Jeff’s Top Ten: Jams of 2011
Jeff Lawton // November 17, 2011
10. WU LYF – “L Y F”
Every year, you can count on there being a few bands with incalculable ‘blog buzz’. Sometimes it’s worthy (Vampire Weekend), and other times…not so much (Mumford & Sons). Manchester’s WU LYF is positioned on the better side of that continuum because of songs like “LYF”, an uplifting, totally danceable anthem with delightfully unintelligible lyrics.
09. Wilco – “The Art of Almost”
Following the snooze-fest, Sky Blue Sky, and the much better but still tame, Wilco (The Album), the legendary Wilco was in danger of becoming irrelevant. Although their new album, The Whole Love, continues to play it safe, its opening track “The Art of Almost” is a home run. Radiohead comparisons are apt because of the pulsing rhythms, but the final three minutes of pure rocking-out propels this song in a category all its own.
08. Beyonce – “1 + 1”
The most frustrating thing about Beyonce is her lack of consistency. There was a time when a musician (think Michael Jackson) could release a massively popular album in which EVERY SONG is great. Today, we have to cherry pick our Beyonce albums to find a gem like “1 + 1”. This slow jam is obviously indebted to Prince (another master of great pop albums), and it’s kind of a big, dumb love song, but it works because of Beyonce’s sincerity and bombast.
07. St. Vincent = “Surgeon”
Much has been said about the duality of St. Vincent’s music; people are drawn in by the beauty but frightened by the menace lurking underneath. This year’s “Surgeon” is possibly Annie Clark’s best execution of that dynamic. But there’s more: the guitar acrobatics, the hip-hop back beat, and those bleeps, bloops and flutters heard previously on Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz. It all adds up to St. Vincent’s best song to date.
06. Toro Y Moi – “Still Sound”
Like other groups including Washed Out and Neon Indian, Chazwick Bundick’s Toro Y Moi project was lumped into the much maligned ‘chillwave’ movement of 2009. With the release of this year’s Underneath the Pine, he’s been able to transcend that moniker and produce a record of funky, dense indie-pop. “Still Sound” will definitely get your head nodding, but its breezy midsection could send you off into space.
05. Fucked Up – “The Other Shoe”
Because of lead singer Pink Eyes’ screamed vocals, Fucked Up are often described as a hardcore punk band. However, if you focus on the pristine and layered guitar-pop surrounding the hollers you will realize that “The Other Shoe” is really just upbeat indie-rock. It’s the combination, however, of fierce emotion and melodic undertones that makes Fucked Up one of Canada’s greatest treasures.
04. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”
There hasn’t been a more intensely debated single this year than Lana Del Rey’s “Videogames.” But is it warranted? You can criticize her trashy style, her oversized lips, her gimmicky video, or even the websites that shove her down your throat. But there’s a profound sadness in those lovesick lyrics and sweeping strings that this writer can’t help but love.
03. Fleet Foxes – “Grown Ocean”
When Fleet Foxes released their self-titled debut album in 2008 they topped year-end lists and played Saturday Night Live. In other words, many people loved them. However, there were detractors; people fed up with earnest coffee shop folk played by bearded, flannelled sad-sacks. While most of their second record, Helplessness Blues, retains that Crosby Stills Nash & Young sound, it also expands on it with tracks like “Grown Ocean,” a breathless piece of soaring indie-pop.
02. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
In mid-February, Radiohead announced they’ve recorded a new album called The King of Limbs, and released it four days later with a video for “Lotus Flower”. As Radiohead are the world’s greatest band, the whirlwind of attention that proceeded was understandable. But because of the record’s brevity and its highly rhythmic (but not groundbreaking) songs, the reaction was, by Radiohead’s standards, lukewarm. Time has passed, and the intricate drumming and warm buzz on tracks like “Lotus Flower” now feel refreshing. Also, this video is so awesome; Thom Yorke is a profoundly strange dancer.
01. Bon Iver – “Holocene”
The most relevant musicians not only reinvent themselves, they are successful while doing so. Such is the story so far for Justin Vernon and his Bon Iver project. The first record, 2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago, was a hushed folk masterpiece created in solitude inside a Wisconsin cabin. This year’s self-titled album expands on everything: keyboards, horns, synth-pop and more layers of that slightly off-sounding falsetto. But “Holocene” is his greatest achievement. Its twinkling guitar and angelic vocals build with horns and drums until its last cascading chorus whispers “Best song of the year”.
