Mary Growney's 2011

Derek M Johnson (Olympia) (4 stars ▲▲▲▲)

Derek M Johnson released his first solo record this year featuring four tracks that go across genres, all equally enjoyable live and on record. I first saw DMJ play in April 2009 at the Spokane International Noise Conference (INC) and was taken aback by this person who is an amazing cellist, but also experiments widely with noise using effects pedals and vocoders among other things. 

The record starts out with the track FKXMS. If anyone knows DMJ, they know he hates X-mas with a passion because by day he’s a rural mail carrier and faces the train wreck that the holiday is first hand. This track is by far my favorite, followed by the final track, You’re Welcome to Play, which he played accompanied by Serena Tideman at Hollow Earth Radio. I really hope to see many more releases coming from Derek M Johnson in the next year and on!

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer & Irr. App. – Skeletal Copula Remains LP (Seattle) (4 stars ▲▲▲▲)

I try to pick up every Blue Sabbath Black Cheer release. Skeletal Copula Remains was released March 2011 as Part 2 in the 4-5 part collaboration between BSBC and Portland’s MS Waldron’s Irr. App. The now trio, Stan Reed, William Rage, and Crystal Perez, are one of the harshest noise bands out in Seattle to this day. I was so excited about this release, that I started my first show on Hollow Earth with the first track, Subterranean (Insurgence), in October. This is definitely one of my favorite listens of the year. 

The first side starts out with a sludgy death metal track. The second side has a lot of dimension, first starting with a drone track, then getting into an experimental sonic war zone, and then raising a tension in you that if a pin dropped in the room, you might explode. The artwork for the release by Stan Reed is also excellent with skeletal and human remains spilling intestines, fitting the name of the album perfectly.

Extraordinary Pigeons/Regosphere Split (Seattle) (4 stars ▲▲▲▲)

This year Extraordinary Pigeons and Regosphere released a split on cassette. The album starts off with a long drone track called Spirits of the Ice Forest which is haunting and beautiful. It places you right in ice forest and then segues into acoustic guitar. This is followed by a noisier track Nervous Reaction which gets real interesting about half way through until you finally feel the nervous breakdown. I’ve seen Extraordinary Pigeons and their member Jason Young’s project, Red Squirrels, many times and have always enjoyed their work. This is my first encounter with Regosphere and I definitely want to check out more of his stuff.

Dave Humeston's 2011

Favorite Popular Albums of 2011 (in no particular order:

• Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
• Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
• David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time
• Tom Waits - Bad as Me
• Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion LP / Radiant Door EP
• Battles - Gloss Drop
• Snowman - Absence
• Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
• Brian Eno with Rick Holland - Drums Between the Bells
• M83 - Hurry We're Dreaming

Favorite Local Recordings of 2011 (in no particular order):

• Sip's Odyssey - Complete Recordings
• Wine Dark Sea - we know you're a lonely parachute EP / scars n scrapes
  aplenty EP
• SEALIFE!! SHREDLIFE!! - The North Land
• The Spits - V
• Strong Killings - Strong Killings
• Councours d'Elegance / Pickwick - Covers / Split
• Stickers - Brother Keith EP
• The Hello Pony - The Hello Pony
• Helvetia - On The Lam
• Alchimia - Discography

Favorite HER activities (in no particular order):

• MAGMA FEST 2011
• Alchimia Live In-Studio on We Jam Econo
• UW Winds Live In-Studio on We Jam Econo
• Oh Fallen Buffalo  Live In-Studio on We Jam Econo
• SEALIFE!! SHREDLIFE!!  Live In-Studio on We Jam Econo
• case+ctrl  Live In-Studio on We Jam Econo
• Bone Cave Ballet  Live In-Studio on We Jam Econ
• Broadcasting Sip's Odyssey at the FunHouse
• Broadcasting U.S.F. from the Neptune
• Recording Ten Suns at The Comet

Top 3 albums of 2011 by Clyde Petersen

1. Kimya Dawson: Thunder Thighs

"walk like thunder."
This album is by far the most epic album recorded in 2011 and possibly 2010. A long endeavor, tracked in many cities in America, Kimya Dawson somehow made a Double LP Roller Coaster Ride of a record. It features Aesop Rock, the Mountain Goats, Nikolai Frature from the Strokes, and a shitload of choirs. The Track "Walk Like Thunder" makes everyone cry at all the shows. I've never seen a song affect to many people in such a sweeping way.

2. Mountain Goats: All Eternals Deck

"It's so good to learn that from right here, the view goes on forever, and you'll never want for comfort and you'll never be alone."
If I put this record on and I'm feeling even just a little emotional, I start to cry. This record is so beautiful and I think the song "Never Quite Free" is the best song written this year.

3. Angelo Spencer et les hauts sommets: World Garage

"Immune system crashing down, the articles in the paper are shrinking."
This album defines a new genre in music. Singing in French, English and Farsi, A. Spencer and his crew create an intricate world of poly-rhythms, melodic bordering on insane guitar riffs, and echo on (((everything))). Auto-tuned vocals takes it over the limit. Pull this guy over and give him a ticket speeding on the fret board.

Darren Hungerford's 2011

1. Count The Days With Me - Slow Skate
2. Oh Man, Cover The Ground – Shana Cleveland and The Sandcastles
3. Music For Resonant Metals - Dean Moore
4. The Best Of Gloucester County - Danielson
5. Tripper – Fruit Bats
6. Too Young To Be In Love - Hunx and His Punx
7. We Sink – Soley
8. Red Velvet Snowball - Pepper Rabbit
9. Madness In Miniature – Mr. Gnome
10. Creatures Of An Hour - Still Corners

Bootleg picks: Live at Magma Fest 2011 - Shana Cleveland and the Sandcastles

Caitlin Kidder's 2011

• Dude York "Gangs of Dude York" - Noise pop/punk of the most brash and best variety.
• M. Women "Faithful" - You thought the "grunge revival" is soooo done, but M. Women are proving the haters wrong.
• Pony Time "Pony Time" - Disco inspired garage rock played on a sweet longhorn bass. Luke and Stacy are gonna go places with a debut as good as this.
• Secret Colors "Water Mirror" - The perfect ambient soundtrack for your next psychedelic trip or long bus ride.
• Shabazz Palaces "Black Up" - Aliens came to earth and inspired (or coerced) Tendai and Ish to make the most innovative hip hop album of the last several years.
• Soft Metals "Soft Metals" - 80s electroglam techno/house/disco bedroom recordings from a Portland couple who have since moved to LA.
• USF "The Spray" - Inspired by a Jonathan Lethem story of the same title, USF have broken past the "chillwave" label to make sincere, thoughtful electronic instrumentals that wash over you in waves.
• White Rainbow "From Now On Let's" - Groove-funk instrumentals from the talented and prolific Adam Forkner (of Purple & Green, Rob Walmart, etcetera) that will not get out of your head.
• Witch Gardens "Alice, Agatha, Branch & Christ" - Sing song lo-fi from Seattle's cutest band, in my humble opinion.
• Zephyrs "Bye Sun" - My favorite album of 2011 was made by two high schoolers from Redmond. Pierce and Cameron are my hope for the future of music. Their blend of abrasive riffage and melodic lo-fi, pseudo-ambient outros and pop-punk sensibilities comes together in the best way possible.

Rachel LeBlanc's 2011

"That record your mom put out was pretty good."