slow Matt is slow. Anyway...
 | 25) Small Brown Bike - Fell & Found. No Idea. 2011-04-26. A cool band that got lost in the late 90s shuffle of emo/punk/post-punk bands. Members eventually went on to form the short lived Able Baker Fox, but reunited SBB in 2009. One of the better reunions I've heard in a while (though, see #3). sample track: Onward and Overboard AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 24) Joey Cape's Bad Loud. self-released. 2011-06-09. OK, admittedly I'm a sucker for just about anything Joey Cape does. Though not as good as Bad Astronaut or early Lagwagon, Bad Loud is good enough to make me keep coming back to it. sample track: Canoe AVAILABILITY: Digital |
 | 23) Joan of Arc - Life Like. Polyvinyl. 2011-05-10. The ever-changing composition of JOA makes for some interesting releases. Can't say I love them all, but often the elements combine to create something truly awesome. Life Like is full of win. sample track: Love Life (live at SXSW) AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital . Cassette |
 | 22) Battles - Gloss Drop. Warp. 2011-06-07. Experimental math-prog Battles put together a solid second full length (following a series of awesome EPs). sample track: My Machines (feat. Gary Numan) AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 21) Grails - Deep Politics. Temporary Residence. 2011-03-08. It's easy to pin the post-rock label on Portland's Grails, which is a terrible mistake. Grails is able to create their own flavor of instrumental psychedelic prog with subtle exotic hints. If you're familiar with Grails, the opening track Future Primitive will welcome you to the album. But the nice thing about Grails, is where they go from there... sample track: All the Colors of the Dark AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 20) Christina Vantzou - No. 1. Kranky. 2011-10-25. I ran across this artist while checking out others 2011 year-end lists. IIRC, Ms. Vantzou appeared on Brian Cook's (Russian Circles) list. Beautiful experimental/ambient. I hope to see this pressed on vinyl. sample track: Homemade Mountains AVAILABILITY: CD . Digital |
 | 19) Deafheaven - Roads to Judah. Deathwish. 2011-04-26. DFHVN opened for Russian Circles this fall, and sadly I missed their act when they hit Columbus. I'm kicking myself now, because upon listening to Roads to Judah I'm pretty impressed. Roads to Judah somehow manages to create a balance between beautiful ambience and caustic metal. Categorize them in whatever genre you want, Roads to Judah is just awesome. sample track: Violet AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 18) Cave In - White Silence. Hydra Head. 2011-05-24. I can't say this enough: I am so glad Cave In went back to metal. Antenna was a decent album, but these boys are best when they're thrashing. sample track: Sing My Loves AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 17) ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Tao of the Dead. Richter Scale 2011-02-04. To put it simply, AYWKUBTTOD is a rock band, and Tao of the Dead rocks. They haven't reached the same mark as they did with Source Tags and Codes, but Tao is a worthy addition to their discography. sample track: Pure Radio Cosplay AVAILABILITY: CD . Deluxe CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 16) Jacaszek - Glimmer. Ghostly International. 2011-12-06. My wife stumbled across Treny a few years ago, and I was hooked. The stark simplicity of some of the tracks on Glimmer create a haunting atmosphere, and result in another amazing composition. sample track: Goldengrove AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 15) ††† (crosses) - EP† [EP]. self-released 2011-08-02. Members of Far and the Deftones. OK, sign me up. Crosses may be some of the best work to date from each member (which is an impressive collection of albums). EP †† drops in January, 2012. sample track: Bermuda Locke† AVAILABILITY: Digital . Vinyl Collector's Edition |
 | 14) We Be The Echo - Return to Nations. Chuckbeat. 2011-08-25. These guys create an infectious blend of math rock, prog metal and funk that get your feet going. Return to Nations is a solid follow up to their previous work. sample track: Sketches of Sprain AVAILABILITY: Digital |
 | 13) Static Radio NJ - We Are All Beasts. Kiss of Death. 2011-09-27. The sophomore release from Static Radio NJ (east coast FTW) is a huge one-up from their previous album, An Evening of Bad Decisions. Solid and catchy, We Are All Beasts won't disappoint. sample track: Geeks AVAILABILITY: Vinyl . Digital |
 | 12) Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation. Fat Possum. 2011-09-27. This was another gem I found while sorting through a heap of year-end lists (full of shite, I might add...). sample track: Cannons AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital . Cassette |
