1. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Here We Rest [Lightning Rod]
Thank God Jason Isbell left the Drive-By Truckers or we would never have this, the finest album of 2011. Where to start? How about the killer cover of Candi Staton’s classic Heart On A String? The rootsy Alabama Pines? The sing-along chorus of Codeine? The devastating Stopping By? The dude can do no wrong.
2. The Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots [ATO]
When I first heard the title, I knew this one was going to be a good one. One of the most consistent bands of the last 15 years is on a post-Jason Isbell tear. Nobody writes stories like these guys. Patterson Hoods vocals are perfect. The South rocks. Mercy Buckets rules. Nothing was catchier than the cover of Eddie Hinton’s Everybody Needs Love in 2011. They’ll survive the departure of Shonna Tucker, too. Patterson and Mike are clearly the Mick and Keef at work here.
3. Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong [ATO]
In the beginning, people kept comparing Dawes to CSNY and the whole Laurel Canyon scene, but that had more to do with geography than sound. These guys are closer to the Band fronted by Jackson Browne. Their second great album in a row. Go ahead, drink the Kool-Aid.
4. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest [Acony]
I don’t have to sell you on Gillian Welch. You already love her. Her and Dave Rawlings’ performance at the Brown Theatre this year was spellbinding. So is this album. Tennessee, Hard Times, Down Along This Dixie Line, Dark Turn Of Mind – all standards that could have been written 100 years ago. Mesmerizing.
5. Diana Jones – High Atmosphere [Proper American]
Wow. You must get to know Diana Jones. She was totally unknown to me until this album arrived and I fell in love instantly. She’s the real deal in the way that Iris DeMent is the real deal. Simply and effectively produced (and played on) by Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, this set blew me away and announced the arrival of a major singing and songwriting star.
6. The Black Lillies – 100 Miles Of Wreckage [Attack Monkey]
Out of the ashes of Robinella & the CC String Band and the Everybodyfields comes the Black Lillies. Cruz Contreras fronts this unit from Knoxville and takes the mantle of Knoxville’s finest from the late, great V-roys. Solid writing, toe tappers and heartbreakers alike, and a great live band. I can’t wait for the next one.
7. Richard Buckner – Our Blood [Merge]
This is Buckner’s first album since 2006, and the first Buckner album in many years to have that Buckner sound that his cult following loves so much. There are stories about a lost laptop that required him to do this album twice. Whatever happened, you sure can’t argue with the results. I have a feeling that Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are fans, but Buckner’s better than both of those bands. No one sounds like this, and that’s a good thing.
8. Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) [Lost Highway]
What separates Hayes Carll from a lot of other Americana hell raisers are the tender, poignant songs like Chances Are and Bye Bye Baby. KMAG YOYO gets all the press, but it may be the worst song on here, an updated Dylan rewrite. Look deeper for the real rewards.
9. Lucinda Williams – Blessed [Lost Highway]
It would be easy to take Lucinda Williams for granted. After all, she’s settled into an album every-other-year pattern and always manages to sound like Lucinda Williams. But look closer, and you’ll see that a song like Born To Be Loved is stunning. Simple, a timeless message, easy to sing and play, and the hardest kind of song to write.
10. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire [Pax-Am/Capitol]
I love the fact that Ryan Adams is taking the Neil Young career path and making music that strikes his fancy at any given moment. But, like Neil, there are a few things that he unquestioningly does best. Whiskeytown is Harvest and Rock n’ Roll is Crazy Horse, am I right? This is Ryan at his ghostly, pedal steel best.
11. Matraca Berg – The Dreaming Fields [Dualtone]
An accomplished songwriter who writes hit after hit for Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, and Deana Carter, Matraca hadn’t made an album of her own in 12 years. This one is stunning. No wonder Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter jumped on You And Tequila and are riding it all the way to the Grammys.
12. Merle Haggard – Working In Tennessee [Hag/Vanguard]
The greatest songwriter that ever lived (you heard me) keeps on delivering the high points on his latest album. The first half of this record is damn near perfect. What I Hate is a tour de force, my song of the year. When he brings the family, however, the album loses momentum. Son Ben is a fine guitarist, but when you’re duetting with Willie Nelson on a remake of Workin’ Man Blues, we’d all rather hear Willie take Ben’s verses. And while I’m sure your wife Theresa is a wonderful person, we don’t need to hear her, um, sing anymore.
13. Dave Alvin – Eleven Eleven [Yep Roc]
Dave Alvin’s accomplishments as a singer and songwriter have now officially equaled his status as a hotshot guitarist. A standard-bearer of the Americana genre, he continues to write beautiful and dirty sketches of great American characters with a bluesy burn that feels so bad in a good way. Somebody, anybody, please bring this man to Louisville for a show!
14. Tom Waits – Bad As Me [Anti-]
Is Tom Waits really Americana? Yes, of course he is. He’s more Americana than any other genre, so don’t fight it and get on board. Talking At The Same Time is a great American commentary and Back In The Crowd will break your heart.
15. Rod Picott – Welding Burns [Welding Rod]
This former construction worker is a house concert favorite in this region and writes some hard-hitting songs about blue-collar life that will resonate with Fred Eaglesmith and Steve Earle fans. He perfects it on this, his 5th album, with the song 410.
16. Whitehorse – Whitehorse [Six Shooter]
Based on this, the Canadian husband and wife duo of Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet should have joined forces years ago. I can’t listen to this without thinking of Buddy & Julie Miller’s Gasoline And Matches. Plus, a truly smoldering cover of Springsteen’s I’m On Fire done as a duo! More, please.
17. Eilen Jewell – Queen Of The Minor Key [Signature Sounds]
This Idaho girl now based in Boston has a crack band that can play any style. It’s hard to sound both retro and vibrant, but they pull it off with some of the cleanest production you’ll hear on record. She has a cool, detached vocal delivery wrapped in a tight rockabilly sound that’ll get your toes tapping.
18. Malcolm Holcombe – To Drink The Rain [Music Road]
Malcolm has an unorthodox finger-picking style that keeps your interest with unexpected notes and insightful lyrics about a life lived hard and the lessons learned from it. Equal parts gravel and grace and a captivating live performer.
19. John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans And Mudslide Hymns [New West]
I run hot and cold on John Hiatt, one of Indiana’s favorite sons. On some albums he seems to be going through the motions and spouting cliches. This is not one of those. Echoes of Hiatt’s best work (Bring The Family, Slow Turning) are frequent enough to put this one in the keeper category.
20. Owen Temple – Mountain Home [El Paisano]
On this Austin, TX songwriter’s 6th album, he sings about dusty Texas towns and the sometimes dark characters who live there (at least in his mind). Features some tasty playing by Charlie Sexton.

1) Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1 — Miles Davis Quintet
Miles Davis always wielded his musical acumen as precisely as a diamond cutter uses tools. In this latest set from Miles’ archives, there are three brilliant CDs of previously previously only bootlegged or unreleased  material, and a gem of a DVD. The genius is that, unlike many box sets where an overwhelming all-encompassing attitude prevails as to the content selection process, Live in Europe is a specifically defined moment-in-Miles Davis-time, with similar set lists from recording to recording. Presented here is Davis’ “second great Quintet,” featuring Herbie Hancock (piano), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass) and a young Tony Williams (drums), on George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival in Europe tour. There are no breaks between songs; in 1967 Davis instituted the format of playing sets as a continuous jam. It is very much like a filmmaker utilizing one continuous shot. The effect is progressive, often dream-like, and demonstrates dazzling virtuosity throughout.

2) Smile — The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys’ “Smile” is the album that haunted Brian Wilson for four decades. The unfinished Beach Boys work devastated Wilson even though it later confirmed his legend as a musical visionary. He abandoned it in 1967 amid doubts from his record company and even his own bandmates about its orchestrated whimsy. “Smile” follows the template of Wilson’s 2004 re-recording to sequence 19 songs and snippets from the 1966-67 sessions into as close to a definitive “Smile” as we’re likely to ever get, followed by voluminous fragments, outtakes and snippets of studio dialogue. With lyricist Van Dyke Parks,  Wilson turned “Smile” into a compact history of America – or at least the idea of what America once represented in its naïve optimism. It traces a journey to that begins at Plymouth Rock and makes its way west to the Promised Land, a montage of historical references and mystical reveries (the eternal “Surf’s Up”). The music embraces the epic and the fanciful, evoking a prairie church service in one sequence (“Cabin Essence”), while providing a soundtrack for an acid trip in another (“Vega-Tables”). A must for Brian Wilson fans.

3) Fugazi Live Series — Fugazi
From dischord.com: “Between 1987 and 2003, Fugazi played over 1000 concerts in all 50 states and all over the world. Over 800 of these shows were recorded by the band’s sound engineers. This project makes each of these recordings available to download for a small fee. The project starts with 130 shows and will release more monthly until they’re done.” There never was, or will ever be anything like a Fugazi live show. They were simply one of the most powerful and dynamic live bands ever, both sonically and visually. I know lots of people who never got to see them live. Here’s the chance to remedy that. The quality ranges from cassette sources to board recordings. Here’s a chance to hear one of the greatest bands of all time the way they should be experienced: live.

