Entries categorized as “Best Albums of the Year” 481 results

Bobby Evers writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2011 (Bobby Evers)

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2011. Our first list is from CHIRP DJ Bobby Evers.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members’ picks.)

In making this list, I realized 2011 has been a year of “Don’t Miss” albums. Like, you should absolutely make it your business to listen to “The King is Dead” “21” “Watch the Throne” and “Bon Iver, Bon Iver.” The word “epic” gets thrown around a lot, but 2011 seems to have turned out to be a pretty important year albums-wise.

First, The Honorable Mentions: Artists whose Albums I regret not listening to more that likely would have made the list had I gotten around to it: Peter Bjorn and John, Bill Callahan, Fleet Foxes, Radiohead, Tapes N’
Tapes, The Joy Formidable, Feist, Death Cab For Cutie, Beyonce, Fruit Bats, Mister Heavenly, Saves the Day, Wilco, Bjork, St. Vincent, BOBBY, Eleanor Friedberger.

And now, the top 10…

1. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead (Capitol)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   The first #1 for Pacific Northwestern indie folk troupe The Decemberists saw them stripping away 100% of their theatrics to get back to their roots and do what they do best: simple, sweet folk songs with an alt country bent. Play to your strengths, Meloy.
   

    

   Recommended Tracks: Rise to Me, January Hymn, June Hymn, This is Why We Fight

2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   At first I was listening to it over and over again because I was trying to see what all the hype was about. It charted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and everyone was talking about it. I couldn’t quite figure it out, but eventually I was listening to it over and over again because I couldn’t stop. It had become the film-within-the-book in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest that renders the audience incapacitated.
   

    

   Recommended Tracks: Holocene, Michicant

3. Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   “I still keep my baby teeth, In the bedside table with my jewelry, You still sleep in the bed with me, My jewelry, and my baby teeth. I don’t need another friend, When most of them I can barely keep up with. I’m perfectly able to hold my own hand, but I still can’t kiss my own neck. I wanted to give you everything but I still stand in awe of superficial things I wanted to love you like my mother’s mother’s mothers did…Civilian…”
   
   No explanation needed.
   

    

   Recommended Tracks: Civilian, Holy Holy, Doubt

4. Thao & Mirah – Thao & Mirah (Kill Rock Stars)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   What started as a tour together between Kill Rock Stars darlings Thao Nguyen (of her assembled Get Down Stay Down) and Mirah Zeitlyn of Mirah quickly turned into collaborative songwriting and the world was made better for it. The album was produced by Merrill Garbus (see #5).
   
   Recommended tracks: Eleven, Teeth
5. tUnE yArDs – W H O K I L L (4AD)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   This is the year Merrill Garbus exploded with her musical project tUnE-yArDs, a collage of multi-instrumentation and sound effects. The album is bombastic, fun, and incredibly original. I seriously didn’t understand what I was listening to the first time I heard it streaming on NPR.
   

    

   Recommended Tracks: Gangsta, Powa, Bizness

6. Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore (Razor & Tie Music)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   The follow-up to her debut Neptune City, singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins is moody and soulful and dark. Taking inspiration from Ennio Morricone, a lot of the songs give you the unsettling feeling you’re living a David Lynch movie. It was actually her poster hanging at Subterrenean the night after she performed there that made me listen to this record, making me immediately regret missing her there.
   

    

   Recommended Tracks: Cry, Cry, Cry, Hotel Plaster, This is For Love, War Is Hell

7. Adele – 21 (XL)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Another #1 record, this is the sexy, soulful followup to her debut album 19 (I hope she titles all of her albums the age she was at the exact moment she wrote them, like a diary). It is all at once empowering and heartbreaking soul pop.
   

    

   Recommended Tracks: Rolling in the Deep, Rumor Has It, Someone Like You

8. Tennis – Cape Dory (Fat Possum)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Ridiculous album cover aside, this is a record by a married couple who traveled the world and then made an album about it. It is dumb, fun twee pop and one that I listened to over and over again at work, alongside Bon Iver and Civilian. Unfortunately I missed them at Lollapalooza, but I could still hear them.
   

    

   Recommended tracks: Take Me Somewhere, South Carolina, Cape Dory

9. Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck (Merge)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   2011 saw a return-to-form for John Darnielle’s songwriting project The Mountain Goats after a dissappointing response to 2009’s Life of the World to Come. It is driving, full, and dripping with the cleverness audiences come to expect from Darnielle.
   
   Recommended tracks: Damn These Vampires, High Hawk Season, For Charles Bronson
10. Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch the Throne (Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation/Def Jam)
    BUY: Insound / iTunes
    Another collaboration that once it came together seemed fairly obvious with fantastic results. An annoying ad campaign for a pretty brilliant hip-hop album that is dark and fun and has a cornicopia of special guest stars including Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Mr. Hudson and a polarizing use of an Otis Redding track. The songs that have “featuring” credits are the best ones on the album. This album is kind of a big deal. If you haven’t heard this, you’re basically out of the loop.
    

