Blog: A Reminder

25 for 2011: One

Dec 25, 2011, 8:11pm A Reminder

Album #1: Let England Shake by PJ Harvey I've been a PJ Harvey fan for a long time and have loved nearly everything she's done. But if you had told me in January that her record would be my favourite album in a year when Radiohead released a record, there's no way I would have believed you or your hitler hairdo. But Let England Shake is such a brilliant record that it kind of forced its way here. In a year when some have argued there were no [...]

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25 for 2011: Two

Dec 25, 2011, 2:06am A Reminder

Album #2: The King Of Limbs by Radiohead The King Of Limbs is not my favourite album of the year, apparently. I go back and forth. But I must admit to experiencing an existential crisis of sorts with placing TKOL at #2. While it is certainly a "minor" Radiohead album (short, little publicity, no tour, no commercial single, etc), I still find myself listening to TKOL a lot. It's got a unique mood and feel and features some really great songs including the album's bookends - [...]

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25 for 2011: Three

Dec 24, 2011, 1:56am A Reminder

Album #3: Skying by The Horrors Very rarely does a band so perfectly encapsulate the sound and vibe of a record through both the title and the album's artwork, but The Horrors did just that with Skying . Much like M832s Hurry Up, We're Dreaming , Skying is a big, beautiful dream-pop record that could soundtrack any scene in a 1985 John Hughes film. From the woozy opener Changing The Rain to the split personality of Endless Blue to the shimmery Oceans Burning, The Horrors have once again [...]

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25 for 2011: Four

Dec 23, 2011, 12:59am A Reminder

Album #4: Absence by Snowman I don't think any other record so effectively created one mood like Snowman's swan song Absence did in 2011. At times Absence 's ethereal beauty is tempered with unnerving menace and a feeling of despair but it never ceases to be an engaging atmosphere in which you wish to remain. A powerful final statement from Snowman, a band who will be missed immensely. Snowman - Hyena * [...]

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25 for 2011: Five

Dec 22, 2011, 4:33pm A Reminder

Album #5: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming by M83 M832s Anthony Gonzalez has never shied away from ambition, but even by M83 standards Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is an extremely ambitious album. Beyond being a double album, Hurry Up is grandiose and bombastic and it constantly demands that the listener pay attention. And if you do you're rewarded with a blissful electro-rock record. On a song by song basis, Hurry Up might be M832s strongest record yet. The album opens with the amazing Intro - a duet [...]

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25 for 2011: Six

Dec 20, 2011, 11:38pm A Reminder

Album #6: Biophilia by Bjork Bjork's ambitious Biophilia project, highlighted by the release of an "app" album, was problematic on a number of levels. The most glaring of these issues is the fact that if you consider the "app" album the "definitive" version of Biophilia , well, then Bjork's created an album you are encouraged to experience in solitude with headphones. And while that's often the best way to listen to music, it totally kills any social element the music may inspire. Here's why I found Biophilia [...]

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25 for 2011: Seven

Dec 20, 2011, 1:02am A Reminder

Album #7: Sound Kapital by Handsome Furs As modern music's finest flâneurs, Handsome Furs have once again captured the energy, confusion, and invigoration that comes from travel. Sound Kapital , largely inspired by a tour through Asia, is burst after burst of passion and intelligence. And it makes you want to jump up and down like an idiot. One of the year's most underrated records and bands. Download Handsome Furs - What About Us Handsome Furs - Repatriated [...]

• Handsome Furs - Repatriated
• Handsome Furs - What About Us

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Artist:	Handsome Furs
Title:	Repatriated
Link Text:	Handsome Furs - Repatriated
File Name:	9383.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps

Artist:	Handsome Furs
Title:	What About Us
Link Text:	Handsome Furs - What About Us
File Name:	9274.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps
Genre:	Alternative
Year:	2011

25 for 2011: Eight

Dec 19, 2011, 4:38am A Reminder

Album #8: Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver I wasn't a massive fan of For Emma, Forever Ago so I didn't have the expectations a lot of people did for Bon Iver's follow-up. So of course this one clicked with me right away. It's just so damn pretty. And I'm not quite sure what's going on during the final song (cheesy 80s keys alert!) but it somehow rings true (don't spoil it for me with talk of irony). If you like your "folk" music lush and lovely and gorgeous [...]

