Welcome to The List 2011: the most recent manifestation of a tradition that has now entered its 11th year. Every Christmas, my friend Adam and I rank and review our top 20 studio albums of the year. To qualify, an album needs to be full length, studio, and released in the year 2011.
This is my list. I hope you enjoy reading it. Adam’s list can be found here.
A Merry Christmas to all.
James
20.
The Phoenix Foundation
Buffalo
We start with a beautiful record, full of artistry and heart. New Zealand’s The Phoenix Foundation have been around a while, but 2011 was the year I was introduced to them and Buffalo was the first album of theirs I bought. It was released in 2010 in New Zealand, but a 2011 UK release means it’s eligible here, I think. The record is quite eclectic, with tracks like ‘Bright Grey’ being pretty much straight indie rock, while the likes of ‘Orange and Mango’ mess around with Americana and songs such as ‘Eventually’ offer slide-bar dreamscapes. The overall impression is one of ‘beautiful’ sounds (of one type or another) made by ‘proper’ musicians who really know what they’re doing. A record that was strong enough to make me investigate the back catalogue and to make sure I was at their (excellent) Glastonbury set. The fact that this record came 20th shows how strong the field was this year.
Buffalo
We start with a beautiful record, full of artistry and heart. New Zealand’s The Phoenix Foundation have been around a while, but 2011 was the year I was introduced to them and Buffalo was the first album of theirs I bought. It was released in 2010 in New Zealand, but a 2011 UK release means it’s eligible here, I think. The record is quite eclectic, with tracks like ‘Bright Grey’ being pretty much straight indie rock, while the likes of ‘Orange and Mango’ mess around with Americana and songs such as ‘Eventually’ offer slide-bar dreamscapes. The overall impression is one of ‘beautiful’ sounds (of one type or another) made by ‘proper’ musicians who really know what they’re doing. A record that was strong enough to make me investigate the back catalogue and to make sure I was at their (excellent) Glastonbury set. The fact that this record came 20th shows how strong the field was this year.19.
The Joy Formidable
The Big Roar
This is a simple and powerful rock record, which in the early part of the year looked set for a top 5 place on the list, but which waned somewhat as the months went by. Much has been made of the fact that The Joy Formidable are a ‘grunge’ band. That’s loosely true, in that the quiet-loud grunge dynamic is certainly a key aspect of this debut album, as is the predominant reliance on rhythm rather than melody. Having said that, it’s a bit simplistic to label this ‘grunge’; it also draws on British punk, modern indie and, occasionally, on 60s-style ambience (see ‘Llaw = Wall’ as an example). ‘A Heavy Abacus’ has been played to death everywhere, but – while fairly representative – it’s actually one of the weaker tracks to my mind. Much better are the bass driven Blood Red Shoes-esque punk of ‘Cradle’ or the (undeniably grunge!) 90s-evoking ‘A Magnifying Glass’. The power and (formidable) joy of The Big Roar means that on first few listens the album is unbeatable, but it doesn’t quite stand up to repeated listens, at least not over a long period. Nonetheless excellent throughout and, after all, a debut record: I’ll definitely buy their sophomore effort.
The Big Roar
This is a simple and powerful rock record, which in the early part of the year looked set for a top 5 place on the list, but which waned somewhat as the months went by. Much has been made of the fact that The Joy Formidable are a ‘grunge’ band. That’s loosely true, in that the quiet-loud grunge dynamic is certainly a key aspect of this debut album, as is the predominant reliance on rhythm rather than melody. Having said that, it’s a bit simplistic to label this ‘grunge’; it also draws on British punk, modern indie and, occasionally, on 60s-style ambience (see ‘Llaw = Wall’ as an example). ‘A Heavy Abacus’ has been played to death everywhere, but – while fairly representative – it’s actually one of the weaker tracks to my mind. Much better are the bass driven Blood Red Shoes-esque punk of ‘Cradle’ or the (undeniably grunge!) 90s-evoking ‘A Magnifying Glass’. The power and (formidable) joy of The Big Roar means that on first few listens the album is unbeatable, but it doesn’t quite stand up to repeated listens, at least not over a long period. Nonetheless excellent throughout and, after all, a debut record: I’ll definitely buy their sophomore effort.18.
