Best Records of 2011

Best Records of 2011:

As in the past, I have found a lot to like in many (but not all) new releases by my long-time fave artists. But I have also been impressed by the work of many relatively new faces (though almost never the same new faces favored by Pitchfork Media). I think it's a good sign that 2011 was the first year in recent memory in which I was just as excited by the records on the "Best New Releases" list as on the "Best Reissues" list. It's possible that my "Best New Releases" list is over-represented by artists who might be classified into the genres of "C86 indie-pop," "anti-folk," and/or "garage-rock revivalism." But I don't really think so. I don't know what it means that Bill Callahan (my #2 pick) has popped up on virtually every year-end list I've seen, while Kimya Dawson (my #4 pick)--who is equally non-obscure--has popped up on precisely none. I don't think my selection of Wussy's "Funeral Dress II" as the #1 album of the year reflects cronyism, though it might. I do have a lot of other cronies who made records this year that did not rank as #1! Happy New Year!

Top 25 Albums of 2011:

1. Wussy - Funeral Dress II CD (Shake It)
2. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse LP/CD (Drag City)
3. Feelies - Here Before LP/CD (Bar/None)
4. Kimya Dawson - Thunder Thighs 2LP/CD (Great Crap Factory)
5. Complaints Choir - OST 3CD+DVD (Smog Veil)
6. Royal Headache -s/t CD (R.I.P. Society)
7. Mannequin Men -s/t LP (Addenda)
8. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town LP/CD (Drag City)
9. Jeffrey Lewis - A Turn In The Dream-Songs LP/CD (Rough Trade)
10. Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck LP/CD (Merge)
11. Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep CD (Heavenly/Downtown)
12. Comet Gain - Howl of the Lonely Crowd CD (What's Your Rupture)
13. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life 2LP/CD/DA (Matador)
14. V/A (Fucked Up) - David's Town LP (Matador)
15. East River Pipe - We Live in Rented Rooms CD (Merge)
16. Antietam - Tenth Life CD (Carrot Top)
17. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - So Many Things 2LP/CD (Goner)
18. Tabby Chinos - University Of Strangers Book+MP3 (Smog Veil)
19. VA - This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw, African-American Gospel On 45rpm (1957-1982) 3CD (Tompkins Square)
20. Veronica Falls - s/t LP/CD (Slumberland)
21. Withered Hand - Good News LP/CD (Absolutely Kosher)
22. 200 Years - s/t LP/CD (Drag City)
23. Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel - Come On Board CD (Olive Juice)
24. J Mascis - Several Shades of Why LP/CD (Sub Pop)
25. Yung Wu - Us & Them CDR-EP (self-released)

Top 20 Singles of 2011:

1. Bitch Prefect - "Holiday In America" 7"EP (R.I.P. Society) (Australia)
2. Jay Reatard - "You Get No Love" 7"45 (Shattered)
3. Home Blitz - A.T.K/Last Cycle 7"45 (Mexican Summer)
4. Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby - "Do You Remember That?" MP3 (Radio Free Song Club)
5. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - There Is No God 10"EP (Drag City)
6. Crisis of Conformity - Fist Fight! 7"45 (Drag City)
7. Fucked Up -  "Octavio Made The Bomb" 7"45 (Matador)
8. Wild Flag - Future Crimes b/w Glass Tambourine 7"45 (Merge)
9. Hive Dwellers - "Get In" 12"EP (K Records)
10. Jeffrey Novak - "Back At The Bottom" 7"EP (Trouble In Mind)
11. Rocket From The Tombs - "I Sell Soul"' 7"45 (Smog Veil)
12. Moon Duo - Silver Bells / Winter 7"45 (Holy Mountain)
13. J Mascis - Circle 7"45 (Sub Pop)
14. The Thermals - Never Listen to Me MP3-single (Kill Rock Stars)
15. Hard-Ons w/ Neil Hamburger - American Exports 7"45 (Alternative Tentacles)
16. Bleached - Carter 7"45 (Art Fag)
17. Cheyenne Marie Mize - I Called You Back MP3 (Bandcamp)
18. Liminananas - "I'm Dead" 7"45 (HoZac)
19. TV Casualty - s/t 7"EP (Matador)
20. The New Pornographers - Moves 7"45 (Matador)

Best Reissues of 2011:

