Best of 2011, part III

[elle]

http://darkforcesswing.blogspot.com/...honorable.html

Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Best of 2011, part III: Honorable mentions

Today I'll run down some honorable-mention releases, 2011 titles I enjoyed but didn't end up including on either my jazz or all-genres-in-play lists.

Protest the Hero Scurrilous (Vagrant)

Lindsey Buckingham Seeds We Sow (Buckingham)

Aside from the records that did make my TONY top 10, these are the two that came closest to cracking the list. In the end, I just didn't feel that I could recommend either in full, but the highlights on each are magical.

I stumbled across Protest the Hero a few years ago while writing event listings for TONY. I'd heard a few bands fusing prog, metal and emo before, but never with such flair, talent and unabashed bombast. There are some dud tracks on this new one, but wow, the good stuff on here just floors me. Imagine a super-techy, less psychedelic, more overtly metallic Mars Volta circa De-Loused in the Comatorium and you're getting close. The frontman, Rody Walker, is unspeakably good: incredible tone and control combined with pure sardonic attitude. It baffles me a bit that you don't hear more about these guys on the indie-metal buzzfeed, but I think they might be too Warped Tour–ish to win over that crowd. Ignore the subgenre barriers; Protest the Hero is an outstanding band. This video is a little silly, but the over-the-top-ness fits the PTH aesthetic just fine:

Along with my wife, I awakened to Fleetwood Mac in a major way in 2011. The 1975 self-titled album, Rumours and Tusk have been on constant rotation this year (especially the breathtaking "Crystal", which I've started to think of as proto–Will Oldham). I loved Buckingham's fierce live show, and Seeds We Sow, the solo record he supported at that gig, was pretty damn respectable. In the end, there were a few too many weak tracks, but as with PTH, the best ones hit me hard. "Stars Are Crazy" is borderline holy:
And I love the punky chorus on "That's the Way Love Goes":

*****
the rest at http://darkforcesswing.blogspot.com/...honorable.html

Posted by Hank at 9:05 AM Labels: 40 watt sun, cannabis corpse, exhumed, freddie t, gillian welch, lindsey buckingham, liturgy, multitudes, new york dolls, paul simon, protest the hero, raspberry bulbs, shilpa ray, yukon

[Nico]

Thank you elle. As always.

I am so happy with SWS and...I'm going to take it out so I can listen to it in the car tomorrow.

[iamnotafraid]

Off subject, but Elle I saw your tweet
(or something like it) show up on a search
for Lindsey and Cosmo Kramer.

Happy Festivus to all Ledgies.

And Festivus isn't over until Nico
pins Lindsey in the feats of strength.

[elle]

http://indiealbany.com/2011/12/06/to...lbums-of-2011/

Top 20 Albums of 2011

DECEMBER 6, 2011 BY J. ERIC SMITH

As I was reviewing all of my new music purchases from 2011, working up my “Best Of” list for the year, it occured to me that 2011 is the 20th consecutive year that I have publicly offered such a year-end list for reader scrutiny, either on commercial websites, or for various print publications, or as a member of a couple of different blog communities. Before I lay out my 2011 list for your perusal, therefore, I thought I would share my “Album of the Year” winners for the past two decades, just for grins and giggles. There are a couple of years where, with 20/20 hindsight, I’m not quite sure exactly what I was thinking when I made these choices, but I own ‘em and embrace ‘em, for better or worse, occassional lapses in taste be damned. You may look at this list and decide that you don’t really care what I liked most in 2011. I’d understand and respect that.

1992: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Henry’s Dream
1993: Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
1994: Ween, Chocolate and Cheese
1995: Björk, Post
1996: R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi
1997: Geraldine Fibbers, Butch
1998: Jarboe, Anhedoniac
1999: Static-X, Wisconsin Death Trip
2000: Warren Zevon, Life’ll Kill Ya
2001: Björk, Vespertine
2002: The Residents, Demons Dance Alone
2003: Wire, Send
2004: The Fall, The Real New Fall LP (Formerly “Country on the Click”)
2005: Mindless Self Indulgence, You’ll Rebel to Anything
2006: Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
2007: Max Eider, III: Back in the Bedroom
2008: Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight
2009: Mos Def, The Ecstatic
2010: Snog, Last Of The Great Romantics
2011: To be determined . . . below . . .

Okay, so with that as preamble and teaser, let’s move on to 2011, which was a very, very good year for challenging new music, by any measure. There are some years when picking my Album of the Year is really quite easy, since one disc so dominates the competition that there’s not a lot of thought required come December. This wasn’t one of those years, though, as I found myself looking, on first cut, at a list of six outstanding albums that had seperated themselves from the pack over the course of the past twelve months, and really being challenged to decide which one of those six deserved Album of the Year honors. It took some re-listens, some research, and some reflection, but when all was said and done, I feel good about making the following selection . . .

2011 ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Planningtorock, W: 2011 JES Album of the Year

So what about those other five albums that were in the woulda-coulda zone, rubbing shoulders with Planningtorock as I culled the list down to the best of the best? Here they are in alphabetical order:

2011 HONORABLE MENTIONS
Death Grips, Exmilitary
Future Islands, On The Water
Krallice, Diotima
St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
White Denim, D

Alright, so there are six particularly great albums down, and here are the remaining 14 discs (also great) of my 2011 Top 20 . . .

