DANIEL'S FAVOURITE SONGS OF 2011
January 08, 2012
As the first year of a new decade, 2011 could have gone either way. But as it turned out it was a strong year for songs. Of course I'm not speaking about musical revolutions that will change the world, but moreso the gems that you could listen to over and over and still feel excited about. This year definitely had some true classics.
This year's trend continued with last year's trend of chillwave bands. Everyone and their mother is releasing gauzy, faded out jams. Although I do really like this trend, this has further solidified my belief that there still needs to be a song at the foundation of all the fluff. I don't care how much distortion, reverb, and noise you add – production is one thing, but it still needs legs to stand on. Then guts.
We also saw the rise in popularity of dubstep. When I first listened to artists like Burial, it was refreshing and mind-expanding. But, again, once something finally crosses into the mainstream and it just feels like it doesn't belong to anything special. And really, this genre of music has very few tricks up its sleeve, I'm quite surprised it's so popular. Wobble bass and half time grooves with syncopation. It's in every song. IDM and Electronic music in general this year were on a lot of critics list. Though I've tried to get into most of it and understand the critical acclaim, I still find it mainly a lot of boring ambient space. Fine for what it is, but besides a drugged out comedown party at 5 am, when do I really need this?
On to the good stuff. There are always fantastic and timeless songs to be found in any given year. Songs that I know will remain forever apart of my life's soundtrack. By summertime 2011, I had noticed there were only a few gems in the pile. No clear favourite track of the year, and only a few months left in the game. As I was in the studio finishing tracks for Act 3 one night, I happend to click a link online for a new video debut. The artist was Lana Del Ray. I watched the video for Video Games and I actually had to stop working on my music for the rest of the evening. It was beautiful, and it felt like a real song. Like the old days. Then again, 50's inspired sad core is right up my alley. I had just finished shooting the video for Goodbye from Act 3 which was very similar in feel, so I felt like I was making a connection to someone artistically, which added to the allure. The song itself though, just beautiful. I sat outside in the August evening warmth listening to it over and over again the rest of the night, then went out and got drunk on whiskey feeling like there was hope for great music to come back. Lana's album isn't out yet, but if you know who she is perhaps you've been following the drama associated with how she has come into musical being. If you don't know the story, do a little research as there's quite a debate brewing. Draw your own conclusions. For me, its the song. And hers was my favourite this year. I knew the instant I heard it. And I'm trying not to let the confusion skew my opinion.
It was another slow year for albums though, which is just the product of the age we're living in now. This also makes me wonder if I personally should be releasing singles and E.P's instead of full albums. I was raised on LP's, and I just feel they become a part of you. It's something that marks a place in your life, and gives you a story to hold on to when you go back to it.
We'll see what next year brings for us. In the meantime, here's the list. I strongly encourage you to seek out and listen to anything you haven't already on the list. Each and every one of these songs is a complete gem.
Enjoy!
* You can listen to the pre-recorded radio show webcast here: Daniel's Favourite Songs of 2011 - Radio Broadcast *Note: The Audio on this Podcast begins at 8:00 minutes.
