top records of 2011 - 27. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

27. BEASTIE BOYS - HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO

"Too many many rappers out there / not enough MC's"

Nice to have them back as this is pure fire. Mix Master Mike has really cranked up the production and really paints a lot of colours on this banger. It's such a party album in true Beastie fashion.

I listened to this when tipsy on Gin & Tonic touching down in Taiwan on the flight back from London. It was nice to be back in my current city of choice - Taipei - while touching down on the runway, listening to "OK. Again, it's pure fire. Listen below.

Overall, the rhyming is cheesy and tight, just how we have liked it all these years. The turntablism is exemplary and when most rappers take themselves so seriously and act so vain, it's great to hear these guys return in such sparkling form, having a lot of fun in the process.

FIRE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArMGl-kCwng

top 50 records of 2011 - 28. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong

28 - THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - BELONG

Sugary sweet, but not sickly. This takes 90's indie pop and throws in extra sweeteners for good measure. If this was a dessert it could be:

Chocolate White Chocolate Cake	$39
Red Velvet Cake	$39
Chocolate Truffle	$41
Bailey's Irish Cream Cake	$41
Chocolate Caramel Cake	$41
Chocolate Raspberry Rhapsody Cake	$41
Chocolate Mint Dream Cake	$41
Chocolate Fudge Cake	$37
Java Del Sol Cake	$41
Bittersweet Hazelnut Cake	$41
Mexican Chocolate Cake	$41
Chocolate Velvet Torte	$32
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rl7-1aFa4E

top 50 records of 2011 - 29. Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

29. IRON & WINE - KISS EACH OTHER CLEAN

It's nice to see an artist take a few risks every now and again. "Go on son. Roll a 6." Sam Beam felt that it was time to explore the sonic possibilities of his ever-expanding Iron & Wine sound and every album in from his hushed, four-track recorded debut "The Creek Drank The Cradle" had evolved more layers, but here it's as if the band has shed its skin and become a totally different beast.

Considering he previously was associated with folk and americana, it has to be said that here there's a stock radio-pop, a dash of funk and even a sprinkle of electric guitar as Beam rocks out in the sensational seven-minute closer "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me" as he repeats things that "we become" over and over. These things include a hammer and nail, a disco ball and an ice-cream cone. Nice.

Whatever Iron & Wine has become, it's all because he's finally gone and taken the plunge and it's wholly worth diving in with him

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBJHqU5_6jU

top 50 records of 2011- 30. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

30. TV ON THE RADIO -NINE TYPES OF LIGHT

New York City's TV on the radio are a sure-fire guarentee of producing quality output. This is their poppiest, loviest and loveliest effort so far.

The band sounds happy in love and have a cheerful mentality. It's a summer-centric listen and after their masterpiece "Dear Science" brought the funk and was super-bold, this fourth album is a lot more centered.

It's a pleasant break from a band that usually swerves around with styles. I feel they've certainly not mellowed out for good, but instead want to just produce an album of sweet nectar and this is it. Their milk and honey.

GO HERE: http://vimeo.com/21051326

top 50 records of 2011 - 31. Swarms - Old Rave's End

31. SWARMS - OLD RAVE'S END

I'm getting terrible at this game. All I can do is listen to a new artist and think how it reminds me of another. In this case it's Burial.

And other times even explaining how it makes me feel can be frustrating. I say that music comforts me way too much.

Swarms are from Bristol. Fuck you don't need to know that. Location is irrelevant when electronica has such a beautiful pulse as this. Forget me. Let's let behindthehype.com do the talking:

" brings to mind memories pleasant or not of seasons past, times and places, or even specific things remembered that come with some odd sense of anonymity, as if being transported back to a precise moment, or even emotion, being experienced through some hazy manner of recollection."

"Don't forget me. Forget-me-not" Spaghetti Blogonese

HERE! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv01QFpWWqg

records of 2011. 32. Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion

32. CRYSTAL STILTS - IN LOVE WITH OBLIVION

This sounds a lot like Joy Division. Crystal Stilts are probably the best band of that type since the 80's really. Interpol crafted their whole take on the gloomy Ian Curtis thing but they were so angular it sounded like they were sharpening knives.

Instead, Crystal Stilts are murkier and rawer than Interpol. Down and dirty like Joy Division in their prime. Delve deeper into the mix then and the lyrics conjure up many nightmarish imagery over tons of reverb. It's all about dreams and there's some great magical unexplained shit on here.

