Albums and Songs I actually listened to and liked a lot that came out in 2011, and other musical things.
This is not an unnecessarily comprehensive list, it is an honest sampling of the music I liked and played most often. Writing about music when you know as little as I do is a stupid, stupid thing. This is merely a means of sharing stuff I like. So. Yeah.
1. Holy Ghost! - Holy Ghost!
My favorite album of the year is one that seems to have been largely overlooked. It's a great record indebted to the past (70s underground disco, 80s commercial pop music), but it doesn't sound, like so many bands mired in trendy synth revivalism, like an approximation of something better. It sounds like itself, which is an accomplishment. This is, essentially, dance music, but it's dance music written written in a pop structure that doesn't sacrifice any of the organic, analog sounds that make other DFA acts (LCD Soundsystem, The Juan Maclean) so distinctive. The album's centerpiece, "Jam For Jerry," is a beautiful tribute to their friend, the late drummer Jerry Fuchs. Lyrically it's sad and confused and full of regret, but musically it's almost joyous. It's just about as thoughtful and personal as a pop song can be. It's the high point of an album which is wall to wall with great music.
Holy Ghost! - Jam for Jerry
