The Best CDs of 2011
I have in fact decided to write up a little something for 2011's music but I'm not going to do my usual format, where I've written pretty at length on each album and included pictures of album covers, etc. Instead I am expanding the list to 25 albums but writing less about each. More is less, less is more, and so on.
It has actually been a very good year for music. A handful of truly great albums, some very good ones, and others I just liked a lot along the way. Pretty much everything outside of my Top 5 is a toss up so the number rankings don't even matter that much. Just think of these as 25 albums worth your time and/or money.
And on to the countdown...
25. Various Artists - Rave On: The Songs of Buddy Holly
Tribute albums can be such a toss up but this one really had some consistency and great takes on the music of Holly's all-too-short career. The Black Keyes, Cee-Lo Green, Justin Townes Earle, and Nick Lowe really stood out to me but everyone on this brought their A-game or at least their B+ game. Just a very fun album!
24. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Less is indeed more. This debut from UK import The Vaccines is laced with confidence, gusto, sex, humor, and pretty much every bit of modern UK influence you can imagine. "Post Break-Up" sex was one of my favorite songs of the year.
23. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
Turner turns in another fantastic set of well-crafted, smart songs that fall somewhere between The Pogues, The Clash, and Dylan.
22. Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
The power pop of FOW returns to form while also showing some maturity. A smart move, especially since their one-hit-wonder status ("Stacy's Mom") has come and gone and all that is left is an audience that appreciates solid songs with some wit but also some depth. FOW show a serious side on a few tracks and even the humorous ones run on themes of mid-life, which is exactly where the band are living.
21. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers - Unida Cantina
What I love about this band is that when they even when they make an album that isn't as great as their prior works it still stands out from 90 percent of the competition. A lot of RCPM's die-hard cult-like fans found this 6th studio efford to be a bit of a letdown. I just look at it as Clyne -- the band's sole songwriter -- reflecting a certain time and period in his life. This one is a celebration on getting past the big 4-0 and looking at the world from over the backyard fence. It's not a bad place to be and it's got some great songs to go with it.
20. Buffalo Tom - Skins
From the files of 1990's shoulda-could-woulda been bigger stars comes the Boston-based trio Buffalo Tom, with their second post-hiatus album featuring another stellar set of songs. Big hooks, excellent harmonies and vocal trade-offs, and themes of time, wisdom, and realizing you're not young anymore but far from old. This band has been around for 2 decades now and they've aged exceptionally well.
19. Social Distorion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Like Buffalo Tom, Social Distortion took some time off as lead singer Mike Ness not only got clean but also found a little less grit both in his vocals and his songwriting. The same elements that have highlighted Social D's best work are on display here but there is definitely a bit more reflection and even a hint of romanticism under the tales of hard luck, broken hearts, and tough guys. Ness will always be that kind of rocker where you can literally hear the scars, tattoos, and lines on his skin but the melodies are cleaner, the choruses are bigger, and the hooks are massive. A truly fun listen from start to finish.
18. NeedtoBreathe - The Reckoning
The trick to any Christian act looking to crossover is always in blurring the lines between the overtly spiritually and the open-to-interpretation. Is it a love song about Jesus, a woman, or one's self? Is an anthem about staying strong about keeping faith, working through a tough time or a broken heart, or maybe a bit of both? NeedtoBreathe find the balance once again on The Reckoning, their 4th major label album and their first to crack the Top 10. The band spent a good chunk of the year opening arena dates for Taylor Swift (who hand selected them), reaching out to a broad audience. Given the right opportunity the songs here could make them arena headliners before too long.
17. Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
When veteran singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson finally broke through with his hit "Come On Get Higher" a good chunk of his newfound fans thought he was a "new" artist. The fact is he's been around quite a while, which is why Modern Love continues to see Nathanson branch out and diversify his sound. There is still the straight up pop of songs like "Room at the End of the World" and "Faster", as well as the title track but he also brings the rock on tracks like "Mercy" and even dabbles in pop-country on "Run" (a duet with Sugarland). Nathanson's songs have always aimed for the mainstream but what Modern Love shows is that he belongs there and still stands out by being smarter and slicker than most.