FAVOURITE SONGS OF 2011:
1. Video Games – Lana Del Ray
2. Lotus Flower – Radiohead
3. Sadness Is A Blessing – Lykki Li
4. What You Were – The Drums
5. Turn The Bells – White Lies
6. Teenagers – Chain Gang Of 1974
7. Oh Beautiful Town – IAMX
8. The World Is Yours – Glasvegas
9. In This Shirt – The Irrepressibles
10. The Knowing - The Weeknd
11. County Line – Cass McCombs
12. Walker – Cascadeur
13. You – Glasvegas
14. I Follow Rivers – Lykki Li
15. Cruel – St. Vincent
16. Jerome – Lykki Li
17. Transparency – D'eon
18. Blown Minded – Young Galaxy
19. Dancing In The Devils Shoes – Guillemots
20. Hanging On – Active Child
21. I'm Not Stupid - Cat's Eyes
22. B.S.E – Young Galaxy
23. Love Out Of Lust – Lykki Li
24. Decimate Everything – Born Gold
25. The Tide – The Irrepressibles
26. Option – Crosses
27. Lion's Share – Wild Beasts
28. So Sick Of Dancing – Todd Clark
29. Shine Like Stars – Glasvegas
30. The Morning – The Weeknd
31. Believer – John Maus
32. Stay Away – Charli XCX
33. Villians Of The Moon – Cold Cave
34. Black Rain – NewVillager
35. Marathon – Tennis
36. Born To Die – Lana Del Ray
37. Wicked Games – The Weeknd
38. Bury Us Alive – Starfucker
39. Euphoria, Take My Hand – Glasvegas
40. Mountaineer – White Sea
41. Don't Walk Away – Chain Gang Of 1974
42. Playing House – Active Child
43. Money – The Drums
44. Surfacing – Chapel Club
45. Pull Out My Insides – Does It Offend You, Yeah?
46. Huggin & Kissin – Big Black Delta
47. Live Those Days Tonight – Friendly Fires
48. Baby Missiles – The War On Drugs
49. I Knew It Was Over – Cat's Eyes
50. Bonfire – Childish Gambino
52. The Great Pan Is Dead – Cold Cave
53. Reach A Bit Further – Wild Beasts
53. Betamax – Big Black Delta
54. The Shore – Chapel Club
55. Hawaiian Air – Friendly Fires
56. Bronx Sniper – Mister Heavenly
57. 212 – Azealia Banks
58. Rich Doors – NewVillager
59. Quantum Leap – John Maus
60. Gigantic – Quiet Hounds
61. Thankless Thing – Wild Beasts
62. Heaven Sent – Craig Wedren
63. To Be Imagined – Milagres
64. California – EMA
65. The Basket – Guillemots
66. Hard To Love – The Drums
67. Invisible – Wild Beasts
68. Confetti – Cold Cave
69. Before – Washed Out
70. Golden Sea – French Films
71. Joey Rogers – Ford & Lopatin
72. Midnight City – M83
73. I Don't Want Love – The Antlers
74. Tamer Animals – Other Lives
75. Overdrawn – White Sea
76. Nordic Laurel – Baths
77. Codex – Radiohead
78. We Have Everything – Young Galaxy
79. Come And See The Lights - Flashguns
80. Too Insistent – The Do
81. Abducted – Cults
82. Zero Orchestra – Matthew Good
83. GB City – Bass Drum Of Death
84. This Is A Trick - Crosses
85. Southern Charm – Quiet Hounds
86. The Shakes – Atlas Sound
87. City Lights – Skeleton Hands
88. Blue Cassette – Friendly Fires
89. Last Huzzah – Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire
90. Shell Suite – Chad Valley
91. After The Flood – Chapel Club
92. Gentle Beast – Milagres
93. Kids – Airship
94. Pop Song – Baths
95. Wedding Crasher – The Dream
96. Go Outside - Cults
97. LYF – Wu Lyf
98. Winter Beats – I Break Horses
99. The Sea – Exitmusic
100. Lawn Knives – Born Gold
100. Away FRM U - Oberhofer
ALBUMS:
1.Lykki Li – Wounded Rhymes
2.The Drums - Portamento
3.Glasvegas – Euphoric /// Heartbreak
4.The Weeknd – House Of Balloons
5.Wild Beasts - Smother
6.The Veils – Troubles Of The Brain
7.Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years
8.John Maus – We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
9.Radiohead – King of Limbs
10.French Films – Golden Sea EP
11.Active Child – You Are All I See
12. Crosses – EP
13.Milagres – Glowing Mouth
14.Cat's Eyes – Cat's Eyes
15.Chapel Club – Palace
16.St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
17.Craig Wedren – Wand
18.NewVillager – NewVillager
19.The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
20.The Antlers – Burst Apart
January 08, 2012
As the first year of a new decade, 2011 could have gone either way. But as it turned out it was a strong year for songs. Of course I'm not speaking about musical revolutions that will change the world, but moreso the gems that you could listen to over and over and still feel excited about. This year definitely had some true classics.
