Rant: Cute, Marketable, Radio-ready

There is something very pop-punky about the new wave of adorably catchy indie-rock bands that have surfaced over the past couple years (Two Door Cinema Club, Naked and Famous, Walk the Moon, etc.). Perhaps it's their utter desperation to form a melody that will stick in your head, or their incredibly predicable song structures, but to me it seems these indie darlings are just a couple of the countless pop punk bands from the early 2000s, but now they are dressed in cardigans, have big glasses, and attend art school. If you are into music that seeks catchiness whilst ignore nearly every other aspect of song then these bands are you! However, I am not about to praise a song which contains a chorus consisting of "Do you want it? Do you want it? Do you want it all?" Then again, if you are into tunes that can help sell apple products or sound great blaring over the speakers of your local urban outfitters, then I invite you to listen to the toe tapping track below.

Kool A.D. // The Palm Wine Drinkard

An eclectic solo effort from my favorite Das Racist MC contains the wit you would expect from any DR release, but with much more diversity beat-wise. Said eclecticism almost justifies the claim in track two’s opening lines: “Bitch, I’m James Murphy.” “Fun” even sounds like something you’d find on an LCD b-side and “Antenna Man’s Theme” is an LSD infused tour through Ariel Pink’s discography before being reduced to a wandering, spacey sax solo. “Eight Elvises” is an emotive R&B sampling piece of instrumental hip-hop that gives this collection of songs, which contains a track with a chorus consisting of “PUT YO BOOTIES IN THE AIR,” some much needed heart. The only shortcoming comes with the aforementioned track, which is perhaps a piece of satire that isn’t quite hitting with me. This is undeniably more than just a rap mixtape, rather a promising producer and MC toying with the various influences from the likes of disco, microhouse, R&B, free jazz, and bedroom pop. He wears said influences on his sleeve; at times these become mere replications rather than his own reincarnations. So no, Kool AD, you are not James Murphy, but it was great to hear you try.

Download it for free here.

On Repeat's Favorites of 2011

In my humble opinion, 2011 hase been an incredible year for music. Honestly, I believe I could make a list of 100 albums from this year, all of which I loved, but for our sanity, I decided to cut that in half. Here are my 50 favorite full-lengths from the year that was, along with their respective genres, so anyone who plans on checking these out knows what they are getting themselves into. 2010 gave us some incredible releases, but 2011 definitely has a more innovative feel.

Without further a due,

Top 50 Albums of 2011

1. Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Pt. II, Judges

>Avant-jazz

2. Bjork – Biophilia

>Bjork being Bjork

3. Nicholas Jarr – Space is Only Noise

>Minimal techno

4. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972

>Ambient

5. Ice Age – New Birgade

>Noise Punk/Hardcore

6. Natural Yogurt Band – Tuck in With the Natural Yogurt Band

>Jazz

7. James Blake –James Blake

>"Post"-dubstep

8. Radiohead – King of Limbs

>You know.

9. A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen

>Orchestral Ambient. It’s beautiful.

10. Haushka – Solon De Amuers

>Neo-Classical

11. Ela Orlans – NEO PI-R

>Weird/Outside/Cult

12. Co La – Dial Tone Earth

>Loop based dub

13. Death Grips – Exmilitary

>Abrasive Rap produced by Zach Hill of Hella

14. Woods – Sun and Shade

>Freak folk with Krautrock influences.

15. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up

>Hip hop

16. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

>Post-punk

17. Chelsea Wolf – "Ἀποκάλυψις"

>Black Metal

18. Giles Corey – Giles Corey

>Genre-bending shoe gaze

19. Grouper – A|A

>Ambient

20. Jamie xx & Gil Scott Heron- We’re New Here

>Hip hop

21. tUnE-yArDs – W H O K I L L

>Merill Garbus being delightfully weird.

22. The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble – From the Stairwell

>Jazz Noire

23. Jim O’Rourke – Old News #6

>Ambient/Musique concrète

24. Liturgy -Aestethica

>Black Metal

25. James Ferraro – Far Side Virtual

>Futuristic Ambient, concept album

26. Tom Waits – Bad As Me

>Tom Waits being a bad ass.

27. Fergus & Geronimo – Unlearn

>Fun as hell garage rock

28. The Men – Leave Home

>Noise-rock/Punk

29. John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

>Avant Pop

30. Roll the Dice – In the Dust…

>Ambient. The soundtrack to the movies that play in your dreams.

31. Naked City – Grand Gruingol

>Avant-Jazz/Expiremental

32. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

>Post-Rock

33. Hella – Tripper

>Experimental Math Rock

34. Cave – Neverendless

>Chicago Krautrock

35. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

>Indie Rock or ”Heavy Pop” as they call it.

36. Wooden Shjips - West

>Psych-rock

37. Total Control – Henge Beat

>Post Punk/New Wave

38. Yann Tiersen – Skyline

>Jeff Mangum loves this guy, and so do I.

39. LaDispute – Wildlife

>Post-Hardcore

40. Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light

>Doom Metal

41. Born Gold – Bodysongs

>Catchy-as-fuck Glitch Pop

42. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

>Folk

43. Braids – Native Speaker

>Kinda like AnCo but with girls.

44. Nujabes - Spiritual State

>Hip Hop

45. Burzum – Fallen

>Black Metal

46. Mind Spiders – Mind Spiders

>Garage-Rock

47. Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocolypse

>Instrumental Hip Hop

48. UV Race – Homo

>Garage Rock

49. Ash Borer - Ash Borer

>Black Metal

50. Panda Bear – Tomboy

>Yup.

Honorable Mentions:

Tape Inbetweening, Dumbo Gets Mad, The Fall, Peaking Lights, Red Horse, Davilla 666, Ty Segall, Vladislav Delay Quartet, Sleeping Bag, Altar of Plagues, The Fied, Big K.R.I.T., Boris, Jóhann Jóhannsson, John Vanderslice, Jonwayne, Vektor, Matana Roberts, The Log.OS, O'Death, Swarms, To Destroy A CIty, Sun Araw, and Rustie.

Top 5 EPs of 2011

1. Darkside - Darkside

2. Audacity - Audacity

3. Heavy Ghost - Ten Thousand Years

4. Burial - Street Halo

5. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Witchhunt Suite for WWIII

Honorable mentions: Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Walking in Unison.

CATCHIEST, TOE-TAPINEST, ROOTIN TOOTINEST INDIE RAWKERZ THIS SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI:

1. Sleeping Bag - "Slime"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzqOKdE5tfw

2. Audacity - "Ears and Eyes"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReKjPIr8IM

3. Fergus and Geronimo - "Girls with English Accents"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSPv5Vq8g2Q

4. Natural Child - "Dog Bite"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd0wFhOYryQ&feature=related

5. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "FFunny FFrends"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-36lCKovBg

Reissues!

1. Beach Boys - SMiLE Sessions

2. Can - Tago Mago

3. Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats

4. The Retards - Teenage Hate

5. ESG - Dance to the Beat of ESG

Honorable Mention: Harald Grosskopf and Mercury Rev.

Best sets of 2011:

- Flaming Lips at Aragon

- Titus Andronicus at Congress

- Woods at Subteranean

- Arcade Fire at Bonnaroo

- Billy Crystal Meth Jr. at Mortville

- Black Lips at Logan Square Auditorium

- tUnE-yArDs at Rhino's