16. Wilco - The Whole Love
The American band that pretty much can do no wrong does excellence once again. Sonically falling somewhere between the straight-ahead songrcraft of their last two albums (Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album) and their landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Jeff Tweedy and Co. balance the line between experimenting with their sound and staying true to it. Nothing super groundbreaking but there is no doubt Wilco are as comfortable in their own skin as any band alive.
15. The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart
Hands down one of the best folk-rock albums of the year and that is saying a lot because acoustic-based folk-rock had an exceptional year. Great songs + great vocal harmonies = Win. It really is as simple as that. The Head & The Heart sounds both utterly contemporary and like it could have been recorded at any point in the last 3 decades.
14. Foster the People - Torches
In theory Foster the People should really have only produced the year's catchiest single ("Pumped Up Kicks") but to their credit Torches a damn strong debut from start to finish. Enough dance beats to keep the hipsters happy and enough elements of rock to bring in the rest of us. Catchy, smart, and easy to tap along to.
13. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
After what would be a normal hiatus for anyone else but truly epic-length for himself, Ryan Adams returns with a rather minimalist but utterly beautiful set of songs featuring some of his strongest vocals to date and a clear focus on creating a cohesive set of songs that truly focus on an album being more than the sum of it's parts. Quieter than his last few efforts and showing sides of both hearts swelling and breaking, Ashes & Fire is Adams' proof that being clean and happily married (we hope, to Mandy Moore) and taking some time away can be a good thing. A very, very good thing.
12. The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
The Horrible Crowes is the side project of Brian Fallon, lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem. Fans of that band have nicknamed Elsie "moonlight anthem" and the tag fits. More Tom Waits than Fallon's usual dose of Clash-meets-Springsteen, darker and denser both lyrically and sonically, this one is multiple tales of love gone wrong and the view from below that nothing may ever be right. Listen to this one past midnight and simply get lost in it's rough and tumble beauty.
11. The David Wax Museum - Everything Is Saved
Mark my words: Before too long David Wax will be one of the most written about songwriters and performers around. On their second album The David Wax Museum hatch another excellent set of folk-rock with Spanish flourishes and even some elements of R.E.M. or The Decemberists. Able to maneuver from the upbeat and light "Born With a Broken Heart" to the to the heartbreaking "Look What You've Done To Me" and the bouncing "Chuchumbe" and various other points inbetween, Wax is displays total confidence in his songwriting and his execution. They've made the rounds to Newport and to NPR. The rest of the world should take note.
10. Butch Walker & The Black Widows - The Spade
The word is out: Butch Walker can write and produce better songs in his sleep than 90 percent of the music industry. Period. The Spade is more proof. Lighter, quicker, and less personal than his last few albums, Walker and friends know that perfection is not the goal. It's all about the moment and the 10 terrific songs that make up The Spade range from the massive chorus of "Summer of '89" to the almost Dexy Midnight Runner's vibe of "Synthesizers" to the anthemic "Bullet Belt". Released just before his memoir Drinking With Strangers, The Spade is Walker taking all of his influences and putting them into the blender. It's not deep. It's just a hell of a lot of fun.
9. The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
Songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson were born to sing together. They showed it in the early to late 90's on the first four albums by The Jayhawks and on this one, their first with Olson back in the fold after more than a decade away, it shows right from the opening verse of "Hide Your Colors". Mockingbird Time is, in many ways, the true follow up to 1995's Tomorrow The Green Grass. Louris and others made several other albums under The Jayhawks name but this excellent album demonstrates what those good but never great efforts were missing. Now this band sounds complete.
8. Blind Pilot - We Are The Tide
Portland's Blind Pilot took a while in following up their solid debut Three Rounds and a Sound but this year's We Are The Tide is well worth the wait. Simply put, these acoustic-based folk-rock songs are gorgeous. Rarely rising above mid-tempo, the instrumentation, the lyrics, the melodies, and the production are all superb. In a year that saw fellow northwesterner's The Decemeberists reach #1 on the Hot 100 one gets the feeling Blind Pilot will see their day come and if We Are The Tide is an indicator of where they're going that day could come sooner rather than later.
