It's high time I expunged myself of the goodness that was 2011. I've drawn inspiration from Drinky and will hopefully post these all in the days to come.

So, without further ado, I give you:

Fave EP's of 2011.


5) The Soft Moon – Total Decay

A late entry to the EP list thanks to Drinky (also heard very few EP’s this year). Very little vocals on this but that’s not the point at all. Dark, brooding, with Krautrock and drone influences. Creates an atmosphere that you want to stay in and do bad things. Begs to be put to a movie scene where someone is getting stalked or killed. May have been higher had I heard it earlier.



4) Gary Clark Jr. – The Bright Lights

The “new shit hot guitar gunslinger” label has to be one of toughest to overcome being a new artist. It’s impossible to live up to given the history of rock. So many come out of the gate and then fall flat (Sup Kenny Wayne Shep?). It remains to be seen if Gary Clark will do the same but after seeing him live last year, for now, he’s one of the best face melters around. This EP is full of promise and not just for guitar heroics. It’s got heart and hooks.


3) Dirty Gold – Roar

I honestly can’t remember how I came across this last year but I wore it out last Spring. Just a breezy, effortless , sun baked set of tunes that demand to be listened to next to a body of water in the sun or to daydream for the beach. Honestly reminds me of Vampire Weekend’s more world rhythmic experiments without the jittery, nervous energy. Fun, yet chill record. Just smoke it dude…..


2) Biters – All Chewed Up

It was an incredible year for local Atlanta bands and these guys were no exception. I got to see ‘em three times last year and they keep getting better. If you like your Thin Lizzy mixed with your Cheap Trick then you need this EP IMMEDIATELY. (I can’t believe FT isn’t on this band). Remarkably consistent band. The only reason they’re at #2 here is because there is no “Hang Around” that just floored me like on the S/T. They went more classic rock than power pop on this outing. Maybe someday they’ll put out a full length. Until then, I'll just keep taking shots.....




1)Futurebirds – Via Flamina

What can I say? These guys are one of my favorite new bands around. The pedal steel is played to perfection and the two fantastic covers will become live staples I’m sure; Stevie Nick’s “Wild Heart” and Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”. Both are fantastic. The Stevie cover was the best cover I heard all year. As far as EP’s went in 2011, nothing touched this for me. Certainly owes a debt to early MMJ but something about them is just so much more….ethereal. There might be greatness here.

Yeah, that Guy Clark, Jr. EP is quality. Can't wait for the full-length. I've rec'd it to a ton of people.

agreed on all of this. and every time "otherside" comes up on my itunes, i think it's a thin lizzy song.

would love links to Biters and Futurebirds. Both sound great.

Awesome Derris.

I definitely want to check out Biters. I'm totally clueless about local bands these days.

I am really looking forward to the Vesco Island episode where BlooGAR reviews this list.

I grabbed this after seeing you post about it awhile back. I don't mind it at all, my wife absolutely loves it though, so good call on this one.

LOL at Derris. Sorry folks. Got busy.

Here is the beginning:




40 - Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

If you don’t know, this guy has been the hired gun saxophonist for people like Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, The National, TV on the Radio, Feist, and Bon Iver to name a few. I’d never heard of him until he started popping up on blog sites last year. Half the time you can barely tell it’s a saxophone on the tracks. He records with mics on his horn, in the room, on the amp, on his body, and uses all kinds of sonic tricks to make something otherworldly. Not an easy listen at times but, like harry said in his Best of thread, in the right mood, it’s completely spellbinding and hypnotic music. Is it jazz, drone, art rock? All of the above. You decide.





39 - REM – Collapse Into Now

I’m sure I’ll take some shots here but fuck it. This is mostly out of respect but I honestly feel they had finally figured out how to do their thing again. IMO, their last 2 albums were better than anything they have done Post-Bill Berry. A minor miracle after “Around The Sun”. Massive part of my life and nostalgia is certainly at play but songs like “Uberlin”, “Oh My Heart”, “It Happened Today”, and “Walk It Back” hold up to the best of their post-80’s work. I could listen to Mills/Stipe continue to harmonize on “It Happened Today” forever. A worthy swan song. ( Also, "OH MY HEART". You don;t like this, seriously, fuck you.)



