Dec
25
2011
We’ve discussed the overrated and the disappointing, but there were also a ton of albums in 2011 that were absolutely great. Since I only make a Top 50, there were several I felt deserved recognition, but had strong superior competition. Here, in alphabetical order, are 25 of the best albums of this year that just missed the final cut. Spotify/Download/Buy links provided below.
Battles – Gloss Drop
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
The Cars – Move Like This
Cheeseburger – Another Big Night Down the Drain
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
Clams Casino – Rainforest EP
Cults – S/T
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien
Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong
DJ Quik – The Book of David
Dom – Family of Love EP
Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx – We’re New Here
Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
J Mascis – Several Shades of Why
Cass McCombs – Humor Risk
Panda Bear – Tomboy
Pictureplane – Thee Physical
R.E.M. – Collapse Into Now
Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What
Martin Solveig – Smash
Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream
Shugo Tokumaru – Port Entropy
White Denim – D
Wiz Khalifa – Rolling Papers
no comments | tags: Battles, Beastie Boys, Cass McCombs, Cheeseburger, Clams Casino, Cults, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dawes, DJ Quik, DOM, Fucked Up, Gil Scott-Heron, J Mascis, Jamie xx, Lykke Li, Martin Solveig, Panda Bear, Paul Simon, Pictureplane, R.E.M., Shugo Tokumaru, The Cars, The Civil Wars, Thee Oh Sees, White Denim, Wiz Khalifa | posted in Best of 2011, List, Music
Oct
3
2011
Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.
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no comments | tags: Aaliyah, Ad Rock, Araabmuzik, Best Coast, Big Black Delta, Big Troubles, Bingo Players, Born Gold, Class Actress, Coldplay, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Drake, Fang Island, Gross Magic, Hudson Mohawke, Jay Z, Kanye West, M83, Neon Indian, Primus, Purity Ring, Reggie B, St. Vincent, Star Slinger, Starsmith, Swedish House Mafia, Terius Nash, The Joy Formidable, The Rapture, tUnE-yArDs, Wavves | posted in List, MP3, Music, Quarterly Review
Aug
15
2011
no comments | tags: Auditorium Shores, Battles, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Emo's, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Hooray For Earth, La Zona Rosa, Mohawk, The Rapture, Two Gallants | posted in Music, Video
Dec
15
2010
This year I made the big move from Lubbock to Austin, and the transformation has done wonders for my live music fix. I should have been writing down all the awesome bands I saw this year (and the years before, for that matter) but alas, hindsight, she is 20/20 once again. I think this post covers the highlights more or less, however. There’s plenty of great live music I saw this year that I’m leaving out, but after the jump, in no particular order, are twelve of the best shows I witnessed in 2010, eleven of them right here in the Live Music Capital of the World.
And for the record, I wanted to put the Sleigh Bells show on here, as fun as it was once they finally started playing, but everyone who attended knows Beauty Bar is at fault for that show’s omission. What a disaster.
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no comments | tags: A-Trak, Andrew WK, Antone's, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Austin, Austin Music Hall, Besnard Lakes, Best Coast, Big Boi, Big Freedia, Cults, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dam-Funk, Dead Confederate, Deftones, Dirty Projectors, Dominique Young Unique, Dwight Yoakam, East Side Drive In, Free Energy, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Green Day, Hanson, Hold Steady, Japandroids, Jeff the Brotherhood, Josh Ritter, Local Natives, Man Man, Mohawk, No Age, Nutty Brown Cafe, OFF!, Peelander Z, Pixies, Red 7, RJD2, Slick Rick, Small Black, Stubb's, Superpages.com Center, Surfer Blood, SXSW, The New Pornographers, The Thermals, Toadies, Toro y Moi, Washed Out, Waterloo Park, Waterloo Records, Wavves, Weird Al Yankovic | posted in Analysis, Best of 2010, Music, Opinion