7. Eddie Vedder - Ukelele Songs
What theoritically could have been on the year's strangest or more disastrous releases is instead one it's best. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder unplugs and minimalizes on this one. The album title says it all. Stripping away the amps, the drums, and the bluster of PJ, the emphasis here is on Vedder the singer and songwriter. Vedder has never sounded better and rarely more heartfelt. Love songs of both the lifting and hearbreaking variety this quiet set of tracks sound a bit like demos that never got fleshed out, not because they didn't deserve it but because they didn't need it. Sometimes less is way, way more. This is a perfect example.
6. Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours
A lot of critics and fans saw this 3rd album from Cold War Kids as a step in the wrong direction. What the hell do they know? True, the band stepped largely away from the character sketches that embodied the songs on their first two efforts and instead embraced a bigger sound and more personal songs, but all the things that have made this underrated band so stellar are still all over Mine Is Yours. Working with producer Jaquire King (who gave Kings of Leon their massive sound), Cold War Kids bring an arena-sized sound to the title track, "Louder Than Ever", "Finally Begin", and "Skip The Charades", while still creating story and character-driven works with "Cold Toes on the Cold Floor" and "Sensitive Kid", among others.
5. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
The duo of John Paul White and Joy Williams make a gloriously crafted and dark splash on their debut album; one that gets better and more poignant with each listen. The harmonies are gorgeous, the mood somber, and the themes ranging from loss to longing. These are simply not happy love songs. Instead the lyrical tales cry of missed chances, things falling apart, and an aching desire for things to get better even when you know they won't. Put simply: This is a stunning piece of work and hopefully Barton Hollow is just the start to a long career.
4. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
The Portland-based ensemble The Decemberists found their greatest commercial success to date on an album that, it must be said, is also their most straight-forward mainstream release to date. But the end result remains the same: The King Is Dead is as solid a 10-song set as any this year, with Colin Meloy and Co. bringing the same intelligence and talent to their music but with less conceptual vision. With echoes of R.E.M. jangle pop and the vocal harmonies of Gillian Welch in the mix tracks like "Don't Carry It All", "Down By The Water", and "Why We Fight" just sound massive while the softer moments like "Rise To Me", "January Hymn", and "June Hymn" shine in their beauty. A shame the band is now apparently taking a hiatus, just as they seemingly find perfection.
3. The Black Keys - El Camino
There really is nothing quite like hearing a band when they know they are in their moment, are hitting their stride, and can truly do know wrong. With El Camino, The Black Keys know they are in that time and the find the perfect follow-up to their breakout album Brothers. Reuniting with Attack and Release producer Danger Mouse, the Keys stay true to their roots while also expanding their sound. This one is simply drenched in guitar rock of the late 60's and 70's, full of elements of Led Zeppelin to Humble Pie to ZZ Top. Confidence is king and the under-40 minute whirlwind that is El Camino is that of a band saying, "Yeah, we've got this and you know it."
2. Adele - 21
There really is nothing I can say about Adele's sophomore effort that hasn't already been said, except maybe this: How do you know a pop album has crossed way, way over? When your mother owns a copy. The good news is that Adele's success is well-deserved, as 21 managed to blend the heartbreak with the impossibly catchy. "Rumor Has It"? How does a fan of any genre not love this? "Rolling In The Deep"? Sure, we're all a bit sick of it but it will still sound great long after the album has aged. "Someone Like You"? Staggering. Adele owned 2011 and she deserves it.
1. The Damnwells - No One Listens to the Band Anymore
There are multiple reasons to love the 4th full-length album from the Alex Dezin-lead band The Damnwells. First, it's 12 terrific, smart rock songs that never rely on cliches or the cheap verse-chorus-verse. Dezin is too good a songwriter for that. Just check out the lyrical bite of the title cut or "Let's Be Civilized" for proof. Ranging from straight ahead rock ("She Goes Round") to the quiet and gentle ("The Great Unknown") and the sublimely mid-tempo ("Feast of Hearts" and "Death Defier"), No One Listens to the Band Anymore is an ode to a time period when music like this could find the audience it deserves. But Dezin (and others) knows we don't live in that world and, as such, this one of a growing number of albums created via Pledge Music, where fans donate/pre-pay for an album before it is even made. In other words, an artist puts faith in the fans and the fans put faith in the artist. If an album like this is the result of that kind of model then by all means please let it be the new normal.