2011: THE BEST OF THE REST
Cheeseburger, Another Big Night Down the Drain
F*cked Up, David Comes To Life
Lindsey Buckingham, Seeds We Sow: As always, Buckingham delivers thrilling finger-picked guitar, terrific melodies, and sweetly sung, richly-layered vocals. It’s a shame he has to hang out with Stevie Nicks to get people to pay the attention to him that he should garner on his own.
The Fall, Ersatz GB
Hooray for Earth, True Loves
I’m From Barcelona, Forever Today
Pete and the Pirates, One Thousand Picturest-Pop
Primordial, Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
Real Estate, Days
Red Hot Chili Peppers, I’m With You
Shabazz Palaces, Black Up
Sin Fang, Summer Echoes
Wire, Red Barked Tree
Yes, Fly From Here

[elle]

Mike Mettler, Sound + Vision Editor-In-Chief (http://soundandvisionmag.com) has been tweeting his top 11 albums of 2011:

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 10, #2: Butch Walker and the Black Widows: The Spade @butchwalker amzn.to/vJUWMl
29 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 9, #3: Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between @garlandjeffreys amzn.to/tLAv4C
28 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 8, #4: Fountains of Wayne: Sky Full of Holes amzn.to/uGHbMO
27 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 7, Day After Xmas Edition! #5: Tommy Shaw: The Great Divide amzn.to/taGd0t
26 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 6, Xmas Day Edition! #6: Lindsey Buckingham: Seeds We Sow amzn.to/t1BIPI
25 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 5, Xmas Eve Edition! #7: JP Soars: More Bees With Honey amzn.to/v8L6bh
24 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 4! #8: My Morning Jacket's Circuital amzn.to/vQYa0N
23 Dec

@MikeMettler
Final top a.m. commute track of 2011: Danger Mouse's "99 Problems" [ace-high mashup of Jay-Z with the Beatles' "Helter Skelter"]
23 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 3! #9: The Black Keys: El Camino amzn.to/uEfqpP
22 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown, Day 2! #10: The Raveonettes: Raven in the Grave amzn.to/vGkiRN
21 Dec

@MikeMettler
MM's Top 11 Albums of 2011 Countdown starts here! #11: Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues
20 Dec

[michelej1]

Best Music Discovered in 2011, The AV Club

http://www.avclub.com/articles/best-...in-2011,66958/

Todd VanDerWerff

There was a period in the summer months when pretty much all I did was listen to Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” over and over and over again, for no particular reason. It was a song that got in my head something fierce, and it introduced me to the band’s weird, early-’80s experimental period. I can’t say I like every song out of this period, but it made me think of the group in a new way, and gave me a new appreciation for its ability to craft great hits. Plus, the song features a marching band, and I can’t think of a song featuring a marching band I haven’t enjoyed. (My other favorite discovery from my Fleetwood Mac period? “Silver Springs,” a Rumours outtake that apparently everybody but me knew about already.)

[elle]

i guess we can go on with the best of lists that Lindsey's on in this thread... otherwise they seem to get lost among other threads.


Said the Gramophone Best Songs of 2011

http://www.saidthegramophone.com/arc...gs_of_2011.php

BEST SONGS OF 2011
by Sean
Please note: MP3s are only kept online for a short time, and if this entry is from more than a couple of weeks ago, the music probably won't be available to download any more.


These are my 100 favourite songs of 2011: songs I love more than plums & peaches & lesser harvests of almonds.

I follow just one arbitrary rule: that no artist may be listed twice.

I made similar lists in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

The best way to browse this list is to click the little arrow beside each song and then to listen as you read. The things you like you can then download by right- or ctrl-clicking with your mouse.

You can also download the complete 100 songs, in two parts: songs 1-50 (259mb) / songs 51-100 (249mb). (mirror)

Said the Gramophone is one of the oldest musicblogs. We try to do just two things well: finding good songs, and writing about them. We don't mess about with tour-dates, videos or advertising. We post new songs and old songs, write clumsy dreams of what we hear. If this is your first time here, I hope you'll bookmark us or subscribe via RSS. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Of these 100 songs, approximately 65 are fronted by men, 35 by women. 47 artists are American, 26 are Canadian, 15 are British, 4 are Swedish, 3 are French, 2 are Australian, and there is one Finn, one Swiss and one Beninese.

My favourite songs of the year do not necessarily speak to my favourite albums of the year. But if you want full-length records that are the best, the best, these were my top 12 in 2011: Colin Stetson's New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, PJ Harvey's Let England Shake, Kurt Vile's Smoke Ring For My Halo, Adam & the Amethysts' Flickering Flashlight, Shotgun Jimmie's Transistor Sister, Destroyer's Kaputt, Tune-Yards' w h o k i l l, Eleanor Friedberger's Last Summer, Katy B's On A Mission, the Luyas' Too Beautiful to Work, Bry Webb's Provider and Real Estate's Days.

