2011 was a grand year for music, all across the board. So from us here at Funkadelphia, we would like to reflect on this glorious year.
Here’s to looking back of some of the year’s best music!
(Mind you, these are in no particular order)
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Portugal. The Man – In the Mountain, In the Cloud
Coming from the northwest, Portugal. The Man has been doing there psychedelic-folky rock thing for quite some time. And this album shows the result of all that work, marking some the group’s best work.
Portugal. The Man – “Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)”
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SBTRKT - SBTRKT
A very impressive debut LP from UK producer Aaron Jerome (AKA SBTRKT), SBTRKT introduces an interesting mix of deep bass with some real nice dancey beats. That’s not to mention the addition of some really soulful, instrumental vocals on many of the tracks, including an appearance from Little Dragon. SBTRKT is signed to Young Turks, alongside label mates Chairlift, Wavves, and The xx among notable others.
SBTRKT – “Wildfire feat. Little Dragon”
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The Strokes – Angles
Call them garage rock, post-punk revival, or whatever else you will, but when it comes down to it, The Strokes make plain old great rock music. This is album is no deviation from that path. And while Angles shows some progress toward a somewhat more upbeat, poppy sound, it still easily houses some of the band’s best work.
The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”
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The Black Keys – El Camino
Yes, so this is probably one you’ve all heard about plenty, but still, it pretty much has to be mentioned. The Black Keys have definitely been climbing the music scene for the majority of the past decade, and it would seem they may have finally burst on to the popular music scene. This will definitely be considered a staple in the brother duo’s career.
The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
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Real Estate - Days
Although not a huge name in music, Real Estate has carved out a nice little niche for themselves. Sitting on Domino Records amongst names like Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand, it’s easy to foresee great music coming from these guys. Nothing would please me more than to kick back on a beach and let the day pass me by while this album jams.
Real Estate – “It’s Real”
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Nero – Welcome Reality
Alright, time to get a bit wonky. Nero is a dubstep/drum&bass duo out of London, and they have been absolutely killin’ it on the electronic scene. This album was definitive for their career, not just because it was their debut LP, but also because it was just damn good. It’s hard to really put a finger on one specific song for this album because it’s really just a compilation of some of the best electronic music in the past year. Singles off this album have seen remixes from the likes of Skrillex, Knife Party, and Calvin Harris.
Nero – “Promises”
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Florence + The Machine
– Ceremonials
This one should be somewhat familiar to most of you as well. While not smashing the music scene quite yet, Florence + The Machine has made quite the name for themselves (or herself…). This second album is a true testament to their sound; it clearly maintains the poppy feel of the first album (“Lungs”), yet the sound seems to be much more refined. This album was a big step in an already right direction, and I suspect there’s more goodness to come.
Florence + The Machine – “Shake It Out”
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Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is an Animal
Small indie folk band out of Iceland, Of Monsters and Men has become heavy in rotation on my playlists. A little poppy, a little folky, the band integrates a great style to make some great music. They first caught my attention this past summer, and they actually played a free show out of Philadelphia. The lead single off this album “Little Talks” got a lot of attention (even on the radio) and it’s certainly a good one. Flip this song on and a smile’s almost guaranteed.
Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
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My Morning Jac
ket - Circuital
If you are a classic rock fan and you don’t know My Morning Jacket, CHECK THEM OUT IMMEDIATELY. Really, I think of the band as our generations take on the classic rock sound. Incorporating elements of hard rock, psychedelic rock, and sometimes yes, folk, My Morning Jacket has made a big name from themselves. I was fortunate to see the band perform at this past year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival, and I have to say it was easily one of my favorite shows of the whole festival. Lead singer Jim James just loves to get down on the keyboard and guitar (not to mention that luscious voice). Circuital has received a good deal of attention, and for good reason: it’s a damn good album. This is another one where it’s hard for me to pick my favorite, so definitely, check out this album in its entirety.