The Decemberists
The King Is Dead
Everyone I have spoken to about The King Is Dead has hated it. Words like ‘twangy’ and ‘twee’ have been used a lot. A number of people have pointed out how poorly the album fares when it’s compared to 2009’s superb The Hazards Of Love (which came 2nd on my list that year, and could easily have pinched top spot). Well, as is evident from a drop of 16 places, I don’t like The King Is Dead as much as The Hazards Of Love either. But, then, it’s a very different beast, and is almost impossible to judge on the same criteria. Gone are the prog-folk procrastinations, and in their place are a collection of sweet simple country-folk songs, which are – yes – rather twangy and twee, but are also well crafted and extremely catchy. The closet comparison from recent years for me would probably be Ben Kweller’s Changing Horses: all shamelessly poppy and pretty, without a care as to cool. There are still flashes of the darker sound present on The Crane Wife or The Hazards Of Love – ‘This is Why We Fight’ being a good example – but overall this is a much sunnier record than previous Decemberists albums. It’s almost as if the band burnt themselves out on complex miserablist fables and went for country love songs instead, as some form of catharsis. Perhaps not as strong as much of their previous output and not really to my usual taste, but still well worthy of a place on the list – which says a lot about how good The Decemberists are. I like it even if nobody else does…
The King Is Dead
Everyone I have spoken to about The King Is Dead has hated it. Words like ‘twangy’ and ‘twee’ have been used a lot. A number of people have pointed out how poorly the album fares when it’s compared to 2009’s superb The Hazards Of Love (which came 2nd on my list that year, and could easily have pinched top spot). Well, as is evident from a drop of 16 places, I don’t like The King Is Dead as much as The Hazards Of Love either. But, then, it’s a very different beast, and is almost impossible to judge on the same criteria. Gone are the prog-folk procrastinations, and in their place are a collection of sweet simple country-folk songs, which are – yes – rather twangy and twee, but are also well crafted and extremely catchy. The closet comparison from recent years for me would probably be Ben Kweller’s Changing Horses: all shamelessly poppy and pretty, without a care as to cool. There are still flashes of the darker sound present on The Crane Wife or The Hazards Of Love – ‘This is Why We Fight’ being a good example – but overall this is a much sunnier record than previous Decemberists albums. It’s almost as if the band burnt themselves out on complex miserablist fables and went for country love songs instead, as some form of catharsis. Perhaps not as strong as much of their previous output and not really to my usual taste, but still well worthy of a place on the list – which says a lot about how good The Decemberists are. I like it even if nobody else does…17.
Okkervil River
I Am Very Far
The opening track of I Am Very Far, ‘The Valley’, is such an astoundingly good song that it has probably raised Texans Okkervil River a couple of places up the list all by itself. The rhythmic, simple drum beat and the weird nu-folk riff are perfect: one of, if not the, outstanding individual track of 2011. Had the rest of the record been of that quality, this would be somewhere up in the top 5, and even vying for top spot. As it is, there rest of I Am Very Far is a strong mixture of Americana, nu-folk and rock, and still earns a solid place towards the bottom of the list (in a year where competition has been quite high). I’m told I Am Very Far is more accessible than previous records from the fairly extensive Okkervil River back catalogue. Hard to know if that’s true as I have nothing else, but for me the record still has plenty of quirks (which will probably intrigue and infuriate in equal measure, depending on the taste of the listener). I think it’s the quirks that reward repeated listens and set this apart from other superficially comparable bands like The National.
I Am Very Far
The opening track of I Am Very Far, ‘The Valley’, is such an astoundingly good song that it has probably raised Texans Okkervil River a couple of places up the list all by itself. The rhythmic, simple drum beat and the weird nu-folk riff are perfect: one of, if not the, outstanding individual track of 2011. Had the rest of the record been of that quality, this would be somewhere up in the top 5, and even vying for top spot. As it is, there rest of I Am Very Far is a strong mixture of Americana, nu-folk and rock, and still earns a solid place towards the bottom of the list (in a year where competition has been quite high). I’m told I Am Very Far is more accessible than previous records from the fairly extensive Okkervil River back catalogue. Hard to know if that’s true as I have nothing else, but for me the record still has plenty of quirks (which will probably intrigue and infuriate in equal measure, depending on the taste of the listener). I think it’s the quirks that reward repeated listens and set this apart from other superficially comparable bands like The National.16.
Emmy The Great
Virtue
Emmy The Great’s second record sees her moving out of the shadows of collaborations with the likes of Lightspeed Champion to find both her own sound and voice. The result is an intoxicating mixture of beauty and vitriol. So, the tenderness of ‘Dinosaur Sex’ masks musings on the futility of existence, while the piano-led ‘A Woman, A Woman’ is an understated (and, as such, all the more powerful) feminist anthem. Musically, things are built around Emma Lee-Moss’ trademark acoustic guitar and haunting voice, but there is much more going on here than in her previous work. Emmy The Great is no longer Lee-Moss’ one woman show, and her band this time bring some necessary depth to proceedings. Having said that, Virtue is still ultimately quite a sparse album. There is plenty of ‘space’ for the tracks to inhabit. It is perhaps fair to say that there remains room for improvement – Lee-Moss is obviously extremely talented, but a few of the tracks still drag and there is an excessive earnestness here which, while interesting, at times obscures some of the fun. The third album could be the really great one – but for now this is still very good indeed.
Virtue
Emmy The Great’s second record sees her moving out of the shadows of collaborations with the likes of Lightspeed Champion to find both her own sound and voice. The result is an intoxicating mixture of beauty and vitriol. So, the tenderness of ‘Dinosaur Sex’ masks musings on the futility of existence, while the piano-led ‘A Woman, A Woman’ is an understated (and, as such, all the more powerful) feminist anthem. Musically, things are built around Emma Lee-Moss’ trademark acoustic guitar and haunting voice, but there is much more going on here than in her previous work. Emmy The Great is no longer Lee-Moss’ one woman show, and her band this time bring some necessary depth to proceedings. Having said that, Virtue is still ultimately quite a sparse album. There is plenty of ‘space’ for the tracks to inhabit. It is perhaps fair to say that there remains room for improvement – Lee-Moss is obviously extremely talented, but a few of the tracks still drag and there is an excessive earnestness here which, while interesting, at times obscures some of the fun. The third album could be the really great one – but for now this is still very good indeed.15.
