There's way too much music in the world. Sure, we're obsessed with it and we love collecting, listening to and talking about it. Still, despite all of our best efforts, we music fans are able to easily let something great slip through the cracks. That's why we've taken a moment to compile a list of some top-notch releases that you may not have noticed this year. These span across many genres, and this is no way meant to be a definitive list, so make your suggestions for other albums that deserved more lovin' in the comments section below.
10 Great Albums You May Have Missed in 2011:
10. Hygiene
Public Sector
La Vida Es Un Mus
London quartet Hygiene openly declare "It's all been done before" over and over again on "Done Before," the second track of Public Sector. But that's hardly the point. Raw, brash performance collides with often atonal melodies here, resulting in the one of the year's best post-punk records. Actually, it's more like one of the year's best punk records, as there's no pretension or desire to impress with their succinct playing. This lack of bullshit just makes room for hooks aplenty, giving Public Sector the needed forward momentum to satisfy on repeat listens.
Public Sector's "Things to Do":
9. The Bats
Free All the Monsters
Flying Nun
Sure, long-running Flying Nun act the Bats are hardly what you'd call super obscure, but chances are more than a few lo-fi/twee-loving listeners missed this one this year. It hardly made a bang on the indie pop landscape in 2011, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Free All the Monsters stands as the Bats' strongest album in a good decade. Going back to the more acoustic set-up seen on their classic 1987 debut Daddy's Highway, Robert Scott and co. breathed some welcomed warmth back into their approach, knocking out melancholic sad-pop hit after hit and packing in some of the best rock melodies we've heard in ages. In many ways, Monsters makes a lot of this year's contemporary indie pop releases come across as, well, kind of weak. Yeah, the Bats are hardly "cool" and "hip" anymore, but everyone living off a steady diet of Slumberland and Woodsist, owes it to themselves to dig into Monsters. And a tip to the younger generation: if there is a way to age gracefully, this is how you do it.
Free All the Monsters' "Simpletons":
8. Rational Animals
Bock Rock Parade
Katorga Works
Rochester, NY group Rational Animals have been holding it down since 2006, but they finally released their debut album this year and set the bar high for modern hardcore punk. With heavy riffing that borrows heavily from Blacks both Flag and Sabbath, there's a touch of metal to their abrasion. But that doesn't stop it from being a balls out punk record that will have you starting fights and kicking holes in the wall. It's rare that a punk record this raw stays fresh on each listen, but Bock Rock Parade is a consistently rewarding debut that deserves much more attention than it's received.
Bock Rock Parade's "Crumbling Buildings":
7. Niggas With Guitars
Ethnic Frenzy
Digitalis
Following a pile of CD-R and cassette releases, Oakland's Niggas With Guitars finally lived up to all the project's early promise with their first long-player Ethnic Frenzy. Yet despite this release getting pressed up by the taste-making Digitalis imprint early in the year, it seemed to fall by the wayside. And that's a shame. Like some other inclusions on this list, Niggas With Guitars succeeded by combining an unlikely combination of musical influences and Frankensteining them into something truly jaw-dropping. With Ethnic Frenzy, you get everything from Glenn Branca-esque guitar-drone epics, to spa-friendly new age, to way-out-there hip-hop and R&B. The results are heady, to say the least, and blew our minds more than a few times throughout 2011.
nwg - ethnic frenzy by smokeland
6. Christina Vantzou
No. 1
Kranky
Brussels-based composer Christina Vantzou has already made some waves with her own compositions alongside her time in the Dead Texan and as a touring member of Sparklehorse. Over three years, Vantzou worked on her debut album and the result is No. 1. A ten-track symphony built from synthesizers, samples and voice was rounded out with a full orchestra courtesy of Magik*Magik. The final product is a stunning, ethereal work that solidifies Vantzou's place as one of the most exciting artists emerging in neoclassical composition. At once spacious and spacey, No. 1 is a remarkable first move in what is sure to be a fascinating solo career.
5. Key Losers
California Lite
P.W. Elverum and Sun
Best known as a member of the Pacific Northwest indie folk project Dear Nora, Katy Davidson took a bit of a left turn with her debut as Key Losers. Released by Mount Eerie's Phil Elverum and recorded with a supergroup that included Karl Blau and Nick Krgovich in Anacortes, WA, you probably have a decent idea of how this sounds without even needing to hear it. Still, California Lite is packed with fantastic songwriting and left-field arrangements that, as the album title suggests, lean heavily on soft rock. There's a lot to love about California Lite. Don't just take our word for it, though. Give the album a chance below.
"California Lite" by Key Losers by P.W. Elverum & Sun, ltd.