Theneedledrop.com did a bang-on accurate review and name-drops more specific influences that the band uses. I can't hit the nail on the head like Anthony Fantano does, so I'll let the internet's busiest music nerd do the talking. Click the links below and thanks for reading!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPiuynEpq1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPiuynEpq1g

records of 2011. 33. The Streets - Computers & Blues

33. THE STREETS - COMPUTERS & BLUES

Is this the last dance? Seems like it. When Mike Skinner arrived on the scene a decade ago it made me sick to my stomach. I hated Original Pirate Material. I just thought it was hooligan-pop, though I couldn't deny it's originality. "The sound of The Streets coming down your aerial." Bleurgh. Whatever dickhead.

Then along came A Grand Don't Come For Free and I perked up. It was a masterpiece of a story-line, a true concept album about losing £1000 down the back of the sofa. I went back and revisited his debut and it all make sense. It was ballsy, risky and out-and-out class.

And now on this, the sixth outing and I'm against popular opinion again. Most critics are indifferent or critical towards this one, but he's full of his usual cheeky banter, the production is pop-tastic and keeps up that whole modern, London twist heard on output like on the SBTRKT album. Skinner doesn't need mass endorsement, he sounds as confident as ever and now he can bow-out, head held high.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flQwfvbEM9A

top 50 records of 2011 - 34. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

34. PJ HARVEY - LET ENGLAND SHAKE

When a career has spanned so many turns in direction and included so much quality song-writing, it's safe to assume that you can trust Polly Jane Harvey to produce the goods.

This assumption proves to be the case, though yet again it's in unexpected fashion. This LP has a first world war tint to it, felt through British eyes and this thread continues right through; there's no let-up!

Despite its thematic consistency, musically it feels like it's stitched up all over the place, and this disjointed feel is like a re-patched pair of jeans; different fabrics sewn together to create killer threads. We have absurd lyrics "I'm gonna take my problems to the United Nations!" and styles that shift from her rock & roll imprint to folk to blues to even dub. Love-a-dub-dub. Thematic, erratic, ecstatic - only Polly!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0w5pxFkAM

top 50 records of 2011 - 35. Real Estate - Days

35. REAL ESTATE - DAYS

This week my boss froze me out after I'd worked hard. He told me there were to be no more writing assignments for now as I'd missed the deadline. He's the one who'd fucked up the email with the Powerpoint Slides. His negligence = his bitterness. He's the kind of boss that if you ask him a quick question and he knows the answer, he'll just say "that's not my issue" and won't even refer you to the requisite person. I used to like his straight-talking style but now I think he's a prick and he's going in my novel.

So yesterday I woke up and had the nicest message ever from an old friend who wanted to escape the city and go by the water, take a boat and eat some nice Mediterranean food. The weather in Taipei was sunny and around 28 degrees in the middle of November. Incredible.

When I feel low in the city, it usually takes me a day or so to pick myself up and realize that personal freedom is way more important than any work pressures and shit. An album like this can float around your conscience and the breezy melodies akin to The Shins, The Byrds and of course The Beach Boys are what this band are all about. Nothing more, nothing less.

Even if the weather was ice-creaming it down with snow outside - which of course it's not here- I would still play this out loud to reconfirm that life isn't that frosty at all, it's actually a big blueberry ocean.

LIFE'S A BEACH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3goco5vtogI

top 50 records of 2011 - 36 - Wire Red Barked Tree

36 - WIRE - RED BARKED TREE

This whole album radiates of conviction. Formed in 1976, Wire have more than just the post-punk sentiment that characterized their seminal debut "Pink Flag." This is their twelfth album and even three and a half decades later, the band still find new avenues to power down.

The verve of youth and the collective wisdom of longevity really sparkle together on this record. It invigorates and enlivens in equal measure. It requires a few spins to get its hooks on you, but you should be happy to go along with this as the bait tastes great.

So British. So spunky. So enlightening. So thrilling. So good. Still, so good. What a band.