Kasabian
Velociraptor!
Kasabian have been knocking around for quite a while now – the last album I got by them was their debut (14th back in 2004). Since then they’ve obviously became a huge stadium-filling behemoth, and I’ve largely ignored them. After enjoying a few of the singles from 2009’s West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and seeing the strong reviews for Velociraptor!, though, I decided to pick up a copy and see where they were at now. I’m really glad I did, because Velociraptor! is an excellent record, full of invention and quality. While I don’t think the album quite merits the extent of critical and commercial adulation that Kasabian seem to be getting right now, it’s a very good sign if this is what draws in the punters rather than the usual boy-band toss. There’s a real mixture on show here, evidencing that Kasabian have matured into a band capable of turning their hand to all kinds of things (in 2004 they had one sound and that was it). ‘Let's Roll Just Like We Used To’ is very The Kinks, ‘Switchblade Smiles’ sounds like the Chemical Brothers, and ‘La Fée Verte’ is so The Beatles that they don’t even try to hide it: the lyrics explicitly reference ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. Best of all is the frantic title track and album highlight ‘Velociraptor!’, which equates to a short sharp slap to the head. Overall, much, much better than expected: Kasabian, you have my attention.
Velociraptor!
Kasabian have been knocking around for quite a while now – the last album I got by them was their debut (14th back in 2004). Since then they’ve obviously became a huge stadium-filling behemoth, and I’ve largely ignored them. After enjoying a few of the singles from 2009’s West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and seeing the strong reviews for Velociraptor!, though, I decided to pick up a copy and see where they were at now. I’m really glad I did, because Velociraptor! is an excellent record, full of invention and quality. While I don’t think the album quite merits the extent of critical and commercial adulation that Kasabian seem to be getting right now, it’s a very good sign if this is what draws in the punters rather than the usual boy-band toss. There’s a real mixture on show here, evidencing that Kasabian have matured into a band capable of turning their hand to all kinds of things (in 2004 they had one sound and that was it). ‘Let's Roll Just Like We Used To’ is very The Kinks, ‘Switchblade Smiles’ sounds like the Chemical Brothers, and ‘La Fée Verte’ is so The Beatles that they don’t even try to hide it: the lyrics explicitly reference ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. Best of all is the frantic title track and album highlight ‘Velociraptor!’, which equates to a short sharp slap to the head. Overall, much, much better than expected: Kasabian, you have my attention.14.
Slow Club
Paradise
There is a real mixture of styles on Slow Club’s second record. Opener ‘Two Lost Cousins’ is a piano-led off-kilter stomp. ‘Hackney Marsh’ is a beautifully sparse, early Bon Iver style master class in how to generate huge amounts of power armed with just a good song and an acoustic guitar. ‘Beginners’ sounds like an angry 80s pop song, and ‘The Dog’ is surely stolen from the debut Two Door Cinema Club album, somehow smuggled onto this without anyone noticing. Every track here is excellent, and every track is different from the rest. All made more impressive by the fact that Slow Club are only two people. The band have been criticised as being ‘twee’ in the press. That’s true, but only to the extent that ‘tweeness’ can be viewed as a virtue, and, in truth, this is too eclectic to really be considered twee. In any event, when the lamenting electronica of closer and title track, ‘Paradise’, fades, my initial thought – some four months since I bought the record – is always to start it again. Which can only be a good sign. The first record on this list that I’d say was a must have.
Paradise
There is a real mixture of styles on Slow Club’s second record. Opener ‘Two Lost Cousins’ is a piano-led off-kilter stomp. ‘Hackney Marsh’ is a beautifully sparse, early Bon Iver style master class in how to generate huge amounts of power armed with just a good song and an acoustic guitar. ‘Beginners’ sounds like an angry 80s pop song, and ‘The Dog’ is surely stolen from the debut Two Door Cinema Club album, somehow smuggled onto this without anyone noticing. Every track here is excellent, and every track is different from the rest. All made more impressive by the fact that Slow Club are only two people. The band have been criticised as being ‘twee’ in the press. That’s true, but only to the extent that ‘tweeness’ can be viewed as a virtue, and, in truth, this is too eclectic to really be considered twee. In any event, when the lamenting electronica of closer and title track, ‘Paradise’, fades, my initial thought – some four months since I bought the record – is always to start it again. Which can only be a good sign. The first record on this list that I’d say was a must have.13.
The Blood Arm
Turn And Face Me
Not a must have, but rather a guilty pleasure, the long-awaited second album by the most inappropriately named band in history is essentially more of the same. The Blood Arm’s label debut, Lie Lover Lie, came 3rd on my 2006 list; Turn And Face Me is no better or worse than that album, it’s just that it’s obviously not as novel. Certainly, there’s no justification for the band taking five years to make this follow up. Equally, it’s packed with flawless pop-rock, with powerchord choruses, bouncy verses and silly lyrics. ‘I Need You’ sounds like Rancid with all the sharp edges sanded down, and ‘The Creditors’ is both a vitriolic attack on bankers and a sunny Darwin Deez style grin-along. Featuring doo-wops and la-las aplenty, this is a summer album in every respect. As such, it was played to death in August, but has not had much turntable time (read: ipod plays) since. When I do put it on, though, it inevitably makes me smile.