4) Captain Black Big Band — Captain Black Big Band
The Captain Black Big Band is a group of musicians displaying a range of skill, experience, and sound to create what is one of the most progressive sounds of late—progressive not because of a particular moment of conspicuous ingenuity or some easily discernible avant-garde approach, unless you consider the audacity to embrace big band music at this point novel enough to come off as that. The Captain Black Big Band succeeds at pushing the limitations of the very distinct tradition of sound from which it is born, because it preserves the elements of classic big band music in a brand new way. Instead of shunning everything except the mold, Leader and pianist Orrin Evans opts to break it and meld that nostalgia laden style of playing with the sensibilities of Big Band era rebels who usually struck out at tender ages to form the more memorable trios, quartets, and other small experimental groups. Simply put, this will blow you away.

5) Red Hot + Rio 2 — Various
For the last 20 years, the “Red Hot” organization has curated impeccably cast, all-star compilation albums mining every genre from freak folk to jazz to alterna-rock to Afro-pop to American standards – all to raise money in the fight against AIDS. But there’s one musical nexus they keep returning to: Brazil. It’s no surprise Brazil has become Red Hot’s default mode. Not only is it tempting to promote safe sex with the sexiest music on the planet, it’s hard to resist the chance to re-expose the movement the music references: Tropicalia (Brazil’s late ’60s/early ’70s equivalent of classic rock). The set can be faulted for over-representing Veloso and Gil at the expense of other Brazilian standard-bearers like Chico Buarque and Jorge Ben. The quality of the songs and recordings is extremely high. Beirut’s “O Leãozinho” is a rhythmic stunner. Alice Smith and Aloe Blacc’s “Baby” is a sweet and gentle jaunt. Jorge’s assist on Beck’s “Tropicália” gives the song an added groove. This record is easy to like. And it’s even easier to dance along to.

6) Ninety Miles — Christian Scott, David Sanchez & Stefon Harris
Ninety Miles is a collaboration among rising young trumpeter and native New Orleanian Christian Scott, frequent New Orleans visitor and vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and tenor saxophonist David Sanchez. The trio had not played together before traveling to Cuba in May 2010 to perform and record with Cuban musicians. It was a challenging session, but as Ninety Miles shows, a rewarding one. The songs have consistent energy, and the American and Cuban musicians gelled and sound like a group that had been playing together for years. As both a musical and geographic setting, Ninety Miles is a fine album from these three musicians.

7) Spacer — Jason Adaciewicz’s Sun Rooms
One of the most amazing players to ever pick up the vibes – an artist with the sort of boundless creativity that Bobby Hutcherson brought to the instrument in the 60s. Jason Adasiewicz has an amazing ear for both sound and music – and manages to balance the two perfectly – reaching for completely fresh sounds from the vibes, yet also with a sense of structure that’s never too free – really maintaining a musical, melodic approach that keeps us rapt and attentive all the way through. Jason’s music has always been great, but this recent set is even a cut above – proof that the new Chicago scene is a powerful force in 21st Century jazz.

8) Kaputt — Destroyer
Destroyer continue to map out unexpected territories with referential landmarks, with magnificent results. In a teaser paragraph that accompanied this releases’ information, Bejar cryptically described the album as,  “80’s Miles Davis…90’s Gil Evans…fretless bass,” exploring the “hopelessness of the future of music” and the, “pointlessness of writing songs for today.” Perhaps this is why he’s made an album that is so clearly steeped in traditions of modern music; music with smooth jazz, soft-rock disco, and 80’s new wave overtones throughout. Traditions that an individual talent has internalized, morselized, and grafted into an album that goes down smooth before tearing at your insides. It isn’t clever, it’s superb. Those genre tags listed above didn’t turn out to be volatile for Bejar and company. In fact it might be the first fully realized album, in all respects, of Destroyer’s history. This is a triumphantly singular album that explores a space that only this band could have made.

9) The Coimbra Concert — Mostly Other People Do The Killing
Noted post-bop quartet Mostly Other People Do The Killing (to be referred to by their initials for the rest of this review) have used their own CD covers to pay tribute to classic jazz releases for several years now.  This, their latest release, is easily the most audacious cover-cover yet, poking fun at Keith Jarrett‘s The Köln Concert, offering both front and gatefold photos of the four bandmembers (none of whom is a pianist) hunched grimacing over the keyboard. This two-CD set was recorded at a pair of shows the group performed at the 2010 Jazz ao Centro festival in Portugal. Describing MOPDTK’s music is difficult; simply playing it for someone, and watching a broad grin split their face, would be much easier. The quartet (trumpeter Peter Evans, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, bassist/composer Moppa Elliott, drummer Kevin Shea) combine hard bop’s melodic heads, the conversational, polyphonic interplay that characterizes the work of both Louis Armstrong and Albert Ayler, and an infectious spirit of fun, creating a music that swings ridiculously hard, displays wild technical skill without ever going so far out that a relative jazz neophyte couldn’t follow along, and is a joy to hear. Do yourself a favor, explore this release and this band.

