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The BEST MUSIC VIDEOS of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
By Chris Moore:
Although the music video may have slid significantly farther down in relevance since its heyday in the eighties and nineties, there are still artists making them. In fact, it seems to be fairly standard procedure, and the venue of choice appears to have become YouTube’s VEVO provider. I spent a long time watching more videos than I’m willing to admit here. The result, below, is a streamlined list of only the best. To be truthful, I have recognized more than I believe are truly notable, if only because I felt they were worth mentioning after I had taken the time to watch them.
If you like music videos and miss them, I encourage you to take the time to watch those listed below, especially the top ten, all of which are available via YouTube.
1) “Give It All Back” – Noah and the Whale
2) “Calamity Song” – The Decemberists (Inspired by David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest)
3) “Perform This Way” – “Weird Al“ Yankovic
4) “This is Why We Fight” – The Decemberists (Directed by Aaron Stewart-Ahn)
5) “Call” – Joseph Arthur (Directed by Joseph Arthur)
6) “Stay Young, Go Dancing” – Death Cab for Cutie
7) “Born Alone” – Wilco (Directed by Mark Greenberg)
“Monarchy of Roses” – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Directed by Marc Klasfeld; inspired by the work of Raymond Pettibon)9) “Wake and Be Fine” – Okkervil River (Directed by Daniel Gibb)
10) “Thunder on the Mountain” – Wanda Jackson (Directed by thirtytwo)
11) “Jejune Stars” – Bright Eyes (Directed by Lance Acord)
12) “Suck It and See” – Arctic Monkeys
13) “Rope” – Foo Fighters
14) “Get Away” – Yuck (Directed by Michael)
15) “Lotus Flower” – Radiohead (Directed by Garth Jennings)
16) “CNR” – “Weird Al” Yankovic
17) “White Limo” – Foo Fighters
18) “Casting Lines” – Jack’s Mannequin (Directed by Claire Marie Vogel)
19) “Monsters Anonymous” – Kevin Hearn (Directed by Dr. Minz)
20) “Words I Never Said” – Lupe Fiasco
21) “Louder than Ever” – Cold War Kids
22) “Comeback Kid (That’s My Dog)” – Brett Dennen (Directed by Ben Moon)
23) “Paradise” – Coldplay (Directed by Mat Whitecross)
24) “Summer Place” – Fountains of Wayne
25) “Longing to Belong” – Eddie Vedder
26) “You and Me” – Parachute
27) “Amy, I” – Jack’s Mannequin (Directed by Chloe Fleury)
28) “Waiting for My Chance to Come” – Noah and the Whale
29) “What I Know” – Parachute
30) “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Directed by Marc Klasfeld)
Honorable Mention:
“Satisfied” – Tom Waits (Directed by Jesse Dylan)
“Blue Tip” – The Cars
“Royal Blue” – Cold War Kids (Live at Third Man Records)
Also of Note:
Nine Types of Light – TV on the Radio (60 minute feature)
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The BEST PACKAGING of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
By Chris Moore:
Album covers are nice, but there is something transcendent about artists who put their full effort into designing an album package that elevates their work beyond music alone and into the realm of physical art. This year, the award for best album packaging has to go to Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore’s solo release Demolished Thoughts. Though a fairly minimalist black and white design, there are – in addition to lyrics, the presence of which is no longer a foregone conclusion – a slew of drawings and a collection of poetry to complement the music. Tom Waits’ deluxe edition of Bad As Me comes in a close second, the booklet alone being a visual and lyrical experience, and the four bonus tracks providing a little extra for the true fan. Wilco’s deluxe edition design for The Whole Love, another close contender for the top spot, offers four additional tracks (with the wry take on Nick Lowe’s “I Love My Label”) and a beautiful booklet that includes a visually brilliant set of drawings.
Each of these albums is proof positive that there are quality physical releases still being produced, even in what is clearly the age of the digital release. This being said, I couldn’t help but point out two of the many terribly thin and unrewarding packages to see the light of day this year. These are, inversely, reason to stay at home and download.
1) Demolished Thoughts – Thurston Moore
2) Bad As Me (Deluxe Edition) – Tom Waits
3) The Whole Love (Deluxe Edition) – Wilco
4) Ukulele Songs – Eddie Vedder
5) Mine is Yours – Cold War Kids
6) Tripper – Fruit Bats
7) Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes
8 ) So Beautiful or So What (Deluxe Limited Edition) – Paul Simon
9) The People’s Key – Bright Eyes
10) Wasting Light – Foo Fighters (includes a piece of the original master tape!)
Honorable Mention:
All Eternals Deck – The Mountain Goats
Worst Packaging:
No Color - Dodos
El Camino – The Black Keys
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The BEST ALBUM COVERS of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)
Saturday, January 21st, 2012
By Chris Moore:
Even with digital releases, there are album covers. This seems to be the final facet of the artistry of the album that will survive into the next generation of music consumers, especially considering just how much we like colorful displays on our technology. Still, there’s something so much more gorgeous about a CD booklet or, even better, a vinyl LP. The five selections below – with an honorable mention thrown in because I couldn’t ignore it – are examples of the artists who still give attention to the complete package of their albums. It was a tight contest between the top three, and these are all albums worth checking out the next time you’re in a store that offers records, even if you’re only going to take a glance.
1) Sky Full of Holes – Fountains of Wayne
2) The King of Limbs – Radiohead
3) Cloud Maintenance – Kevin Hearn
4) The Valley – Eisley
5) The Whole Love – Wilco
Honorable Mention:
Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes
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The BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCES of 2011 (The Year-End Awards)
Monday, January 16th, 2012
By Chris Moore:
This is a tough category. All of the songs on the my upcoming top fifty songs list have excellent vocals, many of which are standout performances. However, there are also songs that go unrecognized on the top fifty list that are notable for their outstanding vocals. Thus, as a rule, songs included in the top fifty list are not considered here.
I suppose you could consider this my way of sneaking in an extra ten songs that I didn’t find room for on my best songs list, but I hope you’ll consider it an additional category. These ten songs are great in their own rights, but especially by virtue of the excellence of their vocals. Some are smooth, some are rough; some are passionately outraged, some are tenderly heartfelt. Taken together, they’re the standout vocal performances of 2011:
1) “Something to Believe In” – Parachute (The Way It Was)
2) “Estate Sale Sign” – The Mountain Goats (All Eternals Deck)
3) “Blue Spotted Tail” – Fleet Foxes (Helplessness Blues)
4) “Shakin’ All Over” – Wanda Jackson (The Party Ain’t Over)
5) “2012” – The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (La Carotte Bleue)
6) “When You Wish Upon A Star” – Brian Wilson (In the Key of Disney)
7) “Talking At The Same Time” – Tom Waits (Bad As Me)
8 ) “Sunloathe” – Wilco (The Whole Love)
9) “Bridge Burning” – Foo Fighters (Wasting Light)
10) “Amy, I” – Jack’s Mannequin (People And Things)
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