Top Ten Albums of the Years (and other musical things)

Let’s get this out there right now: 2011 was a bad year for music. I mean, a real bad year. If you thought cinema suffered in 2011, you ain’t seen nothing yet. In fact, as you go down these lists and go “Hey, how come you left out (Insert memorable album like Speak Now, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Pink Friday here)?” please remember that these albums actually came out at the tail end of 2010, as did most of the albums that received top honors at this year’s Grammys. Below are my picks for the best of this year in music, despite the slim pickings I was presented. Yes, I know the general consensus is that Adele’s 21 is the year’s best, and a close second is Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye. Sorry to report you’ll find one get less than the top slot, and one left off, and that’s just how I see it. Whether that’s seeing through hype or being “hipster”, well…that’s up for the commentator’s to decide. But if you think there’s a great album from 2011 I didn’t mention, let me know. Maybe I just didn’t hear it, and if so, I’ll gladly amend my mistake.

Top Ten Albums of the Year

10) Lulu- Lou Reed & Metallica

The year’s most criminally misunderstood album, this marriage of the godfather of glam rock and the heads of head banging makes both sound fresher than they have in years. Playing like the Velvet Underground at their most experimental, critics derided Hetfield & co. as losing their touch, when really they were just feeling around in uncharted territory, trying to find a new sound. With the master experimenter Lou Reed as their guide, it seems they found something stellar. No, Lulu isn’t for everyone, but it’s new, it’s unique, and it’s exciting. Poetry set to grinding guitars.

9) Ghost on the Canvas- Glen Campbell

In a year that took from us Clarence Clemmons and Amy Winehouse, the year’s biggest tragedy might easily be Glen Campbell. Most young Grammy viewers this year knew him as “That old guy who took tribute time away from Whitney Houston”, but when earlier in the year Glen announced that this album would be his final, and the tour supporting it his “farewell tour” due to his Alzheimer’s related memory loss, the country music world was stunned, and we all expected a Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash album of bleak ballads. Instead, Campbell chose to go out triumphant, with a collection of tracks that embody the same spirit that Glen poured into “Wichita Lineman” and “Rhinestone Cowboy” so many years ago. In a year that saw a lot of country release, the master schooled the bunch.

8) Barton Hollow- The Civil Wars

In the days I was brainstorming this piece, the #8 slot was occupied by Jay and Kanye’s self-love fest Watch The Throne. But then I gave it another spin, and realized that…well…it kinda sucks. Other than “Otis” the rhymes are stale, and it serves as nothing more than a love letter between Jay and Kanye (for an industry as homophobic as rap, nobody cracks jokes about those two?). But by sheer luck, when I felt like there was nothing to put in WTT’s place, iTunes jumped to the title track from The Civil Wars’ debut album, and I remembered how fresh and natural this record sounded. One of the best debuts in years, The Civil Wars are branded as country, but that’s far to limiting a label. Barton Hollow has a sound that works for country fans, pop fans and indie fans alike, like a less literary, less pretentious Decemberists. One of the most “worth a spin” records in years. A phenomenal debut from a band I have high hopes for. Glad the Grammys gave them some well deserved attention.

7) Wasting Light- The Foo Fighters

The Foo Fighters churned out this gnarly LP in a garage, and with it claimed the title of the best rock band of 2011. Granted, being the best rock band in 2011 is like being the best athlete at a performing arts high school. It’s not that hard and it really doesn’t mean much. That being said, Wasting Light stands up alongside all the other records in the Foo Fighters oeuvre as a hot and heavy, hard rocking hell of an album. From the poorly-recorded to perfection “White Limo” to the trademark Grohl growl on “Rope”, those who’ve grown weary of the indie rock mumbles that pervade the radio, and get angry at the hints of hipster in The Black Keys can find salvation in Wasting Light. So roll down your windows, crank up the stereo, blast the album’s anthemic “Walk” and send those pill-popping hipsters back to Brooklyn.