So there you have it: This year's list. All at once. As always, thanks for checking it out and, hey, if I missed a gem please let me know.
Happy Holidays!
J
It has actually been a very good year for music. A handful of truly great albums, some very good ones, and others I just liked a lot along the way. Pretty much everything outside of my Top 5 is a toss up so the number rankings don't even matter that much. Just think of these as 25 albums worth your time and/or money.
And on to the countdown...
25. Various Artists - Rave On: The Songs of Buddy Holly
Tribute albums can be such a toss up but this one really had some consistency and great takes on the music of Holly's all-too-short career. The Black Keyes, Cee-Lo Green, Justin Townes Earle, and Nick Lowe really stood out to me but everyone on this brought their A-game or at least their B+ game. Just a very fun album!
24. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Less is indeed more. This debut from UK import The Vaccines is laced with confidence, gusto, sex, humor, and pretty much every bit of modern UK influence you can imagine. "Post Break-Up" sex was one of my favorite songs of the year.
23. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
Turner turns in another fantastic set of well-crafted, smart songs that fall somewhere between The Pogues, The Clash, and Dylan.
22. Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
The power pop of FOW returns to form while also showing some maturity. A smart move, especially since their one-hit-wonder status ("Stacy's Mom") has come and gone and all that is left is an audience that appreciates solid songs with some wit but also some depth. FOW show a serious side on a few tracks and even the humorous ones run on themes of mid-life, which is exactly where the band are living.
21. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers - Unida Cantina
What I love about this band is that when they even when they make an album that isn't as great as their prior works it still stands out from 90 percent of the competition. A lot of RCPM's die-hard cult-like fans found this 6th studio efford to be a bit of a letdown. I just look at it as Clyne -- the band's sole songwriter -- reflecting a certain time and period in his life. This one is a celebration on getting past the big 4-0 and looking at the world from over the backyard fence. It's not a bad place to be and it's got some great songs to go with it.
20. Buffalo Tom - Skins
From the files of 1990's shoulda-could-woulda been bigger stars comes the Boston-based trio Buffalo Tom, with their second post-hiatus album featuring another stellar set of songs. Big hooks, excellent harmonies and vocal trade-offs, and themes of time, wisdom, and realizing you're not young anymore but far from old. This band has been around for 2 decades now and they've aged exceptionally well.
19. Social Distorion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Like Buffalo Tom, Social Distortion took some time off as lead singer Mike Ness not only got clean but also found a little less grit both in his vocals and his songwriting. The same elements that have highlighted Social D's best work are on display here but there is definitely a bit more reflection and even a hint of romanticism under the tales of hard luck, broken hearts, and tough guys. Ness will always be that kind of rocker where you can literally hear the scars, tattoos, and lines on his skin but the melodies are cleaner, the choruses are bigger, and the hooks are massive. A truly fun listen from start to finish.
18. NeedtoBreathe - The Reckoning
The trick to any Christian act looking to crossover is always in blurring the lines between the overtly spiritually and the open-to-interpretation. Is it a love song about Jesus, a woman, or one's self? Is an anthem about staying strong about keeping faith, working through a tough time or a broken heart, or maybe a bit of both? NeedtoBreathe find the balance once again on The Reckoning, their 4th major label album and their first to crack the Top 10. The band spent a good chunk of the year opening arena dates for Taylor Swift (who hand selected them), reaching out to a broad audience. Given the right opportunity the songs here could make them arena headliners before too long.
17. Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
When veteran singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson finally broke through with his hit "Come On Get Higher" a good chunk of his newfound fans thought he was a "new" artist. The fact is he's been around quite a while, which is why Modern Love continues to see Nathanson branch out and diversify his sound. There is still the straight up pop of songs like "Room at the End of the World" and "Faster", as well as the title track but he also brings the rock on tracks like "Mercy" and even dabbles in pop-country on "Run" (a duet with Sugarland). Nathanson's songs have always aimed for the mainstream but what Modern Love shows is that he belongs there and still stands out by being smarter and slicker than most.
16. Wilco - The Whole Love
The American band that pretty much can do no wrong does excellence once again. Sonically falling somewhere between the straight-ahead songrcraft of their last two albums (Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album) and their landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Jeff Tweedy and Co. balance the line between experimenting with their sound and staying true to it. Nothing super groundbreaking but there is no doubt Wilco are as comfortable in their own skin as any band alive.
