IGIF Presents: The Best Albums of 2011

araabMUZIK – Electronic Dream

This album was a pure surprise for me in 2011. Seriously, if you thought the stuff Tuco was pushing was the bomb then let me introduce you to Heisenberg himself! That’s what I felt when listening to beat-driven music before discovering the delicious Pollos Hermanos blue stuff being cooked by araabMUZIK. Electronic Dream took my ears my storm, although the “you’re now listening to araabMUZIK” did get old, the beats never did. If you saw a lanky guy on the subway reading a Kindle while moving his head and feet about in weird ways for a month of commuting this year, you should’ve said hi to me! – Nathaniel

[WWW] araabMUZIK – Streetz Tonight

Official Site | More MP3s | Buy @ iTunes

Moon Bounce – Darn Your Best Frock

2011 was the year I opened myself up to experimental electronic music that didn’t sound like Air or Animal Collective. Bands like Holy Other and Supreme Cuts and Giraffage became my go-to artists for playlist population as I tread further away from the wholly organic sounds of the traditional three piece rock outfit. Moon Bounce, in particular, really captivated me with Darn Your Best Frock, a thoroughly bizarre 21 minutes of music that weaves together manically warped vocals, funky drum and bass samples, beat breaks, water droplets and plucked strings into a deliciously strange symphony. It’s not as immediately likable as, say, Top 40 Indie, but it’s certainly more dense and demanding. Moon Bounce seems to have what was so intriguing about Four Tet’s Rounds, and I hope his future endeavors continue to explore those sounds in the way Darn Your Best Frock does so well. – Connor

[MP3] Moon Bounce – First Of All and In Conclusion

Official Site | More MP3s | Free Download @ Bandcamp

Delicate Steve – Wondervisions

There aren’t many instrumental albums that make the cut for my favorite albums of the year, so when one finally does breakthrough you’ve got to take notice. Delicate Steve produced an album that was full of catchy hook after hook, not to mention guitar jamming that would make our flower power parents proud. From the upbeat opener “The Ballad of Speck and Pebble” to the epic “Butterfly”, it’s easy to see why David Byrne snagged him for his label’s roster. Oh, and see Steve live.. it’s the type of performance that penetrates straight through your mortal shell and moves your soul in such a way that dancing about is the least of your problems. – Nathaniel

[MP3] Delicate Steve – Butterfly

Official Site | More MP3s | Buy @ Insound

Mood Rings – Sweater Weather Forever

Back in February I discovered Mood Rings’ shoegazy “Year of Dreams”, a mellow and melancholic slice of Sonic Youthfulness that made me all warm and mushy inside. Since then each of the EP’s four tracks has at one point or another become a favorite of mine, each showcasing a different side to the band yet still strongly connected by the their core competency, musicianship, and seriously killer hook-writing skills. The EP’s true standout (and Song of the Year contender) “Indian Hills” begins so unassumingly that you might just gloss over it… but it’s in that tempered start and burgeoning build-up, and the viciously harmonious chorus that follows that makes it so unforgettable. Whatever it is that turns pop songs into crack rocks, whether Mood Rings are smoking it or merely cooking it up, I want in on what they’re serving. I’m already preparing to feast in 2012. – Connor

[MP3] Mood Rings – Indian Hills

Bandcamp | More MP3s | Buy @ Bandcamp

EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints

After turning everyone’s head with the spoken word, dramatized rap/rock ballad “California”, I often wondered if Erika M. Anderson could deliver an album to back up the hype that blossomed from one track. Not only did she back up said hype, she blew it out of the water with Past Life Martyred Saints. The LP has flair, from raspy vocals oozing with confidence to the undeniable influence of grunge – something quite refreshing to hear in an era of over-the-top electronic influence. From epics like “The Grey Ship” to the serene melody of “Anteroom”, PLMS sticks out as a true gem of 2011 and solid starting block for EMA. – Nathaniel