6) Goblin- Tyler, The Creator

The year’s most inventive and original rap album, Goblin plays like a Tom Waits rap record: equal parts entertaining and unnerving. Tyler’s dark grumble even sounds like Waits, and every track seems like a man on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Sure, Eminem gave us serial killer rap for years, but as Tyler spits out lines like “I’ll stab Bruno Mars in his god damn esophagus” through gritted teeth, you’re actually afraid he’s gonna do it. I mean, while Jay and his little protégé spit stale rhymes over an overproduced, grammar mangling chorus of “that shi cray”, Tyler treats us to such tightrope-of-sanity treading choruses as “Radical”s “Kill people, burn shit, fuck school”. After all the generic, bubblegum pop rap the industry’s been feeding us for years, it’s nice to have a new voice; a dark, demented experiment in shock-rap. If David Lynch had produced N.W.A., I think it’d sound a bit like this, and that makes it well worth a listen.

5) Hell on Heels- Pistol Annies

Miranda Lambert  has already established herself as one of the reigning queens of country, and this year she gave the world a hot version of the Highwaymen, by teaming up with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley to form Pistol Annies. Admittedly, this brilliant country record’s highlights are essentially Miranda Lambert tracks with some good back-up vocals, but that certainly ain’t a bad thing. One of the most consistent records of the year, and pure modern country, Hell On Heels has a brilliant energy to it that blazes in every track, and is this year’s “Roll down the windows on a hot summer’s drive” album. Yes, I’ve been praising the boundary pushers like Tyler, the Creator and Lulu this year, but sometimes you gotta love somebody who just does their genre and does it well. Pistol Annies sure as hell do, and if many a CMA award doesn’t head their way, then this is an unjust world.

4) Let England Shake- PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey’s latest record was NME’s pick for album of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. Ten years after she bared her soul on the surprisingly straight-forward Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, with two disappointing records (2004’s Uh Huh Her and 2007’s White Chalk) behind her, Harvey burst back on the scene with a lyrically vicious album about her home country's foundations, a country built on bloodshed and battlefields. The title track’s creepy, ethereal vocals show a return to form for an underground-renowned artist whose style has been imitated and replicated but never matched. On first listen, Let England Shake seems like a great edition to the PJ Harvey catalog. Then you listen to it again, and again, and begin to realize it might just be Harvey’s finest record ever.

3) The Book Of Mormon- Original Broadway Cast

In a weak year for both music and Broadway, the geniuses behind South Park and Avenue Q came together to save both. Not only is Book of Mormon the funniest and most original show to hit Broadway in my lifetime (and yes, I do remember The Producers), it’s also one of the best composed, with a score that manages to skewer other Broadway classics while making its own show-stopping numbers in the process. Melodically catchy and lyrically hilarious, The Book of Mormon soundtrack is more of a listening pleasure, and has more repeatability, than half of this year’s Grammy nominees. From the gleefully satirical “I Believe” to the brilliantly vulgar “Hasa Diga Eebowai”, these songs won Trey and Matt both a Grammy and a Tony, and both were well deserved. Unless you have a sensitivity to profanity (because there is a lot of it here), I surely hope I can convert you to The Book of Mormon. I can truly guarantee you that this book will change your life.

2) 21- Adele

Oh, dear reader, I still stand by my belief that Adele is massively overrated. I still believe that the magazines and public idea that Adele is great for “having talent, and making music without computers, auto-tune or dressing like a slut” is the same as giving a runner a gold medal for not shitting himself on the track. Adele does what all musicians are supposed to do, and she does a decent job of it. It’s a shame our standards have gotten so low. That being said, 21 is a sharp, consistent, brilliantly produced pop record and an undeniable force in the musical landscape. There’s not a bad track on the album, even if nothing’s earth-shattering, and it’s a fine hour of listening. Not the year’s best album, but certainly its most accessible.

1) w h o k i l l- tUnE-yArDs

The year’s most inventive, exciting, and genre-defying record, w h o k i l l is in your face from the first twisted notes of “My Country”, and takes your mind on twists and turns until the very end of “Killa”. Equal parts Bjork and free-form jazz, the second album by Merrill Garbus’ musical experiment tUnE-yArDs was picked as the Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop Poll Album of the Year, and though they don’t agree with the public perception (that Adele’s 21 is the year’s finest record, with it’s hermetically sealed pop perfection), they nailed it with this year’s pick. There’s a life to w h o k i l l that hasn’t been felt since Miles Davis laid down Bitches Brew, and in all its experimentation, the record doesn’t lose any of its pure melodic joy. Unlike most of the music this year, Adele and the FF included, w h o k i l l  doesn’t sedate you. It doesn’t provide background noise. It makes your mind an active participant in the art. It reaches out its hand and asks you to take a journey. I encourage you, take the journey. You won’t regret it.