4. G-Side
iSLAND
Slow Motion Soundz
In the year of Internet rap, Atlanta duo G-Side already had a solid effort in the bank with January's The One... Cohesive. In November, however, they snuck out another top-notch release with iSLAND. The record, which continues the group's winning streak, offers up more of their choice beat selections and confessional raps like "I've been having nightmares of being broke at 30." Unfortunately, this came out around the same time as some other confessional rapper with a penchant for weird beats, so it didn't really get the credit it was due. That doesn't mean you should sleep on it, though.
3. Bee Mask
Elegy for Beach Friday
Spectrum Spools
In its inaugural year, John Elliott's Spectrum Spools imprint repeatedly impressed. From must-have records by Fabric, Mist and Forma, we were forking over our hard-earned cash again and again to pick up everything the label dropped this year. But the Spectrum Spools release that left the biggest impression on us had to be the sprawling double-LP Elegy for Beach Friday by Chris Madak's Bee Mask. Hands down, this kosmische-loaded epic was both one of the darkest/most frightening records we heard all year, as well as the most strikingly gorgeous. Rarely do artists capture both ends of the spectrum (no pun intended) so well, and despite countless listens, we're still left trying to wrap our heads around this one. And that's always a good thing.
Elegy for Beach Friday's "Stop the Night":
2. Sabertooth
Making Light of a Shitty Situation
No Contracts, Just Trust
This is the kind of party-starting melodic hardcore that's well worth endorsing. Calgary quintet Sabertooth are secretly a bunch of scrappy kids playing rough-around-the-edges punk, so it comes as a slight surprise that these songs are so poppy. Still, don't expect Making Light of a Shitty Situation to win them FACTOR grants in the future. This is pop punk with an emphasis on the punk, made that much more grin-worthy with ample Simpsons sound bites. They've probably even shot-gunned some beers in your city, too, as Sabertooth made a respectable lap around the continent this year. There's really no excuse to ignore them any longer.
1. Ogre You Asshole
Homely
Vap
Last year, Japanese pop experimenters Ogre You Asshole took a prominent spot on our Top 10 EPs of 2010 list, and while it may look as if we're playing favourites by including them here, the band deserve some serious props for this year's Homely LP. Like so many great things Japanese, the trio's charm comes in the way they take a bit from everywhere, throw it together, and come out with something distinctly their own. In the case of Homely, that's art-damaged Talk Talk pop, electronic-minded Animal Collective experimentalism, Destroyer-tinted soft rock and sugar-coated J-pop, not to mention a whole mess of other musical influences. On paper, it may all sound like a complete mess, but Ogre You Asshole somehow turned this into a stunningly fluid listen on record, making for one of the year's most ambitious and cerebral pop records -- even if it never crossed your radar.
10 Great Albums You May Have Missed in 2011:
10. Hygiene
Public Sector
La Vida Es Un Mus
London quartet Hygiene openly declare "It's all been done before" over and over again on "Done Before," the second track of Public Sector. But that's hardly the point. Raw, brash performance collides with often atonal melodies here, resulting in the one of the year's best post-punk records. Actually, it's more like one of the year's best punk records, as there's no pretension or desire to impress with their succinct playing. This lack of bullshit just makes room for hooks aplenty, giving Public Sector the needed forward momentum to satisfy on repeat listens.
Public Sector's "Things to Do":
9. The Bats
Free All the Monsters
Flying Nun
Sure, long-running Flying Nun act the Bats are hardly what you'd call super obscure, but chances are more than a few lo-fi/twee-loving listeners missed this one this year. It hardly made a bang on the indie pop landscape in 2011, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Free All the Monsters stands as the Bats' strongest album in a good decade. Going back to the more acoustic set-up seen on their classic 1987 debut Daddy's Highway, Robert Scott and co. breathed some welcomed warmth back into their approach, knocking out melancholic sad-pop hit after hit and packing in some of the best rock melodies we've heard in ages. In many ways, Monsters makes a lot of this year's contemporary indie pop releases come across as, well, kind of weak. Yeah, the Bats are hardly "cool" and "hip" anymore, but everyone living off a steady diet of Slumberland and Woodsist, owes it to themselves to dig into Monsters. And a tip to the younger generation: if there is a way to age gracefully, this is how you do it.
Free All the Monsters' "Simpletons":
8. Rational Animals
Bock Rock Parade
Katorga Works
Rochester, NY group Rational Animals have been holding it down since 2006, but they finally released their debut album this year and set the bar high for modern hardcore punk. With heavy riffing that borrows heavily from Blacks both Flag and Sabbath, there's a touch of metal to their abrasion. But that doesn't stop it from being a balls out punk record that will have you starting fights and kicking holes in the wall. It's rare that a punk record this raw stays fresh on each listen, but Bock Rock Parade is a consistently rewarding debut that deserves much more attention than it's received.
