TMOT’s top 5 albums of 2011, in no particular order
1. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Forget Emma, forget Kanye, forget the Grammys, forget the cabin in the woods. Jubilation is not apparent in Bon Iver, not at first. But how else could “Towers” be described? It’s a gorgeous love song, and despite the occasionally unintelligible lyrics, it exemplifies the album’s dreamy folk-rock atmosphere and gentle percussion. Soft-hearted hipsters will also rejoice at “Holocene,” one of the standout tracks. Above all, “Calgary” made me an enthusiatic fan of Justin Vernon: the song is a year in itself, and the album a lifetime.
2. Fionn Regan, 100 Acres of Sycamore
Fionn Regan, the man from another time — less frail than Nick Drake, more introspective than Bob Dylan — revived our modern backwater with his third full-length release. Receding from the sharper-edged songs on Shadow of an Empire (see “Violent Demeanour,” for instance), Fionn produced an album enriched by the economy of his sound. Though “For a Nightingale” and “100 Acres of Sycamore,” my favorites, were buoyed by a string accompaniment on the album, Fionn’s acoustic guitar is first and foremost on this capsule collection.
Fionn Regan at the Mercury Lounge on October 18, 2011. View the CLOG post here.
3. Noah & the Whale, Last Night on Earth
On Last Night on Earth, Noah & the Whale dressed to impress. The result is easily one of my favorite albums of all time. The slow smoldering perfection of “Wild Thing” threatens to overshadow the tracks that are more transparently exhuberant (“Tonight’s the Kind of Night”) and triumphantly nostalgic (“Give It All Back”). As impressive as Noah & the Whale’s last album was, the First Days of Spring was also a punch in the gut, and it’s something of a relief that the summer that followed was a celebration of being alive.
Noah & the Whale at Irving Plaza on June 18, 2011. View the CLOG post here.
4. Graham Wright, Shirts vs. Skins
Though Graham excelled with the bare-bones Lakes of Alberta EP — a folk concept album of heart-rending regret — this multi-talented Canadian brought a fuller pop-rock sound to his debut LP. “Heaven’s Just for Moviemakers” is delightfully catchy and furiously fast. I suspect that the word density is much higher on this song (and the album in general), though I haven’t done the math. “Soviet Race,” another standout track, taps into the sort of youthful nostalgia that surfaces throughout the album.
Graham Wright in Tokyo Police Club at the House of Vans on August 18, 2011. View the full CLOG post here.
5. Cults, Cults
Were the last 34 minutes a dream, or have I been awake this entire time? I first heard about Cults last year when they guested on the impeccable song “Sail it Slow” on the Guards EP (Chairlift’s Caroline Polacheck was featured on another track). The debut LP of this New York-based duo starts out strong with “Abducted” — a sleeper track that turns into a frenzy after about forty seconds. Dreamy like Chairlift, catchy beats like the xx, and sort of an 80′s pop haze over it all: what’s not to like?
TMOT’s top 5 songs of 2011, in no particular order
1. Bright Eyes, “Ladder Song” (from The People’s Key)
On the most recent Bright Eyes album, Conor Oberst took to the piano for this introspective ballad. Markedly different from “Shell Games,” the slick lead single from the album, or from the trademark Bright Eyes songs that threatened to tear apart the listener or Conor himself (see “Method Acting”), and a tranquil chord-changer compared with the flames engulfing the album cover, “Ladder Song” showcases the best of Conor’s lyrics and voice. (Read TMOT’s full album review here.)
Bright Eyes at Radio City Music Hall on March 9, 2011. View the full CLOG post here.
2. Alex Turner, “Stuck on the Puzzle” (from the Submarine OST)
The soundtrack for this indie film was a much-anticipated, surprising composition from the lead Arctic Monkey. Sounding more like a native of Tennessee than Sheffield, Alex may just have discovered a new vocation as an acoustic folk singer. While the other tracks on Submarine feature ghostly vocals, low-key guitar and subtle harmonies, “Stuck on the Puzzle” is driven by a powerful beat. I would imagine it playing during a slow dance at prom for hipsters.
3. Cass McCombs, “County Line” (from Wit’s End)
Having released two impeccable albums in 2011, Cass McCombs is shaping up to be the Ryan Adams of folk-rock. “County Line” was the first single from his first album this year (the second being Humor Risk), and this sleeper hit has it all: medium-high falsetto, vague hints of R&B, and a melody like a rocking boat.
4. Tokyo Police Club, “Under Control (The Strokes cover)” (from 10 Days, 10 Covers, 10 Years)
This year, my favorite Canadians participated in a gimmicky promotion, which they turned into a great idea. Recording ten cover songs from each of the last ten years, over the course of ten days, they turned this project into a multimedia feast (with live video feeds, guest musicians and generally awesome good cheer). It was inevitable that a young band so indebted to the Strokes would select a song from Room on Fire, and I was thrilled when they picked “Under Control.” The resulting mash-up is straight out of a dream.
5. Mathieu Santos, “I Can Hear the Trains Coming” (from Massachusetts 2010)
This Ra Ra Rioter’s debut solo album is a love letter to pop, and “I Can Hear the Trains Coming” is a bouncy, catchy delight. The vocals remind me a bit of Cults and the lyrics are nearly unintelligible, but nevertheless this song is free, loose and bursting with energy. With a buoyancy that tones down the otherwise hyper tempo of the album, “I Can Hear the Trains Coming” would make it seem like you haven’t been waiting 20 minutes for the F train.
Honorable mention: The Strokes, “Taken for a Fool” (from Angles)
This track is so punchy that I almost went with “Life is Simple in the Moonlight,” which closes out the album. I encountered a similar ambivalence with respect to Angles in general: the album is to the Strokes as laser beams are to Wes Anderson movies. There’s something a little bit off about the entire album — something’s just not quite right — but it’s still kind of fantastic.