Top Ten Songs of the Year

10.) “Ghost on the Canvas”- Glen Campbell

Above I gave my thoughts on the album from which this track came, but of all the songs on the record, this title track is the highlight. Glen’s sweet, somber yet hopeful farewell track brings a joyful tear to almost any eye, and the lack of airplay its received is criminal. It’s no “Hurt” (Johnny Cash’s career-reviving single), but it didn’t want to be. Glen leaves the industry on a high note with this Paul Westerberg penned track.

9.) “Edge of Glory”- Lady Gaga

Just when the “I’m so avant-garde” dance/pop queen schtick was getting tired, Gaga came back strong with (after a cheap “Express Yourself” rip-off, of course) a great pop track. No “pro-gay ‘cause it sells records” implications, no unnecessary edginess. In fact, the first time I heard it, it sounded like a mix of Madonna and Bruce Springsteen. Sure enough, before I could even utter the opinion, the late Big Man himself, Clarence Clemmons comes in with a brilliant sax solo worthy of “Jungleland”. On the otherwise disappointing Born This Way, “Edge of Glory” stands out as a great pop single, enjoyable to more people than just her rabid, leg-humping fans.

8.) “My Body”- Young the Giant

Brought to most of our attentions by a rip-roaring performance on the MTV VMAs, Young The Giant might just be the new band to watch for, and “My Body” is undeniably their breakout single. While some may prefer the more standard indie-rock fare of “Cough Syrup”, it’s “My Body” that rips and howls with a rock and roll spirit that hasn’t been felt outside the Foo Fighters in a long time. An almost tribal drum beat, screeching guitars, and a frontman with an energy that bursts through the speakers make “My Body” one of the year’s best tracks. Let’s hope there’s many more to come from these guys.

7.) “Hasa Diga Eebowai”- The Book of Mormon Cast

No, it’s not a single. It received no radio airplay. Hell, unless you know Broadway, you probably haven’t heard this song. But this uproarious “Hakunah Matata” knock-off from the stellar Book of Mormon soundtrack trumps even the tracks from the South Park movie. To describe it is to spoil it, but needless to say that when the show’s two Mormon missionaries arrive in Uganda, they find the people there have religious beliefs of their own already.

6.) “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster The People

"Pumped Up Kicks” is catchy as hell. “Pumped Up Kicks” was all over the TV, the radio, the internet, hell, it was even in movie trailers. “Pumped Up Kicks” is lyrically about a kid massacring his fellow students, but it was danceable enough that no one noticed. “Pumped Up Kicks” is also the epitomy of indie rock, and possibly the final nail in its coffin. The catchy hook, the overly-echoing vocals like the singer’s too shy to want to be heard, the shoe-gazing  atmosphere of the instruments, and the soft-loud dynamic lifted straight from the Pixies, “Pumped Up Kicks” is either the mainstream’s gateway drug to indie, or indie rock’s death knell. This author humbly hopes it’s the latter.

5.) “Otis”- Jay-Z and Kanye West

From an under-whelming album comes a great single track, mostly due to its sampling of the immortal Otis Redding. He may not be a great rapper (despite the opinions of every magazine and hipster on the planet), but damn can Kanye produce a track. A brilliant beat like this one could provide a hit for any rapper, but thankfully for at least one track on WTT, Jay-Z is in full-form, spitting fire like he hasn’t since The Blueprint, and even Kanye spit’s a flicker of fire here and there. This track is vintage HOVA, and if every track on WTT was this hot, it would have easily been one of the greatest rap albums of all-time. As it is, though, at least we have Jigga and ‘Ye at the top of their game while St. Otis shrieks and screams.

4.) “First of the Year (Equinox)”- Skrillex

There's no single cover, so here's that creepy kid.

