OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

[dalliance]

While I did not thing the overall album standard was exceptional this year, there were plenty of tracks I thought were great. Enough to stretch out to a top 30 even.

1. Low. Nothing But Heart
2. Mogwai. Drunk and Crazy
3. British Sea Power. Once More Now
4. We Were Promised Jetpacks. Act On Impulse
5. Wye Oak. We Were Wealth
6. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins. John Taylor's Month Away
7. Moon Duo. Fallout
8. We Were Promised Jetpacks. Pear Tree
9. Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat. The Greatest Story Ever Told
10. The Luyas. Tiny Head
11. A Hawk & A Handsaw. Lazslo Lassú
12. A Winged Victory For The Sullen. We Played Some Open Chords
13. Josh T. Pearson. Honeymoon's Great: Wish You Were Her
14. Phantom Buffalo. Listen To The Leaves - Green Star Botanical Airway
15. Bon Iver. Holocene
16. The Middle East. Jesus Came To My Birthday Party
17. Alexi Murdoch. Through The Dark
18. Alexi Murdoch. Towards The Sun
19. The Naked and Famous. Frayed
20. The Field. Burned Out
21. Edinburgh School For The Deaf. Of Scottish Blood And Sympathies
22. Found. Blendbetter
23. Seasick Steve. Don't Know Why She Love Me But She Do
24. Guillemots. Yesterday Is Dead
25. St. Vincent. Northern Lights
26. M83. Echoes of Mine
27. Chapel Club. Surfacing
28. Thee Oh Sees. If I Stay Too Long
29. Josh T. Pearson. Woman, When I've Raised Hell...
30. Wet Hair. Liquid Jesus

[alyxandr]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

The Psychogeographical Commission, Widdershins

(Or Mogwai, White Noise or San Pedro. Not a great year IMHO.)

[G-Man]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

It may borrow from lots of other songs, but when I hear Gillian Welch's "Tennessee", I want to hit replay before it even finishes, just so it won't end.

The song that makes me happiest to hear is "Tell Me A Tale" by Ugandan-born UK soulster Michael Kiwanuka.

[Come along, Min]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Fact magazine have been doing their top 50 tracks this week, they done their top 50 LP's last week, some good stuff there, some stuff that will make my end of year list.

I would like to stick up a top 20 but I need to sort through it first, I got a new computer and all my tracks before September are classed under the same date, makes it much harder to sort.

One fun track that I have on rewind atm..

Darq E Freaker - Cherryade

[Gerontophile]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Sorry, I am a poppist, so I dont have much this year. The Wombats thing is quite fun, and the one about 'Videogames' is a little less deep, but ok.

Sorry, I have spent the last year listening to stuff from the past, so I am no help, HOWEVER, the dreadfulness that is Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (

) is phenomenally fun. (and it mentions the Yankees)

[evilC]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

This.

(Fuck ad campaigns! Feel the tune. ...And stick with it to the very end - the Norsk stardust that Royksopp sprinkle over it is worth it.)

[Tony C]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

1. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins 'John Taylor's Month Away'
2. James Blake 'Wilhelm Scream'
3. Bon Iver 'Minnesota'
4. Marcin Wasilewski Trio 'Song For Swirek'
5. Impossible Gentlemen 'When You Hold Her'
6. Jonathan Wilson 'Gentle Spirit'

[Mumpo]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Rather than list a top ten or top five or whatever, I thought that instead I'd try to mention a few tracks that have hit major earworm status over the last year, and in a couple of instances become minor obsessions.

#1: AlunaGeorge - Analyser

First heard this back in the spring on Amazing Radio (which is a digital station that plays... oh, never mind) and it got me from the off with its space dust pop and fizz beats, plaintive yet eerily clinical lyrics, and vocals that could pull tufts from candy floss. But, wonderful as all these elements are, they wouldn't be worth nearly as much without the drop-dead masterstroke of the chopped-up vocal embedded in the chorus, a piece of genius that I reckon constitutes one of the very finest production tricks in any pop song ever.

And even then, when it decides at 2 minutes and 37 seconds that it's done its work, it takes its leave in the most gorgeous way imaginable. Song of the year, or I'm a squirrel.

[Freestyling buck wilding Stijn Stijnen]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

#1 Blind Faith - Chase & Status ft. Liam Bailey

It gets classified as dubstep, but I hear so many different genres within this song, its a bit trancy, a little bit techno, the way they get that sound to reverb just melts my core, and I really do rather like Liam Bailey's voice, he has a couple of good solo efforts out himself, he may be worth looking out for in 2012 with any luck.

#2 Look at me now - Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne

Could really do without Chris Brown's dick talk at the start, but Busta Rhymes, oh my dear days. He raps like a man with four lungs, as good a flow as anything I have heard him, or most rappers manage. Ever.
Fantastic.

[historyman]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

dalliance wrote:

While I did not thing the overall album standard was exceptional this year, there were plenty of tracks I thought were great. Enough to stretch out to a top 30 even.

27. Chapel Club. Surfacing

Hurrah, I've actually got one of the songs on the list this year! Although I would probably plump for White Knight Position ahead of Surfacing, but no matter.

Does this officially mean that I'm trendy once more?

[Mumpo]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

#2: Hudson Mowhawke - Thunder Bay

Ya! A 'banger', as they say; and at three minutes eighteen seconds, a boisterously eruptive one. Rave parps and sword chings are especially prevalent on this one, and used to great effect. I'm also particularly impressed with the section at 1:39, though the little steps that round it off at 2:16 are uncannily reminiscent of the introduction to Right Said Fred's 'I'm too Sexy'. More than anything else, though, the whole thing really becomes something special when you realise that it's essentially the world's best ever remix of the Doctor Who theme - right down to the middle eight.

