Looking back on everything that came out last year made it that much more apparent that 2011 will solidify itself as one of the best years for music in the past decade. Electronic artists finally putting out full albums made this list an all around keeper. Takes me back to 2007 when Justice, Soulwax, Boys Noize and others set the bar for solid electronic albums. Here are the picks for best of 2011. Happy new year everyone!
indie
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EPs (extended play) were in steady flow this year. They’ve been more common for DJs trying to find their niche in different subgenres, but that didn’t keep indie/rock artists teasing us with little samplers before releasing an album. Given the success of these EPs, it’s safe to say we can expect bigger things from these cats in 2012:
2011 has been a memorable year to say the least. These are exciting times in the music realm (if you can forget that Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj exist for a moment). It seems more than ever that as far as music is concerned, anything goes. This year saw the release of some amazing follow-up albums. Albums like Starfucker’s Reptilians (which happens to be my #1 album of the year), The Black Keys’ El Camino, Portugal. The Man’s In the Mountain In the Cloud and Arctic Monkeys’ Suck It and See quickly nudged their ways into my “favorite albums of all time” list. I obsessed over indie-rock newbies Cults and Yuck and the Vaccines. On the more experimental side of town, dream-pop outfits like Porcelain Raft and Purity Ring dominated by their own right. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of the likes in 2012. Anywho, I have compiled my most played indie/rock/indie-rock jamz from the past year. Check ’em out.
Top Indie/Alternative Tracks of 2011
15. Junk of the Heart (Happy) by The Kooks
14. Shook Down by Yuck
13. Take Me Over by Cut Copy
12. Gangsta by tUnE-yArDs
11. Machu Picchu by The Strokes
10. Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now) by Portugal. The Man
9. Honey Bunny by Girls
8. I Can’t Feel It by Ty Segall
7. Sister by The Black Keys
6. All Die Young by Smith Westerns
5. Stuck On the Puzzle by Alex Turner
4. Never Heal Myself by Cults
3. Green Aisles by Real Estate
2. Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys
1. Death as a Fetish by Starfucker (feat. Mattress)
FULL POST
2011 has been a memorable year to say the least. These are exciting times in the music realm (if you can forget that Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj exist for a moment). It seems more than ever that as far as music is concerned, anything goes. This year saw the release of some amazing follow-up albums. Albums like Starfucker’s Reptilians (which happens to be my #1 album of the year), The Black Keys’ El Camino, Portugal. The Man’s In the Mountain In the Cloud and Arctic Monkeys’ Suck It and See quickly nudged their ways into my “favorite albums of all time” list. I obsessed over indie-rock newbies Cults and Yuck and the Vaccines. On the more experimental side of town, dream-pop outfits like Porcelain Raft and Purity Ring dominated by their own right. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of the likes in 2012. Anywho, I have compiled my most played indie/rock/indie-rock jamz from the past year. Check ’em out.
Top Indie/Alternative Tracks of 2011
15. Junk of the Heart (Happy) by The Kooks
14. Shook Down by Yuck
13. Take Me Over by Cut Copy
12. Gangsta by tUnE-yArDs
11. Machu Picchu by The Strokes
10. Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now) by Portugal. The Man
9. Honey Bunny by Girls
8. I Can’t Feel It by Ty Segall
7. Sister by The Black Keys
6. All Die Young by Smith Westerns
5. Stuck On the Puzzle by Alex Turner
4. Never Heal Myself by Cults
3. Green Aisles by Real Estate
2. Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys
1. Death as a Fetish by Starfucker (feat. Mattress)
Just realized this post comes off pretty explicit right off the bat considering the band name AND song both have the word “fuck” in it, but…fuck it! Relevant track coming your way! Starfucker / STRFKR is one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time, and they’re serious contenders of best album of the year for Reptilians. I’ve been following these guys on their facebook and twitter, and their sense of humor always gets me. The song seems so nice and soft when all they say is “Happy fucking holidaaays to youuu, and youuu”. I dunno. I love em. The track is off a compilation of Portland-based indie artists doing holiday songs. It’s called Another Grey Christmas and you can stream it by following the link. I was gonna wish you all happy holidays, but I’ll let the song take care of that. ;)
Check our interview with them!
