I’ll be honest: 2011 was not the best year in music for me. I typically listen to albums more than five years old, but even so, I don’t remember ever buying so little new music. That said, here’s a top-4 list of what I bought and liked last year.
4. Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
It’s not the greatest album in the world, and it’s not close to the greatest Beastie Boys album. But it’s better than a lot of their output in the last ten years, and it’s fun. That’ll do for 2011.
3. Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory, Songs to Test By
I’m not sure this soundtrack will make much sense to you if you haven’t played the game; it’s a 3-disc set filled with lots of background noises and moody tones. Not exactly driving music, but it’ll put you in the game’s mood. If you remember how awesome that was, you’ll enjoy the listening experience. Also, it’s somehow free.
2. The Lonely Island, Turtleneck & Chain
Continuing my sighing, I’ll note that their previous album, Incredibad, is slightly better. But this one’s pretty good too - from the stakes-raising opener ‘We’re Back’ to the ante-upping sequel ‘Motherlover’, it brings on more of everything. Funny in all the right and wrong ways.
1. Shabazz Palaces, Black Up
An unlikely favorite, this bizarre electronic hip-hop album wins by the sheer force of its weirdness. Big, broken beats, head-scratching lyrics, aggressively unorthodox song structures. Somehow, none of that is off-putting. It flows in its own strange way, stripped down enough that you can put it on in the background and just occasionally WTF at the Tom Waitsy touches.
We may live in a world of 99c singles, but I’m still an old album-dinosaur. I bought very few single songs released in 2011, so they’re not even worth mentioning. Sorry to be such a downer. Music is awesome.
