We have all heard that old critic’s tale of the rock group the Velvet Underground: while they did not sell very many albums, everyone who bought one formed a band. Without all the hyperbole that is unavoidable in such a grandiose romantic statement, it is more than fair to say that a few people who heard the dissonant noise pop of the Velvet’s debut LP felt the anarchic thrill of music that wasn’t afraid to push boundaries. This planted the seeds for punk rock’s joyously angry takeover of a generation of musicians. Punk hit people hard. You could not be a part-time listener. You kept your passions safety pinned to your nostrils for the whole world to see. You can tell that it was really a groundbreaking cultural moment by the way the music became watered down and within a decade or two became an inescapable part of the popular music landscape. There was a time though, in the beginning, when punk was pure and real.

Every last note presented on the Dawn of the Little Jerks E.P. screams: PUNK ROCK. In fact the opening song, “Faces of Disgust”, screams it to a pretty catchy tune that makes for a pretty fun listen (although I think it goes on a little bit longer than it needs to). These songs are filled with the passion that is generally relegated to DIY music projects except that it is also really surprisingly well recorded. Even though there are a few moments of monotony it is undeniably enjoyable to hear music that sounds like it was so much fun to record. There is such romance in the idea that all these guys go to normal 9-5 jobs during the day before coming home and banging out angry retro punk tunes in their garage. Freedom.

Now I am not going to sit here and say that the Little Jerks are a great band or have made a classic recording because those things simply are not true. What they did do is capture their passion and excitement on a compact disc and this is more than can be said for the average person (and even many bands). In my mind, this is enough.

Hey Friends of Folkways,
It’s another trip down memory lane as our writers list their favorite albums of 2011. Just because we didn’t write many reviews this year doesn’t mean we didn’t listen to music. Please have a safe and happy holidays and enjoy your new year responsibly. Now have a nice read!

Love,

Folkways Magazine

Let’s just say it right off the bat: I am beginning to become set in my ways. 2011 was one of the only music years in history in which I listened almost exclusively to older music. I found myself constantly spinning Smashing Pumpkins albums that I hadn’t previously listened to since middle school. I had little patience or interest for new bands and it took a HUGE push from friends for me to check out anything that had been released during this year. Due to this, I must assume that my role as a writer is evolving to become more reflective than reactionary.

While my list is shorter than most years, I was still surprised to look back and see how many albums I felt strongly about. Evan and I have been making these lists together for years now, (almost certainly since high school), and they always serve as a handy reminder of what we were experiencing during each year. While looking at the albums which comprise my 2011 list, it seems that the dominant sound of my year was a hazy sort of tranquility. I feel happy with where I am in my life and I am ready to greet 2012 and find out the surprises it holds.

Have a great new year everyone!

Bjork: Biophilia

While this is certainly not Bjork’s strongest album, her iPad based marketing campaign will likely be remembered as an innovative way to change the dynamics of how we experience music. I have read many year-end lists already that call this album a disappointment. They suggest that the iPad app structure and elaborate box set are far more impressive than the album itself due to a lack of good songs. I do not agree with this assessment, I find the songs on Biophilia pretty fascinating. They are very percussive and even though they are mostly made of organic sounds, they form tiny loops which create drones that are colored in with Bjork’s vibrant vocals. Definitely worth exploring.

Woods: Sun and Shade

When Woods first few lo-fi releases came out I really loved their sound. Over a series of increasingly well-produced albums they have gained a fairly sizeable following and have become a pretty reliable band. I actually like this album more than their last couple of records because I feel it does a better job of reconciling Woods’ slightly more experimental instincts with their newly polished sound.

Yuck: Yuck

When I first heard this album, I heard the clear influence of Pavement, Yo La Tengo and Guided by Voices and I thought to myself (actually I literally said out loud) why am I not listening to Pavement, Yo La Tengo or Guided by Voices? It seemed silly to be so derivative. Over time however I came to really enjoy this album for what it was: a fun journey back to the indie scene of the 90s. It doesn’t seem that long ago to me but if people ARE starting to create tributes to it already then it might as well be a solid band with the songwriting chops to pull it off. This band is Yuck.

Bon Iver: Bon Iver

When Bon Iver’s first album came out, I really liked a few of the songs but was underwhelmed on the whole. I found the sound a little too stagnant and felt the album became monotonous. This sophomore release completely eschews that complaint by being as versatile as possible. In fact, there are moments in which the ambition of this album falls a bit flat but I can’t fault it for that because the mere presence of this amount of ambition is legitimately thrilling.

The Field: Looping State of Mind

Yes, another album composed of loops which evoke a droning but pleasant sensation: a sensation that allows your mind to wander and relive cherished memories as time cycles around and around. How does this album stand out amongst its all too numerous peers? Well, it’s The Field for crying out loud! You need to hear this to understand how masterfully the loops are utilized. This album is a new entry in the endless debate as to whether sampling should be considered a legitimate form of art. These songs grow and expand and breathe as the churn around and around living out full lives between their first and last notes. If our interest in this type of music is to continue into next year, this is the sound to aspire to but don’t set your sights too high because I doubt you can beat it.

Atlas Sound: Parallax

Brandon Cox has released yet another awesome album. Is this getting boring to anyone? It better not be! You should be grateful! This time he has focused on vocals and has clearly worked at honing his production skills. This barely even sounds like a ‘bedroom pop’ project anymore. I do not think that his work as Atlas Sound has ever approached his work with Deerhunter but the records are always really interesting little diversions which allow you to see a bit more of his process as a song-writer. Parallax, just like his previous Atlast Sound (and Deerhunter) releases does a great job at working as an album. There is a consistent tone which ebbs and flows nicely and makes for a totally satisfying listening experience.

Battles: Gloss Drop

Battles’ debut album, Mirrored, is a modern day classic. Most of us were pretty worried when we heard that they lost their vocalist. As soon as the single, “ice cream”, was released, we all felt at ease. Gloss Drop is a genuinely fun record which does not quite have the magic of discovery which is all over Mirrored but instead has a strong group of songs performed by talented and confident musicians. A great listen.

Oneohtrix Point Never: Replica

I discovered the music of Oneohtrix Point Never last year when Evan sent me a copy of Returnal. It definitely made an impression on me and if I’m not mistaken, the album made my best of the year list. I know I could check to see if that is true or not but I’m too lazy. Replica has the same hypnotic energy of Returnal but the songs have an unusual vibe which I find hard to put my finger on. For one, the beautiful ambient soundscapes now have a little bit more rhythm behind them but that’s not quite what gives me that strange feeling. It was when I was reading an interview about the album on Pitchfork that I learned that most of the loops in the album are taken from 80s and 90s television commercials. Those garbled vocals are selling me things? Honestly, I have been impulsively buying used Clappers (you know “Clap on, Clap off”) from ebay since I started listening to this album. In a way, it’s a pretty powerful statement… these once disposable marketing gimmicks are now immortalized as part of our pop culture panetheon due to youtube and nostalgia sites like retrojunk. Can these same crass snippets become high art? Who shot Andy Warhol?

Deerhoof: Deerhoof Vs. Evil

Who doesn’t like Deerhoof? Seriously? This is a band that pushes themselves with every release. Their songs become more complex AND catchier. While Offend Maggie had a slightly more ‘progressive’ sound than most of their peppier fair, it showed the band pushing their songwriting and it sounded really great live. With Deerhoof Vs Evil the band has taken the sound of their poppier albums and stretched it in all directions until it sounds completely new but still completely like Deerhoof. Every song on this album has been stuck in my head at one point during the year and I look forward to playing it again and again as the new year comes upon us.

Danielson: The Best of Gloucester County

I sure have enjoyed following Danielson from album to album. From the Famile to his tree-sporting Brother work and most recently as Danielson (a shortening of the previous “everyone’s invited” incarnation of the Danielson-ship) this South Jersey resident has roots. One of my favorite things about the music of Danielson is how he always pushes himself to explore new structures without ever forsaking his joyous noise or his oddly touching expressions of religious devotion. The Best of Gloucester County has a big focus on home-life, familial responsibilities and looking back on a long and (I’d imagine) surprising career. His previous album Ships was at times chaotic and sometimes threatened to collapse under its own complexity. While I personally loved this about the last album, it should be noted that his practice recording other musicians on his Sounds Familyre label shines through because this album more than any of his others manages to wrangle in all the huge sounds and make them sound stable and comfortable without sacrificing the compositional complexity that we all love him for. It is thrilling listening to a song like “Olympic Portions” somehow hold itself together and I am drawn in each time I return.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Belong

I really liked the debut album by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It was a fun, modern take on the dream-pop genre that wasn’t afraid to crank up the volume when appropriate. “Young Adult Friction” was one of my favorite songs of the year. This being said, I have a hard time listening to it now all because of Belong. I cannot remember the last time that I listened to a sophomore release that was so good that it somewhat invalidated the debut. Belong is produced by Flood (that guy who got really redundant by the end of the 90s but now is apparently back) and mixed by Alan Moulder. The change in fidelity is immediately evident and, for me, at first was a turn off but then come the songs. These songs are genuinely catchier, better written and more diverse that the songs which populated their debut. It seems that today when bands ‘grow’, it usually means that they are changing their style or ambition but this is not the case with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: this is a band that is growing without drastically changing their sound. This is a band that is growing by becoming better songwriters. Is that too novel for today’s fickle music listener? Let’s hope not.

Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues

I was always impressed with Fleet Foxes debut, but I found it hard to sit through. I thought the songs felt a little monotonous and the album began to drag after a few tracks. I could listen to each song by itself and think it was great but, as most serious music listeners, I am an album person and their debut just did not cut the mustard. Helplessness Blues on the other hand works great as an album. The songs have enough diversity that you can listen through the album from start to finish without growing bored and (just like before) these songs deliver. That is to say that they are pretty great.

Wilco:The Whole Love

Wilco has long been one of my favorite bands and I look forward to each new release. Similar to many, I really fell for Wilco upon the dramatic circumstances surrounding the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but I have a fond memory for each of the releases prior and subsequent to that landmark. Despite its lackluster reviews, Sky Blue Sky was an irreplaceable part of my college experience since it served as a friendly companion during late nights working on projects. That album marked a softening of Wilco’s experimental side and a focus on song craft; music for the sake of music. That album was followed by Wilco: the album which had a lot of great songs and an awesome tour but to my ears, felt a little too cobbled together and lacked the unity which has graced nearly all of Wilco’s prior releases. With The Whole Love it feels like Wilco has found the perfect balance of their newer, relaxed style and their more radical sonic explorations. The album’s structure is dynamic and engaging as the songs all support each other to make for a singular listening experience: you know, an album! This, my friends, is a beautiful thing. I only wish I got the chance to see them tour it. Maybe 2012 will be my year.

Radiohead: The King of Limbs

Musically, I have grown up with Radiohead. They introduced me to sounds that I wasn’t hearing anywhere else and they captured my attention throughout middle school, high school and even much of college. It is with this history that I can’t help but get excited by each new release. The King of Limbs was a joy to listen to. Its brevity is one of its greatest strengths in that I have been able to listen to it more times than any other album this year. These are deceptively simplistic sounding songs but with multiple listens, their nuances seep to the surface. I love how they all feel so small and compact but are still deeply satisfying in their masterful ambiance. The album creates a distinctive mood which surrounds the listener. It is maintained until the last song ends and you push the button to restart. If you listened to this album when it came out and left feeling disappointed, give it a few more spins and see if it will open up to you. You will not regret it.

Ducktails: iii Arcade Dynamics

Despite my opening paragraph, this is pretty much a record I bought on a whim. I was in an FYE in the mall and they had this album in their vinyl selection. I had heard Evan mention ducktails but had no idea what it would sound like or if this was a well-liked album. When I got home and put it on my turntable, I was immediately hooked. Ducktail is the solo project of Matthew Mondanile, a member of the band Real Estate. That’s right: he made two slots on my best of the year list! As Evan has noted to me, the guitar on this album has a really cool sound. It is definitely a lo-fi recording (it actually has a bedroom feel) but the tape-hiss is used in just the right way: to warmly blanket the various layers of instrumentation so that they are tucked-in together.

