The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (45-55)

For the week I will count down my favorite albums of 2011.  Like a holiday advent calendar I will only give you a little taste of the good stuff one day at a time.  There's no denying that this year dubstep broke through to the mainstream like a ADD little boy hopped up on food coloring.  For those of us listening to Burial years ago, this was an overwhelming "duh" moment.  But for the rest of the world, it was like a 100-yard dash to the marketing finish line.  Within a matter of weeks of Skrillex's creative video (and it was a great video) every marketing campaign chucked their pop songs hoping they could be the first to latch onto this hip young trend.  There was a dubstep version of the White Stripes in the new Battleship trailer.  Verzion has a little kid tweaking out to dubstep on his cellphone with his grandma.  What's next?...will Tim Tebow pray to a dubstep beat?  I wouldn't doubt it.

Now...I WANT YOUR HELP.  Send me your lists of your favorite albums of 2011.  Top twenty.  I will compile all your votes into one master list.  So send it via email...or just post it in the comment box.  Will post on Dec. 31st the final result.

Here are the 44-55 Best Albums of 2011:

45.       Cage The Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday

46.       R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

47.       Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

48.       Skrillex - More Monsters and Sprites EP

49.       Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams

50.       Drake - Take Care

51.       Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now

52.       David Lowery - The Palace Guards

53.       Rival Sons - Pressure & Time 

54.     Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist (End To the Lies)

55.     Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

Buy these albums and more...now!!!  (all albums under $5 for a limited time)

Free Music Fridays (The Saturday Edition): The 11 Best Free Albums of the Year

It's that time of the year...the best of the year lists.  As every year...I ask for your help.  Starting next week, I'll reveal my favorites of the year.  But I want your help to make a master 111 Best Album of the year list.

Send me your favorite albums of the year.  Give me your top 20...if you can't think of the 20...then just 10, 5, or 1 is fine...whatever you liked.  I'll compile the list and make a master list just after Christmas.  It's very easy to do...either email me...or just put your list in the comment section below.

Until next week...here's a primer list...

The 11 Best Free Albums of 2011:

1.  The Weeknd - House of Balloons
2.  Wugazi - 13 Chambers
3.  Frank Ocean - Nostalgia
4.  Danny Brown - XXX 
5.  Stroked - A Tribute To The Strokes
6.  Tokyo Police Club - The Polaroid Album
7.  The Weeknd - Thursday
8.  Ondadrops Vol. 4 - One Way Ticket To Nowhere
9.  Gayngs - Remix EP
10.  True Blue - A Tribute to Madonna
11.  Newermind - A Tribute to Nirvana

The 111 Best Songs By the Cure

Since I did this about a year and a half ago...I figured I would just re-post instead of re-thinking something new.  I have been listening to the Cure's Bestival album.  It's their new live album with an insanely good track list   Musically it sounds solid and Smith's voice sound stellar...although I'm sure it's just pro-tools track at this point (I'm trying not to think about it too much).  But the most alarming thing about the album isn't the possible lip syncing...but the butchering of one of their most famous tracks.  Killing An Arab has been changed.  It's now called Killing Another.  And it's not just the title...Smith actually sings alternate lyrics!  This is PC gone too far.  First of all, this isn't a racial slur...it's a a reference to a philosophical novel by Albert Camus.  It's recalling the events that occurred in the book.  You can't change the lyrics because the events in the book are still the same.  If he sings about something else...then the song is referring to some other metaphysical book altogether.  Killing another?  What the hell does that mean?  That has no impact.  I know in the political climate that the song could have other implications...but it doesn't.  It has nothing to do with racism toward Arabs.  It's a literal analogy.  Literature is supposed to be challenging.  It's supposed to question pre-disposed views.  You can't question anything if your remove the question mark.  I'm disappointed in the Cure for this one.  I know you're trying to be politically correct...but you're better off not singing the song than altering it into some vanilla version.  Hey...31 out of 32 songs ain't bad.

