2011 Music | Top Ten

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1. Tune-Yards, W H O K I L L
2. The Dodos, No Color
3. Pygmy Lush, Old Friends (listen link)
4. F****d Up, David Comes To Life
5. Thao & Mirah, s/t
6. St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
7. Radiohead, The King of Limbs
8. Battles, Gloss Drop
9. Colin Stetson, New History Warfare 2: Judges 
10. Trash Talk, Awake

You can listen to my top ten and twenty on Spotify here. Discover all of these if you haven't so far. Listen and see why they're on the list!

2011 Music | Top Twenty

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11. Los Campesinos, Hello Sadness
12. little hurricane, Home Wrecker
13. Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
14. TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light
15. The Roots, Undun
16. Adams & Eves, Dear Professor
17. La Vida Boheme, Nuestra
18. The Tree Ring, Generous Shadows
19. Mariachi El Bronx, II
20. Thrice, Major/Minor

Festivities are getting underway. Further commentary is only a possibility at this point. But here is my Top 20 song list on Spotify for your listening pleasure. 1-10 still yet to come.

2011 Music | Overrated

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Dear Bon Iver, please take your falsetto and go away. It works for TV on the Radio most of the time. But not for you. Gayngs was cute. But we already lived through Kenny G and Miles Davis’ face says it all.

This may be to the chagrin of my friends, as the latest Bon Iver release has shown up on so many lists here. But I hope we are spared from any Bon Iver releases in 2012. I don’t get the hype. No more, thank you very much.

2011 Music | The “I Salute You, Sir” List

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There were three releases that came out this year that didn’t make as many lists as I would have thought. To be honest, I was a bit shocked they didn't show up as often and by the "meh" commentary offered when they did. Beastie Boys, The Roots and Radiohead all released great albums this year. The Roots' Undun came out so late in the year that many felt they didn’t have enough time to absorb it and therefore excluded it. Beastie Boys' Hot Sauce Committee Part Two showed up on few lists that I've checked in on and didn't even receive mention of any kind. Radiohead's The King of Limbs got the classic, "It's good, but no [fill in your fav' Radiohead album title here]."

But I have a theory about all three of these groups. They’ve spoiled us. That's right. With their musical, creative genius over the years our appreciation has waned. All three of these artists have produced such quality work for so long that we’ve grown accustom to them. The truth is, these albums, especially Beastie Boys and Radiohead, stand strong in comparison to all other releases this year.

Beastie Boys and The Roots clearly created albums that were far beyond what anything else in hip hop produced this year. Whether Lupe Fiasco or Lil' Wayne, most rap and hip hop releases this year were lazy. And why in the world does Kanye West and Jay Z get so much attention for such an unoriginal, self-absorbed work when these two albums came out this year?! While most rap and hip hop mimic the same studio tricks everyone else has been using for the last three years, Beastie Boys and The Roots continue to push boundaries. At the same time, they retain a sound that is unmistakably their own. I think they each offered strong releases this year.

And in the rock genre, only releases like Tune-Yards’ compares to the innovative work of Radiohead. For certain, we all have our favorite Radiohead album and their have been past albums of theirs that pushed musical boundaries HARD. Still, The King of Limbs is a consistent album that shows that these fellas make good music even when they're not trying to blow our minds. Some artists this year, such as Wilco for example, tried to return to some strong innovation but were unable to carry a whole album in that direction. When has Radiohead failed us in that regard?

So to these musical veterans, I say, "I Salute You, Sir." I hope they continue releasing such quality work. 

2011 Music | Local Love

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San Diego remains a vibrant place for good music. Some of favorite bands of all time come from America’s Finest City... And, no, I’m not at all biased. But this year, Adams & Eves, The Tree Ring and little hurricane are the only San Diego bands on my list. Much of this has to do with the fact that I’m a dad of three. I just don’t get out to as many shows as I used to, unfortunately. But these albums are solid and stand solidly with the others on my list.

