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Top Albums of 2011 #s 11-20
This is a continuation of last week’s list (#s 1-10). Enjoy!
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong (Slumberland)
The only reason that this album wasn’t included in the Top 10 was perhaps because of how early in the year it came out and I’ll be honest here, I forgot to include it! This is a top-tier effort all the way and I like it as much as their first Lp. It’s a different, bigger-sounding (courtesy of producer Alan Moulder) record, but one that doesn’t skimp at all on the massive hooks and lovelorn themes so prevalent in their earlier work (though the raunch factor in the lyrics is lessened as well). One could be forgiven that the title track is an Adorable or Smashing Pumpkins outtake or that any number of these songs were former NME singles of the week circa 1992 or so.
Scream – Complete Control (Side One Dummy)
I don’t usually include EPs in these lists, but I have to make an exception for this 10”, Scream’s first new studio recordings since the “Mardi Gras” 7” (released in 1990). It also marks the first new Scream recording with drummer Kent Stax since 1986’s Banging the Drum, though it should be noted that later drummer Dave Grohl recorded this in his studio. As such, the sound is closer to the more rock-oriented sound of their later records than their first few albums, but somehow this is better. The excesses have been trimmed and songs like “Stopwatch” rank among some of Scream’s best-ever material. There’s also a cover of the Bad Brains track “At the Atlantis” (which they called “Jamin’ at 606” for whatever reason), but this misguided attempt at recreating their early sound only retracts focus from the other, stronger material at hand here.
Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High (Sub Pop)
This four song EP, released in the early months of 2011, is another exception to the no EPs rule here. I had to include it here because, frankly, I played it about as much as many of the albums on this and last week’s list. Featuring a great cover of The Smiths‘ “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” and three originals, this was the first sign that Dum Dum Girls are capable of the greatness that followed with this fall’s Only in Dreams.
The Raveonettes – Raven in the Grave (Vice)
Though I love their debut Lp Chain Gang of Love (still one of my favorite albums of the last decade), I felt that every succeeding Raveonettes album (while generally good) was a letdown by comparison. That is, until this album. Here is where they totally reinvent their sound, resembling late ’80s Sonic Youth on a serious 4 AD bender as opposed to the Jesus and Mary Chain-influenced sound of their earlier records, and it really pays off. Check out the gorgeous “Forget That You’re Young”, one of my favorite songs of this year and a rare Sharin Foo lead vocal!
DYS – More than Fashion: Live from the Gallery East Reunion 2010 (Bridge Nine)
I don’t typically include live albums here, but this one deserves special mention for a number of reasons. First off, sonically it’s amazing and songs from the classic first Lp Brotherhood are combined effortlessly with the weaker material from the self-titled second Lp. In fact, these live versions almost single-handedly redeem that record for me in that these versions are far superior! The energy in the room is also undeniable as this was from a highly anticipated reunion show featuring other Boston bands of the time period as well. In any case, this is a great document of a great, now reunited band who are in the midst of launching a digital singles series (two of which are already out).
Iceage – New Brigade (What’s Your Rupture?)
Yes this record got a ton of praise from bloggers, but in this case it was well-warranted. They sound like a young Killing Joke or perhaps a Factory Records band played at hardcore speed. Great stuff!
John Doe – Keeper (Yep Roc)
John Doe’s latest is one of my favorite of his numerous solo albums. It features the anti-consumerist “Never Enough”, a song we saw him perform with Jill Sobule earlier this year (along with “Walking Out the Door”, the album’s last track), along with a new, countrified version of X‘s “Painting the Town Blue” (from 1983’s excellent More Fun in the New World). The other tunes here address domestic concerns and seem more peaceful and centered than some of his other albums. A good example of this is “Little Tiger”, though the old uncertainty and tension is still there in cuts like the aforementioned “Walking Out the Door”.
Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys (Atlantic)
File this under growers, though that’s been the case for me with every one of their records since 2005’s Plans. More layered, electronic, shinier (Brian Eno‘s Another Green World was an inspiration) and a lot less lyrically depressing than 2008’s Narrow Stairs, this album is also notable for containing one of their best singles (“You Are a Tourist”).
Scumbag Philosopher – It Means Nothing So It Means Nothing (Words on Music)
A new release on the excellent Words on Music label, these UK post-punk revivalists bring a much needed edge and social commentary to this subgenre, which can somewhat revel in style over substance. Song titles like “God is Dead So I Listen to Radiohead“ and “Social Networking Site” should clue you in to the lyrical bent here while the music hums and churns like some of The Fall‘s best work (particularly on opener “Tickbox Exercise”) or perhaps fellow revivalists Love of Diagrams‘ much more recent Mosaic from 2007.
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts (Matador)
Aided and abetted by Beck, Thurston’s follow-up to 2007’s Trees in the Academy is an even more enjoyable effort that reminds me a lot of Beck’s similar Sea Change despite the title and the first track “Circulation” quoting early ’80s Dischord greats The Faith.
