Monday, December 19, 2011

Top 100 Songs of 2011

I spent a lot of time fine tuning the song list this year, to ultimately get to the same conclusion. The Top 20-30 are likely most representative of what my ears respnded best to over the last 12 months. After that, it's a  lot of cool songs that could be sequenced lots of different ways. This always seems more like an exercise in curation than critique, but it continues to be fun nonethlesss. One song per artist. Also, I did not purposely choose a 9 minute dance track by a Canadian elctro pop duo from the Hammer, but it's sort of cool how that worked out.  Here goes.


Title Artist
100 Cave Song Wu Lyf
99 Phantoms Young Galaxy
98 New Lands Justice
97 Then It's White The Field
96 Don't Stop (Color On The Walls) Foster The People
95 Get Together The Human League
94 Into The Trees Still Corners
93 My House Hercules & Love Affair
92 First Light My Morning Jacket
91 Badaboom Tapes N Tapes
90 Night is Young Southern Shores
89 When I Start (To Break It All Down) Erasure
88 Got It All (This Can'r Be Living Now) Portugal. The Man
87 Rider Okkervil River
86 You Was Me Jonny
85 Every Tear Is A Waterfall Coldplay
84 I Walked Alone Yacht
83 She Walks In So Many Ways The Jayhawks
82 Fragments Thievery Corporation
81 Magic The Sound of Arrows
80 Over You Cat's Eyes
79 One Time The Roots
78 Bigger Than Us White Lies
77 Towers Bon Iver
76 Woods The Rosebuds
75 Katzenjammer Big Talk
74 Bizness tUnE-yArDs
73 Caffeinated Consciousness TV On The Radio
72 Funny Word Deer Tick
71 Heart Attack Raphael Saadiq
70 Keep You Class Actress
69 Under Cover of Darkness The Strokes
68 In The Grace Of Your Love The Rapture
67 End of The Night Smith Westerns
66 Solid Ground PNAU
65 Where Are You J Mascis
64 L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. Noah and the Whale
63 San Pedro Mogwai
62 Baby Missiles The War On Drugs
61 If You Wanna The Vaccines
60 The Look Metronomy
59 Beat & The Pulse Austra
58 Gutter Rainbows Talib Kweli
57 Annihilation Eyes Maritime
56 Turn Off This Song and Go Outside The Lonely Forest
55 Wilderness The Horror The Horror
54 Palomino Mates of State
53 Shine Like Stars Glasvegas
52 Forever In Armitron BOAT
51 Omega Dog The Dears
50 Austere The Joy Formidable
49 Alex Girls
48 Memories of The Future Handsome Furs
47 Living Is So Easy British Sea Power
46 Positive Dog Day
45 Ice Cream Battles
44 Shuffle Bombay Bicycle Club
43 It Rich Aucoin
42 Able Gavin Friday
41 Blue Cassette Friendly Fires
40 Abducted Cults
39 Open Arms Elbow
38 Itchin' On A Photograph Grouplove
37 Blue Jeans Lana Del Rey
36 Queen Of Hearts Fucked Up
35 Black Hand Style Pharoahe Monche
34 Unkind Sloan
33 Last Night At The Jetty Panda Bear
32 Everything Works Miracle Fortress
31 Electric Band Wild Flag
30 Bed of Nails Wild Beasts
29 I Might Wilco
28 Ungrateful Frankie & The Heartstrings
27 Days The Drums
26 Amor Fati Washed Out
25 Do It Again Holy Ghost!
24 Young Glass Hey Rosetta!
23 Bedroom Eyes Dum Dum Girls
22 Underneath The Sycamore Death Cab For Cutie
21 The Last Living Rose PJ Harvey
20 Punching In A Dream The Naked & Famous
19 How'd You Like That The Kooks
18 Baby Don't Dance Mother Mother
17 Get Some Lykke Li
16 Please Ask For Help Telekinesis
15 Pacing Around The Church Cold Cave
14 Re-Wired Kasabian
13 Somebody That I Used to Know Gotye
12 The Long Goodbye Army Navy
11 New Beat Toro Y Moi
10 Get Away Yuck
9 Second Chance Peter Bjorn & John
8 Future Starts Slow The Kills
7 Heaven's Gonna Happen Now The Pains of Being Pure Heart
6 Take Me Over Cut Copy
5 It's Real Real Estate
4 Lotus Flower Radiohead
3 Midnight City M83
2 Still Life The Horrors
1 Banana Ripple Junior Boys

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Top 100 Albums of 2011

Sort of a strange yet cool year in music. There did not seem to be as many of the highly innovative, boundary pushing type artists releasing music this year (whoever they are). There did however, seem to be a lot of great bands who are not afraid to borrow from other great bands, past and present, and while proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves, they are still able to put a fresh, current and relevant spin on some very familiar sounds. My number one choice this year especially speaks to this.

The other part I liked about musical 2011, was it presented a really great collection of albums where bands weren't afraid to write 3-4 minute pop songs. Some of them lean more to the jingle jangle guitar fuzz skew, while the electro pop brigade bands continue to produce danceable pop that often incorporates organic and stringed bits when necessary. Some of the albums received fairly prominant profile, while as always there was some great music that perhaps slots more snuggly into traditional indie and internet based obscura.

