Best Albums of 2011

1. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
2. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
3. Lucinda Williams - Blessed
4. The Lollipops - Hold!
5. Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia
6. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
7. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
8. Astronautalis - This is Our Science
9. The Roots - Undun
10. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Scandalous

Best Local Albums of 2011

1. Astronautalis - This is Our Science
2. Sims - Bad Time Zoo
3. Rogue Valley - False Floors
4. Low - C'mon
5. Dead Man Winter - Bright Lights
6. The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
7. Wugazi - 13 Chambers
8. Pink Mink - Pink Mink
9. Halloween, Alaska - All Night the Calls Came In
10. Atmosphere - The Family Sign

Best Concerts of 2011

1. The Joy Formidable @ 7th Street Entry
2. M83 @ First Avenue
3. Adele @ Xcel Energy Center
4. The Flaming Lips @ Soundtown Festival
5. Southern Songbook @ Southern Theater
6. Drive-By Truckers @ First Avenue
7. Ben Nichols @ 7th Street Entry
8. Gruff Rhys @ Triple Rock
9. Death Cab for Cutie @ First Avenue
10. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Cedar Cultural Center

Best TV Shows

1. Breaking Bad
2. Friday Night Lights
3. Louie
4. Curb Your Enthusiasm
5. Homeland
6. Boardwalk Empire
7. Game of Thrones
8. Rescue Me
9. New Girl
10. Parks and Recreation

Best Movies

1. The Decendants
2. Beginners
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. Bill Cunningham New York
5. Bridesmaids
6. Hugo
7. Tree of Life
8. Melancholia
9. 50/50
10. Horrible Bosses

Best New Restaurants

1. Tilia
2. Muddy Waters
3. The Bachelor Farmer
4. Amsterdam
5. Bayport BBQ
6. Zen Box Izakaya
7. Pat's Tap
8. Masu Sushi & Robata
9. Hola Arepa
10. Patriot's Tavern

Best iOS Apps

1. Tweetbot
2. Instagram
3. Slacker
4. SlingPlayer
5. NAVIGON
6. RadarScope
7. Mint
8. My-Cast
9. Magic Window
10. Reeder

Best Video Games

1. Skyrim
2. Portal 2
3. L.A. Noire
4. Catherine
5. Batman: Arkham City
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
7. Saints Row: The Third
8. Crysis
9. Bastion
10. Dead Space 2

Best Books

1. I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
   by Craig Marks & Rob Tannenbaum
2. Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
   by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
3. Steve Jobs
   by Walter Isaacson
4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
   by Laura Hillenbrand
5. It's So Easy: and other lies
   by Duff McKagan
6. Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too!
   by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon
7. Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job
   by Jon Acuff
8. Lost in Sangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
   by Mitchell Zuckoff
9. Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever
   by Will Hermes
10. Life Itself: A Memoir
    by Roger Ebert
    

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20. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding

Superchunk’s first album in nine years demonstrates they can still get it done. A tight 41-minutes of melodic driving indie rock.

19. Goldfrapp - Head First

An album hated by hipsters around the world. Head First borrowed heavily from the synth-pop sound perfected by Italian producer Giorgio Moroder in the 80’s. Lead singer Alison Goldfrapp’s vocal performance could be a double for “Physical”-era Olivia Newton-John.

The album takes you back to a time when popular music sounded unabashedly happy. That’s not cool today where every expression of musical joy must be accompanied by a smug grin and a subtle roll of the eyes. Joy, fun and major chords should always be conveyed ironically.

Goldfrapp doesn’t seem to give a crap about this rule. They play the joy straight and it works.

Of course, my reaction to this album was enhanced by the fact that it was released in late-March after the long winter was finally over.

Head First was the perfect soundtrack for that great feeling you get on the first nice day in spring. That warm Friday when you can finally drive home after work with the sun shining, the car windows down, the stereo cranked and the weekend in front of you.

18. GAYNGS - Relayted

According to legend, each song on this album was recorded at 69 beats-per-minute. It’s meant to be a slow-jam make-out album, so GAYNGS ringleader Ryan Olson chose “69”-bpm.

It probably won’t make it into my regular rotation of make-out albums (I lean more towards the Benny Hill theme or “Sad Trombone” on a random endless loop). But this is a great collection of laid back 70’s-style R&B and “Yacht Rock”.

