Over the
last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about all of the new music I heard in 2011.
At first I was disappointed that I couldn’t even come up with a “Top 5” for the
year and was leaning toward calling it a bad year for music. Then I started
reflecting on the three albums that were my favorites and based on those albums
alone, I’d call the year a success. There were some let downs and a few records
I just didn’t get to yet, but overall I’m happy with some great releases this
past year.
Top 3 albums released in 2011:
Foo Fighters-Wasting Light
Released in April, Wasting Light lives up to the hype and
viral marketing that preceded it. Prior to this album, I considered myself a
casual fan of the Foo Fighters at best. I never disliked them per se, but I
never really got into an entire album of theirs. Wasting Light changed that in a definitive way as I can say that
there isn’t one song on the record I don’t like. The best track on the album is
actually the closer “Walk” which shows a big progression in song writing for
the Foo Fighters. It’s also a great peek into what the rest of the album sounds
like. Wasting Light is the type of
album you can play straight through and be surprised by album cuts you may not
listen to regularly and be reminded that those songs are just as good as others
you may listen to more often. Deeper
cuts like “Dear Rosemary”, “Arlandria” and “A Matter of Time” are all excellent
songs that also show a very positive direction for the band. My personal favorites
are the aforementioned “Walk” as well as “I Should Have Known” and the
incredible opening track “Bridge Burning”. Wasting
Light is without a doubt the best album from 2011.
Adele-21
For all the roar and praise
Adele’s sophomore effort would go on to receive in 2011, it was released very
quietly back in February. When the first single “Rolling in the Deep” hit radio
a few weeks later, the record was off and running. 21 is unique to me in that the record company seemed to know what
to do with it. When I first heard it back in February, I knew “Rolling…” would
be a hit but I didn’t see the label being able to properly promote the rest of
the record as singles. Whether it’s due to the monster success of that first
single or the fact that the label is doing something right, they have since
released several very successful singles from 21. “Someone Like You”, “Rumor Has It” and “Set Fire To The Rain”
were all songs getting regular radio play, which came as a pleasant surprise to
me. A couple well-handled covers appear on 21
in the way of The Cure’s “Lovesong” and The Steeldrivers “If It Hadn’t Been For
Love”. Given the fact that Adele can put soul into just about any track, and the songs from this album have a deep soul in the first place, 21 easily places itself among the best albums released this year.
Rich Robinson-Through A Crooked Sun
In mid-October, Rich Robinson
(of The Black Crowes) released his second solo effort. Being a longtime fan of
The Black Crowes, I had hope for the record but was a little leery seeing as
Rich’s last solo effort (2004’s Paper)
was uneven at best. Through A Crooked Sun
is one of the best work’s Rich has ever produced, easily standing up to some of
his best efforts with The Black Crowes. Kicking off with the southern groove
of “Gone Away”, Through A Crooked Sun takes you through a journey of the many
influences and sounds we’re used to from Rich and his main band without ever
sounding like a retread or forced in any way. Lyrically, these songs are a high
water mark for Rich and I expect that going forward he should and will flex his
lyric muscle when The Black Crowes reconvene as a complete group. If the lyrics of the Fleetwood Mac-ish “
Falling Again” are to be taken at face value, it might be a while before the
Crowes re-group though. So many songs could be picked out and considered a
highlight. From the chunky groove of “It’s Not Easy” to the willing and able
cover of Peter Green’s “Station Man” each track is refreshing to listen to and
absorb each and every time. For a sample, check out either “Falling Again” or
“Hey Fear”, either track is a great example of the brilliance found all over Through A Crooked Sun.
As I
mentioned at the start, I initially looked back and thought 2011 wasn’t a great
year for music due to the fact that I couldn’t think of a great number of
albums I really liked. But in thinking on it further, I began to realize that
those that I do like, I love. I started trying to “rank” my three favorites in
my head and realized that I loved two of the three almost equally. The thing that makes 21 come in second place to Wasting
Light is the fact that Wasting Light
has more memorable moments on it. In reviewing both records heavily over the
past few weeks, I found myself listening to Wasting
Light straight through with ease while I was regularly skipping 2-3 tracks
on 21. While Wasting Light came out on top for that reason, I found that I was
torn between 21 and Through A Crooked Sun put in second
place. In the end, I honestly couldn’t decide between the two. So while Wasting Light is my clear favorite, I
see both Through A Crooked Sun and 21 on equal footing for second favorite
of 2011.
Honorable Mentions From 2011:
Some albums
that I listened to a great deal this year but not nearly as much as those
listed above were Stone Rollin’ by
Raphael Saadiq, Born This Way by Lady
GaGa and Kicking & Screaming by
Sebastian Bach. Released in April, May and October respectively, all 3 albums
are good representations of their genres and the artists themselves but none
contain enough songs I found myself going back to so as to refer to it as a
“favorite” or “best” album of the year. Of the three, I enjoy Born This Way the most based mostly on
the strength of one song; “You & I”.
