by Casey Welsch
Ugh. The dreaded end-of-year list. As a music writer, I’m obligated to come up with one. And not only that, but it actually has to be witty, insightful and substantial. It has to be both an adequate wrap-up to the year that was, as well as a piece that can stand on its own as the last I wrote in a given year: the culmination of my own year in writing as well as the year in music on the whole.
Like I have the patience for that.
I think the key to these things is not to think about them too much. I could literally sit for days trying to contemplate all the music I listened to in the past year, putting it all in its proper place, ranking it, labeling it, substantiating it. But I find that contrary to the spirit of both music, in general, and what it is I do, and I’m not going to do that.
This is a list. A snapshot. A Cliff’s Note on something you had to be there to fully understand. This is what I’m going to look back upon and remember fondly about 2011. Take from it what you will, and remember the good times with me. As is my style, the items in my lists are presented in no particular order.
Albums of the Year (national)
1. “We Are The Champions” by Jeff the Brotherhood — There’s been a trend in rock music ever since its genesis. The rock music of the day starts out truly rocking, then it mellows out a bit for a while and then it hits rock bottom and no one likes it anymore. Then, miraculously, some brave band fed up with it all shows up on the scene and plays louder and faster and with more passion than anyone else, and rock resets itself, and the cycle begins again. These brave bands in the past have included Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, The Ramones, Metallica, Nirvana and The White Stripes. Jeff the Brotherhood is the latest of these bands, here to reset rock. To take it back to before all the Fleet Foxes and Bon Ivers and (new) Radioheads made you turn the stereo to 11 just so you could actually hear the lyrics. “We Are The Champions” is a true statement. Jeff the Brotherhood are championing the ideals of loud, fast, raw, ridiculous rock like no band has in the last decade, let alone the last year. Long live the Brotherhood.
JEFF the Brotherhood – Shredder by lechoix_fr
2. “No Time For Dreaming” by Charles Bradley — Soul music is in a pretty good place right now. It’s back on mainstream radio, and it doesn’t exactly suck. Ladies like Adele and Sharon Jones are winning all kinds of awards and drawing huge crowds, but there’s just one problem. Where all the dudes? Here’s Charles Bradley. A 63-year-old regular guy from Gainesville, Fla., who sings like Otis Redding with James Brown’s energy, and crafts revivalist soul music with a man’s touch. This debut album is driving. It’s rough around the edges. It’s goddamned funkier than anything else that came out in 2011. Ya dig?
3. “Tomboy” by Panda Bear — Yeah, I’ll bite the bullet and be that hipster who just has to tell you about the latest Panda Bear album. Pretty pretty noises and textures and subtleties and blah, blah, blah — yeah we all know the drill. It’s exactly that, but this go ‘round it’s more. Panda Bear clearly has an ear for sound and sensation. There are so many points on “Tomboy” that are moments of pure sonic bliss. They’re more than just songs. They’re headspaces. This album is like a drug. It will do good things to your head, and it will hook you. And then you’ll want to be that hipster and tell everyone about it, too. Welcome to the stereotype.
Tomboy – Panda Bear by freckkles
Album of the Year (local)
1. “Far As You Know” by Ideal Cleaners — Ideal Cleaners might be the best band in the universe. They never disappoint when they play. They never disappoint when they record. They never disappoint when you meet them in person. They do it because they love it. They’re three of the coolest dudes to ever rock. And God, can they ever rock. “Far As You Know” is another flawless platter of rock morsels. Each song is heavier than the last, and it never gets convoluted. You can listen to these songs over and over and never be able to pick a favorite, and you will enjoy every second of it. Ideal Cleaners rocks again, as though they would let it be any other way.
