50 Unheralded Albums from 2011
Boom Bip: Zig Zaj (Lex, 9/27/11)
Boom Bip: “All Hands”
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Ever since his loop-based beginnings, Bryan Charles Hollan — known better as experimental hip-hop artist Boom Bip — has been on the search for his optimal live-band incarnation. With his latest, Zig Zaj, he seems to have found it. Now Hollan is armed with a permanent live band, and their chemistry is immediately evident on this album.
Partly because of the several guests, the new material takes a poppier and more rock-driven direction. But there’s still plenty of the old Bip underneath, as synths and electronics commingle with the bass grooves and delicate acoustic riffs. It’s a catchy, beautiful, and well-balanced blend, perfect for first-time Bip listeners.
Zechs Marquise: Getting Paid (Sargent House /Rodriguez Lopez Productions, 9/27/11)
Zechs Marquise: “Static Lovers”
El Paso-based psych-prog five-piece Zechs Marquise is three-fifths Rodriguez Lopez, a surname that gained music-industry notoriety from Omar, the prolific Mars Volta guitarist.
Though its official debut album, the 2009 effort Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare, was a much more experimental and atmospheric work, Getting Paid fully focuses on the groove. Each of the album’s nine tracks moves at its own pace, venturing into an alternate sonic universe at a moment’s notice. Abrupt tempo shifts, an inexhaustible junk drawer of textures, and a healthy obsession with ’70s prog fusion culminate in a truly shape-shifting record, albeit one that consistently rocks. Zechs Marquise knows when to give into its sweaty, twisted vision-quest dalliances and when to let a groove ride.
Craig Wedren: Wand (Nerveland, 9/27/11)
Craig Wedren: “Are We”
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In the early and mid-’90s, impressionable alt-rock listeners were introduced to the quirky guitar hooks and breathy, fiercely belted falsettos of Shudder to Think front-man Craig Wedren. Since then, Wedren has spent a lot of time writing themes for film and television, and he released a pair of solo albums (one entirely of ambient tracks) in the 2000s. Wand is “official” followup to the 2005 album Lapland.
Over the course of this forward-thinking album, Wedren really shines by experimenting with structure within a pop context. If his vocals and idiosyncrasies didn’t tie everything together, each track might sound like a different band, and there are all sorts of guitar intonations to go with bleating and ambient synths, fuzz bass, and murmuring classical guitar. In all, Wand is a hearty dose of “dream post-punk,” with a healthy dose of pop surrealism and sneaky depth.
DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, the Better (Verve /Universal, 10/4/11)
DJ Shadow: “Warning Call” (f. Tom Vek)
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After a lengthy layoff, DJ Shadow is back with The Less You Know, the Better, an album that will better resonate with his original fan base than The Outsider from five years ago. The club sounds that caused the consternation are gone, which should allow listeners to appreciate the producer’s breadth without distractions.
Diversity is on display from the album’s first handful of tracks. “Border Crossing” mixes sampled rock riffs with skittering beats; “Stay the Course” is a funky hip-hop track with guest MCs Talib Kweli and Posdnuos; “I’ve Been Trying” layers vocal samples over acoustic guitar, gooey electronics, marching snare, lap-steel guitar, and flute. Not far behind are the rock-hop hybrid “Warning Call,” featuring Tom Vek, and “Sad and Lonely,” a melancholy piano and violin ballad that also makes compelling use of sampled vocals.
Mayer Hawthorne: How Do You Do? (Republic / Universal, 10/11/11)
Mayer Hawthorne: “A Long Time”
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As the soul revival sound goes, Mayer Hawthorne is in a league of singers who strike the proper balance between old school and new school. Yes, the singer’s act takes greatest influence from the early Northern soul era, but there’s more to Hawthorne’s music than a game of name-that-classic-45.
For this sophomore effort, Hawthorne reaches deeper into the late-’60s, early-’70s reference bag to make a no-frills record packed with tolerantly addictive soul hooks. How Do You Do? covers a lot of ground and shows some new sides to Hawthorne’s musical palette with cleaner and more robust production and instrument arrangements. Whether or not his jump to Universal Republic from Stones Throw has anything to do with it is arguable, but Hawthorne finds a way to use time-honored soul maxims to forge an individual sound.
Dub TrioDub Trio: “Control Issues Controlling Your Mind”
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When dub-rock powerhouse Dub Trio last released a full album at the start of 2008, it marked a significantly heavier direction, with chugging hardcore and sludge-metal tendencies creeping into its unparalleled blend of grooves and riffs. The trio’s newest, IV, continues that trajectory, committing the group first and foremost to metal.