Love it or hate it, the kids all seemed to be listening to the dubstep this year. Whether this is a new genre or a flash in the pan fad has yet to be seen, but either way, dubstep’s king seems to be the Hot Topic employee-looking Skrillex. Sure, most dubstep sounds like the bastard cousin of Kraftwerk, but there’s something undeniably masterful in scope and sound about Skrillex’s “First of the Year (Equinox)”. Yes, it’s equal parts dance beat and murder soundtrack, but even if you find this genre insufferable, Skrillex has a flair to his work that makes it engaging, and it’s seen no more obviously than in this track. Dubstep may be here to stay, but as long as it sounds like this, it’s welcome.

3.) “Walk”- Foo Fighters

Hard, heavy and triumphant, the Foo Fighter’s anthemic single has a pop-punk spirit that’s hard to hate, from it’s growled out chorus to its jump-up-and-down-and-shout bridge of “I never wanna die!”, “Walk” shows that rock and roll is indeed here to stay, if in short supply.

2.) “Rolling In The Deep”- Adele

This track was everywhere. With an old-school vibe and…come on, I don’t have to argue this one, guys. Hell, you’ve heard the track as much as I have, and your probably love it. It seems like everyone does. NME, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, they were all all over this song. What more is there to be said at this point?

1.) “Video Games”- Lana Del Rey

While everyone else fell in love with Adele’s booming voice, I was falling for Lana Del Rey. An unknown with a Youtube account, Del Rey posted a simple little video for her single “Video Games”, and in this track I heard all the confessional honesty, all the wounded vulnerability, and all the heart-wrenching vocal talent I’d heard everyone else talk about in Adele. Let’s forget the SNL performance (which I loved, by the way, in a Nico/Patti Smith kinda way), and just focus on the gorgeous, confessional song. I haven’t heard the full album yet. It doesn’t matter. I don’t need to. Out of nowhere, this single hit the scene and left an impact, and truly showed the way the internet can shape the music industry for the better.

Top Ten Music Videos of the Year

10) "Cough Syrup"- Young The Giant

 

It’s like an OK Go video, but with better music.

9) "Super Bass"- Nicki Minaj

Saccharine and sexy, like everything Nicki Minaj does.

8) “Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)”- Gotye

Yeah, the song is generic hipster crap trying to be Peter Gabriel, but the video works like Gabriel’s best visuals.

7) "It"- Rich Aucoin

Chock full of movie homages, this charmingy inventive music video brought attention to the otherwise unheard Rich Aucoin.

6) "Conversation 16"- The National

The National’s been a great band for years, but this absurd video for “Cnversation 16”, featuring The Daily Show’s Kristen Schaal and Mad Men’s John Slattery, had to bring them some new, well-deserved fans.

5) "Lonely Boy"- The Black Keys

Whatever your thoughts on The Black Keys, you have to admit the sheer absurdity of “Lonely Boy” makes it one of the year’s most memorable.

4) "Edge of Glory"- Lady Gaga

The (by Gaga standards) modest outfit, the Hollywood-set-esque fire escapes she dances on, the straightforward visual style. Dare I say it? The normality of the video to accompany this non-flashy single shows a new maturity for Gaga as soon as her old tricks were getting tired. Also, Clarence sitting on the steps is a nice touch.

3) "Walk"- The Foo Fighters

The Falling Down-inspired video for “Walk” does what every great FF video does, blends humor and angst (both helped by the many faces of human Muppet Dave Grohl) to perfectly capture the FF spirit.

2) "Make Some Noise"- The Beastie Boys

You’d think “Lonely Boy” or “Conversation 16” would be the most hilariously ridiculous video of the year, but leave it to The Beastie Boys to come back with a bang. A condensed version of their short film Fight For Your Right Revisited, “Make Some Noise” is riddled with celebrity cameos of the silliest fashion, most prominently its three leads, Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen and Eastbound And Down’s Danny McBride as the young Beastie Boys themselves.

1) "Yonkers"- Tyler, The Creator

Directed by Tyler under the moniker Wolf Haley, “Yonkers” is the year’s most inventive video. Done in practically a single shot, its twisted black and white style takes the work Mark Romanek did with Nine Inch Nails (“Perfect Drug” & “Closer”) and amps it up to 11. It’s eerie, unsettling, and feels fresh and new with every viewing. It’s like Eraserhead set to rap music. Sheer brilliance.