Bock Rock Parade's "Crumbling Buildings":
7. Niggas With Guitars
Ethnic Frenzy
Digitalis
Following a pile of CD-R and cassette releases, Oakland's Niggas With Guitars finally lived up to all the project's early promise with their first long-player Ethnic Frenzy. Yet despite this release getting pressed up by the taste-making Digitalis imprint early in the year, it seemed to fall by the wayside. And that's a shame. Like some other inclusions on this list, Niggas With Guitars succeeded by combining an unlikely combination of musical influences and Frankensteining them into something truly jaw-dropping. With Ethnic Frenzy, you get everything from Glenn Branca-esque guitar-drone epics, to spa-friendly new age, to way-out-there hip-hop and R&B. The results are heady, to say the least, and blew our minds more than a few times throughout 2011.
nwg - ethnic frenzy by smokeland
6. Christina Vantzou
No. 1
Kranky
Brussels-based composer Christina Vantzou has already made some waves with her own compositions alongside her time in the Dead Texan and as a touring member of Sparklehorse. Over three years, Vantzou worked on her debut album and the result is No. 1. A ten-track symphony built from synthesizers, samples and voice was rounded out with a full orchestra courtesy of Magik*Magik. The final product is a stunning, ethereal work that solidifies Vantzou's place as one of the most exciting artists emerging in neoclassical composition. At once spacious and spacey, No. 1 is a remarkable first move in what is sure to be a fascinating solo career.
5. Key Losers
California Lite
P.W. Elverum and Sun
Best known as a member of the Pacific Northwest indie folk project Dear Nora, Katy Davidson took a bit of a left turn with her debut as Key Losers. Released by Mount Eerie's Phil Elverum and recorded with a supergroup that included Karl Blau and Nick Krgovich in Anacortes, WA, you probably have a decent idea of how this sounds without even needing to hear it. Still, California Lite is packed with fantastic songwriting and left-field arrangements that, as the album title suggests, lean heavily on soft rock. There's a lot to love about California Lite. Don't just take our word for it, though. Give the album a chance below.
"California Lite" by Key Losers by P.W. Elverum & Sun, ltd.
4. G-Side
iSLAND
Slow Motion Soundz
In the year of Internet rap, Atlanta duo G-Side already had a solid effort in the bank with January's The One... Cohesive. In November, however, they snuck out another top-notch release with iSLAND. The record, which continues the group's winning streak, offers up more of their choice beat selections and confessional raps like "I've been having nightmares of being broke at 30." Unfortunately, this came out around the same time as some other confessional rapper with a penchant for weird beats, so it didn't really get the credit it was due. That doesn't mean you should sleep on it, though.
3. Bee Mask
Elegy for Beach Friday
Spectrum Spools
In its inaugural year, John Elliott's Spectrum Spools imprint repeatedly impressed. From must-have records by Fabric, Mist and Forma, we were forking over our hard-earned cash again and again to pick up everything the label dropped this year. But the Spectrum Spools release that left the biggest impression on us had to be the sprawling double-LP Elegy for Beach Friday by Chris Madak's Bee Mask. Hands down, this kosmische-loaded epic was both one of the darkest/most frightening records we heard all year, as well as the most strikingly gorgeous. Rarely do artists capture both ends of the spectrum (no pun intended) so well, and despite countless listens, we're still left trying to wrap our heads around this one. And that's always a good thing.
Elegy for Beach Friday's "Stop the Night":
2. Sabertooth
Making Light of a Shitty Situation
No Contracts, Just Trust
This is the kind of party-starting melodic hardcore that's well worth endorsing. Calgary quintet Sabertooth are secretly a bunch of scrappy kids playing rough-around-the-edges punk, so it comes as a slight surprise that these songs are so poppy. Still, don't expect Making Light of a Shitty Situation to win them FACTOR grants in the future. This is pop punk with an emphasis on the punk, made that much more grin-worthy with ample Simpsons sound bites. They've probably even shot-gunned some beers in your city, too, as Sabertooth made a respectable lap around the continent this year. There's really no excuse to ignore them any longer.
1. Ogre You Asshole
Homely
Vap
Last year, Japanese pop experimenters Ogre You Asshole took a prominent spot on our Top 10 EPs of 2010 list, and while it may look as if we're playing favourites by including them here, the band deserve some serious props for this year's Homely LP. Like so many great things Japanese, the trio's charm comes in the way they take a bit from everywhere, throw it together, and come out with something distinctly their own. In the case of Homely, that's art-damaged Talk Talk pop, electronic-minded Animal Collective experimentalism, Destroyer-tinted soft rock and sugar-coated J-pop, not to mention a whole mess of other musical influences. On paper, it may all sound like a complete mess, but Ogre You Asshole somehow turned this into a stunningly fluid listen on record, making for one of the year's most ambitious and cerebral pop records -- even if it never crossed your radar.