KATRINA LEHR-McKINNEY'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011
Audiophiles run aplenty around the shop, so year-end favorites don't end with me. Our media/project manager extraordinaire, Katrina, has weighed-in with her favorite albums of 2011. And let me tell you, it was worth the 364 day wait. Check out her top ten below the jump.
- The Music Director
THE MUSIC DIRECTOR'S TOP 40 TRACKS OF 2011
This is it. My favorite moment of the year. The time when I reflect on the soundtrack of my year. For those of you who don't know me, my life is surrounded by music. My daily routine consists of following music blogs on Twitter and Facebook, listening to suggestions from friends, and filling all of the time in between with tunes from my iPod. I hear great music at work, in my car, in the shower - really anywhere I have access to iTunes, a record player, or a plug-in to speakers.
While my year is filled with plenty of music from different eras, I love to hear what's new in the music world. I also love to share my favorites with friends, which is why I started making my favorite tracks list back in 2009 and continued the tradition in 2010.
This year, I made a few tweaks, like taking my list from 50 to 40 tracks, to reflect the running playlist of new tunes on my iPod. I also suppose, on a subconscious level, it's my way of playing my version of Casey Kasem - although I don't plan on sending out any long-distance dedications. Also, I decided to hold to last year's tweak by only posting one song per artist/album, that way I can share as much new music as possible.
I hope you enjoy the list below the jump. To avoid ratings, I posted the list, like my album list, in alpha-order.
THE MUSIC DIRECTOR'S TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2011
For audiophiles, the release of year-end music lists is as much of a holiday tradition as egg nog or a half-burnt-out strand of Christmas lights. Everyone's spent the year combing through music blogs to discover something new and exciting, or maybe just something fresh from an old favorite.
But then comes the time to reflect on the year and create a suitable soundtrack to your life. Everyone handles their lists differently. Some base their list on record sales. Others have a careful scientific process of judging art and innovation. For me, it's all about gut instinct.
I toss record sales and scientific process out the window. I think they're about as useful as a sweater on a prairie dog. My year-end lists are about finding which songs make me feel good. Which albums are as good backwards as forwards. And remembering which songs caught me by surprise.
In 2011, my list-making deviated from my own norm just a bit. This year, I've narrowed down my favorite albums from my usual 25 to 15, and my favorite songs (coming 12/15) from 50 to 40. I've even added a handy guide to follow when checking out each record.
I hope you enjoy my favorites below the jump. We hope to tap the 2011 favorites from others around the shop soon. Let us know in the comments who tops your list this year.
- The Music Director
GROWING TROPICAL PANTS IN NORTHERN CLIMATES
Intense show last night, we talked about Glen Campbell, Chip Davis, and whether or not Oil Can's shark skin polyester pants were more tropical than my denim Levis. Probably sounds boring now, but just wait until you hear it on the radio. Above: Our corporate approved pic of the week. It's a three parter featuring visual images that reference wind power, wood power, and ear power. Below: The playlist from last night's show featuring new tracks by Glen Campbell and old tracks by Brian Wilson.
Roe Family Singers - Crow Black Chicken***
Future Islands - Give Us The Wind
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Stranded On The Wrong Beach
The xx - Islands
Willie Nile - Far Green Hills
Chuck Prophet - Hot Talk
Broken Bells - The Mall & Misery**
Bob Dylan - Christmas Island
Tune Yards - Gangsta
Mike Doughty with Roseanne Cash - Holiday
The Beach Boys - Brian Wilson Falls Into A Piano
The Beach Boys - Vegetables
Jami Lynn - Sod Busters
Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean
Glen Campbell - Any Trouble*****
The Mountain Goats - High Hawk Season
Tonic - Flowerman
**Tunes I played in response to a segment about mall walking.
***Tunes by bands that might be playing at this year's Sioux River Folk Fest at Newton Hills State Park
*****Glen Campbell
Mayor of Hurley, SD Linda Peterson inspired last night's show. She moved Halloween up a day to accommodate their high school football team's second round play off game. So we decided to move our Halloween show back 3 days to accommodate our idea of fun. It went about as good as these things go. We talked about leaf raking vs blowing, Stingy Jack, the Hub City Slash and Haunted De Hoek. Stay tuned for the broadcast. In the mean time, if you turniped yer radio last night and are dying to know what song played at about 8:47, here's the playlist:
Jason Trachtenburg - Halloween
Michael Hurley - Werewolf
The Books - A Long Villainous Sequence
The Beach Boys - Heroes and Villains
Deer Tick - Miss K
Aerial Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Fright Night (Nevermore)
Burl Ives - Fooba Wooba John
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Don't Haunt This Place
Neutral Milk Hotel - King of Carrot Flowers Part I
Sea Wolf - Black Leaf Falls
Noah And The Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
Burl Ives - Buckeye Jim
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
Steve Martin - Words Unspoken
Daniel Johnston - Casper The Friendly Ghost
David Simonett - The Gravity Of The Situation*
The Mountain Goats - Please Come Home To Hamngatan**
Tonic - Flowerman
*Songs written by dudes with names I mispronounced when introducing their song
**Songs I sometimes play 2 weeks in a row because I love them so much
HOT NEWS FROM HOT SPRINGS.
Spent the evening talking about sun gazing, and whether or not it was inspired by humans wishing to live more like plants. It went well, but it didn't hold a foot candle to a story of vegetative violence out of Hot Springs, SD. Turns out a guy had the nerve to prune a buckeye tree in June. I'll share the audio at the bottom of this post. It's that good. In the mean time, our playlist featured a lot of great free range rock and roll. Check it out below the jump.
