January 2, 2012

Sean’s Top 11 Albums of 2011

Here are my obtuse meanderings vis-a-vis the best records of the year. Please forgive my inanity.

11. Let’s Wrestle – Nursing Home
Nouveau ’90s rock was to 2011 what dance punk revivalism was to 2001. And of all the bands channeling classic slackercore this year, Let’s Wrestle did it the best.

10. Russian Circles – Empros
I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of instrumental rock — particularly metal. After all, it usually involves more noodling than a Pauls Valley fishing tournament. Be that as it may, Russian Circles created a moody, punishing, intricate and altogether entrancing slab of wax.

9. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo
If Kurt Vile is good enough for J Mascis and Bank of America, he’s good enough for me.

8. My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind
To say My Brightest Diamond mastermind Shara Worden has a flair for the theatrical is like saying Richard Simmons has a slight proclivity for daisy dukes. Her latest album ties together the pomp of Zaju opera and the fragile beauty of Faberge eggs with the panache of Sergio Bustamante.

7. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Wolfroy Goes to Town
In Wolfroy Goes to Town, you’ll find the same haunting mix of dread and oddly disquieted hope that is present in Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s unique account of Jesus: He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lake-side … [He] lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving on that last revolution which is to bring all ordinary history to a close. It refuses to turn, and He throws Himself upon it. Then it does turn; and crushes Him. Instead of bringing in the eschatological conditions, He has destroyed them. The wheel rolls onward …

6. Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital
This is the audio equivalent of a mid-’80s high school rager of John Hughesian proportions. You know, the kind of party that involves slow-motion chase montages and low-key celebrity cameos. Except the party is in Estonia, and it’s not 1987. It’s 2011. You know, that old chestnut.

5. All the albums Robert Pollard released in 2011
If prolific musicians were actually Constructicons, then Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, Prince, Jack White and Johnny Cash would join together to form the rock and roll Devastator known as Bob Pollard. No one writes and records more than Pollard, who released six albums this year while touring heavily with a reunited Guided by Voices. Oh yeah, and he found time to record two GBV albums that aren’t even out yet. Here’s a list of the Fading Captain’s 2011 output:

Robert Pollard – Lord of the Birdcage
Robert Pollard – Space City Kicks
Mars Classroom – The New Theory of Everything
Boston Spaceships – Let It Beard
Circus Devils – Capsized!
Lifeguards – Waving at the Astronauts

4. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Sometimes M83 constructs such rich, vivid soundscapes that I wonder if the band is from France or from Remulak. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is no exception, although it could be a little shorter. That said, when a solid but bloated record contains a contender for song of the year, you can overlook the need for brevity.

3. Young Widows – In and Out of Youth and Lightness
You may know Young Widows as a groove-heavy noise band that worships at the altar of David Yow (not that there’s nothing wrong with that), but the Louisville trio’s latest offering shines a hazy spotlight on frontman Evan Patterson’s guitar work and vocals. I imagine this record is what it feels like to be hit with a tranquilizer dart during a barroom brawl at 3:47 a.m. on a Tuesday night.

2. Wild Flag – Wild Flag
Wild Flag’s debut record has all the feminine power and sexual undertones of the early-’90s riot grrl scene while resisting the urge to wax nostalgic. That’s doubly impressive, because Carrie Brownstein and the gang repurpose so many musical elements of the past that you’d half expect things to sound like the work of a deranged Mark Tansey devotee. But it doesn’t.

1. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
David Comes to Life is where the musical ferocity of Dag Nasty meets the conceptual grandeur of Devo meets the textual interplay and reflexivity of Derrida. Oh yeah, and the songs sound real good, too.

12 Responses to “Sean’s Top 11 Albums of 2011”

  1. On 01/2/12 11:33 PM, erick said:

    i’ve only heard of two of these albums…and i disliked both of them

  3. On 01/3/12 10:35 AM, sammy said:

    I am bad about buying albums and not getting around to listening to them, which is the case with Wolfroy and Empros, but David Comes to Life is #3 on my list.

  5. On 01/3/12 4:11 PM, Buzzgrinder Fan #666 said:

    Junius topped MY list this year, but Fucked Up was a close second.

  7. On 01/4/12 1:16 AM, Sean Cannon said:

    Sammy, I can’t guarantee you’ll be as in love with both of them as I am…but I know you won’t be disappointed.

    Also, glad to see you’re using your new name, Kyle. And the Junius record is solid, too.

  9. On 01/5/12 9:47 AM, sammy said:

    Just because I feel like we used to do this:

    10. James Blake – James Blake
    09. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
    08. Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
    07. Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All
    06. Josh T. Pearson – Last of the Country Gentlemen
    05. Yuck – Yuck
    04. Yob – Atma
    03. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
    02. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
    01. David Bazan – Strange Negotiations

  11. On 01/5/12 1:06 PM, kyle u said:

    sammy – GREAT choice with Ulcerate. I only found it in november, otherwise it would have made my list. fine, i’ll share too.

    10. Defeater – Empty Days & Sleepless Nights

    9. La Dispute – Wildlife

    8. Into It. Over It. – Proper

    7. Northcote – Gather No Dust

    6. It Prevails – Stroma

    5. Living With Lions – Holy Shit

    4. David Bazan – Strange Negotiations

    3. Heartsounds – Drifter

    2. Fucked Up – David Comes To Life

    1. Junius – Reports from the Threshold of Death

  13. On 01/5/12 1:13 PM, kyle u said:

    another honorable mention was fallujah’s ‘the harvest wombs’. tasty

  15. On 01/5/12 1:33 PM, sammy said:

    I like that Heartsounds album a lot. I haven’t gotten around to the Junius album yet. I just got it off eMusic. I’ve also been jamming the new Craig’s Brother quite a bit.

  17. On 01/5/12 2:04 PM, kyle u said:

    am I really seeing the words “new Craig’s Brother” in 2012? I was unaware of such activities

  19. On 01/5/12 2:35 PM, sammy said:

    They put out an EP a couple of years ago that wasn’t very good, but the new album (Insidious Lie I think?) that came out last year sounds just like the old stuff. Great harmonies, double bass, fast palm muting. The lyrics are way more Christian than ever before.

  21. On 01/23/12 6:02 PM, Micah said:

    Sammy glad you mentioned Tim Hecker love that album.

  23. On 01/24/12 7:39 PM, Sean Cannon said:

    I’ll be honest Sammy, for a split second I thought you listed “Tim Heidecker” at the number 9 spot. But then I read the album title, and it clicked.

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