Best Albums of 2011 - The Lists Begin

[GirlsAloudFan]

So I'm going through their Spotify list, and the song that has stood out the most so far (that I hadn't already heard) is Cass McCombs' "County Line." Great track. Relaxing. They're totally right in saying that this sounds perfect for a long, lonely drive at night.

EDIT: Oh man, "Vomit" is a great track, too. Glad I'm finally hearing some of this stuff.

 

[corianderstem]

I really, really like Sky Blue Sky. Is that an unpopular sentiment among other Wilco fans?

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

It's bugging me that Drake didn't put an apostrophe in his title for the song "Marvins Room."

Also, Pitchfork uploaded the censored version of this song. Which doesn't really make any sense.

 

[LemonMelon]

You mean you don't like the upbeat songs? In general, Summerteeth excepted, I am not wild about a lot of their upbeat songs.

I actually love their upbeat songs. I wouldn't adore Being There and Summerteeth as I do if I didn't, but the faster numbers on AGIB just don't do it for me. They don't fit with the rest of the album, and tracks like Theologians and The Late Greats are just throwaways. I'm A Wheel too, I suppose, but I don't mind that one so much. Hummingbird is good too, but I wish they'd saved it for Sky Blue Sky.

In other news, outside it's 40 degrees, wet, grey and altogether a perfect day to listen to Let England Shake. What a tremendous album. If it wins AOTY on metacritic or Pazz and Jop, I will be very pleased.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Is this the fucking Wilco thread?

 

[corianderstem]

That actually would belong in fanfiction.

Spoiler

... on a Wilco forum.

 

[LemonMelon]

Is this the fucking Wilco thread?

The thread title threw Laz off the VWilcock trail.

 

[gump]

I'll also agree that AGIB's high points are better. I don't know what it is with Wilco and album openers, but At Least That's What You Said might actually be their best, even better than Misunderstood, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, Art of Almost, etc.

The fact that Being There technically has both Misunderstood and Sunken Treasure as album openers blows me away.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I really, really like Sky Blue Sky. Is that an unpopular sentiment among other Wilco fans?

I think most fans like it better than I do.

I actually love their upbeat songs. I wouldn't adore Being There and Summerteeth as I do if I didn't, but the faster numbers on AGIB just don't do it for me. They don't fit with the rest of the album, and tracks like Theologians and The Late Greats are just throwaways. I'm A Wheel too, I suppose, but I don't mind that one so much. Hummingbird is good too, but I wish they'd saved it for Sky Blue Sky.

Yeah, I agree with all of that, too.

Is this the fucking Wilco thread?

Yes. Apparently you took a wrong turn back at the shit thread.

 

[Catman]

Haven't really listened to too many albums this year. I suppose, at the moment, my favorite's Matthew Good's, "Lights of Endangered Species."

Non Populus

 

[PhilsFan]

Looks like "Midnight City" is Pitchfork's song of the year. They just updated their Spotify Playlist with the selections that would make up 50-1 on their Songs of 2011 list. It's first. Great tune. "Holocene" (and potential Grammy Record of the Year) in second, EMA's "California" (my favorite of the year) in third.

Midnight City would have been my song of the year if you asked me a week ago. Now it might be Wait. Or it could be from another band. Who knows? I'll know better at December's end.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I gotta say, I think the FORK! setting up their own Spotify list with all the songs from their Top 100 is a really cool idea.

I've been listening to the whole thing for kicks (already heard about 4/5 of this material though). However, the playlist only has 79 songs. You can find the rest easily on YouTube though. And the other ones are worth checking out.

 

[PhilsFan]

ClTY IS MY CHURCH

 

[cobl04]

No Church in the Wild

 

[nielsgov]

It suprises me that there's no Radiohead in the top 100 songs. I expected Pitchfork to at least put Lotus Flower or Give Up The Ghost in there.

 

[cobl04]

That is really, really surprising.

In other news, that California song by EMA blows. #comeatmeB&C

 

[Imperor]

The fuck's wrong with you?

 

[u2popmofo]

It suprises me that there's no Radiohead in the top 100 songs. I expected Pitchfork to at least put Lotus Flower or Give Up The Ghost in there.