[MP3] EMA – Milkman

Official Site | More MP3s | Buy @ Insound

Spanish Prisoners – Gold Fools

If 2011 was a year in which people still cared as much about experimental ensemble-rock as they did in the glory years of Broken Social Scene, Spanish Prisoners would be its breakout band and Gold Fools would be its go-to album. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Spanish Prisoners live about five or six times and the privilege of watching them emerge from their humble beginnings (although they’re perhaps still in that phase of their bandlife), and each time they shred harder, shout louder, and gel thicker than most Brooklyn bands of their stature. Gold Fools is the product of that shredding, shouting and gelling, all congealed into one of the year’s most rewarding indie rock records, playfully challenging, genre-bending, and at times brilliant. – Connor

[MP3] Spanish Prisoners – Know No Violence

Official Site | More MP3s | Buy @ Bandcamp

Generationals – Actor-Caster

It’s not perfect but man it’s tight. Generationals seem to have been cast aside by many outlets as being too indebted to scruffy 60s garage rockers or ad-friendly indie rock… but listen closely and it’s rather hard to tell the difference, at least stylistically, between many of Actor-Caster‘s best songs (and there are a lot of those) and the early work of the ever-lauded Spoon. Of course Generationals are a different band, one that swings widely from ragged tunes like the fantastic “Ten-Twenty-Ten” to synth lead pop songs like “Yours Forever,” but they’re just as endearing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with highly likable, blatantly poppy, unabashedly hooky indie rock, no matter what anyone says, and Actor-Caster did it better than just about anything else this year. – Connor

[MP3] Generationals – Ten-Twenty-Ten

Official Site | More MP3s | Buy @ Insound

Alabama Shakes – EP

Of all the sensational releases and artists featured on our year-end list, Alabama Shakes are the act I’m most excited about. Aside from blowing my mind at CMJ this fall, the young southern rockers released a short debut EP that had more soul and wholesome flair than most band’s full-lengths. If When you see this band (and do it, you’ll pull a Drake and thank me later), there is something about their live set that makes you realize “This band just has it!” It’s the unteachable assets: tightly jamming together on stage, Brittany Howard’s larger-than-life stage presence that’s like a modern day Janis Joplin, and inserting classic rock covers with original compositions so well it’s like using a cheat code! Watch out 2012, this is the band that’s gonna roll and tumble straight to the top. – Nathaniel

[MP3] Alabama Shakes – You Ain’t Alone

Bandcamp | More MP3s | Buy @ Bandcamp

Darkside – EP

What gets 120,000 plays in under a month from an artist most people have never heard of? Lana Del Rey? Ok, what gets 120,000 plays in under a month from an artist most people have never heard of that’s actually worthy of that kind of attention? That’d be the self-titled EP from Darkside’s Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington. I’m a bit fanatic for balearic dance pop, something Studio has done exceedingly well in the past few years… but perhaps never as intriguingly as Darkside’s three head spinning tracks. Each song builds generously over ground shaking basslines, plucky, minimalist guitar melodies and Nicolas Jaar’s blenderized falsetto, creating perhaps 2011′s most unique release, as nothing else sounds anything like it. I’m not sure if Darkside was always intended as a one-off release (both Jaar and Harrington are involved in their own projects), but I’m crossing my fingers that 2012 holds something even more special (and longer, please, longer!). – Connor

[WWW] Listen to the Darkside EP here

Soundcloud | More MP3s | Buy @ TopSpin

Drake – Take Care

Drake’s sophomore release Take Care was not going to be an easy thing to accomplish, considering the success of his first and delivering guest spots in between that kept him in the forefront of rap’s spotlight. The former Degrassi star is plenty neurotic, juxtaposing conflicted verses that explore his own psyche as effortlessly as dropping lines about millions, his crew, and climb to success. The biggest upgrade in his sophomore release is the production, as his own style and verses have grown so has the music backing them. In fact, it’s odd that the two songs featuring his label mates (Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne) seem somewhat out of place on an otherwise perfectly flowing album that teeters the line of smooth R&B and hip hop flawlessly. Is Take Care a classic? No, but Drake is on the path toward producing his own opus very soon. – Nathaniel

[WWW] Listen to Drake on the Hype Machine

Official Site | More MP3s | Buy @ Insound

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