Real Estate: Days

This is one of those albums that you need to listen to again and again before the melodies begin to burn their way into your brain. Fortunately, the album drifts by so pleasantly that it is hard not to press repeat. After a strong debut, Real Estate has emerged as one of the best guitar pop bands on my radar with this magnificent sophomore outing.

Prince Rama: Trust Now

I have written a whole lot about this album fairly recently so I will try and keep this brief. If you like music that takes you on a journey and isn’t afraid to test your expectations (and possibly your comfort zones) then you really should check out this album. Prince Rama meld ancient chanting and tribal drumming with pop keyboard lines in such a way that the drones are never unnerving. They always feel reflective, beautiful and inviting. Please enjoy.

M83: Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Evan introduced me to M83 with Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts a few years ago. It took that album a few listens to start to open up for me but Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming immediately grabs my attention and never lets go. I have never played this for someone without them having a strong positive reaction. I think that my favorite thing about this album is its sprawling ambition. It feels so huge and it is refreshing in the modern mp3 era of music. In interviews he mentions Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins as inspiration and this has caused me to go back to that album (an infinitely rewarding nostalgia trip). Thank you M83 for all the gifts you gave me.

Panda Bear: Tomboy

When I first heard these songs at the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival, I was pretty much hypnotized by the warm repeating soundscapes they developed. Many patrons wandered away but I was frozen in my spot. Now that I have received the record in its completed form (and later the deluxe edition) these songs have only grown more powerful. Now despite what my gut tells me is probably popular opinion, I think that Tomboy is irrefutably a stronger album than Person Pitch. While Person Pitch is definitely an incredible record, it somehow fails to capture the passion and emotion that Tomboy has in spades. My definitive listening experience was on a temperate summer’s day. I listened to the album on headphones while taking a bike ride in the early morning and my excursion was all the better for it. The record perfectly (and I mean perfectly) soundtracks this activity. I defy you to try it yourself and disagree. I have never seen so many butterflies and bunny rabbits as I did that day. I can only assume that they wanted to listen too.

Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee part 2

I grew up at just the right time to be well aware of the culture surrounding the 90’s while avoiding becoming a casualty of its narcissistic apathy. Bands like the Beastie Boys were a staple of my childhood radio and, in my world, their greatness always lay unquestioned. A few years ago, I was driving a friend (just four or five years my junior) to Orlando. I happened to put on a Beastie Boys album and after she asked me what it was she informed me that they’re terrible. She just rattled this statement off as if it was a fact that everyone in the world was privy to… everyone but me. In shock, I turned off the album and immediately dove into a bout of fearful introspection.

This generation that missed the 1990’s and, in turn, the musical education that it afforded through the simple happenstance of birth year, could they really be so ignorant? Perhaps the prolonged cell phone usage (which they started at a much younger age) has warped the shape of their ears and disallowed them the ability to properly process sound. Maybe there has been a marked difference in the style of music composed for children over that five-year span that separated our births. Maybe the rhythms and frequencies which they were originally introduced to has markedly affected type of sounds which they are attracted to as adults. How else could they not understand the greatness of the Beastie Boys?

This album is my favorite album of the year. While this may not be the Beastie Boy’s best album, it absolutely holds its own against a daunting (though brief) discography. It plays perfectly on a car ride, while cleaning at home or during a summer party; that, my friends, is called versatility and it should lead to a universal agreement on quality but somehow, I fear that this hasn’t happened. Actually, I believe that some of these younger listeners have been given a disservice and somehow have been damaged beyond repair to no fault of their own. Seriously, someone needs to start a telethon or something.

*Honorable Mentions (Close but no cigar): Girls, Cloud Nothings and surely many others…*
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Top 15 Metal Albums Of 2011

 15. Obscura – Omnivium

Omnivium’s third album is a technical death metal masterpiece. With great guest musicians, an overall cohesion of form and a realization of potential. Obscura top their sophomore effort and propel their sound further.

14. Hate Eternal – Phoenix Amongst The Ashes

Another brain melting, ear crushing release from Erik Rutan. “The Art Of Redemption” might be his best song to date.

13. Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestial Lineage

Another great ambient black metal album from the Great American Northwest. Wolves get closer to portraying the landscapes and atmospheres of the Pacific Northwest with each release. 

12. The Atlas Moth – An Ache For The Distance

The Atlas Moth caught me completely off guard. I was previously unaware of their existence until I came across this album. It’s crushingly heavy, vigorously groove oriented, and scorchingly blackened. 

11. Svart Crown – Witnessing The Fall

In the same vein as Deathspell Omega, Ulcerate, and Withered, France’s Svart Crown produced one hell of a utterly dissonant blackened death metal album this year. 

10. Lantlos – Agape

One of Neige’s many other side projects outside of Alcest, Lantlos is more aggressive and closer to traditional black metal than the others. Traditional black metal vocals accompany the music, which varies from traditional black metal, post-rock, and jazz infused interludes. Nevertheless, Agape still holds the beautiful crescendos and chord progressions Neige is now known for (“Eribo – I Collect The Stars”). Certainly worth checking out for fans of Alcest, Neige, or Black Metal in general.

9. Falkenbach – Tiurida

Straying further from the more traditional black metal sound that inhabited Falkenbach’s viking/folk sound, and incorporating more folk-tinged chanting, Vratyas Vakyas, the main man behind the band, has done it again. Falkenbach has been a favorite of mine for a while now, and this, his fifth release, keeps the beauty in the warmth found during cold nights gathered in distant mead halls of times past. Communal chants and choral melodies that seem to be taken straight from ancient campfires, flow like the grandest testaments to primal emotions (“Where His Ravens Fly…”).

8. Woods Of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason

If it weren’t for another particular album, Torn Beyond Reason would be my pick for the number one atmospheric black metal album. I have only recently stumbled upon this incredible release and I have been unable to stop listening to it. Woods Of Desolation produce the epic grandeur of Agalloch and Alcest combined with distant, tortured black metal screeches and atmospheric layers that rise to the forefront and fade into the backdrop at precisely the right moments.

7. Altar Of Plagues – Mammal

Mammal, the second release from the Irish atmospheric black metal band, is an incredible release, and the one album that, for me, without a doubt, took the crown for atmospheric black metal this year. Altar Of Plagues continues with their insanely epic soundscapes that erupt into exploding tremolo picks and blast beats that soar above instead of dig down (“Feather And Bone”). They are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands in the genre and deservedly so.

6. Blut Aus Nord – 777 sect(s)/777 Desanctification

These are the first two albums of a projected trilogy by the ever consistent and progressive French black metal band, Blut Aus Nord. Not only have these two albums been at the top of my black metal list for 2011, but they have also forced me to look at black metal, yet again, differently. Sect(s) is immediately more aligned with traditional black metal but somehow distorted in a way that makes one marvel at the technique with which Vindsval orchestrates the music. Desanctification is the slower more progressive and experimental of the two, and yet just as strong, if not stronger. The use of extremely weird dissonance, confusing time-signatures, and electronic ambiance is what makes these releases so captivating and strong.

5. Mastodon – The Hunter

There seems to be a lot of debate over whether this album is good or not. This, I do not understand. I can see where prog fans would be let down with the absence of extravagant conceptual stories and long, winding progressive interludes that spiral outwards, things that Mastodon have not only perfected but have come to be known for. That being said, Mastodon are obviously moving forward with their sound, becoming a significant force in the metal world and creating some of the catchiest songs of their career. This album doesn’t try to measure up to some preconceived progressive guideline. It’s simply a great album, filled with strong songs.

4. Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising

If there was any doubt left in me that Amon Amarth would have trouble following their incredible album, Twilight Of The Thunder God, it ceased to be once the opening track of Surtur Rising broke loose. This album is certainly a step up, which is hard for me to say considering how much I loved their aforementioned previous album. Not only does the album provide some of the hardest hitting songs yet, but apparently their live shows do as well, where I received a black eye after colliding with someone’s head. The show I went to was being filmed and is now the official music video for “Destroyer Of The Universe.” Unfortunately, they left out the footage of me taking a head to the face, but there is a short, and I mean split second, clip of my friend and I helping lift someone up to crowd surf. Intense show. Intense album.

3. Moonsorrow – Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa

Ensiferum and Moonsorrow were the first bands I seriously got into when I started listening to viking/folk metal, or “epic heathen metal” as they like to be referred to. I remember listening to them for the first time, I believe it was “Sankatarina” from Voimasta Ja Kunniasta, and being completely overwhelmed by the powerful way their songs transported me. I heard waves crash against a distant shore while the crackling of a fire drew immediate attention to the grunts of people taking warmth around it, I immediately was at a campfire in a distant land surrounded by the primal past, the sounds that surround and embody their music are very authentic and heartfelt; this is why they have succeeded. Moonsorrow remain not only one of my favorite bands in this genre but they have risen to the top of it as well. They are certainly one of the strongest producers of epic greatness.

2. Insomnium – One For Sorrow

Along with Amon Amarth, the other melodic death metal band I originally got into was Insomnium. They remain one of my favorite bands and this years release, One For Sorrow, is about as close to perfection as they have come thus far. This, their fifth release, is absolutely incredible. The combination of strong, beautiful, somewhat saddening song writing, coupled with better production and immaculate musicianship helps this release rise above my previous favorite of theirs, Above The Weeping World. 

1. Ulcerate – The Destroyers Of All

What is there to say about this band or this release that I haven’t already stated in my review? Well, plenty more praise that’s for sure. I really couldn’t recommend this album more. Ulcerate have done something that I thought near impossible, they have constructed a sound, a music, that reinvigorates my lust for originality. Most of the albums, that I wasn’t already looking forward to this year, were in direct influence to this one. What they have done cannot be replicated, only marveled at. The sheer crushing caliber of this music is that of earthquakes rupturing volcanic explosions while submerged under a flood of biblical proportions. Carrying on in the same fashion as their previous release, Everything Is Fire, Destroyers raises the bar once more and produces the metal album of the year.

 Honorable Metal Mentions: Ash Borer – “Ash Borer.” An Autumn for Crippled Children – “Everything.” Cloak of Altering – “The Night Comes Illuminated with Death.” Devin Townsend – “Deconstruction/Ghost.” Fen – “Epoch.” Fleshgod Apocalypse – “Agony.” Ghost Brigade – “Until Fear No Longer Defines Us.” Krallice – “Diotima.” Mitochondrion – “Parasignosis.” Omnium Gatherum – “New World Shadows.” Scar Symmetry – “The Unseen Empire.”  Shining – “VII: Fodd Forlorare.” Thy Catafalque – “Rengeteg.”

 Top 15 Other Albums Of 2011

 15. Blanck Mass – Blanck Mass

One half of Fuck Buttons equals incredible ambient music.

14. I Break Horse – Hearts

When I first heard this album I thought it sounded like Tamaryn, but with lush electronics replacing the lush guitar haze. 

13. Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica

Being a very big fan of OPN’s first two albums, I was a little unsure of how to receive his latest endeavor. The looping aspect of the album is very prevalent which lends itself closer to drone. Once you accept the change, the album is crazier and deeper than anything else he has done. 

12. Atlas Sound – Parallax

Another great album from the reigning king of indie. Lush, experimental and some of the best pop songs he has written. 

11.  Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

A spaced-out, psychedelic, funky indie-rock album that took me by surprise. “Ffunny Ffrends” put me under a deep spell with wandering guitar lines and audio degradation techniques that make it sound like the music is being sent from another time, whether that time is past or future, is unclear. 

10. Male Bonding – Endless Now

Listening to this album, one could draw comparisons to Isn’t Anything era My Bloody Valentine, or a sort of English version or Wavves, of course 90′s Brit-pop, and a bit of Slowdive’s “Dagger” on the song “The Saddle.” The biggest comparison I came up with was Ride. The singer sounds extremely similar and the song structures are very reminiscent. The album is catchy and hard hitting at times as well as being beautiful and lush at others. My affinity for British music around the 90′s is what propelled this album, not just because it sounds like it came from that time, but that it does such a great job of earnestly representing a love for that sound, feel, and atmosphere.