Turn And Face Me
Not a must have, but rather a guilty pleasure, the long-awaited second album by the most inappropriately named band in history is essentially more of the same. The Blood Arm’s label debut, Lie Lover Lie, came 3rd on my 2006 list; Turn And Face Me is no better or worse than that album, it’s just that it’s obviously not as novel. Certainly, there’s no justification for the band taking five years to make this follow up. Equally, it’s packed with flawless pop-rock, with powerchord choruses, bouncy verses and silly lyrics. ‘I Need You’ sounds like Rancid with all the sharp edges sanded down, and ‘The Creditors’ is both a vitriolic attack on bankers and a sunny Darwin Deez style grin-along. Featuring doo-wops and la-las aplenty, this is a summer album in every respect. As such, it was played to death in August, but has not had much turntable time (read: ipod plays) since. When I do put it on, though, it inevitably makes me smile. 12.
Mona
Mona
Much like The Blood Arm record, this isn’t going to change the world, but it’s a great example of straight rock music with no frills. Verse, big chorus, verse. A winning formula. Mona don’t exactly re-write the rule book, they just follow some of my favourite rules. Much compared to Kings of Leon, Mona do indeed have a number of the Followills’ traits: the late 60s/early 70s rock structure, the use of lead-guitar to layer riffs, the anthemic chorus. The biggest similarity, though, is simply that Nick Brown sounds a lot like Caleb Followill: the rest is there but comparatively superficial. Mona also have their own sound, which is rawer than the Kings Of Leon. The lyrics here are also generally more melancholy. Tracks like ‘Listen To Your Love’ are perfect to fill a stadium, while others like the standout ‘Shooting The Moon’ are grimier and demonstrate enough edge to keep what is a essentially a mainstream record interesting. Much depends now what they do with that difficult second album: a band that could be bigger than cheese by 2013.
Mona
Much like The Blood Arm record, this isn’t going to change the world, but it’s a great example of straight rock music with no frills. Verse, big chorus, verse. A winning formula. Mona don’t exactly re-write the rule book, they just follow some of my favourite rules. Much compared to Kings of Leon, Mona do indeed have a number of the Followills’ traits: the late 60s/early 70s rock structure, the use of lead-guitar to layer riffs, the anthemic chorus. The biggest similarity, though, is simply that Nick Brown sounds a lot like Caleb Followill: the rest is there but comparatively superficial. Mona also have their own sound, which is rawer than the Kings Of Leon. The lyrics here are also generally more melancholy. Tracks like ‘Listen To Your Love’ are perfect to fill a stadium, while others like the standout ‘Shooting The Moon’ are grimier and demonstrate enough edge to keep what is a essentially a mainstream record interesting. Much depends now what they do with that difficult second album: a band that could be bigger than cheese by 2013.11.
Iron And Wine
Kiss Each Other Clean
The long-awaited follow-up to Iron And Wine’s acoustic lo-fi classic, The Shepherd’s Dog, Kiss Each Other Clean takes Samuel Beam’s sound in yet another intriguing direction. This is both more ambitious and yet more accessible than previous Iron And Wine albums. The overall theme is mid-70s mid-western psyche-rock (‘Half Moon’ being the best example), but the album also has odd tinges of nu-folk, modern electronica, and 80s synths. Lots of emphasis is placed on the bass guitar (see, for example, ‘Me And Lazarus’), but the real star of the album is Beam’s voice (which has always been strong but which really excels here). The standout track is the quirky ‘Monkeys Uptown’, featuring some quality xylophone action and a tin guitar solo. Probably not as objectively strong as The Shepherd’s Dog, I think I have actually played this more – certainly there is much more variety on Kiss Each Other Clean. A quality record from another ‘proper’ artist.
Kiss Each Other Clean
The long-awaited follow-up to Iron And Wine’s acoustic lo-fi classic, The Shepherd’s Dog, Kiss Each Other Clean takes Samuel Beam’s sound in yet another intriguing direction. This is both more ambitious and yet more accessible than previous Iron And Wine albums. The overall theme is mid-70s mid-western psyche-rock (‘Half Moon’ being the best example), but the album also has odd tinges of nu-folk, modern electronica, and 80s synths. Lots of emphasis is placed on the bass guitar (see, for example, ‘Me And Lazarus’), but the real star of the album is Beam’s voice (which has always been strong but which really excels here). The standout track is the quirky ‘Monkeys Uptown’, featuring some quality xylophone action and a tin guitar solo. Probably not as objectively strong as The Shepherd’s Dog, I think I have actually played this more – certainly there is much more variety on Kiss Each Other Clean. A quality record from another ‘proper’ artist.10.