• 3Ds - Early Recordings 1989-90 CD (Flying Nun) (1989-90)
• Ed Askew - Imperfiction LP (Galactic Zoo Disk/Drag City) (1984)
• Bad Brains - Pay To Cum/Stay Close To Me 7"EP (ROIR) (1980)
• Balloon Farm - A Question of Temperature/Hurtin' For Your Love 7"45 (Laurie) (1968)
• Banana Splits - The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana) 7"45 (Decca) (1968)
• Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions Box Set 5CD+2LP+2x7"45 (Capitol) (1966)
• Bitch Magnet - Complete Discography 3LP/3CD (Temporary Residence) (1988-90)
• BMX Bandits - C86/Star Wars combined CD (Virtual) (1989/91)
• Brian Jonestown Massacre -  The Singles Collection 1992-2011 2CD (A Records) (1992-2011)
• Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps/You Can't Be Funky 7"45 (ROIR) (1982)
• Chalk Circle - Reflection LP (Mississippi) (1981-83)
• Clap - Have You Reached Yet? LP (Sing Sing) (1972)
• Cramps - File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981 10x7"45/CD (Munster) (1978-1981)
• Crass - Stations Of The Crass CD (Crass) (1979)
• Crass - The Feeding Of The Five Thousand CD (Crass) (1978)
• Customs - Long Gone 7" (Munster/Shake It) (Spain) (1980)
• Deadbeats - Complete Dangerhouse Recordings 10"EP (Artifix) (1978)
• Disco Zombies - Drums Over London LP (Acute) (1979-80)
• DMZ - Radio Demos | Lyres - Live At Cantones, Boston 1982 combined-CD (Munster Records) (Spain) (1976 & 1982)
• Dow Jones and the Industrials - s/t 7"EP (Family Vinyard) (1980)
• Jad Fair - Beautiful Songs: The Best Of Jad Fair LP/3CD (Fire) (1980-2010)
• Feederz - Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss? LP (Broken Rekids) (1983)
• Fleshtones - Roman Gods/Up-Front CD (Raven) (Australia) (1980-81)
• George-Edwards Group - Archives LP (Galactic Zoo Disk/Drag City) (1979-85)
• Screamin' Jay Hawkins - The Singles 1954-1957 LP (Rumble) (1954-1957)
• Human Instinct - Kiwi Psych Heads: Singles 1966-1971 LP (Groovie) (Spain) (1966-1971)
• Human Switchboard - Who's Landing in My Hangar? CD (Bar/None) (1977-84)
• John Fahey - Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You: The Fonotone Years 1958-1965 5CD (Dust-To-Digital) (1958-65)
• Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground 2LP (Mississippi) (1927–1930)
• Rodd Keith - My Pipe Yellow Dream LP (Roaratorio) (1966-74)
• Ken Kesey & His Merry Pranksters - The Acid Test LP (Sound City) (Spain) (1966)
• Left Banke - Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina LP/CD (Sundazed) (1967)
• Lone Pigeon - Time Capsule 7CD (Domino) (1995-2010)
• Angus MacLise, Tony Conrad, and Jack Smith - Dreamweapon I-III LPs (Boo-Hooray) (1964-68)
• Marshall McLuhan - The Medium Is The Massage CD (Five Day Weekend) (1967)
• Modern Lovers - 96 Tears LP (Vinyl Lovers) (Russia) (1971-73)
• Pleasure Seekers - What A Way To Die CD (Cradle Rocks) (1967-69)
• Reatards - Teenage Hate/Fuck Elvis: Here’s The Reatards 2LP/CD (Goner) (1998)
• Red Crayola - God Bless the Red Krayola (remastered by Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember) (Snapper/Charly) (1968)
• Red Crayola - Parable of Arable Land (remastered by Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember) (Snapper/Charly) (1966)
• Rolling Stones - Some Girls 2CD (Republic) (1978)
• Sebadoh - Bakesale 2CD (Sub Pop) (1994)
• Ty Segall - Singles 2007-2010 2LP/CD (Goner) (2007-2010)
• Social Climbers - Social Climbers CD (Drag City) (1980)
• Sun Ra - Presents the Qualities 7"45 (Norton) (1955)
• Sun Ra & The Blues Project - The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale: Batman And Robin LP (Klimt) (France) (1966)
• Supreme Dicks - Breathing and Not Breathing 4CD (Jagjaguwar) (1993-96)
• Teenage Fanclub - Deep Fried Fanclub LP/CD (Fire) (1990-92)
• Television Personalities - They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles LP (1972 Records) (1979-82)
• Throbbing Gristle - Deluxe Reissues of first five albums 5x2CD (Industrial) (UK) (1977-80)
• Tiny Tim - Lost & Found 1963-1974 LP (Secret Seven) (1963-74)
• Vertebrats - Screaming Like A Mad Chair LP (Parasol) (1980-82)
• V/A - Busted At Oz LP (Permanent) (1981)
• V/A - Dirty Water 2: More Birth Of Punk Attitude 2LP/2CD (Year Zero) (UK) (1976)
• V/A - How Many Roads?: Black America Sings Bob Dylan CD (Ace) (1965-74)
• V/A - Tally Ho! Flying Nun's Greatest Bits CD (Flying Nun) (1981-1995)

