Best albums of 2011 / the music of 2011

[shuffle]

so this is really far to early, but I figured we might as well have one thread for everything (except the more popular stuff that warrants their own threads). it's a month left of 2010 but there's already a bunch of releases announced for 2011, and some will begin to show up online quite soon (both illegally and legal streams of early '11 releases will probably show up in the next few weeks).

so what albums are you anticipating? hopes etc etc

[shuffle]

the reason that I started this thread now was the announcement of the upcoming bright eyes album:

Bright Eyes will release the band’s seventh studio album The People’s Key on February 15th, 2011 on Saddle Creek Records. Recorded in Omaha, Nebraska, at ARC Studios, The People’s Key was produced by Mike Mogis and engineered by Mogis and Andy Lemaster.

In support of the album Bright Eyes can announce two very special shows next year:

Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 9th (Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: December 4 at 10AM EST) and
London’s famed Royal Albert Hall on June 23rd (Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: Saturday, December 4 at 9AM).

Full track list for The People’s Key:

1 Firewall
2 Shell Games
3 Jejune Stars
4 Approximated Sunlight
5 Haile Selassie
6 A Machine Spiritual (In The People’s Key)
7 Triple Spiral
8 Beginner’s Mind
9 Ladder Song
10 One For You, One For Me

http://www.conoroberst.com/

I'm definitely gonna check it out, but I hope it's a step up from last year's conor oberst & the mystic valley band album (which had its moments, but overall was a disappointment). If it's on the same level as his self-titled solo album from '08 I'll be really happy, and if it's as good as I'm wide awake, it's morning it'll definitely be one of the best albums released next year...but I'm not getting carried away.

[shuffle]

a bunch or records that I'm waiting for (except the bright eyes one):

Akron/Family - S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
Curren$y - Muscle Car Chronicle
Curren$y - Pilot Talk III
Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots
Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
Talib Kweli - Gutter Rainbows
Sic Alps - Napa Asylum

probably a bunch of more that I don't remember, but these are the ones I've got wishlisted on rym.

[Smitty]

Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO - has a guest spot by my man Todd Snider!

[Zip City]

MMJ has a new record coming this spring

Also, new records from Fleet Foxes and Radiohead

[shuffle]

definitely excited for the new fleet foxes (expecting it to be both better and more interesting than their debut) and the new mmj. radiohead could turn out either way but I'll definitely check it out.

[Smitty]

AMos Lee's new album has guest spots by Lucinda Williams & Wille - coming out in January

[Smitty]

The Low Anthem - 'Smart Flesh' (Feb. 22)
© Ryan MastroThe Low Anthem's 2009 release, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, was one of the most buzzed-about indie folk recordings of the year, so it almost goes without saying that critics will leap at the opportunity to discuss Smart Flesh. The disc was apparently produced by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes fame, and is sure to build on the inventive soundscapes the band asserted on their Nonesuch debut. If you missed the Low Anthem the first time around, don't make the same mistake again.

Iron & Wine - 'Kiss Each Other Clean' (Jan. 25)
© Warner Bros.Iron and Wine started as the brainchild of singer-songwriter Sam Beam with a series of hushed, whispery contemporary folk EPs, and has evolved into a full-band exploration of various styles of American music. According to Beam, Kiss Each Other Clean will veer a little from his singer-songwriter beginnings, roping in some synth and horn sounds, and leaning toward a more '70s-style easy rock flair. It might scare off some of his folkier fans, but then again, may also reach an ever wider audience

[Kudzu Guillotine]

R.E.M. Collapse Into Now
R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant reissue
Gregg Allman Low Country Blues (produced by T Bone Burnett)
Hayes Carll KMAG YOYO
Rush Clockwork Angels
U2 Songs of Ascent
U2 Achtung Baby reissue
Pearl Jam Live on Ten Legs
Pearl Jam Vs. reissue
Pearl Jam Vitalogy reissue
Kasey Chambers Little Bird (this is already out in Oz, hoping it'll be out soon in the U.S.)
Jayhawks
Wilco
Kathleen Edwards
ZZ Top (produced by Rick Rubin with a guest spot by the Black Keys)

[Smitty]

Didn't know Kathleen Edwards had a new one coming out - extremely excited about that, I love anything she puts out. Hank III also has a new one, but not so excited about that one.
Steve Earle just wrapped up an album with T-Bone, but I don't have a clue on when it'll be released.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

Didn't know Kathleen Edwards had a new one coming out - extremely excited about that, I love anything she puts out. Hank III also has a new one, but not so excited about that one.

I've heard some Hank III I've liked over the years but I find it hard to get past the skinheads that flock to his shows. Not sure what his stance is on that but I don't care to even share the same room with them.