Here are the 111 Best Cure Songs:

1. Lovesong (Disintegration)
2. Disintegration (Disintegration)
3. Just Like Heaven (Kiss Me)
4. A Night Like This (Head on the Door)
5. A Forest (Seventeen Seconds)
6. Pictures of You (Disintegration)
7. Primary (Faith)
8. Like Cockatoos (Kiss Me)
9. Homesick (Disintegration)
10. 10:15 Saturday Night (Three Imaginery Boys)
11. Kyoto Song (Head on the Door)
12. How Beautiful You Are (Kiss Me)
13. The Figurehead (Pornography)
14. In Your House (Seventeen Seconds)
15. Cut (Wish)
16. Last Dance (Disintegration)
17. Push (Head on the Door)
18. Same Deep Water As You (Disintegration) 
19. Jumping Someone Else's Train (Boys Don't Cry)
20. Prayers For Rain (Disintegration)
21. Trust (Wish)
22. Harold and Joe (Never Enough B-Side)
23. Charlotte Sometimes (Single)
24. From The Edge Of A Deep Green Sea (Wish)
25. Close To Me (Head on the Door)
26. A Strange Day (Pornography)
27. A Short Term Effect (Pornography)
28. Play For Today (Seventeen Seconds)
29. Plainsong (Disintegration)
30. Watching Me Fall (Bloodflowers)
31. A Chain of Flowers (Kiss Me B-Side)
32. Closedown (Disintegration)
33. The Walk (Japanese Whispers)
34. Let's Go To Bed (Japanese Whispers)
35. All I Want (Kiss Me)
36. Apart (Wish)
37. Siamese Twins (Pornography)
38. Fascination Street (Disintegration)
39. Babble (Disintegration B-Side)
40. All Cats Are Grey (Faith)
41. If Only Tonight We Could Sleep (Kiss Me)
42. Object (Three Imaginery Boys)
43. Plastic Passion (Boys Don't Cry)
44. Bloodflowers (Bloodflowers)
45. Scared As You (Wish B-side)
46. One Hundred Years (Pornography)
47. Doing the Unstuck (Wish)
48. Numb (Wild Mood Swings)
49. Killing An Arab (Boys Don't Cry) 
50. 39 (Bloodflowers)
51. Anniversary (The Cure)
52. Lullaby (Disintegration)
53. In Between Dreams (Head on the Door)
54. The Hanging Garden (Pornography)
55. A Japanese Dream (Kiss Me B-Side)
56. I'm Cold (Three Imaginery Boys B-Side)
57. Faded Smiles (Three Imaginery Boys Reissue)
58. Open (Wish)
59. Want (Wild Mood Swings)
60. Underneath The Stars (4:13 Dream)
61. Cold (Pornography)
62. The Baby Screams (Head on the Door)
63. Fear of Ghosts (Disintegration B-Side)
64. A Foolish Arrangement (Wish B-Side)
65. All Kinds of Stuff (Digital Single)
66. Doubt (Faith)
67. Fire in Cairo (Three Imaginery Boys)
68. Untitled (Disintegration)
69. It's Not You (Three Imaginery Boys)
70. The Empty World (The Top)
71. End (Wish)
72. Treasure (Wild Mood Swings)
73. Torture (Kiss Me)
74. Three Imaginary Boys (Three Imaginery Boys)
75. It Used To Be Me (Wild Mood Swings B-Side)
76. Play (Wish B-Side)
77. Snow In the Summer (Kiss Me B-Side)
78. Icing Sugar (Kiss Me)
79. Temptation Two (Pornography reissue)
80. Birdmad Girl (The Top)
81. Twilight Garden (Wish B-Side)
82. This Morning (The Cure B-Side)
83. Just One Kiss (Let's Go To Be B-Side)
84. Shiver And Shake (Kiss Me)
85. One More Time (Kiss Me)
86. Out of Mind (Disintegration B-Side)
87. The Exploding Boy (Head on the Door B-Side)
88. Shake Dog Shake (The Top)
89. Play With Me (Three Imaginery Boys Reissue)
90. Burn (The Crow)
91. The Promise (The Cure)
92. The Upstairs Room (The Walk B-Side)
93. Man Inside My Mouth (Head on the Door B-Side)
94. 2 Late (Disintegration B-Side)
95. The Big Hand (Wish B-Side)
96. Fight (Kiss Me)
97. Ocean (Wild Mood Swings B-Side)
98. Maybe Someday  (Bloodflowers)
99. Switch (4:13 Dream)
100. Taking Off (The Cure)
101. The Catepillar (The Top)
102. It's Over (4:13 Dream)
103. Last Day of Summer (Bloodflowers)
104. Why Can't I Be You? (Kiss Me)
105. M (Seventeen Seconds)
106. Your God Is Fear (The Cure - B-side)
107. Labyrinth (The Cure)
108. Six Different Ways (Head on the Door)
109. Freakshow (4:13 Dream)
110. Us or Them (The Cure)
111. Carnage Visors (The Soundtrack)