[alyxandr]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Forgot one: Be Forest, Florence

[Tramp The Dirt Down]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Bon Iver - Holocene/Perth
Kate Bush - Misty
My Morning Jacket - Holding On To Black Metal
Elbow - Lippy Kids
Florence & The Machine - Breaking Down
Robert Smith - Small Hours
Lana Del Rey - Video Games
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks/Call It What You Want
Friendly Fires - Hurting
Oddisee - The Carter Baron
Jonathan Jeremiah - Happiness (Quiet Village Mix)
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala - Arctic Monkeys

[Fussbudget]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Gerontophile wrote:

Sorry, I have spent the last year listening to stuff from the past, so I am no help, HOWEVER, the dreadfulness that is Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (

) is phenomenally fun. (and it mentions the Yankees)

Well it's a lot better than anything on Born This Way at any rate. But anyway :

1. Justus Köhncke - Fussmachine
2. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden (Joe Goddard Remix)
3. Friendly Fires - Helpless
4. Metronomy - Love Underlined
5. Johan Agebjörn & Sally Shapiro - Casablanca Nights
6. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Make a Scene
7. Katy B - Movement
8. Azealia Banks - 212
9. Leona Lewis - Collide
10. Nicola Roberts - I
11. Ethyl & Huxley - 3 Feet High (Roman Flugel Mix)
12. Nadia Oh - Taking Over the Dancefloor
13. Frankmusik - We Collide
14. Gatto Fritto - The Curse
15. Nicola Roberts - Gladiator
16. Perfume - Spice
17. Beyoncé - Love on Top
18. Metronomy - Some Written
19. Suzi Quatro - Strict Machine
20. Mr. G - New Dayz
21. Wire - Smash
22. Friendly Fires - Live Those Days Tonight
23. Tensnake - You Know I Know It
24. Cut Copy - Alisa
25. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream

[Spearmint Rhino]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

1. Lana Del Rey - "Video Games"
2. Little Dragon - "Ritual Union"
3. British Sea Power - "Who's In Control?"
4. Lady Gaga - "Judas"
5. Patrick Wolf - "The City"
6. Villagers - "Cecilia And Her Selfhood"
7. Katy B - "Broken Record"
8. Sweet Sweet Lies - "No-One Will Love You Like I Do"
9. The Horrors - "Still Life"
10. WU LYF - "We Bros"

[Come along, Min]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Lana Del Rey's Video Games is a wonderful record. I reckon it will make my final list too.

[Spearmint Rhino]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

It's been a poor year. I really struggled with my lists this year, and usually it's a case of what to leave out.

[Gerontophile]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

dunno whether I am vindicated or, distrait?

I tell you what s... oh never mind.

[RobW]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

In no particular order;

Lana Del Rey - Video Games
British Sea Power - Who's In Control
Anna Calvi - Desire
Kurt Vile - Runners Ups
The Lull - Cat's Eyes
M83 - New Map
Beat Of My Drum - Nicola Roberts
United Provinces of India - Cornershop
Hmmm...

I have a Spotify list of 2011 tracks but I can't for the life of me recall how most of them go, aside from the above. Oh, i'll add 'Something Better' by Tony Christie.

[Mumpo]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

#3 Eleanor Friedberger - Inn Of The Seventh Ray

A song with which I've recently developed a mild fixation. Eleanor Friedberger is the lead singer of The Fiery Furnaces, of whom I know very little, except that I always get them mixed up with The Magic Numbers, or The Magnetic Fields, or even The Friendly Fires. But I downloaded the album because she looks nice on the cover; and here's this song, second track in, that starts in a perfectly innocuous fashion, but which begins to exert an uncomfortable pull from the first chorus, with its plaintive yet spoiled and worryingly insistent plea, and an aura of betrayed reliance, and lostness, and desperation. The reverberation on Friedberger's vocals serve to underpin this, as do the echoing calls that lurk in the background. Then, something happens that by rights should just totally finish the song off - I mean, under what circumstances could anyone get away with a lyric like "Let's go wiggling in Wombleton?" But... here it is, and it only serves to make her sound more furious and helpless. "You're going to have to get yourself out of this, yes, yes!"

Time to get hold of a few Magic Numbers albums, if she's as good with them as she is on this.

[Mumpo]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Spearmint Rhino wrote:

Little Dragon - "Ritual Union"

Agreed. The best song Prince never wrote.

[Tramp The Dirt Down]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

On the subject of Little Dragon one I forgot from my earlier post : -

Scale It Back - DJ Shadow/Little Dragon

[Come along, Min]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Tramp The Dirt Down wrote:

On the subject of Little Dragon one I forgot from my earlier post : -

Scale It Back - DJ Shadow/Little Dragon

Agreed on that, it made my top 2011 top 25.. best thing on the Shadow LP I'm reckoning.

[Crusoe]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

St Vincent, Surgeon
Justice, On N On
DJ Shadow & Tom Vek, Warning Call
Gruff Rhys, Christopher Columbus
Kid Cudi, Capcom
MF DOOM & Thom Yorke, Retarded Fren
Thurston Moore, Circulation
Blanck Mass, Land Disasters
Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi & Jack White, Two Against One

[Crusoe]

OTF Tracks Of The Year 2011

Mumpo wrote:

#3 Eleanor Friedberger - Inn Of The Seventh Ray

Thanks for this tip, Mumpo. I've a handful of Fiery Furnaces tracks (Bow Wow, Crystal Clear, Chris Michaels the stand-outs) and would like to get more into them myself.