Last Week's Album

At the end of each year, most people like to reflect on the past 365 days and remember the good times. We at Last Week’s Album are no different. So for our Top 10 Albums of 2011 list, we didn’t just pick all the albums we gave 5 out of 5 lighters. Instead, we selected the ones that haven’t just stood the test of time, but have gotten better with each listen. And just to keep things fair, 5 of them are from Kevin and 5 of them are from Derek. So without further ado, here are our Top 10 Albums of 2011.

Derek’s Top 5

5. Fight Less Win More by My Sad Captains

I only reviewed this album in mid-November, but My Sad Captains still find themselves in my regular iPod rotation. Their acute attention to detail and ability to meld guitars and other keys/synthesizers together into extremely pleasing melodies make for some fantastic tunes. Though Fight Less Win More has yet to be out for an entire month, limiting whatever marketing traction can be gained in such a short period of time, their tunes are absolutely solid, and should help the band continue its climb towards indie-rock success.

4. In the Mountain in the Cloud by Portugal. The Man

In my original review, I stated that I was “initially blown away by intricate array of sounds and melodies.” Three and a half months later, little has changed. The band’s first major label release allowed the fellas to spend some quality time on each track, tying up all possible loose ends, and creating a fantastic album. The vocals and vocal melodies are catchy as can be, and the added production value of a major label release really allowed Portugal. The Man to build on the strength of its vocal melodies. Further, expanded instrumentation, including synthesized strings on tracks such as “So American” and “Floating (Time Isn’t Working My Side)” allowed the band to reach new heights. One of my favorite road trips albums, I don’t see this one falling out of my playlist rotation any time soon.

3. Tripper by Fruit Bats

I had minimal expectations for this album before writing my review, yet this album has stuck with me more than most other albums I reviewed this year. Instrumentally solid front to back, Tripper really flexes its muscles in regards to the stories it tells. As noted in my original review, Fruit Bats’ frontman Eric D. Johnson wrote this album based on stories he might have encountered if he had stayed on a train with a vagrant he met. Each track tells a different tale about life on the road, against a rich folk/rock backdrop. Although this album did not reach the masses, I almost fell out of my chair when I heard “Shivering Fawn” during the credits of an episode of Weeds. After months of play on my iPod, I can definitely say that Tripper is a trip worth taking.

2. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

In my review, I claimed that this album would find its way into many Top Albums of the Year lists… and here it is! This band of bearded Oregonians released their sophomore full length with Helplessness Blues to much fanfare following the critical acclaim of their debut. I found Helplessness Blues to be a solid effort, far away from the fabled “sophomore slump.” Though Fleet Foxes did not stray far from their folk-heavy bread-and-butter sound, the album’s tracks were much more complex and in-depth than their indie-rock cohorts in the Pacific Northwest.

1. Bon Iver by Bon Iver

There was no doubt that a follow-up to For Emma, Forever Ago was going to be tough task for anyone, let alone Bon Iver genius Justin Vernon. However, Vernon showed that he was up to the task with the self-titled sophomore release under the moniker Bon Iver. Though Bon Iver presented many staggering differences from For Emma, ranging from the inclusion of drums, more distorted guitars and, at times, shockingly deep (read: non-falsetto) vocals from Vernon, it was still able to capture some of the intimacy that made For Emma as great as it was. Like I said in my review, Vernon’s expanded instrumentation also allows his songs to reach new emotional heights, as drums, distorted guitars and other instruments allowed Vernon to add a greater intensity to his already intimate music.

Kevin’s Top 5

5. Torches by Foster the People

On my original review, I called “Pumped Up Kicks” the “song of the summer for 2011.” But I was wrong –- this jam went on to become quite arguably the biggest pop hit of the entire year, and rightly so. “Don’t Stop” also made into the eardrums of almost everyone in the U.S. by way of those ubiquitous Nissan Versa TV ads (watch them here and here). Also including standout jams like “Helena Beat,” “Call It What You Want” and “Houdini,” Torches turned out to be much more than just another superficial pop album. It’s a mix of catchy hooks, dancefloor beats and subtly emotional lyrics. And even if the radio and TV made you sick of their biggest hits, you can’t deny that Foster the People can write and record some seriously contagious jams.

4. Bright Lights EP by Gary Clark, Jr.

Yeah, I know, it’s only an EP and not a full-length album. So what? Carrying on in the spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan and others, Gary Clark, Jr. is the next big Texas blues man. Bright Lights only included four tracks, but it still encapsulates this young gun’s deft guitar playing, expansive breadth of emotions and original style. One song he’s rocking your ass off, and the next he’s ripping your heart out. The title track was so killer, it made it onto a Jack Daniels commercial. So even though Bright Lights is short and sweet, Clark has the chops to keep me coming back time and again, long after my review. He also puts on a phenomenal show at his concerts, and he’s as humble as they come. I know it’s just an EP, but Gary Clark, Jr. is definitely ready for the bright lights. 

3. Circuital by My Morning Jacket

With five albums under their belt, My Morning Jacket honed their sound as well as they ever have on Circuital. As stated in my review, they dropped the lengthy barnburners but still found ways to follow jams where they led in a tighter fashion. “Victory Dance’s” random voice-and-trumpet hook gives way to a groovy track, “Circuital” displays all five players equal time in the spotlight with its everybody-together-now bounce, and “Holdin On To Black Metal” rocks out in silly style with horns and a girl-choir backing. The album as a whole proves that My Morning Jacket haven’t lost their imaginations with age and their ability to bridge unfamiliar sounds has deepened with time. Rock on, brothers.

