Quick silly poll - Has 2011 been a good year for music?

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well?

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Pretty Good Year 9
Average Year 8
Below Average Year 8
Classic Year For Music 5
Above Average Year 2
Comic Book Guy Type Worst Year Ever! 1


Minga Frump (Jimmy Riddle), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:12 (twelve years ago) link

I didn't find/hear nearly as many new albums I was instantly infatuated with as I did last year; in fact, most of my musical obsessions were either reissues or things I missed last year.

Although Lamb came back, that's worth a ton.

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:14 (twelve years ago) link

Yeah, I only fell in love with a very few things this year as opposed to the last couple years when my cup runneth over.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:16 (twelve years ago) link

I have found so many things in music to love this year. So PGY for me. But that might be because I haven't allowed myself to be exposed to too many things that I hate. Also, having Spotify means I have to make less of an effort to discover things that I love.

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:19 (twelve years ago) link

dog latin to thread

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:20 (twelve years ago) link

every year is a good year for music

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:22 (twelve years ago) link

haha, yeah this year has been classic. i'll be writing about why over the next couple of weeks...

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:22 (twelve years ago) link

Oh, I found a ton of great things this year, it's just that most of them weren't released this year.

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:23 (twelve years ago) link

all i'm going to say is, compare this year's big records with the GAPDY banality of 2009 and suddenly the past feels like a very foreign country.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link

but yeah, it's all subjective innit. no one was forced to listen to GAPDY in 2009.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:27 (twelve years ago) link

there hasn't been a good year for music since 1997

Sad Banter (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:29 (twelve years ago) link

what was so great about 1997?

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:30 (twelve years ago) link

What was so good about 1997? The first album that comes to mind is Homework and that's good, but I'm drawing a blank otherwise.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:31 (twelve years ago) link

OK Computer was the first thing that came to my mind JF. I always thoguht Homework was '96.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:32 (twelve years ago) link

Oh god I had forgotten about GAPDY. *shudders*

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:32 (twelve years ago) link

I'm blanking on the G, was it Grizzly Bear?

I know the rest were AnCo, Phoenix, Dirty Projectors, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:38 (twelve years ago) link

yeah i still haven't listened to that grizzly bear album despite being indie hype apologist #23 on here

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:39 (twelve years ago) link

xps Oh yeah! OK Computer.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:40 (twelve years ago) link

What was so good about 1997? The first album that comes to mind is Homework and that's good, but I'm drawing a blank otherwise.

okay really? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1997_albums

In addition to Homework you have:

Portishead
Baduizm
Dig Your Own Hole
Do You Like My Tight Sweater?
Hard Normal Daddy
Bently Rhythm Ace
Glee
The Fat of the Land
Happy End of the World
Homogenic
Modus Operandi
New Forms
Mi Media Naranja
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
OK Computer

... and there I stopped looking because 1997 was a fucking amazing year

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:40 (twelve years ago) link

what was so great about 1997?

first AMT album
The Fall's Levitate
Gravitar's Now the Road of Knives
Bardo Pond's Lapsed
Erykah Badu's Baduizm
Helium's The Magic City
Yo La Tengo's I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Camp Lo's Uptown Saturday Night
first OOIOO album
Labradford's Mi Media Naranja
Strange Warmings of Laddio Bolocko
Electric Wizard's Come My Fanatics
Modest Mouse's Lonesome Crowded West

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link

ps fuck OKC

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link

The Grizzly Bear one, I know I've heard, but it was so backgroundy I may as well not have.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link

tbh I didn't give a shit about GAPDY domination because I loved Y and could easily avoid/ignore the rest aside from A, whom I could boil down to one song I also loved

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:42 (twelve years ago) link

IDGI. OKC is like the worst Radiohead album?

I remember there being a lot of not great albums by bands I'd formerly appreciated, in 1997 and almost being ready to give up on music.

(Not including OKC, mind, which is still a good album even if it's nowhere near my fave. I'm thinking of frinstance LAGWAFIS and that last abomination by The Verve.)

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:43 (twelve years ago) link

1997 had "Blur" and "Brighten The Corners" too, both of which I liked well.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:43 (twelve years ago) link

Yeah, aside from Homework, Homogenic and OK Computer, I don't even think about any of that shit anymore (and I rarely even think about Homogenic and OK Computer tbh).

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:43 (twelve years ago) link

Wait, I liked _Blur_ and Dig Your Own Hole, too. But mostly, meh.

