This year’s list of favorites is fairly sedate (even for me), with just a little ruckus here and there. Lots of morning-coffee music, which I guess says something about my 2011. But music’s strength is its pliability. It can be whatever you need it to be at the moment, especially when we have instant access to virtually any song ever recorded, often for free. Judging by this list, I needed music to be a salve more than a release valve this year.
I also never expected my favorite album to come from someone who held the spot previously, but the iTunes “most played” playlist doesn’t lie. It’s a divisive one, but people who like it really like it.
I picked 15 favorites and several honorable mentions, plus a Favorite Columbus Albums list below — separate but equal in enjoyment and quality. As usual, I limit my lists to albums, so some EPs and 7”s I liked (e.g. Envelope, Sundown, Malefactors of Great Wealth, Dolfish) aren’t listed.
As Chip said about Wussy’s Chuck Cleaver, “One wouldn’t expect the heavily tattooed Cincinnati songwriter to produce his best collection of songs this late in his already highly-prolific career, but that’s exactly what he’s done.”
By now, I know every moment on this album, but I’m still continually surprised by its beauty. Seeing Bon Iver in Philly would also make my Favorite Life Occurrences of 2011 list.
Honorable mention:
The Roots – Undun
The Black Keys – El Camino
Dawes – Nothing is Wrong
Joe Henry – Reverie
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck
Richard Buckner – Our Blood
Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts
J Mascis – Several Shades of Why
Tim Easton – Beat the Band/Since 1966 Vol. 1
Thao & Mirah – Thao & Mirah
Joseph Arthur – The Graduation Ceremony
Favorite 2011 Columbus albums:
1. The Black Swans – Don’t Blame the Stars
2. Lydia Loveless – Indestructible Machine
3. Times New Viking – Dancer Equired
4. Psandwich – Northren Psych
5. Saintseneca – Last
6. Blueprint – Adventures in Counter-Culture
7. Bicentennial Bear – Lost Summers
8. The Regionals – The Regionals
9. Psychedelic Horseshit – Laced
10. The Lindsay – Deep in the Queue
Honorable mention:
P. Blackk – Blackk Friday
Moon High – Six Suns
Shane Sweeney – The Finding Time
Tin Armor – Life of Abundance
Alyosha Het – The Purgatourist
We’re just over a week away from the Ohio Film+Music Festival, which means we’re just over a week away from bands like RJD2/Icebird, the New Bomb Turks, Heartless Bastards, Cloud Nothings and others, plus films like never-before-seen Jim Jarmusch shorts featuring Tom Waits, 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King and Eric Mahoney’s North Dixie Drive.
So, in anticipation, we’re giving away two tickets to the Friday, Oct. 7 New Bomb Turks / Heartless Bastards / Cloud Nothings / R.Ring (featuring Kelley Deal) show at Skully’s and two film tickets to the Ohio Doc Double Feature, The Last Truck: The Closing of a GM Plant shown with North Dixie Drive (Saturday, Oct. 8 at 3:55pm). Just send an email to contestdonewaiting@gmail.com with the subject OFMF by next Wednesday (10/5).
Tom wants to have a private listening party just with you:
His new album, Bad As Me, comes out October 25.
Tracklisting after the jump.
01. Chicago
02. Raised Right Men
03. Talking At The Same Time
04. Get Lost
05. Face To The Highway
06. Pay Me
07. Back In The Crowd
08. Bad As Me
09. Kiss Me
10. Satisfied
11. Last Leaf
12. Hell Broke Luce
13. New Year’s Eve
That’s what people in our message board are thinking. With only 2,800 tickets available, and on a weekend date, it seems likely that the show was drawing lots of people from the region, not just Columbus.
June 17- Phoenix, Orpheum
June 18 – Phoenix, Orpheum
June 20 – El Paso, Plaza Theatre
June 22 – Houston, Jones Hall
June 23 – Dallas, Palladium
June 25 – Tulsa, Brady Theatre
June 26 – Saint Louis, Fox Theatre June 28 – Columbus, Ohio Theatre (Comfest weekend)
June 29 – Knoxville, Civic Theatre
July 1 – Jacksonville, Moran Theatre
July 2 – Mobile, Saenger Theatre
July 3 – Birmingham, Alabama Theatre
July 5 – Atlanta, Fox Theatre
