* Favorite Vocal Albums of 2011 *
I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my fourth year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. For that reason, the favorite vocal albums list goes first this go ’round. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, Facebox pages, yadda yadda yadda. A lot of these also made it on to my 2011 Mix CD (free streaming/download).
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
Honorable Mentions: Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean, Tres Mts – Three Mountains, Pomplamoose – The Album You Bought At Our Show (Thanks for That), MC Frontalot – Solved and The Roots – Undun.
Björk – Biophilia :: It started with an iPhone / iPad app… I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a really cool app and a really cool album. I don’t think the actual music broke any new ground for Bjork, but her willingness to approach technology and manifest an album initially with a new format is what will keep her in the forefront for me. |
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Elysian Fields – Last Night on Earth :: Brooklyn-based sultry art rockers Elysian Fields don’t really tour outside of NYC often. Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow find their way to Europe on occasion, but most U.S. fans only really have their studio albums to sate their musical desires. This is their sixth full-length album in their near 16-year career. Well crafted, well produced, lush vocals and folk meets dusky jazz. |
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Blackfield – Welcome to My DNA :: I was disappointed that I couldn’t make it out for this tour. The album is good, albeit a little disjointed compared to their other two albums (probably due to Aviv Geffen doing more of the writing versus Steven Wilson who was busy with his solo album – see #9 below). Nice orchestration and a solid offering from Blackfield. |
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Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events :: I almost didn’t buy this album. I’m glad I did, but I’m still pretty pissed at the band for choosing to continue without founder/drummer Mike Portnoy after he expressed an interest in a short hiatus/breather. They picked up a drummer I like (Mike Mangini, who i saw play with Extreme in 1995), but a BIG piece of what I loved about DT (after Kevin Moore left in 1994) was Mike Portnoy’s energy. With his absence, I’m liking them less and less. The album is good, but it’s way more bitter than sweet to me. |
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Foo Fighters – Wasting Light :: Dave Grohl is a modern rock genius. He rocks, he hooks, he continues to put out great music. |
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Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra – MTO Plays Sly :: A trumpet-led tribute to Sly and the Family Stone with guests vocalists. This superb collection is less funk, but still quite enjoyable. My favorite is the Antony-sung “Family Affair.” |
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Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials :: Soulful baroque-rock chanteuse won me over with their first album Lungs, even though I didn’t pick it up this year. Her second album solidifies her as more than a fluke. The album is dancey and dark. Great for fans of Tori Amos & Kate Bush! |
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Incubus – If Not Now, When? :: Incubus took some time off so guitarist Mike Einziger could work on his degree at Harvard and singer Brandon Boyd could put out some art as well as his solo album. They regrouped and put out an album that had a similar vibe to the ocean-groove Morning View. They aren’t breaking new ground, but they still have a solid position in my ears. |
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The Jelly Jam – Shall We Descend :: The supergroup of Ty Tabor (King’s X), John Myung (Dream Theater) and Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs) finally found some time to hit the studio! The result is an excellent rock album… |
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Chevelle – Hats Off to the Bull :: Chevelle are a sleeper in my collection. I almost write them off and then with each album, I think how stupid it’d be to write them off. Great hard rock with a vocalist that reminds me of Maynard (Tool, etc). I really need to see this band live – I’ve yet to have a the chance… |
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My Brightest Diamond & Murat Eyuboglu – Letters to Distant Cities :: A short spoken word album, featuring the words of Mustafa Ziyalan. Words spoken by Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), backing music by Murat Eyubolu, with two songs sandwiching the poetry – one by MBD and one by Clare & the Reasons. A great arty piece. |
