Stephen Dobek writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2011 (Stephen Dobek)

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2011. The next list is from DJ and Assistant Music Director Stephen Dobek.

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

1. Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact (4AD)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   New York’s Gang Gang Dance stole the show for me this year. In an era when genre descriptors are used to exhaustion GGD escape easy categorization. Their sound isn’t tied to any particular time, or any particular place, it’s unfamiliar and weird but at the same time it’s totally intoxicating and a hell of a lot of fun to listen to.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song – ‘Glass Jar’

2. Mark McGuire – A Young Person’s Guide to Mark McGuire & Get Lost (Editions Mego)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Released in April, A Young Person’s Guide is a collection of older material from this extremely prolific Clevelander and member of Emeralds. The 2 disc collection is pure instrumental magic, and serves as a great entry point for anyone unfamiliar with his music. His latest album, Get Lost is an electro-acoustic journey that shows McGuire’s mastery of the guitar and all the wonderfully different sounds you can make with it. This stuff is introspective to the core, and will easily transport the listener anywhere their mind desires.
   
   

    

   Favorite Songs – ‘The Marfa Lights’ & ‘Alma’

3. Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4Eva (self-released)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   2010’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here piqued my interest in this Mississippi native and his follow up to that superb slice of Southern hip hop has been my constant companion ever since. R4 isn’t necessarily memorable for K.R.I.T.‘s prowess on the mic, but rather his abilities as a producer. He rolls out track after track of soul-kissed magic that is pure Dirty South, recalling the likes of Outkast and UGK. With a Def Jam contract now under his belt the sky seems to be the limit.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song – ‘Get Right’

4. The Weekend – House of Balloons (XL)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   The debut mixtape from Toronto’s mysterious The Weeknd spread through the interwebs like wildfire. House of Balloons collected over 200,000 downloads in a matter of weeks and quickly made these guys into a household name. It’s easy to see why. As far as contemporary R&B goes there aren’t too many artists, The-Dream aside, that are doing stuff like this. The beats are so good they might buckle your knees if you’re not prepared, and when combined with Abel Tesfaye’s considerable pipes and a penchant for darker subject matter this stuff becomes downright sinister in the best way possible.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song – ‘The Morning’

5. Miracle Fortress – Was I the Wave? (Secret City)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Driven by endlessly positive and propulsive drum beats Was I the Wave? is a fine follow up to Miracle Fortress’ debut, which garnered the one-man band a Polaris Prize nomination. This time around Graham Van Pelt is dabbling in the synth-pop of Depeche Mode and other 80’s stalwarts and taking his sound to a whole new level.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song: ‘Everything Works’

6. Pulseprogramming – Charade is Gold (Audraglint)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Chicago electro poppers Pulseprogramming came of age on this album, sounding like a fully coherent unit with a fully coherent focus. The somber electronics of Charade is Gold are mixed exceptionally well, and when listened to in headphones the experience is transcendent.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song – ‘Island Answer Anywhere’

7. Ford & Lopatin – Channel Pressure (Software)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Joel Ford and Dan Lopatin don’t just pay lip service to the 1980s, they totally immerse themselves in the decade. Channel Pressure, the duo’s debut LP, is made using vintage synths and old school recording techniques, no laptops or Logic Pro for these guys. It would work well as a soundtrack for any Reagan era sci-fi movie.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song – ‘Break Inside’

8. Tycho – Dive (Ghostly International)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Scott Hansen’s second album as Tycho is a pastoral mix of live instrumentation and electronics that is bathed in perpetual sunset. His slow burning synths were the perfect companion for the shortened days of fall and almost any outdoor activity.
   
   

    

   Favorite Song – ‘Coastal Brake’

9. DaVinci – Feast or Famine EP (SWTBRDS)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   DaVinci has never sold out an arena, he’s never appeared on MTV, he doesn’t have a Grammy. The production value of his music, and the confidence he shows on the mic would make you think differently though. Feast or Famine is a slick set of 8 songs that further cements this San Franciscan as one of the hottest underground MC’s today. Big things are coming for DaVinci, but for now I just hope he keeps doing what he’s doing.

    

   Favorite Song – ‘Where My Dough At’

10. Korallreven – An Album by Korallreven (Acéphale)
    BUY: Insound / iTunes
    If it’s Swedish and it’s pop then I’m probably going to love it. Case in point is the uber-lush debut LP from this Scandinavian duo, a record that puts a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Listening to it is to be transported a tropical paradise.
    
    

     

    Favorite Song – ‘The Truest Faith’

Honorable Mentions

• Craft Spells – Idle Labor (Captured Tracks)
  G-Side – The One…Cohesive (Slow Motion Soundz)
  Rustie – Glass Swords (Warp)
  Junior Boys – It’s All True (Domino)
  Soft Metals – Soft Metals (Captured Tracks)