It was a pretty decent year for new music, we saw the emergence of the lo-fi madness pioneered by Not Not Fun and Olde English Spelling Bee. The saving of indie rock by Captured Tracks. The UK based #based Night Slugs movement and the continuation of progress in the post-dubstep world. Cheers to 2011!
Here we go:
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (4AD)
One of the year's most ambitious sounding collection of bizzare proto-pop gems takes the cake for me. Ariel Pink's comes to a full apex as he finally gets a band to back him up, shedding most of the lo-fi tape mystery of his previous releases. The outcome is a late night retro AM radio adventure.
Scuba, as the name suggests, offers a sound submerged in low frequencies, swirling in the deep sea tentacles of dark rhythms. This record converges on the fringes of uk garage, uk-funky, dubstep and house music to create some of the most memorable sounds and atmospheres of the year in the greater spectrum of electronic music.
Wild Nothing - Gemini (Captured Tracks)
I first heard Wild Nothing's stunning debut as I was really getting bored of most indie pop stuff coming my way. Luckily for myself, I found a record full of youthful acapellas, chiming guitars and 80s drums. Pop music with a touch of shoegaze aesthetic, where melody is everything. My favorite record this year!
Mount Kimbie - Crooks And Lovers (Hotflush)
This Brighton duo craftily executed eleven tracks of far reaching IDM music that tunnels through some clear dubstep and even post-rock influences. Post dubstep IDM anyone? While Field (track #9) is a clear ode to Swedish counterparts The Field , Mayor (track #10) happens to be of the finest tracks I've heard all year!
The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme (Labrador Records)
Scandinavians make better pop* music than anyone else on the face of this melting planet. The Radio Dept. is no exception, as Clinging To A Scheme is exactly that, a pop tour de force. The gentle album opener Domestic Scene gives birth to a Thurston Moore quote intro to the record's finest moment: Heaven's On Fire. Other highlights include Never Follow Suite, A token of Gratitude, David... Who am I kidding, the whole record is impeccable, really. A must hear! See them live in Montreal on February 5th at Petit Campus!*Definition of pop music: melodic and catchy, not to be confused with top40!
As Deerhunter's most accessible record to date, Haclyon Digest is a flawless expression of future/retro art-rock. Again, lost in a cloud of boring indie rock this year, I was eager to sink my teeth, this fall, into something this tasty!
Peter Broderick - How They Are (Bella Union)
Every year I get lost in a sea of super boring singer-songwriters that often leave me disgusted. But when I heard Peter Broderick's How They Are, I was hooked within seconds of hearing the first track on the record, Sideline. Candid, melodic and thoughtful, How They Are is a definitive soundtrack to Sunday afternoons spent in bed.
Psychedelic half-assed twangy folk rock is how I would describe the peculiar sound of this Woodsist staple. Big love to the sunny sounds of Woods and their flowery singalongs!
Autre Ne Veut - Autre Ne Veut (Olde English Spelling Bee)
The first time I heard this record I remember telling myself that pop music can't sound stranger than this. This sounds like it came from an parallel universe, like from the red velvet alternative reality of Twin Peaks. Without these Brooklyn eccentrics (like OPN), Music today would be pretty fucking boring! Must hear!
Balam Acab - See Birds EP (Triangle Records)
The easy choice here would be to chose Salem's King Night, but to me the sounds of Balam Acab are a definitive step up from their drag house elders. This 5 track EP is so bizarrely strewn with other worldly pitch bent vocals, sluggish dream-hop rhythms and heavy heavy synth lines that it stands out very far from the pack. Take the trip into a land unseen in this See Birds EP.
oOoOO - oOoOO EP (Triangle Records)
Again, the mastermind behind XXJFG, Robin Carolan and his sub imprint of Triangle Records successfully released not one but two of this year's most compelling EPs. Under the guise of theses chop and screwed rhythms, the Salem influence here is very clear(see Burnout Eyes). The main difference is in the ethereal female vocals that remain generally untouched throughout the EP. There's even a sprinkle of Johnny Jewel sounding production in Hearts, Glass Candy anyone? It is with glee that I await future releases by Triangle Records!
Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils (Captured Tracks)
Like many bands on my favorite label of the year 2010 Captured Tracks, Beach Fossils makes lo-fi indie pop/rock. But this is who stands out the most, with simple and catchy hooks and an ode to surf rock aesthetics, this self titled debut is a definitive winner!Whew. There it is! Thanks for reading (and I know I missed alot of things...)!
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