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User
Soundoffs 159
News Articles 2
Band Edits + Tags 33
Album Edits 45
Album Ratings 628
Objectivity 68%
Last Active 01-05-17 3:38 am
Joined 07-01-11
Review Comments 253
| A Very Monheim-y 2011
I didn't listen to a whole lot of new music in 2011, but I loved what I did rhear. | | 15 |  | The Decemberists
The King is Dead
A breath of fresh air after the pretentious and stuffy Hazards of Love.
Favorite song: Don?t Carry It All | | 14 |  | Trophy Scars
Never Born, Never Dead
Motherfucking doo-wop.
Favorite song: Never Born | | 13 |  | Tim Hecker
Ravedeath, 1972
Am I elite now? But seriously, this is some fantastic ambient music. | | 12 | | Bon Iver
Bon Iver, Bon Iver Ago
Beth/Rest is awesome, you fools. As is much of the rest of the album.
Favorite song: Holocene | | 11 |  | Yo-Yo Ma and Others
The Goat Rodeo Sessions
Because who wouldn?t want to hear Yo-Yo Ma play a fusion of bluegrass and classical music and a bunch
of other shit with some other world-class musicians?
Favorite Track: Attaboy | | 10 |  | WU LYF
Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
I?m not entirely sure what to write about this album that hasn?t been said already. It?s a
bunch of uplifting indie rock songs with Explosions in the Sky-esque guitars, all led by a wild,
shouting, possibly-insane lead singer? All in all, this may not be a groundbreaking album, but
it is an enjoyable one, and sometimes all you need out of music is to sing/scream/shout along
with some ridiculous chant, like ?WE BROS YOU LOST MAN, WE BROS SO LO-O-ONG!?
Favorite Song: We Bros | | 9 |  | Spokes
Everyone I Ever Met
Spokes, having already pretty much mastered modern post-rock on their previous album,
decide to take on indie rock. And the result is, of course, spectacular. They manage to
perfectly fuse their love of epic build-ups with their talent at writing catchy melodies,
resulting in huge, catchy, uplifting indie rock songs. Sure, it?s not innovative, but with music
this good, can you really complain?
Favorite Song: We Can Make It Out Alive | | 8 |  | Touche Amore
Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me
Touche Amore does it again, following up their brilliant debut with another album full of passion
and energy. The improved production value boosts their sound in many ways, giving the guitar
work and pounding drums excellent clarity. But, the real star of the show here is front man
Jeremy Bolm, who continues to impress with his emotional yet always comprehensible screams.
Sure, the lyrics are absurd and over-the-top, but when everything is done with so much
passion, you can hardly fault them for it.
Favorite Song: ~ | | 7 |  | The War on Drugs
Slave Ambient
This is sort of like a not-shitty Sam?s Town mixed with some Bob Dylan and
shoegaze. But it?s also so much more than that. Slave Ambient is one of the most
thankfully different and unique Americana-influenced rock records that?s come out in
a while. I don?t know why I?m having such a hard time explaining how awesome this
album is. Just trust me and listen to it - it?s brilliant stuff.
Favorite Song: Baby Missiles | | 6 | | M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
This album is proof that we?ve moved all the way past irony and have started
embracing all of the lovable ridiculousness of ?80s pop music. And it?s glorious. This
album is just so optimistic and joyful and youthful that it practically exists outside of
the normal spectrum of music in 2011. Sure, this album may suffer from what
plagues pretty much every double album, but the highs are just so stunningly high
that whats lows there are almost don?t register.
Favorite Song: Steve McQueen | | 5 |  | Pianos Become The Teeth
The Lack Long After
This might be the most powerful and heart-wrenching album I?ve heard all year.
The Lack Long After feels more intense, more emotional, and even darker than Old
Pride was. And unlike Old Pride, which was dominated by its highlights, The Lack
Long After starts off powerfully and practically keeps building until it reaches ?I?ll Get
By,? which somehow manages to be even more intense and gut-wrenching than
the rest of the album. Pianos... will have a hard time topping this album.
Favorite Song: I'll Get By | | 4 |  | James Blake
James Blake
I?m still not entirely sure why I enjoy this album so much. There's something just so
undeniably brilliant about this. Of course, I think a lot of it stems from the fact that this album
just sounds so fresh and different. It certainly doesn?t hurt that James Blake has a surprisingly
good voice, and that he has a real ear for melody and texture. This is perhaps one of the more
interesting and different, yet still beautiful and enjoyable albums from 2011.
Favorite Song: Measurements | | 3 |  | Coldplay
Mylo Xyloto
Yeah, yeah, shut up. I don?t give a fuck, this album is amazing. Mylo Xyloto is basically
Coldplay?s love letter to modern pop music, taking many of the recent electro-pop trends
and fusing them with Coldplay?s penchant for writing massive, catchy songs. The result is a
fresh, joyfully ebullient, purely pop album - I think I had more fun listening to this album
than any other this year. Those who fell in love with Coldplay for the melancholy
atmosphere will hate this album, but the rest of us will love Mylo Xyloto for what it is - an
easy-to-love pop album cranked up to eleven.
Favorite Song: Hurts Like Heaven | | 2 |  | Bomb the Music Industry!
Vacation
More raucous, upbeat, energetic, and ridiculous music from everyone?s favorite punks.
Sure, they tone things down a little here, but it?s still just so fun and crazy and whatever
that I can?t even really describe this album properly. The point being is that this album is
fucking awesome, and I love it.
Favorite Song: The Shit That You Hate | | 1 |  | The Antlers
Burst Apart
At first, as I assume was the case many other Antlers fans, I was initially very surprised with this album. Was
that a glimmer of hope I was hearing in Peter Silberman?s falsetto in ?I Don?t Want Love?? Did they really just
write a song about being stoned? And what?s with those doo-wop guitar stabs in ?Putting The Dog To Sleep??
But, the more I listened to this album, the more I realized just how brilliant it is. Everything on Burst Apart is so
beautifully put together and so absolutely gorgeous, full of subtlety and quietly brilliant songwriting. It?s the
breath of fresh air that was so desperately needed after Hospice. Burst Apart shows what The Antlers can do
together as a band, and it is a wonderful thing. Many other albums came close, but none quite topped ?Burst
Apart.
Favorite Song: Corsicana | |
Monheim
01.08.12 | Those question marks are really bothering me. Oh well. | ohfoxxxycole
01.08.12 | good stuff | Monheim
01.09.12 | Thanks man | vanderb0b
01.09.12 | Good list. I wasn't aware that Yo-Yo Ma released a new album, I'll need to check it out - his non-classical experiments were always interesting. | Monheim
01.09.12 | Yeah, it's a really fun listen. I've always liked how Yo-Yo Ma brings these odd ensembles together; they pretty much always turn out good. |
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