Honorable Mention:

• America Hearts / Cotton Candy - Split 7"EP (Sockets)
• Art Brut - Brilliant!  Tragic!  LP/CD (Cooking Vinyl)
• Bats - Free All The Monsters LP/CD (Flying Nun)
• Boris - New Album 2LP/CD (Sargent House)
• Cakekitchen - Kangaroos In My Top Paddock LP (Violet Times)
• Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion LP/CD (Slumberland)
• Damon & Naomi - False Beats And True Hearts LP/CD (20|20|20)
• Dick Diver - New Start Again CD (Chapter Music) (Australia)
• Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams LP/CD (Sub Pop)
• Eleventh Dream Day - Riot Now! LP/CD (Thrill Jockey)
• The Ex - Catch My Shoe LP/CD (Ex) (Netherlands)
• Fang Wizard - Pure Hex CD (Teenbeat)
• Philip Glass - Kepler 2CD (Orange Mountain)
• Gospel Music - How To Get To Heaven From Jacksonville LP (Kill Rock Stars)
• Gray - Shades Of... CD (Plush Safe)
• Hal Dolls - Bipolaroid CD (Noise Pollution)
• Neil Hamburger - Live At Taylor Brigode's Bachelor Party 7"45 (Boo-Hooray)
• Mick Harvey - Sketches From The Book Of The Dead CD (Mute)
• Susan Howe & David Grubbs - Frolic Architecture CD (Blue Chopsticks)
• Hypocrite In A Hippy Crypt - Tweaker In The Park CD (Gulcher)
• Jonny - s/t CD (Merge)
• Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Gorilla Rose LP/CD (In The Red)
• David Kilgour & the Heavy Eights - Left by Soft CD (Merge)
• Malefactors of Great Wealth - Today Is the Best Day of My Life CDR (Old 3C)
• Mars Classroom - New Theory Of Everything LP/CD (Happy Jack Rock)
• Mekons - Ancient and Modern CD (Sin/Bloodshot)
• Stephin Merritt - Obscurities LP/CD (Merge)
• Moon Duo - Mazes CD (Sacred Bones)
• New Toys - Made In Buffalo CD (Realkat)
• Doug Paisley - Constant Companion CD (No Quarter)
• Robert Pollard - Space City Kicks (Gbv Inc)
• Primal Scream & MC5-DTK - Black To Comm 2CD+DVD (Easy Action) (UK)
• Protex - Strange Obsessions LP (Sing Sing)
• Psychedelic Horseshit - Laced LP/CD (Fat Cat)
• Quilt - Quilt LP/CD (Mexican Summer)
• Refrigerator - Dangerous CD (Shrimper)
• Renderers - A Rocket Into Nothing CD (Ba Da Bing!)
• Terry Riley & Gyan Riley - Live CD (Sri Moonshine Music)
• Rick Rizzo & Tara Key - Double Star LP (Thrill Jockey)
• Alasdair Roberts - "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (w/Karine Polwart)/"The Dowie Dens o Yarrow"(Drew Wright) 7"45 (Drag City)
• Rocket From The Tombs - Barfly LP/CD (Smog Veil/Fire)
• Kim Salmon and The Guys From Mudhoney - Until.... LP (Bang!) (Spain)
• Nathan Salsburg - Affirmed LP/CD (No Quarter)
• Scene Is Now - Magpie Alarm CD (Tongue Master)
• Robert Scott - Ends Run Together LP/CD (Flying Nun)
• Singer - Mindreading LP/CD (Drag City)
• Spectre Folk - Blackest Medicine Vol. 2 12"EP (Woodsist)
• Speed The Plough - Shine CD (Dromedary)
• Poly Styrene - Generation Indigo LP/CD (Redeye/Future Noise)
• Surf City - Kudos LP/CD (Fire)
• The Thermals - Not Like Any Other Feeling 7"45 (Kill Rock Stars)
• Times New Viking - Dancer Equired LP/CD (Merge)
• Trembling Bells - The Constant Pageant LP/CD (Honest Jon's) (UK)
• Twerps - s/t LP/CD (Underwater Peoples/Chapter Music) (Australia)
• Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo/So Outta Reach EP Deluxe Expanded Edition CD (Matador)
• Vores - Common Scar CD (self-released)
• Wild Flag - Wild Flag LP/CD (Merge)
• Wire - Red Barked Tree LP/CD (Pink Flag)
• Wussy - Strawberry CD (Shake It)
• C Spencer Yeh - In The Blink Of An Eye/Condo Stress 7"45 (De Stijl)
• V/A - Whaur the Pig Gaed on the Spree: Scottish Recordings by Alan Lomax LP (Drag City)