9. Radiohead – The King Of Limbs

At this point Radiohead will do whatever they want; not that they haven’t always done that, and not that it is what made, and makes, them so great. People seem to be stuck in an unwillingness to accept that Radiohead are not going to make another Ok Computer or Kid A. These albums happened and they are now passed them. In my opinion In Rainbows was just as good as the aforementioned albums and The King Of Limbs is another great album that people will criticize in comparison. Those who complain about the length can add “These Are My Twisted Words,” “Supercollider,” and “The Butcher” and feel better about it and themselves. 

8. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong

Their self-titled debut was a great album, immediately hooking me. Hearing that their follow up sophomore release was going to be produced by Flood and Alan Moulder, I was excited at the level of quality they would bring to the band’s expansive capabilities and grandiose qualities. The album is heartbreaking in it’s sincerity, the sound is huge, and the production makes these things clearer.

7. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath 1972

Recorded in a church in Iceland, the latest album from Tim Hecker is a sonic landscape of reverb laden isolation. The songs degrade and fall apart; the sounds seem to mash into each other, combining and producing an amalgam of tones that drift, stretch, and breath. Harmony In Ultraviolet was my favorite album by him, an ambient masterpiece, but this one seems to be fighting for the top spot as well, and winning.

6. Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde

This album stuck with me throughout the whole year. It seemed to never stop impressing me. For most of the year, this album and Kurt Vile’s, were the strongest albums for me, never relenting, never getting old. The songs follow in a sunny, poppy, Beatles-esque pattern but they make them their own. Fuzzy production techniques only amplify their ability to write beautifully catchy songs with melodies that seem new with each repeated listen, and this is true for every single song on the album. 

5. Panda Bear – Tomboy

Tomboy seemed very strange to me at first. I knew that these songs were poppy and catchy, but they didn’t behave as such. I couldn’t stop listening to the album, even though I was unsure of how much I liked it, or whether I thought it was as good as I hoped it to be. Possibly, the most confusing album for me to explain this year. The longer I listened to it, left it, came back to it under different ears and gave it another shot, the more I noticed things I hadn’t heard before, the more I fell deeper into things that were happening behind the chanting and the catchy melodies, the more the songs expanded into something that became all encompassing, garnering the ability to slyly show me just how sonically impressive a pop song can be. 

4. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo

As I stated earlier in this list, as well as in my review for this album earlier this year, this album was one of the first of the year that I knew would make this list. It is a seemingly effortless masterpiece of laid back, retrospection supported by the driftingly beautiful musical accompaniments of Kurt’s unique guitar style. It’s more than folk, rock, or indie, it’s something that’s his. It’s hard to put a finger on what he is doing that is so intriguing but whatever it is, I say keep it up.

3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

I need to state that picking the number one album of 2011 was a truly difficult thing to do. I have pondered over this and the proceeding two albums so much that I would have loved to have placed them in a three way tie for best album of the year. As I have heard that doing something like that is a copout, I have picked these albums based on how I have felt on this particular day. In the weeks leading up to this publication, I would shift the order of these three albums with each changing day, or each changing thought, mood, or realization. All three have something similar: the hard working dedication to the craft of creating intricate, beautiful music that is as near to their idea of perfection as they can get. So, let it be known that either of these three albums could be, as well as deserve to be, number one. 

The reason for placing Bon Iver’s supremely incredible sophomore album at number three is that I feel like it didn’t provide me with the fulfillment of the listening experience. This album left to early, leaving me with a severe case of want. I needed more, even though this album is complete, perfect, beautiful in it’s structure, in a way similar to Pet Sounds, structures that are arranged with delicacy and purpose. Like his lyrics which are the strangest, yet most heartbreakingly beautiful, they leave me wondering, needing more explanation. But, maybe that’s what makes this album so hauntingly special. Crafting pieces together like an architect building monuments to memories of the past, whether good or bad, whether sad or unfortunate, Justin Vernon proves his importance to music.

2. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Truly the greatest folk rock album of the year, by the longest possible shot. The music, as it is with the other two albums, is immaculately arranged. Perfection is the most proper description, and you know it when you listen to it. That is the difference these albums share when being compared to other releases this year. The meticulous attention to detail within each song, within each second of each song, is evident. It is a thing of beauty. Fleet Foxes provide this through an assortment of song types. Some songs are more evident, showing the proof of their impressive arrangements (“The Plains Bitter Dancer,” “The Cascades,” and “The Shrine/ An Argument”). Other songs are perfect slices of folk/pop gold, that flash with brilliance for a moment and then are gone (“Battery Kinzie,” “Lorelai,” and “Grown Ocean”). Some last longer and provide epically (“Montezuma,” “Bedouin Dress,” and “Helplessness Blues”). Along with the foundation of great music, Robin Pecknold pens some of the most important and affecting lyrics, not only of this year, but of the last ten (“Helplessness Blues” and “The Shrine/ An Argument”). I saw them live, one of the best shows of the year, one of the tightest sets I have ever witnessed. 

1. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

I have loved M83 ever since I first heard “Run Into Flowers” and subsequently Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. M83 have been a huge part of my life, and they have seriously effected my tastes and what I look for in electronic music. Being that they have been with me so long, and this, Anthony Gonzalez’s magnum opus, achieved, proved and provided well beyond the extremely high standards and expectations that he set forth and that I had as a fan. A double album undertaking that does not falter at any moment. Along with the previous two albums, this one is spotlessly clean. Everything is as it should be; no corner of this musical space is left empty or unchecked. There are pieces of most of his past albums on here. “Echoes Of Mine,” one of my absolute favorite tracks on the album, has the epic qualities of Dead Cities, while song like “Midnight City,” “New Map,” “Ok Pal,” and the glorious “Steve McQueen,” could fit perfectly on Before The Dawn Heals Us. “Claudia Lewis” has Saturdays = Youth written all over it, and the spectacular ambient tracks are the best he has produced since Digital Shades Vol. 1. There is an ethereal, uplifting quality to the music he makes that simultaneously brings you to tears while making you feel great about it, about life, about living, somehow about the past, like a reassurance of some kind that just feel right, it helps. 

 M83 and the previous two artists have done something special, they have achieved their idea of perfection. They have crafted albums that will remain some of the best this generation has seen. Which is saying a lot for this year alone. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had just been listening to more music this year, or if there really was a surge in great music going on. I’ve come to believe in the latter. Finally.

Honorable Other Mentions: Apparat – “The Devil’s Walk.” Beirut – “The Rip Tide.” Cloud Nothings – “Cloud Nothings.” Cults – “Cults.” Cut Copy – “Zonoscope.” Dirty Beaches – “Badlands.” The Field – “Looping State of Mind.” Girls – “Father, Son, Holy Ghost.” James Blake – “James Blake.” John Maus – “We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves.” Real Estate – “Days.” Stephen Malkmus – “Mirror Traffic.” Tom Waits – “Bad As Me.” Washed Out – “Within and Without.” A Winged Victory for the Sullen – “A Winged Victory for the Sullen.” Woods – “Sun and Shade.” 

Most of the music I tended to lean towards in my formative years was music that I deemed “cold weather music.” Like all of the seasons, fall has a specific feel to it, a distinct atmosphere about it. It almost breathes with tiresome age; it seems to be slowly closing its eyes, resting and waiting for a long sleep while the lilting hands of death are outstretched and grabbing for the remnants of the scarce signs of life remaining within the light and the color. Not only do these feelings influence my musical choices but they have also provided some of my more enjoyable life experiences. This list attempts to portray the feeling, and soundtrack the progression, of the autumn season while providing personal experiences that have influenced the development of each of our appreciative, personal musical evolutions.

Evan

My Bloody Valentine: Loveless

In my opinion, this is the definitive listening experience of all time, and possibly my favorite album of all time. Not only are these songs drenched in sonic reverb, washes of distortion, and pitch bending tremolo picks, but they are drenched in nostalgia. Kevin Shields masterful production techniques and guitar manipulations literally dropped my jaw when I first heard it. Ever second of every song is perfection. In the same league as Pet Sounds, Revolver, and Ok Computer, Loveless reaches and surpasses any preconceived notions of how music is created and listened to. There’s a reason why no one has been able to catch up to this album. I always reach for this when the weather starts to get colder and I start thinking about the past. It just seems to fit perfectly with the overall feeling the cold air brings.

Belong: October Language

Another album awash with reverb and distortion. October Language by Belong is probably one of the loudest and most epic ambient albums ever created. With strong ties to shoegaze and drone, this album evokes nostalgia in a similar way as the aforementioned genres. Ear pounding songs like, “I Never Lose, Never Really,” “October Language,” “Remove The Inside,” “All Equal Now,” and “The Door Opens The Other Way” are set against and strewn with vast expanses and somber, droning songs like, “Red Velvet Or Nothing,” “I’m Too Sleepy,” and “Who Told You This Room Exists.” This album is perfect for a cold autumn night.

Blur: 13

Along with Radiohead, Blur was a band that opened me up to new and more interesting music. Not only through their recommendation but also through their example. I was introduced to Blur as most Americans were, through “Song 2.” I first heard this song when I purchased Fifa ’98 for Playstation. Although “Song 2″ was my introduction, the first album by Blur that captured my attention was 13. I listened to this album nonstop and loved it entirely. This album opened me up to Blur’s back catalog as well as Graham Coxon’s solo efforts and they remain one of my favorite bands of all time. A great album to soundtrack a cold and rainy fall day.

Radiohead: Amnesiac

As mentioned above, Radiohead and Blur were pivotal bands in my younger years that helped encourage me to search for better music. Being a teenager during the rise of boy bands, pop stars, and generic nirvana rip offs was quite hindering to someone with minimal music experience save the knowledge passed down from my parents. When I was introduced to Radiohead and Blur it sparked a thirst for music that has yet to be satisfied. While Kid A was the album I was brought into first, Amnesiac was completed at the same time and some of the songs could be found on the the internet; file sharing had just started getting big and amnesiac was my first foray into this immediate accessibility. Songs like, “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors,” and “Like Spinning Plates” captured my imagination, while “Pyramid Song,” “I Might Be Wrong,” and “Knives Out” captured my inspiration. Radiohead have always been a cold weather band for me and whereas Kid A falls more into a winter setting, Amnesiac has always fallen into the nostalgic feelings of autumn.

Sigur Rós: Takk…

Sigur Rós is one of the many bands that I found through Radiohead, and one that I have consistently enjoyed from the first moment I received Ágætis byrjun for Christmas. Like Radiohead and a few other bands, Sigur Rós is a group in which I love every single piece of music they’ve put out, and although I generally place them in the winter section, Takk… was the album with warmer songs. This isn’t necessarily my favorite album by them, but it is my favorite one to listen to during the fall. “Glósóli” starts with what sounds like the crunching of fallen leaves underfoot and continues into the most incredibly epic climax I’ve ever heard. I remember calling out of work to see them at the end of Summer in September, right as it was starting to get cooler out, during their tour for this album and it being one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Converge: Jane Doe

The very first metal band that I fell in love with was Converge. They opened the door to many other metal bands and many other different styles of metal. I started listening to Converge through their album When Forever Comes Crashing and I loved the lo-fi, grittiness of it and their earlier album, Petitioning The Empty Sky, but the shift into legendary status came with their third release, Jane Doe. This album marked a distinct change in the band’s sound. They became more concise, tighter, and heavier without compromising the grittiness of their earlier albums. Like the shift from Ok Computer to Kid A, Jane Doe represents a revolutionary change. This album is definitely one that encompasses fall for me.

Between The Buried And Me: The Silent Circus

Around the time that I started listening to Converge, I also started listening to Between The Buried and Me, and like Converge, Between The Buried And Me are still one of my favorite metal bands today. Their impact is also similar to Converge in that they have opened me up to more progressive and experimental metal whereas Converge opened me up to heavier hardcore styles and the black metal genre by way of Jacob Bannon’s raspy, demon-inflected, blackened vocal delivery. The Silent Circus was perfection to me, as far as metal albums go. I was an instant fan with their self-titled debut album, which also fought for the spot on this list, but The Silent Circus won out in the end because this was fall of 2003 for me. Released in late October, this album remained in my stereo for the remainder of the year, solidifying itself as an album steeped in the autumnal atmosphere.

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume 2

Along with Brian Eno’s Apollo: Atmospheres And Soundtracks, this album introduced me to ambient music. Some of the most beautiful and sorrowful songs are found on this release. Songs like: “Rhubarb,” and “Lichen” will still reduce me to feeling like I have died and shifted over into a pensive state filled with thoughts and recollections of the happiness of life, coupled with strong nostalgic emotions and longings for the life that has now passed and remains out of reach, the latter of which remains on my list of the greatest songs of all time. This album is creepy, haunting, beautiful, and chilling; it has everything that makes an album perfect for fall.

Alcest: Souvenirs d’un autre Monde

This album and this band just clicked for me when I heard them. It was an immediate incorporation, and this album, in my opinion, is one of the greatest shoegaze albums since Loveless. Merging black metal and shoegaze is something that has become rather popular in certain areas of metal lately, which is kind of strange considering the combination caught me off guard at first, but this album, and the prior EP, are the ones that started it all. Neige, the main man behind the music, has stated that this music was intended to take the listener on a journey through memories of his childhood where he was transported to a fairy land, and in honor of Samhain, a journey to fairy is mandatory.

CKY: Infiltrate. Destroy. Rebuild.

Being a hellbent teenager, I watched the CKY dvd’s over and over again. Bam Margera did influence me when it came to metal music, including his brother’s band CKY, or Camp Kill Yourself. I remember saving up to buy their second musical release and walking to the record store after school to pick it up on the day it came out. It didn’t get a great reception by music elitists but I love this album and every song on it. There was no better album to listen to in the fall of 2002, hanging out with “smiley” friends in a wooded graveyard in South Jersey.

Deerhunter: Microcastle/Weird Era Continued

I would say, possibly one of the greatest indie albums since Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. There isn’t another band that is entrenched in nostalgia more than Deerhunter and this album is perfect for a nice, sunny fall day. I get lost in this album, in these songs, in these melodies.

Elliott Smith: Either/Or

I remember working at a movie theater that was in the same complex as my local record store and walking over during my lunch break and buying my first Elliott Smith album. His second, self-titled, album was my introduction and he has since been one of the biggest influences on my music. Either/Or was the second album I bought and still remains my favorite, along with the self-titled. Elliott Smith’s music has always reminded me of the somberness and reflectively thought induced longings of fall.

HIM: Razorblade Romance

Along with CKY, HIM was another band that was brought to my attention through Bam Margera. I have always said that HIM was a guilty pleasure of mine, but I believe that almost sallies their reputation for people unfamiliar with their work. I have moved beyond caring what other people deem as good or bad music and HIM is a great band and this a solidly addictive album. Goth-tinged metal music is always going to remain in the cold weather music section for me, and this album is the genre’s crowning achievement. I have enjoyed all of their albums, especially their latest, and they put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen, so get off my back.

Katatonia: The Great Cold Distance

Melancholic, ethereal vocals overtop catchy metal progressions and riffs is a recipe for greatness in my book. Katatonia are a great band and this is my favorite album by them. Perfect for a cold autumn day while the sun sets beyond the horizon, splintered by the branches of trees.

M83: Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts

The only other band that could challenge Deerhunter for the title of most nostalgically expressive band would be M83, and come to think of it, they might actually win, it’s a tough call. From the moment I heard “Run Into Flowers,” I knew this was my new favorite group. If you want to read more about this album, check out my review.

Pixies: Doolittle

Still, one of the greatest albums of all time. Much has been said and written about this album and its effects, so there’s not much else I can add besides the fact that I have always loved it and loved listening to it during the fall season.

Poison The Well: You Come Before You

Rounding out my beginning metal listening experience is Poison The Well. Along with Converge and Between The Buried And Me, Poison The Well was one of my early favorites. Before Derek Miller eviscerated ear drums with his current band, Sleigh Bells, he was doing it with Poison The Well. This was his last album with them before he left and it’s also my favorite. I love The Opposite Of December and Tears From The Red, but You Come Before You is stronger, looser, and more interesting. “Apathy Is A Cold Body,” is my favorite track on the album and my favorite Poison The Well song period. Great for driving around on cool autumn night with the windows down.

Boards Of Canada: Music Has The Right To Children

I picked up this album in early fall on a warm day, and the warble of those haunting synths, staggered drum beats, and vocal loop distortions gave me chills. After being introduced to Boards Of Canada through a friend, I never listened to electronic music the same. It was hard to decide between this album and Geogaddi, but this one seems to fit better in cooler weather.

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead: Source Tags & Codes

This was one of my favorite albums during my early high school years. Songs like: “It Was There That I Saw You,” “Another Morning Stoner,” “How Near How Far,” and “Relative Ways” were instant classics. I can remember listening to it outside my friends house in the fall with our hoodies on, it felt perfect. The album is great as a whole and great for rocking out to on an afternoon drive on a crisp, cold, sunny day.

Devin Townsend: Ziltoid The Omniscient

I have recently entered the insane world of Devin Townsend and his music and am loving every minute of it. When your talking about “the wall of sound” effect, it goes without saying that Devin Townsend does it better than most people out there today, and Ziltoid The Omniscient is a perfect example. This is a great tongue-in-cheek album with spoken word parts that are funny (Ziltoid, an alien comes to Earth in search of the best cup of coffee in the galaxy and when he doesn’t get it, a war ensues between him and the humans) and parts that are downright beautiful (“Hyperdrive” and “The Greys”). It’s progressive metal at its best and it has been occupying all of my music listening time during this current fall season.

Chris

The Smashing Pumpkins: Adore

As any seasoned Folkways reader will know, I have a great interest in the way that environment affects the experience of listening to music. The season of Fall is one of my favorite times to listen because you are able to listen to folky acoustic music to accent the deep color of the changing leaves or chilly electronic-tinged music to accent the bare trees that make way for the oncoming winter. When Evan suggested that we do a nostalgic Fall albums list, I immediately felt some trepidation due to the fact that I did not think I could come up with a full list of Fall albums that are particularly nostalgic. As soon as I sat down to try and write, however, I was struck by the memory of a fairly mild (that is to say specifically Fall-like and not Wintery) Thanksgiving in New Jersey. I was in ninth or tenth grade and I spent the whole morning spinning Adore on my discman. The chilly drum machines and delicate arrangements anchor its presence to the end of the Fall season just as things are beginning to give way to winter and the album is actually enhanced by the chill in the air. When I think of that Thanksgiving this music actually plays in my head as the soundtrack.

When I was in ninth grade, this album sounded really great to me; when I try to listen to it now, it does not quite have the same presence. In spite of this, there are still some songs that are definitely awesome such as the pretty acoustic opener “To Sheila” or “For Martha” the power ballad written for Corgan’s recently deceased Mother. Even the often overlooked “Once Upon A Time” is a really swell pop song. Adore is easily good enough to maintain its reputation as a nostalgic guilty pleasure. Actually I have been listening to it again while writing this review and it sounds pretty great right now… even the single “Ava Adore” which I always found a bit too overwrought. This may have something to do with the temperature finally reaching the low 70s today which is generally as autumnal as it gets in South West Florida.

The Cure: Disintegration

Disintegration. Even the word by itself evokes Fall. As the leaves slowly turn to brown and fall to the ground to crunch and crumble beneath the impending footsteps of those who still live. The death of these leaves… it is beautiful as they explode with colors and dance towards the ground embracing the inevitable emptiness of the world. Yes I am listening to this album right now, why do you ask? What was that you said? The Cure is just goth-tinged synth-pop for teenagers to mope to? Isn’t that what all Rock amounts to?

I got into the Cure in High School somehow or another and I have a lot of great memories listening to their music. In October of 2009, I got to see them perform live and it was a much better show than I expected. They played a sprawling 3 hour set which encompassed their entire career. I recall leaving the auditorium to a refreshingly crisp evening. Somehow, I could smell fires in the distance re-igniting the fall feelings of my childhood.

Disintegration is pretty much a perfect album… so much has been said about it that all that is really left for you to do is listen to it, so just do it already. This record has chilly weather written all over it and for some reason I seem to strongly equate pop-based synths with fall. Anybody have any idea where that comes from?

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: Ask Forgiveness

As the summer yawns her last humid breath and the hair on the back of winter’s neck begins to stand up in anticipation of things to come, Fall emerges languidly, seemingly beginning in the evenings. On one such evening, I found myself walking around my neighborhood with my headphones on as I did just about every night. The air was cool against my face and the moon seemed larger and brighter than usual. On this particular occasion, I was searching for something to listen to and it was not long before I came upon Ask Forgiveness by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

Ask Forgiveness is an EP of cover songs performed in the traditional Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy style: delicate acoustic guitar figures paired with hushed vocals. His voice gently sings the world to sleep and the familiarity of the songs bring an air of nostalgia that seems a perfect marriage with the season. “I Came to Hear the Music” is a must listen.

CocoRosie: La Maison de Mon Reve

La Maison de Mon Reve is a key document in the brief musical movement known to many as ‘Freak Folk’. Freak Folk as a genre deals in the business of nostalgia since the melodies are often as simplistic as songs from your childhood. Heightening the mood are odd lyrics which feel akin to the non-sequiturs which are also a paramount of your formative years. When I say formative years, I mean sitting on the brick porch in my parent’s backyard, wearing a light denim jacket and recording nonsensical ‘radio shows’ onto cassette tape with Evan, his younger brother and my younger sister. Our shows were the kind of brilliant and hilarious that can only be appreciated by the people who were there at the time, actually making them.

The Beatles: Beatles For Sale

People have actually argued with me about the validity of Beatles For Sale as a Fall album but for me the choice was obvious. Early in High School, I went and visited Evan and while in his room, he put “Baby’s in Black” on the hi-fi. Through his window, I could see the changing leaves at eye level and the song (and album) has been paired with that time in my head ever since. I do not think that this is an odd link because the cover of the record actually has some blurry oranges and greens which allude to early Fall foliage by themselves. Additionally, the Beatles are wearing coats on the cover. You don’t wear coats in the summer and this record clearly does not have anything to do with winter. The only other option is Fall… or maybe early Spring but those look more like Fall coats to me so I am sticking with my gut. Do you have a problem with that?

Sonic Youth: Bad Moon Rising

In New Jersey, school starts after Labor Day marking it as an event that is linked to Fall. My Freshman year of High School was a time of change as I met many new people and experienced many new albums. I was a music oriented teenager, what do you expect of me? Anyway, in my Biology class was this girl named Danielle. I do not remember talking to her very much with the exception of a few instances in which we ended up in the same lab group and I especially do not remember talking about music with her but evidence supports that we must have spoken about music at one time or another because one day she mentioned enjoying the new Sonic Youth album. Now judging from the time that this was said, I have to imagine that she was referring to Goodbye 21st Century which makes her pretty darn awesome. I told her that I had no heard it and had only a cursory knowledge of their music. The next day she brought in Bad Moon Rising. She told me that this was her favorite Sonic Youth record and said I should give it a listen. When I took it home and tried to listen to it, I found it pretty creepy and hard to get into but something about it stuck with me: I found myself thinking about the album after I had returned it to her. Near the end of October, I decided to give it another try and purchased the album myself (at that time it took way too long to download an entire album over Napster…). Like the Beatles record, it is another instance in which the cover image seems to evoke Fall on its own regardless of the music contained therein. In this case, however, the record creates an atmosphere of mystery which pairs perfectly with Fall and the changes it brings to the world.

Iron & Wine: Creek Drank the Cradle

Like Beatles for Sale, this too is an album that was introduced to me on a Fall afternoon in Evan’s room. Unlike the Beatles, no one would argue this album’s rightful place on a Fall music list. I am sure that you are all familiar with this record and I will not waste words describing or explaining it to you. I will however suggest that you put on your headphones and lay on your back outside with it playing as a soundtrack to the beautiful Fall weather. You can thank me later.

Bright Eyes: Fevers and Mirrors

This is the final album on this list which was AGAIN introduced to me by Evan, during Fall, in his room. This one is a bit different from the others though. This time, I was visiting Evan after moving to Florida. The album opens with a recording of a child reading a story about two friends moving away from one another and I could not help but draw parallels to the situation that Evan and I were in at that very moment. This led way to a brief Saddle Creek phase which I experienced early in College. I saw Bright Eyes perform three times. I still appreciate the albums now but have a hard time listening to them all the way through because I do not really relate with most of the lyrics at this point in my life. When I spin this disc, though, it still sounds like that slightly sad Fall day visiting Evan from my new home in Florida.

Crash Test Dummies: God Shuffled His Feet

It is hard to drive around on a Fall day without hearing “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” in your head. It just sounds right. When I came home from school and performed an obligatory flip through the television channels before landing on one of the same shows I watched every day, I would always pass by MTV and this video seemed to be in perpetual rotation. The singer’s long hair seemed to have autumn leaves buried in it’s many layers and his strange voice indicated that he meant to keep them there.

R.E.M.: Automatic for the People

This is an album that has stuck with me for a long time. While I knew the singles when they came out, I did not hear the whole album until the beginning of ninth grade. One of my friends was dating an R.E.M. fan who happened to be a close friend of my girlfriend at the time and this record really captured my interest. All four of us were musically minded people and so we spent a lot of afternoons playing albums for each other in one persons’ house or another. Automatic For the People was at the house of the aforementioned R.E.M. fan. We were all occupying different portions of the carpet in her bedroom while incense burned and Christmas light strung around the ceiling added ambiance. I do not remember speaking during the entire play-time. Sure there are a few weaker moments, (I am not a huge fan of Ignoreland), but the moments that hit, hit hard. The dark-folk songs feel like Fall to me, especially “Try Not to Breathe”. There is something so crisp about those folky-acoustic pop numbers as well as a fascination with aging which evokes the special time of year which this list celebrates.

Radiohead: The Bends

I am a bit hesitant to write about another Radiohead album. My Kid A review was a very nostalgic Fall piece but it was met with dissent from some of our readers. The Bends by today’s standards sounds starkly pre-experimental. Radiohead have spent so much of their career pushing the envelope that it is hard to hear how unique and special much of this album is if you were not around when it first came out. This is very misleading however because there are many moments of exploration such as Johnny Greenwood’s nail file guitar solo on “Just” or all the weird effect noises that form the backing bed of “Bullet Proof (I Wish I Was)” that set the stage for what was to come. I was a huge Radiohead fan in middle school and I was positively obsessed with OK Computer. When I tried to introduce this album to Evan, he had a hard time getting into it probably because I picked the worst possible entry point (“Fitter Happier”) for reasons I cannot fathom. It was a song from The Bends, (“My Iron Lung”),however that gave him the in that we were hoping for. Music and Radiohead in particular is a huge part of the friendship that Evan and I have had for most of our lives. I believe that as a band Radiohead pushed us to challenge our own listening and helped to develop the tastes that we maintain to this day. I also believe that without our shared enthusiasm, we may not have remained quite as close in our friendship due to naturally finding different groups of friends to spend time with.

The Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking

There are some bands that you seem to go through phases with. Certain times of the year, you find yourself listening to them and only them for extended periods of time and then suddenly they are retired until their number is called again. The Fairport Convention has long been one of these bands for me. Usually at some point during the Fall season, I break out their album Lief and Liege. The awesomeness of this record leads me to pull out the other albums I own which include , Unhalfbricking, What We Did On Our Holidays and Full House. I make my way through each album a few times and then I return to Unhalfbricking again and again. The traditional British Folk contained within goes perfectly with the season and the Dylan covers, especially the Cajun “Si Tu Dois Partir” are a joy. On top of that, this album has classic Fall cover which just makes it seem more right somehow.

The Mountain Goats: Nothing for Juice

The Mountain Goats deserve a place on any list for any season. The discography is so huge that it is intimidating to dive into but everyone seems to have their favorite moments. I am naturally drawn to the more lo-fi cassette based work and for this list I have decided to go with one of Nothing For Juice. In all honesty, I could have picked nearly any of the countless records released under the Mountain Goats name but the opening track on Nothing For Juice, “The the Letting Go” is one of my favorite musical moments. If you have not heard the work of John Darnielle, you owe it to yourself to check it out. In fact, you likely will never forget that you did.

Polaris: Music From the Adventures of Pete & Pete

In recent years, our culture has become obsessed with nostalgia. I think it is because there were so many syndicated sitcoms from the 1950s onwards populating the television of our childhood that we now expect the same treatment for the shows that we grew up with. “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” seems to be a popular favorite of most people who grew up during the 90s and with good reason. The show is brilliantly written from the surreal perspective that is only accessible to children or mentally disturbed adults. One of the best parts of the show is the fully realized town of Wellsville which is often scattered with Autumn leaves and jacket-wearing denizens. The show is scored by the band Polaris who probably live in Wellsville full time. They play the kind of 90s alternative rock that sounds immediately familiar yet nearly impossible to recreate. Yes, by and large this music is Fall in suburbia. Songs such as “Waiting for October” do their part to celebrate the season and none would be complete without it.

Bob Dylan: The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

At this point in the list, I am getting tired of stating that folky guitar sounds like Fall but, well, it does. The reason I chose this album, however, has little to do with that. In October of 2005, Evan came to visit me in Florida and we decided to record some music together on the Tascam cassette 4-track which he brought down with him. When testing the device, we decided to record a cover song and the selection we landed on was “Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright)” from this very album. Whenever I hear the song I return to this memory and those cool October evenings of 2005.

Uncle Tupelo: Anodyne

Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, the respective leaders of the bands Wilco and Son Volt began as partners in the beloved Uncle Tupelo. Both Son Volt and Wilco have had some great albums (Wilco is actually one of my favorite bands) but when their talents were combined the strengths of each musician were clearly on display. Anodyne is both the greatest and final statement that they ever released together. The album was recorded nearly live while the band was experiencing serious creative differences. Much like the Get Back sessions from the Beatles, this is not evident in the music for the sake of music recordings which emerged. The album comes off like a group of people who love playing together just recording a strong set of songs. The simple beauty and unity which emerges reminds me of the times I have been fortunate enough to record music with friends. There is a serious bond which is formed through the shared endeavor of creation. Somehow, in my life, flashbacks to happy memories such as that seem to always take place in the fall. I am not sure why this is though it is possible that I have seen a lot of television which portrays this ideal. Upon making this statement however, I find myself unable to really find any examples of such a television show in my head… any ideas?

The Incredible String Band: The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter

The Incredible String Band famously gave one of the least popular Woodstock performances. They played spiraling psychedelic folk to an audience that was itching for hard rock and left the stage after a very short set. The audience truly missed out on something magical because of all the weird folk music I have described in this list, this is perhaps the best. The songs are incredibly intricate and the lyrics are so surreal that you find yourself lost in a world created by its musical spell. Songs about “Witch’s Hats” and “Minotaurs” will put you in the mood for Halloween and songs such as “A Very Cellular Song” will want inspire you to dream by the first fire of the season… preferably a bonfire. I love this album and everytime I put it on I am transported to the bizzaro world which ISB inhabits where the leaves are always changing but they never hit the ground.

Galaxie 500: On Fire

Galaxie 500 is one of those bands that all music snobs love now but they were rarely celebrated during their brief lifespan. Any one of their three albums would be ideal fall listening but I chose this one because of the orange colors on the cover and the fact that I believe it to be their strongest release song by song. If you think that you pine for the early 90s but you haven’t heard this record… get ready to learn what pining truly is.

Frightened Rabbit: The Midnight Organ Fight

When I first heard this album, I was so excited by the classic feeling of the songs. They remind me of early R.E.M. in how they are so melodic and simple. The strength is in the performances which are nothing short of passionate but still somehow manage to avoid being overbearing. This record holds a special place in my heart because it is one of the first albums that my gal and I bonded over. Those first few albums are important in a relationship and this is definitely a cornerstone of ours. Now if they would only come and play a show in Florida…

Liars:Drum’s Not Dead

The brilliantly executed tribal elements of Liars’ Drum’s Not Dead are what help the album to stand out head and shoulders above the rest of their discography. The album has a chilliness to it that makes it feel very mysterious and even creepy at times. This is juxtaposed by the tribal and minimalist elements which make it feel earthy and beautiful. Listening to this album is an experience and one which I can not separate from the cool Fall evenings in which it captured my ears’ attention.

In the beginning of this year there were a few select albums that I found myself consistently coming back to and seemingly not growing tired of. Now that the year is growing to a close, the albums that I started the year with are still favorites. I might not be listening to them multiple times a day, or everyday for that matter, but I do tend to find myself putting the album on and it being somehow fitting at that moment. One of these albums is Kurt Vile’s new release Smoke Ring For My Halo. I have continued to return to this album throughout the year since it’s release in March. His songwriting and playing seem so effortless, while at the same time sounding so ramshackle, sloppy (in a good way), and careless, in the same vein as Dinosaur Jr.’s style. The music sounds like it was recorded by a bunch of friends hanging around, reminiscing, having a couple drinks, and jamming out on their instruments. There’s a laid back feeling that is infectious because it is pulled off so well; it immediately calms your nerves and drifts around you, fitting perfectly like your favorite hoodie.

Some songs, “Baby’s Arms,” “On Tour,” “Runner Ups,” and “In My Time,” were immediately favorites of mine. While the remaining songs I liked, there was something strange about them that kept me from engaging them further. I couldn’t tell what it was, possibly personal preference. The separation of songs I prefer over others, I can only assume, happens with other people and eventually after listening to the album a couple more times the other songs fell into place and the reasons that I enjoyed the first songs so much applied to the rest. The album forms as a whole and the feeling expatiates throughout.

Songs like, “Jesus Fever,” “Puppet To The Man,” and “Society Is My Friend” are more straight forward rock songs where the way Kurt sings eventually seeps into your brain and resurfaces randomly causing you to search through your music collection desperately trying to find the melody. The reason for this is, Kurt’s music does something that defies most of how I separate my music. Usually, I will designate warm weather music and cold weather music. This album works in both weather conditions, and works perfectly. His music also sounds like a bunch of different people but completely original somehow. It seems to transcend time, connecting generations through the delicate construction of songs that ramble with highway dreams, meditate on folk guitar riffs, slowly yearn for love, and speak in a language that represents youthful inhibitions colliding with newfound learnedness. It’s a great record that I highly recommend and will most likely make it to my end of the year list.

I for one believe that it is essential to our lives that we find moments in which we are reminded of our true animalistic nature; it seems natural that different people achieve this in different ways. As I am not a hunter or an athlete, I need percussion. Drums and chants are some of the earliest forms of communication and they are able to portray emotion in a way that is more kinetic than most people could possibly imagine. I suppose for this reason, I have always been drawn to tribal motifs in pop music. As you can likely predict, the primitive/tribal movement that swept through the indie world around the mid-point of this last decade was a source of great joy for me (this same time period also held the freak folk movement, but that is an effusive description of a short-lived musical movement for another occasion). Trust Now is an album recorded by two women in a 19th century church based on a concept they reportedly devised for a live “ritual”. Appropriately, Paw-Tracks, the label established by the members of Animal Collective, has released this album into the wild. I have to say that It is a pretty darn satisfying listen.

This album is carried by its drums: they pound and pound as an endless source of renewable energy giving the album itself a feeling of perpetual motion. During the rare moments when the drums disappear, your whole body will feel halted in expectation of their return. Their rhythm is so earthly and engrossing that the album’s admittedly brief runtime will fly by. This serves to emphasize the focus of the songs and moods presented. While there are definitive highs and lows, they all add up to feel as if they are part of a larger movement. This album feels like a composition rather than just a series of songs.

This is an emotional work that will take you on a journey. If you are anything like me, you will wish to repeat this journey again and again. The first time through, I was unable to do little but sit in awe while moving my head in time with the rhythms but on further listens I was able to revel in the albums craft. Incredibly, despite its short run-time Trust Now manages dramatic highs which many artists are unable to achieve with a much longer run time to build up momentum not to mention more instrumental tools. Simplicity can be a beautiful attribute and this album is the best illustration of this concept I have encountered in a long time.

