out theirs, so no one thinks I copied anyone. This year, in addition to my top ten albums of the year, I am very proud to do a top 25 songs of the year. There is just so much awesome out there, I don't think I could have fit in to just favorite albums. I found a shitty widget that if I can figure it out, you will be able to listen as well, so you're right there with me. Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy.