A Strict Man in a Kind Jacket

Onto more earcandy…

30. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Nowhere nears as emotionally powerful as Bon Iver’s first Album, but still Justin’s voice sounds great and although the production may be a little off a times, there is some fantastic instrumentation and songs in here.

Holocene by boniver

29. James Blake – James Blake

When James Blake’s EP CMYK came out last year expectations not only from me but from the ‘blogosphere’ for his debut album were enormous.  And I guess this is why this album initially disappointed me, I thought it was a ‘safe bet’, a pander to the mainstream and after a while it got a bit samey.  But ‘James Blake’ has grown on me, after many late night listens I’ve come to appreciate not only the emotion he has poured into a ‘post-dubstep’ whatever you wanna call it album but the quality of the production.

James Blake has also done something more important, he has brought quality electronic music back to the mainstream.  Crappy dubstep is more common and popular than say Superdry clothing, so it’s refreshing to hear Radio 1 actually play a song like ‘The Wilhelm Scream’ that has been created by a guy with real talent, who experiments and pushes the boundaries of what ‘popular music’ can be.

James Blake – Lindesfarne I & II by Dustdreams

28. Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting 

A guilty pleasure that my roommate will have heard over and over again.  I can’t resist the whirring bass, the sharp production and Woon’s vocals.

Night Air by woon

27. Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse 

Thundercat started life out as just a talented bass player, but with the help of Flying Lotus’ he has been able to mould himself into so much more.  He has managed to create a unique future jazz sound, littered with unbelievable bass playing and beautiful drifting vocals.  This combination of loose 70s soul, future jazz and electronic music is definitely something to make the ears tingle and the mind wander/wonder.

Thundercat – Is It Love by Madison House

26. Machinedrum – Room(s)

Described as ‘an amalgamation of most of the trends and ideas floating around in the electronic music sphere at the moment’. Machinedrum’s sound shifts from footwork, to Drum & Bass, to a future African sound and even a bit of dancehall.  The result is something that is both brilliantly unique and familiar. Unmissable.

Machinedrum – U Don’t Survive (Promo) by pdis_inpartmaint

25. Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact

Gang Gang Dance have always created an interesting sound, but with their latest album they have created something the flows, builds, uplifts, breaksdown and ultimately excites. ‘Eye Contact’ opens with the fantastic 11 minute eruption of sound that is ‘Glass Jar’, that then drifts into a exotic spiritual sounding sample that is then followed with more exotic sounding synths that transcends most other music.  It beggers beflief that an album can have both pop sounding hooks, and yet sound so spiritual, foreign and psychedelic.  It is album that you could both dance to or sit and listen to in a dark room with your best headphones on transporting you to another world.

24. araabMUZIK – Electronic Dream

Its not often that an album comes out that doesn’t even have a genre.  When ‘Electronic Dream’ dropped this summer on first hearing I was like ‘whut the eff is this?’, this guy has taken cheesy popular house music got rid of the drop and replaced it with his own punchy snares from his MPC-1000.  He chops them right up into something unpredictable, something that you can’t dance to, you couldnt rap over (he used to make beats for cam’ron), all you can do is feel the intrigue it creates.

Araabmuzik – Streetz Tonight by salacioussound

23. Yuck – Yuck

When I wanted to find the album cover for itunes for the strangely named ‘Yuck’ I made the huge error of typing yuck into google with safesearch off (I wanted to see scar-jo’s bottom), what came up was a bombardment of things no eyes should be exposed to, the album ‘Yuck’ itself is far from this.  It starts with the almost grungy distorted guitars to lead into the catchy single ‘Get Away’, this theme continues until ‘Shook Down’ which has more of a bubble gum indie sound until it builds into a crescendo of more distorted guitars.  The rest of the album flirts between this gentle indie sound and distorted guitars, to create something catchy yet pretty unique.

SUCK Yuck by CristinaBlack

22. The Antlers – Burst Apart

‘Burst Apart’ was the first album that spotify banned me from playing; I listened to it 5 times and at that time I only had the free version.  I loved it; our romance was intense but ultimately it came to an abrupt end.  Is was like meeting a fantastic girl 5 times, loving it, then she just moves to another country.  This story however does not have a sad end, in the summer time I finally caved in, I wanted to be re-united and I got spotify premium. But after a few listens things weren’t the same, as great as this album is rap [via OFWGKTA] had come in and poisoned my mind.

Seriously this album is very good, the lyrics cut deep, the songs are varied and the production is spot on.

The Antlers – Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out by mjvisme

21. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Is Christopher Owens living a lie?  I mean you read all this stuff about his life and you begin question his credibility.  Supposedly he was raised by a religious cult that moved to europe to recruit, he reached his teens and wanted to break away so he made money playing guitar on the streets, he then saved up enough to travel to the US where he worked in a general store.  Until he fell in with a crowd of punks, and started taking drugs.  A rich oil tycoon then took a liking to him and took him off ‘self destruct’.  Within four years he moved to San Francisco and had an office job.  He then met Chet White the other member of Girls [via an ex-girlfriend] and they began making music.  Regardless it’s great publicity.

Their first album was a surf rock kind of affair, ‘Father, Son, Holy Ghost’ however delves into a wider variety of sounds heading from heavy, to psychedelic rock, back to the surf sound to indie rock and finishing with heart breaking acoustic.  The lyrics are filled with pain and confusion born from maybe Owens’ KrAzY upbringing.  The overall effect is a wholly entertaining 53 minutes.

Girls – Saying I Love You by artsandcraftsmx

Click here for 20-11.

I know its only 43 but I hate filler so I didn’t wanna bore you with a few albums that I thought ‘did a job’ and I kept to only ones that excited my ears.

It hasn’t been a great year for ‘indie’ music but its been a huge year for indie hip hop/ rap and free mixtape/albums.

Check out the list, have a listen and if they’re free to download a link will be below the album.

43. Dirty Beaches – Badlands

A beautiful, dreamy, drifting album that sounds like it is from a different era.  The distorted vocals, the hazy guitars and a grainy style.

Dirty Beaches – True Blue by nmemagazine

42. Seapony – Go With Me

As close to Best Coast as anyone has sounded all year with surf rock/dream pop.  One to vibe to when sitting by your beach house.

Seapony – “What You See” by audiomilk

41. Badbadnotgood – BBNG

Badbadnotgood rose to fame by doing jazz covers of Odd Future.  They then released a free to download album of both jazz covers and their own stuff, its refreshing to hear jazz with a modern twist.  This ones well worth a punt and especially as its free why wouldn’t you? Download here or stream below.

40. Little Roy – Battle for Seattle

Nirvana twisted into reggae? Who woulda thought it would work!?  Little Roy did and boy does it.

Come As You Are by Little Roy

39. Braids – Native Speaker

An almost Avey Tare/Animal Collective sounding album with totally kuet female vocals and tracks that just seem to gleefully wonder on for 7 minutes.

Braids – Plath Heart by snipelondon

38. Craft Spells – Idle Labor

I know they’ve spelt labour wrong, but Craft Spells here have put together just the kind of pop indie album that I wanted.  Snappy drums, catchy synths and upbeat hooks.  Foster the people aren’t nuffin compared to these guys. #teamCraftySpells

After the Moment by CraftSpells

37. Metronomy – The English Riviera

Not as good as Metronomy’s fantastic second album ‘Nights Out’ but still a great one. Their sound has evolved from something dark and underground into a more laid-back better produced sound.  The album title and cover are perfect for the overall feel of ‘The English Riviera’.  You’ve gotta love that organ.

Metronomy – Everything Goes My Way by dustblaze

36. Veronica Falls – Veronica Falls

One that may have slipped under many people’s radars.  With gentle harmonies, reasonably dark lyrics and catchy hooks in an almost vintage rock & roll sound this is one I couldn’t take off the rotation for a few weeks.

Veronica Falls – Bad Feeling by Slumberland Records

35. Sepalcure – Sepalcure

Is it post dubstep, deep house, footwork or all of them?? Who needs genres these days? Especially in the ever changing, evolving, metamorphosing world of ‘dance music’.  Anyway Sepalcure is a project created by Machinedrum and Praveen that they describe as ‘their mix of tribal dub, house and two step beats that work equally well for both late night in the club and rainy, introspective nights at home.’  I wish this one had maybe come out earlier as it may have climbed higher up my list for 2011 after a few more weeks on the blast.

Pencil Pimp – Sepalcure by amadeusblog

34. Death In Vegas – Trans-Love Energies

One album that must only be listened to in order, it builds slowly, breaks into almost indie rock, drifts into some brilliant electro then fades into downtempo.  A truly entertaining listen.

Death In Vegas – Coum by FBi Radio

33. The Weeknd – Thursday

The Weeknd’s second album of this calendar year, although it is completely overshadowed by Abel’s first release, it still has some brilliance from the guy.  Songs that pack some gorgeous vocals, yearning lyrics and pretty darn good beats.  (Listening is greatly enhanced while on codeine).  Download for free here.

The Weeknd – Rolling Stone by The_Weeknd

32. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

One of the coolest British bands of the year.  Everything from the embroidered denim jackets to the webpage filled with musings that don’t make sense but sound philosophical and ‘cool’, to the vocals that may as well be a different language.  Their image is what is so attractive about this album, after a while it does start to sound samey but at the same time you’re listening and thinking this is fucking cool, I mean man they recorded the whole thing in a church just to piss off Jesus.  People don’t just listen to music for sound, they listen to it to enhance their own image, you don’t need me to tell you that.  Next time you’re drinking your Red Stripe in some relevant bar/club remember to say to some bird with a nose ring (who will probably be faux indie ie she likes the image more than the music) “Hey look I’m cool/alt/indie I listen to WU LYF”.

Regardless, they were fucking awesome live and a bunch of ‘nice guys’, yes kindjacket did have a little chat with them after the gig (hit me up on kindjacket@gmial.com faux indie girlies…)

WU LYF: L Y F by lanewayfest

31. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi – Rome

If you’re a fan of exquisite production then this is your boy.  Recorded on vintage equipment to get the best sound and inspired by soundtracks of spaghetti westerns, producer Danger Mouse and composer Daniele Luppi have created something of real beauty.  Norah Jones’ and Jack White’s vocals also star to spice the experience up even more.  If I rode a horse through the Wild West this would be the first choice on my ipod.

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi – Two Against One (Ft. Jack White) by MMMusic

Click for 30 to 21.