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:44 (twelve years ago) link

perfect from now on

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:44 (twelve years ago) link

smh

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:44 (twelve years ago) link

i think '96 and '98 were both way better for rap though?? drawing a blank here

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:45 (twelve years ago) link

The worst Radiohead album is still (and will always be) Pablo Honey IMO

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:45 (twelve years ago) link

I think maybe my distaste for OKC is down to the complete WTFness of "what has Thom Yorke done to his hair!?!??" during that period. YMMV.

The same can't be said of Spz, mind.

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link

let's talk about 2011 again

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link

Pablo Honey is GREBT!!!! What choo talking bout, OH NOES?

Blow Out! Thinking About You! even CREPE has really aged quite sweetly. But I guess I just had a soft spot for them as a Ride wannabe shoegaze band. Sigh.

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:48 (twelve years ago) link

TKOL is their worst album. Pablo Honey wasn't perfect, but at least it didn't sound like a bunch of rejected OK Computer b-sides.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:48 (twelve years ago) link

is there like a music version of godwin's law where all threads end up as radiohead discussion

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:49 (twelve years ago) link

I never liked OKC.

So why did I dash out and buy KidA unheard on day 1? Probably because all the R fans hated it already, so figured it must be great. Was right.

Ou est la showaddywaddy (MarkG oo la showaddywaddy), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:49 (twelve years ago) link

Sorry. KATY B! ST VINCENT! BARBARA PANTHER! EMIKA! PLANNINGTOROCK! ACTIVE CHILD! 2011 has been awesome!

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:49 (twelve years ago) link

as a staunch Rhead defender round these parts I actually like OKC more than I did when it came out, but I get annoyed when it becomes the default answer for 'album-of-the-decade' if only because 1) it is patchy as fuck, and 2) there are at least ten albums from 97 alone that stomp on it.

xp smh here's something http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516KBT7FJJL.jpg

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link

I've struggled to find whole albums i really love but it has been a terrific year for singles.

ShariVari, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link

Hey you know I actually started a RH sandbox thread so we could have a place to talk about this stuff without irritating everyone in the world The Lex?

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:51 (twelve years ago) link

xp I used to think that until I heard the John Maus album. Weirdly enough now 2011 makes sense.

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:52 (twelve years ago) link

the lex is actually just a joint account used by everyone in the world

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link

I liked the 3 albums I heard

lol singles

Dr Morbius, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link

Actually the last time I saw The Lex, he was quite drunk in a pub telling me that he didn't actually ~mind~ el Thommo's voice when he sung in his lower register, but swore me to silence about it, and we came up with a cunning plan to have Radiohead and Britney Spears switch remixers for their next release which would probably have AMAZING RESULTS.

I mean, can you imagine?

Codex (Junkie-XL super rave hands in the air remix)
vs
Hold It Against Me (Four Tet minimal gaze ecstacy reconstruction)

That would be the most awesome thing ever.

Fotherington Thomas, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:56 (twelve years ago) link

multiple xposts but:

I love "Creep" but I have never gotten into any of the other songs on that album. In fact, I was so turned off by the rest of that album that I intentionally avoided The Bends and all of its singles and didn't realize how great THAT album was until I was ambushed by "Paranoid Android" on MTV, got into OK Computer and then saw the video for "Just".

From this year, I really really dig Planningtorock, Beyonce, Rihanna (to my complete and total shock and surprise btw), M83, Lamb, PJ Harvey and Creep. (For obv reasons I am recusing myself from listing The Mountain Goats this year) Emika is great but since I only discovered her this week I am holding off on adding her to the list.

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:57 (twelve years ago) link

video for Just is def what got me into the Bends and Radiohead in general

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 15:59 (twelve years ago) link

2011 was as good a year for albums as any, in my opinion, although the singles didn't amaze me as much.

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 December 2011 15:59 (twelve years ago) link

I knew that actually, bcz you called 212 the single of the year

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 16:01 (twelve years ago) link

(j/k; I like that song, thx for bringing it to my attention)

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 16:01 (twelve years ago) link

I first heard Katy B last year on Magnetic Man's "Perfect Stranger," and still prefer that track to any that are on her own album. It's deece, but doesn't set my world on fire.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:22 (twelve years ago) link

I like it more than you guys but I disliked every single except "You & I."

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:23 (twelve years ago) link

I think the messiness and incoherence of BTW is part of what makes me like it so much, or at least what fascinates me about. Even now, I still keep it in pretty regular rotation trying to parse it. Mostly I just love the songs I love and skip the couple I don't.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link

Anyone who doesn't mind a bit of Wolf Parade-style stringfelt mood-balladry could do worse than check out the Other Lives album from this year.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link

OH NOES: you should still be able to stream that very good Walls album http://dummymag.com/new-music/2011/09/29/walls-coracle-stream/.

rob (night house), Friday, 2 December 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link

BTW and Beyonce's record present the same problem for me: uneven yet the stuff that works is next-level shit.