Some songs that you heard in 2011 may have been omitted from this tally because I heard them before this year, and included them in my Best of 2010. For example works by Little Scream, Pat Jordache, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Maison Neuve, Jai Paul and Katy B.

...

47. Lindsey Buckingham - "Seeds We Sow" [buy]
I am not an engineer or a musician but if I had a studio like Lindsey Buckingham's studio, like the studio I imagine Lindsey Buckingham to have, I would never leave my house. Every single dream or wish, I would render in music. I would record a song of true love, of fulfillment, of a holiday in St Petersburg. I build up my friendships with chords, I would say my farewells with reverb. My walls would be lined with golden records, each one with a secret message in the slow fade out.

...


And that's 2011's century of songs, best as I can say. There's so much that didn't quite make it, that I wish I was pointing you to. At Said the Gramophone we spent the year writing about as many wonderful songs as we could, and old songs too, treasures kept in drawers. If you're new to the site, please come again (or subscribe). We update almost every weekday, penning tales about the tunes that make us think yes

Thanks for reading, sorry for the broken links, please support these artists with your money. Happy holidaze to all and to all a good night.

Posted by Sean at December 19, 2011 2:07 AM

[elle]

(thanks for putting the list together nickslive )

http://nickslive.blogspot.com/2011/1...s-lindsey.html


SOMETHING ELSE
Pop music, Rock music, uncategorized, Year-end Top 10 Lists
Nick DeRiso’s Top Albums for 2011, Rock and Pop Edition
http://somethingelsereviews.com/2011...d-pop-edition/
(this whole review is also in the separate thread under "top albums 2011 - Nick DeRiso)

No. 3 - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM - SEED WE SOW: You keep waiting for Lindsey Buckingham, the old rebel, to soften into middle-aged acceptance, to conform. This wasn’t that record. Credit Buckingham for never trading true emotion for sentiment. Seeds We Sow was as hard eyed as it is musically ambitious. Makes sense. Buckingham, for all of the things he rejects, for all of the things that piss him off and make him play the guitar in a bloody-fingered rage, was never about nothingness. Buckingham’s music, in a move that belied his era, didn’t settle for cheap thrills, quick answers — or something so obvious and easy as nihilism. And, lucky for us, it still doesn’t.


TIME OUT NEW YORK
The best concerts of 2011
By Marley Lynch, Sophie Harris, Hank Shteamer and Steve Smith
http://newyork.timeout.com/music-nig...ackage=2332469

Lindsey Buckingham at the Town Hall, Sept 27
Supporting a strong new solo record, Fleetwood Mac’s male lead and fingerpicking demon of a guitarist proved that he still runs on pure raw-nerve emotion.—HS


COVER ME
The Best Cover Songs of 2011
http://www.covermesongs.com/2011/12/...of-2011.html/3
(we also have a separate thread for this)

38. Lindsey Buckingham: "She Smiled Sweetly" (The Rolling Stones cover)
Buckingham’s Seeds We Sow went top ten on the Billboard charts – not bad for a self-released album by a man in his early sixties. His take on “She Smiles Sweetly” trades the church-like hush of the Stones’ original for the quiet of a man alone in his room, always haunted after midnight. “Don’t worry,” he whispers, quoting her, and you know he feels her breath on the back of his neck, like a breeze from his beloved Pacific Ocean, and you can hear it brushing the sand from his spirit. – Patrick Robbins


BLOG CRITICS
Blog Critics Music Picks The Best Albums of 2011
By Glen Boyd
http://blogcritics.org/music/article...-best-albums1/
(we have a separate thread "BC music picks bets albums of 2011)

Kit O' Toole picks Lindsey Buckingham's Seeds We Sow
Sure, Lindsey Buckingham may be best known for his tenure with Fleetwood Mac. But his 2011 release Seeds We Sow reminds listeners of his unique gifts for songwriting and guitar picking. Whether pondering love and the universe in "Stars Are Crazy," or redemption in "End of Time" and "Gone Too Far," Buckingham impresses with his philosophical musings and sophisticated guitar work. However, he still has the penchant for writing accessible pop and rock. Only he could make anger catchy on "One Take" or the "Second Hand News" sequel "Rock Away Blind" ("I could go crazy without even trying/ Fleeing the scene of the crime," he snarls).

Instead of the slick, almost robotic arrangements of his 80s singles, Seeds We Sow showcases Buckingham at his most intimate and stripped down, revealing his raw talent. "Sliding down the karma slide/ Seems like it never ends," he sings in "End of Time." "When we get to the other side/ Maybe then we'll make amends." Is he discussing his own mortality, or our uncertain times? No matter the interpretation, Seeds We Sow perfectly showcases a superior guitarist, lyricist, and rock 'n' roll survivor. The album demonstrates that sometimes a guitar, voice, and simple arrangements can say more than a full-blown production ever could.


CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE (December issue):
A-Z Best Songs of 2011
(we have a separate thread)

"Seeds We Sow" Lindsey Buckingham
The lush sound of Fleetwood Mac stripped right down and laid bare. It's a haunting ode to the way the fates dictate life's path. It oozes charisma with every note, and highlights how underrated Buckingham truly is.


