Best and Worst of 2011 (Part I)

With the end of the year upon us it is time to review the music that came out over the past 52-weeks.  Here are my choices for the best and worst from 2011.  We start off with the more eclectic categories this week and work our way up to the Best Albums of the Year next week.

Best Cover of a Hip-Hop Song:

Holmes - "It Was A Good Day"

For the longest time I was going to give this award to Karmin for their wacky and very creative cover of Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" because any white girl in a cocktail dress that can bust out Busta Rhymes lyrics like Amy Heidemann does deserves an award. But ever since Karmin performed their version of the song on "Ellen" they've been getting a bit too much exposure so I am instead going with a song off of Holmes' awesome album of cover songs from November of this year.

While Holmes' disc has a ton of great tracks, it's his version of the classic Ice Cube song "It Was A Good Day" that is one of the best songs and best fits into this category.  Holmes twists the melody of the song into one of a piano-driven indie pop song in the same vein as what Dynamite Hack did to the NWA song "Boyz In The Hood" about a decade ago but rather than leaning on irony to make the song relevant, Holmes seems genuine as he sings the lyrics and it is the earnestness that really brings the song home.  It is an absolute joy that will have you examining the lyrics of the original song in a whole different light.  Listen to the Holmes version of the song lain over the original Ice Cube video below.

Best Cover of a Pop or Rock Song:

Revolver - "Monk" 

One of the best rock albums from last year was the self-titled disc from Mini Mansions (I gave it a 9.5/10) which featured brilliant songs from Michael Shurman, better known as the bassist from Queens of the Stone Age.   This year's best cover of a pop or rock song is by the French band Revolver (not to be confused with the British band Revolver from the early 90's) who cover a song from that Mini Mansions album, "Monk."  

They turn the song which originally had a spookier melody and a heavier overtone and give it an acoustic overhaul which, interestingly, adds to the emotion of the song and turns it into a song of regret and loss.  While the song isn't as haunting as the original, this version affects you to a greater extent such that you feel the pain that was brought about by his "two-timing whore."  Watch the original version and then compare it to the cover version below.  

Worst Cover Song

Mitch Winehouse - "April in Paris"

When you first listen to this track, your first thoughts are likely to echo my own--why is Mitch Winehouse (Amy's severely-limited-in-musical-talent dad) doing a spoken word version "April in Paris"?  Then, as you continue to listen, you start to realize that it's not a spoken word version but that's actually him trying to sing.  And then you just cringe and hope the bad crooning from the track doesn't haunt you until the day you die.  I don't really want to post the video below but I'm afraid you'd think I was exaggerating how horrible it really is.  I'm not.  Just give it a listen yourself and watch the crap video below.

Best Album Covers

We begin with the simple black and white image from the Cults self-titled album.  While the image itself is very simple, it conveys some strong feelings.  The flying hair from the dancing girl and the guitar player tell you that what you are going to hear will rock you.  I also like the fact that they obscure both faces which adds a layer of anonymity that allows the viewer to project their own personalities onto the two characters which allows us to personalize them.  The image then remains open to interpretation by letting the viewer fill in the blanks on two characters who are already rocking out.  A simple image that conveys a lot of meaning by letting the viewer to fill in the blanks.

Up next is this year's release from The Cool Kids', the "When Fish Ride Bicycles" album.  It's a relatively simple concept that plays with that old axiom of when-fish-ride-bicycles but brings it to life in a most humorous way.  The bright and colorful color scheme brightens the picture and lightens the image plus it's a really kooky fish costume that I find hilarious.  They also get bonus points as well for cross promoting both Mountain Dew and the band Cake--two of my favorite things!

Our final selection for best album cover goes to Fleet Foxes' Helplessness Blues for its trippy modern art style that borders on psychedelia.  I like how the image seems to be spiraling into (or out of) the circle in the middle like lots of little images being trapped in (or vomited from) a whirlpool.  The muted color palette heavy on earth tones makes you take a closer look at the image to try to make sense of it all while what it is really doing is making you take notice of the little details on the image. 

Worst Album Cover

This year's worst album cover goes to a band I've loved since I was in junior high--The Beastie Boys.  While the album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two had some very good tracks on it, the cover to the album is an absolute mess.  This modern art, multicolored spewing of squares has no relevance to the band, the music, nor the album and it's an art style that was already played out by the early 90's.  I know the boys aren't as young as they once were but this drivel is embarrassing especially when compared to the realistic and artistic covers of albums like Check Your Head or Paul's Boutique.  When I first saw this artwork I thought someone was playing a joke on me because I thought a Beastie Boys album cover would never be this dull or unimaginative.  How wrong I was...

New Music Reviews - 12/20/2011 - Common and Kevin Hearn

Common The Dreamer, The Believer - Prolific hip-hop artist Lonnie Lynn Junior, AKA Common, finds time away from his acting career (Date Night and Happy Feet Two) to release his ninth studio album.  Nas and John Legend provide guest vocals on individual tracks and Mya Angelou has a spoken word part at the end of one of the tracks.

