The Best Albums of 2011

I fully understand that my best of the year list is usually published far after many of the hip new kids.  The World Forgot has long been a dessert blog, if you will, that might not provide enough sustenance on a day to day basis to get you through life, but I do provide a sweet finish.  On top of that I’ve been able to listen through all of the albums I heard in 2011 for an extra month.  In all reality this is the definitive list.  Enjoy the music.

01 : Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes crafted a pitch perfect sophomore album that cleverly showcases all of their strengths.  There really isn’t much you could change about this album.  It’s the perfect soundtrack for a long drive and is very enjoyable to sing along with tales of Montezuma or of owning an orchard.

mp3 : Fleet Foxes – Montezuma
mp3 : Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

02 : Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Bon Iver came out swinging with his sophomore album as well.  In fact he almost topped the chart (and depending on the weather outside my window when writing this he probably could).  His second album proved beyond a doubt that he has a bright and long future ahead.

mp3 : Bon Iver – Holocene
mp3 : Bon Iver – Hinnom, TX

03 : I Break Horses – Hearts

I fell in love with this album as soon as I heard the first two tracks.  There is something overwhelmingly captivating about their synth heavy crescendos.  (And as icing on the cake they’re supposed to tour with M83 in 2012).

mp3 : I Break Horses – Hearts
mp3 : I Break Horses – Empty Bottles

04 : Foster the People – Torches

Somewhere between becoming extremely radio friendly (with their single Pumped up Kids) and having songs featured in the video game Fifa 12 as well as on Nissan commercials I feel like a lot of bloggers and critics wrote them off without listening to their entire album.  Let’s face it, this is a great pop/indie album; this is the kind of album we all wanted MGMT to make.

mp3 : Foster the People – Helena Beat
mp3 : Foster the People – Miss You

05 : Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys

And just like that roughly 80% of you have stopped reading this list.  Get over it.  Yes, I know that this isn’t as good as Transatlanticism (or maybe even Plans).  But this is a solid album with signature Death Cab moments sprinkled throughout.  It keeps the hope alive that the man who brought us the Postal Service album Give Up and the aforementioned Death Cab masterpiece Transatlanticism in the same calendar year still has what it takes to create amazing songs.

mp3 : Death Cab for Cutie – Underneath the Sycamore
mp3 : Death Cab for Cutie – St. Peter’s Cathedral

06: Cults – Cults

Clever indie for the entire album.  It’s the type of album that’s hip enough for you to love, but if you threw it on a scratchy record player you might convince your parents it’s a band you can all enjoy together.

mp3 : Cults – Go Outside

07 : Hooray for Earth – True Loves

Maybe I’m addicted to shoegaze and synth (or maybe I’m finally starting to like this so called 80’s revival), but whatever the reason I fell in love with the Hooray for Earth album over the past five weeks.

mp3 : Hooray for Earth – Last Minute

08 : M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Easily their most well received and easily accessible album to date this album by french artists M83 brought to light the fact that many artists have been perfecting shoegaze and synth (notice a theme here) for more than the past eighteen months.

mp3 : M83 – Midnight City

09 : Radiohead – King of Limbs

It’s hard for me to listen to a studio album from Radiohead and not immediately compare it to two things.  First, their live show is unbelievable.  Second, Kid A and OK Computer are still the peak of their recordings for me.  Also, to be fair, at times while listening to this album you’re thinking “I really wish every song was as good as Bloom.”

mp3 : Radiohead – Bloom

10: Adele – 21

A, her voice. B, her voice on the song Someone Like You. (that should be enough to be in a top ten).

mp3 : Adele – Someone Like You

That is my list for 2011.  We had a decent year as far as music goes.  Foo Fighters and Coldplay played true to their sound (although Rihanna tried very hard to ruin Coldplay).  Beastie Boys released an album that was, essentially, in homage to their former selves.  In addition to more established acts there were solid efforts by other bands like The Kills, We Were Promised Jetpacks, New Villager, Josh Garrels, and The Dodos.  This, however, is my list and I’m sticking to it.

For previous years just follow this link.

