Year in Music - 2011

For the last five or six years I've documented the prior year of music listening on a mix CD. The rules I impose on myself:

-One song max. from each album, and one song max. from each artist.
-Has to fit on one CD. 
-Must mix well. I often end up with less than a CD's worth of material because of this rule.

There's no limitation on the year it was created; the song does not have to be from 2011.

Peculiar challenges this year:
-too many slow songs on my list of things to cram onto the CD! Usually I have the opposite problem.
-in my haste I left off an OMD song. See note on track 8.

The complete playlist is embedded at the end of this post.

1. "The Time it is Today" by The Association from Birthday

As a kid, I used to grab The Association's greatest hits LP from my parents collection and play it on my orange and tan Fischer Price record player. It's part of family legend how my dad used to play "Cherish" and pine away over his high school crush, and "Never My Love" is a classic. This year it is the pop/psychedelic track "The Time it is Today" that caught my attention. Some lines are uttered in irony, but there's not mistaking the defiance in this stanza:

They're lying, killing, they're pushing their rules
They tell you the prophets all are just fools
But I know different and I won't be used
It's they that are lost, it's they are confused 

All that feeling, and beautiful harmonies too!


2. "The Glorious Land" by PJ Harvey from Let England Shake

I simply cannot say enough good things about this album (follow the link above to see my review of Let England Shake). Here is a masterwork equivalent to any feat of rock 'n' roll storytelling brilliance. Harvey is always great, but her lyric work on this album, her vision and dedication to her theme make this album a classic.

3. "Love Etc." by The Pet Shop Boys from Yes

I refuse to feel guilty about my appreciation for PSB, and this song shows why. I find the video very enjoyable, as well!

4. "Are You Experienced" by Patti Smith from  Twelve

Living in Eugene has caused me to rebellious in some of the only ways I know how: I don't own Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Willie Nelson, or Pink Floyd albums. I only have burned copies of Bob Marley, and I refuse to attend the Oregon Country Fair. Yes, in Eugene, this is like being a turncoat. I do own Bob Dylan records though, so I think I'm allowed to stay.


Basically, the first time I ever appreciated a number of songs from the 70s (like "Are You Experienced") is when I heard them on Patti's album Twelve. Patti is a great cover artist because she really understands what the music is about, and gets inside it. (Her cover of U2's "Until the End of the World" is stellar.)


5. "Out to Get You" by James from Laid

I went through a James obsession in the early '00s. About the middle of last school year I got discouraged and downtrodden due to the ever increasing craziness of what it means to be an educator in today's culture (less money, less personnel, more expectations, larger class sizes, etc.). I returned to the warm nesting place that is this album; it was like a vitamin B shot to get me to a positive place for the students.

Insecure, what you gonna do?

Feel so small, they could step on you.

6. "Scarecrow" by Siouxsie and the Banshees from Peepshow

The Banshees were often inspired by film in their songwriting and "Scarecrow" sounds cinematic. The keyboard sounds are fantastic (I'm feeling a little programmable-analog-keyboard research coming on!), the bass line vaguely sinister, the guitar part compelling. Hearing the many colors of Siouxsie's voice in this song is like looking over a painter's shoulder to see their color palette, whispers, growls, and high"ohs" mixed across it. This is an irresistible song, and I'm dancing in my chair as I type these words.



7. "Mercy Street" by Peter Gabriel from  So

There is a palpable sense of unrest and longing in "Mercy Street," with harmonies on the choruses that feel like mercy made audible. Pondering the oblique lyrics, it was neat to learn that this gentle, compassionate song is about the poet Anne Sexton, a woman whose poetry I admire, and who had difficulty with her mental health.

8. "Oh Berlin" by U2 from Achtung, Baby Sessions Bonus Tracks

or

"The Misunderstanding" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark from Organisation

My personal mix contains the song "Oh Berlin" by U2. I was bummed to discover that I couldn't find it online, so I figured the playlist of Year in Music- 2011 would just have to make the hop over it from "Mercy Street" to "The Upstairs Room." When I realized I'd forgotten OMD though-- !! -- well, it gave me the chance to make it right and include one of their numbers.

I've been listening to OMD a lot this winter, starting with the meager prior knowledge of just knowing "If You Leave," from Pretty in Pink. It's a good song, but I've been pleasantly surprised from the darker, less poppy edge of their work. It's a bit like art history, finding out who they were influenced by, what keyboards they started with, how they helped influence the sounds of other bands, and their connection to some of my Mancunian favorites (can I include Peter Saville in that?). I managed to listen to the first three records in 2011, and of them, Organisation is my favorite.

"The Misunderstanding" has some great sampled sounds, live drums alongside the keyboards, and my personal favorite...overwrought vocals! See lines like the following:

For as we get older we've become less aware
Security lies at the heart of our lives
Attaching ourselves to ourselves
We're extinguished but we're still alive

9. "The Upstairs Room" by the Cure from Japanese Whispers

Dance-y rock that gets my feet moving! "The Upstairs Room" features one of those guitar lines that I can't help but sing along with as well as a fantastic, vivid lyric.

Oh, the kiss!
So alcoholic and slow

10. "Too Late" by M83 from Saturdays = Youth

M83 is my Pandora find of the year. Of course I'm a bit behind as they've a whole new album out now, but this album is just SO good. Usually ballads aren't my territory, but this one takes my breath away, the woodblock at the beginning and the keyboards building into the chorus tickle my ears pink.

11. "Blink and You'll Miss a Revolution" by Cut Copy from  Zonoscope

Feel good, sound good, musical revolution! My only complaint is that the video does not feature more of Dan Whitford. Just sayin.

If you are a keyboardist and lead in a band, go see Cut Copy live and take notes on Dan's moves. I have never seen a better lead singer for getting a crowd involved...and the man knows how to telegraph hand clapping and jumping to the crowd...all from behind a keyboard!!

12. "Suzanne and I" by Anna Calvi from Anna Calvi

It is fitting that Calvi's visual persona is that of a (male) flamenco dancer. Her music is dark, precise, and moody, filled with quietness and roaring passion. You can hear Jeff Buckley and Edith Piaf playing heavenly backup as her inspiration.

13. "Cuddle Up" by the Beach Boys from Carl & the Passions

Dennis Wilson...wow. When you think of folks writing heart-melting love songs, you don't think of drummers. This song was on my iPod when I went to England, and listening to it made me think of my boy. It's a warm note to go out on, 2011. You were a good year.



Below, for those of you who might prefer to listen to the mix as intended-- one song after another!-- a youtube playlist is embedded. The notable exception is track 8 ("Oh Berlin" from the Achtung, Baby Sessions); it has been replaced with OMD's "The Misunderstanding."