"Advice for Other People's Children" by Ideal Cleaners by HearNebraska
2. “Homes” by South of Lincoln — This one came out way back at the beginning of 2011, on Jan. 19, and it defined my year for music in Lincoln. “Homes” was an excellent omen for 2011. It is an album of extraordinary beauty, both musically and lyrically. Max Holmquist’s sublime vocals and perfectly understated songwriting complimented and were complimented in turn by some of the best musical arrangements ever compiled around an acoustic guitar. I gush about this album all the time, and it’s because it deserves it. Genuinely. You know what? I’m too lazy to re-arrange the article now, but put this one at No. 1, best of the year, in your head. And then listen to it and make it No. 1 in your heart.
Man, Pt. I by South of Lincoln
3. “Necessary Roughneck,” “31 Flavors,” “Open-Heart Surgery,” “Nomad at Home” by The Poet Solace Taylor — Yeah it’s cheating, but I can’t pick a favorite out of spoken word poet/MC Solace Taylor’s 2012 12-Pack’s first third. Taylor is releasing an album a month from September 2011-August 2012, and if these first four are any indication, it’s going to be another good year. Taylor is a poet first and foremost, but his albums blur the line between poetry and hip-hop, by featuring Taylor spilling his soul over some of the slickest, smoothest beats ever produced in this state. Taylor’s mellow delivery and the soulful sampling makes each album something truly worth absorbing. His poetry is both emotionally gripping and intellectually provocative. They’re short, too. The four releases, 68 songs in total, clock in at fewer than one-and-a-half hours, total.
Songs of the Year (national)
We Almost Lost Detroit – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. (Gil Scott-Heron cover) by glofimustdie
1. “We Almost Lost Detroit” by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — Detroit is a walking corpse of a city. Entire sectors of the city gutted by unemployment, crime, poverty and the worst state economy in the U.S. A shell of what it once was. More empty than decaying. More decaying than welcoming. Yet somehow, Detroit communities seem to keep avoiding the inevitable, bringing together people to help keep their home alive. Gil Scott-Heron wrote the song “We Almost Lost Detroit” back in 1977 about a nuclear plant being built close to the city. Detroit-based Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. realized the poignancy of that song in relation to the city’s current plight and recorded a rousing cover that actually manages to add something to Scott-Heron’s genius, perfectly adapting a perfect message to 2011.
WOODKID – Iron by GreenUnitedMusic
2. “Iron” by Woodkid — I’ll come right out and admit that I discovered this song by watching the trailer for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. That just means I’m a nerd. It means nothing about this song, which is a work of modern symphonic pop genius. A French music video director turned musician, Woodkid only released a short EP earlier this year, but it was anchored by the immense power and intrigue of “Iron,” a song that will outlive any video game.
3. “On The Run” by Cerebral Ballzy — It’s been a really long time since I’ve heard any really convincing punk rock. All I hear is mall rock by suburban scumbags trying to sound emotional or tough when in reality they’re all in counseling trying to get over their issues with letting down daddy. But then I hear Cerebral Ballzy. “On The Run” just oozes punk. This group of kids isn’t just playing punk. They are punks. They’ll break your nose if you spill their beer. They’ll take a dump on City Hall and wipe it with a speeding ticket. They’ll gladly give you directions to the liquor store. “On The Run” rocks harder and faster than anything else punk rock could cough up in 2011, or even in the last decade. Cerebral Ballzy dares you to catch them if you can, and I don’t think you can.
Songs of the Year (local)
Journey of a Spruce Tree by orionwalsh81
1. “Journey of a Spruce Tree” by Orion Walsh — If you were lucky enough to pick up one of the limited number of Orion Walsh/Amy Schmidt split cassette tapes earlier this year, then you know the version I’m talking about. On the cassette tape, you start on Orion’s side with what seems like a whole song’s worth of idle chatter. A talk track on top of a talk track while they’re actually talking about talk tracks. It’s a lot like how “Dark Side of the Moon” opened, with the ever-building cacophony. Except in Orion’s case, the chaos breaks into a gorgeous acoustic guitar and banjo folk tune. A perfect slice of Americana hewn from the chaos of the song. I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere, but I’m no folk singer.