38 - David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights - Left By Soft

I’m not sure how I came across this. May have been a drunken download in the TWENTYELEVEN thread but I finally gave it a go last Fall and am glad I did. I don’t know this guys backstory but he was apparently with The Clean (?) and has been around forever. Totally unassuming album that goes by you like a warm breeze that you don’t appreciate until after it’s gone. Really spacious with songs that allow for Kilgour to get some guitar workouts in. Almost Crazy Horse-esque at times., maybe Yo La Tengo. Clearly made by a craftsman that has been doing it a long time. Understated, melodic, and assured. An overlooked gem for sure.




37 - Redondo Beat - Meet Redondo Beat


The older I get the more laughable I find those who say/argue “it’s so retro/revival sounding”. The bottom line is if it’s good, it’s good, and this, without a doubt, is as good as this stuff gets. 50’s riffs, 60’s harmonies, openly ripping off 50 years of pop music but it’s utterly and completely addictive. “If you should ever wonder, what kind of spell I’m under……”. “My baby is the one for me……….” Argue against it……







36 - TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light

I’ve said this all last year but I feel like TVOTR are currently a victim of their success. They’ve been so consistent over their career that when they put out an album that is merely “more of the same” then they fall out of the public consciousness. Bottom line, “Second Song’, “Keep Your Heart”, “ No Future Shock”, “Repetition”, are as good as anything they’ve ever done and if you weren’t on this shit then you never liked this band to begin with. Sickness. Also, smoke more sherm.

Did Colin Stetson open shows for the National a few years ago? If so, I gotta say I was more annoyed than impressed.

I haven't heard this whole album, but have listened to this roughly 10,000 times

Why listen when you can watch?

35 - Middle Brother - S/T

“Early in the morning, too hungover to go back to sleep. Every sound is amplified, every light so dizzy-ing”.

Who hasn’t fucking been there. I slept on this one for much of the year but the praise for "Million Dollar Bill" (song of the year candidate) made me come sniffing around. Not sure how these guys got together but it works, particular on that song, "Daydreaming", "Portland", and "Blue Eyes". Unfortunately the low points are a couple too many and kept it from being truly great. That said, the strength the songs I listed and a couple others were strong enough for me to keep coming back and put it here.




34 - Adele - 21

Full disclosure, the only reason I probably even heard this was because of FemDerris during a 4 hour ride to Charlotte. I kept waiting to hear some Beyonce/Gaga pop type of stuff with American Idol vocal runs that Couch America eats up these days. I was impressed with her voice but the songs here are the stars. It also never hurts to inject a little heartbreak into things. The song that got me was "Someone Like You". Just stunning. She's just got great delivery and a little Dusty Springfield huskiness going on. If this is the state of worldwide successful pop music, I'm cool with it.





33 - White Denim - D

The era of Indie Jam Rock? Not sure how else to classify this album. It's all over the place. Incredibly tight yet space for things to stretch out. Adventurous and creative. I went back to it time and time again and it continued to impress and reward. It can go from intricate speed riffs to a completely slowed down time change into something more atmospheric all in one song. I feel like they can do anything and go in any direction. I probably should have this higher. Time will tell.




32 - Explosions in the Sky - Take Care Take Care Take Care

Another exquisite effort by a band that continues to follow their own muse. Not much else to say. Music for late night drives. They've explored a few more textures on some songs but the same formula is intact and the drummer continues to be from another planet. Within this style of music, they're true artists.





31 - Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin

Was feeling this one way more than his debut. I felt he really showed some of his range on this. The guy can just do that classic R&B and Motown vibe. It's just got all different moods and vibes and he treats them all with a deft touch. Not everyone can get past the pseudo vintage sound he puts out but to that I'd say, you're over thinking it. Give me this over a dude like Drake any day.

Great stuff, Benj.

Nice to see Explosions on here. I was also subject to Adele via the significant other, but I'm better for it. Her Live at Royal Albert Hall album is worth a listen.