MAGNET
Best Of 2011: Singer/Songwriter
December 7, 2011
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2011/1...gersongwriter/
(we have this in one of the threads added at the beginning of Dec)

MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland picks the best singer/songwriter releases of the year.

1. RYAN ADAMS Ashes And Fire (PAX-AM/Capitol)
2. IRON & WINE Kiss Each Other Clean (Warner Bros.)
3. LIAM FINN Fomo (Yep Roc)
4. LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM Seeds We Sow (Mind Kit)
5. JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN The Deep Field (Play It Again Sam)
6. A.A. BONDY Believers (Fat Possum)
7. RICHARD BUCKNER Our Blood (Merge)
8. MATTHEW SWEET Modern Art (Missing Piece)
9. STEPHIN MERRITT Obscurities (Merge)
10. BILL CALLAHAN Apocalypse (Drag City)


DARK FORCESS WING
Honorable-mention releases
http://darkforcesswing.blogspot.com/...honorable.html
(this was the starter for this thread)

Lindsey Buckingham "Seeds We Sow"
Along with my wife, I awakened to Fleetwood Mac in a major way in 2011. The 1975 self-titled album, Rumours and Tusk have been on constant rotation this year (especially the breathtaking "Crystal", which I've started to think of as proto–Will Oldham). I loved Buckingham's fierce live show, and Seeds We Sow, the solo record he supported at that gig


REVERB
Best of 2011: Songs of the year
by: Mike Long, Reverb writer
http://www.heyreverb.com/2011/12/21/best-songs-2011/
(we don't have a separate thread for this one)

10. Washed Out, “Amor Fati”
9. Lykke Li, “Get Some”
8. Real Estate, “Out Of Tune”
7. A.A. Bondy, “Rte. 28/Believers”
6. Tennis, “Long Boat Pass”
5. Lindsey Buckingham, “Gone Too Far”
4. Antlers, “No Widows”
3. Smith Westerns, “Weekend”
2. Shapes Have Fangs,”The Desert (Has A Place For You)”
1. Adele, “I’ll Be Waiting”


MUSICAL FAMILY TREE
Year-End Lists 2011: Jon's Picks
by Jon Rogers
http://www.musicalfamilytree.net/pro...ource=activity
(we don't have a separate thread for this)

Top 10 Personal Musical Discoveries in 2011
Lindsey Buckingham was actually a pretty amazing songwriter. Go ahead and laugh if you must, or try to deny it. But unless you’ve fully digested his songs on Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk or his 1981 solo debut Law And Order, your argument is completely meaningless to me. Discovering these two albums this year made me revisit the other Buckingham-era Fleetwood Mac albums I had only casually listened to in the past (while trying to ignore the nagging feeling that I kind of liked them), and like almost everyone else who is around age 30 and unafraid of being labeled “tasteless”, realized that those albums are incredible, largely due to Buckingham’s songs. In any case, I still hate the theme song to National Lampoon’s Vacation, but I plan to seek out whatever else I can find.


THE MIX
The Top 25 Rock Albums of 2011
by Rhapsody Editorial
http://www.rhapsody.com/blog/2011/12/rock2011
(separate thread here under Rhapsody top 25)

7. Lindsey Buckingham "Seeds We Sow"
There's something timeless about Lindsey Buckingham's musical vision. Much of this has to do with his fingerpicking and voice; neither has aged all that much since he joined Fleetwood Mac back in the mid-'70s. Recorded and released by the man himself, the thoroughly enjoyable Seeds We Sow feels particularly youthful. Numerous tracks, including "That's the Way Love Goes" and "End of Time," don't sound too different from much of what passes for modern indie pop. He closes out the record with a nice rendition of "She Smiled Sweetly," a deep track from The Rolling Stones' Between the Buttons. [J.F.]


CNET
Top 10 Music Blu-Rays
by Steve Guttenberg
http://www.rhapsody.com/blog/2011/12/rock2011
(this is in the Songs from the Small Machine DVD thread, page 5 http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showpo...6&postcount=83)

Lindsey Buckingham
“Songs From the Small Machine – Live in L.A.”

This show from earlier this year looks and sounds great, definitely the sort of thing you’ll want to play to wow your audiophile or home theater pals. The opening tunes feature just Buckingham alone on stage, singing and playing guitar, and you really hear his sound filling the old theater. When the rest of the band joins Buckingham the recording’s hard-hitting dynamic range struts its stuff. The set list includes his solo and Fleetwood Mac tunes. The theater’s ambience and the appreciative crowd’s cheers sound utterly natural coming from the surround channels.


ALL MUSIC
Favorite Rock Albums of 2011
by: AMG Staff
http://blog.allmusic.com/2011/12/19/...11/#more-11307
(no separate thread for this)

Twenty years after Nevermind, Nirvana’s drummer Dave Grohl still thunders with his Foo Fighters, who sounded fiercer on Wasting Light than they have in years. Other veteran rockers continued to build on their strengths: Tom Waits revisited Rain Dogs territory on Bad as Me, Paul Simon released a new millennial Hearts & Bones with So Beautiful or So What, while PJ Harvey released the dense, haunting Let England Shake. Not all the rock of 2011 was so weighty, though: the Black Keys capitalized on their breakthrough with the trashy El Camino, a record with nothing but beats and riffs on its mind.

