Music Directors’ Best Of 2011 So Far: Catherine
Another half of an arbitrary 365 day cycle has come and gone, sunrise by sunset, offering a friendly occasion to recap how many gems we’ve seen in 2011.5 already. Click through for five of Music Director Catherine DeGennaro‘s favorite albums so far, keep an eye out for Emma’s picks later this week and check out Mike’s picks if you missed them.
Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My HaloAt some point, I started writing a review for this album that began, “Smoke Ring For My Halo is an album not unlike its namesake, the smoke ring–a vaporous smog that drifts more than it floats; that manages to be both a tight, well-crafted shape and a fragile haze on the brink of dissipation.” And then I got really busy and never finished, but I’ll still stand by that.
.
♫ Listen to “Ghost Town”
.
White Denim: DFor those of us who are nostalgic for whatever jam band phase we went through in high school but have grown up and lost patience for meandering noodling. White Denim churns out searing solos all while shaking off easy categorization, veering from country rompers to psychedelia to tropicalia-drenched Aqualung to straight up rock and roll in one sitting.
.
♫ Listen to “It’s Him!”
.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Unknown Mortal OrchestraOn its debut LP, the Portland trio lets its lo-fi guitar and vocal hooks bleed into each other in a way that’s almost hypnotic, but weighs everything down with heavy beats and bass.
.
♫ Listen to “Little Blu House”
.
.
.
Wye Oak: CivilianCivilian is a balancing act, lyrically shifting between obscure (“You can sleep in bed with me / my jewelry, my baby teeth”) and confessional (“I am nothing without pretend / I know my faults, can’t live with them”) and instrumentally covering a dynamic range that’s complemented by Jenn Wasner’s versatile voice. For just two people, they sure can make a lot of noise, but they know exactly when to lay off.
.
♫ Listen to “Holy Holy”
.
tUnE-yArDs: w h o k i l lFew people could get away with such irksome stylization, but its disjointed starts and stops just suit Merrill Garbus. Over the course of w h o k i l l, she breaks down all the boundaries and rules with the strong beats of her drumsticks, bellowing and howling joyfully just before proving she can deliver a surprisingly tender ukulele ballad all the same.
.
♫ Listen to “Powa”
.
[...] Comments Linksys BEFSR41 on P1030688Music Directors’ Best Of 2011 So Far: Catherine | WGTB on Music Directors’ Best of 2011 So Far: MikeBox on Fourth of July Asbury Park: From the [...]
that unknown mortal orchestra is some quality ish, great call on that one. stoked for the new wilco in september? i’m sure that’ll make it on your end of the year list