Best Albums of 2011

It's been a long, boring year for music or has it? I tend to think so but when I look at the year's best albums and songs it looks like it was okay.
2011 ' best albums
Gimme' Some  by Peter Bjorn and John
Watch the Throne by Kanye West and Jay-Z
Valley Heart by She Wants Revenge
Wasting Light by The Foo Fighters
Degeneration Street by The Dears

These are just albums you need to go hear, sorry no samples. Maybe I am boring

Weekly Mix #85

Made in the heart of 2011 I got pretty current with the songs on here, maybe too much emphases on the modern rock and not enough classic stuff but whatever it's good stuff.
Now try this, you can listen to the mix from here



1. Planetary (GO!) by My Chemical Romance

More music that apparently only me andn13 year old goth chicks like!

2. Abducted by The Cults
This is what college kids listen to, or so I hear. I like this one better than Go Outside.
3. Ages of you by R.E.M.

Good time 80's college music or indie music or alternative music or whatever, here we go!

4. Left OF The Dial by The Replacements

REM's Minnesota counterparts in critical darlinghood. This song is all about bands who weren't main stream

5. Nodding Off by Wavves (feat. Best Coast)
"I wanna' meet Dave Grohl, I wanna be Dave Grohl" Yeah well who the hell doesn't! Guess what band's next!
6. I'll Stick Around by Foo Fighters

You believe they've been around for sixteen years? This is off their first album

7. Wild Boys by Duran Duran

When this song I liked it because of the driving beat and and the sliding/whiny vocals; it was why a good friend of mine hated the song. The video is . . . well you be the judge.

8. Dance With Somebody by Mando Diao

This is not the Whitney Houston  song about being tired of one night stands this is Swedish awesome music that shares that Duran Duran spirit I think.

9. Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

I had no idea they were gay, all the girls in the video seemed to love so much!

10.Lazy Bones by Wooden Ships
I don't know if this song rocks or it's just silly
11.Endless Blue by The Horrors

This is from their newest album. Why do they get more and more ethereal and weird, what happened to their creepy nervous angst and rocking spirit?

12.Summer of '89 by Butch Walker and The Black Widows

This song is actually pretty dumb but it's funny and feel good rock so it gets on the mix. Also because I quite enjoyed 1989.

13. Hey Ladies by the Beastie Boys

Yup, from 1989's masterpiece, Paul's Boutique. Okay, I don't know if that's a step too far but the album m did shake asses and get sampling into the next level.

14.No Church in the Wild by Kanye West and Jay-Z

A good beat goes a long way, y'all! I really like some of the songs on Watch The Throne. I don't think it's my favorite album of the year but it's definitely in the top 5! "Your Love is my scripture" That's some cool ass lyrics.

15.Apple Blossom by The White Stripes

On the other side of things this is just a man and his guitar.

16.Maggie M'Gill by The Doors

I used to not care for this sing, thought it was dumb but now I enjoy the bluesiness of it and like to get it on just like the people Tangie Town.

17.Irresistible Forse by Jane's Addiction

Welcome back boys, welcome back with a song that's not great but enjoyable on some level of unoffensive.

18.Olé by Pearl Jam

I like when old bands can keep their energy up. This is a new 2011 song by the old boys that I find quite cool.

19.Silver by Nirvana

I don't know if you can have one without the other. Peral Jam without Nirvana is like The Beatles without the Stones, sort of.

20.Mama, I'm Coming Home by Ozzy Osbourne
and you can't have grunge without metal. This is a great, big stupid sing along that Lemmy of Motothead wrote.

Weekly Mix #84

Deal with it it's happening more than it should, indie music is sort of groovy. I know it's just a bullshit music industry thing but good music, rock music is now under the dumb moniker of Indie. Unfortunately it's all sort of still self aware without being  balls out. It's the legacy of Nirvana, how to be a Rock Star without losing street cred. I guess wearing clothes from the thrift shop still works.
Listen and enjoy!