YEA BOI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imXTZJvx61o&feature=related

top 50 records of 2011 - 37. Civil Civic - Rules

37. CIVIL CIVIC - RULES

I will let the critics do the talking for this one, and then add my own little snippet at the bottom:

They put the "brawl" into cerebral
- The Guardian

Rocking out in the manner of Holy Fuck covering Hüsker Dü
- Uncut

A ball-busting distorted musical leviathan
- The Fly

The duo craft these exquisite melodies that are completely without peer
- The Pigeon Post

Civil Civic will get you by the balls. I haven't come across anything this year that brings the party like this
- Shattered Satellite

This mix is insane on so many levels, it makes me cream my pants – every time
- A-Life

like having 50,000 Volt live jump cables attached to your nipples whilst sat in a torrential downpour
- Don't Panic

"No lyrics. Just drum machines, pulverizing bass-lines, and a groundswell of synthesizers. Hedonism in a nutshell. Essential"
-Spaghetti Blogonese

GET SOME: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVmY7zCAgFA

top 50 records of 2011 - 38. John Foxx & The Maths - Interplay

38 - JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS - INTERPLAY

This was made to make you feel good. It mixes post-punk, goth and electro-pop. It's the past dreaming of the future and it's pretty foxxy.

John Foxx was born in 1947 (!) and is a singer, artist, graphic designer, photographer and teacher. He's from the county I was born in, in England (Lancashire) and I have only just discovered him thanks to the newsletter of my favourite record shop http://www.resident-music.com/ in Brighton.

Now I feel a bit uncouth praising an artist I know little about, but it's a nice opportunity to check out a huge back-catalogue of material.

As for this album, it's pop-vocoder heaven as Foxx plays with a lot of different styles. I don't wanna say it recalls Brian Eno, David Bowie or Gary Numan as he's their peer really, albeit an understated one. But I look forward to getting into his material soon and being transported into the past future.

GO HERE: http://www.resident-music.com/

top 50 records of 2011 - 39. Washed Out - Within and Without

39. WASHED OUT - WITHIN AND WITHOUT

This album is like taking a nice cool shower on a hot day or a nice hot shower on a cold day. Despite the sexy time going on in the album cover, it's not the thing I think of when I listen to Washed Out.

Instead, I feel the shoegazey aesthetics and dreamy melodies with the voice echoed down in the mix. It makes me feel good, wandering the city, getting intimate with my own thoughts.

All in all, it's nothing massively dynamic or innovative, but it flows extremely well as a record with the synths, drum machines and hushed vocals.

I just had a shower actually, but I want to take a 40 minute one and turn this up. We just got a water bill though and it's expensive enough.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRXQAn1Tv1E

top 50 records of 2011 - 40. Sbtrkt - Sbtrkt

40- SBTRKT - SBTRKT

I love this shit. It reminds me of Basement Jaxx. It's got soul. It's the third debut in a row on this list. Unintentional.

"playful, yet gritty" said Drowned In Sound. I'll dance to that.

So SBTRKT have remixed everyone from Radiohead to M.I.A. This album sounds a bit like a remix album actually in the sense that it:

"plunders all corners of the dancefloor" - Q Magazine

Yes. These are better descriptions than "Dubstep."

My friend Mattboy Rowe just wrote around 50 words on them for me:

"Hey mate. Nice to blabber with you again no doubt. Do you know No Doubt? That Gwen Stefani is a right catch. Oh my lordy! If there's any foreign readers reading this, they won't know these colloquialisms that I'm using. Well, as for the SBTRKT; is that like to subtract like:

here's a simple equation:

2-2 = ....that's easy!"

Thanks Matt!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6IFYMJ63V0

top 50 records of 2011 - 41. Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam

41. - GHOSTPOET - PEANUT BUTTER BLUES & MELANCHOLY JAM

Reminds me of Roots Manuva. The lazy drawl. The gruff and beefy delivery. The contemplation: "I'm just sitting here drinkin', playing pro-evo and thinkin."

This debut LP from Coventry, UK based MC Obaro Ejmiwe is structured so well. It really swells in the middle and ends with "Life's too short to sort out grudges." Ejimiwe raps about the struggle of late 20's life throughout this record and it's a 40 minute colossus. A splendid, self-deprecating journey.

The production is killer. The electronic aceness of "I Just Don't Know" is a sharp dart away from the wholly live feel of the album. Here he says "I can't be a retrospective rapper all the time" - the present tense of "I know what I'm doing / But I've gotta keep on moving / Don't ask me what my plan is / Cos I'm not quite sure how I planned it:" is plain and honest, but also vital and revitalizing.

Most hip-hop albums this year make me want to get my party on, but this is the reflection afterward. Parties are nice, but the quest for self-improvement takes up more hours in the day surely. Well it does when you hit 28 anyway!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEG3SL-GoUY

top 50 records of 2011 - 42. James Blake- James Blake

42 - JAMES BLAKE - JAMES BLAKE

So much has been said. So much has been written. So many opinions.