30 – Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler / The Dream

Another one I came late to the game on. I picked it up with some gift certs in December. The only album I’d heard previously was “Help”, which I thought was wildly uneven with bursts of some great garage rock but also some undeveloped ideas. I think this one crystallizes their vision. They aren’t just in it for the 2:30 minute Nuggets garage rock anthem but, to me, more in it for the freedom and the sound this style can provide. I mean, almost half the songs clock in over 5 minutes. Still, stuff like “Contraption/Soul Desert” absolutely smokes. It’s like a more drug-fueled Cramps except without the 50’s horror kitsch and a touch of the Velvet Underground.





29 – M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming


Gotta love a good double album especially one that has the balls to have a synthesizer as the main instrument throughout. There is so much to digest in this beast but mixed among the epic 80’s John Hughes movie style hits and great tracks of ambience and texture lies a pretty singular vision. Some prefer the shoegazey white noise of “Dead Cities..” but for my money, this is his career accomplishment to date. Just track after track of grand pop experiments.





28 – Cults – Cults

Early year hype had me ready to hate on this but it’s charms won me over quickly. Just expertly executed 60’s inspired indie-pop that doesn’t relent from start to finish. I kept waiting on it to wear out it’s welcome but it hasn’t and shows no sign of doing so.





27 – Peter, Bjorn, & John – Gimme Some

This was picked up during a drunken spree last Spring at Criminal Records after it was recommended to me by one of the store clerks. It pretty much stayed in constant rotation for the summer. I feel like most wrote this band off after “Young Folks” (I’ll admit to not even getting the 2 previous to this one) but this sounded like a band reinvigorated. Older, wiser, and veterans of the game, this is full of stuff in their wheelhouse. Classic pop sounds, harmonies, guitars, riffs, and surprisingly diverse. The best comeback of the year for me.






26 – PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

I think one of the things I’ve always liked about PJ is that she sounds like no one else. She’s a singular talent which, of course, is why so many appreciate her. Many of these songs would lack the emotional heft that she provides in a lesser artist’s hands. Many times I find myself appreciating her more than actually digging her music if that make sense. For me, unironically, I find her career has mirrored much of Nick Cave’s. Both uncompromising in what they put out, sometimes to mixed results. That said, I found myself coming back to this throughout the year and finding new things in it. The music is pretty sublime at times, simple yet sophisticated. Easily her best since “Stories from the City.. Stories from the Sea”.

Solid list so far. That M83 is one of my favorites for the year. I haven't heard the new Peter, Bjorn and John but you should definitely check out Living Thing. It's pretty dark (much darker than Writers Block was) but it's my favorite of theirs.

This, I probably should have checked out in 2011.

25 – The Gaye Blades – S/T

Local side project of Jesse Smith (Gentlemen Jesse) and Jared Swilley (The Black Lips) that came out in vinyl only (I think). If you’re familiar with either of those bands then you pretty much know what you’re in for. Ramshackle 60’s inspired garage pop. These guys can do this stuff in their sleep but the tossed off nature of it is kind of it’s charm. Almost out of tune face melter solos, pitchy vocals, and raw energy to spare. Totally fun record that knows exactly what it’s strengths are and never goes outside of them.





24 – JEFF the Brotherhood – We Are The Champions

Been aware of these guys for a couple years now and they’ve been coming through Atlanta 2-3 times a year but this was the first time I got on board. To me, they sound like Weezer if Weezer listened to Black Sabbath instead of Kiss and smoked a shitload more weed. I mean that in the best way possible. If they polished up some of the edges, they’d be huge. Thankfully they haven’t and to me, under all the heavy riffage and fuzzed out guitars, these guys are pop craftsmen (“Diamond Way”, “Bummer”). I’m on board now.






23 – Ry Cooder – Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down


So when do we put the “American Treasure” tag on Ry? This record feels like something you would check out of the Smithsonian archives in 50 years. It already feels timeless and lived in. Easily the best socio-political album to come out during these tough times. That’s not to say it’s best appreciated and not enjoyed. Ry doesn’t tell stories, he spins yarns, like the best country artists do. It’s heartbreaking, funny, and totally brilliant. His best since Chavez Ravine (another Smithsonian entry if there is any justice). Fave song – “Dirty Chateau”.