Regardless, after painstaking compiling and curation efforts, I have done my best to sequence things with some sense of passion and bias recognition. The Top 50 is reasonably spot on, the next 50 are great, but sequencing of course would tend to be more loose. As with any list a self proclaimed music nerd puts together, it is within minutes of hitting "post" I will undoubtedly have regrets and contempt. For the moment though, here are 100 albums that worked pretty well for me in 2011.


ARTIST TITLE
100 Dawes Nothing Is Wrong
99 Erasure Tomorrow's World
98 Mister Heavenly Out of Love
97 Still Corners Creatures of An Hour
96 Crystal Stilts In Love With oblivion
95 Raphael Saadiq Stone Rollin'
94 Portugal. The Man In The Mountain In The Cloud
93 Tapes N Tapes Outside
92 Okkervil River I Am Very Far
91 Human League Credo
90 British Sea Power Valhalla Dancehall
89 Wu Lyf Go Tell Fire to The Mountain
88 Gang Gang Dance Eye Contact
87 Peaking Lights 936
86 Matthew Good Lights of Endangered Species
85 Big Talk Big Talk
84 The Lonely Forest Arrows
83 Sloan The Double Cross
82 The Sound of Arrows Voyage
81 Rich Aucoin We're All Dying to Live
80 White Lies Ritual
79 The Antlers Burst Apart
78 The Rapture Grace Of Your Love
77 Young Galaxy Shapeshifting
76 The Field Looping State of Mind
75 The Horror The Horror Wilderness
74 Austra Feel It Break
73 The Jayhawks Mockingbird Time
72 The Strokes Angles
71 Thievery Corporation Culture of Fear
70 Cold Play Mylo Xyloto
69 TV On the Radio Nine Types of Light
68 Talib Kweli Gutter Rainbows
67 Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost
66 The War on Drugs Slave Ambient
65 BOAT Dress Like Your Idols
64 The Dears Degeneration Street
63 The Rosebuds Loud Planes Fly Low
62 Glasvegas Euphoric Heartbreak
61 Gotye Making Mirrors
60 Hercules & Love Affair Blue Songs
59 PNAU Soft Universe
58 Peter Bjorn & John Gimme Some
57 Cat's Eyes Cat's Eyes
56 My Morning Jacket Circuital
55 Deer Tick Divine Providence
54 Jonny Jonny
53 Roots Undun
52 Noah And The Whale Las Night On Earth
51 Mogwai Hardcore Will Never Die
50 Bombay Bicycle Club A Different Kind of Fix
49 Wilco The Whole Love
48 Class Actress Rapproacher
47 Maritime Human Hearts
46 The Joy Formidable The Big Roar
45 Grouplove Never Trust A Happy Song
44 The Vaccines What Did you Expect From The Vaccines?
43 Washed Out Within and Without
42 Smith Westerns Dye It Blonde
41 Fucked Up David Comes to Life
40 J Mascis Several Shades of Why
39 Mates of State Mountaintops
38 Metronomy The English Riviera
37 Gavin Friday Catholic
36 Battles Glass Drop
35 Dog Day Deformer
34 Cults Cults
33 Mother Mother Eureka
32 Pharoahe Monch W.A.R.
31 Friendly Fires Pala
30 Toro Y Moi Underneath The Pines
29 Handsome Furs Sound Kapital
28 The Drums Portamento
27 Death Cab For Cutie Codes & Keys
26 Bon Iver Bon Iver
25 Frankie & The Heartstrings Hunger
24 Dum Dum Girls Only in Dreams
23 Hey Rosetta! Seeds
22 The Kooks Junk Of The Heart
21 Miracle Fortress Was I The Wave?
20 Wild Flag Wild Flag
19 Telekinesis 12 Desperate Straight Lines
18 Holy Ghost! Holy Ghost!
17 The Kills Blood Pressure
16 Cold Cave Cherish The Light Years
15 Army Navy The Last Place
14 Radiohead King of Limbs
13 Yuck Yuck
12 Elbow Build A Rocket Boys
11 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Belong
10 Panda Bear Tomboy
9 Lykke Li Wounded Rhymes
8 Real Estate Days
7 PJ Harvey Let England Shake
6 M83 Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
5 Wild Beasts Smother
4 Junior Boys It's All True
3 Kasabian Velociraptor!
2 Cut Copy Zonoscope
1 The Horrors Skying

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Top 10 Canadian Albums of 2011

So much more amazing music released over the past year here in the Great White North. It was really tough to narrow it all down to 10, and then to rank them. Seems like a perfect way to get the year end-end musical round up started.

10. Young Galaxy - Shapeshifter


9. Austra - Feel It Break


8. The Dears - Degeneration Street



7. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life


6. Dog Day - Deformer


5. Mother Mother - Eureka


4. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital


3. Hey Rosetta! - Seeds



2. Miracle Fortress - Was I The Wave?


 1. Junior Boys - It's All True