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – The Tao of the Dead
Brett Anderson – Black Rainbows
Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
The Black Keys – El Camino
Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing
Lindsey Buckingham – Seeds We Sow
Duran Duran – All You Need Is Now
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
John Wesley Harding – The Sound of His Own Voice
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Joe Henry – Reverie
The Jayhawks – Mockingbird Time [pictured]
John Paul Keith – The Man That Time Forgot
The Kills – Blood Pressures
Nick Lowe – The Old Magic
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
Urge Overkill – Rock & Roll Submarine
Tom Waits – Bad As Me


AVCLUB
Best music discovered in 2011
by: Todd VanDerWerff
http://www.avclub.com/articles/best-...in-2011,66958/
(no separate thread, Michele added to this thread, post #4)

FLEETWOOD MAC - "TUSK"
There was a period in the summer months when pretty much all I did was listen to Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” over and over and over again, for no particular reason. It was a song that got in my head something fierce, and it introduced me to the band’s weird, early-’80s experimental period. I can’t say I like every song out of this period, but it made me think of the group in a new way, and gave me a new appreciation for its ability to craft great hits. Plus, the song features a marching band, and I can’t think of a song featuring a marching band I haven’t enjoyed. (My other favorite discovery from my Fleetwood Mac period? “Silver Springs,” a Rumours outtake that apparently everybody but me knew about already.)


EDIT: check above and below for additional "best of"

[elle]

http://www.tmakworld.com/2011/12/top...rld-style.html

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2011

Top 10 Albums of 2011 - TMAK World Style

Dec 31 2011 - Be warned - unlike Rolling Stone magazine, there will be no Adele, Beyonce, Jay-Z and Kanye or Lady Gaga on this list. Here at T-MAK World we don't exactly believe music peaked in 1977 but we certainly would not object if the charts were dominated by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and Rush once again. Unfortunately, for yet another year the "other" charts are in our humble opinion primary dominated by unmemorable and formulaic factory pop that involves singing, dancing and posturing and for the most part songs that have no real musical impact. Has the need for musicians to play instruments become as obsolete as the LP, the VHS and the soon to be extinct CD? We certainly hope not because a closer look at what was released this year reveals some real gems. (PS. We are of course joking about the virtue's of today's mainstream musical tastes and certainly enjoy some of it greatly, but lets just focus on classic type of rock for this list.) Here's hoping that you discover something new to listen to from T-MAK World's Top 10 Albums of 2011.

10. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

This album was the 11th by Dream Theater but first without epic drummer and co-founder Mike Portnoy. Highlight tracks include "On The Backs of Angels" and "Breaking All Illusions". Even though the album contains three unspectacular ballads the heavy hitting rhythms remind us why Dream Theater continues to be just one hit single away from mega superstar status. Their live show continues to be incredible and the review can be read here. Progressive rock at its best (until Rush release Clockwork Angels in 2012). If you are unfamiliar with Dream Theaters' complex music give this one a spin and be amazed at their musical prowess.

9. Mastodon - The Hunter

Before this album was released, drummer Brann Dailor described it as "a real super-heavy Led Zeppelin". Quite a statement to make, but sure enough the album was filled with great songs that after a few listens the statement did not sound ridiculous at all. Influential Kerrang! Magazine named this their number 1 album of 2011. From the first song Black Tongue you can sense the power of this album and it continues all the way through to the last track The Sparrow and its excellent guitar solo. Mastodon started off very much a thrash metal band on their first album, then went progressive in their previous album and now seem to have captured a good hard rock sound on this, their fifth album.

8. Rush - Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland

A live album of classic Rush material. Enough said right? Never mind that this album features The Spirit of Radio, Freewill, Closer To The Heart, and Subdivisions, never mind that it features 2 tracks (Caravan and BU2B) from Rush's forthcoming 2012 album, never mind it features 7 minutes of 2112's Overture/Temple Of Syrinx or 7 minutes of La Villa Strangiato, never mind all those goodies. This one features Rush's best album Moving Pictures end to end in it's entirety. If you aren't sold yet you are probably on the wrong site - for those that get it here is a little live Freewill we captured during the Time Machine tour in Toronto.

7. The Black Keys - El Camino

The last album (Brothers) by The Black Keys was incredibly successful and a bit of a mystery to me. Here is some really good dirty down blues rock that would fit in the 70's as well as it would fit in a Quentin Tarantino movie and yet Brothers was well received by pop media and sold tons of copies. It's great to see 2 rocking guys making it huge. Their last amphitheater tour was sold out very fast when they came to Toronto and they will be back in a few months to play an arena gig. El Camino hopes to pick up exactly where Brothers left off. Not as much slow tempo blues as their last showing but a great album nonetheless.

6. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon Immersion Set

This is the only re-issue on our list. Our full review of this gem is found here. "Clearly the album is a masterpiece not just because of its commercial success or critical acclaim, but also for it's strong appeal to fans young and old around the world. The Immersion set takes that masterpiece and rips opens the vaults and gives us access to a larger view of the work than the original 42 minutes have given us for the last 38 years since it's release. For me, the set's highlight was the original footage used in the concerts in high bit-rate 5.1 surround as well as the remastered version of The Dark Side Of The Moon." Although not a true album because this contains 6 discs including DVD and Blu-Ray there is no way that we can omit this timeless masterpiece from our year end list.

5. Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow

The two front line personalities in Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are comfortable revisiting their fabled Rumours glory when The Mac go on tour every few years. In their down time they tune the dial back a notch and produce much more intimate solo albums that are worthy of a visit. In Seeds We Sow Buckingham puts the spotlight directly on his guitar and vocal skills. The album was produced and mixed by Buckingham himself and was self-released with no record label support or influence. Standout tracks include Illumination and the mind blowing acoustic guitar picking masterpiece Seeds We Sow. As Rumours and other Fleetwood Mac classics are best listened to with a cold beer, Seeds We Sow is better suited with a classy vintage wine.

4. Black Country Communion - Black Country Communion 2

A keyboardist (Derek Sherinian) from Dream Theater, a superstar Blues guitarist (Joe Bonamassa), a lead singer of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath (Glenn Hughes), and the son of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham (Jason Bonham). Can you say supergroup? This is classic rock at its best, and one can easily think it was made in the mid 70's and held in a vault for 35 odd years. Man In the Middle sounds like a track that could have been on any of Zeppelin's last few albums. In fact Save Me was born when Jason Bonham was jamming with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones for the failed Zeppelin reunion a few years ago. Bonham let Hughes listen to a riff from it, and Hughes created the version we hear on the album. This album was recorded in 10 days and with pedigree such as listed above, surely one not to miss.

3. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Thank you Dave Grohl. Thank you for keeping rock and roll alive. Thank you for making fun music and being rock's flag bearer. Thank you for Wasting Light. The Foos 7th album is produced by none other than Butch Vig who also produced Nirvana's Nevermind. Speaking of Nirvana, Grohl brings in former bandmade Krist Novoselic to throw down some bass on I Should Have Known. Songs like These Days, Rope, Walk and Arlandria are made for big sold out stadiums on summer nights with a wave of sweaty bodies bouncing to the thumping beats.

2. Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III

Supergroup is not just an accurate description of our number 4 pick Black Country Communion but also for our number 2 pick of the year - Chickenfoot. Chickenfoot's second album - humorously named Chickenfoot III features the all star cast of Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony (Van Halen's best singer and bassist), Joe Satriani (arguably one of the best 5 guitarists on the planet) and Red Hot Chili Pepper's drummer Chad Smith. The band's website tells us that "the first single, “Big Foot,” debuted at #1 on the Mediabase Classic Rock Chart holding the position for 11 weeks!" The song is nominated for song of the year in Ultimate Classic Rock reader's poll and in fact Chickenfoot III placed in at number 2 on that publications Top 10 Album Of 2011 list.

1. My Morning Jacket - Circuital

Here is one that Rolling Stone Magazine got right and is the highest ranked album that we have in common - they had it in the 11th spot but for us this is the highlight of 2011. My Morning Jacket is by far the best band you will ever see playing a small club. On this album you get power rock anthems, pop metal, ballads, and everything in between. The first two songs on the album (Victory Dance and Circuital) are a perfect introduction to the band. If you have never heard of My Morning Jacket head over to YouTube and give those songs a listen (our recording of Victory Dance is here). Taking it one level further, the infectious groove of Holding On To Black Metal makes you want to get up and funk dance while head banging. Baffling - but hey this album is pushing music forward into a better place and lead singer Jim James has earned a place on the legends list with stars such as Robert Plant and Roger Waters.

VERDICT: 2011 turned out to be a great year for classic style rock and we hear 2012 will be even better with new albums from Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Rush, Pearl Jam and Van Halen among others. Fingers crossed for Jimmy Page to finally get something out as well.

[michelej1]

Top 20 Concerts, Nippertown
http://www.nippertown.com/2012/01/05...p-20-concerts/

By Greg Haymes, Nippertown writer-editor

20. Flogging Molly @ Northern Lights, Clifton Park (February 20)

19. Signal @ EMPAC at RPI, Troy (March 12)

18. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott @ Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs (May 22)

17. Elizabeth Cook @ The Linda, Albany (June 15)

16. Weird Al Yankovic @ the Palace Theatre, Albany (October 18)

15. Super 400 and the Charlie Watts Riots @ McGeary’s Pub, Albany (July 7)

14. James Farm @ The Egg’s Swyer Theatre, Albany (September 22)

13. Gogol Bordello @ Northern Lights, Clifton Park (April 1)

12. Freihofer Saratoga Jazz Festival featuring Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, the Tia Fuller Quartet, David Binney, more @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs (June 26)

11. Rosanne Cash @ MASS MoCA’s Hunter Theater, North Adams (May 28)

10. Exit Dome 4 featuring Phantogram, Charlie Watts Riots, Rodeo Barons, Bryan Thomas, more @ WMHT-TV Studios, North Greenbush (January 29)