Dub remains a key factor, albeit more subtly. Few tracks bear the mark of modern reggae or dub music, but individual instruments are tweaked at key moments. “Ends Justify the Means” is the band’s first venture into the wobbly bass sounds of dubstep, but palm-muted and manipulated guitar stabs make it entirely new. And “1:1.:618” is an experiment in prepared piano and improvised effects, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of this inimitable outfit.
Russian Circles: Empros (Sargent House, 10/18/11)
Russian Circles: “Mlàdek”
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In 2009, instrumental rock trio Russian Circles released Geneva, an album that both introduced the worming bass lines of Brian Cook (of These Arms are Snakes) and showcased the band’s balance of metallic fury and melodic beauty. Complementary strings and horns also dotted the sonic landscape, creating a superlative post-metal opus.
Empros cuts away the complementary pieces of Geneva, instead focusing on the trio’s interplay. Cook has further ingrained himself in the Russian Circles sound, allowing the galloping rhythm section just as frequently to play the lead as Mike Sullivan’s effects-heavy, overdubbed guitars. And the usual ear for dynamics is present once more, building moments of tension and release to go with the killer riffs.
Tom Waits: Bad as Me (Anti-, 10/18/11)
Tom Waits: “Bad as Me”
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Few musicians are as cloaked in mythology as Tom Waits. His music is both comforting and jarring, pushing boundaries while always honoring the legacy of American songwriting. Bad As Me, Waits’ first studio album in seven years, is all of these things. The songs oscillate between manic and maudlin, flip-flopping throughout the entire album. Where a Depression-era blues tune ends, a ballad begins.
There are multiple references throughout, the most obvious of which is when Waits calls out Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on “Satisfied.” The punch line of the joke is that Richards is playing guitar on the track. And he’s not the album’s only superstar. Flea plays bass; so does Les Claypool. Marc Ribot, who’s played with Waits since 1985, lends his Latin-infused guitar licks to just about every tune. And Waits’ son, Casey, plays drums, emerging here as a versatile musician in his own right.
Animals as Leaders: Weightless (Prosthetic, 11/8/11)
Animals as Leaders: “Odessa”
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Begun as a solo project that highlighted guitarist Tosin Abasi’s unmistakable shredding, Animals as Leaders released its debut album in 2009, emitting progressive-metal instrumentals with tasteful ambient, electronic, and jazz undertones. Now a trio, Animals as Leaders has returned with Weightless, its first recording as an official band.
The album features more hyper-prolific finger-tapping on eight-string guitars, the instrument of choice for Abasi’s meticulously crafted material. Electronica intros and bridges play a large role, but Weightless — ironically — often is very, very heavy, more so than its predecessor, trudging into sludge territory for spells. Despite the insane technicality, there’s always an emphasis on melody and head-banging rhythms, but the music — endorsed by shred virtuoso Steve Vai — is just as suitable for those with short attention spans.
Doomtree: No Kings (Doomtree, 11/22/11)
Doomtree: “The Grand Experiment”
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Moving from a high-school clique to a crew and record label was a natural transition for the Minneapolis-based Doomtree collective. The label’s foundation was built on the wings of impassioned, down-to-earth MCs P.O.S and Sims, hybrid rapper/songstress Dessa, multifaceted instrumentalist Paper Tiger, and nostalgic storyteller Cecil Otter, but the seven-member collective soon demonstrated its cohesiveness as a group.
No Kings is Doomtree’s third studio album, and though it maintains a playful demeanor, it’s the most diverse and mature of the three. From track to track, the different flavors and personalities of each member come through in their own ways. “Bolt Cutter,” the album’s second single, features four MCs and a spate of production values, shifting from a minimalist tom beat and bass line to electro-hop synths to piano and acoustic-guitar melodies — before it all layers together and adds a deep electronic groove.
But no matter its style, the production is on point. And more importantly, No Kings maintains the balance that makes such a large collaboration work, both as a group and as a business.