My Morning Jacket – “Circuital”
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Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
Trevor Powers (AKA Youth Lagoon) sure took me by surprise with this one. I think he actually caught a lot of people off guard. Combining the beauties of minimal electronic music and the soothing tones of guitar chords, Youth Lagoon is a very unique music experience. As far as I know, this album is his debut anything, which is what makes it that much more special. This album is a piece of art, in the truest sense of the word. Some of you might not like this or appreciate it as much, but I think I’m going to make a lot of your days. Enjoy.
P.S. Youth Lagoon is currently on tour (check out the dates here)
Youth Lagoon – “Cannons”
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Wavves – Life Sux EP
Surf rock, surf punk, noise, whatever, Wavves is good. I’ve had them in my sights for quite some time, and they don’t disappoint. This is another band that graced us with their presence at Bonnaroo last year, and the live show is even better. Although this is titled as an EP, it’s still a solid 8 track of awesome music, featuring the likes of Best Coast.
Wavves – “Bug”
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Atlas Sound – Parallax
If you aren’t familiar with Bradford Cox, he is one of the lead minds behind the band Deerhunter. Furthermore, he is the sole member of the electronic music project known as Atlas Sound. Personally, I prefer Atlas Sound to Deerhunter, but to each his own. Either way, Bradford Cox has been doing his thing in music for quite some time. Parqllax is certainly a visible result of that (or maybe I should say audible). I think this is definitely the best music to date for Atlas Sound at least and it’s a big step in the right direction. Keep it coming.
Atlas Sound – “Mona Lisa (feat. Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT)”
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Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne
If you were starting to wonder, of course we love hip-hop over here at Funkadelphia. We appreciate hip-hop very much, so it shouldn’t be of any surprise that we appreciate this album. The friendship and business relationship between Jay-Z and Kanye West goes back for quite some time, so this album wasn’t as much a surprise as it was a blessing. Personally, I think these are two of the best veterans still in the hip-hop game so this was an exceptional project.
Watch the Throne: Website
Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Lift Off feat. Beyonce”
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Beirut – The Rip Tide
Beirut was initially the solo music project of the New Mexican musician Zachary Condon; although, it quickly evolved into much more. Now, Condon tours around with a large group of musicians and an even larger arrangement of instruments. This is what really catches my attention when it comes to Beirut: they use so many instruments in so many ways so well. The group has certainly developed a new and interesting sound and it shows on their newest album (personally, my favorite).
Beirut – “Santa Fe”
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Little Dragon - Ritual Union
Recognize the name? Actually, or just because one of the members appeared on that SBTRKT song up there^? Well in any case, if you liked SBTRKT, you’re probably going to like Little Dragon as well. Back to that relaxed downtempo electronic sound with the ever slightest amount of dance in there. Little Dragon is also well-known for assisting with the Halo soundtrack. So, there’s a couple reasons why you might be familiar with them, and for good reason… I mean, they clearly make good music.
Little Dragon – “Ritual Union”
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M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Here’s another one that pretty much just demands to be on the list. As I said before in an earlier post, this isn’t particularly my favorite work from M83, but it’s not bad, and it’s not mediocre either. I think that’s saying a lot that I can think of at least 2 other M83 albums I prefer, but I still feel this album belongs on the list. The lesson: M83 makes a lot of good music. And this album is a somewhat new sound for M83; I think a little experimental for them. But as it not often enough does, this album still turned out really great, and definitely worth listening to.
P.S. There’s a lot more to this album than “Midnight City”…
M83 – “Wait”
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Tycho - Dive
Tycho, AKA the artist known as ISO50 (yes he made that beautiful cover art), AKA member of Ghostly International – home of Lusine, Phantogram, Matthew Dear, School of Seven Bells, Com Truise and Gold Panda (some other artists YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT and will probably be hearing from on here in the future), certainly has the credentials. Well, he’s got the music too. I had listened to Tycho in the past, but there’s no question about it, this is his best work and he made it clear cut that way. There’s not a whole lot more to say… it’s hard to choose one. Just try throwing this album on on a warm, sunny day and then report back.