Mastodon
The Hunter
After 2009’s relatively disappointing Crack the Skye, The Hunter represents a return to form for one of the best bands in metal. Somewhat ironically, though, this renaissance is in many ways due to Mastodon significantly scaling back on the prog elements of their usual template. Where their early records were elevated to greatness by them taking a novel progressive approach to metal (so often such a formulaic genre), The Hunter largely excels because of the very fact that it is straight ahead, riff-driven metal. The song structures are much more similar to those employed by other metal bands, but the quality of the song-writing means that this is still well ahead of most of the pack. Shoe gazing is replaced with head smashing, and the previous technical virtuosity of the drumming (for example) is generally traded for simple, pounding beats. ‘Curl Of The Burl’ is the standout track, but everything here shines with class. The heaviest album on the list this year and, as such, a happy counterpoint to the huge disappointment caused by the utter mess that Protest The Hero made with Scurrilous.
The Hunter
After 2009’s relatively disappointing Crack the Skye, The Hunter represents a return to form for one of the best bands in metal. Somewhat ironically, though, this renaissance is in many ways due to Mastodon significantly scaling back on the prog elements of their usual template. Where their early records were elevated to greatness by them taking a novel progressive approach to metal (so often such a formulaic genre), The Hunter largely excels because of the very fact that it is straight ahead, riff-driven metal. The song structures are much more similar to those employed by other metal bands, but the quality of the song-writing means that this is still well ahead of most of the pack. Shoe gazing is replaced with head smashing, and the previous technical virtuosity of the drumming (for example) is generally traded for simple, pounding beats. ‘Curl Of The Burl’ is the standout track, but everything here shines with class. The heaviest album on the list this year and, as such, a happy counterpoint to the huge disappointment caused by the utter mess that Protest The Hero made with Scurrilous.09.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s first record – For Emma, Forever Ago – came 3rd on my list in 2008, but since then it has continued to get significant play and, in retrospect, would now probably be my favourite record of that year. As such, I approached the self-titled follow up with quite a bit of trepidation. In spite of the fact that I ultimately prefer the debut – as a placing of 9th here would suggest – this was certainly not a disappointment. Justin Vernon has cleverly adapted and augmented the Bon Iver sound from acoustic sparseness to cluttered orchestrals, while at the same time retaining all the elements that make Bon Iver sound like Bon Iver. The uncanny ability to make melancholia feel uplifting is present, as is the technical virtuosity of the guitar playing, the simplicity of the song structures and Vernon’s haunting voice. The lyrics again are both evocative and opaque. The biggest change is one of scope – it is interesting that more than half of the track titles on Bon Iver are place names; this is an album looking well beyond a wood cabin in Wisconsin (the entire world of the debut). A beautiful record, at once both suitably similar and suitably different to its outstanding predecessor to be about as good as it could have been. As I keep saying this year, it’s amazing that this seems to be so low down the list when it is such a strong album: a placing of 9th for this is again indicative of the quality on show in 2011.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s first record – For Emma, Forever Ago – came 3rd on my list in 2008, but since then it has continued to get significant play and, in retrospect, would now probably be my favourite record of that year. As such, I approached the self-titled follow up with quite a bit of trepidation. In spite of the fact that I ultimately prefer the debut – as a placing of 9th here would suggest – this was certainly not a disappointment. Justin Vernon has cleverly adapted and augmented the Bon Iver sound from acoustic sparseness to cluttered orchestrals, while at the same time retaining all the elements that make Bon Iver sound like Bon Iver. The uncanny ability to make melancholia feel uplifting is present, as is the technical virtuosity of the guitar playing, the simplicity of the song structures and Vernon’s haunting voice. The lyrics again are both evocative and opaque. The biggest change is one of scope – it is interesting that more than half of the track titles on Bon Iver are place names; this is an album looking well beyond a wood cabin in Wisconsin (the entire world of the debut). A beautiful record, at once both suitably similar and suitably different to its outstanding predecessor to be about as good as it could have been. As I keep saying this year, it’s amazing that this seems to be so low down the list when it is such a strong album: a placing of 9th for this is again indicative of the quality on show in 2011. 08.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
Tao Of The Dead
A rebirth of real note, Tao Of The Dead is the first truly excellent ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead album since Source Tags And Codes was released way back in 2001. After 10 years of producing relatively mediocre stuff, the Texan lunatics return to greatness with a progressive indie rock album of the highest order. Tao Of The Dead is a two part opera, which seems to have been designed for the long-defunct rock LP market. Its swathes of instrumental sound and slow build post-rock are evocative of a weird combination of Yes and Explosions In The Sky. This certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste and – in the context of my list this year – is almost diametrically opposed to, say, The Blood Arm or Mona. Taking into account the fact that this will be an acquired taste, it is worth investigating, largely because the ambition here is far greater than in any of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead’s earlier work. Everything on Tao Of The Dead is crafted and complex, and rewards numerous repeated listens. An album that I bought in February and still play now. One to get.
Tao Of The Dead
A rebirth of real note, Tao Of The Dead is the first truly excellent ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead album since Source Tags And Codes was released way back in 2001. After 10 years of producing relatively mediocre stuff, the Texan lunatics return to greatness with a progressive indie rock album of the highest order. Tao Of The Dead is a two part opera, which seems to have been designed for the long-defunct rock LP market. Its swathes of instrumental sound and slow build post-rock are evocative of a weird combination of Yes and Explosions In The Sky. This certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste and – in the context of my list this year – is almost diametrically opposed to, say, The Blood Arm or Mona. Taking into account the fact that this will be an acquired taste, it is worth investigating, largely because the ambition here is far greater than in any of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead’s earlier work. Everything on Tao Of The Dead is crafted and complex, and rewards numerous repeated listens. An album that I bought in February and still play now. One to get.07.