Honorable Mentions
Beep: City of the Future (Third Culture, 1/18/11)
Braids: Native Speaker (Kanine, 1/18/11)
John Vanderslice with the Magik*Magik Orchestra: White Wilderness (Dead Oceans, 1/25/11)
Talib Kweli: Gutter Rainbows (Javotti Media / 3D / Talibra, 1/25/11)
Bruce Lamont: Feral Songs for the Epic Decline (At A Loss, 1/25/11)
Manuscripts Don’t Burn: The Breathing House (Aural Music, 2/8/11)
DC the MIDI Alien: Avengers Airwaves (Brick, 2/15/11)
Colin Stetson: New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (Constellation, 2/22/11)
Earth: Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light 1 (Southern Lord, 2/22/11)
Julianna Barwick: The Magic Place (Asthmatic Kitty, 2/22/11)
Mamiffer: Mare Decendrii (SIGE, 3/15/11)
The Dead Kenny Gs: Operation Long Leash (Royal Potato Family, 3/15/11)
Pharoahe Monch: We Are Renegades (3/22/11)
Todd Reynolds: Outerborough (Innova, 3/29/11)
GDP: Useless Eaters (Run for Cover, 3/29/11)
Wagon Christ: Toomorrow (Ninja Tune, 3/29/11)
The Kills: Blood Pressures (Domino, 4/5/11)
Young Widows: In and Out of Youth and Lightness (Temporary Residence, 4/12/11)
Garage á Trois: Always Be Happy but Stay Evil (Royal Potato Family, 4/12/11)
Atmosphere: The Family Sign (Rhymesayers, 4/12/11)
A Lull: Confetti (Mush, 4/12/11)
Arkan: Salam (Season of Mist, 4/19/11)
Lanu: Her 12 Faces (Tru Thoughts, 4/19/11)
Son Lux: We Are Rising (Anticon, 4/26/11)
Graviton: Massless (Translation Loss, 4/26/11)
Grand Pianoramax: Smooth Danger (Obliqsound, 5/3/11)
Nervecell: Psychogenesis (Lifeforce, 5/3/11)
Dead Rider: The Raw Dents (Tizona, 5/3/11)
Austra: Feel it Break (Domino, 5/17/11)
13 & God: Own Your Ghost (Anticon, 5/17/11)
Starlicker: Double Demon (Delmark, 5/17/11)
Ash Black Bufflo: Andasol (Knitting Factory, 5/23/11)
Shabazz Palaces: Black Up (Sub Pop, 5/31/11)
Hail Mary Mallon: Are You Gonna Eat That? (Rhymesayers, 6/7/11)
Esmerine: La Lechuza (Constellation, 6/7/11)
Marissa Nadler: s/t (Box of Cedar, 6/14/11)
Erik Friedlander: Bonebridge (SkipStone, 6/14/11)
Bohren & Der Club of Gore: Beileid (Ipecac, 6/28/11)
Ancestors: Invisible White EP (Tee Pee, 6/28/11)
Brian Eno and the words of Rick Holland: Drums Between the Bells (Warp, 7/5/11)
Earth Crisis: Neutralize the Threat (Century Media, 7/12/11)
William Elliot Whitmore: Field Songs (Anti-, 7/12/11)
Decapitated: Carnival is Forever (Nuclear Blast, 7/12/11)
Serengeti: Family and Friends (Anticon, 7/19/11)
Prurient: Bermuda Drain (Hydra Head, 7/19/11)
Big Business: Quadruple Single EP (Gold Metal, 7/26/11)
Noxious Foxes: Légs (Broth IRA, 7/26/11)
Mariachi El Bronx: II (ATO, 8/2/11)
MoHa!: Meiningslaust Oppgulp (Rune Grammofon, 8/16/11)
NewVillager: s/t (IAMSOUND / Columbia, 8/16/11)
Gojogo: 28,000 Days (Porto Franco, 8/16/11)
Active Child: You Are All I See (Vagrant, 8/23/11)
Yawn: Open Season (FeelTrip/Englophile, 8/30/11)
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Race Riot Suite (Kinnara Records / Royal Potato Family, 8/30/11)
Vieo Abiungo: And the World is Still Yawning (Lost Tribe Sound, 8/30/11)
Arkona: Slovo (Napalm, 9/6/11)
The Chemical Brothers: Hanna OST (Relativity Music Group, 9/6/11)
The Dirt Daubers: Wake Up, Sinners! (Colonel Knowledge / Thirty Tigers, 9/13/11)
Welder: Florescence (Ancestor, 9/27/11)
Björk: Biophilia (Nonesuch, 10/11/11)
Sandro Perri: Impossible Spaces (Constellation, 10/18/11)
Darkness Falls: Alive in Us (HFN Music / Fake Diamond Records, 10/24/11)
Kid Koala: Space Cadet graphic novel and soundtrack (Ninja Tune, 10/25/11)
Mr. Gnome: Madness In Miniature (El Marko, 10/25/11)
Mike Patton: Music From The Film and Inspired By the Book The Solitude of Prime Numbers (La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi) (Ipecac, 11/1/11)
Krisiun: The Great Execution (Century Media, 11/1/11)
Ralfe Band: Bunny and the Bull soundtrack (Warp Films / Ghost Ship, 11/8/11)
And So I Watch You from Afar: Gangs (Sargent House / Richter Collective, 11/8/11)
David Lynch: Crazy Clown Time (Sunday Best / PIAS, 11/8/11)
Loka: Passing Place (Ninja Tune, 12/6/11)