Buy the Cure's new live album, Bestival now!!

The 11 Best Song By The Roots of the 90s

Recently, the Roots got in trouble for playing Fishbone's "Lying Ass Bitch" as the entrance song for Michelle Bachman when she appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show.  Was is it a dick move?  Sure.  Did she deserve it?  Probably not.  Was it kinda funny?  Fortunately so.

Politicians have no sense of humor.  Musicians have no sense of politics.  Musicians are successful at what they do because they say what they feel without fear of repercussions or that they're polling numbers will dip.  They say whatever is on their minds no matter who it will offend or hurt.  They have outspoken opinions and utilize their vocal prowess to announce them to the world.  This is one of the reasons we fall in love with the music.  There's something honest about musicians and songs that connects to us on a personal level.  Politicians have no sense of truth.  They run a campaign to get elected...they don't run on their identity.  They tell you what they think we want to hear.  Instead, they don't realize that we'd rather just hear who they are and not the fabricated person they present.  This is why 20 years down the road, the Roots can make a political statement as much and still remain relevant while Bachman will wilt into obscurity.


Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Roots of the 90s:

1.  What You Want (The Roots Come Alive)
2.  I Remain Calm (Do You Want More)
3.  The Next Movement (Things Fall Apart)
4.  You Got Me (Things Fall Apart)
5.  Mellow My Man (Do You Want More)
6.  Adrenaline (Things Fall Apart)
7.  The Session (Organix)
8.  What They Do (Illadelph Halflife)
9.  Respond/React (Illadelph Halflife)
10.  Do You Want More?!!!??! (Do You Want More)
11.  Dynamite! (Things Fall Apart)

Buy the Roots new album, undun...now!!! (only $3.99 for a limited time)

The Unknown: The Black Keys - Surrender & Grab

I have to discuss my epic trip to the mini-Record Store Day last weekend because I wanted to wait to talk about it for a band that had a stronger association with the day and the people.  Nothing against the Smashing Pumpkins...but the Black Keys are one of the few current bands who are still bonding with the record buying audience.

Black Friday was awesome.  I honestly think there were more people at the store than there were for Record Store Day in April.  I was 90 minutes early and was about 15th in line.  I had my sights on 6 records:  the Ryan Adams 7-inch, the Wilco EP, Tom Petty - Kiss My Amps, Pinback 7-inch,  Iron & Wine - Morning Becomes Eclectic, The Byrds - 7-inch.  When I got there, I discovered that the Ryan Adams didn't get delivered...so I needed a replacement because.  Just because.  So I settled on the Janis Joplin 7-inch box set.  Also because I was caught up in the moment of the day...and was just happy to be buying music again.  Now, twice a year, Record Store Day brings the necessary importance to buying music.  It's brought back the fun.  Part of buying music came with the experience of going to a music store and searching the bins, while talking to other music fans.  It was a community feel that can't be replicated online.  The strongest online music communities online are ones who trade music for free.