Foo Fighters
Wasting Light
This is probably the Foo Fighters’ strongest record since their 90s heyday (though I said that in 2007 about their last album, Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace, which placed a very healthy 5th that year – so who knows?). Wasting Light returns to some of what made their 90s material so great and, oddly, to me sounds, more than anything else, like the debut record that Dave Grohl made in 1995 before he’d even put the band together. The decisions to record on tape, to re-hire Pat Smear and to have Butch Vig on production duties have all contributed to the raw rock sound, but the biggest plus is simply the quality of the song-writing. No duffers at all here, unlike overweight mid-career efforts such as In Your Honour. Every track on Wasting Light fizzes along, with plenty of great riffs and huge choruses. Particular favourites of mine are the duet with Husker Du’s Bob Mould on ‘Dear Rosemary’ and the punk fury of ‘White Limo’ (though it should surely have been called ‘Watershed’ II...). An absolute giant of the genre showing that they can still mix it with the very best.
Wasting Light
This is probably the Foo Fighters’ strongest record since their 90s heyday (though I said that in 2007 about their last album, Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace, which placed a very healthy 5th that year – so who knows?). Wasting Light returns to some of what made their 90s material so great and, oddly, to me sounds, more than anything else, like the debut record that Dave Grohl made in 1995 before he’d even put the band together. The decisions to record on tape, to re-hire Pat Smear and to have Butch Vig on production duties have all contributed to the raw rock sound, but the biggest plus is simply the quality of the song-writing. No duffers at all here, unlike overweight mid-career efforts such as In Your Honour. Every track on Wasting Light fizzes along, with plenty of great riffs and huge choruses. Particular favourites of mine are the duet with Husker Du’s Bob Mould on ‘Dear Rosemary’ and the punk fury of ‘White Limo’ (though it should surely have been called ‘Watershed’ II...). An absolute giant of the genre showing that they can still mix it with the very best.06.
Noah And The Whale
Last Night On Earth
Noah And The Whale are something rather rare: a band for which every album released is an improvement on the previous one. This, their third record, beats The First Days Of Spring (which came 8th in 2009) hands down, which in turn is far superior to Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down (14th in 2008). Perhaps more importantly, all three of these albums are notably different from each other. Where Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down was all about carefree pop naivety, and The First Days Of Spring was full of string-laden melancholia about the end of a relationship, Last Night On Earth evokes tentative rebirth, what-will-be-will-be and forward-thinking optimism. Musically, this is grown-up pop, with elements of Reed and Bowie, mixed with the folk-rock sound that Noah And The Whale are most famous for. Far outshining most of their peers (Mumford And Sons springs to mind as a more popular, broadly similar, but nowhere near as good contemporary), Noah And The Whale have reached a new level. Last Night On Earth is their first genuine classic, following on from their previous two (still really rather good) efforts. I’m amazed it has not made the top 5, which once again says something about the strength of the field in 2011. To think that their debut featured significant collaboration with Laura Marling, and it looked for all the world at the time that Marling was the real star. Yet the respective second and third albums by Marling and Noah And The Whale, at least for me, have demonstrated completely opposite career trajectories (in terms of quality, if maybe not critical/commercial success). Let’s hope album 4 is even better still...
Last Night On Earth
Noah And The Whale are something rather rare: a band for which every album released is an improvement on the previous one. This, their third record, beats The First Days Of Spring (which came 8th in 2009) hands down, which in turn is far superior to Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down (14th in 2008). Perhaps more importantly, all three of these albums are notably different from each other. Where Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down was all about carefree pop naivety, and The First Days Of Spring was full of string-laden melancholia about the end of a relationship, Last Night On Earth evokes tentative rebirth, what-will-be-will-be and forward-thinking optimism. Musically, this is grown-up pop, with elements of Reed and Bowie, mixed with the folk-rock sound that Noah And The Whale are most famous for. Far outshining most of their peers (Mumford And Sons springs to mind as a more popular, broadly similar, but nowhere near as good contemporary), Noah And The Whale have reached a new level. Last Night On Earth is their first genuine classic, following on from their previous two (still really rather good) efforts. I’m amazed it has not made the top 5, which once again says something about the strength of the field in 2011. To think that their debut featured significant collaboration with Laura Marling, and it looked for all the world at the time that Marling was the real star. Yet the respective second and third albums by Marling and Noah And The Whale, at least for me, have demonstrated completely opposite career trajectories (in terms of quality, if maybe not critical/commercial success). Let’s hope album 4 is even better still...05.