+ more music @ twf hype elbows amazonmp3 itunes

Fleet Foxes album Helplessness Blues

What’s the idiom?  A day late and a dollar short.  That’s what I fear my blog has become.  To be fair it’s a simple cause and effect.  I no longer walk across the street to work; I commute alone in a car for about one hour every day.  I am also married, ergo I don’t sit around and just listen to music while playing video games whenever I get home from work.  But who really cares, there is music to be had.

Helplessness Blues (amazon) (itunes) is the latest effort by Fleet Foxes.  And it is a stunning, gorgeous effort.  Due to my aforementioned music listening restrictions I generally have eight albums that are on my current rotation.  These albums usually stick around for about a month before heading into the archive to make way for new material.  For whatever reason it’s been three months and I still find myself coming back to the layered new folk vocals of Helplessness Blues.  This album is captivating and the title track has been my favorite song to sing along to (alone, in my car, windows not always rolled up).

mp3 : Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
mp3 : Fleet Foxes – Grown Ocean

Both of these tracks capture the essence of Helplessness Blues.  There is a driving narrative throughout each song on the album that speaks a familiar language with enough nuance and substance to keep you listening as each story unfolds.  This is truly a wonderful album and will surely be on any respectable best of list come December.

+ more Fleet Foxes @ twf hype elbows site last.fm amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook / twitter /

First Aid Kit covers Fleet Foxes

I stumbled upon this little gem of a cover this morning while I was listening to music at work.  A friend sent me the link and I thought I would pay it forward.  The track is a fairly straightforward cover of the Fleet Foxes classic Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.  If you like what the ladies have done with it (somehow I think they make it even more haunting than the original) make sure you check out their myspace page from some more great songs.

mp3 : First Aid Kit – Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Fleet Foxes Cover)

Or if you’d rather jump right into more music by First Aid Kit you can find this track on their album Drunken Trees (amazon) (itunes).

+ First Aid Kit @ twf hype elbows site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook / twitter

Fleet Foxes

I’ve been blessed this year in that I’ve had an almost continual stream of new music to capitvate my ears.  At some point, though, I got so backed up in listening to new albums that some simply fell through the cracks.  At the time I’m writing this I still have over thirty five albums in digital format that have never even been unzipped {yeah, I’m a little backed up}.  One band that I seemed to have passed over is Fleet Foxes and there are most likely two reasons for this.  The first has already been explained, the second is a bit, well, counterintuitive.  When something gets super popular on hype or elbows it’s as if my subconscious kicks in and forces me to tune them out.

Fortunately for all of us Fleet Foxes made an album this year that simply cannot be ignored.  Their clever brand of caterwauling* indie folk is intoxicating and mesmerizing throughout the length of their self titled Fleet Foxes (amazon) (itunes).  The more I listen to this album the more I find I love it, and the more I struggle to accurately define it.  There are bits of other sounds located throughout some tracks {think Sufjan Stevens instrumentals mixed with Bon Iver’s vocals – if they were layered through the roof} but what impresses most on this album is the fresh breath of true original talent.

mp3 : Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
mp3 : Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood

*Please note I meant caterwauling as a positive almost whimsical adjective, not in the extreme literal sense of the definition.  Also, does anyone who’s heard the album think the closing track, Oliver James, sounds just like something Vampire Weekend would sing?

+ twf hype elbows site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook

BOTR vol 09

OMG, TGIF, welcome at last to another BOTR on TWF.  I thought this month I would try to get this volume of Best of the Month onto the interwebs in time for the extended holiday weekend {only extended for us Yanks, much apologies to the rest of the globe.  And have fun working on Monday}.  For those of you looking to get some folks dancing at a Labor Day party {or just looking to get the ladies in the mood} feel free to download all the tracks below or cruise through this link to check out all the other BOTR volumes.