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Jason Ludwig – Tanglings :: Jason Ludwig returns to the Cincinnati music scene after his 2010 band break up (Noctaluca) with two full-length albums (Tanglings and Lost in Love). Tanglings is my favorite of the two, but they’re both quite excellent. Well-produced, well-arranged, creative singer-songwriter that reminds me of a cross between the pop of Glen Hansard (of the Swell Season and the Frames) and the creative of Daniel Johns (of Silverchair). If you don’t like these albums, I’d be surprised. |
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Hotel Lights – Girl Graffiti :: Darren Jesse was the drummer for Ben Folds Five, and wrote one of my absolute favorite songs for them – “Magic” from The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. He puts down the sticks and picks up the guitar and vocal duties for Hotel Lights. This is HL’s 3rd album, and he continues to impress me with his versatile skills. Poppy indie rock. |
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Eisley – The Valley :: The long gap between The Valley and their last album was trying for the band. After many contract dispute with their former label (Warner), they were finally set free. Many bands don’t make it out of contract disputes alive – it’s easier to break up sometimes. Well, thankfully it’s difficult for Eisley to break-up, as they’d still see each other at holidays and family get-togethers (the band consists of 3 sisters, a brother, and a cousin). The Valley picks up where 2007’s Combinations left off. Alt-pop-rock goodness. Vocal duties traded off between sisters Sherri & Stacy… |
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Tori Amos – Night of the Hunters :: This was Tori’s first album on classical label Deutsche Grammophon. I was skeptical at first, not because of the classical bent. I knew she could handle that… I was skeptical due to the first artwork that looked plastic (which sadly stayed) and her last studio album was a lackluster (IMO) holiday album (blech). Tori enlists her daughter Natashya on some vocals, and delivers one of my favorite Tori albums since 2002’s Scarlet’s Walk. |
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David Bazan – Strange Negotiations :: Continuing in his solo expressions after the official ceasing of Pedro the Lion, David Bazan manifests wit, a sharp tongue, and a questioning mind into his DIY-indie rock. This year, he toured quite a bit, solo and with a band. An album last year (Curse Your Branches), an album this year, and another on the way. He’s slogging away, trekking all over the country, and making some great music on the way. |
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Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning :: Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson is a hard worker. Whether he’s producing albums for others or making albums & touring with PT, Blackfield, No-Man, Storm Corrosion, or solo – he’s always busy each and every year. This year brought his second solo album and a small tour. The album is a bit more stripped down from his other projects. It is reminiscent of Pink Floyd in spots – specifically this song “Home in Negative.” He also rocks out a bit in the almost two hour double album… check out the video for “Track One” here (it’s a bit bleak then startling). Gorgeous work. |
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Wussy – Strawberry :: Well, I was super happy when I found out that Wussy was putting out their fourth full-length studio album this year. They’re a fantastic rock quartet made up of Chuck Cleaver, Lisa Walker, Mark Messerly, and Joe Klug. They write catchy, poppy choruses and meld it perfectly with Midwest Americana-meets-indie-rock grit (or “Midwestern drone” as their press says). Vocal duties are traded off with Chuck (of Ass Ponys) and Lisa (of Magic Words). |
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Radiohead – The King of Limbs :: I could probably put an “indie” icon next to Radiohead… I think technically they put TKOL out by themselves. But they’re a huge superpower of a band. I like this record, but I’ll admit that it’s still sinking in… I need to give it some more spins. This album spawned a seven 7″ vinyl remix set. The video for “Lotus Flower” also spawned a silly “Thom Yorke dancing” meme… one of my favorites being the tennis/fish and the “Single Ladies” editions. |
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Jeffrey Foucault – Horse Latitudes :: Jeffrey Foucault is a favorite Americana artist that I got turned on to by singer-songwriter/storyteller Peter Mulvey. Jeffrey and Peter work together in the band Redbird (with David Goodrich and Jeffrey’s wife Kris Delmhorst). I didn’t pick up Jeffrey’s albums until the past year and a half. He’s definitely more on the cusp of country than I tend to traverse, but I dig his authenticity, poetic wit and charm. He’s a delight on stage and a fantastic John Prine-esque songwriter for the new generation. |
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Opeth – Heritage :: Mikael Åkerfeldt hangs up the cookie monster vocals and “Swedish death metal” rattle and puts out a solid heavy metal album that is a tribute to his progressive metal ancestors. I’ll admit, I miss the heavier side, but it’s still good to see Mikael evolve. |