Tycho Website ISO50 Website Facebook Band Page
Tycho – “Daydream”
(I URGE you to also check out: “Hours”, “Coastal Break”, “Dive” and “Adrift”… or just the whole album)
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Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Here’s for those of you who enjoy just a bit of folk in your folk music. Y’know, like folk rock that’s more rock and less folk? Yeah, that’s good stuff. Well Bon Iver understands that, and they really delivered with this latest album. Honestly, I was not the biggest Bon Iver fan, but this album made me see differently, and I’m really starting to appreciate what they’re doing. This is just a seriously good album, but listening is always the best way to understand.
Bon Iver – “Holocene”
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Bassnectar - Divergent Spectrum
Bassnectar has been in the biz for quite some time now, so it’s safe to say he knows what he’s doing. And if you haven’t heard his name, then get your head out from under that rock and check him out. With origins in breakbeat and experimental electronic music, Bassnectar has since moved on to primarily dubstep. In fact, he was my first encounter with dubstep. Having played numerous festivals (including Bonnaroo the past two years, Camp Bisco and Electric Forest) and shows, Bassnectar has a lot of experience under his belt…. and a lot of sick tunes. Divergent Spectrum certainly capitalizes on that idea. This is his third primarily dubstep album, and his first full dubstep LP, being preceded by the Time Stretch EP and Wildstyle EP. This album is massive, GET DOWN!
Bassnectar – “The Matrix”
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Deer Tick - Divine Providence
To be perfectly honest, Deer Tick gets a bit too folky for me sometimes. But that’s why this album is good, it’s probably the least folky of their stuff. This is just an album full of solid tunes, good to kick back and listen to when you’ve got the time to kill and you want to listen to some good music. Deer Tick hasn’t been in my rotation too long either, but the lead single off this album “Main Street” reminds me of younger times and has a really great vibe. It just has some sound that seems to be reminiscent of older rock, maybe 90′s rock? I’m not sure, but the point is that it’s very good.
Deer Tick – “Main Street”
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Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Explosions in the Sky is best known for the work they did on the “Friday Night Lights” soundtrack. Well, I should say for the music they did that was on that soundtrack. Explosions in the Sky is some kind of cross between a jam band and something else… it’s tough to say. They are very unique however and that’s what makes them good… that and their live show. This is one of the bands on this list that I’m going to highly recommend seeing live. Their songs are these long drawn out riffs of beautiful music that truly produces an atmosphere. Trust me, you need to hear this to know. “Damn this shit is epic yo!”
Explosions in the Sky – “Last Known Surroundings”
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Neon Indian – Era Extraña
It’s always been difficult for me to be appreciative of long, drawn-out, ambient sounds that people call music, so Neon Indian has never been near the top of my list. However, this album sets a change of pace and is much more musical. Now I don’t mean to take away from Alan Palomo’s hard work, because I’m sure what he’s doing is awesome in its own way and I’m sure it makes a lot of people happy. Now, for the more general music consumer, I present you with this, Era Extraña, the latest and greatest Neon Indian.
Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”
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Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise
Nicolas Jaar hails from Chile; although, now he temporarily hails from Providence, Rhode Island where he attends Brown University. With that kind of a mind you know Mr. Jaar has something special to keep an eye out for. This album was named “Best Music of 2011″ by Pitchfork, and he was also mentioned as an artist to watch in 2012. His music is electronic, but it’s minimal ambient; similar to Tycho, but certainly with his own spin on the genre. If you liked the SBTRKT or Tycho albums (or both!), this is another one you’re gonna want to look into.
Nicolas Jaar – “Space Is Only Noise If You Can See”
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Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
Let’s keep up with the electronic music, but switch over to something new for this list: FRENCH HOUSE! If you haven’t heard of Justice, then there’s just no hope for you, I’m sorry. The French duo first took the world by storm with their debut album † (alternatively known as Cross). But now they’re back for more with this album: Audio, Video Disco. Now, this album got some hatred… but, it also got a lot of praise. I’m on the praise end. I don’t think this album outdoes their first, but it’s still one banger of an album and deserves recognition. This is just proof that even taking time on music (4 year gap between albums) can lead to some really great stuff.