[Smitty]

Didn't know Kathleen Edwards had a new one coming out - extremely excited about that, I love anything she puts out. Hank III also has a new one, but not so excited about that one.

I've heard some Hank III I've liked over the years but I find it hard to get past the skinheads that flock to his shows. Not sure what his stance is on that but I don't care to even share the same room with them.

I loved his first couple albums and Straight to Hell is classic in it's own right, but the last couple albums have been horrible IMO

[Smitty]

Hopefully we get some new 400 unit next year too.

[shuffle]

Hopefully we get some new 400 unit next year too.

yeah, jason's stated on his twitter that it should be out sometime in spring...although he originally said this fall so you never know.

[shuffle]

howlin rain's lp3 should also be out in 2011, plus the war on drugs' second full-length. and a new kurt vile record.

[dee dee]

Didn't know Kathleen Edwards had a new one coming out - extremely excited about that, I love anything she puts out. Hank III also has a new one, but not so excited about that one.

I've heard some Hank III I've liked over the years but I find it hard to get past the skinheads that flock to his shows. Not sure what his stance is on that but I don't care to even share the same room with them.

I loved his first couple albums and Straight to Hell is classic in it's own right, but the last couple albums have been horrible IMO

+1.

[tinnitus photography]

Mogwai - Punk Rock Will Never Die But You Will


looking forward to their Sub Pop debut.

[Iowan]

Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO - has a guest spot by my man Todd Snider!

Very excited for this. Did not know that Todd was on it. Cranking East Nashville Skyline in the office right now!

Others:
-Go Go Boots (duh)
-Isbell
-Wilco
-Jayhawks
-PJ live/reissues

[B-rad G]

R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant reissue

Any word on the bonus material for this one?

[Given to Fly]

Gregg Allman Low Country Blues (produced by T Bone Burnett)

This somehow flew under my radar. There's no reason this should not be great. Need to get that radar fixed!

[Kudzu Guillotine]

R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant reissue

Any word on the bonus material for this one?

Not yet. I'm really torn. So far they've done live shows for the reissues of Murmur and Reckoning and demos for Fables. I'd love to see a mix of both (or at least some unreleased tracks that we haven't heard) for this one. Life's Rich Pagent era is when I first saw them live. To say they were on fire as a live band during that time period would be a massive understatement. I still get chills just thinking about it. Thankfully they've been able to maintain that part of their aura.

[Smitty]

Lucinda Williams has announced that her new album, called Blessed will be released on March 1st, 2011. The new album will be released in standard format, and as a deluxe edition, featuring a bonus CD of album demos called The Kitchen Tapes.


A handful of 2011 tour dates have been announced so far:


March 4th and 5th: Toronto @ Massey Hall
March 11th and 12th: New York @ Webster Hall
May 5th: New Orleans, La. @ New Orleans Jazz Festival
May 7th: Austin, Texas @ Stubb’s
May 8Th: Houston, Texas @ The Houston International Festival

[3milelake]

Lucinda Williams has announced that her new album, called Blessed will be released on March 1st, 2011. The new album will be released in standard format, and as a deluxe edition, featuring a bonus CD of album demos called The Kitchen Tapes.


A handful of 2011 tour dates have been announced so far:


March 4th and 5th: Toronto @ Massey Hall hmmmmm
March 11th and 12th: New York @ Webster Hall
May 5th: New Orleans, La. @ New Orleans Jazz Festival
May 7th: Austin, Texas @ Stubb’s
May 8Th: Houston, Texas @ The Houston International Festival

[Smitty]

my 2nd most anticipated release!



America's Sharpest Musical Storyteller" Todd Snider Confirms New Double-Disc Live Album Out Feb 1, 2011

[Smitty]

On 'The Storyteller,' you'll hear some of Todd's off-the-cuff and downright hilarious folkloric tales and meditations on contemporary culture, plus all your favorite tracks from recent years, as backed by Great American Taxi during a recent performance in Nashville. Along with many of his most beloved tunes, including standouts like "Tension" and "Rose City," the 24 tracks on the 'The Storyteller' capture Snider's candid takes on the personal and the political, from marijuana legalization and gay rights, to "Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males."

For a glimpse of Snider's sense of humor, watch this live video clip of him introducing his own concert as a "90 minute distraction from our doom" (as heard on 'The Storyteller'):

Tracklist:

DISC 1
1. Greencastle Blues
2. Is This Thing Working?
3. Just Like Old Times
4. Eighteen Minutes Speech
5. Tension
6. Doll Face
7. Rose City
8. Stuck on the Corner
9. Sunshine
10. Bill Elliot Story
11. Sideshow Blues

DISC 2
1. 45 Miles
2. Looking For A Job
3. Play A Train Song
4. KK Rider Story
5. Don't It Make You Wanna Dance
6. East Nashville Skyline
7. The Devil You Know
8. The Ballad of the Kingsmen
9. America's Favorite Pastime
10. Mushroom Story
11. Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males
12. If Tomorrow Never Comes
13. Good Fortune

Doesn't sound much different than all the boots/Moondawgs Taverns etc I got, but excited nonetheless

[cortez the killer]

Looking very much like Dylan in The Last Waltz.