After Trust Now has ended, you may be surprised to recount the amazing variation in sounds presented. The drumming is augmented by guitars and keyboards but never in a way that I expected. It also must be noted that the vocals on this album are incredible. They move from chants to guttural grunts and shrieks all the way to Elizabeth Fraser-style alien warbling and straight pop lyric driven moments (well in the indie world, anyway).

In the end, despite the attempt you have just read, it is very difficult to describe this album to someone who has not heard it. While it definitely contains pop elements, the record serves more as an aural experience than as a set of tunes to hum along and tap your toes with. This record will make you feel emotions which are refreshingly and basically human. The primal yearning which we must satisfy is presented and celebrated in a way that is beyond language. In that consideration, I must strongly suggest that you give this album a listen and experience it yourself because this is definitely one for the permanent music collection.

An eerie, gradually overwhelming sense of forewarning and destruction builds before any apocalyptic scenario. Many times have I dreamt about the moments leading to annihilation and devastation without fully understanding why it was happening. Frantically running around, trying to organize my thoughts, while an overriding feeling of inevitability surged within. I never had enough time to speculate, only enough time to react. Before anything horrific could take place I would always wake up, being thankful that I didn’t have to witness any of the pain and suffering. While I am thankful, it goes without saying that witnessing something that epic, tragic, and destructive will forever be a part of human curiosity, and I would be lying if I said I had absolutely no interest in the subject. My dreams have yet to fulfill this curiosity and display to me the horrors of the end, but fortunately Ulcerate have created an album that could soundtrack it perfectly.

The Destroyers Of All, the third album from the progressive, atmospheric death metal band Ulcerate, is a perfect representation of what I imagine would be the events during the apocalypse. In the same way that Sigur Rós sounds like Heaven falling to Earth, Ulcerate sounds like Hell erupting from beneath. The opening song “Burning Skies” quickly develops the unease of the moments leading to the start of the end. Then without much warning the ground trembles and splits, fire rains down from the sky, and panic runs through the collective conscious like a runaway train. The guitar work on this album is of the most frightening I’ve ever heard. The dissonance is so strong and powerful that it’s lull is uneasily comforting. The jazzy, slower, and softer moments in between the gargantuan outbursts and scorchingly megalithic drones of pummeling destruction bring about most of the unease on the album. These slower breaks toy with you, as if it’s a game; this torture is prolonged, drawn out, and sadistic. By the time the walls of heavy distortion, dissonance, flurries of drum rolls and blast beats settle into a rhythmic progression, it’s almost a relief, a comfort. One of the most devastatingly beautiful aforementioned explosions comes at the very end of “Cold Becoming.” Around the four and half minute mark the song shifts and explodes into a groove not normally found in death metal, one almost sublime, frighteningly sublime with heavily pain filled overtones, but sublime nonetheless.

What Ulcerate has done with this and their previous album Everything Is Fire, is akin to what Deathspell Omega has done for black metal, they’ve changed it. Ulcerate makes music that moves like nothing else in the metal genre. Their instruments seemingly operate out of conjunction with one another while somehow simultaneously working together; they float with such fluidity by pushing against each other that it’s nearly impossible to comprehend, after one listen, the complexity of their achievement. The Destroyers Of All is epic in the grandest and most “metal” sense, it’s lumbering and heavy but has the strength to soar, and as much as Ulcerates’ sound is formed by the guitars, their music is pushed by the incredible drumming of Jamie Saint Merat. His style is so effortless that it would seem almost inhuman to be able to do what he does. Everything about this album breathes fresh originality into the sometimes stagnant pool of bands circling the death metal genre. So, now that the terrors of my apocalyptic dreams have finally been realized, the destruction has ended and the barren wastelands rise, it would be a perfect time to put on F#A# ∞ by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and complete this violent and depressing situation.

As time keeps passing by, I continue to grow older and it seems to me that age brings comfort (or apathy depending on how you look at it). I have spent the majority of my life up to this point voraciously consuming as much new music as I could; my lists of favorite artists on various online profiles has continually grown longer and longer and now I often feel like a parody of a music enthusiast. There is so much great music out there both in the past and in the present (and surely there will be in the future) that it is not possible to experience all of it. Incredibly, this is exactly what the internet suggests that we do. Despite all this, I have reached a point where I am reluctant to listen to new artists. I have a large collection of music which I love and adding new faces at this point feels kind of pointless. I had always heard it was hard to make new friends as an adult but I never expected this. Now don’t get me wrong, if a trusted friend recommends something, I will still check it out but these new bands admittedly are facing an uphill battle to make it into my music collection. Suffice it to say, it is this very problem which has made Folkways Magazine so challenging.

I went into this review, my first article on this site since last year, completely blind. I have never heard of the band Twin Sister. A brief internet search as well as a conversation with Evan Sherman has taught me that In Heaven is their debut LP and that one of the guys from Grizzly Bear is allegedly involved with it in some capacity (edit: it turns out that this was actually Twin Shadow and not Twin Sister). After I finally started to listen, I was surprised to hear an opening track that seems to come from the same ‘Space Lounge’ world of Stereolab. Further tracks explore disco, dream pop and other largely electronic –based genres and sub-genres; the unifying factor is the voice of lead singer Andrea Estella who seems to appear on nearly every track with the possible exception of the closer, “Eastern Green”.

Andrea Estella’s voice is hard to describe. It is very familiar in that it recalls aspects of female singers from various similar projects: Stereolab, Cocteau Twins and Mum to name a few. While mixing elements of all those distinctive voices, Estella somehow pulls off a manner of originality which seems almost impossible given the earlier description. Her voice is the primary key that links together this collection of songs and allows them to work as an album. This note is extremely important to the success or failure of their debut because Twin Sister is adept at playing various styles of music to the potential confusion of the listener.

In Heaven has a lot of strong moments which are as varied as the rest of this review would leave you to believe. The opener “Daniel” is a really cool track which is sure to capture your attention. The album really picks up with the third track “Bad Street” which has a disco/funk sound complete with rolling keyboard fills and harmonizing background vocals which is tantalizingly similar to the immortal Tom Tom Club. “Spain” sounds like Portishead’s Spy Movie moments. For my money though, “Gene Ciampi” is the albums strongest moment. It sounds like some quirky Brit-pop band which I can’t seem to place and it is undeniably addictive.

When confronted with an album as diverse as In Heaven, one can’t help but feel that the band may need to find some focus. Without a unifying theme or sound, the music risks sounding scattershot and sloppy; to my ears the voice of Andrea Estella is able to save this record from being a collection of singles but just barely. In the end, it seems that Twin Sister is a band to watch and this record is definitely worth checking out but unfortunately, it probably will not find its way into my permanent music collection. Here’s to waiting for the next one.

What follows is a list of my twenty favorite albums of the year in ascending order. There were definitely some close calls such as The Monitor by Titus Andronicus, Big Echo by The Morning Benders or Gemini by Wild Nothing but after a great deal of thought, these are my favorites:

Circulatory System:Signal Morning

Evan and I both pre-ordered the deluxe edition of this months before the release date after waiting years for the album to finish. It took forever for us to get it and thus, for me, the impact was slightly diminished due to the annoyance associated with waiting for it. I am sure that in time, the album will unfold just as its predecessor did.

Wavves: King of the Beach

King of the Beach is at least 74% better than its predecessor. The album consists of 12 great little pop songs which embed in your brain; I look forward to seeing what Wavves release next.

Sleigh Bells: Treats

This album, one of the loudest I have ever heard, was hard to avoid this year. It blew me away the first few times I heard it and while I did enjoy it, I did not return to it as often as I had expected, hence the low placing on this list.

MGMT: Congratulations

A poorly reviewed sophomore album which I, personally, feel is better than its more celebrated predecessor. While Oracular Spectacular had the singles, this album has the cohesiveness which allows the songs to work together. That is what an album is, not a couple of singles surrounded by unrelated filler.

Emeralds: Does it Look Like I’m Here?

Tiny keyboard loops repeat into droning meditations which have a strange beauty. It is easy to get lost in this one and it gets better with each listen.

Caribou: Swim

I do not like this album as much as I loved Andorra but it is still a great one. The album is sequenced in such a way that the songs work together to build a greater whole. Opener “Odessa” is one of my favorite songs of the year and that cannot be ignored.

Oneohtrix Point Never: Returnal

Returnal’s abrasive noise opener does little to set the stage for the gentle ambient album which follows but what it does do is put the listener off guard and let them know that anything could happen. This exquisite album is surprising in its masterful sense of mood and pacing and as a listener, it is a pleasure to go on this journey.

Spoon: Transference

This is an album that seems to have been quickly dismissed by way too many people. It may not be as immediately engaging as their last few albums but it is still a Spoon record and Spoon does not make mistakes. These loose and wandering songs have a sketchy quality which, to me, seems somehow more emotional than their more polished standards and it is absolutely one of the most interesting listens of 2010.

No Age: Everything in Between

This is one of those albums which is impressive due to the huge amount of musical growth on display. Everything in Between takes the sound explorations of Nouns and writes stronger songs around them making for an exciting listen.

The National: High Violet

Until High Violet was released, I was never able to get into the National. Each track has a different sound which keeps my ear interested and, as is usual, the band has great chemistry elevating the stature of their perfectly simple songs.

Pantha Du Prince: Black Noise

I love this album. Rarely is something so minimalistic and fragile so incredibly engaging. Engaging enough to form barely identifiable melodies which stick in my head long after the needle has lifted from the record. It is true that the Panda Bear collaboration does not really fit with the rest of the album and that is why this is not higher on the list, but I think it is a pretty great track on its own.

Department of Eagles: Archive 2003-2006

Is it cheating to put a compilation of non-album recordings on a best albums list? With a collection as gorgeous as this, no one could possibly care. The songs are surrounded by short musical vignettes which help to bring a unity to the compilation, allowing it to work more as an album than it rightly should.

Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest

While initially disappointed that I did not notice as much musical growth on Halcyon Digest as was displayed between their last two LPs, I was quickly won over by this irresistible set of songs. Any one of these tracks could justifiably be released as a single which by my standards makes this a perfect album.

Avey Tare: Down There

Avey Tare, not Panda Bear, has always been my favorite member of Animal Collective. He has a lyrical cleverness which his partner is lacking and his ability to let his performance become unhinged, (sometimes in danger of derailing the song), is thrilling both on record and in person. This record is all Avey and it is all amazing!

LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening

The songs of This is Happening are built around simple patterns which eventually expand into huge triumphant sing-a-long commentaries on the human condition. This isn’t anything new for LCD Soundsystem but the primarily Eno influence which seems to define this album brings it a fresh twist which is worth returning to. Also, their set was awesome at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Joanna Newsom: Have One on Me

Joanna Newsom sure has grown a lot as a performer. This triple LP has a sprawling eclecticism which is unmatched in today’s MP3-cultured music scene which is unavoidably single-centric. Really it is the individual songs which allow Have One on Me to work; if they were not good then asking people to listen to more than 2 hours of them would be a joke but Newsom pulls it off flawlessly. I have listened to this album many times and each time I seem to enjoy it more. I was able to see Joanna Newsom perform live this year and the delicacy of the arrangements was even more impressive in person.

Hot Chip: One Life Stand

I never would’ve imagined myself liking this album but once I heard it, I could not stop listening and now, here it is, on my elite end of year list. These disco-tinged electro-love ballads celebrate monogamy. Not only is this incredibly rare for dance music but, truly, for all music in general. Pop celebrates lust and infatuation, not love. Rather than singing about the pursuit of a relationship, the singer speaks of the ever after, settling down and living a life together. The songs are catchy, fun and inventive: all I could hope for in a great album. The production is subtle yet inventive and engaging details emerge through repeated listens. That’s right: this album has replay value.

Harlem: Hippies

This album is a really fun time. The songs remain stuck in my head for days after hearing them and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is, in my opinion, the best album to come out this year for blasting at full volume in your car and that is saying something. The markedly unhinged performances bring a vitality to what is essentially traditional garage rock but it is a keen ear for melody that affords this album a longevity which it would not otherwise possess. Perhaps it stands out more to me than it would to other people because I came upon it by chance having never heard anything about the band previously but that doesn’t stop it from being great. Harlem is my favorite discovery of the year.