• Bon Iver - Calgary

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Artist:	Bon Iver
Title:	Calgary
Link Text:	Bon Iver - Calgary
File Name:	calgary.mp3
Genre:	Indie
Year:	2011

25 for 2011: Nine

Dec 19, 2011, 3:04am A Reminder

Album #9: Inni by Sigur Rós Over the past decade, I've had the extremely good fortune to experience Sigur Rós live on quite a few occasions and each show has been an intense and memorable experience. From churches to fields to theatres and even in faceless pavilions, Sigur Rós are a powerful energy on stage and with Inni they've done a damn fine job of capturing some of the magic of a Sigur Rós show. Even more impressive is that this is the stripped down version of the band: just [...]

• Handsome Furs - Repatriated

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Artist:	Handsome Furs
Title:	Repatriated
Link Text:	Handsome Furs - Repatriated
File Name:	9383.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps

25 for 2011: Ten

Dec 16, 2011, 10:33pm A Reminder

Album #10: Smoke Ring For My Halo by Kurt Vile Smoke Ring For My Halo is not a showy album. Kurt Vile's voice does not blow you away; the instrumentation is pretty typical; their isn't anything groundbreaking here. But Smoke Ring For My Halo is a fantastic album for the most basic reason: these songs are really, really great. And accomplished songwriting trumps spectacle every time. Sleeper album of the year. Download Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever [...]

• Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever 192

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Artist:	Kurt Vile
Title:	Jesus Fever 192
Link Text:	Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever
File Name:	Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps

25 for 2011: Eleven

Dec 15, 2011, 11:21pm A Reminder

Album #11: Valhalla Dancehall by British Sea Power The lyrics are erudite, poignant, funny. The music is bombastic, exhilarating, delicate. And yet British Sea Power's Valhalla Dancehall went pretty unnoticed in 2011. What more do you need, people? Download British Sea Power - Who's In Control? British Sea Power - Living Is So Easy * Song #11: Let England Shake by PJ Harvey [...]

• British Sea Power - Living Is So Easy

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Artist:	British Sea Power
Title:	Living Is So Easy
Link Text:	British Sea Power - Living Is So Easy
File Name:	livingissoeasy.mp3

25 for 2011: Twelve

Dec 15, 2011, 12:44am A Reminder

Album #12: Conatus by Zola Jesus Of all the records on this list, Zola Jesus's mesmeric Conatus is the one I would really implore people to check out as I feel it has gone a little bit unnoticed. Conatus kind of resists any easy description and, to be honest, I'm finding it hard to describe why I love it so much. It's adventurous, confident, moody, powerful and definitely needs to be heard by more people. It sounds like music from another planet...but a planet not completely [...]

• Zola Jesus - Vessel

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Artist:	Zola Jesus
Title:	Vessel
Link Text:	Zola Jesus - Vessel
File Name:	Zola Jesus - Vessel.mp3
Bitrate:	320 kbps

25 for 2011: Thirteen

Dec 14, 2011, 1:11am A Reminder

Album #13: Ashes & Fire by Ryan Adams In which Ryan Adams proves you can be happy AND make a great, acoustic-based record. Sure, it wasn't the Heartbreaker Part 2 album many were hoping for after hearing the single, but Ashes & Fire is a great little record that stands up quite nicely in Ryan's immense catalogue. Production-wise, Ashes features Ryan Adams sounding warmer and sunnier than he ever has in his career and he wears it well. Thanks, Mandy Moore! Song-wise, there are [...]

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25 for 2011: Fourteen

Dec 13, 2011, 2:43pm A Reminder

Album #14: Zonoscope by Cut Copy For a number of years now, Cut Copy have been one of the finest purveyors of sun-drenched electropop anthems and things continue in that vein on Zonoscope . Unlike the packed-with-pure-pop-moments In Ghost Colours , Zonoscope stretches out a bit with longer pieces and an increased focus on rhythm and grooves. Opener Need You Now, however, manages to straddle both worlds - it's long but its hooks are as infectious as anything I heard this year. And there are a number of [...]

• Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed

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Artist:	Washed Out
Title:	Eyes Be Closed
Link Text:	Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed
File Name:	9282.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps
Year:	2011

25 for 2011: Fifteen

Dec 12, 2011, 2:59am A Reminder

Album #15: Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues is just packed with incredible sounding acoustic guitars, amazing vocals, and some truly impressive songs. While it's not a huge jump from their stellar debut, it shows that that record wasn't a fluke. I'd say more but it's late and I'm tired...but these songs are great. Download Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean * [...]

• Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean

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Artist:	Fleet Foxes
Title:	Grown Ocean
Link Text:	Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean
File Name:	9205.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps
Year:	2011

25 for 2011: Sixteen

Dec 10, 2011, 3:16pm A Reminder

Album #16: Metals by Feist At first I was a bit underwhelmed by Metals but the more time I spend with it the more it's growing on me. Songs that I barely noticed the first few times through the record have now started to blow me away. The Circle Married The Line, for instance, is filled with gorgeous little musical details while Caught A Long Wind, as its name suggests, floats along effortlessly. Metals on the whole is pretty much an anti-1234 record and Feist should be applauded [...]

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25 for 2011: Seventeen

Dec 10, 2011, 12:00am A Reminder

Album #17: Collapse Into Now by REM It's still kind of hard to believe this is the last album REM will ever release; they've always been there and I've loved a LOT of what they've done including Collapse Into Now . While Collapse doesn't reach the peaks of their finest work, it's not a bad way to go out. Opener Discoverer kicks the record off on a positive note that permeates much of the album - it's perhaps one of REM's brightest sounding records. And when the final notes [...]

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25 for 2011: Eighteen

Dec 9, 2011, 3:10am A Reminder

Album #18: The Whole Love by Wilco There are a lot of people out there (myself included) who really want Wilco to kind of go a little nuts in the studio again to create something along the lines of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or A Ghost Is Born . We need to let that go. Because while The Whole Love is not a work of complete genius, it is a confident, solid album packed with some pretty great tunes. And you know what? Sometimes that's enough. Having said [...]

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25 for 2011: Nineteen

Dec 8, 2011, 2:29am A Reminder

Album #19: Parallax by Atlas Sound At some point I figure Bradford Cox has to release a dud, right? Parallax is not that dud. This, his third Atlas Sound record, is another shot of dreamy pop soundscapes and carefully crafted moments of beauty and despair. Perfect for headphones and late nights. Download Atlas Sound - Te Amo Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita * Song #19: [...]

• Atlas Sound - Te Amo
• Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita
• Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

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Artist:	Atlas Sound
Title:	Te Amo
Link Text:	Atlas Sound - Te Amo
File Name:	Atlas_Sound_-_Te_Amo.mp3
Bitrate:	203 kbps

Artist:	Atlas Sound
Title:	Terra Incognita
Link Text:	Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita
File Name:	Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita.mp3
Bitrate:	128 kbps
Year:	2011

Artist:	Fleet Foxes
Title:	Helplessness Blues
Link Text:	Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
File Name:	8475.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps
Year:	2011

25 for 2011: Twenty

Dec 6, 2011, 11:50pm A Reminder

Album #20: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai At this point, Mogwai aren't exactly straying too far from their comfort zone. As with much of their output over the last six or seven years, Hardcore features a few beastly songs, some quieter moments, and some impressive song titles. Rano Pano's distorted march finds Mogwai perfecting their brooding aggression while the almost poppy George Square Thatcher Death Party provides a rambunctious counterpoint to the slower and more contemplative material. Not groundbreaking, but I will never turn down a [...]

• British Sea Power - Who’s In Control?
• Mogwai - Rano Pano
• Mogwai - San Pedro

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Artist:	British Sea Power
Title:	Who’s In Control?
Link Text:	British Sea Power - Who’s In Control?
File Name:	whosincontrol.mp3

Artist:	Mogwai
Title:	Rano Pano
Link Text:	Mogwai - Rano Pano
File Name:	8306.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps
Year:	2011

Artist:	Mogwai
Title:	San Pedro
Link Text:	Mogwai - San Pedro
File Name:	8346.mp3
Bitrate:	192 kbps