     

    Recommended Tracks: Otis, No Church in the Wild, Lift Off, Made in America, That’s My Bitch

P.S. I also made a Spotify playlist that is accessible to anyone with Spotify that has a lot of the aforementioned recommended tracks.

Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesDecember Means It’s Time for CHIRP Radio’s Best of 2011!

2011 has been a tremendous year for CHIRP Radio, and now it’s time to wrap things up strong as we look back on the best music the year had to offer. Starting tomorrow and continuing throughout December we will present our volunteers’ lists of their favorite music from 2011.

At the end of the month (aka the end of the year) we’ll present our combined list of what we feel are this year’s outstanding records. So check back here regularly and get ready to add a bunch of items to your wish list…and Happy Holidays from all of us at CHIRP!

CHIRP DJ writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2010

For the entire month of December the CHIRP volunteers have been posting their favorite records of 2010. Now, we've compiled the lists, have done the maths, and put together the definitive CHIRP best of 2010 list. Enjoy.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

Here's to looking forward to 2011. Thanks to everyone that made our first year of broadcasting such a wonderful time.

Shawn Campbell writesShawn Campbell’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ and the President and Founder of the Chicago Independent Radio Project, Shawn Campbell.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

1. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt (Dead Oceans)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Obtuse but intriguing lyrics, impassioned but challenging vocals, and the ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand make this the best early Dylan record since 1963.
2. Allo Darlin' – Allo Darlin' (Fortuna Pop!)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   I am forever a sucker for a sweet-voiced female pop singer with a somewhat darker lyrical bite. And unlike so many twee acts, they’re supposed to be great live, so I eagerly await a US appearance in 2011.
3. Summer Camp – Young [EP] (Moshi Moshi)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This catchy mini-album has a spaciousness that makes it feel like it recorded from the room next door…it’s a little lo-fi, a little retro 80s, a little mysterious, like music from the college radio station you could never quite tune in when you were 14.
4. Disappears – Lux (Kranky)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Dark and sweeping, the long-awaited Disappears full-length didn’t disappoint. One slinky and vaguely oniminous track after another, this one may haunt your dreams.
5. Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer (Elektra)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Even for a lover of all things indie, sometimes a big, shiny, well-produced pop record is just what the doctor ordered, particularly when it features one undeniable song after another, showcased by the fine, soulful voice of Cee Lo Green.
6. Tennis – Baltimore [EP] (Underwater Peoples)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boy and girl sell their possessions, buy a boat, learn to sail, and then release a charming retro pop EP detailing their adventures on the high seas. What’s not to love?
7. jj – jj No. 3 (Secretly Canadian)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Shimmery and soothing, simultaneously cool and warm, this jj record, like its predecessor, is the perfect soundtrack for a relaxing weekend or a mellow evening with some good friends and a few nice bottles of wine.
8. V.V. Brown – Travelling Like the Light (Capitol)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   An old school pop-soul record by a female singer with a modern sensibility, with a little more luck, Travelling Like the Light could’ve been 2010’s Back to Black. Alas for V.V., this was not meant to be, but this is still one little party of an album.
9. Seabear – We Built a Fire (Morr Music)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Carrying none of its homeland’s native chill, Iceland’s Seabear delivers a remarkably warm, cozy record, a soft blanket of indie folk-pop that gently insinuates itself into your subconscious.
10. Frankie Rose & The Outs – Frankie Rose & The Outs (Slumberland)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Tied with...
    
    Best Coast – Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    ...and...
    
    Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be (HoZac/Sub Pop)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    2010 was a great year for girls in garages with close proximity to beaches and loads of Phil Spector productions in their record collections. Take your pick from these, or go with Grass Widow, Reading Rainbow, Super Wild Horses, or any number of other fuzzy, poppy, lady-led gems.

Honorable Mentions:
Verma – Salted Earth EP (self-released)
LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening (DFA)
Cave – Pure Moods EP (Drag City)
Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill (4AD)
Magic Kids – Memphis (True Panther Sounds)
Oval – O (Thrill Jockey)
Sam Amidon – I See the Sign (Bedroom Community)
Superchunk – Majestry Shredding (Merge)

Austin B. Harvey presents: The Liquid Diet writesAustin Harvey’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Austin Harvey.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