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Over the Rhine – The Long Surrender :: For those that don’t know Over the Rhine, they started out as a four piece in Cincinnati in 1989 and put out their “post-nuclear, pseudo-alternative, folk-tinged art-pop” indie debut ‘Til We Have Faces in 1991. After about a decade as a four-piece, Ric Hordinski (guitars) & Brian Kelley (drums) left. Karin Bergquist (vocals) & Linford Detweiler (keys) carried on the Over the Rhine flame throughout the years… moving away from a rockier feel to a more folky-pop-Americana thing. What I like about Over the Rhine is they continually change and evolve into a different band with each album and each outing. I’ve seen them rock out, I’ve seen them jazz it up, I’ve seen them happy, I’ve seen them somber, I’ve seen them celebratory, and I’ve seen them tell stories that will make you laugh and cry. |
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dredg – Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy :: I love this band. I hate the album title, but I love the band. Modern progressive rock, tons of talent, thoughtful lyrics, none of that “prog wankery” that is generally detestable. While it’s hard for them to follow-up the stunning The Pariah The Parrot The Delusion (from 2009), this new album does a hearty job of maintaining their quality rock standards. |
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My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind :: Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) took some time off since her last album – 2008′s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. She put out some stunning collaborations in the past three years (see #15 above) including her first kiddo; so the lapse in studio work was a-OK. On this album, Shara teams up with NYC-based ensemble yMusic to create a lush backdrop for her gorgeous voice. I can’t praise this album enough! |
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Puscifer – Conditions of My Parole :: Tool / A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan makes wine and makes other music in his time off from Tool and APC. I loved Puscifer’s debut and the subsequent EP, but this album tops it all. It’s a brilliant record, recorded in one of his wine cellars with his friends – featuring backing vocals from Carina Round. It’s self-released by Puscifer music with a small distribution partner (available in indie shops, primarily). The tour this year was great (I caught Seattle), and I’m glad they’re heading out in the spring again (I’ll be at Portland). |
Check out the 2011 Mix for some samples, click the Amazon buttons for other samples, and support the music if you like what you hear!
My Other Favorites of 2011 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘11 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/DVDs/more of ‘11 are *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ‘11 are coming soon
- Old Years:
- 2010: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts,
- Best of the 2000s Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25)
- 2009: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts
- 2008: Instrumental, Vocal, EPS/etc, Concerts
- 2007: Vocal, Instrumental, Concerts
- 2006 & 2005
~Dan – np: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Incubus 2011 U.S. Tour
Gorram lacking on the PacNW dates… sigh… Incubus announced their 2011 U.S. Tour dates moments ago.
- 8/30/11 Promowest Pavilion Columbus, OH
- 8/31/11 AE Stage Pittsburgh, PA
- 9/1/11 SPAC Saratoga, NY
- 9/3/11 Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY
- 9/4/11 PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ
- 9/7/11 Mohegan Sun Hartford,CT
- 9/9/11 Comcast Center Boston, MA
- 9/10/11 Susquehanna Bank Center Philadelphia, PA
- 9/11/11 Merriweather Post Pavillion Baltimore, MD
- 9/13/11 Virginia Beach Amphitheatre Virginia Beach, VA
- 9/16/11 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC
- 9/18/11 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre Tampa, FL
- 9/20/11 Bayfront Park Amphitheater Miami, FL
- 9/29/11 Gexa Energy Pavilion Dallas, TX
- 9/30/11 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Houston, TX
- 10/1/11 The Backyard at Bee Cave Austin, TX
- 10/5/11 Comerica Theatre Phoenix, AZ
- 10/7/11 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
- 10/8/11 The Joint at the Hard Rock Las Vegas, NV
- 10/9/11 Shoreline Amphitheatre San Francisco, CA
I hope more are forthcoming… no Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver dates. Hmph. Also, Eugene has a shiny new arena (Matthew Knight Arena). Update 6/2 from twitter, there will be a 2nd leg…
Incubus “Adolescents” video
Incubus’ new one isn’t “thinking outside the envelope” or “pushing the box,” as it were… but it’s a good song… check the video for “Adolescents” here:
The vibe to “Adolescent” is (to me) similar to Morning View. I’m digging the slowed down video part (3:30-ish).
The new album – If Not Now, When? – comes out July 12th. You can pre-order it now.
Incubus – Adolescents
So what was this all about on EnjoyIncubus.com?