2. “Little Shiny Things” by Back When — Droney, druggy, depressing, down-tempo and devastating, “Little Shiny Things” is a short little gem of my favorite kind of sludgy, drudging metal. Back When knows what it means to drone. They know what it means to drown out emotion with the indescribable power of rock. They do it perfectly. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
3. “Change the Shape” by The Berg Sans Nipple — When I first heard that band name, I thought, “Well, alright.” And nothing else. When I first heard that song, I thought, “Well, alright.” And nothing else. The strangeness of each seemed, at first, out of place for a place like Nebraska. But as I kept listening, it kept creeping up my brainstem. Little bits poked out at me from where I’m not exactly sure. Little details kept tapping me on the shoulder and then disappearing. “Change the Shape” is an immensely complex and creative piece of work, showcasing a kind of curiosity that has become rare in Nebraska as of late.
Shows of the Year
1. Larry and His Flask, Lincoln Calling @ The Bourbon — Lincoln Calling 2011 was fantastic, and most of the local bands involved really went above and beyond to impress and entertain the festival-goers. But out of all the out-of-town acts that showed up to add something a little extra, none turned as many heads (or nearly took as many off) than Larry and His Flask. The rockabilly band pulled out all the stops, playing louder and faster than almost anything else at Lincoln Calling. They made themselves the act to outdo, and then they left town. Bastards.
The Shanks Final Show from Andrew Lamberson on Vimeo.
2. The Shanks’ final show @ O’Leaver’s — Two nights and an entire catalogue of the loudest, dirtiest, most violent, realest punk rock Nebraska ever spawned. Gallons of beer were drunk, many more were spilled. Blood on my boots. Blood in my hair. Completely deafened and entirely offended. Drunk. Sad. Happy. The Shanks.
3. Yonder Mountain String Band @ The Bourbon — I wouldn’t ever have told you that an ordinary bluegrass band could ever sell out the Bourbon and become one of the most in-demand and talked-about shows of the year. But it was. Yonder Mountain packed the Bourbon to capacity and an entire community came together to hoedown, dance and drink. They drank so much, in fact, the Bourbon nearly used their entire supply of canned beer, setting the venue’s all-time bar sales record in the process.
Favorite Things
1. Nick Semrad + The Machete Archive — The Machete Archive is already good. They’ve got a tight sound that can rock circles around most competitors. But I would never have thought that such a simple addition as a top-class keys player could take that sound to a whole new plane. Before godlike keyboardist Nick Semrad left Lincoln for New York to be a studio player, he partied onstage with Machete Archive, adding majestic and sweeping organ sounds to Machete’s already intense tunes. It was a truly a sound to behold.
2. Scru Face Jean — I don’t get around to writing about this kid nearly as much as I should, but he’s poised to conquer the world. Scru Face is the best thing in Nebraska hip-hop right now. His sound just toes the line between mainstream and local flavor. His lyrics are cocky without being arrogant, and they possess a kind of honesty that has become scarce in the rap game. And his work ethic won’t allow him to stop. He wants to put Nebraska hip-hop on the map. He wants to be the next big thing. And with the music he’s been working on, the videos, and his raw drive, I think he just might have it in him. He’s the one to watch right now.
3. South of Lincoln/Great American Desert/Max Holmquist/Whatever he wants to be called — It was a big year for Mr. Holmquist. Not only did he drop two wildly differing and wildly great albums, he also made the move to Omaha, traveled across the state as part of the Frontier Project and got glowing write-ups in international media outlets (Canada counts). He’s clearly on his way up, and I couldn’t be happier for him. As long as you keep making music as good as you do, Max, I hope you have all the success you deserve, and you deserve dumptrucks of it.
Good luck in 2012.
Casey Welsch is a contributor to Hear Nebraska. He is never, ever going back to school. You can contact him at caseywelsch@hearnebraska.org.