I would
refer to all three albums as “mood albums” when I’m in the mood for soul, Stone Rollin’ would be the first album I
grab. While Kicking & Screaming
doesn’t break any ground or necessarily bring anything new to the table, it
gives me some fresh, catchy metal to bust out when needed. As I mentioned, Born This Way gets the most play of the three but there’s more to
the record than “You & I”. If anything, the album is a little too
schizophrenic for my taste. It seems built more as a “singles machine” (which
isn’t a surprise) than a record meant to be enjoyed as a whole piece. Tracks
like “Government Hooker”, “Electric Chapel, “Marry The Night” and “The Edge of
Glory” certainly show that once you put aside the Madonna comparisons and look
further than her shock shtick, GaGa has some musical feeling to share.
Disappointments From 2011:
Unfortunately
there were a number of albums released this year that just didn’t cut the
mustard. I was let down several times this year after the release of several
records I’d been looking forward to. The first and probably biggest
disappointment for the year was the Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. After years of hype from the industry,
the label and the Boys themselves, the record did absolutely nothing for me.
Not one track on the album lives up to either the hype or the legacy of the
group. Another big disappointment was Build
A Rocket Boys! from Elbow as I was looking for them to build on the
momentum they’d gained with 2008’s The
Seldom Seen Kid. None of the feeling or memorable melodies found on their
previous work make an appearance of Build
A Rocket Boys!
The second
half of the year provided two more let downs in Jay-Z and Kanye West’s
collaboration Watch The Throne and
Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger. I was looking at both of these albums in the
same light that I had with Sebastian Bach’s latest album; I wasn’t expecting
anything ground breaking or new, but I expected both to at least live up to
their past or at least return to it. Watch
The Throne gives you not one track that makes you want to give even a
second listen. None of the substance (or effort for that matter) found on previous
Jay-Z and Kanye albums is present in any of the tracks. I take Kelly Clarkson
for what she is but I have a hard time believing that she and her team can’t
come up with better songs for her to sing. I realize that the pool of
manufactured acts is pretty diluted these days, but I’m shocked that they can’t
even give this woman songs that she can at least pretend she enjoys singing.
Kelly Clarkson has a fantastic voice which continues to get criminally mis-lent
to crap songs with absolutely no feeling behind them whatsoever. Not one track
on Stronger is sung with any amount
of feeling and I really don’t hold Ms. Clarkson responsible for that. Both of
these albums are perfect examples of why people don’t buy records en masse as
they used to; big names and catchy hooks aren’t enough to bring fans back. All
you have to do is at least put the effort in to give people something to feel
and they’ll associate their feelings with a need to support the artist.
Music From 2011 I Still Need To Get To:
There were
plenty of releases this year that I just haven’t given a proper listen to. As
the early part of the year tends to me slow for new music releases, I’m looking
forward to digging into them very soon. I cannot comment on the content of the
follow albums as of yet, but I’m sure I’ll get to post something on them in
early 2012. Here’s what I’ll be getting to very soon:
Florence + The Machine-Ceremonials
The Black Keys-El Camino
Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds-Self Titled
Mr. Big-What If…
Loaded-The Taking
Miranda Lambert-Four The Record
Robin Thicke-Love After War
Music Outlook For 2012:
There
haven’t been a lot of big announcements yet for 2012 with only one solid
release date I know of from Van Halen and even that was just announced on
December 26th. If the current forecasts are to be believed, on
February 7th we will see the first album of new material from Van
Halen featuring David Lee Roth on lead vocals since 1983’s 1984. Hopefully a more solid schedule starts taking form soon but
for now albums are promised in 2012 from Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Slash,
Shinedown, Pearl Jam and Culture Club.
The Soundgarden
and Black Sabbath albums are “reunion” projects but the first to be full length
studio material from their classic, most respected lineups. Both acts have
milked the “reunion bit” to a certain extent through live releases, tours and
compilations so it may be exciting to get new material from each. Slash’s next
solo album has potential as long as it avoids the genre-hoping,
wanna-be-Santana pitfalls of his first release. Pearl Jam is looking to
revitalize their career after having spent the past year celebrating their 20th
anniversary with a new studio album. Culture Club also has the potential to hit
new heights when they release a reunion record later this year. Their last
release, Don’t Mind If I Do from 1999
wasn’t even released in the US for a number of reasons so it will be
interesting to see how things turn out this time.
Recap:
If nothing
else, 2011 provided me with 3 albums that I’m certain I’ll be listening to on
2021, 2031 and so on. If I’m lucky, one or more of the albums I haven’t
listened to yet from the year will have the potential to add themselves to that
list. While there were some disappointments
from my perspective, none of those releases gave me reason to give up on any of
the artists. I believe that all of them will be back with stronger releases in
the future, or at least I’m hoping so.
I’m looking
toward 2012 with a good optimism for music. Both for the albums I know are on
their way and those I haven’t heard about yet. I’m certain that throughout the
year, I’ll hear new artists and new sounds that will continue to give me hope
for the future of recorded music as Wasting
Light, Through A Crooked Sun and 21
did this year.