Adams & Eves’ Dear Professor is smart, cute--even silly, and brilliant. Okay, I confess my bias, here. The Powell’s (Adam plays guitar and sings, Chelsea plays bass) are friends and Adam recorded the Snake Babies EP (a short-lived band I played in). But my personal connection aside, this is a great album! Amongst all the folk-tinged music coming out these days, Adams & Eves do so in a unique way that does not take themselves too seriously--which makes all the more enjoyable. Like so many artists, it is their live show that wins you. They are all together original, energetic and witty when playing live. The album is solidly produced, displaying all of the unique instrumentation this band holds. You can check out the album on their website.

The Tree Ring’s Generous Shadows offers up beautifully sad soundtrack. Ironically (as they are a band from sunny San Diego), they are to me the band perfect for a rainy day. West has a solidly good voice. I think his is what Foreman of Switchfoot fame wishes he sounded like. And Bennett’s strings add so much to the emotion of each track that I don’t what it would sound like without them. You can listen to their album on the band’s website.

Lastly, little hurricane’s Home Wrecker is the roots rock album we’ve all been waiting for. Jack White, take note: this is what happens when you have a decent drummer. This is some sexy, gritty music! Both players sing wonderfully and play well. You can check out Home Wrecker on Spotify.

guest music post: Luke Perkins

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NOTE: You can listen to Luke's play list on Spotify here. He has also included his own links in the post.

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year. If you let it be. The stress, the cramming, the things I forgot about, trying to figure out what other people like. Obviously I'm not talking about Christmas shopping...I'm talking about the end-of-year music list! But why settle for just one list? This year in music for me contained several dominant themes, which I will try and briefly recount for you here. If you want one quick simple list...you've come to the wrong place.

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people profile: Matt Reece

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Before the year is up I am going to share one more guest music post, and of course, I will share my own year-end list as well. But I realized that some of those that read my blog may not be familiar with some of the people I've asked to share their music lists. This is purposeful for a couple of reasons. First, I decided to do this as an extension of music conversations that already exist in my life, not to boost traffic to my site. I wanted to document the music being shared somehow.

Secondly, I'm a bit of a music snob. What I mean is that I'm pretty opinionated about music. I'm okay with people and their particular tastes in just about anything but music. I don't care what sports team you like, what your favorite food is, what movie genres you prefer or how you dress. But I'll tell you if I think you listen to crappy music. Those I've invited to share are people whose taste in music inspires me, impresses me and has exposed me to new music. Most importantly, these are people I treasure. I am wholly proud of my friends. And I'm happy to share this space with them.

Thirdly, when I went into ministry more than a decade ago I realized that there weren't too many church leaders that liked the music I did. I wasn't a jock or academic turned pastor. I was an artist, musician and music fan called to this work. So, the few people I meet with a spiritual kinship and similar interest in music were gold to me.

So, I decided to do "people profiles" on folks I think you should know, or that I at least want to document their unique work in ministry and/or opinions in music. Who knows, maybe I'll go outside of those categories eventually. These will be short interviews both playful and serious. The last guest post was from Matt Reece. So, I'm starting with Matt. Matt is co-conspirator with the Ecclesia Collective, a friend and digs good music. So, without further delay, let me introduce you to him...

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guest music post: Matt Reece

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NOTE: You can listen to Matt's play list on Spotify here.

Best Albums of 2011

2010 was a big year for music. Off the top of my head I could easily list half a dozen amazing albums… from the hardcore punk classicism of Off!, to the beautiful songs of Frightened Rabbit, the tension groove of Spoon, the strange beauty of Deerhunter, the noise pop of Sleigh Bells, and soul and hip hop by The Roots and Kanye.  This year… maybe it’s my mood, or maybe I wasn’t listening as well, but it was a little harder to choose.  Looking through my Itunes and Spootify playlists however, several stood out.  Here’s my top ten, in no particular order.

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