10) James Farm — Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, Aaron Parks & Eric Harland
James Farm is a collective recording from four potent young jazz players that attempts—and utterly succeeds—at making instrumental jazz that is catchy and fun to hear while still offering serious pleasures in the originality of its compositions and the verve of its improvisations. The band consists of saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland.  James Farm places Redman’s expressive tenor saxophone into this trio’s shimmering, exciting world.  Using compositions from all four members of the group, James Farm sounds like a leap in the right direction.  Each song establishes a scrambling, skittering rhythm that pushes and pulls in an exciting way.  Harland almost never plays a “swing” beat, but he infuses the backbeats a with a loose-limbed elasticity that is, nevertheless, pure jazz.  Penman plays with economy and melody, and Parks continues his ascent: sounding just a little like Keith Jarrett at times, but more often playing with a jittery freedom that is all his own. While the record is not a flatly innovative recording, it is just the kind of thing that modern instrumental jazz needs these days.  Continuing an arc of superb discs by relatively young players who are finding ways for jazz to rise above the merely accomplished to become something that is emotional and compelling for aficionados AND listeners who might not listen to jazz as a habit.

honorable mention–
COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres — Matana Roberts
Alma Adentro — Miguel Zenon
The Story This Time — Jason Stein Quartet
Smoke Ring For My Halo — Kurt Vile
Watch The Throne — Jay-Z & Kanye West

Some years, it’s all obvious by the end of it all what my top albums will be.  This wasn’t one of those years.  With as many great LPs that floated through, it became a challenge to decide which were the most important.  And that’s what I based these on.  The list below was the soundtrack to my year, both professionally, but more times, personally.  When great events are happening around us, it’s that song that we connect to next that stick with us forever.

1.Jason Isbell – Here We Rest
I don’t think an Americana record has ever topped my list before, but Isbell’s latest was one great song after another.  A flawless collection that I’d be happy to take to the desert island.

2. Eastern Conference Champions – Speak-Ahh
The one that wouldn’t go away.  Speak-Ahh had come through in a big stack of mail with with no notes or added pressure to play it first, so it sat around for a bit, unlistened.  But every few days over the course of two or three weeks, I would see it’s cover staring right at me.  Speeeeeeeak Ahhhhhhhhh.  When I finally put it in, I quickly discovered that I was listening to one of the best rock albums of the year, and come to find out that it was from a band that, by and large, were doing the whole deal on their own.  Word of mouth is slowly spreading on this group, and if you haven’t yet found the time yourself, make sure this is the first buy of 2012.

3. The Decemberists – The King is Dead
This one seem to resonate with just about everyone this year, and why not?  The King is Dead is The Decemberists at their most accessible, sing-songy selves, while still carrying the ability to interject the most profound poetry in modern music.  This one is a classic.

4. Foster the People – Torches
We knew this one would be big when we started playing Pumped Up Kicks in 2010 when it was just a lonesome track kicking around on the internet.  The band went to get signed by Columbia, completed Torches and released what was the best pop album of the year.  Need to feel good?  Put this on, add water, and an instant dance party appears.

5. Brett Dennen – Loverboy
First off, he called the album Loverboy and posted a big ol’ face shot right on the cover.  That’s awesome.  Second, Brett wrote the album of his career (so far) by letting loose and giving into the pop sensibilities that were hiding underneath all along.  Pick a song, any song.  They all work.

6. My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind
Shara has always been one of the more interesting artists out there, but with All Things, she took it to a level reserved only for the greats.  Combining pop, opera, Disney, and a few other sub generes, what you get is a full length that allows itself to be played fully without intermission.  Pay attention and you’ll find a great puzzle.  Put it on while you’re doing the dishes and you get a whimsical soundtrack to a sunny day.

7. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
Admittedly, my first few listens were rewarded with not much more than a “yeah, this is ok.”  Where was the boogie? Where was the rock?  Why did Ryan only seem to have one speed – first.  This is where a shuffle on an iPod really earns its keep.  I uploaded it and throughout the next couple weeks found myself being able to listen to the songs individually for what they were.  And they were perfect little stories; stories about love and hurt, all smoldering in Ashes and Fire.

