50 Unheralded Albums from 2011

Steven Drozd: The Heart is a Drum MachineSteven DrozdThe Heart Is A Drum Machine (The Score) (Twinkle Cash Co., 1/18/11)

Steven Drozd: “Born”

[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Steven_Drozd_Born.mp3|titles=Steven Drozd: “Born”]

A multi-instrumentalist and the third-most-tenured member of The Flaming Lips, Steven Drozd marked his first official solo release early this year with the nearly instrumental accompaniment to the documentary The Heart is a Drum Machine.

The music shares a lot of characteristics with the Flaming Lips of the past dozen years – synthesized grooves, big rock beats, fuzz bass, airy keyboards, and different instrumental flourishes weaving in and out. But listeners are unlikely to confuse the two, and the score succeeds as a standalone album as well as a film accompaniment.