Culture Greyhound

Youth Lagoon – July from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.

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

JAMES BLAKE – LINDISFARNE from martin de thurah on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Playlist:

The Thermals – Everything I Want
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Panda Bear – Last Night At the Jetty
The Strokes – Under Cover of Darkness

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

120. Prodigy – Girls

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned fared better across the Atlantic in Prodigy’s native England, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t blaring in my dingy yellow car during high school.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  “Girls” is a standout from a banging comeback from one of the 90’s most successful, riveting, and interesting electronic groups.  And while nothing on the disc comes close to their previous work’s brilliance, and the crew would later shell out typical guitar-driven bore for shillings, this track gives us a glimpse into the progression that could have been.

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Today I conclude my series of posts showcasing my picks for the best tracks of 2009.  And it only took half a year!

10. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

It sounds like nothing they’ve ever done before, so cheerful, so upbeat, so….piano pop.  But it works just the same.  It still feels like Grizzly Bear – the lush production, the layered harmonics.  And the lightbulb-head music video is a fun watch as well.

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Panda Bear – Slow-Motion

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Cut Copy – Where I’m Going

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Local Natives – Wide Eyes (Fools Gold ft. Aristotle Pop a Bottle Remix)

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Josh Ritter – Folk Bloodbath

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Wavves – King of the Beach

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Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.

50. The Thermals – Liquid In, Liquid Out

The shortest song from the group’s poppiest album, and quite a singalong at that.  It’s a shame they don’t play this live, but I suppose it was intended as a mere interlude for the middle of the disc.  What might have been unintentional is the song’s surefire infectiousness.

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