FULL POST
Just realized this post comes off pretty explicit right off the bat considering the band name AND song both have the word “fuck” in it, but…fuck it! Relevant track coming your way! Starfucker / STRFKR is one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time, and they’re serious contenders of best album of the year for Reptilians. I’ve been following these guys on their facebook and twitter, and their sense of humor always gets me. The song seems so nice and soft when all they say is “Happy fucking holidaaays to youuu, and youuu”. I dunno. I love em. The track is off a compilation of Portland-based indie artists doing holiday songs. It’s called Another Grey Christmas and you can stream it by following the link. I was gonna wish you all happy holidays, but I’ll let the song take care of that. ;)
Check our interview with them!
With the emergence and booming success of the likes of RAC and Starslinger, Indie remixes are becoming increasingly popular on the music scene. These most likely aren’t the kind of remixes you’ll hear at a party or at a rave. Typically, they’re the instances of a musician or a band adding their own colors and flair to another artist’s work. They usually don’t meddle with the song to the point where it’s something completely different. RAC for instance, has a knack for taking an already original and hooky track and embellishing it without disemboweling it. A lot of times I think these reworked songs are better than the original. Plus it’s always cool to see how one artist envisions another’s song.
From the recesses of my iTunes I bring you another compilation of these remixes. Some of the following are rather old, others are more recent. Some are obvious remixes, others could be mistaken for an original if you weren’t already familiar with the song. What they have in common though is undeniable catchiness. Enjoy yo’self.
Indie Remixes Playlist, Part ii
^click to download
1. 1996 (Lenno Remix) by The Wombats
2. Wait and See (Flight Facilities Remix) by Holy Ghost!
3. Take Me Over (Flight Facilities Remix) by Cut Copy
4. Going Nowhere (Digitalism Remix) by Cut Copy
5. Too Dramatic (The Morning Benders Remix) by Ra Ra Riot
6. Antillas (Architecture In Helsinki Remix) by El Guincho
7. Life On The Nickel (Mansions On The Moon Remix) by Foster the People
8. You’re A Animal (Fishing Remix) by Jonathan Boulet
9. Ready For The World (Star Slinger Remix) by How To Dress Well
10. I Follow Rivers (the Oos & Ahhs Remix) by Lykke Li
11. Everything To Me (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix) by Lips
12. Something Good Can Work (RAC Remix) by Two Door Cinema Club
FULL POST
With the emergence and booming success of the likes of RAC and Starslinger, Indie remixes are becoming increasingly popular on the music scene. These most likely aren’t the kind of remixes you’ll hear at a party or at a rave. Typically, they’re the instances of a musician or a band adding their own colors and flair to another artist’s work. They usually don’t meddle with the song to the point where it’s something completely different. RAC for instance, has a knack for taking an already original and hooky track and embellishing it without disemboweling it. A lot of times I think these reworked songs are better than the original. Plus it’s always cool to see how one artist envisions another’s song.
From the recesses of my iTunes I bring you another compilation of these remixes. Some of the following are rather old, others are more recent. Some are obvious remixes, others could be mistaken for an original if you weren’t already familiar with the song. What they have in common though is undeniable catchiness. Enjoy yo’self.
Indie Remixes Playlist, Part ii
^click to download
1. 1996 (Lenno Remix) by The Wombats
2. Wait and See (Flight Facilities Remix) by Holy Ghost!
3. Take Me Over (Flight Facilities Remix) by Cut Copy
4. Going Nowhere (Digitalism Remix) by Cut Copy
5. Too Dramatic (The Morning Benders Remix) by Ra Ra Riot
6. Antillas (Architecture In Helsinki Remix) by El Guincho
7. Life On The Nickel (Mansions On The Moon Remix) by Foster the People
8. You’re A Animal (Fishing Remix) by Jonathan Boulet
9. Ready For The World (Star Slinger Remix) by How To Dress Well
10. I Follow Rivers (the Oos & Ahhs Remix) by Lykke Li
11. Everything To Me (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix) by Lips
12. Something Good Can Work (RAC Remix) by Two Door Cinema Club
AA Bondy’s most recent release Believers is a pulsing compilation of gentle melodies and husky-voiced Americana. Deeply and genuinely contemplative, it’s achingly lovely. Bondy is effective in that he never asks for an audience; each song is a solitary ode. In it’s own subtle, completely understated way, it’s probably one of the most beautiful releases of this year.