GAYNGS is an upper-midwest “supergroup”, gathering members of Bon Iver, Solid Gold, Megafaun, (the former) Lookbook, Dessa, P.O.S., and more together for a one-time collaboration on disc.

The opening song, “The Gaudy Side of Town” is the 2010 de facto driving-around-the-city-late-on-a-summer-night song. Mike Lewis’ saxophone and Zach Coulter/Justin Vernon’s falsetto vocals are a great combination that evokes the late night urban R&B/Jazz you would hear on the FM dial back in the 70s.

17. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

Titus Andronicus channels The Pogues and Dropkick Murphys.

16. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was a good album but it’s been a bit overhyped by the critics. MBDTF is wonderfully-produced and Kanye has an incredible ear for beats and disparate hooks. But, Kanye and his well-oiled ego overestimate his personal abilities as an MC, lyricist and tunesmith. MBDTF has some great moments but there is also a lot of filler (I’m looking at you Chris Rock).

I bring up Kanye simply as a jumping-off point to Big Boi’s commercially under-appreciated Sir Lucious Left Foot. If you love the Kanye album, you really should check out this Big Boi release.

It took four years of record label red-tape to get this album released but it was worth it. Big Boi creates a great sonic atmosphere that will seem relevant long after most people have forgotten about other big-name hip-hop albums from 2010.

My fervent wish for the future is that the world is finally rid of spoken-word interludes on hip-hop albums. Nothing dates an album (including this one) more than these annoying minute-long inside-joke “vignettes”. Stop it, artists. Please.

15. Retribution Gospel Choir - 2

Alan Sparhawk’s Low is a wonderful “slowcore” band that creates a great sonic landscape reminiscent of their hometown of Duluth in the middle of winter. Sparhawk also has the need to rock a bit harder and his side-project, Retribution Gospel Choir, gives him that outlet.

On 2, the band gets an amazing full sound out of their three primary instruments (lead guitar, bass guitar and drums). I assume I’m just making this term up but the songs are wonderful “poppy psychedelia”. Tight “chorus-verse-chorus” songs that suddenly expand into some great extended jams.

14. Admiral Fallow - Boots Met My Face

There has been a Scottish resurgence in rock music over the past few years. Groups like Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad and Glasvegas have brought the traditional influences of their home country to the music scene.

Admiral Fallow is the latest Scottish group trying to make a break out of the UK. Lead singer Louis Abbott is unashamed about the raw Scottish brogue he brings to his vocals.  He delivers a passion and melancholy to these traditional-influenced rock songs filled with non-standard indie rock instrumentation (pipes, clarinet, strings, etc.)

13. Amusement Parks on Fire - Road Eyes

I wish I could write some deep meaningful flowery prose on why I love this album from the UK’s Amusement Parks on Fire. I can’t.

Everyone has certain chord structures, hooks, etc. that resonate personally each time they hear them. This shoegaze album just sounds “right” to me and is one of my most played in 2010.

Of course this is also the reason why I picked Ashley Parker Angel’s Soundtrack to Your Life as one of my favorite albums of 2006. I’m not proud.

12. Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Frightened Rabbit’s last album, The Midnight Organ Fight, dealt with heartbreak. The Winter of Mixed Drinks deals with getting back on your feet. The songs on the new album aren’t exactly sunny but they are definitely uplifting.

11. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Damon Albarn’s great synth-funk followup to Demon Days. The eclectic supporting players include Mick Jones (The Clash), Paul Simonon (The Clash), Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, De la Soul, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and more.

Most importantly, Plastic Beach introduced legendary soul singer Bobby Womack to a new generation with great vocals on “Stylo” and “Cloud of Unknowing”.

10. The Black Keys - Brothers

The Black Keys are another band that sounds ten times bigger than the duo they actually are.

Dan Auerbach has really improved as a vocalist over the last few albums. He has a great control over his pipes and demonstrates a wonderful dynamic range across the varied moods of this album. His crunching guitar is as explosive as ever.

Patrick Carney continues his John Bonham-like drumming style as his creative backbeats mingle well with Auerbach’s guitar.

These songs have some wonderful Akron-blues hooks and are meant to be played LOUD.

9. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer

Cee Lo Green is not one to keep his emotions close to the vest. He lets them all hang out in his music. That rawness is what makes this a great album.

He resurrects the vibe of classic R&B singers of the 60s and gives things a modern spin. He can jump from a burning horn-laced jam to a quiet ballad without making you aware of the transition. He can also take a song like “F**k You”, cloying in the hands of many other artists, and make it an anthem for the dumped of the world.

8. Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises

A friend and I were discussing Sun Kil Moon earlier in the year and I mentioned I would love for Mark Kozelek to produce a kids’ lullaby album. His voice would be perfect in that setting. Well, later in the year Kozelek basically released an adult lullaby album with Admiral Fell Promises.

Unlike previous Sun Kil Moon releases, this is primarily a solo album for Kozelek featuring his plaintive double-tracked voice and some nice nylon-string classical guitar. It’s a wonderful late-night album.

7. Free Energy - Stuck on Nothing

The most hook-filled album of the year. Guitar-fueled power-pop that would have been right at home on 70’s AM radio.

6. The National - High Violet

I didn’t fall instantly in love with this album. It took a handful of listens before the greatness of the release hit home. Boxer and Alligator are two of my favorite albums from 2005 & 2007 so my expectations were a bit high.

On High Violet, lead singer Matt Berninger’s baritone is appropriately restrained. Unlike on earlier albums, these vocals exist on an even level with the instrumentation created by the Dessner and Devendorf brothers.

Michael Been of the group The Call passed away earlier this year and I went back and listened to some of their albums. As I did, it dawned on me that High Violet could be an extension to The Call’s better albums of the mid-80s. High Violet and The Call’s earlier albums share a similar sonic atmosphere and Matt Berninger’s vocals are very reminiscent of Michael Been’s.

5. Jeremy Messersmith - The Reluctant Graveyard

Beatles-influenced 60’s pop has been done to death. That was basically my thought when I first heard about the third album Messersmith was recording.

That style may have been done to death but I underestimated the power of quality songwriting in that genre. This is an incredible collection of catchy well-crafted songs.

Lyrically, the songs deal with end-of-life themes. Musically, the songs are life-affirming.

The retro-production on this album and the instrumental arrangements are far more advanced than I would have expected based on his first two releases. The album is available for download here on his Bandcamp site and you can name your own price. If you appreciate good music, consider dropping a few dimes in his jar.

4. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

A genre-busting concept album from an artist that should have had a much bigger career-explosion in 2010. I’m assuming the majority of people reading this still have no idea who she is. That’s sad.

The album weaved elements of hip-hop, Prince-inspired funk, big-band, John Barry/James Bond-like themes, jazz, rock and more.

Monae is an incredibly talented entertainer both in the studio and on stage. Hopefully her reputation will grow in 2011.

3. Jonsi - Go

Iceland’s Sigur Ros is one of my favorite groups. I was interested to hear what lead singer Jon Thor Birgisson (Jonsi) would release in his first solo album.

Sigur Ros albums are mainly about atmosphere. Jonsi’s falsetto is basically another instrument in the band. Most “lyrics” in Sigur Ros’ music are composed in the made-up language dubbed “Hopelandic”. This allows the lyrics to percussively layer themselves into the music. Each song is complex and gorgeous.

Go sounds bigger than anything created by Sigur Ros. The percussion by Samuli Kosminen holds center stage and keeps things moving forward. Jonsi composed all lyrics for Go in English and it is nice to finally hear him convey emotion with his words.

Hopefully Sigur Ros will return from their hiatus and produce a new CD. But, Go shows that Jonsi can create a wonderful CD on his own.

2. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night hearkens back to the late-60’s and early-70’s when the analog production of an album was just as important as the performance. This album is far from overproduced but it creates an atmosphere borne from tinkering around in the studio.

This isn’t a collection of brief 3-minute rock songs. These are slow-moving songs that take time to develop and gather a theme.

In most cases, those words would signal a pretentious boring album. Not here. These songs are peppered with some great pop hooks, Brian Wilson-type harmonies and wonderful instrumentation.

This isn’t an album to pick-and-choose single tracks from iTunes. To get the full effect, it should be enjoyed to front-to-back. Preferably during a long unbroken road trip or during a sleepless bout at 3am on a Sunday morning.

1. Dessa - A Badly Broken Code

2010 didn’t offer many musical surprises. Most of the year’s great albums built on existing genres and styles.

A Badly Broken Code was the one album that hit me as being special the first time I heard it.

Minneapolis’ Dessa is a deft MC. She has written some complex lyrics for this album and is able to glide her way around them in some interesting ways. Her past slam poetry experience has given her great vocal tools. Dessa’s writing not only focuses on the meaning of the words but also how those words come across sonically.