Justice – “Civilization”
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Matt Pond PA – Spring Fools EP
Matt Pond PA has been around for a while, and they make a lot of good music, but this is seriously some of the best material they’ve put out in a while. Don’t be tricked by the fact that this is an EP rather than a full length album, because it packs a hell of a punch. Matt Pond PA is great music to exercise to, to party to, or just to vibe to: it’s good in any situation; and this album is no exception to that rule. Turn on this album on track 1 and listen all the way through to the end; I guarantee you won’t be left disappointed.
Matt Pond PA – “Love to Get Used”
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Knife Party – 100% No Modern Talking EP
So I just posted this album a couple days ago (because it’s FREE FOR GOD’S SAKE!) Well anyway, Knife Party hails from Australia and is made up of the team of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, both of Pendulum. The duo is relatively new on the electronic scene, but they’re taking it by storm with heavy-hitter after heavy-hitter. I think this is an EP us dubstepper’s will be talking about in the future as a gateway to what Knife Party has yet to become. Don’t miss this one dubheads! Oh, this is really moombahcore though (mix between dubstep and moombahton… if you don’t know what moombahton is, well then use that internet you’ve got- it’s amazing what we can do with computers these days -_-)
Soundcloud Facebook — Full Album Download (Mediafire)
Knife Party – “Internet Friends”
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Aer - What You Need EP
Carter Schultz and David Von Mering are Aer, a reggae/ska/indie duo hailing from, I believe, Colorado. Like Sublime? Slightly Stoopid? 311? Rebelution? This one’s for you guys. Aer is some combination of those groups; they’ve got that chilled out funk, hip-hop, reggae combination that you hear from all those groups. And just like those others, Aer is doing their thing their very own way, and it’s marvelous. It’s hard for me to get in the spirit for this music in the Winter, but come Spring I’ll be bumpin’ these tunes again… I can’t wait.
I feel obligated to mention that I actually prefer the group’s debut mixtape The Reach, which can be picked up over on their website along with their second mixtape Water on the Moon.
Aer – The Reach [Mixtape] — Direct Download Hulkshare
Aer – Water on the Moon [Mixtape] — Direct Download Hulkshare
Aer – “Try Her”
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Incubus – If Not Now, When?
I like Incubus a lot, mainly because you never know what you’re gonna get when you pick up one of their albums. They’re one of the most diverse bands still around today, and they’ve been around for quite some time too. This is one of the band’s that was able to transcend the gap between me and my father’s music taste. Frankly, it’s difficult to not like Incubus, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that waved them off. This album isn’t their best, that’s for sure, but it’s also still a really great listen. There’s a lot of variety throughout, so I feel confident you can find a song for you. Plus I love to hear these guys get funky.
Incubus – “Promises, Promises”
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Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Radiohead got a lot of attention from this album, and even more when they popped up on the Coachella lineup for this year. Now, people are crossing their fingers that they’ll show up more places this summer… count me in. Radiohead is a band that’s always evaded me, and they haven’t been on tour for quite some time now. So, for Radiohead fans, this album was an answer- a reason for the band to go on tour and quench our thirsts. This album didn’t disappoint either, which makes the idea of the band touring even more enjoyable. More music for the Radiohead library, more music to jam to.
Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
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The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Coming from Portland, Oregon, The Decemberists have that northwest feel to their music. Lots and lots of great music comes out of the Oregon-Washington area (well, lots of good music comes from a lot of places, but you get my point). If you like folk rock and don’t know much about this band, I highly recommend checking them out. The Decemberists are always a good option, and I know I can always turn to them when I need an uplifting of my spirits. If you have heard of them, then you probably at least know this song, but it’s a good one, and I still feel it deserves posting. That being said, if you enjoy, be sure to check out the rest of The King Is Dead and The Decemberists’ other albums.