The next Incubus album is done (see post), and they posted the first song from it on Soundcloud… “Adolescents.” Click the image above to hear the streaming track.
Update 4/6… the album art from Brandon Boyd’s FB page…
Update 4/15… Album Title, Tracklist, Release Date
If Not Now, When? is the name of the album, and it will come out on July 12th, 2011.
Tracklisting:
1. If Not Now, When?
2. Promises, Promises
3. Friends And Lovers
4. Thieves
5. Isadore
6. The Original
7. Defiance
8. In The Company Of Wolves
9. Switchblade
10. Adolescents
11. Tomorrow’s Food
Brandon Boyd of Incubus – The Wild Trapeze
Incubus is heading back into the studio… but this just in…
With a career that’s spanned almost two decades, six albums, a handful of EP’s and DVD’s and a Greatest Hits album which has chronicled it all under his belt as lead singer of the multi-platinum selling band Incubus, Brandon Boyd just released his first solo album entitled, The Wild Trapeze. It’s available for fairly cheap ($10 on CD) with instant download at www.thewildtrapeze.com. The album is also exclusively available digitally on iTunes, et cetera…
Per Brandon…
“This group of songs was born of a very different process than the many my band and I have been employing for our almost two decades at work now. The Wild Trapeze began as pot induced meanderings on my dusty acoustic guitar while Incubus was off of the road, and has slowly been morphing into things that I originally could never have imagined. So much of my identity, both personally and creatively has been attached to and related to Incubus. For better or worse! And I do believe that every person in every corner of the world asks themselves at some point on their ride, ‘Who am I…today?’ The Wild Trapeze is an exercise in self reliance.”
Lofty… I’m sure he’s biased. ;) I’m downloading it now… looking forward to it…
~Dan – np: George Hrab – Trebuchet
no free download or torrent mp3 flac available at all. if you like music, support it by buying it
Fanfarlo Tour / more Einziger compositions
Sigh… I’ll miss the Fanfarlo Fall 2009 North American Tour due to vacation. Boo… :( Their record, Reservoir, is great! I’m bummed I’ll miss their Portland show, but all things considered this year, I can’t really complain much about a “lack of shows.” :)
Fanfarlo’s Fall 2009 Tour Dates
- Schubas Tavern, Chicago IL – November 09, 2009
- Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis MN – November 11, 2009
- Moes, Englewood CO – November 13, 2009
- The State Room, Salt Lake City UT – November 14, 2009
- Knitting Factory, Boise ID – November 16, 2009
- Crocodile Cafe, Seattle WA – November 17, 2009
- The Media Club, British Columbia – November 18, 2009
- Doug Fir Lounge, Portland OR – November 19, 2009
- Great Basin Brewing Company, Sparks NV – November 20, 2009
- Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco CA – November 22, 2009
- The Echo, Los Angeles CA – November 23, 2009
- The Casbah, San Diego CA – November 24, 2009
- Muddy Waters, Santa Barbara CA – November 27, 2009
- Club Congress, Tucson AZ – November 29, 2009
- Sante Fe Brewing Co, Santa Fe NM – November 30, 2009
- The Independent , Austin TX – December 02, 2009
- The Loft, Dallas TX – December 03, 2009
- Walter’s On Washington, Houston TX – December 04, 2009
- The Bottletree, Birmingham AL – December 06, 2009
- Metro Gallery, Baltimore MD – December 09, 2009
- Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA – December 10, 2009
- IOTA Club & Cafe, Arlington VA – December 11, 2009
- Brillobox, Pittsburgh PA – December 12, 2009
- Majestic Cafe, Detroit MI – December 14, 2009
- El Mocambo, Toronto ON – December 15, 2009
- Il Motore, Montreal QC – December 16, 2009
- T.T. The Bear’s, Cambridge MA – December 17, 2009
- Webster Hall, New York NY – December 18, 2009
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Incubus guitarist Michael Einziger likes experimental music. And I like that he likes it.
He just posted on MySpace that he’s performing a new piece of music at an event in Los Angeles on November 21 at the Disney Hall. Here’s some info about the concert. The piece is entitled “Forced Curvature of Reflective Surfaces.” Apparently, he’s not even finished with it yet (as of 10/28/09)!