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:26 (twelve years ago) link

I'm trying to think of an indie schmindie album from this year that I can really stan for. The Joy Formidable put me off by going "big" and I still think they went the wrong way. The Herman Dune album is great as I'm listening to it, but forget it as soon as it's finished. Milagres made a good record, but it's so monochromatic. Does Peaking Lights count? I don't really think of that as a typical indie album, even thought it's a NNF release.

Jeez, albums. I think I'm done with 'em for the most part.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:30 (twelve years ago) link

Oh yeah, and the Iron & Wine album - thought it was cack compared to the Shepherd's Dog at first, but it ended up soundtracking a whole week in Barcelona for me, so that's a firm fave.

I was enjoying the Art Department/Soul Clap/Benoit & Sergio thing back at the beginning of the year, but that music is much better suited to dark nights and streetlights so I lost interest throughout the summer. I may well shove on again that excellent mix Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb brought out earlier this year, now it's Autumn.

dog latin, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:30 (twelve years ago) link

yeah i relistened to BTW the other day and most of it left me cold, although i've kinda come around on "government hooker". prefer the beyonce.

i had no home computer for nearly two months and i am sort of overwhelmed by the game of catch-up i'm playing, but holy shit there was so much good music this year. and like alfred this is the first time in a while where i cared more about albums than singles.

silvana mangano, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:33 (twelve years ago) link

I can boil 4 down to four tracks as well ("I Care", "I Miss You", "Countdown", "End of Time") but, unlike BTW, I think those 4 songs are outstanding bordering-on-career-high-point songs and the rest of the album ranks from great to good aside from the still incoherent "Best Thing I Never Had" and the forgettable-except-for-the-horrible-swagu-line "Party"

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:36 (twelve years ago) link

what about "Love on Top"?

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:37 (twelve years ago) link

on the "great" or "good" side?

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:37 (twelve years ago) link

Beyonce album is so great and the only song I would cut is "Girls".

Also glad to see dog latin speaking positively about that Iron & Wine album. I know he doesn't have tons of fans around here, but there's a 70s AM radio vibe and playfulness that I really appreciate.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:39 (twelve years ago) link

"party" is the only track that i'm not digging on 4. "i was here" clicked big time two weeks ago for no reason at all

lex pretend, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link

I'd rank "Love On Top" as "very good"

I rate the album like this:

outstanding:
End of Time
I Miss You
I Care
Countdown

great/very good:
Run The World (Girls)
Love On Top
Rather Die Young

good:
I Was Here
1 + 1
Start Over

fucking Kanye:
Party

stop trying to do "feminist ballads", you are terrible at them:
Best Thing I Never Had

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link

btw the thing that is really making Katy B work is how PRESENT she is in the mix, I am really really digging this

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:42 (twelve years ago) link

okay Katy B cribbed a sample used in the Alley Cat mix of "Charly" on "Go Away"

this is great, between this, Emika and Austra this has been a great week for me catching up on what happened this year

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:44 (twelve years ago) link

It was the greatest year since 1965--I made up a Top 250 easily...It was a year like all the others. There are usually 10 songs I really like each year; this year there were 11 or 12.

clemenza, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:54 (twelve years ago) link

oh shit, I forgot; I liked that Cage the Elephant album

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 17:56 (twelve years ago) link

JF--scmindie album of the year for me was Belong's Common Era, though I def also count the Peaking Lights album, which wqas fantastic...

iagree (henrietta lacks), Friday, 2 December 2011 18:05 (twelve years ago) link

oh shit, I forgot; I liked that Cage the Elephant album

Is this for real? Genuinely curious, because I liked a couple tracks on the debut album but there was enough crap filler on that to scare me away from the new one.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:11 (twelve years ago) link

That is for real! http://open.spotify.com/album/3eGL4oa233BAecE9cGZI4k

They incorporate a lot more Pixies into their music on this one.

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:15 (twelve years ago) link

was listening to that walls album again just now while i was walking the dog. maybe it was just the starry sky, but i hadnt noticed how kosmische/krauty some of it was. i take back my mention of underworld, i think i had had just lapsed into some sort of embarrassing old-man-indie-kid-talks-about-dance-music moment. anyhow, i don't think i'd recommend that anyone rushes out and actually buys the thing cos it does lack a bit of excitement imho, but it's definitely worth taping off a mate to play in the car.

los krampusinos! (pomplamau5), Friday, 2 December 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link

how good is an 'average' year for music?