 | 11) This Will Destroy You - Tunnel Blanket. Suicide Squeeze. 2011-05-10. Tunnel Blanket finally sets TWDY apart from the "post-rock" crowd they are so-often lumped with. A more experimental soundscape, Tunnel Blanket plays out like a film score. sample track: Communal Blood (live) AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital . Cassette |
 | 10) We Were Promised Jetpacks - In the Pit of the Stomach. Fat Cat. 2011-10-04. Very solid album from Scottish rockers, WWPJ. Fewer stand-out singles on this album, but overall better than These Four Walls. sample track: Human Error AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 9) Mogwai - Earth Division. Sub Pop. 2011-09-13. A quick follow-up to their full length, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, Earth Division takes a giant step in a different direction. The EP takes on a warmer "earthier" sound highlighted with piano, acoustic guitars and strings. sample track: Hound of Winter AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 8) The Get Up Kids - There Are Rules. Vagrant. 2011-01-25. The Kids proved with their 2 previous full-lengths (the last one 7 years prior) that they've grown up. There Are Rules defies any expectations. From 80s synth pop to dark grungy riffs, TGUK put out their most adventurous album to date. sample track: Regents Court |
 | 7) Jónsi - We Bought a Zoo [soundtrack]. Columbia. 2011-12-13. I was torn as whether or not to put this album on the list - it contains some reworked songs from Go and some Sigur Rós material as well. However, I think it is unique (and awesome) enough to warrant standing alongside everything else on this list. Go was one of my favorites from last year, and Jónsi is one of the most talented artists I have ever heard/seen. I have no idea whether or not the film stands up to the score, but the music alone makes it worth checking out. sample track: Gathering Stories AVAILABILITY: CD . Digital |
 | 6) Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. Temporary Residence. 2011-04-26. What's to say here? It's Explosions in the Sky... Everything they've released to date has been solid gold. Take Care is no exception. Another beautiful composition of music, with a few surprises (even a 3 and half minute song!). sample track: Last Known Surroundings AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 5). The Appleseed Cast - Middle States [EP]. Graveface. 2011-06-07. Though this is only an EP, this release deserves a lot of credit. The 4 songs flow as one masterfully composed piece of music. Their previous effort, Sagarmatha was a solid album. Lets hope they continue this flow and give us a great album in 2012. sample track: End Frigate Constellation AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 4) O'Brother - Garden Window. Favorite Gentlemen. 2011-11-15. I caught these guys when they opened for Thrice in the spring of 2010 and they totally stole the show. I've been following their every step since, and I don't think I have ever anticipated an album so much. They didn't disappoint. Garden Window is an impressive and complex effort for a debut full-length. sample track: Lay Down AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 3) Rival Schools - Pedals. Photo Finish. 2011-03-08. This is what a reunion should sound like! I actually forgot how much I liked this band, as it's been a while since I listened to them. When I heard the first single, Shot After Shot, I started to get really stoked. Though Ian left the band once again, it seems as though Rival Schools might push on. I really hope so, because they proved they have a lot of great music left to share. sample track: A Parts for B Actors AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital |
 | 2) Russian Circles - Empros. Sargent House. 2011-10-25. If you haven't seen this band live, you're really missing out. They are masters at replicating the dense album sounds in a live format, which is pretty amazing for a three-piece. Empros was written to emphasize the live feel. It is a stripped-down dirtier album than Geneva (which has become one of my favorites), but it is no less impressive. Though many go on and on about Mike Sullivan's guitar mastery, I think Brian Cook's bass work is really the show stealer here, which is brutally punishing at times. sample track: Atackla |
 | 1) Thrice - Major/Minor. Vagrant. 2011-09-06. I've been a fan of Thrice throughout their career, particularly because they've been able to grow AND still make great music. I felt with Beggars they finally found "their sound," and this was the first album that truly bridged all of their work to date. Major/Minor is a continuation of that progression, and it just gets better and better with every spin. They released the album on 2xLP (45rpm), and it sounds beautiful. One of the records I own that really showcases the splendor of the format. Do yourself a favor and pick up this (possibly last) Thrice album. sample track: Words in the Water |
There were lots of other goodies this year too, which I'll try to post about, but these were my favorites.