8. Mike Doughty – Yes and Also Yes
It’s beyond me why Mike’s solo career isn’t much bigger than it is.  The man can lay a groove, preach his brand of lyrical uniqueness, and all in three minutes or less.  Yes and Also Yes is hands down his best solo effort ever.  Now go tell your friends.

9. Over the Rhine – The Long Surrender
From a band I had never spent much time with, but have since devoured their entire catalog.  The Long Surrender is amazing.  It is the soundtrack to my winter, last and current.  An Lp that could have easily had been my number one, five, or ten, if that makes sense.

10. Death Cab For Cutie – Codes & Keys
Stella got her groove back.  I thought Narrow Stairs was a misstep for whatever reason, so when hearing that Codes & Keys was the band back on track, I rarely took it off of the turntable.  Plus, the remix EP that they followed it with was a perfect companion.  Double the pleasure.

* Barely missing the cut, but definitely worth mentioning is Abigail Washburn‘s City of Refuge, Dawes‘ Nothing Is Wrong and Noah & The Whale‘s Last Night On Earth.  We’ll call them all tied for number 11. or all tied for number 1.

My ears gravitated towards these 13 cuts during 2011….the only guide line for choosing these cuts was…I had to stop what I was doing or crank up the volume (or both) when I heard them.  Here they are in no certain order.

Lenny Kravitz/Stand

My Morning Jacket/You Wanna Freak

Laura Marling/Sophia

Rachael Yamagata/Starlight

Ben Sollee/Electrified

Star Anna/Wolves In Disguise

The Black Keys/Little Black Submarines

Tedeschi Trucks Band/Love Has Something Else To Say

The Jayhawks/Pouring Rain At Dawn

Dawes/A Little Bit Of Everything

Honorable Mention…

Kathleen Edwards/Change The Sheets

City And Colour/Weightless

Beth Hart And Joe Bonamassa/Well Well

Here’s hoping you have a Happy and Safe New Year…Have Fun….Duke

Here are my obtuse meanderings vis-a-vis the best records of the year. Please forgive my inanity.

12. Donora – “Boyfriends, Girlfriends”
Sure, Donora might wear their influences like a pair of scuffed up Diabolo de Cartier cufflinks on last season’s Kenneth Cole brown plaid oxford — but that’s half the charm of their latest record.

11. Let’s Wrestle – “Nursing Home”
Nouveau ’90s rock was to 2011 what dance punk revivalism was to 2001. And of all the bands channeling classic slackercore this year, Let’s Wrestle did it the best.

10. Russian Circles – “Empros”
I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of instrumental rock — particularly metal. After all, it usually involves more noodling than a Pauls Valley fishing tournament. Be that as it may, Russian Circles created a moody, punishing, intricate and altogether entrancing slab of wax.

9. Kurt Vile – “Smoke Ring for My Halo”
If Kurt Vile is good enough for J Mascis and Bank of America, he’s good enough for me.

8. My Brightest Diamond – “All Things Will Unwind”
To say My Brightest Diamond mastermind Shara Worden has a flair for the theatrical is like saying Richard Simmons has a slight proclivity for daisy dukes. Her latest album ties together the pomp of Zaju opera and the fragile beauty of Faberge eggs with the panache of Sergio Bustamante.

7. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – “Wolfroy Goes to Town”
In “Wolfroy Goes to Town,” you’ll find the same haunting mix of dread and oddly disquieted hope that is present in Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s unique account of Jesus: “He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lake-side … [He] lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving on that last revolution which is to bring all ordinary history to a close. It refuses to turn, and He throws Himself upon it. Then it does turn; and crushes Him. Instead of bringing in the eschatological conditions, He has destroyed them. The wheel rolls onward …”

6. Handsome Furs – “Sound Kapital”
This is the audio equivalent of a mid-’80s high school rager of John Hughesian proportions. You know, the kind of party that involves slow-motion chase montages and low-key celebrity cameos. Except the party is in Estonia, and it’s not 1987. It’s 2011. You know, that old chestnut.

5. All the albums Robert Pollard released in 2011
If prolific musicians were actually Constructicons, then Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, Prince, Jack White and Johnny Cash would join together to form the rock and roll Devastator known as Bob Pollard. No one writes and records more than Pollard, who released six albums this year while touring heavily with a reunited Guided by Voices. Oh yeah, and he found time to record two GBV albums that aren’t even out yet. Here’s a list of the Fading Captain’s 2011 output:

Robert Pollard – “Lord of the Birdcage”
Robert Pollard – “Space City Kicks”
Mars Classroom – “The New Theory of Everything”
Boston Spaceships – “Let It Beard”
Circus Devils – “Capsized!”
Lifeguards – “Waving at the Astronauts”

4. M83 – “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”
Sometimes M83 constructs such rich, vivid soundscapes that I wonder if the band is from France or from Remulak. “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” is no exception, although it could be a little shorter. That said, when a solid but bloated record contains a contender for song of the year, you can overlook the need for brevity.