22 – AA Bondy – Believers

I was a bit nervous when I first listened to this. The first track sounded almost like a Clinic song. Where is the reverb-drenched atmosphere of AA Bondy? My nerves disappeared quickly after the first 10 seconds of “Down in the Fire (Lost Sea)”. There simply isn’t anyone that does this sort of thing any better. Every song just feels so profound in some way. He draws you in. Demands that you sit and listen in one sitting. He’s right. This isn’t a shuffle album. Just like the album cover, it feels like the moment right before dawn arrives.





21 – The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

Per usual, there was a Brit-pop album that came along and grabbed me again. Happens every freaking year. This was it. High speed hooks, reverb, JAMC distortion, and huge sounding songs. The first couple of songs that speed by in around 4 minutes (total) are the hooks that grab you but it’s the more mid-tempo numbers with the big choruses that kept me coming back (“Blow It Up”, “Wetsuit”, “All In White”). Instantly catchy tunes that had staying power with me. Great driving album.






20 – Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

This is how you make a major label debut. Take everything that made you great and simply do it bigger. Light years away from “Creek Drank the Cradle”, he’s amped everything up and fleshed it out. Singing crystal clear and confident, added multi-instrumentation, and even found sounds at times. Not to mention it contains some his best songs to date. Just when I think I’ve heard all this guy can do, he puts out a career album.





19 – Centro-matic – Candidate Waltz

I’ll admit that I totally slept on this album for much of the year. I listened to it a couple of times prior to seeing them open for the Drive By Truckers and thought it was good but, much like after cramming for a exam, I put it on the shelf after the test. Much of their output has been so up and down to date so I wasn’t super motivated. So, thanks to Yail Bloor putting it in his top 3 in the Rolling Albums thread last year, I pulled it out again. While these guys are still the kings of the Mid-tempo rocker, they’ve also put out their best collection of tunes that were impossible to not sing along with after a couple spins. At just over 30 minutes it never overstays it’s welcome and only entices you to go back again.

Some of these I think we have similar tastes (A.A. Bondy, Centro-matic, Thee Oh Sees, The Gaye Blades) but then there's a bunch I just don't get (M83, White Denim) though I think with the latter I prefer their earlier material. Keep this up though.

Like a lot of what you got so far. PB&J was a grower for me and glad they found their way back (last album sucked imo). M83 is more grandiose compared to the last but I go back to it waiting for the grab. The Vaccines was the more listenable follow up to Glasvegas' debut. Not nearly as lauded here as I would have thought. I'm with you on Redondo. Need to revisit Saadiq and Dirty Gold. Saadiq rocks more and tips his hat rather than being Motown this time at least on my first impression. I need more with Bondy, since I had the album I only listened once on a skip through. Will I like Middle Bros? . . . I just stayed away like the plague for some reason.

You mentioned Glasvegas, & I did a double-take. I felt seventeen, again, & listening to electronic, Dirty Vegas & Death in Vegas. Then, I remembered: Glasvegas is a different, younger band.

JEFF rocked muh face off on Friday night. Lots of crowd surfing and stage diving and fists in the air. This was the first album they actually tried to take the time and write "songs" for. Everything leading up to this was just art-punk in the vein of early No Age. Their last one, Heavy Days, gave a little hint of what was to come.

That AA Bondy record is absolutely perfect for late-night comedowns, rainy weather and Fall/Winter. I'll find myself pulling it out to scratch the atmosphere/mood itch for years to come.

18 – Tom Waits – Bad As Me

Easily my favorite Waits since “Mule Variations”. An almost run through of styles he has touched on his entire career but the source stuff is still out of the blues and jazz traditions. Still, there is enough experimental Waits here to pacify the Swordfishtrombones crowd. I’d almost say this would be a wonderful entry point for a novice fan. It’s also subtly political (“Talking At The Same Time” – which I thought was a woman the first time through) and overtly political (“Hell Broke Luce”). But, ultimately stuff like “Last Leaf” can be traced all the way back to his barroom ballad days. A worthy addition to any Waits collection.