Tracklist
1. The Heart Is Willing
2. Down In the Fire (Lost Sea)
3. Skull & Bones
4. 123 Dupuy Street
5. Surfer King
6. Hiway/Fevers
7. Drmz
8. The Twist
9. Rte. 28/Believers
10. Scenes from a Circus
Free Candy
FULL POST
AA Bondy’s most recent release Believers is a pulsing compilation of gentle melodies and husky-voiced Americana. Deeply and genuinely contemplative, it’s achingly lovely. Bondy is effective in that he never asks for an audience; each song is a solitary ode. In it’s own subtle, completely understated way, it’s probably one of the most beautiful releases of this year.
Tracklist
1. The Heart Is Willing
2. Down In the Fire (Lost Sea)
3. Skull & Bones
4. 123 Dupuy Street
5. Surfer King
6. Hiway/Fevers
7. Drmz
8. The Twist
9. Rte. 28/Believers
10. Scenes from a Circus
Free Candy
I’ve got this farfetched theory that if you wanted to know what was going inside John Lennon’s drug-riddled brain circa 1967 you would just have to listen to one-man show Porcelain Raft’s debut EP Gone Blind. Maybe it’s just his vocals though. There’s an edge of classism lost in a swirling, ether-soaked daze. Gentle reverb and floating loop melodies give his music a chill wave-esque ambiance that blends nicely on a playlist with other dream pop breakouts of this year such as Youth Lagoon and Oupa. The EP glides from song to song, transporting you through the numbing confusion of an over-populated city to a barren landscape. It’s expansive and makes use of its space really nicely with glitchy electronic beats that shimmer amongst a slew of unconventional instrumentation. At times his music is futuristically epic, like a post-apocalyptic society run by glimmering robots. Sometimes it borders scary; the kind of stuff I would honestly only listen to if I was bored and wanted to pretend I lived in psych-thriller fantasy world (the kind where the only person who comes out alive in the end is Tom Cruise or some guy and his dog). Or if I was in dire need of an adrenaline rush. To put it simply, his music is straight weird most of the time. However, once you shove the weirdness aside, there’s a vulnerability at it’s core that makes it difficult to write off even the really strange songs. But the catchy songs are pretty catchy. I’ve linked the noteworthy jams below.
FULL POST
I’ve got this farfetched theory that if you wanted to know what was going inside John Lennon’s drug-riddled brain circa 1967 you would just have to listen to one-man show Porcelain Raft’s debut EP Gone Blind. Maybe it’s just his vocals though. There’s an edge of classism lost in a swirling, ether-soaked daze. Gentle reverb and floating loop melodies give his music a chill wave-esque ambiance that blends nicely on a playlist with other dream pop breakouts of this year such as Youth Lagoon and Oupa. The EP glides from song to song, transporting you through the numbing confusion of an over-populated city to a barren landscape. It’s expansive and makes use of its space really nicely with glitchy electronic beats that shimmer amongst a slew of unconventional instrumentation. At times his music is futuristically epic, like a post-apocalyptic society run by glimmering robots. Sometimes it borders scary; the kind of stuff I would honestly only listen to if I was bored and wanted to pretend I lived in psych-thriller fantasy world (the kind where the only person who comes out alive in the end is Tom Cruise or some guy and his dog). Or if I was in dire need of an adrenaline rush. To put it simply, his music is straight weird most of the time. However, once you shove the weirdness aside, there’s a vulnerability at it’s core that makes it difficult to write off even the really strange songs. But the catchy songs are pretty catchy. I’ve linked the noteworthy jams below.
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