20. Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math
Atlanta’s Manchester Orhcestra is a band I’ve slept on for a while. I like them, I liked their last album Mean Everything to Nothing so much that it ranked #16 in my Top 20 albums of 2009, and I honestly think that Simple Math is an improvement on that LP. The album is indeed a somewhat simple, yet still awesome rock and roll in an age that the great things about the gnere are being covered up by trendy indie bands and obnoxious pop music. And while these guys are conventional rock, they don’t do it in an Andrew W.K. style of just non-stop noise, they are methodical with their music and create a really cool 44 minute LP that doesn’t just rock your face, but challenges you a bit as a rock fan. It’s not experimental per se, but it is different than your normal batch of foot tappers and I really do enjoy that.
NOTABLE TRACKS: Deer, Pensacola, Pale Black Eye
19. The Black Keys- El Camino
I’d never been a big fan of The Black Keys until I listened to their 2010 LP Brothers, wherein I was promptly forced to apologize to friends who had been recommending them to me for years. So when I heard they were dropping El Camino a little more than a year and a half later, I was a bit worried that it would sound lazy and perhaps come off as a Brothers b-sides LP, and gladly El Camino isn’t that at all! While this album is more of an effort to be mainstream, as Brothers was too, it still succeeds at creating really catchy bluesy rock jams. So while the old school Keys fans are shaking their fists at this more poppy, mainstream sound, myself, and not to mention the Black Keys themselves are smiling and waving (and the band are laughing their way to the bank!)
NOTABLE TRACKS: Gold on the Ceiling, Hell of a Season, Mind Eraser
18. Evidence- Cats & Dogs
Producer, Rapper and Dilated Peoples member Evidence released his first LP on indie hip-hop label Rhymesayers, and the end result is a polished, straightforward hip-hop album. Ev covers typical hip-hop bases and does so with ease and great success. He effortlessly breezes across subject matter like a poor upbringing, his daily routine, death, his hometown, working with Kanye West and Will.i.am and several others over beats that are as smooth as butter. And this album is chock full of great guest spots, Rass Kass, Raekwon, Prodigy, Slug, and Aesop Rock to name a few, and Ev chooses their places wisely, as opposed to a more mainstream figure would, just tossing names onto tracks for exposure. And another thing that Ev does in his stoned out head is make a somewhat simple idea such as being late for a flight into a great track that makes that concept abstract, and the great “Late For the Sky” is the end result of that. So, I highly recommend this LP to people that want straight up hip-hop from a source that isn’t force fed to you by way of the radio.
NOTABLE TRACKS: It Wasn’t Me, Late For The Sky, Where You Came From
17. Lil’ Wayne- Tha Carter IV
Ah Lil’ Wayne, the most talked about rapper of 2011. So many people absolutely loathe everything he does, and then so many more people think he’s the best thing this side of Eminem and Jay-Z. And Tha Carter IV, his first legitimate hip-hop LP since 2008’s Tha Carter III, is exactly what fans expected it to be. It’s filled to the brim with party jams and a who’s-who of guest spots including Drake, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, NaS, Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes and a whole lot more. Now, this album is not the kind of thing that is put together artfully, each track isn’t placed in it’s slot for a reason, and I think a lot of the backlash on this album is the fact that this LP feels more like a collection of unrelated songs than it does a real LP. And taking that into account, this is really good. I mean, yeah there are a few duds, but for the most part this album is fun and Wayne does a lot of good in showing off his guests. Not to mention he himself is one of the better punchline rappers to grace the radio. If you’re into fun music that’s full of brags and over the top ideas of people, enjoy Tha Carter IV.
NOTABLE TRACKS: John, 6 Foot 7 Foot, Abortion
16. Death Grips- Ex-Military
Every now and again I like it when the music I listen to grabs me by my collar and smashes my head into the ground several times and leaves me with the impression of “Wow, that was crazy.” and with Death Grips FREE LP Ex-Military, that’s exactly what happens. It’s loud to the point of being disturbing, and the lyrics are militant. Now, I know there has been aggressive hip-hop, but this breed of aggression brought classically angry groups like N.W.A and Public Enemy to mind, just with a tinge of DMX’s rage into them. And just like with those classic militant hip-hop, the beats on Ex-Military are part of the reason why this comes off as so over-the-top. And those beats can be attributed to Hella drummer Zach Hill, whose diverse ear gives the beats the edge over the rest of the beats floating around the internet. Now, I know this kind of music isn’t for everyone, in fact, many people I’ve recommended this to have disliked it. But the commitment to the insanity, as well as the way it just never ceases, really makes me love this LP. And did I mention it’s FREE?