This year's trend continued with last year's trend of chillwave bands. Everyone and their mother is releasing gauzy, faded out jams. Although I do really like this trend, this has further solidified my belief that there still needs to be a song at the foundation of all the fluff. I don't care how much distortion, reverb, and noise you add – production is one thing, but it still needs legs to stand on. Then guts.
We also saw the rise in popularity of dubstep. When I first listened to artists like Burial, it was refreshing and mind-expanding. But, again, once something finally crosses into the mainstream and it just feels like it doesn't belong to anything special. And really, this genre of music has very few tricks up its sleeve, I'm quite surprised it's so popular. Wobble bass and half time grooves with syncopation. It's in every song. IDM and Electronic music in general this year were on a lot of critics list. Though I've tried to get into most of it and understand the critical acclaim, I still find it mainly a lot of boring ambient space. Fine for what it is, but besides a drugged out comedown party at 5 am, when do I really need this?
On to the good stuff. There are always fantastic and timeless songs to be found in any given year. Songs that I know will remain forever apart of my life's soundtrack. By summertime 2011, I had noticed there were only a few gems in the pile. No clear favourite track of the year, and only a few months left in the game. As I was in the studio finishing tracks for Act 3 one night, I happend to click a link online for a new video debut. The artist was Lana Del Ray. I watched the video for Video Games and I actually had to stop working on my music for the rest of the evening. It was beautiful, and it felt like a real song. Like the old days. Then again, 50's inspired sad core is right up my alley. I had just finished shooting the video for Goodbye from Act 3 which was very similar in feel, so I felt like I was making a connection to someone artistically, which added to the allure. The song itself though, just beautiful. I sat outside in the August evening warmth listening to it over and over again the rest of the night, then went out and got drunk on whiskey feeling like there was hope for great music to come back. Lana's album isn't out yet, but if you know who she is perhaps you've been following the drama associated with how she has come into musical being. If you don't know the story, do a little research as there's quite a debate brewing. Draw your own conclusions. For me, its the song. And hers was my favourite this year. I knew the instant I heard it. And I'm trying not to let the confusion skew my opinion.
It was another slow year for albums though, which is just the product of the age we're living in now. This also makes me wonder if I personally should be releasing singles and E.P's instead of full albums. I was raised on LP's, and I just feel they become a part of you. It's something that marks a place in your life, and gives you a story to hold on to when you go back to it.
We'll see what next year brings for us. In the meantime, here's the list. I strongly encourage you to seek out and listen to anything you haven't already on the list. Each and every one of these songs is a complete gem.
Enjoy!
* You can listen to the pre-recorded radio show webcast here: Daniel's Favourite Songs of 2011 - Radio Broadcast *Note: The Audio on this Podcast begins at 8:00 minutes.
