In With The Out Crowd

Albums I loved in 2011 (which weren’t necessarily released in 2011)

• Mikal Cronin - Trouble In Mind. We saw Mikal open up for Ty Segall in Tucson in September (he’s Ty Segall’s bass player and Ty plays drums on this album). Some of the songs are a lot more pop than Ty’s stuff, but fuck is it ever good. I’ve been listening to this album at least once a day since that show. I was already singing along to the chorus of the 4th song, “Get Along” during the show. So catchy. There’s a video of us driving through Arizona going to the Antelope Canyon after leaving the Grand Canyon that’s set to one of the songs on the album - maybe I’ll post that later.
• Miesha and the Spanks - Gods of Love. My love for Miesha and the Spanks isn’t really a secret, so to me they can’t really do any wrong, but this album took me a little longer to get into than the others she released. However, once I got into it, I REALLY got into it. Some of my favourites are “Love, Baby”, “Make Love”, “Up In the Mountains” and “Secret Lovin’ Hands”. The song “Sweetheart” got some extra lovin’ while we were on the road. I have loved you, baby all my life. But I have known you such a short short time. When I get home, will I be alone? Are you waiting for me, well I don’t wanna know. Is your sweet sweetheart still for me? But it’s alright, oh ‘cause baby I’m coming home tonight.
• Doctor Ew - Gadzooks. See previous post. This album is practically perfect. The song “I’m Not Mad At You Anymore” is fucking amazing, the version of “If You’re Happy” on this manages to make me both really sad and really happy at the same time. There’s a song called “I’m Getting Fat” that’s this really happy, silly sounding song with a chorus that goes “Hey chubba bubba, hey chubba bubba”. It’s fantastic. Drew used to be in The Bicycles, so if you liked them, you will love this. 
• Harlem - Hippies. This was by far one of my most listened to albums this year. Everything on this is near perfection. “Cloud Pleaser” is one of the saddest/loveliest songs I’ve heard in a long time, and the rest of the album is filled with some really catchy garage pop tunes like “Be Your Baby”. I had my heart broken, it was broken in two. But if I had my heart broken I’m glad it was broken by you.
• Tennis - Cape Dory. We listened to this almost every single day when I was doing my internship with Broken Chord Promotions. It’s a fantastic summer album with so many feel-good tunes. It basically personifies sundresses and picnics and holding hands.
• Girl Talk - All Day. This was my quintessential “getting ready to go out/to face the world” album. It was playing almost every morning or every time I was getting ready to go out to a show. The entire Skee-Lo section in “Jump on Stage” is the highlight for me. 
• Cold Warps - Endless Bummer. Best local band. Best local album. Best everything. I once said I wanted to live my summer like a Cold Warps song, and although the complete opposite happened (this summer will forever be known as Relentless Summer or Shittiest Summer Ever), I still like to think that wanting to live your life like a Cold Warps album is a pretty great goal to attempt to attain.
• Foster the People - Torches. This was another one to put into the “Albums to Get Ready to/Morning Albums” category. “Call It What You Want” and “I Would Do Anything For You” are the definite highlights for me. I honestly just think it’s a really great, catchy album. 
• Gloryhound - Electric Dusk. We played with these guys in April and they’ve been doing really great over the last few months. They opened up for Thin Lizzy and are currently on tour with Deep Purple. It’s a really great rock and roll album. ‘Nuff said.
•  The Heavy - The House that Dirt Built. David Letterman made them play the same song twice because he liked it so much. That’s all you really need to know. Amazing Neo soul/Funk album. 
• Holy Ghost! - S/T. I knew a few songs from Holy Ghost!, but once I started hanging out with Aaron more, this became one of my staples. Such a great electro group that I would kill to see live. Their cover of Ministry’s “I Wanted to Tell Her” (though not on the album, but definitely worth mentioning) is ridiculous in the best sense of the word.
• Jenn Grant - Orchestra for the Moon. This was my quintessential rainy day/sad day/doing homework album. So many beautiful sad songs, it was perfect for sitting in the car watching the world go by when I was feeling down. 
• Mickey Avalon - S/T. Not gonna lie, the start of the year had a whole lot of Mickey Avalon going on. The passion was refueled in May or June or whenever the fuck Dirt Nasty came to Halifax and I just kept wishing it was Mr. Right instead. There’s this part in “Roll Up Your Sleeves” where he goes “What you lookin’ at punk you don’t know me from Adam and you have the nerve to step on my chucks? Fuck that. I wasn’t brought up to turn the other cheek, I’ll break your mother’s back just for touchin’ me” that just kills me every time.

And there were also some amazing songs that I’d like to single out that are not on any of the aforementioned albums. Most of them are featured on my “Morning Mix” playlist, in hopes of starting my day off right.

• Strange Talk - Climbing Walls. I listened to this almost every morning for about 2 months just so that my day would start off right. It still manages to put a smile on my face every time I hear it.
• Metronomy - Corinne. I think I just really love the chorus, more specifically the part that goes “with a boom and a bang” and I like the way that sounds. I mean, it’s a great song, but that part!
• Grum - I Can’t Shake This Feeling. It’s just SO.GOOD. Kyla had shown me the video for it a few years ago, I think, but I remembered it a few months ago and couldn’t stop listening to it.
• Nada Surf - The Blankest Year. Fuck, if anything was to perfectly describe my summer, it would probably be this.
• Das Racist - You Oughta Know. This song and the Nada Surf song were both put on the “Relentless Summer” mix Ala made for me.
• Poolside - Do You Believe? This was a late addition since I only really heard it for the first time a few weeks before the end of the year, but goddamn is this ever good. It has one of the guys from Junior Senior and it is just so so so good. 
• Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - New Year’s Kiss. This and the last few were on a CD Aaron made me and that I’ve more or less worn out.
• Chixdiggit - Shadowy Bangers 
• Paul McCartney - Temporary Secretary
• Yo La Tengo - Sugarcube
• Desert Sessions - I Wanna Make It Witchu

AND THAT’S WHAT I LISTENED TO IN 2011. 

And the Exploding Hearts. But I’m always listening to the Exploding Hearts.