Monday 9 January 2012

Something for New Year...

#bearmusic albums of 2011

Happy New Year everyone, 2011 was a brilliant first year for my blog highlights of which include seeing the Flaming Lips and OKGO play next to giant telescope, feedback on my blog from my two favorite DJs Zane Lowe and Lauren Laverne, Jape's Richie Egan and also mercury prize nominees, the brilliant Everything Everything and the genius ghostpoet; the later three all now follow me on twitter. So with the coming of a new year gives me an opportunity that comes but once a year for me to run through my top 10 best albums of 2011.

The year was brimming with new alt music; much of it of it from new artists but the majority from already established ones. Some good as you will see fill up my top 10 rundown but much of it was drab, predictable and damn right terrible from the likes of Elbow, the Oasis brothers much anticipated dull solo offerings and Coldplay, who never fail to disappoint. Others took me by surprise and offerings from a couple of my favourite bands from Incubus' 7th album, ironically titled 'If not now, When?' and the Arctic Monkeys' dismal 4th album 'Suck it and See' both massively failed to impress me...

Anyway on wards and upwards, heres the good sh*t...

10. The Naked And Famous - 'Passive Me, Aggressive You'
Not necessarily a band name you would want your kids googling, having outgrown New Zealand, TMAF and their debut album were my personal and also the BBC's recomendation as ones to watch for 2011. Making the final cut in fellow Kiwi Zane Lowe's In New Music We Trust and having received critical acclaim by the 'alternative' British press such as NME my opinion was in good company. 
Having toured the UK and Europe this year, I missed the boat but will be certain to catch them this summer during the festival season. The album itself is utterly stunning, a classic case of ugly and beautiful, passive melodicism and aggressive innovation clash in a dazzling blaze of psych/sonic fireworks. Stand out tracks include 'Punching in a dream', 'All of This' and the beautiful 'Young Blood'...
9. Foo Fighters - 'Wasting Light'
7 is often a lucky number but in this case it is definitely true, the bands 7th album is a definite return to form from Grohl, Hawkins, Shiflet, Mendel and the returning Pat Smear. The 
Foo Fighters’ seven-year itch ended up lasting the full seven years. It followed that the make-up sex was always going to be phenomenal, not strictly 100% true as the first 3 albums being fantastic but since the master piece that is 'Colour and Shape' I've hated everything they have done and been left with a feeling of "not being able to look at them during". 
Grohl has made up with the spirit of Nirvana by getting Butch to produce and having Krist pop over too, but he also made peace with the white-hot, throbbing testoste-rock that had marked him out ever since his early days as Nirvana’s engine room. Recorded in Grohl’s garage it was back to basics for the lads, or more aptly middle aged men. Stand out tracks include the lead single 'Rope', 'Walk', 'Bridge Burning' and the hard hitting 'White Limo', the video for which features the legendary Lemmy in the driving seat...
8. Lykke Li - 'Wounded Ryhmes'
The first female entry in the rundown, Lykke is a godess in my eyes, a smoulder that could warm any mans heart. Her explosion of confidence and fearless experimentation form a mixing pot that is both sensual and substantially immense. Moving firmly away from her happier debut pop album this album is rich and comeplling, which bring dark and complex contradictions, but she is, thank god, still rough around the edges. The album serves as a romantic outlook past the age were such a thing is realistic, none more so than two tracks from t'other end of the spectrum on the album, the sexual  'Get Some' and the beautiful 'I Follow Rivers'...
7. Beastie Boys - 'Hot Sauce Committee Part II'
Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock may have been slogging as the kings of white boy hip hop since 1979 but they NEVER fail to impress me! This result of such an experienced career is probably the guys best album since 'Hello Nasty', it does everything you would hope it too. Something inside you overwhelms you to rekindle their epic back catalogue that is stacked with anthems from 'Fight for your right', 'Intergalactic' through to 'Sabotage'. From the latest 16 tracks its impossible so I will choose the first, lead single, and possible the music video of the year 'Make Some Noise'...
