{2011 albums}

I know all hundreds of you have been waiting patiently but tis the season ...and it took a couple days to sort out the final ten. Secret Stars, The Rapture, Slow Club and The Soft Metals made strong pushes toward the end, but alas...

The year's final band shout-out goes to Catwalk. Congratulations! We look forward.

40. Widowspeak - Widowspeak
39. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
38. Gem Club - Breakers
37. Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
36. Yuck - Yuck
35. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
34. Atlas Sound - Parallax
33. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
32. Blouse - Blouse
31.Pure X - Pleasure
30. Braids - Native Speaker
29. Dirty Beaches - Badlands
28. Cults - Cults
27. EMA - Past Life Of Martyred Saints
26. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
25. Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years
24. Girls Names - Dead To Me
23. Beirut - The Rip Tide
22. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
21. How To Dress Well - Just Once
20. The Antlers - Burst Apart
19. Tennis - Cape Dory
18. James Blake - James Blake
17. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
16. Memory Tapes - Player Piano
15. Minks - By The Hedge
14. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
13. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
12. Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine
11. Low - C'mon
10. Active Child - You Are All I See
9. Destroyer - Kaputt
8. Craft Spells - Idle Labor
7. Washed Out - Within and Without
6. John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
5. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
4. Porcelain Raft - Gone Blind
3. Coma Cinema - Blue Suicide
2. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
1. Wild Beasts - Smother

{2011 songs} 1-10

10. "The Wilhelm Scream" - James Blake


9. "Loop The Loop" - Wild Beasts


8. "I Found A Way" - Porcelain Raft


7. "Recharge And Revolt" - The Raveonettes


6. "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire" - M83

5. "Suicide Dream 3 (Orchestral Version)" - How To Dress Well


4. "Lemonade" - Braids


3. "Helplessness Blues" - Fleet Foxes


2. "The Harvest" - Teen Daze


1. "Believer" - John Maus

{2011 songs} 11-15

15. "Believe in Magic" - Jim Jones w/ Lloyd/Girl Talk


14. "Calgary" - Bon Iver


13. "The Fog Rose High" - Craft Spells


12. "How It Ended" - The Drums


11. "A Dedication" - Washed Out

{2011 songs} 16-20

20. "Violence" - Soft Powers


19. "Video Games" - Lana Del Rey


18. "Vomit" - Girls


17. "Mornin'" - Star Slinger


16. "Fell Thru Ice" - Memory Tapes

Fabric of the moon

October fittingly ends with the 2ND release within a year from these brilliant San Franciscans. Somewhere Alejandra Dehaza smiles -and listens- ear to ear.
The Soft Moon // Total Decay

Drive

The best movie of the last 5 years better have great music. And they absolutely nailed it. Though they should have played this the last scene-quence. Highlights are Riz Ortalanni, Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx, College, Chromatics and "Kick Your Teeth."

Gem Club

Threatened to be overlooked by more glamorous albums this Fall -- the excellent Girls album, releases by M83, Dum Dum Girls, St. Vincent, and perhaps Drums(they were criminally under-appreciated last year), post-slowcore(ref. Pure X) Gem Club will quietly release Breakers. And if the title track is any indication, bliss comes swiftly.

(Tyler -- is this what you were talking about?)

Porcelain Raft

already dropped a brilliant, nearly-flawless EP this year. Now he's primed to throw down his first proper full-length. B. approves.

Stay active my child

After releasing arguably the best EP of the past decade last year, my boy's all grown up and ready to release his first long player. We couldn't be prouder.

Active Child: 'Hanging On'

Teen Daze's Harvest

Per sake of documentation (as always), I would be remiss if I didn't note this down.
Teen Daze, "The Harvest"

Man vs. Bubblegum

A friend told me this album reminds him of when he fell in love with gum. I replied that it reminds me of when I broke up with gum. Great Summer record

Seánce on a Wet Afternoon

Washed Out

We owe it to ourselves to absorb Washed Out's new album next month. 2 songs from the record:

Eyes Be Closed

You and I

Craft Spells, Idle Labor

Lovely record from my stomping grounds in Northern California, and via the hottest label running...

From the Morning Heat by CraftSpells