eleven for '11

favorite eleven songs of 2011

1. "amor fati", washed out. naturally.
2. "the broken places", moby. moby combined sounds just right to create a mellow mood.
3. "keep pushing on", john maus. john maus is so rad.
4. "posters", youth lagoon. love the whole album. give this song some time, once it really starts, you'll know it.
5. "raw umber twilight", WALLS. one of my newest favorite running songs.
6. "somebody that i used to know (feat. kimbra)", gotye. i'll admit it, don't know any other gotye. but i am going to explore on account of how much i love this track.
7. "steep hills of vicodin tears", a winged victory for the sullen. the ambient stars of the lid coupled with piano. a beauty.
8. "te amo", atlas sound. bradford cox is the shit. he made it onto my bests last year with deerhunter. keep it up, bradford, it's that good.
9. "towers", bon iver. hands down one of my favorite concerts this year. 
10. "we have everything", young galaxy. i'm not sick of this song, and i've been listening to it for almost a whole year.
11. "whole love", wilco. i'm usually not a fan of wilco. john said this song sounds reminiscent of the grateful dead. that explains it.

i keep gettin' closer

i love youth lagoon's whole album, the year of hibernation. you should get it. here's "posters". just wait until about 2:08, and you will be as happy as me.

never gonna reach you

cut copy was one of my favorite shows at acl this year. i adored lead singer, dan whitford's, signature dance move. his arms were out and welcoming, and then they were drawn back in to his chest with passion. what was he saying?...

 ...i think he "need[s] you now"

didn't have to stoop so low

there are a few reasons i like gotye. he's australian. his name is wally. oh, and he has a nice voice.

"somebody that i used to know (feat. kimbra)"

here's the video in case you feel like watching.

i'm bound to keep you right

lovely. that's "katy" for blind pilot. if you ask me, israel nebeker's voice is flawless. i wish i could belt it out like him.

"keep you right"

keep pushing on

to the heroic firemen, who are being spread way too thin in texas this week: "keep pushing on"! and cheers to my favorite fireman, who would be busting his butt, too, if he lived here!

by john maus

i was so special

sxsw friends

it took awhile for toro y moi to grow on me. seeing them at sxsw definitely piqued my interest. well, now. put your bell-bottoms on, let your hair down & strut, i think i like it.

"saturday love"

love of fate

you had to know that i was going to have to talk about ernest's new album.

"amor fati"

you want it, too?

 

female suburbian

"suburbs" sung from a female perspective. 

"suburbs" (arcade fire cover) by mr. little jeans

spiral galactic

the dream popping band, m83, is getting fans excited with a free track from their upcoming album, hurry up, we're dreaming.

"midnight city"

*addendum, 6 september.
i am loving this track, too! zola jesus' whispery intro reminds me of this movie, big time:

"intro (feat. zola jesus)" by m83

it's real green

cleveland was gorgeous. unlike texas, they had a rainy spring. it was so green and lush i could not stop commenting on it. plus, the temperature was just hot enough during the days and cooled off at night. the way summer should be.

real estate is calming. here's a newbie:

"it's real"

and here's my old favorite, "beach comber"

get carrot balls

if you live in new york city, and you haven't eaten at rice on elizabeth, you are missing out. you'll find my brother there with four iced hibiscus teas. and last summer when jacqui visited us in the city and we ate at rice, guess who sat down right next to us? moby. here are two of my favorites from his latest, destroyed.

"the broken places"

"stella maris"

goin' to cleveland

i chose the right profession. yeah, that's right, i get a summer vacation. this year i'll be in houston, honduras, and cleveland. a summer without beau won't be the same. but at least i'm "goin' home" to see the rest of my family. i cannot wait!

sing it, dan auerbach (he loves ohio, too)!

spinning out, gracefully

i love the lead-in of this new song from my morning jacket. i signed up on their website to get it free, but it never came through. what the heck? maybe you'll have better luck: here.

just some americans rocking out, "circuital" by my morning jacket

roof's half gone

sometimes i have music on my computer for months before i listen to it. so was the case with the suckers' album, wild smile. why did I wait?! i am loving this track from the art-pop quartet. each band member made their own video for this song. here is pan's colorful blob take:
"a mind i knew" by suckers
ps: i hope no one ever tells me my "heart is like a crippled demon". dang.

only for your very space

"calgary" by bon iver

little dragon man

"little man" by little dragon

oh, when the saints

when the saints go machine are an electro-pop quartet. stereogum made an arthur russell reference and when i listened to the song, "pinned", i had to agree. this is the song that i can't stop listening to:

"fail forever"

you know how i feel

new! it's real mellow. perfect.

"eyes be closed" by washed out

it's holdable

i am a huge nerd for fireworks. and for explosions in the sky. what a coincidence then, when one year during south by southwest, explosions in the sky played to the backdrop of fireworks over town lake (pre-lady bird johnson lake). i am thrilled that they are opening for arcade fire this week. the austin quartet's "cathartic mini-symphonies" make for great study-to and vege-to music. i haven't listened to the tracks off of the new album, take care, take care, out this week. but in the meantime, here's a favorite: 

"your hand in mine"