NOTABLE TRACKS: Beware, Lord of the Game, Thru the Walls
15. Patrick Stump- Soul Punk
So in 2011 I found myself falling in love with Fall Out Boy, a band I loathed during high school and college. And seemingly right as I grew more and more fond of FoB, their lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump released his solo LP Soul Punk. The album can be taken as literally as the title. It’s a great infusion of Michael Jackson and Prince style soul music with that punk rock edge that Fall Out Boy made famous in the mid-00’s. But to the Fall Out Boy haters of the world, this album isn’t weighed down with obnoxious song titles and overly dramatic lyrics, well not as much as Fall Out Boy, it’s just a solid, fun LP of songs that show that Stump doesn’t need Pete Wentz to put out hits. For fans of both Fall Out Boy and those classic artists like Michael and Prince, this album is worth a listen. Maybe you’ll leave it jaded because it’s that clown from Fall Out Boy, or maybe you’ll appreciate a fan of a genre doing his best to modernize it, at least that’s what I got out of this.
NOTABLE TRACKS: Explode, Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers), Dance Miserable
14. Mastodon- The Hunter
For years friends of mine had been trying to get me into Mastodon, now not even just metalhead fans, though they were trying too. It was as if the band retained their credibility while appealing to a broad audience. And on The Hunter, it appears as though they are reaching out to the mainstream a bit more openly. This album doesn’t feature epic tracks, in fact the longest track on the album is only slightly over five minutes. Now, just like with The Black Keys, I can be called out for being a bit of an amateur fan of this band, but I can’t deny that I really like this album. It hits hard, and granted, it might not hit as hard as their earlier albums, and it might not be as sludgy either, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t pretty awesome. So picky fans can be picky, but please allow me to enjoy my entry level metal music for at least a little while.
NOTABLE TRACKS: Black Tongue, Curl Of The Burl, The Hunter
13. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Pitchfork’s #1 album of 2011 really had a strong impact on me as well. I sat on this one for a while and when I finally turned it on for the first time I just sat with the speakers cranked up and my jaw hanging a lot of times. This album is just sonically awesome. I know a lot of people have chastised Bon Iver for not caring too much about the mix on this album, and that it could have a completely more well rounded sound if time were put into mixing and whatnot, but I think the flurry of sounds thrown at the listener is beautiful. I’m generally not a fan of atmospheric indie music, but throughout the course of this album I was taken places in my ears and brain that I’ve only dreamed of! Very rarely do I love a Pitchfork favorite, but with this album I’m forced to shut up and say they made a good call.
NOTABLE TRACKS: Holocene, Wash, Minnesota, WI
12. Chickenfoot- Chickenfoot III
And immediately following the indie darling is the cock rock masterpiece of 2011. Now for those that haven’t seen my insane number of tweets about this band, Chickenfoot is the definition of a supergroup. Fronted by solo artist and former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, featuring VH bassist Michael Anthony, solo guitar god Joe Satriani, and drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Chad Smith, the group make the exact style of music you would assume them to make. And this album is really, really, really fun. I was a bit skeptical going into it due to the limited promotion and the short time between its announcement and release date, but I was silenced immediately as I first popped this into my CD player. It just runs its course and easily entertains. For those that do know Chickenfoot, and have listened to their self titled debut, there may be questions of “How is this any different than the first one?” and to me the differences aren’t really blatant, but they are present. The band feels more at home with the songs on this LP, and the cheeziness seems to be embraced in the right ways a bit more. And I absolutely love that. There’s no age to these guys, as these tunes feel like 20 year olds could be churning them out. And I mean that as a compliment, not a slight! Not to mention the 3D packaging is AMAZING.
NOTABLE TRACKS: Alright Alright, Up Next, Dubai Blues
11. tUnE-yArDs- who kill
Connecticut born tUnE-yArDs was an act I had a hard time getting into. Maybe it was just because I was stubborn, or maybe it was because the vocal looping was annoying to me at first, but once I escaped that imaginary barrier, I really loved this LP. And what I think is the factor that made me love it is the fact that at the end of the day, regardless of the indie blog press it’s been getting, is that this is essentially stripped down pop music. Now, maybe this isn't Miley Cyrus or Ke$ha pop music, but with some more conventional instruments playing these tunes instead of vocal loops and ukulele this could be mainstream! And I give credit to tUnE-yArDs to keeping this as weird as possible.
NOTABLE TRACKS: Riotriot, Bizness, You Yes You
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!!!
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