FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2011

A.A. Bondy - Believers: You know that moment when a band who fills a certain “niche” in your music library is slated to release their next album, and you’re so excited but a little scared that it won’t live up to your expectations? Well, A.A. Bondy fans slept easy the night Believers came out. Believers definitely has more reverb than his last two albums, but the same genuine sentiment and simple guitar is A.A. Bondy’s bread and butter, and it’s the reason his music hits home. Believers may not be the most groundbreaking album of 2011, but it stands up to repeat listening, and just gets better the more you hear it.

AA Bondy - The Heart Is Willing by fatpossum


HONORABLE MENTION

The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida: On their newest album, the Catskills natives experiment with some really cool stuff. Calling it folk just doesn’t do it justice – they’ve incorporated elements of hip hop and electronica that somehow work with Ian Felice’s Bob Dylan-esque voice. It’s a little weird and morose, but Celebration, Florida is all around a solid step forward for the band.

The Felice Brothers "Ponzi" by fatpossum


FAVORITE SONG OF 2011

"My Leather, My Fur, My Nails" by Stepdad (Ordinaire EP): Full disclosure – this track technically came out in 2010. But, it was released on an EP that was re-released in 2011, and I’m sure it will be included on Stepdad’s upcoming LP Wildlife Pop (look – now we’re ahead for Best of 2012!). Just listen to “My Leather, My Fur, My Nails”. It’s so danged catchy and the lyrics are weird enough to give it a certain je ne sais quoi. You’ll just have to listen to it again… And again, and again, and again.

My Leather, My Fur, My Nails by stepdadmusic

HONORABLE MENTIONS

"Pie IX" by Suuns (Zeroes QC): So dark, mysterious, and sexy. It builds and builds and draws you in. This is the kind of song that I wish could be on my personal life soundtrack.

Suuns - pie ix by antonbeschekov


“Friday” by Rebecca Black (Ark Music Factory) – Hear me out. This song was an atom bomb dropped on American culture with at least two weeks of aftershock. Say what you will about the musical integrity of “Friday”, or about the general integrity of Ark Music Factory, but this song is a cultural phenomenon worth noting.




FAVORITE CONCERT OF 2011

Built to Spill & Atlas Sound in Braddock, PA (11/11/2011): Levi’s jeans shot a series of “Go Forth” ads in Braddock, Pennsylvania in 2010, and the poverty they encountered in the region was overwhelming. So overwhelming that Levi’s decided to organize a weekend-long series of concerts at Braddock’s Carnegie Library to benefit the region. The setting was super intimate, in an old auditorium that was once probably grand, but now seems decrepit. Atlas Sound opened, and I won’t lie – that was probably the worst show I saw all year (and I’ve seen a lot of dad-rock bar bands). It was painful. But Built to Spill totally made up for it. Though they don’t tour much anymore, their timing is still impeccable and Doug Martsch’s voice remains hale and hearty. The auditorium was perfect for the carefully orchestrated build ups in so many of their songs, and this was definitely my favorite show of 2011.



HONORABLE MENTION

Maps & Atlases and Circa Survive at Town Ballroom (10/22/2011): I’m not a huge Circa Survive fan, but this was a pretty entertaining show. They had giant balloons filled with confetti bouncing around, and Anthony Green is almost as fun to watch as the people that go to Circa Survive shows.