Craig Reptile: Your Sunday Sonic Sundowner writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2011 (Craig Reptile)

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2011. The next list is from DJ Craig Reptile.

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

1. Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls (Slumberland)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
2. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
3. Acid House Kings – Music Sounds Better With You (Labrador Sweden)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong (Slumberland/Collective Sounds)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
5. Belle & Sebastian – Write About Love (Matador)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   COMMENTARY
6. Asobi Seksu – Fluorescence (Polyvinyl)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
7. Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Merge)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
8. Surf City – Kudos (Fire UK)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
9. Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What (Hear Music)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   
10. Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears – Scandalous (Lost Highway)
    BUY: Insound / iTunes
    COMMENTARY

And one More…

1. Papercuts – Fading Parade (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   

Michelle Nadeau writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2011 (Michelle Nadeau)

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2011. The next list is from DJ and Assistant Fundraising Director Michelle Nadeau.

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

1. Yuck – Yuck (Fat Possum)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   It almost makes me feel yucky how much I’ve listened to Yuck in 2011, pun not intended. But why should I? They’ve earned their place on my playlists! Maybe it’s their delicious 90’s throwback garage rock sound or perhaps it’s Daniel Blumberg’s amazing fro that instantly reminds you of Sideshow Bob (not in a super creepy way, though). I cannot wait to hear what this London group does next.
2. James Blake – James Blake (Universal Republic)
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   Staying with the theme of amazing UK-ness, but completely changing, well, everything, the music of James Blake has had a huge impact on 2011. Not only has he stretched the genre of dub-step into a calmer territory, much more accessible to all, but the kid is brilliant! At the time of the release in February, he was 21! And now, he’s a household name. Well, a household name in my shabby apartment.
3. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   To start, I’ve always liked Annie Clark. Not only does she have a beautiful voice, but the sounds she creates in her music are wonderfully obscure, albeit sometimes out of place in my life. That was until…she released the beauty that is Strange Mercy. Incredibly eerie and at times makes you feel awkward (“I’ll make a living telling people what they want to hear”, “If I ever meet that dirty policeman who roughed you up”), Annie Clark has found a permanent place in my heart and my Google Music.
4. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Mute)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Perfect. Epic. Thank you Anthony Gonzalez for bringing this gem into my world. Snowboarding film soundtracks around the world rejoice!
5. Wilco – The Whole Love (dBpm/ANTI)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   Yes, I’m from Chicago. Of course I like Wilco. And I love Jeff Tweedy (did you see the YouTube video of his renditions of The Black Eyed Peas at the Hideout? Priceless). So I’m automatically inclined to own this album on vinyl, cd and mp3. But, the best part about it all? This album rocks. Amazing. All I will say is…the bookend tracks changed my fall. But no, I don’t have a Wilco sticker on my car, thanks for asking.
6. Cut Copy – Zonoscope (Modular Interscope)
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   I’m proud to say that Cut Copy is responsible for my nominee of “Most Fun Show of the Year” at the Pitchfork Music Festival. These Aussies sure know how to get the crowd going! It also doesn’t hurt that this 2011 release oozes of new wave-ness and pop, both sounds are core to my heart.
7. Bibio – Mind Bokeh (Warp)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   I’ll be honest, before this release, I didn’t exactly know a ton about Stephen Wilkinson. Well, if I’m being honest, I still don’t quite know much about him. But I do know that I have continually been recommending this incredible mix of pop and ambient to listeners and friends worldwide.
8. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead (Capitol)
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   This album received a lot of press. And why shouldn’t it have? This album hit #1 in the charts and brought The Decemberists to an almost untouchable level. They probably won’t be doing much touring in the likes of Schuba’s anymore. But in other cool news, I heard on NPR that one of the tracks is literally about nothing. Absolutely nothing. The words don’t even make sense. Shoot, The Decemberists don’t need to make sense to make glorious music. They just do.
9. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Insound / iTunes
   I was slightly saddened to have Fleet Foxes headline Saturday at Pitchfork this year. Especially because the 2010 headliner was LCD Soundsystem. ‘Nuff said. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well they performed under that pressure and the sparse Chicago stars. I found the album getting more and more playtime in my collection and it turned out to be the perfect not-quite-so-much pop album that was perfect in more that 13 different moods.
10. Cave – Neverendless (Drag City)
    BUY: Insound / iTunes
    Psych-prog-rock from Chicago. Need I say much more? Smooth, deep, guitar, bass or drone, these guys have got it figured out. These tracks bring you somewhere deep in your brain and leave you there for anywhere from 6-15 minutes.

Honorable Mentions

• The Drums – Portomento
  Zola Jesus – Conatus
  tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l
  Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch the Throne
  Seapony – Go With Me
  Starfucker – Reptilian
  Katy B – On A Mission

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)
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   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)
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   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)