Best to avoid hyping this young London producer so much and let his sound grow. He's already released a ton of EP's, and this, his debut was put under the microscope so much, that the heat fried it up.

That was back in January and thankfully now, it still sounds great. Nobody talks about it anymore, although it may pop up on a few end of year lists. I think great electronic music, of a great soul voice - a bit like Jamie Lidell the way he combines those two elements -and Blake's penchant for changing direction really freely. He executes this whole thing with ease.

He would do well to make it sound less easy. Crank up the bass next time. Peel off into weirder directions. Throw down some Aphex Twin style explorations. For now though, James Blake's debut LP comes off like it thinks it's a classic and it sounds like one. Still, I want him to get even weirder!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSvb_jGwQ7s

top 50 records of 2011 - 43. Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing

43. FUIJYA & MIYAGI -VENTRILOQUIZZING

Critics slagged this one off for being pretty safe, predictable and cliched. Well, Fuijya and Miyagi certainly use cliche in their lyrics:

"I'll beat you black, I'll beat you blue"

or

"You don't know which side your bread is buttered on"

or

"You go up and go down like a yo-yo"

or

"It's no good crying over spilt milk"

However, they sing about Taiwanese leather boots and minestrone soup, so I don't see this as dull, but comfortable and inviting. It's kitsch. That might make you want to vomit now you read that, but really Fujiya & Miyagi have the skills as producers to create a great jam. Though the lyrics are cheesy and greasy; fat tastes good. Audio-calories.

The songs are not cluttered. They're tight. 4 albums in and they're sitting pretty. So I give it to you, though not everyone's in agreement: this high-fat blog Spaghetti Blogonese puts this record right on the menu.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7KYOdKTnKM

top 50 records of 2011 - 44. The Field - Looping State of Mind

44. THE FIELD - LOOPING STATE OF MIND

Just to clear a few things up from my previous reviews of this artist:

1)I never thought I was dyslexic but I swear I read the artists name as "Alex" but it's actually "Axel".

2) He doesn't really look like Hitler. It was just one particular shot that was all over the magazines when he dropped his debut album in 2007.

3) That debut album "From Here We Go Sublime" felt so fresh when it came down my aerial. The minimal melodies and beats incorporated a new, windswept style. I compared it to how people must have felt when Daft Punk released "Homework" in 1997. Was I too young then?

4) I probably wasn't too young then. I was 13 turning 14. But, instead I was listening to Brit-pop. Our house was robbed and I claimed loads of Oasis, Blur and Supergrass CD's on the insurance policy.

5)"Looping State of Mind" finds Willner building on all the great sonics of his debut and 2009's follow-up "Yesterday and Today." This is still music constructed for walking around the city to, but this time instead of just looking down at the ground, you'll be imagining what's going on in all the office blocks around you, letting the drums and swathes of melody spray everywhere. Fuck, this is the first time you've been able to dance in the rain to The Field. A really valiant, further developed effort.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amKTW2RkaAc

top 50 records of 2011 - 45. Cashier No.9 - To The Death Of Fun

45. CASHIER NO. 9 - TO THE DEATH OF FUN

It's raining horses and chickens here in Taipei right now. Pretty typical. The rain could never dampen the vibe here though. We're talking sunny indie pop with a jangly attitude.

David Holmes is on the production and he really brings the sound out in the band just like cooking with wine helps with Italian dishes like lasagne, penne rose or.. er...spaghetti blogonese.

There are a lot of bands that try that summer-beach kind of sound but a lot of them drown in the trend of the surf. Not this Belfast collective though. The songwriting is not just catchy; the instruments are nicely released into the mix and the album has commendable changes of pace and is sequenced down to a tee.

Perhaps the experience of band founder Danny Todd helps create a unique identity for Cashier. No 9 instead of mere Beach Boy mimicry like the young-guns do. Whatever: Taipei can rain horses and chickens all it wants. This album transports me into the sunshine!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MguSkd-6U9k

top 50 records of 2011 - 46. Anika - Anika

46. ANIKA - ANIKA

I threw "Sadness Licks The Sun" into one of my mixes a few months ago because it captivated me the way that Anika - a 23 year old singer from Surrey, England - combines an off-key voice with some dusty and dubby production. It has the execution of post-punk too as this record is rough around the edges.

It's very late 70's and early 80's. It's the sound of a British woman singing in a German accent (her Mum is German.) It's varied. It has a few significant changes in pace, which is unique for a dub record. It's 9 songs long, clocking in at just over 36 minutes. If it was a time of year it would be late summer turning into autumn. It's nostalgic and it sounds utterly timeless.

