Top 10 albums of 2011

Some of us document our lives by the music that surrounds us.

Songs come on the radio that conjure up memories of decades gone by. A band reminds you of the time you saw them in concert. A single song makes you recall a specific person, a date you went on, a night out or a family gathering.

That's how 2011 was for us.

March was seeing bands such as The Head and the Heart at SXSW that I knew people back at home would love. Then there was that summer day when it seemed everyone wanted to talk about Bon Iver.

2011 was a diverse year with great music from all genres.


10. NOAH AND THE WHALE, "LAST NIGHT ON EARTH"

(Island Mercury)

With this record, Noah And The Whale moved beyond folk to become something more pop and rock — like Coldplay — but with deft lyrics that paint stories — unlike Coldplay. The music of "Tonight's The Kind Of Night" captures the energy and hope espoused in its lyrics while "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." is a song that's at once sad and about heart and leaving behind regrets.


9. JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST, "WATCH THE THRONE"

(Def Jam)

This collaboration could have been disastrous, but it produced, front-to-back, one of the best hip-hop albums in years — as well as a song with maybe the most ridiculous title ever (N***** In Paris). The combination of amazing production — samples of the Will Farrell comedy "Blades Of Glory" as well as Otis Redding are so ridiculous they're awesome — are coupled with incredible rhymes and tons of boasting. Kanye West and Jay-Z say they're the illest, um, gentlemen alive on this record. I'd think that was too much if I didn't think they were right.

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List: The 8 best baseball songs

Happy Opening Day, everybody! For those of us baseball fans (me among them), it's a glorious holiday. I can now start checking the sports page every day for box scores and standings, mostly to find out how many games out of first my New York Mets are.

And at the very least, it gives us all something to argue about for the next six months.

Inspired by this, I put together a list of the very best of baseball songs, some old, some new. Enjoy the list and listen to the music. Then, add your own in the comments.

(Also, at the very bottom, you can check out the very worst baseball song of all time.)

Enjoy.


"Don't Call Them Twinkies" by Craig Finn of the Hold Steady and the Baseball Project
Finn's known for his Twins fandom even if he doesn't live in Minnesota any more. Some of those team nicknames stick, but Finn's not a fan of the one for the Twins.


"Centerfield" by John Fogerty
It's the classic song, and maybe an obvious choice, but still a great tune about wanting to get in the game.


"All The Way" by Eddie Vedder
"Don't let anyone tell you it's just a game." Damn right, Eddie. Apparently, Vedder wrote the tune about being a lifelong Cubs fan.


"We're Talkin' Softball" from "The Simpsons"
One of the funniest episodes of "The Simpsons" ever was "Homer At The Bat" from the cartoon's third season. The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant needs a softball team, so Mr. Burns hires some ringers in the form of '90s-era greats like Darryl Strawberry, Ken Griffey Jr., Ozzie Smith and others. Some crazy stuff happens to the players, which is captured in the closing song, "We're Talkin' Softball," a parody of Terry Cashman's song "Talkin' Baseball."


"Joe DiMaggio Done It Again" by Billie Bragg and Wilco
Bragg and Wilco's recording of the Woody Guthrie tune is all banjo and baseball.



"Take Me Out To The Ballgame" by The Hold Steady
Sure, we've heard the original a few times, but The Hold Steady put their own little spin on it. Of course, it has to do with the Twins.


"Paradise By The Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf
Sure, it's not exactly a song about the game, but the play-by-play by Phil Rizzuto is a great metaphor for trying to score with your girlfriend.


“Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)” — The Treniers
Definitely the best big band tune about baseball and Mays actually appears on the song and sang backup.


* * *

The worst baseball song of all time? That would have to go to one about my Mets - "Get Metsmerized," a poor attempt by the World Series-winning team to capitalize on the Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle."

How bad is it? Take an excerpt from "The Bad Guys Won," Jeff Pearlman's excellent book about the '86 Mets team: "Picture Vanilla Ice on crack, MC Hammer with half a tongue, and Kurtis Blow without one iota of rhythm. Now put them all together and subtract any remaining shreds of harmony, flow, cadence and talent. Oh yeah - make sure the lyrics don't exceed a second-grade reading level. That's 'Get Metsmerized.'"

It truly is atrocious. But you should listen to it if only for hilarity's sake.

List: The best of 2010 (so far)

Soooo, 2010 is half over. Weird, right? Also weird is how much good music I've come across in just six months.

What's your favorite music this year? I want to know. Tell me in the comments.

In no particular order, here's my favorite stuff from 2010, so far:

Frightened Rabbit — “The Winter Of Mixed Drinks”
I don’t think anyone expected these Scots to match their last record, the phenomenal “Midnight Organ Fight.” But they did it anyway, filling up this record with enough masculine angst and uncertainty to fill a frat house.