Cold War Kids
Mine Is Yours
Always a class act, Cold War Kids have again delivered with a wonderful album of mature blues-rock. Looking back, I’ve noticed that I wrote in 2007, with regard to their debut, Robbers and Cowards (2nd that year), that it was “[a]n album that always makes me think and feel, every time it’s played.” This is also a perfect way of expressing my feelings for their third record four years later. More than any other record this year, Mine Is Yours makes me feel. ‘Louder Than Ever’ always makes me happy, in spite of the morose lyrics, while the very next track – ‘Royal Blue’ – always makes me sad. Cold War Kids are, as ever, both passionate and cerebral on Mine Is Yours. They also again offer an impressive mixture of simplicity and technical proficiency: most tracks here rely on simple refrains (the piano-backbone of ‘Sensitive Kid’ is a prime example), but on occasion the record breaks out into technical brilliance (just take the drumming on ‘Out of The Wilderness’ as one example). Perhaps the only weakness on the record is ‘Bulldozer’, which seems a little rushed when compared to the other tracks. It’s still a good song, but the obvious low point of an album of notable highs. Overall, Mine Is Yours is a great example of how less can be more and, as it were, more can also be more: everything is about getting the right balance to suit the song. Top notch in almost every way, and another absolute must have.
04.
Crazy Arm
Union City Breath
I really enjoyed Crazy Arm’s 2009 debut, Born To Ruin, which I discovered after the list had been compiled that year. In retrospect, that album would have certainly made my top ten in 2009. Union City Breath takes things to a completely different level, though, launching the ludicrously-named Crazy Arm to the top echelons of my list. One of the heaviest records on my countdown this year (Mastodon notwithstanding), this helped to fill a metal/heavy rock gap, where much of what I was listening to this year was indie. The progression from Born To Ruin is evident in a number of respects, though the broad Against Me! style template is still at the core of this. Added to the mix are increased guitar virtuosity, lyrical vitriol and bile (‘Song Of Choice’, for example, is just nasty; not merely anti-racism but viciously anti-racist…), some Irish folk sounds and an interesting approach to layering/overlaying vocals. At the end of it all, though, this is just a superb hard rock album, which comes out swinging and lands far more punches than it misses. Tracks like ‘Tribes/Animals’ and ‘Of The Tarantulas’ are amongst my favourite stand-alone rock songs of the year. It’s interesting that while there are three records I ultimately decided I preferred to this in 2011, my ipod play count says that Union City Breath was my most played record of the year. Of course, that doesn’t count CD plays, but I’ve clearly spent many an hour banging my head to Crazy Arm.
Union City Breath
I really enjoyed Crazy Arm’s 2009 debut, Born To Ruin, which I discovered after the list had been compiled that year. In retrospect, that album would have certainly made my top ten in 2009. Union City Breath takes things to a completely different level, though, launching the ludicrously-named Crazy Arm to the top echelons of my list. One of the heaviest records on my countdown this year (Mastodon notwithstanding), this helped to fill a metal/heavy rock gap, where much of what I was listening to this year was indie. The progression from Born To Ruin is evident in a number of respects, though the broad Against Me! style template is still at the core of this. Added to the mix are increased guitar virtuosity, lyrical vitriol and bile (‘Song Of Choice’, for example, is just nasty; not merely anti-racism but viciously anti-racist…), some Irish folk sounds and an interesting approach to layering/overlaying vocals. At the end of it all, though, this is just a superb hard rock album, which comes out swinging and lands far more punches than it misses. Tracks like ‘Tribes/Animals’ and ‘Of The Tarantulas’ are amongst my favourite stand-alone rock songs of the year. It’s interesting that while there are three records I ultimately decided I preferred to this in 2011, my ipod play count says that Union City Breath was my most played record of the year. Of course, that doesn’t count CD plays, but I’ve clearly spent many an hour banging my head to Crazy Arm.03.
Metronomy
The English Riviera
In many ways, 2011 was the year of Metronomy. A festival-defining Glastonbury show – on the afternoon of the opening day – set the scene for their continuing rise, which had already gotten well under way with the release of their third album, The English Riviera, in April. I came across them playing on Later with Jools Holland, and was struck by the seamless mixture of electonica, pop and funk that made up their sound. Die-hard Metronomy fans are said to be angry at the new populist direction and move away from dance/hard electronica, but for the previously uninitiated like me, this was one of the finds of the year. The introduction of two new band members, Anna Prior (drums) and Gbenga Adelekan (bass), has clearly been a masterstroke. Adelekan’s chilled soft-funk bass is perhaps the defining sound of The English Riviera (best displayed on ‘The Bay’, but evident throughout). Similarly, Anna Prior is both an excellent drummer and a talented vocalist. The counterpoint of Prior’s ‘lyrical’ female vocals with those of mainman Joseph Mount is also crucial to the sound here (take their duet on album highlight ‘Everything Goes My Way’). The overall result is a hugely catchy mix of 80s pop (in a good way), 90s dance and 2000s indie. This is a varied and ambitious – albeit at its core quite simple (take the wonderful ‘The Look’ – one piano riff is all you need if it’s awesome) – album. The English Riviera sounds little like anything else I listened to in 2011, but was better than the vast majority of records released this year. And they’re from Devon, for goodness sake…
The English Riviera
In many ways, 2011 was the year of Metronomy. A festival-defining Glastonbury show – on the afternoon of the opening day – set the scene for their continuing rise, which had already gotten well under way with the release of their third album, The English Riviera, in April. I came across them playing on Later with Jools Holland, and was struck by the seamless mixture of electonica, pop and funk that made up their sound. Die-hard Metronomy fans are said to be angry at the new populist direction and move away from dance/hard electronica, but for the previously uninitiated like me, this was one of the finds of the year. The introduction of two new band members, Anna Prior (drums) and Gbenga Adelekan (bass), has clearly been a masterstroke. Adelekan’s chilled soft-funk bass is perhaps the defining sound of The English Riviera (best displayed on ‘The Bay’, but evident throughout). Similarly, Anna Prior is both an excellent drummer and a talented vocalist. The counterpoint of Prior’s ‘lyrical’ female vocals with those of mainman Joseph Mount is also crucial to the sound here (take their duet on album highlight ‘Everything Goes My Way’). The overall result is a hugely catchy mix of 80s pop (in a good way), 90s dance and 2000s indie. This is a varied and ambitious – albeit at its core quite simple (take the wonderful ‘The Look’ – one piano riff is all you need if it’s awesome) – album. The English Riviera sounds little like anything else I listened to in 2011, but was better than the vast majority of records released this year. And they’re from Devon, for goodness sake… 02.
