I think I’m still in recovery from what an ace music year 2010 was. It featured killer debuts from new favorites like Allo’ Darlin, the School, Gigi, and Northern Portrait. Long-running favorites like Beach House and the Radio Dept. go and make the best albums of their careers. Since I keep meticulous records about these things, I'd reckon its the best music year since 2006 or even 2003.
After such a high, there is bound to be an inevitable hangover. Nothing has (yet) grabbed me like anything from 2010 did. Still, by the end of the third trimester there’s been some great stuff that deserves highlighting.
I’ll avoid talking about major players like the Decemberists, Low, and Radiohead who keep putting out great records year after year and keep getting justifiable praise from all corners. (Although, special kudos to the Decemberists who I had been ready to write off and they go and put out what might be the best album of their sparkling career, with the exception of the insufferable Hazards of Love. (And yes, I know some people really like it, including Colin Meloy. I don't like prog rock operas about shape-shifting rakes. So sue me.))
So, here’s some highlight’s of 2011. In no particular order:
Hype can be a fickle friend. It seems just last year Tennis was blowing up the blogosphere with their Phil Spector-worshipping nuggets of pop bliss. A year later the blogosphere turns their back on Tennis when their full-length sounds too much like their previously praised singles. I don’t know why this surprised people, they were the same songs. And nowtTheir once precious back story now came across as cloying. (Tennis is a husband and wife duo. They sold their stuff and lived on a boat named Cape Dory. The album was in honor of said trip.)
This blogger says it’s the blogosphere’s loss. Tennis shouldn’t be blamed for making such charming and simple slices of bouncy love songs so delicate and light they could float away. There are endless bands that would kill to make a two minute pop song sound as effortless as Tennis. And why the cynicism in a couple that actual wants to sing about the fact they like each other a lot? Based off the misery that permeates most love songs, I’d chalk it up to jealousy. At any rate this is an effortless sounding album that brings great joy. And for the record easy listening doesn’t mean it’s an easy album. To compare it their namesakes sport, bashing Tennis feels a lot like bashing Pete Sampras or Roger Federer. Who cares if they aren't as flashy as you'd like. They get it done.
After reading the reviews for Belong I’m surprised more people didn’t see this album coming. Yeah, POBPH made their name with a literate, charming, lo-fi debut full of puns, double entendre, and a cheeky charm. POBPH firmly planted themselves as heirs of the 80’s British anorak scene. It was somewhat sloppy yet totally hook-filled indie-pop twee that wore its heart its sleeve and captured yours with a wink or a smile.
That started to change between albums. The ep Higher than the Stars and 7” single “Say No to Love” both saw POBPH experimenting with a glossier higher voltage sound. No longer did they sound so much the Sarah Records subscribers with the Shop Assistants badge as fans of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and the Mary Chain, as well as Smashing Pumpkins and even U2.
Belong splits the difference and as such sound exactly like their forging their own sound. Sure, sonically it tilts the direction their between full-length works were heading but it still maintains the youthful joy that made their debut such a delight.
Sometime around February or March I kept getting asked if I’ve heard Cut Copy’s new album. Frankly this surprised me. Outside of virtual friends, I didn’t know anyone who had heard their old albums let alone be looking forward to their new one. If these interactions are any indications perhaps the Joy Division fetish that plagued (or informed) so much of the 00’s is giving way (just as Joy Division did) to New Order.
The four-song debut EP from the Danish group Champagne Riot is as about as 80’s as you can get. The guitar, bass, and drums that drive your typical rock song worship at the altar of the almighty synthesizer. It’s time to dance! And unlike the poor production/recording that plagued so much of the 80’s New Wave, recording technology has finally caught up and this thing pops. Super fun and full of sing-along goodness, Champagne Riot will be one to watch. At the very last they’ll provide the soundtrack to the 80’s trending that has been slipping its way into the fashion world.
I’ve really started getting into singles which is something I haven’t done since the good ‘ol Cassingle days of the early 90’s. Sure, I had a 7” record phase in the early 2000’s but that was mostly to fulfill discography holes of my favorite bands and thus fulfill my completist itch. This is a new type of singles fetish. This is a fetish of bands that I don’t otherwise know. I don’t have their full-lengths. These are simply great digital 7”s. And more often than not, they’re bands that can write one or two ace tunes that wouldn’t sound so ace if they were modified ten times over in order to fulfill the song requirements of a full-length album. The net result is that my library is filling up with these awesome songs that I might not have noticed before.
Enter Afternoon Naps. I’d heard a bit of their LP released last year, but it didn’t do a whole lot for me. This year I had the distinct pleasure of hearing the A-side “Summer Gang” which led me directly to this 7”. For me, this is the sound of summer. There is a sloppy excitement in the playing yet so sugary sweet you don’t notice. It’s the aural equivalent of a water melon stain on your face. Stretching the metaphor even further, this 7” isn’t exactly filling (it’s two two-minute songs about … well … hanging out with friends and … um … short sleeve shirts) but it sure tastes good.
