2011 was packed full of some really exciting debuts, packed full of really good tracks, and today’s GOOD features a small sample of my favorites. (p.s. You may or may not remember, but it was Sleigh Bells’ debut LP that topped my best of list last year and there are at least two of my top 10 albums of the year in this post, including my #1. Can you guess which ones?)

 

Barbara and Ethan met when Ethan was born. They knew they were brother and sister but they did not know that 19 years in the future they would form a band. The future happened and now they have a band, a facebook page, a myspace page and some other stuff they’ve acquired over the years. [source]  Their facebook page failed to mention that they also released one very kick-ass record this year and it’s in your best interest to check it out.  “Losers” seems to get all the love, but I can’t get enough of “Sweet Louise”.  (you should also check out the live studio performance they did for KCRW, it’s one of favorites)

♪ The Belle Brigade – Sweet Louise (from The Belle Brigade)

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Blood Orange is the alias/side-project of Devonté Hynes (aka Lightspeed Champion).  Hynes has been teasing listeners since 2009 and in 2010 he went into the studio to record the debut album, Coastal Grooves, which was released this last August.  Blood Orange has a really cool sound and the 10 tracks on the album easily back that up.  My favorite track is
“I’m Sorry We Lied”, with “Champagne Coast” coming in a close second.  Both tracks seem like they were pulled straight from the perfect 80’s movie soundtrack, which I really love.  I’m definitely looking forward to what the future has in store for Blood Orange.

♪ Blood Orange – I’m Sorry We Lied (from Coastal Grooves)

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Now technically, the NY duo that is Cults formed in 2010 and released an EP that same year.  But this year saw the release of their debut studio-album and this is my blog, so deal with it.  If you haven’t listened to the self-titled album yet, what are you  waiting for?  This album is incredibly good, start to finish, and without a bad song on it.  With that said, it wasn’t incredibly difficult to decide on a favorite.  Since my first listen, I knew it was gonna come down to the 50’s pop-esqu ballad “You Know What I Mean” and the lead-off track, “Abducted”, which really kicked things off in a great way and set the tone for the entire record.

♪ Cults – Abducted (from Cults)

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I’m not crazy about the band name, but the music more than makes up for it.  “Gauntlet Hair are two BFFs (Andy and Craig) from Lafayette, Colorado who’ve been making music together since they were 15 and it shows, their sound is tight and well-honed, bringing echo and reverb ten-fold and mixing it up with Animal Collective layers and The Jesus and Mary Chain vocals” [source].  After releasing a single and EP in 2010, the duo released their surprisingly good debut LP this last October.  I say surprisingly, because the name Gauntlet Hair had me thinking they were some new butt rock band in the fashion of Creed and Nickleback.  I didn’t expect some of the year’s best “reverb-pop gems”, but I should know better than to judge a book by it’s cover.

♪ Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk (from Gauntlet Hair)

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Summer Camp are a London based duo that formed in 2009.  Having formed by accident after deciding to cover The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You”, the band did not initially reveal their identities, claiming to be six Swedish teenagers, but a report by independent music newspaper The Stool Pigeon revealed that they were solo artist Jeremy Warmsley and journalist Elizabeth Sankey. [source]  They are currently signed to the Moshi Moshi label on which they have released both their debut EP ‘Young EP’ in 2010, and first full length album ‘Welcome to Condale’ in 2011, to mainly positive press.  The duo’s musical style has been described as “21st-century alt-pop”, but also draws influence from 60s girl group, 80s synth pop.  Summer Camp’s debut LP, Welcome To Condale, was released this last Halloween and is must listen.  Standout tracks include “Ghost Train”, ” I Want You”, “Losing My Mind”, “Summer Camp”, and “Welcome To Condale”, but I think the lead-off track, “Better Off Without You” best represents Summer Camp’s sound and style…and it’s my favorite.

♪ Summer Camp – Better Off Without You (from Welcome to Condale)

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra first dropped into the world in late 2010 as a bandcamp account carrying a single, sweet little dose of ear candy called ‘Ffunny Ffrends’.  The track was everything you imagined it might be – alien beatnik pop music that echoed 60s psychedelia and krautrock minimalism with just a hint of gentle weirdness that suggested its roots might equally lie in the verdant indie of the equally distant New Zealand scene.  Frontman Ruban Nielson is a New Zealand native who had transplanted to Portland with his band Mint Chicks. UMO was a project conceived as Ruban’s escape hatch to a new musical dimension where his vision of junkshop record collector pop could be realized in a sound that recalled Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on some kids tv theme too dark to ever be broadcast.  Out of the home studio, Ruban was joined by local Portland producer Jake Portrait on bass and teenage prodigy Julien Ehrich on drums. They have been on the road all year, sleeping in ditches and running drunkenly from venues when needs be, curling ears and turning heads with their intoxicating sound all the way.  The eponymous UMO debut album was released on June 21st. It’s probably something you should listen to. [source]

♪ Unknown Mortal Orchestra – How Can You Luv Me (from Unknown Mortal Orchestra)

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Twenty-two year old Trevor Powers, whose musical venture is called Youth Lagoon, has had a long year.  Not because he’s been endlessly touring or pursuing some wild dream, but because of life — the life of a kid going to college, being in love, dealing with heartache, and just living.  Throughout the course of 2010, Powers began to write an album about things he had a hard time talking about. He claims that when he tries to talk about it to people, he doesn’t make sense.  So he wrote an album about it titled The Year of Hibernation.  Although his music seems somewhat dreamy with the first listen, the lyrics show a different side to the matter.  Hidden beneath the melodies is a voice that is eerie yet nostalgic.  Powers claims his music is like letting people read his journal.  “I don’t think I could ever write a completely happy album.  It’s not that I’m not a happy person,” claims Powers, “but I just have too many things in my mind that haunt me.” [source]  Powers is obviously a very talented musician and his debut was an incredible album.  “Montana” has been my favorite track since first listen and probably one of top 10 favorite tracks of the year (the video is really good also, probably my #1 video of the year, watch it here).  I expect (and can’t wait) to hear more from Youth Lagoon.

♪ Youth Lagoon – Montana (from The Year of Hibernation)

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