9. The Either/Orchestra @ the Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy (November 20)

8. Lyle Lovett & His Acoustic Group @ The Egg’s Hart Theatre, Albany (December 10)

7. Iron & Wine @ MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center, North Adams (April 16)

6. The Felice Brothers @ Club Helsinki, Hudson (March 26)

5. Solid Sound Festival featuring Wilco, Syl Johnson & the Sweet Divines, Thurston Moore, Liam Finn, more @ MASS MoCA, North Adams (June 25)

4. Lindsey Buckingham @ The Egg’s Hart Theatre, Albany (November 2)

3. Brad Mehldau @ Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall, Lenox (August 25)

2. Peter Gabriel & the New Blood Orchestra @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs (June 27)

1. Restoration Festival featuring Matthew Carefully’s Undone Ensemble, Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned, We Are Jeneric, Swamp Baby, Slender Shoulders, more @ St. Joseph’s Church, Albany (August 27-28)

[elle]

re Clooney - read the end of this article - does it sound like somebody we know and love? (indie films vs big films, pushing limits - things big studios don't want to make, follow your heart when you can afford it, sow your seeds towards the end of life, etc?) plus, wasn't Lindsey's Murrow recorded way before "Good Night, and Good Luck"?


http://www.oneluckyguitar.com/dial/c...%E2%80%93-matt

Certified Classics: Best of 2011 – Matt

Dec 30 2011 | Filed under Love & Like | Posted by Matt Kelley | Share

Unfortunately, I've been down with the flu and my year-end wrap-up is gonna be less word-y than I'd hoped and planned. What you're missing: the same hyperbolic fawning you could find on my 2010, or 2009, or 2008, etc list, all the way back to 1992, only with (slightly) different band names.
2011 was a pretty great year for music. I had a nice email correspondence with an old friend about some of this earlier in the year, and a lot of this is excerpted from that. So, my thanks to AB for the conversation. I loved it.

1. Lindsey Buckingham, Seeds We Sow
Who knew the best indie rock album of the year would come from a guy that was in Fleetwood Mac, instead of a guy that was in Pavement? I bought Lindsey's 1992 solo album (Out of the Cradle) the week before moving to Bloomington as a freshman. I had no idea who he was, but liked the four-and-a-half star review in Rolling Stone. I believed (and still believe) it to be, like, the most perfect pop album since Thriller. It honestly has seven #1 singles on it. There's a lot to not like about LB, of course, but if you can get around the Mac baggage, you'll find an eccentric genius hiding behind the control panel and fingerpicking nonsense. A real mad bastard. This new album is incredible, the one I've been waiting 19(!?) years for him to release. Self-produced and recorded in his basement. Surely, in Hollywood's hills. If he was 1/2 his age and made the record in a cabin, more people might pay attention. I find it difficult not to kinda lose my own mind listening to this stuff.
Lindsey Buckingham strikes me as someone who has difficulty sleeping. And I love that kind of person.

2. Clive Tanaka Y Su Orquesta, Jet Set Siempre 1°
I suppose this is where maybe I admit that the best band of the last ten years was LCD Soundsystem. Yeah, I know I make my love for sneering rock and singer-songwriters rather obnoxiously apparent (and see below), but, it's true: they were.
Well, this album is what you listen to at the Soundsystem afterparty.
If you go online and try to find out about Tanaka, the only thing you'll find is a lot of information about going online and trying to find out about Tanaka. You know I love the mystery.

3. Middle Brother, Middle Brother
I was kind of resisting these guys, one from Deer Tick (they played the Rail last year and I am overflowing with regret about not paying more attention to their set), one from Dawes (I resisted for awhile, but their album that came out this year is pretty good, in an early-Jackson-Browne Late for the Sky kind of way, which is a kind of way that is just fine with me), and one from Delta Spirit (saw 'em at SXSW and wasn't blown away). Friends were RAVING to me about this album, though, but I was thinking, ah, I've heard all this stuff before, right? Well, crap. Maybe I have, but that doesn't mean I don't want hear more of it. A lot more of it.

4. Yuck, Yuck
Horrible band name, terrible album cover, nearly perfect album. Honestly. WOW. And then later you realize the band name is awesome, and…so is the album cover. Recommended if you ever fell in love to an album called Bandwagonesque or Where You Been.

5. Deer Tick, Divine Providence
Still can't believe I didn't pay attention at that Rail show. A sloppy, hoarse, surly, bit-beyond-buzzed, beautifully-flawed-beauty of a record.

Oh, I really did like that Wilco album, too. Especially "Capitol City." And yeah, Danny George Wilson's incredible Hearts & Arrows would be on this list, but I'm waiting for the US release. Soon enough.

I actually read a lot of great books this year, fiction and non-, as well as some killer stories and fascinating journalism. But the best thing I read all year was Joe Henry's essay on the third-to-last page of the booklet for his wonderful album, Reverie. A short story of the soul that will bring you to your knees, if you've ever fallen in love to 60 Watt Silver Lining or The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. (The iTunes version didn't have a digital booklet, peeps, and hence this album's packaging single-handedly justified physical product for the new half-dozen years or so.)