2. Screws Get Loose by Those Darlins

These girls (and one guy) really blew me away when I reviewed them this year. Not only can they write smart, catchy quips, but they can tear their instruments to shreds (proof of that here). And although Screws Get Loose is just their second album, they’ve somehow already mastered a signature country/garage sound and a palpable group chemistry. Their sophomore effort contained well-crafted Southern indie-rock gems like “Be Your Bro,” “Let U Down,” “Tina Said” and “Boy.” The album as a whole helped them craft their sound and gained them enough notoriety to get “Red Light Love” on a Kia Sorrento commercial. I can’t wait to hear more outta these talented ladies (and dude).

1. GB City by Bass Drum of Death

I wish I could go back to the day I gave this album just 2 out of 5 lighters and give myself a swift kick in the nuts. GB City has easily become my favorite album of 2011, mainly due to Bass Drum of Death’s uncanny ability to fuse garage rock with old-school doo-wop. It’s left their jams ringing in my ears, pulsing through my veins and blaring through my speakers ever since I got my hands on the album. “Nerve Jamming” rocks with beating drums, fuzzy guitar and effected vocals; “Get Found” has sick guitar hooks and punching percussion; and “Young Pros” boasts snarling lyrics and falsetto backing vocals that harp pack to Motown’s formative years. Even the tracks I found difficult to listen to at first have found their way into my regular listening repertoire (“Velvet Itch,” “High School Roaches,” “Spare Room” and “Leaves”). I sure didn’t call this one in my review, but I now take a trip to GB City anytime I can.

So there you have it, kids. We hope you’ve had as much fun reading out albums as we’ve had reviewing them, and we look forward to another year of even more. If you’ve really dug an album this year, we recommend showing the band some love by buying said album as a gift for someone else. After all, what better way to spread some cheer than spreading the music you dig?

What’s your favorite album of 2011? Let us know in the comments section below, our on our Facebook or Twitter.

Before I picked up Portugal. The Man’s In the Mountain In the Cloud, I had remembered running across the band’s name around the blogosphere the last couple of years, but had never actually heard any of their music. The name itself always stuck out to me, having lived in Portugal. The Country for two years (well, actually, a small air force base located on a small island of the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean), yet this album, their first release on major label Atlantic, turned out to be my first chance to really check them out. Approaching this album with no expectations, I was initially blown away by the intricate array of sounds and catchy melodies. After doing some research, I was shocked to discover that the prolific nature of the band, releasing around an album a year since their debut in 2004. I knew immediately this review would be a challenge, as I am the type of person that likes to be familiar with a band’s expanded works and look at each part as a part of the greater collective work. Fittingly, my review for Portugal. The Man’s In the Mountain In the Cloud would mirror my time in Portugal. The Country, which was limited to a 18-mile by 12-mile rock in the middle of the ocean.

Sounds Like:
Flaming Lips, MGMT, My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie

The Portland-based quartet (though some members hail from Wasila, Alaska) has been busy since their debut in 2004. In addition to their saturation of the market, Portugal. The Man has been building a strong reputation for putting on epic live shows, with songs pushing the 10-minute mark. Clearly, In the Mountain In the Cloud marks a pivotal moment in the band’s career, as the band’s major label release no doubt has long time fans in a sweat.

Key Tracks:
Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now), You Carried Us, Share With Me The Sun, Sleep Forever

So did they sell out? Well, I can’t answer that, but I can say the sound quality and production is great. An eerie arpeggio from a synthesizer provides the opening for “So American,” ItMItC’s opening track, and is quickly joined by an acoustic guitar and leadman John Grouley’s falsetto vocals. Numerous other instruments, including a robust string section and a variety of percussive instruments (steel drums, timpanis, trap set, drum machine) join the fray and interact throughout. The next track, “Floating (Time Isn’t Working My Side)” opens with huge-sounding electric guitars and a mesmerizing chorus of “oh oh ohs,” alternately fading into the smooth verses, driven by a bluesy bass line and reggae-style guitar upstrokes. Grouley shows off his vocals ability on this track, a crooning tenor during the verses and a wailing falsetto in the (layered) choruses. The track takes off into a free for all towards the end, as the band jams out along the chorus riff, ending on a chord of strings.

                                        Music Video for “Got It All”

“Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now),” the album’s first single, really illustrates the wide degree of instruments the band uses, from the drum machine at the very beginning to the strings underlying the verses and chorus to the electric guitar riff providing the hook that kicks off the verses. Grouley’s vocal agility is also on display throughout. The next track, “Senseless,” is an immediate stark contrast, as dark, pounding synthesizers drive this sinister waltz, also characterized by a sneaky-catchy melody in the chorus. The more laid back “Head Is a Flame (Cool With It)” shifts between bluesy verses and synth-drenched spacey choruses.

Best Lyric:
“In the world we were just spacemen taking a ride / the gorilla’s in his human suit reciting his lines” - “Once Was One”

The rest of the album continues in much of the same fashion, a bevy of instruments weaving in and out, often resulting in the same melody being carried by different instruments in the same song. The rise and falls in “You Carried Us (Share With Me the Sun)” are especially punctuated the final time through, as it builds from a single voice and strings to a Flaming Lips-like anthem. From the opener “So American” to the six-minute closer, “Sleep Forever,” In the Mountain In the Cloud remains strong throughout.

Overall Rating:

       

After listening to In the Mountain In the Cloud for the past week, I have found its infectious melodies trapped in my head hours later, as I fight the urge to immediately raid iTunes for their earlier work. Based on their short, albeit prolific, history, it’s safe to assume that this won’t be the last we see from Portugal. The Man. Till the next release, I’ll be looking forward to catching them live (which, unfortunately, will not be at Austin City Limits Festival this year).