The Decemberists – “This Is Why We Fight”
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Death Cab for Cutie – Codes & Keys
This is an album that, didn’t get a lot of negative attention, but received a lot of criticism. For the life of me, I can’t understand why. I would rank this among my favorite Death Cab albums, and Death Cab is easily ranked among my favorite bands (yes, OF ALL TIME!). Sure, it doesn’t surpass Plans or Transatlantacism, and probably not Narrow Stairs either, but I think this album stands up against them. It’s a much more joyous and uplifting album, that for sure is the one big difference. But hey, let’s let you formulate your own opinion, my only real point being, don’t skim over this simply because you heard it’s not that good.
Death Cab for Cutie – “Stay Young, Go Dancing”
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AraabMuzik – Electronic Dream
Abraham Orellana (AKA AraabMuzik) is probably most famous for his fast fingers on the drumpad in his music production. But, maybe his debut album Electronic Dream will show people there’s more to AraabMuzik than just his flash. This album has a really dreamy, ambient feeling, making the title more than appropriate. And while I imagine he wasn’t sitting in the studio stomping away at a drumpad, this album still came out amazing. If you don’t know AraabMuzik, or you’re just looking to check out what he can do in a studio (versus his live show), then this is an album worth checking out.
AraabMuzik – “Streetz Tonight”
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Cold War Kids – Mine Is Yours
So we’re getting to the end of the list, and probably into some semi-controversial albums. I know I have quite a few friends who were disgusted by this album. What do I say to that? I say “eh…”. Yeah, this album is a bit more poppy than what we’re used to from the Cold War Kids, but that doesn’t AUTOMATICALLY make it bad. This is clearly something new for the Long Beach, California band, but I personally think it came out pretty well. Do I prefer their first two albums? Yes. But once again, that doesn’t make something new bad. Judge for yourselves.
Cold War Kids – “Skip the Charades”
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STS9 - When the Dust Settles EP
Now, I feel like a lot of you aren’t going to get this, so I’m going to explain myself. STS9 is a jam band, meaning there’s something that gets lost in translation between their live show and the albums they put out. In other words, this EP is decent, but when it’s live, IT’S AWESOME. STS9 has been climbing the ranks the past couple years, and while they’ve been around for a while, they’re just now really starting to gain some momentum and popularity. After seeing them at Bonnaroo this past summer, I jumped on buying a ticket for their Philadelphia show this past Fall pretty much as soon as it went on sale. So here’s my advice: check out this album, but if you’re not really feeling it, don’t discard it. See. This. Band. Live.
I’ve decided to post a live recording of this song, “Golden Gate”, rather than the actual studio recording, because… well… it’s better.
STS9 – “Golden Gate [Live]“
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Phantogram – Nightlife EP
I think I mentioned Phantogram in an earlier post? Or maybe earlier in this post? Anyway, the tour is from and records in beautiful upstate New York (no, not the city). I think there music gives a good indication of that. With echoey vocals and some beautiful underlain tunes, Phantogram is doing something special. For sure, it is debatable whether this new EP tops their debut LP Eyelid Movies… and that album was GOOD. So it should come as no surprise that the band’s latest installation to their discography shows up here. Voila!
Phantogram – “Don’t Move”
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Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You
Yes, I intentionally left this one for last, because it’s another album that got some dirty looks. It sure as heck doesn’t stand up to what I think of as “classic Chili Peppers”, but it also does a much better job than Stadium Arcadium did. This is something a bit different from the Chili Peppers, but hey, what did you expect? They just came off hiatus and have a new bassist, I’m sure they’re doing the best they can. It would almost be worst for them to try to revert to their traditional style, because it probably just wouldn’t come out right. Anyway, I think this album is still deserving of a peek.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”
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Well, that’s all I’ve got for now, but it should be enough to tide you all over for a couple days 
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