 




1. You got Nothing On Me by Mando Diao
They just deliver and maybe it's in that Tom Jones way but I don't care, they make me want to boogie. 


2. You Gotta Lose by Obits
Proving that Sub Pop is still a label and proving that music still happens there.

3. Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly) by The Icicle Works
This is one of my favorite 80s one hit wonders and apparently Eddy Vedder's as well, just listen to Evenflow.

4. Bridge Burning by Foo Fighters
Another good song off the Wasting Light album 


5. Heatseaker by AC/DC

Fucking ridiculous and fucking awesome and that's why AC/DC is so great. They get away with the dumbest stuff and make it sound do good, especially when you want to rock out like a fifteen year old.

6. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie by The Red Hot Chili peppers

They've lost it, they've gotten old and they can't hack it anymore. I wonder if they feel embarrassed for recording Punk Rock Classic now?

7. New York Groove by Ace Frehley

I got into this little jam after hearing it as the them song to some tattoo show taking place in NYC. Frehly's solo album was part of those four solo KISS albums that all came out at the same time.

8. Go Outside by The Cults

It took me a little time to warm up to these buys but now I dig their indie sound.

The Cults: They look like Mazzy Star but aren't

9.Pressure and Time by Rival SonsThese guys give it a solid punch as they try to rock out but the sound is too big for the rest of their surroundings


10. Where Have All the Good Times Gone! by Van Halen

Good question Dave. Sometimes an old rock band still sounds more rock than a modern rock band and they're not even rocking their hardest. Also this song will begin our little voyage to Southern California

11.Each and Every Day by Best Coast
 A lot of energy in the beginning of this tune about trying to convince 


12.This Town by The Go-Go's
Maybe they were inspiration to groups like Best Coast, I don't know. The dark side of the Go-Go's, singing about Hollywood shit and how jaded and desperate the place makes people.

 
13.Beverly Hills by The Circle Jerks
L.A. Punk is so aware of Hollywood and glamor it's a little funny


14.Take the World by She Wants Revenge

I would have never guessed I would like a She Wants Revenge album as much as I do Valleyheart their love song to the Los Angeles they grew up in. This song gets them away from their Joy Division roots and graduates them to Wang Chung

15.To Live and Die in L.A. by Wang Chung

Say what you'd like about this group because I have hated them and then liked them. This is my favorite song of their by far. Why would a British band be right for a movie about crime and police in Los Angeles? This concludes out SoCal musical voyage but the glam still continues.

16.Suicide Blonde by INXS
This was the first single off their X album the follow up to the enormously popular, Kick. The Album didn't do very well due to it's  . . . well I have no idea why. The songs were great but the audience had changed I guess. Maybe the harmonica just didn't sit well with people but This is in my top 10 INXS songs.


17.Scheiße by Lady GaGa

What's the German word for Shit? This song will make you want to go all Euro disco if you haven't already. I'm not a fan of GaGa's latest album as most of the songs sound like scheiße but this one is funny enough to transcend the poop.

18.Otis by Jay-Z & Kanye West

This is what the world has been waiting for, this is the greatest hip hop team up ever, right? Maybe, maybe not but this is a great first single off The Throne

19.Is This It by The Strokes

When I saw them live about eight years ago this was the encore and I thought that it was a weird last song as it's so calm.

 20.I Know You Love me by Peter, Bjorn and John

Another of my favorite albums of 2011, The song off of Gimme Some has that great Scandinavian rock music understanding that American's can't quite seem to get a hold of. With that said it would have been the last song on the mix but I had to pay tribute where tribute was due.

21.Love Is A Losing Game (demo) by Amy WinehouseI was putting this mix together the same time as Ms. Winehouse' passing and was compelled to include one of her songs. This demo version of this song is just her and a guitar and it is stark, painful and a hard tune to pay attention to but it is beautiful.

RIP Amy

Weekly Mix #83

Sometimes I feel that the more I make these mixes the less known the songs are but then I'll look back at the list and feel like I've heard each song a million times. This mix has a section that gets into some sould real and otherwise but that's really the only neat transition . . . well the last two songs work really well together but if you have any heartbeat you'll be a slobbering mess after listening to them.

1. Rope by Foo Fighters
Keeping the hopes and dreams of Rock alive after a longer stretch of success than I would have ever though.
2. Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin
I never think of this as one my favorite Zep songs but it always satisfies, always gets me feeling good.
3. Impressed by Charlie Sexton
This was a minor hit back in 1985. He had big hair and the video was very 80s

4. Punching In a Dream by Naked and Famous
the best music I've heard from New Zealand since . . . Crowded House?
5. California by EMA
"Fuck California, you made me boring" EMA laying it down like a punk but sounding like a performance artist. There aren't too many anti California songs out there but this number fills that void for 2011.

6. Come Undone by Duran Duran
One of my favorite DD songs.
7. Two Against One  by Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
Jack White sings the vocals on this song, I think it's from the TV series Rome
8. My Body by Young the Giant
It's a sing along and sing alongs are very dangerous ans subversive as is dance music! Think about what dance music gets people to do.
9. Angela Surf City by The Walkmen
I always want The Walkmen to be better than they are but they haven't done better than The Rat. This song is pretty enjoyable in it's surf type feel.

10.Surfin' U.S.A. by The Beach Boys
Groovy song from 1963, a song that creates something that doesn't really exist anywhere but in our imagination.
11.Taken for a Fool by The Strokes
I though this new album would be great but it was sort of flat. This is one of the high lights however.
12.Come Closer by Miles Kane
This song sounds like Beady Eye but it's not. So it's catchy Brit pop sounding stuff.
13.Gloria by Mando Diao
Damn this song is good! Scandinavia out performs America again. It may ll be show tunes but the passion behind this song is powerful sounding. It's got a great slick video too!
14.Sinister Kid by The Black Keys
They got opne speed and that's soulful funk without soul of funkiness, impressive.
15.Respect by Otis Redding
The original before Aretha Franklyn got her hands on it and made it huge. Otis' version is more brassy and funky and just as enjoyable.

16.Old Tyme Religion by Hugo
Is this song a joke? It sounds like it might be with it's modern take on low-fi soul
17.Even Flow by Pearl Jam
Happy 20 years guys. Eddy belts it like nobody's business even if back then everybody wanted his business.

18.New Direction by Black Lips
There was a buzz about this band that never triumphed above that murmer
19.The No No Song by The Sounds
So catchy and so cool. I always wonder why these guys never had a monster hit.
20. Goodbye, Dear Friend by Deer tick
Really this song should only be listened to if you want to be depressed, if the mood is dark and you can take it. It makes me want to cry in no good way.
21.Bridge Over troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
On the other side of tears this will give you hope if you were feeling lost after that list track.

Weekly Mix #82

There's some new music worth listening to on this mix as well as some older gems that I needed to have on here for whatever reason was so crucial at that time. This almost seems like a party mix with a couple exceptions
go and find these songs and listen to 'em

1. I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses

Some songs should have been used already like this one. I love it to death in all of it's Madchesterness!

2. So Far by Buckcherry

This is actually the same type of song as above but it sounds nothing like it. These sleazy Hollywood boys were supposed to bring back the glory days of the Sunset Strip but it just never happened.

3. White Limo by Foo Fighters

Welcome back boys! going on and going strong.

4.Make Some Noise by Beastie Boys

Still funky after all these years! This is the best song they've released in over a decade and one of the best songs of the year. the video is funny too.

5.Blow by Ke$ha

This is a party jam and it is dumb but what can you do.

6.Hold Back the Rain by Duran Duran

So funky, so English. I love the classic Duran Duran a little too much

7. Yeah Yeah Yeah by The Sounds

I love their keyboard sound and their Blondie look

8. Lies of the Beautiful People by Sixx A.M.
Nicky Sixx' other band
9. Beatles and Stones by Beady Eye
Not the song by the House of Love
10.Dance The Night Away by Van Halen
I don't usually think about dancing when I think of Van Halen
11.Degeneration Street by The Dears

I have no clue if this is parallel or crosses Fascination Street or Desolation Boulevard.

12.Needle In The Hay by Elliott Smith

and then he killed himself

12.For 12 by Other Lives
This s dream rock . . . I think.
13.Poison Ivy by Faster Pussycat
Sucky Glam Rock but I get into it
14.The Boy looked at Johnny by The Libertines
Back when this band was the buzz, back when people though they mattered

15.Tomorrow Has To Wait by Peter Bjorn and John
Love these guys, beards and all.
16.You're So Right by The Strokes
Another song from their 2011 album
17.Be Your Bro by Those Darlins
This is just a funny song about wanting to be friends with a boy

18.Tiny Dancer by Elton John
This is a very famous song! Not just Almost Famous
19.Rave On by Buddy Holly
I think this is my favorite song by him
20.Going Out In Style by Dropkick Murphys
In love with Boston? Well, here's the band for you!

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 40

This weeks mix was a 2005 creation. We start with Gn'R welcoming us to the jungle and finish with Jane's tucking us in at night. In between there is a lot of classic songs and dance music.

Enjoy 

1. Welcome To The Jungle by Guns N' Roses
This is where it all began for most Americans, this where the face of rock n' roll changed for a few years until Kirk Cobain showed up. 
2. Peace Frog by The Doors
"Bloody red sun of fantastic L.A." This line confuses everybody from L.A.
3. Entertain by Sleater-Kinney
This song is loud and crazy, maybe one of my top ten songs by an all woman or woman fronted rock band.
4. Over The Hills And Far Away by Led Zeppelin
Sometimes this is the perfect Led Zeppelin song: light, playful acoustic guitar that eventually becomes loud and crunching electric
5. Ask by The Smiths
 Another wonderful song by the Smiths that could only been written in the 80s, remember, "Shyness is nice and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to"
6. My Doorbell by The White Stripes
 One good ditty deserves another. Some people think this is the best song from the Get Behind Me Satan album
7. Five Feet High And Rising by Johnny Cash
Songs about floods aren't common in rock or pop but here's a good one. So good De La Soul sampled it.
8. It's A Wonderful Life by Sparklehorse
It's a wonderful song, rest in peace Mark Linkous.
9. Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Are your ready to dance? The Gorillaz second album was psycho trippy dance jam that was much better than it should have been
10.I Am Superman by R.E.M.
 Off the Life's Rich Pageant this was the last album R.E.M. put out before they blew up with The One I Love.
11.The God Ones by The Kills
Average and okay song but it works here
12.Technologic by Daft Punk
Because you love to boogie and you love robot voices telling you what to do.
13.Girl U Want by Devo
Were they really ahead of their time?
14.Gangsters and Thugs by Transplants
This has a good groove. Tim Armstrong's follow up band to Rancid never got huge but they had some good songs
15.Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters
There's a lot of emotion on all these songs off The Colour and The Shape.
16.Time To Waste by Alkaline Trio
 Not much to say about this one
17. Velouria by Pixies
Remember when the Pixies were the future of rock? No?
18.Processed Beats by Kasabian
Danceable rock from the U.K.
19.Under Pressure by Queen w/David Bowie
One of the great songs of all time and THIS was one of the best performances of that song but with Annie Lennox
20.Lose Control by Missy Elliot & Fat Man Scoop
There's a lot of frenetic energy in this jam
21.Classic Girl by Jane's Addiction
When you start with an L.A. band sometimes you have to finish with an L.A. band

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 28

This is mix that I like, there's a synth portion of this one that is super sexy. That portion starts at the danceable silliness of Starry Eyed Surprise and travels through an 80s futuristic fantasy of Emerge. Some big songs come through here with Seven Nation Army, Crazy In Love, Do You Realize.

1. All My Life by Foo Fighters

Bringing their Rock Back after a little while of sucking ass. This is definitely my second favorite Foo Fighter's song after Everlong.