15. The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart
Hands down one of the best folk-rock albums of the year and that is saying a lot because acoustic-based folk-rock had an exceptional year. Great songs + great vocal harmonies = Win. It really is as simple as that. The Head & The Heart sounds both utterly contemporary and like it could have been recorded at any point in the last 3 decades.
14. Foster the People - Torches
In theory Foster the People should really have only produced the year's catchiest single ("Pumped Up Kicks") but to their credit Torches a damn strong debut from start to finish. Enough dance beats to keep the hipsters happy and enough elements of rock to bring in the rest of us. Catchy, smart, and easy to tap along to.
13. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
After what would be a normal hiatus for anyone else but truly epic-length for himself, Ryan Adams returns with a rather minimalist but utterly beautiful set of songs featuring some of his strongest vocals to date and a clear focus on creating a cohesive set of songs that truly focus on an album being more than the sum of it's parts. Quieter than his last few efforts and showing sides of both hearts swelling and breaking, Ashes & Fire is Adams' proof that being clean and happily married (we hope, to Mandy Moore) and taking some time away can be a good thing. A very, very good thing.
12. The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
The Horrible Crowes is the side project of Brian Fallon, lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem. Fans of that band have nicknamed Elsie "moonlight anthem" and the tag fits. More Tom Waits than Fallon's usual dose of Clash-meets-Springsteen, darker and denser both lyrically and sonically, this one is multiple tales of love gone wrong and the view from below that nothing may ever be right. Listen to this one past midnight and simply get lost in it's rough and tumble beauty.
11. The David Wax Museum - Everything Is Saved
Mark my words: Before too long David Wax will be one of the most written about songwriters and performers around. On their second album The David Wax Museum hatch another excellent set of folk-rock with Spanish flourishes and even some elements of R.E.M. or The Decemberists. Able to maneuver from the upbeat and light "Born With a Broken Heart" to the to the heartbreaking "Look What You've Done To Me" and the bouncing "Chuchumbe" and various other points inbetween, Wax is displays total confidence in his songwriting and his execution. They've made the rounds to Newport and to NPR. The rest of the world should take note.
10. Butch Walker & The Black Widows - The Spade
The word is out: Butch Walker can write and produce better songs in his sleep than 90 percent of the music industry. Period. The Spade is more proof. Lighter, quicker, and less personal than his last few albums, Walker and friends know that perfection is not the goal. It's all about the moment and the 10 terrific songs that make up The Spade range from the massive chorus of "Summer of '89" to the almost Dexy Midnight Runner's vibe of "Synthesizers" to the anthemic "Bullet Belt". Released just before his memoir Drinking With Strangers, The Spade is Walker taking all of his influences and putting them into the blender. It's not deep. It's just a hell of a lot of fun.
9. The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
Songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson were born to sing together. They showed it in the early to late 90's on the first four albums by The Jayhawks and on this one, their first with Olson back in the fold after more than a decade away, it shows right from the opening verse of "Hide Your Colors". Mockingbird Time is, in many ways, the true follow up to 1995's Tomorrow The Green Grass. Louris and others made several other albums under The Jayhawks name but this excellent album demonstrates what those good but never great efforts were missing. Now this band sounds complete.
8. Blind Pilot - We Are The Tide
Portland's Blind Pilot took a while in following up their solid debut Three Rounds and a Sound but this year's We Are The Tide is well worth the wait. Simply put, these acoustic-based folk-rock songs are gorgeous. Rarely rising above mid-tempo, the instrumentation, the lyrics, the melodies, and the production are all superb. In a year that saw fellow northwesterner's The Decemeberists reach #1 on the Hot 100 one gets the feeling Blind Pilot will see their day come and if We Are The Tide is an indicator of where they're going that day could come sooner rather than later.
7. Eddie Vedder - Ukelele Songs
What theoritically could have been on the year's strangest or more disastrous releases is instead one it's best. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder unplugs and minimalizes on this one. The album title says it all. Stripping away the amps, the drums, and the bluster of PJ, the emphasis here is on Vedder the singer and songwriter. Vedder has never sounded better and rarely more heartfelt. Love songs of both the lifting and hearbreaking variety this quiet set of tracks sound a bit like demos that never got fleshed out, not because they didn't deserve it but because they didn't need it. Sometimes less is way, way more. This is a perfect example.
6. Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours
A lot of critics and fans saw this 3rd album from Cold War Kids as a step in the wrong direction. What the hell do they know? True, the band stepped largely away from the character sketches that embodied the songs on their first two efforts and instead embraced a bigger sound and more personal songs, but all the things that have made this underrated band so stellar are still all over Mine Is Yours. Working with producer Jaquire King (who gave Kings of Leon their massive sound), Cold War Kids bring an arena-sized sound to the title track, "Louder Than Ever", "Finally Begin", and "Skip The Charades", while still creating story and character-driven works with "Cold Toes on the Cold Floor" and "Sensitive Kid", among others.
5. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
The duo of John Paul White and Joy Williams make a gloriously crafted and dark splash on their debut album; one that gets better and more poignant with each listen. The harmonies are gorgeous, the mood somber, and the themes ranging from loss to longing. These are simply not happy love songs. Instead the lyrical tales cry of missed chances, things falling apart, and an aching desire for things to get better even when you know they won't. Put simply: This is a stunning piece of work and hopefully Barton Hollow is just the start to a long career.
4. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
The Portland-based ensemble The Decemberists found their greatest commercial success to date on an album that, it must be said, is also their most straight-forward mainstream release to date. But the end result remains the same: The King Is Dead is as solid a 10-song set as any this year, with Colin Meloy and Co. bringing the same intelligence and talent to their music but with less conceptual vision. With echoes of R.E.M. jangle pop and the vocal harmonies of Gillian Welch in the mix tracks like "Don't Carry It All", "Down By The Water", and "Why We Fight" just sound massive while the softer moments like "Rise To Me", "January Hymn", and "June Hymn" shine in their beauty. A shame the band is now apparently taking a hiatus, just as they seemingly find perfection.
3. The Black Keys - El Camino
There really is nothing quite like hearing a band when they know they are in their moment, are hitting their stride, and can truly do know wrong. With El Camino, The Black Keys know they are in that time and the find the perfect follow-up to their breakout album Brothers. Reuniting with Attack and Release producer Danger Mouse, the Keys stay true to their roots while also expanding their sound. This one is simply drenched in guitar rock of the late 60's and 70's, full of elements of Led Zeppelin to Humble Pie to ZZ Top. Confidence is king and the under-40 minute whirlwind that is El Camino is that of a band saying, "Yeah, we've got this and you know it."
2. Adele - 21
There really is nothing I can say about Adele's sophomore effort that hasn't already been said, except maybe this: How do you know a pop album has crossed way, way over? When your mother owns a copy. The good news is that Adele's success is well-deserved, as 21 managed to blend the heartbreak with the impossibly catchy. "Rumor Has It"? How does a fan of any genre not love this? "Rolling In The Deep"? Sure, we're all a bit sick of it but it will still sound great long after the album has aged. "Someone Like You"? Staggering. Adele owned 2011 and she deserves it.
1. The Damnwells - No One Listens to the Band Anymore
There are multiple reasons to love the 4th full-length album from the Alex Dezin-lead band The Damnwells. First, it's 12 terrific, smart rock songs that never rely on cliches or the cheap verse-chorus-verse. Dezin is too good a songwriter for that. Just check out the lyrical bite of the title cut or "Let's Be Civilized" for proof. Ranging from straight ahead rock ("She Goes Round") to the quiet and gentle ("The Great Unknown") and the sublimely mid-tempo ("Feast of Hearts" and "Death Defier"), No One Listens to the Band Anymore is an ode to a time period when music like this could find the audience it deserves. But Dezin (and others) knows we don't live in that world and, as such, this one of a growing number of albums created via Pledge Music, where fans donate/pre-pay for an album before it is even made. In other words, an artist puts faith in the fans and the fans put faith in the artist. If an album like this is the result of that kind of model then by all means please let it be the new normal.
So there you have it: This year's list. All at once. As always, thanks for checking it out and, hey, if I missed a gem please let me know.
Happy Holidays!
J