3. Young Widows – “In and Out of Youth and Lightness”
You may know Young Widows as a groove-heavy noise band that worships at the altar of David Yow (not that there’s nothing wrong with that), but the Louisville trio’s latest offering shines a hazy spotlight on frontman Evan Patterson’s guitar work and vocals. I imagine this record is what it feels like to be hit with a tranquilizer dart during a barroom brawl at 3:47 a.m. on a Tuesday night.

2. Wild Flag – “Wild Flag”
Wild Flag’s debut record has all the feminine power and sexual undertones of the early-’90s riot grrl scene while resisting the urge to wax nostalgic. That’s doubly impressive, because Carrie Brownstein and the gang repurpose so many musical elements of the past that you’d half expect things to sound like the work of a deranged Mark Tansey devotee. But it doesn’t.

1. F—ed Up – “David Comes to Life”
“David Comes to Life” is where the musical ferocity of Dag Nasty meets the conceptual grandeur of Devo meets the intertexuality and reflexivity of Derrida. Oh yeah, and the songs sound real good, too.

It’s always such a stress filled moment picking the Best Albums of the Year. Albums are cohesive works (at their best) of art and if you don’t recognize one, I feel like I did a real disservice to the artist. Fortunately, I’ve been asked to pick the top ten songs of 2011. I’ve got a few near misses for this song list such as:

Number 13: Tedeschi Trucks Band: Come See About Me. I talked to Derrick after Laura Shine’s awesome interview with him and Susan and he said the making of Revelator seemed really natural, and it shows.

Number 12: Hoot’s and Hellmouth: Apple Like A Wrecking Ball. A real step forward for this band. Gorgeous & subtle.

Number 11: Winner of the “Next Louisville Musician With A Shot At Making It” award goes to Dave Moisan. His Ungravity CD is awesome and his song Mexico almost beat out my number ten – and that should tell you how highly I think of this cat’s work. Dave’s music just works.

With my near misses out of the way, here are my top ten songs of 2011:

Number 10: My Morning Jacket: Holdin’ On To Black Metal. Their show at the Palace was my 2nd favorite live show of the year (beat out only by the Pixies who set the same venue on fire several months later). MMJ sets the bar higher each time I hear them, and this CD does likewise. I agree with Jeffery Lee Puckett from the Courier-Journal in thinking that Circuital may be but a step in a new direction for the band. If true, than consider: These guys have been together as long as the Beatles (recording wise). How much better can they get?

Number 9: Diego Garcia: You Were Never There. Garcia’s work doesn’t sound like anybody else (hence his inclusion here). Plus this song will haunt your tropical dreams.

Number 8: Motopony: Seer. Why do I like this song? It’s just good – except for the shout at the end; it upsets me every time.

Number 7: Company Of Thieves: Tallulah. Big, sweeping and in your face. Besides, it’s about someone named Tallulah, and short of Miss Bankhead, where else have you heard THAT name?

Number 6: Bob Schneider: Hand Me Back My Life. You gotta love a song that is not only lyrically smart and musically catchy, but also gets listener’s requesting that “da-da-da-da-da-da song”.  I hear yeah.

Number 5: St. Vincent: Surgeon. The first time I heard it I though, “OK, cool build, wicked guitar hook…” But then out of nowhere something sounding like a pod from Parliament Funkadelic’s Mother Ship lands at the end of the song. Just too cool.

Number 4: Matt The Electrician: I Will Do The Breathing. We’ve all been in that place where the world seems overwhelming and we need the help of a friend to pull us through. Matt Sever expresses this sentiment with beautiful poetic intensity. “I will be the feathers on the wings of the bird that flies you where ever you need to go…”

Number 3: Raphael Saadiq: Heart Attack. This song grabs you by the throat (or rather the feet) and never lets up. It’s the booty shaker of the year.

Number 2: Dawes: A Little Bit Of Everything. Listening to a song in the WFPK studio is a bit different than while driving in your car or at home. We radio hosts are busy cueing up tracks, typing in the on line play list and pulling underwriting copy, all while answering emails or the phone. Rarely does a song force me to just stop and listen to the lyrics, but this one does it every time.  It has the lyrical line of the year for me: “Baby, can I make an observation? You don’t seem to be having any fun at all.”  Musically it sounds like a tune Jackson Browne could have written back in the 1970s.  I mean that as a big compliment even though I’m not a Jackson Browne fan. Weird.