2. This Fire by Franz Ferdinand

Introducing Franz Ferdinand, Welsh or Scottish, it don't matter

3. Starry Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfold

The singer from Crazy Town lends his mediocre vocals to this piece

4. Cars by Gary Newman

So Detached, so robotic and sexy

5. Can't Get you Out Of My head by Kylie Minogue

So Detached, so robotic and sexy

6. (Keep Feeling) Fascination by Human League

Another song that takes us to androgynous keyboard happiness

7. Emerge by Fischerspooner

Paying tribute to techno and performance art

8. Crazy In Love by Beyoncé Feat. Jay-Z

The world hasn't recovered from this song yet

9. Seven Nation Army by White Stripes

Such a simple song, so powerful but that's the blues, right?

10.Slither by Velvet Revolver

Hello modern rock. Weiland, Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum get their big guns out and rock for one of 2004's best songs

11.Caught By The Fuzz by Supergrass

Revisiting a Britpop band that isn't Blur or Oasis.

12.Big Brat by Phantom Planet

I think this is their only good song

13.Do You Realize?? by The Flaming Lips

Sometimes this song can make me shed a tear and sometimes it annoys

14.Roll Out (My Business) by Ludacris

Luda brings his huge head and unique rap style to the world via Atlanta

15.PDA by Interpol

Let's all welcome one of New York City's best bands of the past decade

16.River Deep - Mountain High by Tina Turner

Good God this song is balls out awesome. Phil Spector doing his thing on production

17.Smooth Up In Ya by Bulletboys

One of the 80s best examples of L.A. metal that didn't totally suck ass.

18.The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash

Revelations, my friends, Revelations. This song was used in a Zombie movie, Day of the Dead I think

19.Fuel My Fire by The Prodigy

Who would have thunk L7 would get covered by a British techno band.

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 5

There are more awesome tunes on this mix than you should be able to handle so listen with caution. We have many huge hits like "Sweet Emotion", The Beautiful People" and Wonderwall. and a couple lesser known gems like Morphine's "The Night" which was written just before singer and bassist Mark Sandman passed away on to the eternal B-side. Also Izzy Stradlin showing why he was so important to G'n'R with the frantic "Double talin' Jive"
In addition this mix has one of top 5 favorite love songs of all time, "Everlong"; I'll disclose the others at some point. Speaking of Top Fives, "Bedtime Story" is one of my top Five favorite Madonna songs, did you know that?
Lastly I think this ends the Buzzcocks appearances on my mixes.

1. 20th Century Boy by T. Rex
Sometimes I think T. Rex is the coolest band ever but then I listen to their songs and I feel I've been duped. This is one of Marc Bolan and the boys better efforts. It's cool. 

2. Ever Fallen In Love by The Buzzcocks
Is this their best song or is it Orgasm Addict? So many bands have taken what the Buzzcocks did in the late 70s and made much more money than they ever did. Green Day
3. Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith
There are good songs, there are great songs and then there are songs that take on a life of their own, transcending everything, this is one of them.

 
4. Swallowed by Bush
I was never a huge Bush fan as they were just a grunge clone but I really liked this first single from their second album, Razorblade Suitcase.
5. The Night by Morphine
Posthumously released music is always eerie and often sad, this song is no different. A cool Boston band with a singer who once got stabbed in the chest while driving his cab but he didn't die then.
6. I'm A man by The Spencer Davis Group
Groovy British teenagers singing about being a man, brilliant.
7. Everlong by Foo Fighters
One of my ten favorite love songs . . . EVER!
8. Territorial Pissings by Nirvana
When people say Nirvana was punk I guess this is what they were talking about.
9. Rabbit by Lemonheads
Catchy punk songs about wanting to shag. Awesome!
10.Egg Man by The Beastie Boys
This is the rap reworking of their old ass song, Egg Raid on Mojo. It's on the album, Paul's Boutique which critics have a major chubby for but didn't sell as well as License To Ill.
11.You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees
You want to know about disco? This is a good place to start. It's not as goofball as some of the genre but it definitely fits. 