All the tracks in one zip file : here {zshare = left click}

If you’d rather just download the music and not read my totally brilliant commentary {it’s currently 1:13 AM as I’m typing it} click the link above and be on your merry way.  All the tracks below are available to be downloaded directly from this page.  Simply right click and save it.

mp3 : Bugo – Sesto Senso (NT89 Remix)
I have no idea what’s going on in this remix.  It’s fast, it’s slow, it’s Italian.  It’s quite and loud and eerily it lacks a discernible beat for almost the entire track.  It reminds me of dreaming.

mp3 : Coldplay vs Nas – If I Viva la Vida (Starters Remix)
The Nas rhymes feel a bit overclocked up on this track, but they flow nicely with the Coldplay anthem.  I kinda wish Nas was actually on more of the song, but that’s just me.  It’s a great remix.

mp3 : Crystal Castles vs Health – Crimewave (LAZRtag Remix)
If I was in the dark on the Bugo remix above then this track leaves me standing outside, in freezing rain, with a new moon.  Yet for some reason I love the cold, I like the rain, and darkness, apparently, is a good friend.  Wait for the beat to drop about ninety seconds into this one.  It is worth the wait.

mp3 : Cut Copy – Hearts on Fire (Knightlife Remix)
Question; Who knew a remix of Cut Copy could make them sound even more like they’re a band from the eighties?  Answer; Knightlife knew exactly what to do to make Cut Copy into even more of a cliche.  A very danceable, lovable, Miami Vice-able cliche.

mp3 : Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Coin Operated Boy Remix)
Just when you thought this song had been remixed far {and I do mean far} too many times, along comes a new track that simply begs to be heard.  Easily one of the top three tracks in this volume this is a must download.  Wait for everything to hit the floor at exactly one minute into the track.  Just brilliant.

mp3 : Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal (Black Dominoes Remix)
I have nothing to write here, I’m still listening to the Daft Punk remix.  Ok, that’s done {played it twice}, on with the show.  This track is short and sweet and serves as a perfect transition piece between dance beats.  Dig it.

mp3 : Gorillaz – Kids With Guns (Hot Chip Remix)
What’s not to like about a band made up entirely of cartoon characters?  Nothing.  And sweet and steady remixes of their tracks are welcome as well.  Especially this one.

mp3 : John Legend and Andre 3000 – Green Light (MSTRKRFT Remix)
I’ve died and gone to heaven {twice} and this is the music they play while you wait in the queue at the pearly gates.  Honestly it is that good.  This is magic {or is it “illusions!, Michael”} contained in four amazing minutes.  Could this be the surprise smash hit of the summer?  Could this be a one song repeat style playlist for an entire party?

mp3 : Lil’ Wayne – Lollipop (LAZRtag Remix)
Who the frak allowed Lil’ Wayne to make this list?  Have no fear, I’m firing my editors tomorrow.  As long as it’s on the list you should hear the way LAZRtag makes Lil’ Wayne not only bearable but actually relevant.  They should win a Nobel Prize for this.

mp3 : MGMT – Kids (Burntpiano Robo Remix)
Be warned, this remix might be the most addicting song you’ve heard all month.  Not kidding.  The entire track has been reworked {this could almost count as a cover song} into pure digital bliss.  Even the vocals.  Not kidding.  And you’ll love it.  Double not kidding two point one.

mp3 : Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way (Headburn Remix)
This is the perfect kickoff track for any party the world over.  Throw this seven minute wonder onto the top of each and every playlist you’ve ever created.  It’s a slow starter, it’s a quasi crowd pleaser, and it just might be the best RHCP remix I’ve ever heard.

mp3 : The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name (LA Riots Remix)
Hand. Claps. Are. Awesome.  Period.  LA Riots have made this track into something great.  Great things are awesome too.

mp3 : This Is Ivy League – London Bridges (FHR Remix)
Hey kids, now that you’re home from school let’s think of something constructive we can do with our holiday weekend.  I feel like this could easily be the background music to some trippy modern day after school special.  The type of school special that would feature copious amounts of high fives and thumbs ups.  Maybe even a cut-it-out or two.

Ok, enough of my blathering on and on.  I’m tired, it’s after 2 in the morning and I was partying hard the last day or so.  Have fun this weekend on whatever continent you’re currently residing.  Cheers, and come back often.

+ twf hype elbows amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook