The Best Albums Of 2011

I confess: in agonizing over end-of-year pieces, the idea of greatness does enter into the equation, as opposed to just what I liked or listened to most this year. Yes, it’s all subjective anyway, but it gets tiresome listening to music critics year after year mock their contemporaries for trying to make a statement beyond “I enjoyed this”, as if he or she is the first unpretentious writer to take that tack. The designation of Album Of The Year ought to carry weight, whether you’re The Academy or some guy on Facebook; it shouldn’t just be the most-tallied record on your last.fm chart. And maybe I only say that because I know I’m going to be listening to several of these albums a lot in the coming months and years yet, and I know my appreciation for them will change so much that using “like” as the basis for a list makes it pointlessly transitory, possibly even inherently invalid, whereas considering greatness, trying (if in vain) to hypothesize an album’s impact, or even what I think its impact should be, makes the exercise more meaningful.

Then again, judging by the declining market value of music reviews that exceed 140 characters, perhaps this is an exercise in vanity only. Either way, regardless of greatness, my whole point is to get anybody who reads this to check out one or more of these albums that he or she hasn’t heard before, or look at them in a new light and revisit them. So here’s what I really liked an awful lot in 2011.

My Favorite Shows Of 2011

If I have any perennial list-readers here, most of them probably sighed preemptively as they imagined what would top my list this year, and they’re all correct: U2 (really impossible to choose between the two shows I saw), Phish (night one at UIC being the best of the seven), Secret Chiefs 3 at the Empty Bottle, Animal Collective at Pitchfork, and Paul McCartney at Wrigley Field. Oops, ya got me: I have favorite bands. I know music critics aren't supposed to reveal those, but there's no sense keeping it a secret. But rather than blather on about them yet again, it’s probably more productive for me to mention the top ten non-my-favorite-band shows of the year. So here goes. (To keep it interesting, I’m going to gloss over other obvious big names (Wilco, Pearl Jam, Primus, STS9), since they’ve all been covered plenty.)

One More Pearl Jam Thing

So much went on at PJ20 both in my head and on stages, I still haven’t gotten it all out.  So, at the risk of overstaying the band’s welcome with potential readers, here are my final words on the festival and the state of Pearl Jam.

My Ten Favorite WMSE Programs

It is pledge drive time for the best radio station in Milwaukee.  If you listen, you should really give WMSE some money.  Set up a monthly payment plan; are you really going to miss five or ten bucks a month on your credit card?  Isn’t it worth that much to keep this Brew City institution alive?  And if you don't listen, what's wrong with you?  It’s not just a treasure trove of incredible music you won’t hear anywhere else; these DJs, most of them unpaid volunteers, put their hearts and souls into playing music for us.  After all these years, they’ve become like old friends (even if it’s kind of an odd one-way relationship).

Some of you know this feeling already, and as you glance down this list, I know what you’re thinking: how could Buzz and Grant and Faux Eyes and Melissa and Cosmo Cruz and Alien Andre and Rich Mars not make this list?  Where’s the Chicken Shack and Five & Dime Show and the Mad Kids and Team Metal and Why My Head Hurts?  Answer: they’re all tied for number eleven, because I can listen to every one of ‘em front to back and never feel like changing the station.  On commercial radio, even disregarding the commercials, I’m lucky if I can get through three songs.  WMSE plays almost exclusively good music and way more of it than anybody else.  Wondering what shows you’d enjoy?  Just tune in, give it 15 minutes and see what happens.  That’s what I’ve done for the past 15 years or so; read on for my current ten favorite shows.

The Records Of Record Store Day

As I like to keep saying over and over again, we Milwaukeeans have it good.  Not only do we still HAVE record stores, we actually have this Wisconsin chain with some real pull in terms of distribution.  So while the little little guys across the country get practically shut out of Record Store Day, The Exclusive Company managed to score a lot of great limited releases for the holiday.  I lined up right as the store opened and still managed to snag everything I was hoping to find.  Yesterday I sat down for an old-fashioned licorice pizza party with all the new goodies; read on for my impressions.

The You-Phoria Guide To Festivals, 2011

Now that festivals are big business again, even the hippies have gone hipster, and every year is a PR race to announce the most diverse and crowd-pleasing lineup.  The sense of community is all but gone now from the major three-day parties, and the pioneering spirit that created Bonnaroo is nowhere to be found.  This is already causing a decline in festival attendance and the cancellation of several formerly big names (10,000 Lakes and Rothbury spring to mind).  Still, for the music lover with eclectic tastes, there is an incredible bounty to be had.  Events succeed because with the demise of making records as a career, more and more bands are learning that they must be able to draw crowds playing live if they ever want to quit their day jobs.  Thus, while the big festivals may be on the verge of going dormant again, we concert-goers win by packing as much music as possible into the bulk ticket price.  But which ones are worth the hassle that IS festival life?  Just in case you’re still mulling things over for this year, here’s a handy guide.

Welcome to the New You-Phoria

Cal and I are very excited about our new look and new blog software. In addition to our sharper skin, it's now easier to look back at our archive, and the new tag cloud is a great way to find other you-phoria content that you might like.

For me, you-phoria.com has always been about combining passions... applying technology to provide a platform for great music writers, and content for music fans. Cal and I could put up a blog anywhere, but we have higher aspirations than that. Our new platform, Sitecore CMS and EviBlog, will allow us to use you-phoria as a testing ground for cool new functionality and technology. This is still just the beginning.

Thanks to Brian E for our new logo, and to Mark van Aalst for EviBlog (I have some updates to contribute back!). And thank you for coming by.

-youphoric (aka techphoria414)

Acrassicauda feature story @ JamBase

I interviewed the singer/guitarist of this Iraqi metal band a few weeks ago. Not your typical local-band-makes-good story. Read the whole story here.

BLK JKS feature story @ JamBase

If you don't get on the BLK JKS train right now, you will be kicking yourself in the years to come. Their new album, After Robots, is easily one of the year's best. A swell bunch of guys, too. Read all about 'em here.

The You-Phoria Guide to Selling Your Used CDs

Times are tough, so although I hated to do it, I combed through my CD collection to see what discs I could possibly live without (after ripping them all into iTunes, of course). I came up with 41 albums, surely enough to warrant a trip to my local record shop. As it turned out, I had to go to four stores, but I was able to unload all but two. But who will pay the most for your used goods? Read on to find out.

The You-Phoria Guide to Reunions

No, I’m not talking about sixteen different kinds of fruit salad and people you don’t know saying they remember you when you were this big. Since this decade can’t seem to produce any decent mainstream rock music, it’s up to 90s artists to keep getting back together to show kids what it was like back in the (intermittently) good old days. But how can you tell which ones are lame, and which ones are okay to admit you want to check out? Leave that to me.

The You-Phoria Guide to the 2009 Concert Season

The musical prospects of 2009 are quite honestly frightening. To begin with, barring my death, this will be the first time I’ll see Phish and U2 both in the same year; that alone virtually guarantees a landmark end to the aughts. But there’s a lot to get excited about, so I thought I’d run up a quick list (note: “quick” is a relative term) of potentials to shake us out of the winter doldrums if this 50-degree weather hasn't done it already.

Russian Circles: It's A Midwest Thing

Some people call it “prog-metal,” but you’re not going to see Chicago’s Russian Circles playing any ten-minute moog solos. Some call it “post-metal,” but these guys have the heavy riffs to defy being called post-anything, along with the melodic sense to create engaging songs without the benefit of a human voice. Enter the new buzzword, “instru-metal,” a somewhat annoying but fairly accurate description of the band’s music, although it short-changes them on the moody atmospherics that help make their live show so dynamic. The band released its debut full-length, 2006’s Enter, and toured extensively, developing a formidable live reputation. Before recording a follow-up album, the group parted ways with bassist Colin DeKuiper, a position which remains officially open. The group enlisted the help of These Arms Are Snakes bassist Brian Cook to complete Station, due out May 6 on Suicide Squeeze Records; Cook has since filled in on bass for all of the band’s live dates as well. Before their February 29 show at the Cactus Club, I spoke with drummer Dave Turncrantz and guitarist Mike Sullivan over pints of Guinness at a nearby watering hole.