Listen: "Swim Until You Can't See Land"


Titus Andronicus — “The Monitor”
Punk rock anger, volume and energy combined with excellent lyricism is the best way to describe Titus Andronicus. Mixing aggression with poetry? I guess the band’s name is appropriate, being William Shakespeare’s most violent work.

Listen: "A More Perfect Union"


Free Energy — “Stuck On Nothing”
The world needed more bouncy, fun rock songs that recall the energy and classic rock stylings of groups such as Thin Lizzy. And Free Energy was more than happy to provide.

Listen: "Bang Pop"


The Hold Steady — “Heaven Is Whenever”
Sounds like another collection of bar rockers, which some critics have derided as being more of the same. But how can you resist 10 new solid rocking tunes by the Hold Steady? I, for one, cannot.

Listen: "Hurricane J"


Sleigh Bells — “Treats”
Featuring one of the best opening tracks of an album that I’ve heard in a long time, this record kicks off with “Tell Em,” a song that makes you want to roll the windows down and drive real fast. Catchy stuff.

Listen: "Tell Em"


The Black Keys — “Brothers”
Another candidate for “best opening track,” “Brothers” also has the best album art I’ve seen in awhile, simply stating “This is an album by The Black Keys. The name of this album is Brothers.”

Listen: "Everlasting Light"


The Mynabirds — “What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood”
Laura Burhenn told me she wanted to make a Neil Young-styled soul record. And she succeeded, making a soulful record that’s a delight to listen to over and over again.

Listen: "What We Gained In The Fire"


Yeasayer — “Odd Blood”
Rocking, but with a definite groove to it, “Odd Blood” isn’t an album I thought I would like when I first cracked it open. But now I can’t stop listening to “O.N.E.” or “Ambling Alp.”

Listen: "O.N.E."


Satchel Grande — “Dial M For Mustache”
This whole record, especially “Them from ‘Dial M For Mustache,’” is so funky that it makes me feel like I’m in a ‘70s cop drama. And I mean that in a really good way.

Listen: "A.M. Gold"


Honorable mentions: Blitzen Trapper, Delorean, The Gaslight Anthem, Broken Bells, New Pornographers, Tim Wildsmith

List: 10 best indie rock frontmen

I was stuck in an airport for a few hours last weekend, so I found myself in a newstand, which is pretty typical for me.

Surprisingly, they were pretty low on music magazines, but one cover in particular caught my eye. Q Magazine (a British publication) was advertising their "100 greatest frontmen" list along with a photo of Bono. I made a purchase.

In the end, their list was pretty good, even if I think it was a bit Brit-heavy (Liam Gallagher of Oasis, Damon Albarn of Blur and Matt Bellamy of Muse made the top 10 undeservedly, in my opinion).

But the one thing they missed almost completely was indie rock. Everybody else was on the list (from Kurt Cobain to Perry Ferrell to Little Richard) but I didn't see anyone like Craig Finn from the Hold Steady or Ben Gibbard from Death Cab/The Postal Service. The absence of those names and others bugged me.

So, here it is, my list of my 10 favorite indie rock frontmen...

10. Ezra Koenig
>> He is: The leader of the poppy, preppy fellas in Vampire Weekend, Koenig exudes that cardigan-and-plaid-shorts-wearing aura that makes us all love that band. Oh, and his bright guitar style lends perfectly to the groups sound. And style.
>> Did you know: The band is named after a short film Koenig and his friends made during summer vacation.

9. Brian Fallon
>> He is: The tatted-up frontman of The Gaslight Anthem looks like he came right out of the blue-collar Jersey-life songs he sings every night. He once did one of the coolest things I've ever seen a frontman do: broke up a fight from the stage by telling them they were both morons and threatening to kick both their asses if he had to. Completely badass.
>> Did you know: Often likened to Bruce Springsteen, the band has performed with him several times. The Boss jumped onstage and helped Fallon sing "The 59 Sound" at 2009's Glastonbury festival.

8. Jim James
>> He is: The bearded one seems like a kooky guy with his high voice and weird, trippy songs. I mean, have you heard "Highly Suspicious?" Weird tune. But it's also freaking awesome, as are the rest of My Morning Jacket's weird-ass music. He was even better when rounded out by the three other guys in Monsters of Folk.
>> Did you know: As one of his biggest influences, James claims "The Muppet Show." No joke.

7. Ben Gibbard
>> He is: He made us all warm and fuzzy with Death Cab For Cutie and then he made one of the best records in the last 10 years with The Postal Service. This is one man that knows how to write a song, even if, as a frontman, he's not the most outgoing guy in the world.
>> Did you know: Gibbard and collaborator Jimmy Tamborello named their project The Postal Service because they made the record by mailing tapes back and forth through the mail.

6. Samuel Beam
>> He is: Beam writes quiet songs. He's a quiet guy. But under the name Iron & Wine, Beam is the almighty purveyor of the heartfelt tune. I mean, even the stuff on his b-sides and rarities album, "Around the Well," is freaking incredible. And that's supposed to be the not-as-good stuff. Sheesh.
>> Did you know: Beam graduated with an MFA and was a painter, then was a professor of film at a university before he released his debut on Sub Pop.

5. Brian King
>> He is: It doesn't take five or six guys with a bunch of guitars and bass and double kickdrums to be loud. Nope, Brian King and buddy David Prowse (not the guy who played Darth Vader in Star Wars... different David Prowse) do it all as just a duo. King very literally throws himself around stage, all while keeping the songs together with his guitar playing. There's no one to fill in if he screws up. But he never does. Not to mention those lyrics that make you cringe a little, but then nod in understanding.
>> Did you know: The band name came from a portmanteau (look it up) of two other names: Japanese Scream and Pleasure Droids.

4. Tim Kasher
>> He is: Anyone who has seen Cursive knows Kasher's penchant for going on extensive monologues in between sets. All the while, he keeps Cursive playing tightly. And emotive. And intensely. Kasher's presence onstage is what makes a Cursive show a Cursive show.
>> Did you know: Kasher was part of Slowdown Virginia, an early influence of a lot of the early Saddle Creek bands and namesake of SC's venue, Slowdown.

3. Henry Rollins
>> He is: Is there anyone more intense than the once-frontman of hardcore band Black Flag? Later forming Rollins Band, which wasn't quite as good, this guy performs in nothing more than his tattoos and a pair of athletic shorts. No shoes. No shirt. Just full-blown rock 'n' roll.
>> Did you know: He's coming to Omaha on one of his spoken word tours on June 26 at Sokol Auditorium.

2. Craig Finn
>> He is: The characters that populate Hold Steady songs may not live lives exactly like ours, but man we can relate to them, whether it's about drugs or sex or hanging out at a rock show. Finn writes these mini epics and speak-sings his way through them, leading the band on in their effort at being the best bar band around.
>> Did you know: The Hold Steady is headed to Omaha on July 6 at Slowdown.

1. Jeff Tweedy
>> He is: Wilco is a band, but we all know that it's Tweedy's band. By the end of nearly every song he's done, you're sitting there nodding your head and thinking, "Yeah, I know what you mean." It's a talent that few have. Also, his solo shows are a treat. They include a mix of tour stories and music and cover everything he's done from Uncle Tupelo to Wilco to Golden Smog to Loose Fur.
>> Did you know: The original name for Uncle Tupelo was The Primitives, but they had to change it because someone else was already using the name.

List: 7 cool musical tattoos

Tattoos are cool. Except, of course, when they aren't. Lots of people get music-related tattoos, including a lot of my friends and my girlfriend. Here, we have seven cool music tattoos with everything from music to lyrics to logos.

Check 'em out.

Arm tattoo

One of my absolute favorites and it doesn't actually have any specific reference to a band or genre of music. The design is great, only two colors and is pretty freaking fantastic.
From sylvie LS on Flickr

Punk Rock sleeve

This is an awesome start to a sleeve. I like the all-black designs of Rancid, Ramones and Misfits and it appears like the guy has others on the same sleeve.
From jfravel1 on checkoutmyink.com

Electric Mayhem

Quite possibly one of the best bands ever, Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem is the Muppet band made up of Dr. Teeth, Animal, Zoot, Floyd and Janice (and occasionally a few others) and they rock. It's ballsy to get Muppets tattooed on you, but these are probably the most badass (that is, if Muppets can be badass).
From Opetron3030 on Photobucket

Rock bands sleeve

This guy has ink all up and down his arm with a bunch of logos and, erm, a picture of Elton John. On his arm: The Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Sir Elton, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors and a bunch of others. This one was probably expensive.

From loganc169 on checkoutmyink.com

This guy's back

I wonder if this guy still has his ripped jeans, feathered hair or a bad neck from head banging back in the '80s so much. I would never get this tattoo because I'm not a huge Tuff or Warrant fan, but this guy sure is committed to his dream.
From hahaimontheinternet.com

Sharp as a razor - Soft as a prayer

From a Tom Waits lyric, this is a pretty excellent tattoo from a great artist. I like tattoos that stand well enough alone, but get even better with some explanation.
Via Contrariwise

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky

A cool couple lines from "Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie. Good thing this guy didn't get "Ziggy really sang, screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo" from "Ziggy Stardust" on his arms.
Via Contrariwise