Thursday, December 15, 2011

Year in Review 2011 - Top Ten Albums- Part 1 (The Just Misses & Let Downs)

Another great year is finishing up for Rock The Body Electric and we wouldn't be a proper music blog if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so without further verbiage RtBE Presents it's first part of the Best of 2011 Top Ten Albums (The Just Misses & Let Downs):
In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation.  RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20 so expect some overlap, but not a ton. Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen to the all the way through.    

Today we are going to focus on the "Just Misses" and unfortunately the "Let Downs" released this year.  Here's hoping you like them, but also feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.  Expect installment 2 (#10-6) soon, but for now click on the jump:

JUST MISSES:
Every year features a host of great albums and since we like the number 10, most people use that for lists (hey it it is a good round digit, what can I say?) but these albums are also really really solid; worthy of praise, your time, and hard earned cash. In no particular order (Except for the last which is the first...read on):

J Mascis - Several Shades of Why
The best electric guitar white haired wizard went acoustic and made a great album, fans (RtBE being a huge one) always knew it was in him, but for newbies this is a cool, if different, place to start exploring this Dinosaur:


Drop Kick Murphy's - Going Out In Style
Irish American Punk Rockers from Beantown, put their storytelling ways squarely in the forefront and let the chaos swell behind them as they produced the best album of their career, and hey The Boss even showed up.


Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams
Retro-girl group pop-rock with a garage shake, cokmbine that with fantastic lyrics and you got a top notch album.  A Buzz band that lived up to the hype:


North Mississippi All-Stars - Keys To The Kingdom
The southern brothers Dickinson with big fella Chew on bass have crafted a career highpoint via amazing playing (which they always had) and powerful songwriting (pleasent new arrival).  Daddy would be proud:


Trombone Shorty - For True
The southern group makes it two years in a row with an honorable mention on RtBE, here's hoping the next release breaks the top ten.


Mastodon - Hunter
While fans seem split on this one, RtBE loves the return to simpler metal songs, and the aggression is still there.  Solid through and through.


PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
The quirky songstress put together a perplexing and deep album and deserves recognition as a bright spot this year. 


Wild Flag - Wild Flag
This is the album that just missed the top ten, call it 11, songwriting here is really top notch as is the playing. Carrie and company seem to creatively juiced again which is always exciting, "Romance" is one of the top tunes of the year as well...hmmm maybe this should have tied for tenth: 


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The Let Downs:
 Now for the bad news...some Albums that let RtBE down...we had high hopes for these...no dice.  These are by no means the worst albums of the year (well one this year could in fact be the worst), they are just from artists RtBE like/respect that went a different route which I didn't particularity care for.  To each his own...

My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Easily the first choice in this category for 2011, for a group that RtBE has high hopes for this album was a let down.  With Evil Urges the band was trying for something and fans can argue weather or not they achieved but Circuital takes up a different approach and does something worse in our opinion...it dulls these ears.
  
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo 
With 2009's Childish Prodigy Kurt opened up the ears of RtBE to his sound which admittedly was along the avenue of our favorite artists...so we were very pumped for this years release.  While other sites have proclaimed it's greatness we respectfully disagree.  It isn't boring or bad like the other two albums on the list of let downs, it just doesn't do it for us and we thought it would.  

Lou Reed & Metallica - Lulu
Shit Sandwich is too easy, and this one almost didn't make the list, because come'n how high could your hopes possibly have been going into this collaboration?  However, whenever two bands of this magnitude put out something like this it must be noted.  Glad you had the balls to release this fellas, just wish it sounded 1/4 listenable...

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