 
12.Push It by Garbage
"Make the beats go harder" Shirley sounds great on this track. Once Garbage was a band that mattered but then they began to suck it.
13.Natural One by Folk Implosion
Creepiness comes in all forms including this song off The Kids soundtrack.
14.Sleep Now In The Fire by Rage Against The Machine
Maybe they stopped being the only band that mattered by this point but it was the my favorite song off, The Battle for Los Angeles
15.Just by Radiohead
You Do it to yourself
16.Wonderwall by Oasis
Greatness of pop is right here.
17. She Bangs The Drum by Stone Roses
NME said The Stone Roses debut album was the best album ever, maybe they exaggerate but it is a beautiful collection of songs.

 
18.Words by the Monkees
I'm sure if I was in my twenties in the sixties I would have hated these guys but seeing as I wasn't even born then so I guess that's why I like them.
19.Double Talkin' Jive by Guns N' Roses
Izzy Stradlin' sang this one about the bands early days.
20.Bedtime Story by Madonna
Björk wrote this, can't you tell?

 
21.The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
This is the song that put him over the top and not just a one hit wonder with a cover as his most known song. Industrial and crazy Marilyn Manson sings about being angry even though it's not real, nothing he did was.

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 4

This weeks mix has a some moments that are directly stolen form a mix tape I made in the late 80s, see if you can figure out which part. I really like those 3 songs together.

1. Stacked Actors by Foo Fighters
A good hate song is great, especially when it's about Courtney Love
2. Ocean Size by Jane's Addiction
This was really my first introduction to Jane's Addiction and I loved them, I thought they were amazing and they scared me. Weird, sexy and kick ass!

3. Paranoid Android by Radiohead
Some people say this was the last good album Radiohead ever did and some people say this was the end to their beginning. I don't know, they have got boring.
4. Where is My Mind by Pixies
Some bands were bigger than they were, The Pixies is one of them. They influenced everybody but never got much bigger than the Alternative music scene at the time would let them. This song is great, trippy and and real cool.
5. Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses
Yes, this is one of the greatest rock songs of all time and if you can't accept that than you are just fool. It's tough sounding but sweet, the lyrics are nice but Axl's voice was so perfect in the late 80s there was nothing anybody could do about it.
6. The One I love by R.E.M.
I kinda' liked R.E.M. up until this point but when I heard this song I went nuts for them
7. Desire by U2
They took a riff from Bo Diddly and got very American
8. Then by The Charletons UK
I wasn't a big fan of these Manchester guys but suddenly they got into my veins and I really started to dig the whole scene. rock organ with a dance beat and undeniably English vocals. Yes they sound a lot like The Stone Roses but I'm okay with that.

9. Jean Genie by David Bowie
"New York's a go-go and everything tastes nice" Such groovy song.
10.Fast As You Can by Fiona Apple
Fiona isn't as creepy on this song as she was on Criminal but she's just as insane. This is a little bit of a hyper song for her and I like it.
11.Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkle
Feel good song, sort of.
12.Posthuman by Marilyn Manson
Wicked sounding rock for the future which Marilyn brought to us here.

13.March Of The Pigs by Nine Inch Nails
Crazy anger from Trent and his band. This was the first single from his huge Downward Spiral album and recorded where Sharon Tate was murdered Charles Manson's minions
14.Still The Same by Bob Seger
 Man, this song is a good song to relax and think about, especially after you rock out to Hollywood Nights.
15.Orgasm Addict by The Buzzcocks
Great band that deserved more credit than they ever got. You can here where all power pop punk bands got there influence. 

16.My Favorite Game by Cardigans
This one sounded so different from  their previous stuff and had a video not played on Mtv because it was too destructive. Nia Pierson and the boys did good with this one.

17.Sexx Laws by Beck
I thought that this would be it for beck but he did make some good tunes after this one as he entered the 21st century.
18.Private Idaho by The B-52's
Classically weird rock from Athens Georgia
19.This is Your Life by The Dust Brothers
You are not your Fucking khakis!