By Staff
Earlier Silver Lake and LA bands told us about their favorite records and live shows. This week, in two parts (Part 2 later this week), the staff of Radio Free Silver Lake wraps up 2011 with our take on the best of the year.
Seamus Simpson, Contributor
10. Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi – Rome & Javelin – Canyon Candy (tie)
These are two of the greatest instrumental albums I have heard in forever. One the fake soundtrack to a spaghetti western and the other the old west re-told through the eyes of a robot
9. Raphael Sadiq – Stone Rollin’
Awesome new-style old school R&B
8. Rademacher - Babyhawk (Pt. I & II)
Umm, a little close to the bone Silver Lake, and that’s why it’s an amazing inside joke as well as a great album
7. Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
Just a great rock album. Period.
6. Wild Flag – Wild Flag
These ladies have not lost a step, and have in fact gained a few.
5. Chapel Club – Palace
They give me faith in British music again. A little bit James, a little bit space rock, a little bit Moz, and all great
4. The Horrors – Skying
I would have never thought I would like this band much fall in love with this album. Weird but there you have it.
3. TV On The Radio – Nine Types of Light
The best art rock band out there in a landscape of bad art rock bands, and this album took it to the next level.
2. Metromony – English Rivera
Summertime dance parties by the pool. ‘nuff said.
1. Manhattan Murder Mystery – Self-titled
Stop talking about my life and get out of my head!
Jed, Video Free Silver Lake
My seven favorite albums of the year. Due to listening primarily to Icelandic music for much of the year, my choices were inevitably biased towards North Atlantic artists (in no particular order):
Guðrið Hansdóttir – Beyond the Grey
Eleven folksy songs, mostly about the sea from a Faroese singer/songwriter I only recently discovered. About half the songs are in Faroese (a language extremely similar to Icelandic in writing, but fairly different in pronunciation). Somewhat awkward, and always personal and charming lyrics.
Björk – Biophilia
While I admittedly did not get as immersed in this album as I had hoped, its standout tracks ("Crystalline", "Mutual Core", "Thunderbolt") are truly electric, her vocal abilities have in no way diminished since her arguable peak with Homogenic, and the live show was an unmatched spectacle of technology, emotion and charisma.
FM Belfast – Don't Want to Sleep
A lighthearted party album erring on the side of pop over electronic, all in enthusiastically barely coherent English (stand out tracks include "American", "We Fall" and "Stripes").
Austra – Feel It Break
A potential successor to the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees (and a potential rival to Zola Jesus), dark lyrics, and Fever Ray/Knife-ish instrumentation.
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
One of the most lyrically and musically innovative albums I've ever heard. Covers armed conflict from the Great War to the Rwandan genocide, while avoiding "why can't we all just get along" prescription or pretension.
Radiohead – King of Limbs
Not Radiohead's best, but a very pleasant surprise.
Adele – 21
A rare feat, in being extremely hyped, and in no way overrated. I missed out on listening to a lot of more acceptably "indie" records (as well as a lot of Icelandic music I had planned on checking out) because I couldn't put this one down for a few months. It reminded me of how much I used to love singing in the car. "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" are unmistakeably fantastically written (and executed by Adele), but the pathetic fury of "I'll Be Waiting" shouldn't be overlooked.
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