[shuffle]

wtf is this?! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Middle-Brother-Dawes-Deer-Tick-Delta-Spirit/103033133091543

collab between the guy from deer tick, delta spirit and dawes?! debut album due on march 1, 2011.

Middle Brother played their first show at 2010’s SXSW – a tiny, late-night, unannounced event under the moniker “MG&V.” Other than recording the album and rehearsing once, they had never played the songs live. The audience (and the mob of onlookers crammed in the doorways and windows) was treated to an impossible-to-forget set by a band of musical comrades who seemed genuinely surprised by the fire that was ignited on stage. It was a rollicking and boisterous show [url][/url]that could have fallen apart at any moment and instead centrifuged into melodic and harmonic brilliance. What held it together was each member’s sense of song and performance – a perfect, intuitive balance of craft and feel, equal parts playful and earnest.

In a time when synthesizers and laptops are taking over stages, Goldsmith, McCauley and Vasquez are leading the pack of young rock songwriters who strive to carry on the tradition of figures such as Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty. Middle Brother came together in mid-2009 when the three songsmiths realized, after several on-stage collaborations, that they shared a unique vision and wanted to take it one step further, into the studio. Their songs are anthemic, soulful, passionate and confessional.

The 12 tracks on Middle Brother are the result of their off-the-cuff yet diligent workshop experience. The songs are world-class, the performances raw and immediate as each member pushed the other to bring the best of what they do to the proceedings. The record captures a potent moment in time for these three burgeoning song-writing stars who are just beginning to feel the real power in their respective talents. The members of Middle Brother are confident, but not resolute and stuck. They are willing to explore and are open to each other’s ideas as they work towards the common ideal of the redemptive power of the song.

http://www.partisanrecords.com/artists/middle-brother/bio/

[beagle001]

Hopefully we get some new 400 unit next year too.

yeah, jason's stated on his twitter that it should be out sometime in spring...although he originally said this fall so you never know.

Last I heard it was possibly in January or February because the record is done but didnt want it to come out before Christmas... But who knows.. Think you woulda heard more about it if it is that soon

[Kudzu Guillotine]

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Lucinda Williams to release new album in March



The great Lucinda Williams, who wowed a Deer Valley crowd two summers ago, will release her new album Blessed on March 1 by Lost Highway.

An excerpt from the press release:

Considered by many to be one of America’s greatest living songwriters, Williams ... [will be] delivering 12 new songs that cover an even wider emotional spectrum than her previous work, without moving too far in any one direction.

Blessed opens with the gritty kiss-off “Buttercup” then moves seamlessly into the sultry blues of “Born To Be Loved." Williams delves into a heavier subject as she questions the motives for a suicide on the hard-driving “Seeing Black." which features blistering guitar from Elvis Costello. The thoughtful title track slowly builds to a melodic climax as it offers an eye-opening look at what’s right in front of us, but too often unnoticed. The poignant and powerful “Soldier’s Song” simultaneously tells a tragic story of the soldier overseas and his wife and child back home. On the gorgeous “Kiss Like Your Kiss," Williams lays down one of the most beautiful and fragile vocals she has ever recorded. The original version of “Kiss Like Your Kiss” appeared on the True Blood: Music From The HBO Original Series - Volume 2 and was just nominated for a Grammy Award for BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA.

It’s nothing new to see Williams tug at the heartstrings and stimulate the mind with her songs, but there is a vibe throughout Blessed that is unique to this album in-particular. It’s the sound of the wisdom and experience Williams has gained through her years as an uncompromising talent. Combine that with Grammy Award-winning producer Don Was at the helm, and something special is born. Was co-produced Blessed with Eric Liljestrand and Tom Overby, who co-produced Williams highly-praised Little Honey (2008). Blessed features special guests Rami Jaffe on keyboards, Matthew Sweet on vocals Greg Leisz and Elvis Costello on guitar.

The deluxe edition of Blessed will include bonus material titled The Kitchen Tapes. These are the demos Williams recorded of the songs that became Blessed right as they were born at her kitchen table, where she does much of her writing.

[shuffle]

dinousaur jr.'s j mascis got a solo record coming out in march. get a track in exchange for an e-mail adress here: http://www.subpop.com/channel/blog/listen_to_this_j_mascis_acoustic

sounds good imo