The aforementioned track "Sadness Licks The Sun" really creeps up on you as the bass throbs and the strobe flashes around as interjected memories of the past whip round your nutjob mind. I feel this'll creep up on me even more later and I'll feel it deserved to be even higher on the list, but such is life when you do silly blog posts.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBhcFZwOE9g

top 50 records of 2011 - 47. Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine

47. TORO Y MOI - UNDERNEATH THE PINE

Hype & ting! Many people yo been spilling these loose definitions all up in the place. Chillwave? Mebbee, but I ain't so sure. When "New Beat" oozes out of the speaker after the two minute "Intro Chi Chi;" then boy I'm ready to dance.

Chillwave is built on shoegaze. This is funkier than that. This record is all about the instrumentation and all in all it's pretty civilized. The first Toro Y Moi record, 2010's "Causers of This" was a lot deeper in the sample side of things and ping-ponged back and forth. "Underneath The Pine" is just like the name suggests, taking refuge in the shade with a nice glass of Riesling or Pimms & Lemonade if you're British. American? Watered-down Coors Lite no doubt.

I digress. This is comfortable. "comfortable and civilized?" - these may be negative adjectives to some. But sometimes that's what I want. A drop of low-key. A splash of downtempo and a "shade" of funk. ;)

GO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4J6bFDvvwY&ob=av3e

top 50 records of 2011 - 48. Zomes - Earth Grid

48. ZOMES - EARTH GRID

I had a plan of what to write here and I was in the process of doing some basic research on http://www.last.fm when I saw this:

MWhipple wrote:

April 2011

don't really give a shit how this new one sounds...i'm just happy to have new zomes.

I don't give a shit whether the chicken is cooked or not. If it's raw I will eat it.

This is the second LP from Asa Osborne of hardcore band Lungfish. I didn't know that until about 10 minutes ago. I didn't really analyse the music so much, which is both rare and rewarding for me. It's geometric like Boards of Canada but lacks their electronic melody and playfulness. Instead it thrums and repeats; it's like a robot that meditates. It has the hardcore guitar lines and now I know about Osborne, I can make the link. However, it's nothing like hardcore, or like any guitar music at all for that matter. Drone?

"Drone" gets bandied about a lot as a genre and I hate fucking mentioning it, but it feels like it's gotta be done. Also, the beats and "lo-fi" acoustics make it sound like it's playing inside my body and I like that a lot. Comfort. In. Sound.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbJBTlkWY2M

*looks like I fucked up the formatting when copying and pasting. looks quite good though. go and go fuck off!

top 50 records of 2011 - 49. Cornershop - Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of

49. CORNERSHOP - CORNERSHOP & THE DOUBLE-O GROOVE OF

Cornershop have been around for 20 years now and this is their sixth album. While thev've experimented with funk, rock and mostly pop in their career, this album refreshingly gets back to their Punjabi roots and is playful in nature. Can we call it Indian indie?

It's highly danceable and it chops and changes enough to keep the listener entertained for the course of the 40 minutes. When it comes to things like Bollywood films and music, I like the initial shtick of telling an epic story through just a few minutes, complete with jaw-dropping costumes, but it loses its vitality after about half an hour as it's just too cheesy.

Whatever. Here though, it all sounds vital, as there's no dancing, cricket or Darjeeling tea there to distract me.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRKkBhk2yVM&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL40576C5F96E0DEDE

top 50 records of 2011 - 50. Wye Oak - Civilian

50. WYE OAK - CIVILIAN

Many compare Wye Oak to my winners of last year, Beach House, in that they play dreamy indie-folk with bodacious hooks. Also they share the same city of Baltimore, Maryland in the good old United States of America. And there are only 2 members in each band.

But where Beach House use gloss and incorporate a full-bodied sound on last years supreme "Teen Dream;" Wye Oak exploit a rootsy, here-and-now texture. Take the opening song "Two Small Deaths" and the listener is stepping right into a room of conversation and clatter, maybe a diner or cafe. The transportation into this space is sealed for the duration of this record and it only took a few seconds. Great execution. Like magic.

I feel very substantial and sheltered when I listen to this. When it's pissing it down with rain outside or I've had a bit of a brandy night, I'll spin it in the morning. It really picks me up. The pacing is overall quite steady, but "Civilian" does contain some absolute treasures like the title track that powers through with absolute tumbledown, knowing exactly what it wants to say.

GO HERE: http://vimeo.com/20877864