FERGUSON OF A LIFETIME

FAVORITE ALBUMS of 2011: #20-16

No. 20
Tim Hecker: Ravedeath, 1972

After changing from Jetone to his own name for releases back in 2001, Tim Hecker has been at the forefront of the ambient music world, creating some of the most influential album’s inside a genre that has expanded to entirely new grounds. His latest album - Ravedeath, 1972 - is arguably the best of his career, not to mention it also has what is one of my favorite album covers of 2011. I first heard Hecker’s music several years ago when he released Radio Amor, an album that took some getting used to. I think that’s the case with anyone initially attempting to try out the ambient genre. At that time I was pretty new to the sound, so I had to insert some patience and let it all absorb with time. I am still not completely taken by most of the bands who call themselves ambient artists, but I have always liked Hecker’s approach. It didn’t take me any time to fall in love with the experience Ravedeath envelops you in from beginning to end. Like all of his solo records, this is another that is more about the complete spectrum of a full-length, all of the tracks suddenly blending together when you least expect it. If you strap on some headphones, turn the volume up and let Hecker operate, you should feel dazed in the best way that a great ambient artist can dazed a listener.

Key tracks to possibly show up on my 100 favorites: “Hatred of Music I”/”Hatred of Music II”

No. 19
Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring for My Halo

I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the music of Kurt Vile before 2011. I had heard bits of both Constant Hitmaker and Childish Prodigy, and I knew I could potentially really like him if he continued to progress as a songwriter. Smoke Ring for My Halo is that breakthrough album that Vile will always be remembered for. Riding a wave of incredible critical acclaim ever since its release in early March, Smoke Ring is an album with all the elements of a very well-rounded set. It begins (“Baby’s Arms”) and ends (“Ghost Town”) with stunning numbers, making for a perfect first impression and an even better lasting one. Meanwhile, in the meat of the album we have some of the best singer/songwriter singles of 2011. “Jesus Fever” and “Puppet to the Man” are two that were proof enough to me that Mr. Vile is now among those must-hear artists for releases in the future. He has had quite an impressive run over the course of the year aside from just this album’s success, too. He is featured on guitar on several tracks from the J Mascis solo record, Several Shades of Why, and he also recently released an EP of material recorded during Smoke Ring’s sessions, called So Outta Reach. Vile is reaching the point where regularity of solid output seems to just come naturally to him. When great songwriting starts to seem effortless, that’s when you know an artist is headed toward greatness.

Key track to possibly show up on my 100 favorites: “Puppet to the Man”

No. 18
J Mascis: Several Shades of Why

It wasn’t planned this way, but it happened. I’m talking about the back-to-back appearances on this list of recently close collaborators Kurt Vile and J Mascis. It makes perfect sense that Vile would lend his guitar work to Several Shades of Why, because the two are so similar that if you told me Vile was Mascis’s son I would instantly believe you. Everything about Vile echoes early-era Mascis from Dinosaur Jr, and if the youngster continues down the path he started on (not to mention under the guidance of mentors like Mascis and Thurston Moore, etc.) then he could end up being as great as the legendary leader of aforementioned Dinosaur Jr. Mascis is the primary person responsible for some of the classic rock records of the late 80’s and early 90’s, but I think he has hit a personal best stride within his resurgence of the last few years. He put together the original Dinosaur Jr lineup back together with 2007’s Beyond, and then again with the brilliant album from 2009, Farm. It was nice to hear him and Lou Barlow (Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion) back at the forefront again, and with these two recent albums they sound revived and have made what I believe to be the best stuff of their careers to date. Like a few other veteran musicians this year, Mascis has toned down with an album mostly dominated by the acoustic guitar, but it’s not without the raw power heard on Dinosaur Jr releases. Several Shades of Why showcases what might be the most under-appreciated portion of his talents - the lyrics. This is a masterfully written record that does much more than give us a small treat while we wait on something new from Jr. Instead, this is something to dig deep into and celebrate. 

Key tracks to possibly show up on my 100 favorites: “Listen to Me”, “Not Enough”

No. 17
Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation

If you’re like me and you feel the need to tray and listen to every single new artists you hear about every year, then I’m sure you’ve found that it is extremely difficult to keep up with all of them. Each week it seems like they come in a flurry, dozens of “debut artists to watch” in the land of indie music, and inevitably a good amount of them will become forgotten in the mix. It sometimes takes a significant amount of stellar reviews - or maybe a “best new music” tag on Pitchfork - to elevate an album on one’s must-hear list. The Year of Hibernation is the debut album from San Diego’s Youth Lagoon, a one-man project created by Trevor Powers that was greeted this last September by a glowing review from Pitchfork and has been riding that wave since. The popular music website is an extremely good resource for keeping in tune (or at least attempting to) with all of the new artists potentially worth hearing, and they hit it right on the nose when they recommended Youth Lagoon. This might not be an album to quickly impress you, at least that’s my experience with it after initially skimming through without much of an opinion to be had…but if you let it play out, let it be the only album you pay attention to for a day’s time, then it will constantly surprise you with its pleasant simplicity and quiet build-ups. Powers has established Youth Lagoon as a major name to watch progress, and The Year of Hibernation is easily one of the best debuts of the year.

Key track to possibly show up on my 100 favorites: “July”

No. 16
Thurston Moore: Demolished Thoughts

I’ve already posted two albums of toned-down material on this list from artists that aren’t generally known for that type of sound. Actually, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is such a shape-shifter that it didn’t come as any surprise when we heard how calm Wolfroy Goes to Town is, but the easygoing nature of J Mascis’s Several Shades of Why was a small surprise if not unexpected. However, when I first took a listen to Sonic Youth-leader Thurston Moore’s new solo album, Demolished Thoughts, I was taken aback by the strict, straightforward, and meditative nature of its construction. The second album on this list to be produced by grandmaster Beck Hansen, Demolished finds Moore telling stories in song the way only a few of the truly brilliant musicians of the last 25 years can. Good friends since the very early 90’s when Sonic Youth were starting to break out and Beck was just a Loser hanging out on friend’s couches, they collaborate here in the most complementing of ways, with Beck understanding that it is in no way a Beck album, and Moore writes nine incredibly gorgeous songs to make one of the most overlooked sets of 2011. This should be considered among the best stuff he has ever recorded, although I fear most fans will discount it because of how “soft” it sounds in comparison with SY’s catalog. That would be a sad misfortune if it were received that way. Hopefully over time this one can be seen for the near-masterpiece that it is.

Key tracks to possibly show up on my 100 favorites: “Benediction”, “Blood Never Lies”