Amplifier
The Octopus
Although I got the pre-release in December 2010, an official release date of January 2011 means I think The Octopus qualifies for this year’s list. Having made that determination, I’m still a little baffled as to how this masterpiece isn’t 2011’s number 1. For a long, long time it wasn’t close to being touched, and then towards the end of the year something else swooped in and stole the top spot out from under it. Perhaps the key reason for this – other than the merits of the ultimate number 1 album, of course – is a problem of consistency. The Octopus was made by the band, entirely sans record label. It was self-produced in every sense (including marketing and distribution), making the album an astounding achievement by any measure. It’s by far Amplifier’s biggest seller (their gigs now have actual people at them, not just me) and is also the band’s most complex and technically outstanding work. A three-year labour of love.When it’s good, it’s so good that it beats anything that any other band can muster, this year or any other. Tracks like ‘Planet Of Insects’, ‘Interstellar’ and ‘The Wave’ are as good as – if not better than – anything on Amplifier’s 2004 debut (which remains my favourite album of all time). There are also new joys, where the band have tried something a bit different: take the operatic, piano-led ‘Minion’s Song’ or the acoustic ‘Oscar Night’. 75% of The Octopus is astoundingly good. The problem is simply one of quality control – with no record company oversight, the final product is a 16 track 2+ hour long behemoth, and ultimately too much of it is waffle (comparatively at least). Amplifier’s waffle is better than most bands’ best ever pancake, of course, but it still feels like an opportunity slightly missed: if this were more streamlined it may even have challenged their debut as my favourite album ever. As it is, it ultimately didn’t even manage top spot in 2011 (ie, it didn’t even win its own category...). Nonetheless, further proof, if proof were needed, that Amplifier are the best band around right now, bar none. Magnificent.
01.
Bombay Bicycle Club
A Different Kind Of Fix
A Different Kind Of Fix is Bombay Bicycle Club’s third record in as many years. After coming 3rd on my list in both 2009 and 2010, the band has now taken the two (huge) steps necessary to reach the summit in 2011. Consistently high placings of 3, 3, 1 over a three year span means that – Amplifier aside – Bombay Bicycle Club are my favourite band right now. Along with contemporaries Noah And The Whale and Cold War Kids (but to my mind better than either), Bombay Bicycle Club are defining this period in music for me and are the best exponents of the (broad) sound that I’ll always associate with it. No other band will evoke the start of the second decade of the 21st century quite as much as Bombay Bicycle Club. Just as with Noah And The Whale, all three Bombay Bicycle Club albums are notably different from each other, while retaining an identifiable ‘sound’. The band’s third album is therefore deliberately, and entirely appropriately, called A Different Kind Of Fix: it represents yet another string to the BBC bow. I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose was frantic The Libertines style indie rock, Flaws was Kings Of Convenience-esque acoustic balladry. Eschewing either approach, A Different Kind Of Fix is a much more mainstream record, at least on initial listens: it calls to mind Snow Patrol’s Final Straw or maybe early Turin Breaks. It’s a slower, happier, cuddlier affair than most British rock bands would be brave enough to produce, but the lack of rage is more than made up for passion, meaning and damn good songs.It really comes down to the fact that every track on show is an absolute peach. Opener ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep’ sets the tone with a building repetitive refrain that lodges in the head from the outset. The wondrous shuffling piano riff of the aptly-named ‘Shuffle’ makes me want to dance absolutely every time I hear it. Closing ballad ‘Still’ is more beautiful than anything Chris Martin could ever dream of, but nonetheless evokes Coldplay at their best. ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’ is what Foals would sound like if they weren’t so unnecessarily contrary: math rock for English students. I could go on, but I’d have to list every track on the record.
A big bonus for A Different Kind Of Fix is the vocal work of Lucy Rose, who featured on Flaws but appears on more than half of the tracks here. Rose adds something really special to the BBC sound. More important, though, is a new freedom to do what sounds good and ignore what is cool, or what is fast or what is heavy just for the sake of those things. I probably wouldn’t really have liked this record ten years ago – my taste was a bit too pretentious. Now I see it as mainstream rock at its absolute best.
In the final analysis, no higher praise can be given to A Different Kind Of Fix than to say I ultimately preferred it to The Octopus...
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