January 6th, 2012 - 10:37 am
» 2011 Playlist
Putting this together was tougher than I expected. I kept starting to listen to stuff with an ear toward how essential it was, if it fit, where it fit — and then I would get swept away in listening to music, and I’d find myself 20 minutes later just bopping along, staring at the latest Go Fug Yourself, thinking about what to make for dinner. Also I really liked the idea of a single cd playlist — which was laughable, considering how hard it was not to include entire albums on the list. I would manage moments of ruthlessness, cutting away some of my favorite songs by an artist, wanting no more than a representative or two from each band — and then I would zone out again, or just throw up my hands.
In the end, here’s what I managed. I was especially happy to be able to come full circle with two of my favorite bands, The National and Iron & Wine. I listened to them a lot (A LOT) (like, really obsessively) at the beginning of the year, and then suddenly couldn’t listen to them at all any more. Then this fall I found out they were both playing in San Fransisco on a weekend I was thinking of going to visit Bryce, and after missing both of them in Minneapolis this year, I couldn’t pass it up. I was a little worried I would fall apart at one or both shows — but I didn’t, not even close. All sweet, no bitter — I was just really happy to be there.
- Don’t Carry It All – The Decemberists
- Thistled Spring – Horse Feathers
- Little Faith – The National
- Alabama Pines – Jason Isbell
- Our Hearts Are Wrong – Jessica Lea Mayfield
- Runaway – The National
- Dear Avery – The Decemberists
- White Wilderness – John Vanderslice
- Sorrow – The National
- Middleman – Bright Eyes
- England – The National
- Backwards Walk – Frightened Rabbit
- Overcoat – John Vanderslice
- Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes
- If The Brakeman Turns My Way – Bright Eyes
- Walking Far From Home – Iron and Wine
- Cleanse Song – Bright Eyes
- Swim Until You Can’t See Land – Frightened Rabbit
- Belly of June – Horse Feathers
- Dog Days Are Over – Florence & The Machine
- S&M – Rihanna
- Post Break-Up Sex – The Vaccines
- Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People
- Holdin on to Black Metal – My Morning Jacket
- Don’t Say Oh Well – Grouplove
- Wetsuit – The Vaccines
- Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National
- Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall – Coldplay
- Conversation 16 – The National
- Tree By The River – Iron and Wine
- Us Against The World – Coldplay
Maybe a little overkill, but I also jotted down my favorite albums of 2011. (Mostly because Noel Gallagher didn’t make it onto the playlist; I really like listening to him, but he doesn’t grab me or encapsulate the year quite the way the rest of that stuff does. But I’ve listened to him a lot in the last couple months, and I want to be able to remember that.)
Favorite albums of 2011:
- The King is Dead – The Decemberists
- High Violet – The National
- Kiss Each Other Clean – Iron & Wine
- Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes
- Cassadaga – Bright Eyes
- What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? – The Vaccines
- Grouplove (EP) – Grouplove
- Mylo Xyloto – Coldplay
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher
Lastly — not a good video, but one of my favorite moments during The National’s concert on December 3. It’s the last song of their encore; the band unplugged, and just brought it. I still get tingles thinking about it.