They've made the #1 spot on at least one official "Most Disappointing Albums of the Year" list I've seen so far, and I'm sure that won't be the last. I don't think Radiohead fans have realized how poorly this album was received by fair weather Radiohead fans. Most of us here weren't exactly thrilled with it as a whole when it came out, and let's face it, most of us (myself definitely included) probably overrate everything the band has ever done.

 

[nielsgov]

True. But almost everyone agrees that it has a few great songs, so I don't think that it's far-fetched to expect a song in the top 100. I've seen Lotus Flower high on a few lists.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Why do you hate Radiohead, Scumbo?

 

[iron yuppie]

I don't know - my sense is that King of Limbs is the album that is fashionable to hate this year. I'm not saying that people's criticisms here are illegitimate, but Pitchfork has a tendency to disown certain artists whose cultural cache they perceive as falling and doggedly support others whom they feel to be the rise. Frankly, if Super Bass is a better song than Lotus Flower, I might as well just stop listening to music.

There also seems to be a growing appreciation for the grandiose and bombastic in music criticism - note the almost universal acclaim for My Beautiful Stereotypical Fantasy last year and the fact that M83 will likely be this year's top album on Pitchfork. That sort of tendency allows people to interpret something like King of Limbs as "slight" rather than subtle and delicate.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Frankly, if Super Bass is a better song than Lotus Flower, I might as well just stop listening to music.

Uh, it's seriously way better. Don't stop listening to music. Listen to "Super Bass"

I liked the new Radiohead album about as much as In Rainbows. I think the new one's underrated by the same amount that In Rainbows was overrated. Had they been released in an opposite manner, I think people would be raving about King and bemoaning In Rainbows.

cobl04? Dead to me.

 

[Padj]

I gotta say, I think the FORK! setting up their own Spotify list with all the songs from their Top 100 is a really cool idea. I'll bet a bunch of other sites jump on that train, and I've got the list set up right now and am going to listen to some of the tracks that I hadn't yet heard.

Before today, I'd probably heard only around 25 of their top 100.

Have you ever heard of Spotirama? Lots of end of year 2011 playlists, taken from different sites/magazines.
Spotirama

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Have you ever heard of Spotirama? Lots of end of year 2011 playlists, taken from different sites/magazines.
Spotirama

Excellent idea.

 

[mikal]

going back to the Spotify discussion....

if you have the mobile app, also download SMP (search my playlists) app. you can search user and public playlists. also found NME's top 50 playlist as well as many other publications. when you click "Play" on the SMP app, it automatically opens Spotify and prompts you to add the playlist.

 

[LemonMelon]

That is really, really surprising.

In other news, that California song by EMA blows. #comeatmeB&C

The whole damn album is dope as hell.

And so is Codex, Bloom, Separator, and Give Up The Ghost. Fuck Pitchfork in the face.

 

[cobl04]

The fuck's wrong with you?

Haha, "blows" was probably a bit strong. Certainly overrated though.

 

[u2popmofo]

I don't like it much either, particularly since the opening lines are crazily similar to a Rogue Wave song with the exact same title from 5 or 6 years ago.

 

[u2popmofo]

Why do you hate Radiohead, Scumbo?

I don't know - my sense is that King of Limbs is the album that is fashionable to hate this year. I'm not saying that people's criticisms here are illegitimate, but Pitchfork has a tendency to disown certain artists whose cultural cache they perceive as falling and doggedly support others whom they feel to be the rise. Frankly, if Super Bass is a better song than Lotus Flower, I might as well just stop listening to music.

There also seems to be a growing appreciation for the grandiose and bombastic in music criticism - note the almost universal acclaim for My Beautiful Stereotypical Fantasy last year and the fact that M83 will likely be this year's top album on Pitchfork. That sort of tendency allows people to interpret something like King of Limbs as "slight" rather than subtle and delicate.

Even though I know I've already said this many times, please allow me to once again mention that King of Limbs is one of my top 20 fav. albums this year, and probably my most listened to album this year. That said, it's probably my least favorite Radiohead album.

 

[joyfulgirl]

That said, it's probably my least favorite Radiohead album.

You like it less than Pablo Honey? I guess I like PH less than most fans.