Downtown

50 Unheralded Albums from 2011

50 Unheralded Albums from 2011

In just one more trip around the sun, another swarm of immensely talented but under-recognized musicians has harnessed its collective talents and discharged its creations into the void. This list is but one fraction of those dedicated individuals who caught our ears with some serious jams.

Morrow vs. Hajduch

Morrow vs. Hajduch: Tom Vek’s Leisure Seizure

Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.

Tom Vek: Leisure SeizureTom Vek: Leisure Seizure (Downtown / Island, digital = 6/7/11, physical = 9/13/11)

Tom Vek: “A Chore”

[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Tom_Vek_A_Chore.mp3|titles=Tom Vek: “A Chore”]

Hajduch: Alt-pop singer/multi-instrumentalist Tom Vek released his under-the-radar debut, We Have Sound, in 2005.  Since then, he’s remained very quiet.  It turns out that he was holed up in a studio, preparing more of his rhythmically propulsive, sort-of-electronic, meticulously produced post-punk pop jams.  Leisure Seizure recently arrived digitally (a physical release is forthcoming), and it’s very solid, if largely unsurprising.  Banging drums and sing-along choruses have always been Vek’s MO, and they serve him well here.