 

Number 1: Foster The People: Pumped Up Kicks. I love this tune‘s melody, and as usual, WFPK was the first to spin it in Louisville. Its insanely catchy melody caused the song to go viral everywhere. The strange thing is, it’s about a kid who snaps, finds his Dad’s six shooter and is plotting revenge. This is not the usual lyrical fodder for a pop song. I became acutely aware of these lyrics back in May when I found myself staring into the barrels of two six shooters. I fought off my would-be robbers with a water bottle (!) and I don’t recommend you try this at home.  So despite its lyrics – or maybe because of them – Pumped Up Kicks will always be the sound of the summer of 2011 for me.  Hence, it comes in at my number one.

In cased you missed our countdown, or just want to revisit, we’ve got ya covered.  A lot of factors went into where the song landed – requests, spin count, buzz, audience feedback from WFPK.org and Facebook and plenty of debate.  Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did putting it together.  Happy New Year!

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100. Black Mountain – Old Fang

99. Bobby Bare Jr. – Sad Smile

98. Cut Copy – Where I’m Going

97. Black Angels – Telephone

96. Givers – Up Up Up

95. Tom Petty – I Should Have Known It

94. Local Natives – Airplane

93. Young the Giant – My Body

92. Cheyenne Marie Mize – Rest

91. Civil Twilight – Letters To The Sky

90. Widespread Panic – Dirty Side Down

89. Los Lobos – Burn It Down

88. Freelance Whales – Hannah

87. Peter Wolf – Tragedy

86. Paul Thorn – You’re Not The Only One

85. Foals – Total Life Forever

84. Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues

83. Cee-Lo Green – Forget You

82. Jesse Malin – Burning the Bowery

81. Of Montreal – Coquet Coquette

80. Josh Ritter – Change of Time

79. Band of Horses – Georgia

78. Junip – Always

77. Eels – Looking Up

76. Dawes – Love Is All I Am

75. Lissie – In Sleep

74. Fyfe Dangerfield – When You Walk In The Room

73. Ben Folds – From Above

72. Martin Sexton – Living The Life

71. Jonsi – Boy Lilikoi

70. Arcade Fire – Sprawl II

69. Robert Plant – You Can’t Buy My Love

68. She & Him – In The Sun

67. Adele – Rolling In The Deep

66. The Tallest Man On Earth – King of Spain

65. The Civil Wars – Poison & Wine

64. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Hit ‘Em Up Style

63. Josh Rouse – I Will Live On Islands

62. Frightened Rabbit – Nothing Like You

61. OK Go – WTF

60. Vampire Weekend – Cousins

59. Aqualung – Fingertip

58. Drive-By Truckers – Daddy Learned To Fly

57. Local Natives – Sun Hands

56. Ray Lamontagne – New York City Is Killing Me

55. Trampled By Turtles – Wait So Long

54. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – Tiny Light

53. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang

52. Broken Bells – High Road

51. Elvis Costello – National Ransom

50. Carney – Love Me Chase Me

49. Jonsi – Go Do

48. The Lonely Forest – Live There

47. Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

46. Dr. Dog – Stranger

45. Deer Tick – Mange

44. Stars – Wasted Daylight

43. The Whigs – Kill Me Caroline

42. Xavier Rudd – Time To Smile

41. Robert Francis – Junebug

40. Elton John & Leon Russell – Hey Ahab

39. Tom Jones – Burning Hell

38. Cabin – Blanket The Bonfire

37. The Hold Steady – Hurricane J

36. The Black Keys – Next Girl

35. Nellie McKay – Bruise On The Sky

34. Michael Franti – Sound of Sunshine

33. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio

32. Spoon – Written In Reverse

31. Josh Ritter – The Curse

30. Kings of Leon – Radioactive

29. Dan Mangan – Road Regrets

28. J. Roddy Walston & the Business – Don’t Get Old

27. These United States – The Great Rivers

26. The Gaslight Anthem – The Diamond Church Street Choir

25. Backyard Tire Fire – Good To Be

24. John Legend & The Roots – Compared to What

23. Tired Pony – Dead American Writers

22. Drive-By Truckers – Working This Job

21. Mumford & Sons – The Cave

20. Janelle Monae – Tightrope

19. Jukebox the Ghost – Empire

18. Audra Mae – The River

17. Florence & The Machine – Dog Days Are Over

16. Arcade Fire – Ready To Start

15. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – Dear Companion

14. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – Something Somewhere Sometime