Her singing also creates a great mood in a number of songs. I love her ability to seamlessly transition between singing and rap within the same song. The arrangements on the album incorporate a number of disparate styles.

It’s wonderful to hear a local female MC put out a groundbreaking album of this heft. It’s one hip-hop album I would choose to introduce someone unfamiliar with the genre.

If I were a parent, I would be proud if I discovered my daughter sneaking this “parental advisory” album home.

This is not your cookie cutter hip-hop album. It’s exciting to hear what’s been created and I look forward to her future solo work.

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Everyone is posting their personal 2010 Concert List. This is the list I came up with from Last.FM, Foursquare and iCal. Add in the Twins partial-season package and 2010 was a busy/fun year.

January:

• Love-cars / The Evening Rig / Colder in Moscow (Triple Rock)

February:

• Gimme Shelter: A Benefit Concert for Haiti (First Avenue)
• Electric Fetus Benefit Concert (First Avenue)
• Magnum Chorum (University of St. Thomas)
• Dawes / Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons / Jason Boesel (Triple Rock)
• The Suburbs / The Suicide Commandos / X-Boys (First Avenue)
• Sondre Lerche (Varsity Theater)
• Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner & Clogs (Southern Theater)
• Retribution Gospel Choir (Triple Rock)
• No Bird Sing / Kill the Vultures / Lookbook (Cedar Cultural Center)

March:

• The Avett Brothers / Low Anthem (First Avenue)
• Solid Gold EP Release Show (Turf Club)
• Americana Showcase w/ Adam Levy, Martin Zellar, Ben Kyle & Brandon Sampson (James J Hill Reference Library Reading Room)
• We Were Promised Jetpacks / Bear Hands / The Lonely Forest (Varsity Theater)
• GZA/Genius (Triple Rock)
• RJD2 / Happy Chichester / Break Science (Triple Rock)
• Mayda (Cause Spirits & Soundbar)
• The Soviettes / Awesome Snakes / The Gateway District / That's Incredible (Turf Club)
• BNLX / Red Pens / Mercurial Rage / Blue Sky Blackout (Cause Spirits & Soundbar)
• The Temper Trap (Varsity Theater)
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / Band of Skulls (First Avenue)
• Wussy / Gospel Gossip / Maudlin / Zoo Animal (Cause Spirits & Soundbar)
• Janelle Monae (Varsity Theater)

April:

• Spoon / Deerhunter / Micachu & The Shapes (First Avenue)
• Black Lips / Box Elders / France Has the Bomb (Varsity Theater)
• Beach House / Bachelorette (Cedar Cultural Center)
• Miike Snow / Delorean (Varsity Theater)
• Bon Jovi (Xcel Energy Center)
• The xx ; jj (Varsity Theater)
• Chastity Brown (Cake in 15 House Concert)
• Coachella Practice Night #3 w/ P.O.S. / Marijuana Deathsquads (Nick & Eddie)
• Dr. Dog (Fine Line)
• Angels & Airwaves / Say Anything (Epic)
• The Antlers / Phantogram (Varsity Theater)
• Jonsi (Pantages)
• Free Energy (Triple Rock)
• The Besnard Lakes / Hollerado (7th Street Entry)

May:

• The Apples in Stereo / The Generationals / Laminated Cat (Turf Club)
• Magnum Chorum (Nativity of our Lord Catholic Church)
• You, You're Awesome / BNLX / Blue Sky Blackout (Cause Spirits & Soundbar)
• Frightened Rabbit / Maps & Atlases (Varsity Theater)
• Shout Out Louds /Freelance Whales (Varsity Theater)
• GAYNGS: The Last Prom on Earth (First Avenue)
• Local Natives / Suckers (400 Bar)
• The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour w/ Conan O' Brien & Brian Setzer (Orpheum Theater)
• Mono / The Twilight Sad (Triple Rock)

June:

• Evelyn Evelyn / Amanda Palmer / Jason Webley / Sxip Shirey (Cedar Cultural Center)
• Grand Old Day w/ Doomtree / Free Energy / Heiruspecs / Dessa / Jeremy Messersmith / The Von Bondies (St. Paul)
• Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Dawes (First Avenue)
• The Black Keys (First Avenue)
• Matt Pond PA / Wintersleep / Minor Kingdom (7th Street Entry)
• Athlete / Carney (Triple Rock)
• Justin Currie (Fine Line)
• The Psychedelic Furs / She Wants Revenge (First Avenue)
• The Time (Epic)
• Lookbook / Zoo Animal / Bright Club / Slapping Purses (First Avenue)
• BNLX / Mercurial Rage / Pink Mink / Byzantine Beatbox (Cause Spirits & Soundbar)
• Aziz Ansari (State Theater)

July:

• Taste of Minnesota w/ Dawes / Retribution Gospel Choir / Justin Townes Earle / Atmosphere / P.O.S. / The Walkmen (Harriet Island)
• WAMplified w/ Solid Gold & Lookbook (Weisman Art Museum)
• The Gaslight Anthem / Tim Barry / Chamberlain (First Avenue)
• Heartless Bastards / Alpha Consumer / The Builders and the Butcher (Varsity Theater)
• Warren G / Toki Wright / Heatbox / Blue Collar Boyz (Epic)
• Lucero / Jason Isbell (Minnesota Zoo Ampitheater)
• Joey Ryan & The Inks / Blueheels / New Century Masters (Nomad)

August:

• The National / The Antlers (First Avenue)
• Chromeo / Holy Ghost! (First Avenue)
• Keane / Ingrid Michaelson / Fran Healy (First Avenue)
• Red Stag Block Party (Minneapolis)
• E.L.nO. (Lee's Liquor Lounge)

September:

• KISS (Minnesota State Fair)
• Titus Andronicus / Free Energy (Triple Rock)
• Rogue Wave / Midlake / Peter Wolf Crier (First Avenue)
• of Montreal / Janelle Monae (First Avenue)
• New Century Masters / Joey Ryan and the Inks (Nomad)

October:

• Eels / Jesca Hoop (First Avenue)
• Broken Social Scene / The Sea and Cake (First Avenue)
• Muse / Passion Pit (Target Center)
• Mark Mallman's Marathon 3 (Turf Club)
• A Benefit for Brad Kern (First Avenue)
• Gorillaz / N*E*R*D (Target Center)
• Social Distortion / Frank Turner / Lucero (First Avenue)
• Stars (First Avenue)
• E.L.nO. / Solid Gold (Lee's Liquor Lounge)

November:

• Dawes / Peter Wolf Crier / Moondoggies (First Avenue)
• Cloud Cult / Fort Wilson Riot (First Avenue)
• Tribute to the Replacements/Tim (First Avenue)
• Mavis Staples / Roma di Luna (Cedar Cultural Center)

December:

• Superchunk / Times New Viking (First Avenue)
• Andrew Bird (First Avenue)

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Honorable Mention
Free Energy
Various Venues

#10
Social Distortion
First Avenue (October 19, 2010)

#9
The Besnard Lakes
7th Street Entry (April 27, 2010)

#8
The National
First Avenue (August 5, 2010)

#7
Justin Townes Earle/Retribution Gospel Choir/Dawes
City Pages’ Big Music Tent - Taste of Minnesota (July 2, 2010)

#6
Broken Social Scene
First Avenue (October 4, 2010)

#5
Gorillaz
Target Center (October 17, 2010)

#4
The Time
Epic (June 13, 2010)

#3
GAYNGS - The Last Prom on Earth
First Avenue (May 14, 2010)

VIDEO: “The Gaudy Side of Town”
VIDEO: “The Last Prom on Earth”

#2
Janelle Monáe
Varsity Theater (March 31, 2010)

#1
Jonsi
Pantages Theater (April 25, 2010)

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There are so many elements of this song that I love. First of all, the Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis production is phenomenal. It’s the best thing they’ve done in years. It’s a great headphone song. There are cool little things happening all over the stereo soundscape. I love the way Stefani purrs the chorus. I also love that it's a lyrical shout-out from Stefani to the style and girls who are part of the Harajuku area/scene of Tokyo.

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“Teen Titans Theme” by Puffy AmiYumi
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Teen_Titans_Theme/1671241
I have a thing for J-pop and Puffy is one of my favorite groups in that genre. Though I have never seen an episode of the Teen Titans cartoon, this song is wonderful ear candy. The CD it was taken from was written and produced primarily by Jellyfish’s Andy Sturmer, which means most of the songs have great hooks. The adorable accents and great surf guitar are the reasons why this song shows up on many of my iPod playlists.

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