Mike Bennett writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2011 (Mike Bennett)

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2011. The next list is from DJ and CHIRP Board member Mike Bennett.

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

I’ve listened to roughly 120 or so 2011 releases and I was pleased with the variety of cool sounds that I heard this year. It was a great year for local music. In addition to the Disappears and Mannequin Men records that made my Honorable Mentions, there were great releases from Cheer-Accident, J.C. Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Mickey, Wilco, The Lawrence Peters Outfit, Smoking Popes, Vee Dee, Pet Lions and many others. Yet again, CHIRP exposed me to sounds that I never would have heard before, and I’m so happy I get the chance to share some of those sounds on chirpradio.org every Saturday morning.

Honorable Mentions

1. Pete and The Pirates – One Thousand Pictures (Stolen)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Great guitar oriented pop records seem fewer and farther between nowadays, so the second LP from this Reading, England group was a revelation. This band reminds me of favorites like Buzzcocks, The Undertones, The Only Ones, Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians and so many others. With its memorable melodies, killer guitar lines, quirky lyrics and multiple hooks per song, I played this album more than any other this year.
2. Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What (Hear Music)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   This album plays like a summary of everything Paul Simon does well. Some of the songs sound like lost ‘60s gems, while others sport jumping rhythms from places like Africa and New Orleans. Simon focuses mortality and what life is all about, and his lyrics are more than up to the task, with wit and wisdom giving weight to these wonderful tunes.
3. The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar (Atlantic/Canvasback)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   The most accurate album title of the year from a Welsh trio that takes the sounds of the harder side of the ‘90s shoegazer scene and amps them up even more. Singer-guitarist Ritzy Brian is a great frontwoman, getting amazing sounds from her instrument, and the band shows enough songcraft that there is something enticing in most songs before the band explodes.
4. Van Hunt – What Were You Hoping For? (Thirty Tigers)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Hunt not only left a major label, he burst out of the retro soul straitjacket he was fitted for, and he is now letting his freak flag fly. He still has a bit of a Curtis Mayfield thing going, but it blends in with hints of Prince, George Clinton, Cee Lo Green and other eccentrics, as soul, rock and funk all come into the mix on a thrilling set of songs.
5. Tom Waits – Bad As Me (ANTI-)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Waits’ collaborator/wife Kathleen Brennan laid down the law: no songs over 4 minutes. Well, a few creep over that mark, but concision leads to the sharpest songs Waits has created in a long time. From barroom balladeering to scuzzy blues to rockabilly, Waits is in control on his best album since Rain Dogs.
6. Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi (Domino)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   This tiny chanteuse is a mean guitar player too. Her flamenco runs support her dramatic torch songs (is that redundant?) and her powerful voice, which is reminiscent of Patti Smith and P.J. Harvey. Nick Cave and Brian Eno (who sings some backing vocals on a couple of tracks) are big advocates, and those guys wouldn’t steer anyone wrong, right?
7. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Fela Kuti has two sons carrying on his afro pop traditions, the older Femi, and the younger Seun, whose band is comprised primarily of guys who played with his father. These are sleek, tight songs with intoxicating rhythms, funky guitars and political lyrics, made for all night dancing (or protesting).
8. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (Columbia)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Saadiq again looks to the past, showing his mastery of ‘60s and ‘70s soul and R & B. Here, he not only goes beyond Motown and Stax but adds funkier stuff like Sly Stone and Curtis Mayfield to his approach. More importantly, he finds a way to make his songs not just homages, but new “old” soul classics.
9. Jonathan Wilson – Gentle Spirit (Bella Union)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Wilson has spearheaded a revival of the ‘70s Laurel Canyon sound. This is epic singer-songwriter rock, as Wilson has learned his lessons well from mentors such as Jackson Browne and Graham Nash. There is also a melodic sweetness that reminds me a bit of Elliot Smith, which adds to the warmth and intimacy of this collection.
10. The Features – Wilderness (Bug)
    BUY: Insound / iTunes
    This Murfreesboro, Tennessee band creates roller coaster rock songs that blend dynamics a la bands like the Pixies with exciting twists and turns in their songs (think early Roxy Music or Sparks), sprinkling in other influences along the way. Singer/guitarist Matthew Pelham is alternatively crazy or nuanced and drummer Rollum Haas is spectacular throughout.
    • Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore (Razor & Tie)
      tUnE-yArDs – W H O K I L L (4AD)
      Disappears – Guider (Kranky)
      Roots Manuva – 4everrevolution (Big Dada)
      Hollie Cook – Hollie Cook (Mr. Bongo)
      Mannequin Men – Mannequin Men (Addenda)
      Das Racist – Selena (Greedhead)
      Lydia Loveless – Indestructible Machine (Bloodshot)
      Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
      k.d. lang & The Siss Boom Bang – Sing It Loud (Nonesuch)