Forced Curvature was inspired by a combination of the physical appearance of the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Einziger’s studies in the philosophy of quantum mechanics.
The music was written for 12 electric guitars (played with a slide), 12 strings (violin, cello), and is based on the glissando. The instruments have been orchestrated in terms of corresponding high and low registers, that reflect each other as though being viewed through a mirror. The exterior shape of Disney Hall informed the shape of the sounds created and by necessity, was first drawn visually in the form of architectural-like renderings, before being committed to paper in the form of a hand-written score.
“This building is obviously a solid, immobile structure”, Einziger says of the Disney Hall. “But it looks like a series of reflective waves that have been frozen in a specific state at a specific place in time, and I wanted to try and imagine what it might sound like if that idea were to be expressed as waves of sound. Adding a 4th dimension of time to the picture would force the structure into a Minkowskian space-time manifold, and it would therefore become directional. It would be as though time itself were forcing the curvature of the reflective material in a forward-motion, because time appears to be directional.”
The piece has no apparent formal structure and has been through-composed. All of the instruments will be fused together, forming 2 distinct ‘mirror images’. The strings and guitars combined will not sound like separate groups of instruments, but rather as dense units of a single instrument uncharacteristic of entirely one or the other.
Einziger conceived of the piece at Harvard University where he is currently a student, and has studied the history and philosophy of physics with physicist/historian, Dr. Peter Galison.
Michael Einziger = end.>vacuum
In 2003, a side-project release of Michael Einziger‘s totally caught me off guard and shot past many familiar names in my musical interests to become my favorite CD of 2003. That CD was Time-Lapse Consortium‘s Live at the Roxy Theatre 1/24/2003:
FYI, Michael Einziger is the guitarist for rock band Incubus (the fuzzy guy below).
That Time-Lapse Consortium CD still feels fresh and exciting to me. It totally caught me by surprise.
Anyway, just today, a bulletin was posted on the Incubus MySpace page, which led me to this endvacuum.com note from Mike:
simply stated, end.>vacuum is a jagged collection of orchestral music i have been writing for the past year. a horrendously turbulent, and at times serene, aural interpretation of complex patterns and geometric shapes that assemble themselves firmly into my consciousness. a 40 minute-long insomnia-induced orchestral anxiety- attack. (sounds like heaven, right?)
under normal circumstances, i play guitar in a band called incubus. but last year i was forced to stop playing for several months due to a wrist injury that required surgery, as well as a time-intensive recovery. without the option of picking up a guitar, it was during that idle time that i began to write music for the orchestra, which became like a musical game of ‘tetris’ for me. a huge challenge on both cerebral and intellectual levels. I don’t know if it’s any good, either.
rather than record this music and release it as an album, i thought it would be much more risky and fun to for the maiden voyage of ‘end.>vacuum’ to happen as a live, unedited performance in front of my family, friends, and fans. with all mishaps intact.
the music will be performed in nine movements, by a group of musicians i am calling ‘the graviton modern ensemble‘. it will be a mixture of professional philharmonic players and friends. throughout the piece, i will play a variety of different instruments (sans guitar) alongside my brother, benjamin einziger, and my good friend blake mills. suzie katayama will be conducting.
to make this event even more heavenly, the first part of the program will consist of a lecture by my friend and esteemed british physicist, dr. brian cox. he is a world-renowned scientist who acts as a science correspondent for the BBC, and is currently conducting monumental research at the large hadron collider at CERN. the large hadron collider is a particle accelerator, and is the most powerful/ complex/expensive machine ever built by humans (google it). his talk will be a discussion on particle-physics and the mind-bending potential for major discoveries at CERN in the near future.
all this could make for an amazing evening at UCLA, or it could be a train-wreck. we’ll all decide that together.
So, yeah… a new non-rock, compositional piece from Michael Einziger. I’m stoked. I don’t know if it’ll be in the same vein as Time-Lapse. I doubt it, but I don’t really care. I’m sure it’ll be some interesting music.
The skinny:
Michael Einziger’s END.>VACUUM
A Realization in Nine Movements
August 23, 2008 at UCLA’s Royce Hall
endvacuum.com