є(٥_ ٥)э, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link

VERY GOOD

smh, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:31 (twelve years ago) link

probably going to rate this year as pretty good, cos although i haven't found anything that i was into as much as the emeralds and oneohtrix albums from last year, there have been too many excellent things around for me to remember even half of them - pinch & shackleton, julianna barwick, patten, nils frahm, roman flugel, andy stott...

one psych rock record that not enough people have been repping for: skull defekts with daniel higgs

los krampusinos! (pomplamau5), Friday, 2 December 2011 18:36 (twelve years ago) link

otm, that Skull Defekts is great!

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:37 (twelve years ago) link

indie-rock-wise, wild beasts is probably my favourite thing

los krampusinos! (pomplamau5), Friday, 2 December 2011 18:40 (twelve years ago) link

I haven't found that much to like from this year, but I've been happy to enjoy some music from unexpected directions: Boy Better Know, some Ill Blu (though I still haven't found a full mix that doesn't have too much annoying chatter on it), some other UK funky in general. I like Emeli Sande and look forward to her album next year. All kinds of current Latin music genres that interest me have been disappointing, to the extent that I've heard them.

There is maybe more fringe sort of stuff around right now that I am okay with than usual, but I'm not getting past just being okay with it. Something like Oneohtrix Point Never, which sounds like a continuation of several strands of music I listened to a lot in the 80s, is a good example.

Occidental Rudipherous, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:43 (twelve years ago) link

Which genre has had the best year? Not really seen anyone saying its been a classic year for 'insert genre here' anywhere.

Minga Frump (Jimmy Riddle), Friday, 2 December 2011 21:58 (twelve years ago) link

pretty good year for psychedelic doom and this tops the lot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfNHX5k9N-A

Minga Frump (Jimmy Riddle), Friday, 2 December 2011 22:06 (twelve years ago) link

Although I doubt the lex will like it

Minga Frump (Jimmy Riddle), Friday, 2 December 2011 22:07 (twelve years ago) link

Which genre has had the best year?

GOP debates.

Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:07 (twelve years ago) link

^ this

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:11 (twelve years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Saturday, 3 December 2011 00:01 (twelve years ago) link

if i saw this, i would have given the third-vote to "above average year."

Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 3 December 2011 00:04 (twelve years ago) link

I'm on my phone: did you embed an Uncle Acid vid Jimmy R?

Bcz Windhand > Uncle Acid

dism-al-isms (henrietta lacks), Saturday, 3 December 2011 00:27 (twelve years ago) link

i did

Minga Frump (Jimmy Riddle), Saturday, 3 December 2011 00:29 (twelve years ago) link

now do 1997 for comparison obv

Sad Banter (p much resigned to deems), Saturday, 3 December 2011 02:13 (twelve years ago) link

oh! i missed the poll?

dism-al-isms (henrietta lacks), Saturday, 3 December 2011 07:19 (twelve years ago) link

yes

Minga Frump (Jimmy Riddle), Saturday, 3 December 2011 22:09 (twelve years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Why I think 2011 was a good year for music

dog latin, but cool (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 09:37 (twelve years ago) link

“In the early '70s there were at least ten albums released every week that were fantastic. Now you're lucky to find ten albums a year of that quality. And there are more albums released each week now than there were then.” - Elton John, 2007

elton nailed it, end of the story

cock chirea, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 12:25 (twelve years ago) link

pity elton didnt name some of these weeks and list the albums out those weeks to back up his 'theory'

Anyone need a (Jimmy Riddle), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 14:31 (twelve years ago) link

to be fair, Drake wasn't around in the 70s

OH NOES, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 14:33 (twelve years ago) link

elton otm but i think he meant 1997 not 'the 70's'

delonge and winding refn (p much resigned to deems), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 14:34 (twelve years ago) link

The variation of music that young people are listening to now… it's just the same beat with a different melody on top...I think it's getting a bit samey-samey… it needs a bit of a change-up again.” – Geir Hongro (ILM), 2011

Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 20 December 2011 14:36 (twelve years ago) link

i remember when rock was young

los krampusinos! (pomplamau5), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 14:36 (twelve years ago) link

^^^hah!

dog latin, but cool (dog latin), Tuesday, 20 December 2011 14:55 (twelve years ago) link

darraghmac otm

suggest biffa (henrietta lacks), Wednesday, 21 December 2011 16:39 (twelve years ago) link


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