Beach House: Teen Dream

I have been proclaiming this album my favorite of the year from the first time I heard it. It was inched out of the top spot at the last minute but that should not take away any of its glory. This album is a pleasure to listen to. While somewhat mellow, the songs are still fully immersive due to the expertly crafted atmosphere on each track. Environments are created through simple instrumentation and beautiful vocals. The lyrics are simplistic in a way reminiscent of Veckatimist by Grizzly Bear. These are songs about real life that are given a higher meaning through wonderful performance. This album has helped me to find an appreciation for the rest of Beach House’s catalog which I had previously overlooked and additionally I was able to see Beach House play at the Pitchfork Music Festival this year and the performance was nearly hypnotic.

Sufjan Stevens: Age of Adz

When Illinoise came out, it was my favorite album of the year and Sufjan has done it again despite the huge difference in sound. The folk chamber pop of his last few albums has been uprooted and replaced by orchestral-electro-folk pop. My favorite thing about this album and his music in general is the grandiose sense of drama that ornaments each song. Simple stories of joy and heartache are elevated to a transcendent level with sweeping orchestral strings, choral vocals and spectacular song lengths. This year I was able to travel to Atlanta to see Sufjan perform these songs live and it was a great time. Wacky costume changes and dance moves worked their magic to further endear this album in my memory and I cannot wait to visit it in a few years to see how it has aged

**********************************************

20. Baths – Cerulean

Baths debut album Cerulean is another wonderful electronic effort from the great Anticon label. Spawned from the realm created by Flying Lotus, Baths music is dizzying and spellbinding.

19. Eluveitie – Everything Remains as it Never Was

Another classic album from the Celtic Folk metal act from Switzerland, what a wonderful combination. The production is cleaner, the songs are heavier, and the folkier tracks remain as they have always been, beautiful.

18. Emeralds – Does It Look Like I’m Here?

Sounds from a space station constructed by Tangerine Dream, Boards of Canada, and Robert Fripp. A great ambient album from a burgeoning new band. 

17. Daughters – Daughters

The last offering from a short lived grindcore band, with a pop tinge! This album couldn’t have been better in its attempt to leave us wanting so much more.

16. Tamaryn – The Waves

Drifting, cascading melodies from this years greatest shoegaze offering. “Love Fade” is certainly in my top ten songs of the year.

15. Jónsi – Go

Jónsi’s musical transformation over the past couple years has lead to this, his first complete solo effort. I am still wondering how he is able to channel the heavens into his music.

14. Finntroll – Nifelvind 

Finntroll has the ability to put a smile on my face whenever I listen to them, no matter what mood I am in, no matter what the circumstances. They are only getting better, and this release proves it. Also, personal opinion, “Under Dvargens Fot” might just be their best song ever. Let the hate mail begin.

13. Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit

I was convinced that this album couldn’t be better than Ashes Against the Grain, but Agalloch has done it once more with this superb release of slow-building, ambient, folk metal, with a hint of post-rock for good measure. 

12. Beach House – Teen Dream

The songs found here contain melodies that will forever be cemented into my subconscious. This album owns some of the most beautiful music produced this year.

11. Oneohtrix Point Never – Returnal

The reigning champion in the ambient music genre, newcomers Oneohtrix Point Never . Rifts was an incredible album, but Returnal combines all of the excellent moments of their previous release into this solid effort that stands alongside greats like: Stars of the Lid, Eluvium, and Tim Hecker.

10. Sleigh Bells – Treats

When I first heard the demo songs on Sleigh Bells 2HELLWU, I was already sold; then, when I heard the full release Treats, I was completely blown away. I rarely, and I mean rarely, listen to one album, and only one album, for days on end, and when those days became weeks I knew that this band had reached something incredibly special. Although this album may have been the most stunning release of the year, I feel that greater things are to come, and this debut will only be the beginning.

9. Ihsahn – After

Emperor has been one of my favorite black metal bands for some time now. I was introduced to them through the album In The Nightside Eclipse, which is now one of the greatest black metal albums ever. The band, fronted by Ihsahn, was surrounded by controversy including church burnings and murder! But, arising from the infamy of his most successful project, Ihsahn has plowed forward and continually produces great progressive black metal. After, his third solo effort is another incredible achievement and one of the best metal albums of the year.

8. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me

One could consider this Joanna Newsom’s masterpiece, a three LP release filled with song after song of folk gold. Joanna is the queen of intricate folk music even though, by appearances, she looks to be more of a beautiful princess. I really tried to not let my infatuation encroach on this review, I apologize. I highly anticipated this release and it did not fail me in any way. 

7. Caribou – Swim

The reason that Swim is the best release by Caribou so far is that the first half of the album’s greatness isn’t let down by a slow dragging second half that was present in both The Milk of Human Kindness and Andorra. Swim is solid all of the way through, each song is great and sounds as if Dan Snaith is controlling the electronics involuntarily, as if the electronics and his muscle movements are one, as if these sounds course through his veins.

6. Kvelertak – Kvelertak

The debut release from this Norwegian metal act is filled with energy. When I first heard this album I immediately thought it sounded like a cross between Converge and Doomriders. The lyrics center around Viking mythology, which is a plus for me since I love Viking/Folk metal, but the difference between this band and the others, is their sound. Mixing rock, punk, and black metal, Kvelertak have achieved one of the more interesting musical combinations in the metal genre in 2010, and that’s saying a lot since metal has been flooded with incredible musical combinations and progressions this year.

5. Les Discrets – Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées

Apart of the French black metal scene including Alcest and Amesoeurs, Les Discrets is the project created by Fursy Teyssier, who also does the artwork for the three bands. This album combines shoegaze and black metal, with some gothic vocals, and succeeds in the most beautiful way possible. Something is going on in France, and this countdown shows it. This album is completely amazing and impossibly perfect.

4. Lovesliescrushing – Avianium

Lovesliescrushing was the band I found after an extensive search for a My Bloody Valentine replacement. Fortunately for me, I found a band that might possibly exceed them. Scott Cortez and his myriad of guitar layers and dreamy soundscapes propelled my interest in ambient music and birthed a whole new revelation in the way I view and hear music, as well as my understanding of its construction. This release comprises decades of production and the music only benefits from the depths of the time it took to create.

3. Tobacco – Maniac Meat

Let me state that whoever said, and I think it might have been Chris, that this album sounds like listening to music coming from a car as it speeds past you on a highway, was absolutely spot on. I have continually returned to this album and it has remained one of the best albums of the year. These songs envelope the listener and scramble their brain with a onslaught of pop crackling, static melodies that soar, bounce, and jump into the ears.

2. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles

This album came as a complete shock to me. I had not thoroughly enjoyed their debut and was wary about their new release; but, once I heard their shift in sound and got lost in their pounding, trance inducing hypnosis, I confirmed my love for this new version of Crystal Castles and vowed to sing their praises in this list. Maybe it was because I first listened to this album during, what might be, the only tornado to hit New Jersey, or maybe it’s just that good. I believe it’s a little bit of both. Plus, I didn’t think “Not In Love” could get any better, especially if it was a cover, and I know the cover did not appear on this record, but that cover, to me, is the most impressive song of the year.

1. Alcest – Ecailles De Lune

There are many metal albums here on this list amongst other non-metal albums, and all of them are very deserving of their placements. But there is only one album that I considered the best of the year from the first moment I heard it. Alcest’s second release Ecailles De Lune is one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard. In the same league with Kid A, Agaetis Byrjun, and Loveless, this album has redefined metal, and music in general, for me. The combination of shoegaze and black metal has been very prevalent within the French black metal scene this year and no one accomplished this greater than Alcest. No one has accomplished this level of beauty and heart filled honesty in music in some time. I thought a lot about where to place certain albums on this list, but the number one spot had been decided early on in the year. Truly, in my opinion, the number one album of the year belongs to Alcest.

These creepy, eerie, unsettling, strange favorites will be the perfect fit for your Halloween event whether it be a Haunted House, Trick or Treat display or even a party. Check it out:

Fantômas- The Director’s Cut

While the majority of this album is not necessarily creepy, it does offer up some really great interpretations of classic horror movie themes. I especially admire the theme from the Omen. The guys in Fantomas will appear in this list more than once and rightfully so because their music is pretty well fit for Halloween. This album is probably the best of their discography if you are planning on giving it some party play. I can’t really imagine anyone rocking out to Delirium Cordia.

Fantômas- Delirium Cordia

This album is disturbing. The album’s single track entitled “Surgical Sound Specimens From The Museum of Skin” has a 74 minute runtime amounts to an aural representation of an open heart surgery. While the track is inherently listenable (an accomplishment at an uninterrupted 74 minutes), it is certainly not something that I find myself returning to. Mike Patton’s weird guttural vocals sound extra demonic when paired with the sharpening of knives and removing of organs. Also, the booklet contains graphic pictures of real surgeries which will look great on display for your holiday event.

Sonic Youth- Bad Moon Rising

I don’t think it is just the fiery jack-o-lantern which serves as a scarecrows head on the album cover, there is something distinctively autumn and distinctively eerie about this early Sonic Youth album. This is the first of their records that truly captured my imagination. The atmosphere is so enveloping that bursts of strange guitar sound oddly subdued and organic within the confines of the album’s structure. Harrowing vocal performances from Sonic Youth regulars plus special guest Lydia Lunch from Teenage Jesus and the Jerks are inviting in their primal urgency yet dehumanizing in their animalistic howls.

Will Cullen Hart- Circuits

I am positive that it is blasphemous to claim this album as appropriate for Halloween but the homemade circuitry which Hart systematically barrels through creates a strange atmosphere which is absolutely apropos. Weird frequencies, scrapings, tapping and clanging soundtrack what may be a trapped spirit trying desperately to escape. I, personally, have actually used this a few times to create the background sounds for a children’s haunted house and I guarantee it will work.

Black Moth Super Rainbow- Dandelion Gum

This is another album that most people would not consider very good for Halloween but I find the insistently vocodor vocals and considered pacing clearly outlines a world in which things are slightly askew. The pop-oriented music lulls the listener into a falsified sense of calm. It is hard to ignore the dread of the unknown which is so clearly prominent within these sounds. I played this album outside my Halloween display at my house last year and it hit just the right note.

Scott Walker- The Drift

The music on this album is so disjointed that it would barely sound like songs if not for the unsettling warble of Walker’s tenor. This is the sound of a man’s nightmares as tiny blocks of sound push up against each other and push out his distinctive voice. Regardless of the words he is singing, he sounds terrified and his terror is contagious.

Mount Eerie- White Stag

It is well documented within the articles of Folkways Magazine that I love the work of Phil Elverum. This is a fairly rare recording in which Phil stays in an old building located in Portland, Oregon and records music that attempts to capture the buildings atmosphere and history. There is definitely a haunted feeling to these songs which lends itself well to Phil’s production techniques. This is an album which will really take you places: spooky places.

Liars- They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liar’s second album is an experimental concept record about a town (possibly Salem) that is persecuting suspected witches. The songs are filled with paranoia and occult imagery. The sounds Liars chose are all appropriately harsh and unnerving making for a slightly uncomfortable experience which I find really enjoyable. Ignore all the negative reviews and check this one out.

Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan- Pullhair Rubeye

There is always something odd about backwards music and this album is nothing if not exactly that: backwards. You will find your brain straining to give familiar melody and rhythm to the sounds but in a world that is backwards, little makes sense. Taken song for song, this record is actually pretty pleasant (and when the music is reversed, it is incredible) but as a whole, the throbbing backwards sounds become suffocating. I would love to try this in a haunted house but have not yet had the opportunity. Let me know your experiences.

Jane- Beserker

This is an early Animal Collective side project which involves Panda Bear and his interest in dance music. By now, we all know that his interest in dance music involves endless loops and subtly shifting drones but when this came out, I was unaware of this and was shocked to push play to hear something that less resembled dance music and more resembled ambience. In my mind, the ambience is actually pretty creepy, it certainly is not gentle. The droning of it all has an insistence upon itself which forces the listener to come along for the ride. I think this would be a great choice for a Halloween event.

Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral

One of the most frightening musical experiences of my childhood was purchasing this album and giving it’s first listen lying in bed before falling asleep. Of course lying awake scared to death was substituted for a comfortable nights sleep after experiencing this perfectly horrifying album from Trent Reznor. There is a sickness that seems to spill out of the pores of these songs, infecting and contaminating everyone who listens to it. The sounds of screaming people looped on “The Becoming” still unnerves me to this day. This is nightmare music filled with violence and pain, truly terrifying.

Swans – The Great Annihilator 

A hauntingly epic offering from Michael Gira and company. This release features the deep, soothing voice of Gira once again lulling you into a false sense of security before he unleashes his demented and somewhat disturbing lyrics. Along with creepy imagery, the music hammers shards of razor bladed bliss into your bones, making your hair stand on end at some moments and relaxing you into submission at others. Perfect for a late night drive around a ghost town, that is if you’re fortunate enough to live nearby one.

Supermachiner – Rise of the Great Machine

Featuring the demonic voice of Jacob Bannon and the heavily distorted guitar wonders of Kurt Ballou, both being half of the great metal band Converge, this side project delves into the unsettling and creepy realm of ambient music with some post-rock tendencies thrown in as well. There is a sense of desolation and otherworldliness that emanates from these songs, especially from the creepy “Bitter Cold” that features a woman slowly slipping into paranoiac screams and cries for her life, seriously frightening.

Sunn O))) – Black One

If there was ever a band that played during the torturous scenes in hell, if they played for the devil himself while he slowly ate his three favorite sinners, if they could capture the rising level of evil as it envelopes a person’s soul, this is what it would sound like. Sunn O))) have reached a whole new level with their experimental drone, doom, and sludge metal creation. This sounds like it would raise demons if played loud enough. Perfect for a haunted house or a ritual sacrifice.

Midnight Syndicate – The 13th Hour

Honestly, you can’t have a haunted house or a halloween party without this creepy atmospheric music soundtracking the night perfectly. Midnight Syndicate have cornered the market on halloween music, along with Nox Arcana, and they prove it here on this release. The perfect mix of creaking doors, creepy organs, howling winds, thunderous bells, and sounds from all of the creatures in the night lurking around every corner. Absolute best halloween music, sure to be the perfect fit.

Doomriders – Darkness Come Alive

Featuring the other two members of Converge, Nate Newton and Ben Koller, this album sounds like a heavier and more forceful version of The Cramps or The Misfits. Metal music with a halloween tinge done right. With songs like “Knife Wound,” “Night Howler,” “Night Lurker,” and “Bloodsucker” there is nothing left to do but put it on and rock out. Not only does it stand up as a great, creepy, pulse pounding halloween influenced album, it is also an outstanding metal album in general filled with really catchy and impressive songs. Nate Newton thunderous bass pummels and drives the album throughout.

Philip Glass & The Kronos Quartet – Dracula

The classic Universal horror film featuring the everlasting Count Dracula played by Bela Lugosi and filmed by Tod Browning did not feature a score when it was first released but Glass was commissioned to write one and have it featured in a re-release of the movie. Here Glass is composing music for the Kronos Quartet, who play perfectly and convey the overwhelming sense of dread and the lurking of the undead. 

Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe

Of course you have to place Rob Zombie in a halloween album list, right? Classic hard rock halloween music to party to. With timeless songs like “Dragula,” “Living Dead Girl,” and “Spookshow Baby” your halloween party will be kicking and screaming in no time. 

Robert Rich & B. Lustmord – Stalker

This is another perfect album to play in a haunted house. Ambient masters Robert Rich and B. Lustmord team up here and provide some seriously menacing music. Written as the score to the film Stalker, which I have yet to see, although from listening to this music I can safely assume that movie is probably creepy and very scary. 

John Carpenter – Halloween Score

Not only does this movie scare the crap out of me still, but the classic score that accompanies it is just as horrifying and nerve-racking. The Shape lurks around the corners in the dark or hidden behind hedges he will stare emotionless and wait for the right time strike, silently, the boogie man is coming! … Ok that’s enough of that, I’m starting to creep myself out.

Here are some ideas for movies to watch on Halloween. We guarantee a great time with any one of them.

Evil Dead 2

Evil Dead 2 is not only the best entry in the Evil Dead series but it is one of the most enjoyable horror-comedy movies ever made. It is good gory fun that anyone can jump in and enjoy. The film stars Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash, a normal guy that always ends up involved with the rising evil. A cabin out in the woods holds the book of the dead which, when read, awakens the evil dead but you really need to see the movie to understand its appeal. Bruce Campbell’s masterful performance is matched perfectly by Sam Raimi’s creative direction. The most memorable sequence features Bruce Campbell’s hand getting possessed by the evil and proceeding to smash plates over his head in a brilliant slapstick routine with a climax involving a chainsaw. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll always have a great time: check it out!

Sleepaway Camp

This movie has always been a favorite of mine since I first saw it after hearing about it in middle school. It is another slasher movie set in a summer camp. The acting is cheesy, the kills are only moderately creative and there is a major twist ending that has no grounding with the rest of the film but somehow it all comes together for a really fun time. This is one of those films where its faults are somehow endearing and it is definitely worth a watch or two or two hundred.

Trick ‘R Treat

This movie has a storied internet history mostly because it was hyped like crazy after it was not released in favor of a straight to dvd model. It is a compilation film that weaves together a series of stories which take place on Halloween night. The best part of this movie is the fun, campy atmosphere which makes it feel like an R rated episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” I strongly recommend adding this movie to your Halloween lineup.

Dead Alive

Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive is often listed as the goriest movie of all time. I am not sure if this is true or not but I am sure it is a great movie. The film is a romantic comedy with a zombie plot somewhat in the background. The male protagonist ends up harboring a whole family of zombies in his basement and this leads to the best scene in which he takes a zombie baby for a walk in the park that goes wrong prompting him to repeatedly punch the baby in front of various onlookers. This poor guy just wants love and he ends up mowing down a room full of zombies with a lawnmower.

Night of the Demons

A movie that I rented over and over in my early teenage years, Night of the Demons is a great Halloween movie because it actually takes place on Halloween. A whole group of teenagers decide to have a party in an abandoned funeral parlor. Of course the teenagers party too much and by horror movie logic, that means they deserve to die. They are possessed by demons in the house and we get a series of bizarre practical effect laden scenes which are glorious to behold. The movie is more charming than most of these teenagers die at a party films because of some really fun performances.

Halloween

Halloween, the best slasher movie ever made does a wonderful job of building up tension. Each scene serves to ramp up the suspense and leads up to a satisfying climax which sets the scene for WAYY TOO MANY sequels. Everyone has seen this movie so there is not too much to say except that it is well worth watching and re-watching. I just recently picked it up on Blu-Ray and it looks great. The commentary is also totally awesome.

Zombieland

Zombieland is a movie I really wish I had gone to see in the theatres. For whatever reason, I missed out but I am glad I got to see it on Blu-ray because it is a lot of fun! I won’t say too much about this one because Jimmy wrote a great article about it, check it out here.

Night of the Living Dead

The original Night of the Living Dead still delivers the tension. Whenever I watch it, I always imagine what I would do if I was strapped in a house with a bunch of strangers trying to survive an unexpected zombie apocalypse. It is a tense and frightening flick that explores the sexism, racism and zombies against a backdrop that was wonderfully gory for its time.

Ginger Snaps

Every Halloween needs a good Werewolf movie and this is a great werewolf movie. Ginger is going through some changes that all girls go through during their teenage years, little does her twin sister know that the changes are caused by the strange wolf bite she received. I highly recommend this movie if you can find it. I used to always see it in video stores but lately it seems to have disappeared. It deserves to be seen.

Nosferatu

Last night I was luck enough to attend an outdoor screening of the 1922 version of Nosferatu. This film is dripping with creepy atmosphere and the silence evokes more terror. The use of shadow has a genuine sense of foreboding which will never leave your memory. This film was shock for its time and it is great to see that it still retains its power.

There are many halloween/horror movies that I watched when I was younger that have sparked my love for the genre including: The Halloween Tree, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beetlejuice. The list that follows is filled with movies that I have grown to love just as much as those I watched when I was younger. Enjoy!

Halloween

The best halloween movie, in my opinion, ever. It doesn’t get more perfect than this offering from John Carpenter. Many times have I watched this when I was younger and many times it has scared me so much that I was unable to finish it. Michael Myers or The Shape has haunted me for as long as I can remember. I remember saying that there were three things that scared me, Michael Myers, Predator, and Robert DeNiro, all of which still do to some extent.

Sleepaway Camp

Possibly my favorite B-movie of all time. Chris was the first to show me this movie so I will leave it up to him to explain why it is great. 

The Fog

Another John Carpenter masterpiece. He seems to be able to scare me without being gory or overtly violent. The atmospheres and settings of Mr. Carpenter seem to be one his greatest tools of conveying the feeling of Halloween the best, plus Jamie Lee Curtis.

Sleepy Hollow

My favorite Tim Burton movie with the greatest application of expressionism since Edward Scissorhands, plus Christopher Walken playing the headless horseman, it doesn’t get much better than that. Perfect atmosphere and overall creepiness make this a sure choice to watch on Halloween night.

Salem’s Lot

My favorite interpretation of Dracula. Stephen King is the master of horror and I could probably make a list just featuring movies based off of his novels and short stories. Plus, definitely one of the creepiest looking vampires since Nosferatu. 

28 Days Later

Danny Boyle’s zombie effort proves to be the scariest zombie movie ever. Obviously the sprinting out of control zombies were part of the reason this movie scared the crap out of me, but human survival methods and re-population ideas are just as disturbing as the undead. Also, wonderful soundtrack filled with great songs from Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Brian Eno.

Trick ‘r Treat

Because this was not released in theaters, many people do not know how great it actually is. I’m glad I could re-emphasis what a great Halloween movie this is. Listen to us and check it out!

Creepshow

Stephen King and George A. Romero. Enough said. Classic.

Tales from the Crypt

In the same vein as Creepshow and Trick ‘r Treat, shorter, interweaving tales of horror fill this movie with desperation and terror. Plus, Peter Cushing playing Arthur Edward Grimsdyke in one of the most depressing roles I have ever seen. The story is brilliant and Peter Cushing is at his finest, I cannot say enough about this one; it really struck me hard and made a deep impression on me. 

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece of another great Stephen King novel. This is another movie that honestly scared me to the point of nightmares, and this was just last year. Jack Nicholson is brilliantly demoniacal in this disturbingly twisted movie that will give all who watch it cabin fever.

Let the Right One In

The only recent vampire movie that matters. A Swedish tour de force that injects life into a waning genre in horror. Even though I was skeptical towards the remake, Let Me In, that came out this year, it wasn’t bad at all. Besides, the remake hails the return of Hammer studios, which is more than persuasive for me to go check it out.

Fright Night

80′s vampire greatness. Upon purchasing this movie the woman at the register said, “They sure don’t make ‘em like this anymore.” I couldn’t have said it better. Everything that made 80′s horror movies great and hilarious is present here and in overdrive.

Underworld: Evolution

My favorite in the Underworld Trilogy, Evolution is by far the most engaging and beautifully presented. The film is shot very sleekly and well… just plain cool. The graphics and make-up work so well and give the movie a really awesome feel to it. Plus, Kate Beckinsale is absolutely stunning, the hottest vampire ever!

The Gravedancers

Part of the series 8 Films To Die For that put out independent horror films every year for the past four or five years, this one is a gem and really great movie to watch during Halloween. Wicked Little Things is another movie featured in this series that is also really great, but this one is by far my favorite.

Session 9

A fairly unknown independent movie that is the third movie along with Halloween and The Shining that honestly scared me. Set in an abandoned mental hospital, a group of men cleaning asbestos stumble onto some disturbing recorded sessions with the former patients, as well as some unsettling realizations about each other. Seriously creepy, scary, terrifying, and perfect for Halloween. Plus, Brenden Sexton lll, also know as Warren Beatty from Empire Records, is in it and basically plays the same character which is pretty funny; it’s well needed comedic relief from all the frightening plot developments.