1. Stricken City – Songs About People I Know (The Kora) / Animal Festival EP (Self-Released)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This London quartet craft catchy, singable pop tunes with danceable rhythms, wonderful melodies, and sonic flourishes aplenty. The former release, a mini-album that stampedes through its 10 songs in 31 minutes, showcases tremendous breadth and range, from soaring choruses to hushed balladry. Relentlessly fun, thoughtful, and never hesitating to pull out the stops. The follow-up EP is more of the same, with more electronic elements and wistful chord progressions. Sadly, the bands second album, next years Losing Colour, will be their last. Perhaps they were just too good to last.
2. The Walkmen – Lisbon (Fat Possum)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   When The Walkmen sound great, which is often, they seem to give their brand of poppy indie-rock more space to breathe then any other quintet out there. On their latest, strings and horns are even brought into the mix. But still its the songs, even when the refrains crescendo to their highest point, that allow the listener to roam around like a vacant snowy night. The result is the best non-Scandinavian winter album in years.
3. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   The Canadian collective employed John McEntire for production on their fourth proper album, and the Chicago brainchild did good here, by the band, and the listener. The band use all their weapons in ways familiar and unfamiliar, creating an indie-rock stew that goes from minimally electronic to brutally epic, post-punk to post-rock. Its an album for sorting through ones demons, and at the end they feel exorcised.
4. The Streets On Fire – This is Fancy (The Currency Exchange)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   When starting a new business venture, some folks stick to the adage, "Do one thing, but do it better than anybody else." This seems to be the mantra of Chicagos The Streets On Fire. Their debut album roars out of the gate with disgustingly filthy guitar, vocals culled from what could be a shortwave radio, and anthemic power to light the entire Midwest. Post-punk jams from your neighbors basement, bluesy, urgent, fun, and undeniable.
5. Four Tet – There is Love In You (Domino)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Maybe its because Kieran Hebdens live show at Metro earlier this year was one of my favorites. Maybe its because he samples, of all things, a handbell choir, and I happened to play handbells at church in my youth. Maybe its the fact that this album is a huge departure from the also-excellent (and more rock song-based) Rounds. Truth is, it's a combination of those things, as well as some of the best beats of the year coupled with bits of sound clipped from the places you'd least expect. At once moving and booty-shaking, and unafraid to do either.
6. Eux Autres – Broken Bow (Bon Mots)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   There were so many twee-pop, chamber-pop, and Spector-influenced female-fronted fuzz-pop records released in 2010 that wading through all of them to find a gem or two is daunting and frustrating venture. So let me do you a favor and tell you this: Get This Album. Trust me. Everything about the above genres is nailed by this Portland duo. One of the few indie-pop records this year that never sounds forced.
7. The Roots – How I Got Over (Def Jam)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   After stating that Rising Down would be their last, The Roots come back with a lean, mean, intellectual album thats the head-bopper you knew they still had in them. In addition to giving us the best Joanna Newsom track of the year ("Right On"), the Philadelphians give us piano-driven floor-thumpers that still prove that theyre the best hip-hop act in the biz, Jimmy Fallon or not. And auto-tuning the baby crying on the last track? Genius.
8. Charanjit Singh – Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat (Bombay Connection)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Heres the deal: Back in 1982, a Mumbai soundtrack composer and wedding performer went into the studio with a few Roland synths and merged East with West, playing traditional Indian ragas on keyboards, and backing the tracks with disco beats. The result is a stunning precursor to modern techno that still sounds groundbreaking today. A commercial flop in India in the 1980s, this 2010 re-release has folks trumpeting Singh as the pioneer of acid house, years before the term existed. Mindblowing.
9. Frightened Rabbit – Winter of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   The Scottish band added a member, beefed up their sound, got over a breakup, and the resultant record is their best. More confident, with still enough insecurity to create lyrics of self-doubt as well as self-assurance, Frightened Rabbit have mastered bringing in their folk influences into a full rock band setting. Empowering stuff for anyone getting past relationship troubles.
10. Verma – Salted Earth (Self-Released)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Aiming right for the intersection of krautrock and psychedelia, and hitting the darkest of bullseyes, this Chicago quartet paint haunting pictures with fuzz, delay, and squawks. All the while, eerie vocals and insistent drums ease their way into your cerebral cortex. It might not be metal, but its certainly one of the best heavy releases of the year in any genre.

Cut-Missers:

• 11. Robyn - Body Talk (Konichiwa) Anyone who says "Dancing On My Own" isn't 2010s best song is a liar.
  12. Drink Up Buttercup - Born And Thrown On A Hook (Yep Roc) Imagine if an indie-rock band joined the circus. An energetic, yet well-thought, debut leaping from verse to chorus to completely-unrelated-movement with reckless abandon.
  13. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam) Proggy at times, but otherwise a brilliant and forward-thinking masterpiece from modern musics foremost nutball.
  14. The New Pornographers - Together (Matador) The New Pornographers albums are like Star Trek movies. Every other one is wonderful. This one is wonderful.
  15. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Merge) Uneven at times, but still a wonderfully satisfying chamber-pop record.
  16. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid (Atlantic) Plays like a soul review in the 22nd Century. Also plays like the best Outkast album since Stankonia. The lady can rap, sing, and write.
  17. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Because) The best work Beck has done since Midnite Vultures. A wonderful marriage of French pop and indie sensibilities.
  18. Club 8 - The Peoples Record (Labrador) Coquette-ish Swedish pop with West African backing beats? Just crazy enough to work. If it were only summer...
  19. of Montreal - False Priest (Polyvinyl) Kevin Barnes is insane. If he wants to make sci-fi sex jams, you say "yes" and dance along.
  20. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (DFA) Would have made my top ten had I not realized that there are a couple serious clunkers on it.