I hate year end lists, I really do. I hate the idea of having to gather up every album released over a 365 day period and having to cross compare them only to give them an order. It bothers me that people think that list is synonymous with what the year will be remembered for. People idolize those who idolize and now routine music blogs have increased traffic spikes as they hastily put together some subjective compilation of albums that spark controversy and debate. Instead, here is a compilation of what I will remember the year for. This is not a best of, nor is this simply limited to artists and albums. Be it five years, or ten or whatever, this is what I will remember the year for...
Concerts and an increasing appreciation for live shows:
I have little to say about the bands I've had the privilege to see this year that hasn't been said; admittedly, I find it awkward to write about concerts as I find my over excited nature can be misconstrued as mere boasting. But I can say this: live shows have never been as exciting to me as they are now. This could be the fact that I have a new found appreciation for musicians and their mediums, but it's more than likely the fact that I now have someone I can share the experiences with. The two times I saw the Decemberists, I was able to have my excitement compound with that of another fanatic in my cousin. These were the third and fourth times we got to see them together and their showmanship is easily the most genuine, involving and entertaining I've seen; appreciation of stage and a sharp wit has made Meloy and company an interactive and memorable experience. I also got to see the Black Keys with one of my best friends through high school during the last summer before we parted and a day after my birthday (one of my favorite birthday gifts I've given myself to date). But it's been the inclusion of someone who is more appreciative of stage conduct and performance than myself that has rejuvenated my bewilderment of those highly anticipated nights, and I am endlessly thankful of what she's done for me in that sense. However, she isn't the lone reason I long for concerts more than ever. I've come to realize which each group of musicians can bring to a show. For some, a low key but compassionate presentation gives you the feeling of a local band or best friends on stage, yet yield an experience incomparable to others in sound; for others, bringing out antics or big time sets with lights and whatnot is more effective. As a result, each show can bring about a whole new aspect of performance that the last one could not. No matter how many shows you've gone to, another can introduce something you've never seen before. Or perhaps that live rendition of songs you've come to love brings about a whole new appreciation or memorable experience that becomes synonymous with it...
Bands I love finding success/widening fan bases:
Everyone knows Bon Iver, now. One of music's best kept secrets has been on more front covers following this release than he has preceding. Typically, I feel a sense of loss when a band I have affection for goes on to become well known. I remember (not so fondly) the plethora of people mispronouncing Sigur Ros (SEE-ger ROSS) and exclaiming their excitement towards the gibberish and bright sounds of Gobbledigook (admittedly, when I brought up my unbound appreciation of Ara Batur, possibly the most beautiful song written, most would not know of it... that bothered me more than the mispronunciation). There was as sense of loss that accompanied with it that I forced myself to ignore. I mean, who am I to selfishly hoard bands and keep them from renown and success? But what stung me was not so much the fact that other people listened to them, it was that people were missing so much of what they were doing. I tried to equate their appreciation of the band with mine, and it simply didn't work out. I felt like they were focusing on such a small part of their portrait whereas the portrait as a whole was more beautiful than any small part; it was also how it was being appreciated at such a superficial level that bothered me. This year, however, Bon Iver was brought into a legion of fans who loved him for all the right reasons. I listen to For Emma and his new self titled and I can attempt to pick apart each song or the album and still miss something that each of these new fans have heard. The superficiality of his sound is not what captured the fans, it was his audacity to try something new. It was his compassion and emotive lyrics and, most of all, the way anyone could relate to them that captured these new listeners. Justin Vernon wrote a record that was, in itself, himself. People have tried that before and some have succeeded, but no one has done it better than Vernon. Not only was the subject matter dear to his heart, but the sound personified himself. As a result, nothing else sounded like him nor accomplished what he did. I imagine this is what having a child succeed is like: you appreciate them when no one else knows of them, but when they start to succeed, you have nothing but pride. I will never forget when I saw Bon Iver and how in a room of almost three thousand people, no one was touched in the exact same way. When people ask who I listen to and I mention Bon Iver, they may roll their eyes and possibly make a remark under their breath about how everyone else does, but I don't listen to him the same way as anyone else. No one does. That is one of the reasons I'm more than happy to share him. That is why it would be a disservice for me to be selfish.
Older genres live long; newer genres (should) die hard:
Helplessness Blues is one of my top albums of 2011. The sound Fleet Foxes found and used hasn't really not been done before, but they added a twist and flair that made it undoubtedly their own. Folk music has always been that way. For decades, it has somehow stayed alive and stood for something new for each rebirth or iteration. There is an undeniable influence by the likes of Van Morrison on the album, and it works. In fact, it works incredibly well. Helplessness Blues is easily one of the most enjoyable and memorable albums of the year and shows why folk will not die. It may progress, in a sense, to a slightly non recognizable state, but it will still, at heart, be what it is. Then there is dubstep. I hate dubstep. I hate the crowd that praises dubstep and builds it up to be something it's not. I can't stand all these fanatics who feel like it's the future of music. Now, when James Blake's full length debut came out, I jumped on the bandwagon (something I'm not very proud of). I wrote a lengthy piece praising what he did with the current state of music and his innovative use of voice and effects. Though I thought his debut was easily one of the best albums of the year when it came out, I've now become bitter towards the legions of people who are now (ironically) saying what I did to a greater extent. When people claim he is one of the greatest and most innovative artists, I cringe despite having said that myself. Is he talented? Of course. Do I still love the album? Yes, but just not as much as I used to. His sound is irrefutably his own, but I have an admitted flaw: when people praise music, I become more critical of it. When people try to convince me something is better than it is, I hate it. This is what has happened with James Blake. Now that so many people like it, I've come to scrutinize every flaw about it. The flow of the album is at times non existent and there are times when it feels like an embellished or elongated EP. Why? Each song can stand alone, but together, they just don't do each other a service. I think about every album I adored this year and it's because it did something beyond a collective of songs. But with James Blake, he is exactly what he is and nothing more. He is a producer with an affinity for music and singing who would probably do better partnered with another musician. I respect him, don't get me wrong. He could certainly be one of the defining voices of our generation. But he disappointed me with his Bon Iver "collaboration" and the way that everyone praises him has created a certain disdain towards him. But his recent criticism of mainstream, North American dubstep has created a new found respect for him (it should be noted that he wasn't saying he was better, but what influenced him is better). But two EP's have been moderate at best and I don't know how to assess his legacy this year. I'll concede that what James Blake is doing is good and can bring about some new innovations in music, but dubstep itself should die. It has had its time and that time should pass. We have enough dubstep for now and I think that music should take larger strides towards... different innovations. I will always remember 2011 as the year dubstep grew to an unbearable state.