13. Robert Plant – Angel Dance

12. Delta Spirit – Bushwick Blues

11. Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land

10. Sarah Jaffe – Clementine

9. Dawes – When My Time Comes

8. Band of Horses – Laredo

7. Dr. Dog – Shadow People

6. J. Roddy Walston & The Business – Don’t Break The Needle

5. Laura Marling – Rambling Man

4. Ray Lamontagne – Beg, Steal or Borrow

3. Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man

2. The Black Keys – Tighten Up

1. Cabin – A Lie Worth Believing

Well, it’s that time of year again where we share our picks for favorite albums of the year.  Why this always causes me such great anxiety and anguish I don’t know. I take it way too seriously I guess. It’s really kinda silly if you think about it since music is so subjective as to what moves us to connect with it. That’s why I insert the word “favorite” rather than “best of” or something presumptious like that. So here they are in order for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

10.  J. Roddy Walston & The Business - J. Roddy Walston & The Business - from Baltimore but they used to play in Louisville quite a bit. That is before this album which has now put them on the national map and in high demand. This record rocks from start to finish and is such a fun listen there is no way you can stay in a bad mood upon hearing it. Track faves are “Don’t Break The Needle” and “Full Growing Man”.

9.  Of The Colour of The Sky – OK Go- Another fun record from this Chicago based group that are almost as good with their videos as they are with their songs. Check out the video for “White Knuckles” which uses very well trained dogs. It’s amazing. Another track I love is “This Too Shall Pass”. Hell, I loved the whole record!

8.  Obadiah – Frazey Ford – Canadian singer/songwriter and founding member of The Be Good Tanyas, this is Frazey’s first solo record. Now there is no question in my mind as to who the creative force of that band was. I love this record but it wasn’t love at first listen. It grew on me when I could really sit with it and let it seep into me. Standout tracks are “Firecracker”, “Blue Streak Mama” and “Goin’ Over”.

7.  Oh Little Fire - Sarah Harmer - Another dang Canadian makes my list! Yes, Sarah Harmer hasn’t written an album this strong since her 2000 release You Were Here, in my opinion. We played the song “Captive” quite a bit on FPK but there are so many great songs on this record we could have thrown a dart at it and picked the single that way. Really love her duet with Neko Case “Silverado” and the song “Careless”.

6.  The Happiest Lamb – Audra Mae – I’ll never forget once after a music meeting when my ears were fatigued and I was starving. Normally under those conditions I would have hated anything else I had to listen to for airplay consideration that day.  But Stacy, our program director, said “Here’s one more”. I growled, determined to hate it quickly so we could go eat. And then I heard this voice and …wow! It was her song “The River” and I was blown away. I had to sit down and listen to the whole thing. I had no idea who she was or that Judy Garland was her great Aunt. She comes by it honestly, I’ll tell you that. Also check out her version of Dolly Parton’s “Little Sparrow”. Exquisite.

5.  Dear Companion – Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore -   Two brilliant Kentucky musicians on this gorgeous record and for a great cause to boot: to end the coal mining process of Mountain top removal which is having dire effects on the enviroment. Produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket, the album has the raw feel of  Appalachia combined with contemporary polished craftsmanship. Author Silas House lends a word or two as well. Highly recommended!!

4.  Sigh No More – Mumford and Sons –  The British Folk music scene is alive and well thanks to this string band with haunting melodies and sometimes raukus arrangements. Love the whole record. Period.

3.  Winter of Mixed Drinks – Frightened Rabbit – Now we’ll go to Scotland for a minute and give praise to this fiery band consisting of two brothers and others. This was love at first listen. Each song better than the next but my faves are “Living in Color” and “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”.

2.  I Speak Because I Can – Laura Marling - Ok, now back to England with this early twenty-something songstress who reminds me of a young Linda Thompson or Fairport Convention, joining in on the British Folk Revival, even employing Mumford and Sons on some songs. I fell in love with this album from the get-go. It sounded old and fresh to me at the same time. Check out “Rambling Man” and “Darkness Descends”.

1.  Among The Rectangles & Changeable Parts – Cabin – Guitarist and songwriter Noah Hewett-Ball does it again with this brilliant soaring album that was self-produced right here in Louisville. It has been one of our most requested albums of the year and has been in rotation longer than any other record this year and I’m still not tired of it. Cabin’s album from about 4 years ago called Govern The Good Life was my favorite that year too. It’s not that I’m stuck on this band. It is simply the best I’ve heard all year. “A Lie Worth Believing”, “Blanket The Bonfire”, “Musical Seats” or take your pick.  Happy Listening!