There are a handful of very enjoyable tracks on The Dreamer with songs like "Ghetto Dreams" (ft. Nas) having extremely clever lyrics and a big hook to draw you in but the album as a whole is very hit-or-miss.  For every creative track like "Blue Sky," which creatively samples the 70's great Electric Lights Orchestra song "Mr. Blue Sky" and transforms it into something new, you get a track like "Lovin' I Lost" which, despite its throwback R&B melody, lacks the imagination and flow that we expect from great tracks by Common.

It's an above average album from Common who can still create crafty tunes although that skill is a bit inconsistent on this release.

Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Blue Sky" [sample it below] and "Lovin' I Lost"

Kevin Hearn Cloud Maintenance - Kevin Hearn is a Canadian musician best known for being the keyboardist in the band Barenaked Ladies although he also is the frontman for Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle.  This is Hearn's second solo studio album.

The music presented on this album is mainly downtempo electropop with minimalistic instrumentation.  It took me a while to get into the morose feeling album but once I was in the proper mindset I found a lot of subtle beauty on a number of the tracks.  "She Waved" uses  slow tempo synthesizer work layered over a simple but catchy piano refrain which adds depth to the haunting lyrics.

Fortunately, the album doesn't just give us downtrodden songs with pop-heavier tunes like "Don't Shuffle Me Back" helping to bring life into what would be an otherwise depressing disc.  It's a decent album for when you're feeling down but the heavy feel of the disc makes it a difficult one to have on constant rotation on your favorite listening device.

Score: 7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "She Waved" and "Don't Shuffle Me Back"

Merry Christmas--Joyeux Noel--Glaedelig Jul--Feliz Navidad to everyone out there!

New Music Reviews - 12/13/2011 - Dia Frampton and Kaskade

As we get closer to Christmas and New Years, the number of new album releases starts to slowdown dramatically so for this week I will be reviewing some albums released in the past month that I didn't get the chance to review on the weeks they originally came out.  For those interested in this week's releases, the big ones are all movie scores (Twilight: Breaking Dawn, The Adventures of Tintin, and for the Sherlock Holmes sequel). Thanks for visiting!

Dia Frampton Red - One of the finalists from the NBC breakout hit "The Voice" releases her first post-show solo album (she and her sister were previously recording under the band name Meg & Dia).  For those who didn't watch the show, Ms. Frampton stood out for her sweet looks which beguiled her big voice with a very cool rasp to it.  Unfortunately for Dia, whose voice seems ideal for various pop genres, she was sidled with Country music star Blake Shelton as her coach.  However, she made it to the finals so more power to her.

The music on the album is a primarily pop/country blend although Frampton does go beyond that on a couple of other tracks. The disc opens with "Don't Kick The Chair" with Kid Cudi which is a decent song although I thought the refrain was actually catchier than the hook and the rap by the usually very reliable Kid Cudi could have been left out completely.  "Billy The Kid" is a real stand out on the album because it not only features an electropop melody which breaks up the monotony of the Blake Shelton song that precedes it but is shows Frampton's vocals can still shine despite the engineers going a little overboard in the post-production work.  That's followed by the more heartfelt, acoustic guitar driven "Daniel" which is a sweet song about regret and bad decisions that really showcases Frampton's vocals and her ability to write deep but catchy tunes.  "Walk Away" is an indie pop/folk pop song that is the type of music I would expect Frampton to create and its beauty shows her voice is probably a better match for that genre.

Overall, it's an above average release from a singer with an awesome and unique voice but who could use some assistance on the engineering and post-production side of things.  Frampton also shows the ability to create songs that exhibit both depth and catchy melodies on about half of the tracks of the disc although more of this magic spread over the entire disc would have been a welcome addition.  It's also a welcome note that she doesn't repeat any of the songs performed on "The Voice" so we get a truer sense of her musical sensibilities.  Her voice and her song writing potential shine through on this disc, I just wish the production work were equal to the task. 

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Billy The Kid" and "Walk Away"

Kaskade Fire & Ice - Kascade is a DJ who was voted "America's Best DJ 2011" by the monthly publication "DJ Times."  This is a two disc album with one disc representing "Fire" and the other representing "Ice," which is really just a remix disc featuring the same songs in the same order as the first disc, although all the songs could fit under the House music electronica genre.  In a welcome addition, most of the songs feature vocals by lesser known electronica and indie acts like Neon Trees, Dan Black, and Rebecca & Fiona.  Overall, Fire & Ice is an enjoyable and competently put together disc with many highlights scattered over the entire album.  The second disc is also another pleasant surprise with most of the remixed songs actually featuring more simplified beats and sampling rather than going with bigger techno beats and a heavier thumping sound like you would find on most remixed discs.  The album ends up being extremely enchanting with a sound that will pull you in and take you on an engrossing journey whether you put on just the first disc, just the second disc, or both discs together.

Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "I Love (ft. Haley)", "Ice (ft. Dada Life and Dan Black)" Kaskade ICE Mix, and "Lessons in Love (ft. Neon Trees)" [sample it below]

New Music Reviews - 12/6/2011 - The Roots, The Black Keys, T-Pain, and Mwahaha

The Roots Undun - The prolific and constantly working ?uestlove, Black Thought plus the rest of the Legendary Roots Crew find time to record their tenth studio album.  Unlike their album from last year with John Legend which featured new covers of soul and funk songs from the 60's and 70's, the band returns to its roots (no pun intended) with hard biting raps and modern R&B jams.  Unlike any of their previous albums, Undun is a concept album about the fictional life of a character named Redford Stephens, a kid from Philadelphia who becomes a part of the drug trade until his untimely death. 

The album opens with the short instrumental "Dun" (which, I don't think, is named in honor of me) before ceding way to "Sleep,"a well named track with a drowsy feel that makes for a slow but beguiling beginning to the album. The album starts to really take off at the third track, "One Time,"and continues with a constant stream of relevant and creative tracks until the end of the album where the band seems to lose its direction to a small degree on the last two tracks.  However, the album is crafted to such a precise degree that you are totally engrossed with every sound that proceeds that point that the weak ending is totally forgivable.  The biggest highlights  in that uninterrupted stream of goodness are the tracks "The Other Side" and "Lighthouse."

For a band that has already created some top notch albums over their career (Phrenology and Things Fall Apart coming to mind immediately), The Roots may have topped them all with Undun.  It is a beautifully imagined story being told by true masters of the hip-hop genre that prove, if their prolific releases hadn't already done so in the past, the band does more than just make music--they create works of art on a grand scale.

?uestlove again acts as the primary producer for the album and his vision is wonderfully portrayed in both the album layout and track choices in a disc that flows so smoothly from song to song.  Easily a late candidate for best album release of the year, Undun is an album that is not be missed.  Do yourself a favor and pick it up ASAP and pick one up for hip-hop loving relatives as well as it will be the only present from Santa this year that people will still be appreciating years later.

Score: 10/10
Song(s) to Sample: "One Time", "The Other Side" [sample it below] and "Lighthouse"

Mwahaha Mwhaha - Mwahaha is a four person electronic rock band from Oakland, CA and this self-titled release is their debut full-length album.  The band incorporates mellow, downtempo melodies buoyed by real drums and bass to create a sound that is on the more raw side of bands like LCD Soundsystem or TV On The Radio.  They are able to blend discordant sounds and instruments on tracks like "Rainbow Diamond" and somehow make coherent harmonies out of them.  It's a real testament to their experimental nature and how beauty can be created out of seemingly nothing.  Unfortunately, not every track showcases this ability as well as the first couple of songs as the album goes off the rails a bit in the second half.  While the release as a whole can definitely use some some additional polish, as a debut album, their ability to blend sounds to create credible songs is what I am most impressed with.

Score: 6/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Rainbow Diamond" and "Love"

T-Pain rEVOLVEr - Faheem Najm, better known by his stage name T-Pain, releases his fourth studio album.  Given the number of songs he's provided vocals for on other artist's records over the past couple of years, it's not surprising this album lists a great number of hip-hop artists lending a hand.  Most prominent are Lil' Wayne, Chris Brown, Lily Allen, Pitbull and Ne-Yo who each provide backup vocals or guest raps on individual tracks.  While I was definitely expecting the club-ready jams that can be found on this disc, the real eye openers were the slower songs like the melodic "Default Picture" and the simple but catchy "Mix'd Girl" which create added depth on the album as a whole.  As far as the club-ready songs, "It's Not You, It's Me (ft. Pitbull)" and "Turn All The Lights On (ft. Ne-Yo)" will not disappoint.  Not every track is a winner but the quality stays relatively consistent over the entire disc.  T-Pain won't win over any new fans with this release but his existing fans will find a lot to to fall in love with on rEVOLVEr.

Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "It's Not You, It's Me" [sample it below] and "Default Picture"

The Black Keys El Camino - The Grammy-winning, blues-rock duo from Akron, Ohio fresh off their performance on SNL this past weekend release their seventh studio album.  Once again the two main members (Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney) are able to create a lush album whose songs traverse from guitar licks reminiscent of the best from the classic era of Rock n' Roll to a more modern, blues-rock amalgamation with apparent ease.  Although the blues aspect of their music is slightly toned down in comparison to their 2010 release, Brothers, and their albums that preceded it; its influences are still present on many of the band's tracks and that sound is only enhanced by the fast tempo guitar riffs that are prevalent on this album. In terms of pure enjoyment and in terms of keeping their feet to the pedal, El Camino ranks up there with their all time best, 2004's Rubber Factory.  A great followup disc for a band that only last year won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. 

Score: 9/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Lonely Boy" [sample it below], "Little Black Submarines" and "Run Right Back"