Music from a year

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, there're many lists of best albums for the year 2011 currently being published. I'm not much for making lists of albums, I'm more into collecting songs I like and love and following the bands and artists that are close to my heart. However, I think I should mention some albums that have made my 2011 so much better and of which I am glad that I'm not without.

A part from the reissues of Suede's five studio albums and the fourth solo album from Brett Anderson, which is better than I had hoped for, there are some albums, and bands, that I am honoured to have been listening to, and seen live on two occasions. With no one better that the other, I really love these three albums:

Invasionen - 'Saker som jag sagt till natten'
Foster the People - 'Torches'
Austra - 'Feel It Break'

Other good music from this year, according to me (and I have surely forgotten some), in no particular order:

Lamb - '5'
Other Lives - 'Tamer Animals'
Dum Dum Girls - 'Only In Dreams'
Masquer - 'Cover My Face As The Animals Cry'
Zola Jesus - 'Conatus'
Anna Calvi - 'Anna Calvi'
PJ Harvey - 'Let England Shake'
Visions of Trees - 'Sometimes It Kills'/'No Flag'
Visions of Trees - 'Siren (Novocaine)'/'Sience of Hate'
Lana del Rey - 'Video Games'/'Blue Jeans'

Additionally, I'm sure there're lots of tracks and albums that I haven't discovered yet...

Have you discovered the deluxe edition of Austra's 'Feel It Break'? It includes some of the great "b-sides" from the singles, like 'Identity'.

Black Rainbows

I listen. What I hear is a beautiful voice surrounded by the slightly distorted rock music that I like. I hear a naked and romantic soundscape upon which the sad voice falls. I hear the singer, whose voice I love, break through a mix of nostalgia, contemporary and timeless music.

I listen all day long. I listen at night, as I wait for my eyelids to become heavy. I listen, and I want more.

I got my copy of Brett Anderson’s new and fourth solo album, ‘Black Rainbows’, by mail this Friday. It was eagerly awaited. The snippets of the songs that I had previously heard had made me very interested and I knew this album would be special.

signed cover art

After these few days it’s difficult to say that some songs have become favourites already. However I must admit that I feel something special for ‘Unsung’, ‘Crash About to Happen’, ‘This Must Be Where It Ends’, and ‘Possession’.

Now I wish that I get at chance to hear these songs live, but yet it doesn’t seem so.

Black Rainbows sampler

If you haven't come across it yet, here it is: a clip with samples from Brett Anderson's forthcoming album 'Black Rainbows'. It sounds really good!

Black Rainbows

New solo material out in August.
Keep August 15 and September 26 in mind.