FAVOURITE SONGS OF 2011:
1. Video Games – Lana Del Ray
2. Lotus Flower – Radiohead
3. Sadness Is A Blessing – Lykki Li
4. What You Were – The Drums
5. Turn The Bells – White Lies
6. Teenagers – Chain Gang Of 1974
7. Oh Beautiful Town – IAMX
8. The World Is Yours – Glasvegas
9. In This Shirt – The Irrepressibles
10. The Knowing - The Weeknd
11. County Line – Cass McCombs
12. Walker – Cascadeur
13. You – Glasvegas
14. I Follow Rivers – Lykki Li
15. Cruel – St. Vincent
16. Jerome – Lykki Li
17. Transparency – D'eon
18. Blown Minded – Young Galaxy
19. Dancing In The Devils Shoes – Guillemots
20. Hanging On – Active Child
21. I'm Not Stupid - Cat's Eyes
22. B.S.E – Young Galaxy
23. Love Out Of Lust – Lykki Li
24. Decimate Everything – Born Gold
25. The Tide – The Irrepressibles
26. Option – Crosses
27. Lion's Share – Wild Beasts
28. So Sick Of Dancing – Todd Clark
29. Shine Like Stars – Glasvegas
30. The Morning – The Weeknd
31. Believer – John Maus
32. Stay Away – Charli XCX
33. Villians Of The Moon – Cold Cave
34. Black Rain – NewVillager
35. Marathon – Tennis
36. Born To Die – Lana Del Ray
37. Wicked Games – The Weeknd
38. Bury Us Alive – Starfucker
39. Euphoria, Take My Hand – Glasvegas
40. Mountaineer – White Sea
41. Don't Walk Away – Chain Gang Of 1974
42. Playing House – Active Child
43. Money – The Drums
44. Surfacing – Chapel Club
45. Pull Out My Insides – Does It Offend You, Yeah?
46. Huggin & Kissin – Big Black Delta
47. Live Those Days Tonight – Friendly Fires
48. Baby Missiles – The War On Drugs
49. I Knew It Was Over – Cat's Eyes
50. Bonfire – Childish Gambino
52. The Great Pan Is Dead – Cold Cave
53. Reach A Bit Further – Wild Beasts
53. Betamax – Big Black Delta
54. The Shore – Chapel Club
55. Hawaiian Air – Friendly Fires
56. Bronx Sniper – Mister Heavenly
57. 212 – Azealia Banks
58. Rich Doors – NewVillager
59. Quantum Leap – John Maus
60. Gigantic – Quiet Hounds
61. Thankless Thing – Wild Beasts
62. Heaven Sent – Craig Wedren
63. To Be Imagined – Milagres
64. California – EMA
65. The Basket – Guillemots
66. Hard To Love – The Drums
67. Invisible – Wild Beasts
68. Confetti – Cold Cave
69. Before – Washed Out
70. Golden Sea – French Films
71. Joey Rogers – Ford & Lopatin
72. Midnight City – M83
73. I Don't Want Love – The Antlers
74. Tamer Animals – Other Lives
75. Overdrawn – White Sea
76. Nordic Laurel – Baths
77. Codex – Radiohead
78. We Have Everything – Young Galaxy
79. Come And See The Lights - Flashguns
80. Too Insistent – The Do
81. Abducted – Cults
82. Zero Orchestra – Matthew Good
83. GB City – Bass Drum Of Death
84. This Is A Trick - Crosses
85. Southern Charm – Quiet Hounds
86. The Shakes – Atlas Sound
87. City Lights – Skeleton Hands
88. Blue Cassette – Friendly Fires
89. Last Huzzah – Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire
90. Shell Suite – Chad Valley
91. After The Flood – Chapel Club
92. Gentle Beast – Milagres
93. Kids – Airship
94. Pop Song – Baths
95. Wedding Crasher – The Dream
96. Go Outside - Cults
97. LYF – Wu Lyf
98. Winter Beats – I Break Horses
99. The Sea – Exitmusic
100. Lawn Knives – Born Gold
100. Away FRM U - Oberhofer
ALBUMS:
1.Lykki Li – Wounded Rhymes
2.The Drums - Portamento
3.Glasvegas – Euphoric /// Heartbreak
4.The Weeknd – House Of Balloons
5.Wild Beasts - Smother
6.The Veils – Troubles Of The Brain
7.Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years
8.John Maus – We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
9.Radiohead – King of Limbs
10.French Films – Golden Sea EP
11.Active Child – You Are All I See
12. Crosses – EP
13.Milagres – Glowing Mouth
14.Cat's Eyes – Cat's Eyes
15.Chapel Club – Palace
16.St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
17.Craig Wedren – Wand
18.NewVillager – NewVillager
19.The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
20.The Antlers – Burst Apart