The Best of the Genres

Best Rock Album: Wasting Light- Foo Fighters

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Rock Song: “Walk”- Foo Fighters

See “Top Ten Songs of the Year”

Best Alternative Album: w h o k i l l- tune-yards

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Alternative Song: “Lotus Flower”- Radiohead

Yes, King of Limbs was a bland disappointment, and “Lotus Flower” was the only memorable track. On the other hand, It sure as hell was a memorable track. It’ll fit well into any Radiohead play list, and is still better than all the indie-rock bands that so desperately wish they were Radiohead.

Best Really Alternative Album: Crazy Clown Time- David Lynch

There’s no other way to describe it. Lynch is in a class of his own when it comes to film, but he also manages this year to bump Tom Waits out of a category I created exclusively for him. Cause let’s be real, like any Lynch film, you don’t know what the hell is happening on Crazy Clown Time, but it’s kind of intriguing.

Best Rap Album: Goblin- Tyler, The Creator

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Rap Song: “Otis“- Jay-Z & Kanye West

See “Top Ten Songs of the Year”

Best Pop Album: 21- Adele

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Pop Song: “Video Games”- Lana Del Rey

See “Top Ten Songs of the Year”

Best Dance Album: House of Balloons/Thursday- The Weeknd

Maybe it’s a bit of cheating since it’s actually two EPs, but forget any Deadmau5 or Guetta. The year’s best dance music came from the obscure Weeknd. Track down these EPs. You won’t regret it.

Best Dance Song: “First of the Year (Equinox)”- Skrillex

See “Top Ten Songs of the Year”

Best R&B Album: The Stepkids- The Stepkids

So, this debut album by three white kids that call themselves “psychedelic soul” feels more like a classic Marvin Gaye record than anything that bares the label “R&B” these days (I’m looking at you, Chris Brown). Grossly underexposed, like any real R&B is these days, The Stepkids is worth giving a spin. Maybe it’ll help unite the R&B crowd and the hipsters.

Best R&B Song: “I Miss You Now”- Ledisi

This right here. This is real R&B. Honest, soulful, sexy R&B. Ledisi may not be the household name Rihanna is, but in a just world, she would be.

Best Country Album: Hell on Heels- Pistol Annies

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Country Song: “Ghost On The Canvas”- Glen Campbell

See “Top Ten Songs of the Year”

Best Live Album: Live At Shea Stadium- Billy Joel

Ah, the last play at Shea. Like when Bruce Springsteen closed out Giants Stadium (where he debuted “Wrecking Ball”), the piano man was called upon to play a final night at Shea Stadium, and play he did, with a little help from friends like Paul McCartney. Billy hasn’t sounded better in years, and this record is a triumph, especially for those of us who remember the ol’ girl we called Shea.

Best Compilation Album: U2 Duals- U2

You could only get it through u2.com (unless you do that whole pirating thing), but in a world full of “Best of” compilations, this was much more fun, pulling together duets old and new with the Irish rock band.

Best Soundtrack: The Book Of Mormon- Original Broadway Cast

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Debut Album: Barton Hollow- The Civil Wars

See “Top Ten Albums of the Year”

Best Debut Single: “Video Games”- Lana Del Rey

See “Top Ten Songs of the Year”

Best Cover Song: “I Can’t Make You Love Me”- Bon Iver (Originally by Bonnie Raitt)

Look this up on Youtube as soon as humanly possible. I know Adele covered this too, but her bombastic voice crushes the tenderness of the song, a tenderness Justin Vernon cradles in his Buckley-esque falsetto.

Best Reissued Album- Nevermind 20th Anniversary Edition- Nirvana

Live recordings, bonus tracks, remixes, concert footage, all added to an already classic album. If you’ve never heard Nevermind, or you’ve had it memorized for 20 years, this album is for you.

Best Non-English Release: Violeta Violeta, Vol. 2- Kaizers Orchestra

A foreign band I’ve been espousing for years, Kaizers Orchestra keeps pumping out great music album after album. Catchy, hard rock tracks in a language you don’t understand and don’t need to, just download their whole discography, to which Violeta Violeta Vol. 2 makes a great addition.

Feel free to tell me I suck for not liking Kanye below.