Last thought. While I was in the midst of stomach pain, wild chills, and serious "singing my heart out" the last couple of days, I read the latest issue of Esquire. (Yeah, I read Esquire, what you can't tell?) Anyway, I loved this line from an interview with George Clooney.
"I have a real interest in pushing some of the limits of things that studios don't want to make. Because I can. I won't be able to at some point in the near future. But right now I can, and while I can, I want to do it. So when you're eighty years old and they ask you what you did, you can go, 'When I had the keys to the car, I drove it as fast as I could and as hard as I could. I took it to places that the owner didn't really want me to take it.'
That's a fun thing to do. Understanding that at some point they're going to come back and repossess the car. I don't mind that. I just want to be able to say we gave it a shot when we had the time."
Clooney!

Now, let's go take on 2012.

[michelej1]

I remember one of those "seen about town" items that had Lindsey in line to see Goodnight and Good Luck. Of course, where else would LB be?

Michele

[Nico]

Originally Posted by elle

1. Lindsey Buckingham, Seeds We Sow
Who knew the best indie rock album of the year would come from a guy that was in Fleetwood Mac, instead of a guy that was in Pavement? I bought Lindsey's 1992 solo album (Out of the Cradle) the week before moving to Bloomington as a freshman. I had no idea who he was, but liked the four-and-a-half star review in Rolling Stone. I believed (and still believe) it to be, like, the most perfect pop album since Thriller. It honestly has seven #1 singles on it. There's a lot to not like about LB, of course, but if you can get around the Mac baggage, you'll find an eccentric genius hiding behind the control panel and fingerpicking nonsense. A real mad bastard. This new album is incredible, the one I've been waiting 19(!?) years for him to release. Self-produced and recorded in his basement. Surely, in Hollywood's hills. If he was 1/2 his age and made the record in a cabin, more people might pay attention. I find it difficult not to kinda lose my own mind listening to this stuff.
Lindsey Buckingham strikes me as someone who has difficulty sleeping. And I love that kind of person.

I loved this one! I guess I may be biased because the person's reference to OOTC is so perfect, but I adore the way he/she described LB. He's quite a little nutter that Lindsey, and that is one of the many reasons I adore him and his music. So awesome he was number 1. So awesome and apropos.

[elle]

OPINION > OPINION COLUMNS
Five irresistibly catchy songs
By Sean Phipps • Published Wednesday, January 18th 2012

December and January are typically the months of the year when I listen to the most music. I try to catch up on all of the music I missed from the previous year and compile a “Best Of” for some immediate family and friends. In doing so, I always come across a handful of songs that I just can’t seem to keep from listening to for a week. These songs are not always great; sometimes they can be too saccharine and, frankly, embarrassing for a grown man to be listening to. I’m willing to offer them to you because I’m somewhat comfortable enough with my masculinity ... somewhat. The following is a list of those songs with links to hear them for yourself. Please add your “catchy” songs in the comments section below.

Be Professional—The ACB’s
What a song! This has been on repeat since I first heard of the ACB’s last month. The song “Be Professional” is a simple acoustic guitar riff with an excellent vocal about what being “professional” means, if anything of sustenance at all. The chorus is as catchy as any song I heard in 2011. You can listen to the ACB’s entire album, “Stona Rosa,” online for free and like the band on Facebook. The ACB’s were one of my favorite discoveries of 2011.

Rock Away Blind—Lindsey Buckingham
Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham is one of the most passionate musicians I’ve come across. His passion can be absorbing, and it can also be terrifying, like you’re locked in a room with a mad genius. Lindsey Buckingham’s solo records are similarly wavering; they can either be really interesting and engaging, depending on your mood, or they can be really weird and barely listenable. The latter is especially so with some of the deep cuts on his '80s albums “Law and Order” and “Go Insane.” His 1992 release “Out of the Cradle” is an auditory masterpiece and should be listened to with headphones and respect. In 2011, Buckingham released his sixth studio album, “Seeds We Sow,” which features the above track “Rock Away Blind.” It’s one of my favorite catchy tunes of the year.

the rest at http://www.nooga.com/153016/five-irr...tJ7sw.facebook

[michelej1]

Tony K's Favorite Albums of 2011 from Antimusic

http://www.antimusic.com/reviews/12/..._of_2011.shtml

Number Five: Lindsey Buckingham –'Seeds We Sow'

Most people probably don't have a desire to listen to Buckingham outside of the constraints of Fleetwood Mac and that's a shame, because on Seeds We Sow his songwriting has reached new heights. Delivered in a dreamy foyer where pictures come alive, his lyrics find a way to steep themselves within. The devilish musical arrangements are unyielding yet memorable and above all else Buckingham proves that he may very well be at his best when he holds the dial back. "That's the Way Love Goes" is as gut wrenching as anything he's ever done with Fleetwood Mac and his cover of the Rolling Stones "She Smiled Sweetly" is lilting and as pure as a first kiss. Seeds We Sow is a truly top-to-bottom gorgeous record that should be the soundtrack to our dreams and desires.