6. TV on the Radio - 'Nine Types of Light'
This album is truly an extraordinary work of art as the record and it propelled Dave Sitek’s mob one of the best bands in 
the world, rather than simply one of the most revered by people in the alt community. Slingshotting straight into it after his funk solo project the sense of Sitek actually having a laugh making music – rarely present in the previous 4 albums. 
For me, TVOTR have always been brilliant since I first clapped ears on them; from the debut offerings of 'Satellite' and 'Starring at the Sun' to the previous album, commercial breakthru 'Dear Science' - 'Dancing Choose', 'Golden Age' and 'Crying'.
The core of the band has been vocalist Tunde, guitarist Dave, bassist Kyp, drummer Jaleel and keyboardist Gerard Smith who sadly lost his fight with lung cancer in April last year. Stand out tracks on 9 types are pretty tough as it just works as a journey through music, each track having its own video, lead single 'Will Do' and the utterly genius 'Repetition' are two that jump out on first listen....
5. The Strokes - 'Angles'
The New Yorkers’ Casablancas, Hammond Jnr, Morreti and Valensi returned this year with their 4th album, not quite the masterpiece some had hoped for, but wait, it’s still one damn fine album!
Yes, it may not redefine a genre of generation like there debut 'Is this it?' a decade ago but some of the insanely innovative tight riffs were most definitely worth the 5 year wait since 'First impressions...'. Need I say more? Go buy it...stand out tracks include the brilliant lead singles 'Under Cover of Darkness' and 'Taken for a Fool', but for me it has to be the utterly refined, floating riffage of 'Machu Picchu'...
4. Radiohead - 'King of Limbs'
One the greatest bands in history have done it again, maybe I'm biased because Yorke is one of my all time heroes for me the album always sounds great whatever the mood.  A subtle, multi-layered affair that is suprisingly low key in places, the album is essentially a 37 minute jam, carved out by artists at the top of their trade. Stand out tracks include 'Bloom', 'Mr Magpie', 'Codex' and the truely awesome 'Lotus Flower', shake your limbs like Thom...
3. Ben Howard - 'Every Kingdom'
Ben Howard is the first male solo on my list and the reason why he makes it too third in my chart is because his album is truely one epic, beautiful, inspiring piece of music in a category filled with so much rubbish. Alongside fellow singer songwriter James Vincent McMorrow (who charted for the first time this wkend) a day doesnt go by when I don't sit back and relax to their soulful vocals. The debut album from the Devon born lad features 'Old Pine' as its debut single, followed by the wonderful 'Keep Your Head Up' and the truly beautiful 'Wolves', let it take you to another world...
2. Bell X1 - Bloodless Coup
Very narrowly pipped to the top spot by an honorable late flurrish from the kings of modern blues but Bell X1 were all set to be my chart pinnacle and have featured heavily in #bearmusic this year. The soundtrack to my summer by a four minute mile, I have my gorgeous other half @I_Blame_Kate for introducing me to Paul Noonan and Dave Geraghty 4 years ago. One of the highlights of my year was when she took me to see them for my first time in November and they do not disappoint, dare I say it even better live than on record! This albums has it all from the soft ballads of 'Anna Lena' and 'Nightwatchmen' through to the addition of 'Velcro' to add to their ever growing list of anthems that include 'Tongue', 'Alphabet Soup' and 'the Great Defector' amongst others. The stand out track on the album for though has to be the genius lyrics of 'Four minute Mile', which can be summed up as an modern fable for the uninspired and unambitious much like myself...   
1. The Black Keys - 'El Camino'
Words cannot describe how brilliant this album is, so good I wrote a special in its on honor the week it was released (which you can read here). I really don't need to say any more, Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney, praise be to the father of blues for your existence, every track is pure gold, another masterpiece, a more than worthy Number 1, see you in February lads...


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