17 – Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Here We Rest

It’ll be 5 years this year since Isbell left the Truckers. Lots of shows and touring between then and now. This is the result. The best record of his career. He’s at his best when he stays in that classic country rock wheelhouse but he also succeeds, IMO, when he gets a little outside that (the Muscle Shoals soul of “Heart on a String”). It also has some of his best writing yet and his best song to date, “Codeine”; a song of the year candidate. Hopefully this all means he’s just getting started…..






16 - The Raveonettes – Raven In The Grave

My love for what this duo does is well documented but that doesn’t mean they get an automatic pass. (I’m looking at you “Pretty In Black”). Fortunately, they have continued to wring beauty and emotion out of the same sound for almost a decade now and this album is no different. I thought it struck a great balance of the atmosphere of their EP’s and the 50’s inspired, reverb drenched, tunes from “Chain Gang of Love”. “Forget That You’re Young” and “Ignite” are as good as anything they’ve done and it’s as consistent as they’ve been.






15 - Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest

There is simply no other duet doing vintage American folk music better than Welch and Rawlings. This is just another set of master class songwriting and performing. They make something that could’ve come out of 1940 and make it sound modern. All with 2 guitars, and 2 voices. “Hard Times” is a song of the year candidate. The single best anthem for finding simple pleasures and positivity in the midst of the worst economic crisis of our lives. Maybe the best show I saw all year.





14 – Telekinesis! – 12 Desperate Straight Lines

An early year purchase that I simply never tired of and one of the best things Merge Records put out last year. If you aren’t familiar, the guy plays a mean indie power pop. It was produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, Nada Surf) so you have an idea of the sonic palate. The hooks, sunny harmonies, incessant backbeats, and soaring choruses are relentless. There are a couple of real standout singles but taken as a whole it’s clear that this guy is a pop architect. Great summer album.

13 – Blitzen Trapper -

My issue with this band has always been that they have never quite found their own voice. They have mined so many bands and influences that I never quite know where they’re going. I guess this is that album that I stopped worrying and learned to enjoy the ride. A trip through the 70’s with stops of Zeppelin, T. Rex, The Band, and, of course, Dylan, is as entertaining as they’ve been. I don’t give a shit how obvious the influences are when the songs are this good. “Love The Way You Walk Away” is a song of the year candidate. “Baby I’m on the make, in my old sport coat and my head it aches. I’m drinkin too much tonight and it ain’t right…..”






12 – Rebirth Brass Band – Rebirth of New Orleans

I’ll fully admit that this was purchased after being in New Orleans for 4 days for Jazzfest last year and was under that sound’s influence (heavily). BUT, without that trip I never would’ve picked up this amazing, party starting, piece of perfection. Nary an instrument, other than drums, that isn’t a brass horn. The whole thing is the sound of a sweaty night out in the Big Easy and stumbling into one of the best shows of your life. If you can listen to this and feel nothing, then you my friend, are dead. Laissez le bon temps rouler!





11 – Breakdowns – The Kids Don’t Wanna Bop Anymore

Tip of the cap to Rads who passed this along towards the end of the year. These guys are straight 70’s power pop ear candy straight out of the Ramones/Cheap Trick/Plimsouls playbook. Another record I initially dismissed but it’s barrage of songs slowly wormed their way into my brain. I continue to come back for the open chord strums during the chorus of “If Only You Knew” and the Deathray Davies-esque hooks of “Everytime I Think Back to High School” and by the time they cool things off with the title track I’m already hooked. These guys have done their homework.





10 – Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose

Another release picked up after 1 too many pops (sensing a theme here, DAMN YOU Porter Beer Bar for being next door to Criminal Records). I heard the title track and bought it immediately. Some have lamented them as losing their rockabilly/cowpunk roots and some see them as a novelty act. After listening to this now near 40-50 times I say it’s one of the best mixes of garage rock, girl groups, country, folk, and snotty swagger I’ve heard in some time. The high points are obvious; “Screws Get Loose”, “Be Your Bro”, “Tina Said” (killer groove), and “Waste Away”, but for me, it’s all the deep cuts that fill in the picture and make them a band to reckon with. Or, they’ll simply be remembered in some collection of “Underground Nuggets” years from now. Either way, this was great rock n roll.