I wish the music industry would concentrate more on the reasons why people want to buy music.  People who are coming out in droves to buy music are your target audience.  Why?...because they're actually giving you money!  Teenagers are the ones figuring out how to get around paying for the music.  They're also the ones who don't care as much about the sound or the quality of the artist.  They only like what is popular.  Though it's not their fault for being young and stupid and influenced by their peers, but why plant the musical seeds of mediocrity.  The fans buying records are people who grew up on some of the best music ever made.  That's why they keep coming back!  They like the best stuff.  When you serve vanilla music...people will never be satisfied and will always be looking for what's next instead of embracing the product.

The Black Keys get it.  Thankfully there are still great bands out there who give a shit.

Here is the Black Keys - Surrender & Grab:

1.  Chop and Change
2.  Ohio
3.  The Wicked Messenger
4.  Evil 
5.  Dearest
6.  Something On Your Mind
7.  Flash of Silver
8.  Here I Am
9.  Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles
10.  Summertime Blues
11.  Can't Find My Mind

Buy the new Black Keys album, El Camino...now!!!  It's great...btw...

The Unknown: Smashing Pumpkins - Adore Sessions

Adore came out when I was in college.  No other album in my collegiate career or for that foreseeable future caused more arguments than this album.  With Mellon Collie, the Pumpkins were the unstoppable force who had taken over rock music.  After they kicked out the best working drummer of the day, they turned their sound on its head and did the unthinkable...they rejected rock music and put out an electronic album.  Whether you were a Pumpkin fanatic or a Corgan hater (and there are plenty) no one knew why they chose to do this.  This was a big mystery.  And no matter how many discussions we had about the band, the question of why this choice was made was always left unresolved.  Some people thought Billy did it because he didn't want to become the next Cobain and blow his brains out...therefore he wanted to fail.  Others thought he did because he thought he was the next Cobain and could do anything he wanted and still succeed.  Corgan had also just lost his mother and one theory suggested he wanted to re-invent who he was.  Another theory had to do with ex-drummer Jimmy Chamberlain.  That theory suggested that Billy Corgan was so arrogant that he purposely made an electronic album just to show Jimmy how little they needed him.  Because of this, a rumor floated around that there was a version of Adore that existed with drums instead of a drum machine.  Though that album never actually surfaced (I guess we'll have to wait for the reissue for that), there is a demo session that exists that does have some of the Adore songs featuring drums...along with a couple cuts that didn't make the album.  It's not exactly the Holy Grail we were looking for in college but it's still a very solid listen.

Here are is the Smashing Pumpkins - Adore Sessions:

1. For Martha (instrumental)
2. Chewing Gum
3. The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete
4. Annie-Dog
5. Once in Awhile
6. Do You Close Your Eyes
7. My Mistake
8. Blissed and Gone
9. The End Is The Beginning Is the End
10. The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning

Buy the Smashing Pumpkins reissues for Gish and Siamese Dream...now!!!

The 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins B-Sides

Here's a little Smashing Pumpkins story for you.  It's not enough that we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of these two albums when their releases really only seem like they happened yesterday.  But I was trying to explain to a co-worker who the Smashing Pumpkins were.  I named songs...which didn't help.  I even tried to hum a few of the bars but I'm a terrible singer and probably did more harm than good.  I tried to explain how popular they were in the 90s...from the epic double album to their electronic experimentation to the being first band to really use the internet to give an album away for free.  I finished giving the person one last point...they even headlined Lollapolooza.  The co-worker looked at me with a blank stare and said..."What's Lollapolooza?"  When do I sign up for social security?

Here are the 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins:

1.  Drown (Singles Soundtrack)

2.  Aeroplane Flies High (Thirty-Three)

3.  Said Sadly (Bullet With Butterfly Wings)

4.  Slunk (Peel Sessions)

5.  You're All I've Got Tonight (Aeroplane Flies High)

6.  Apathy's Last Kiss (Today)

7.  Marquis In Spades (Zero)

8.  A Night Like This (Aeroplane Flies High)

9.  Once In Awhile (Ava Adore)

10.  Dreaming (Aeroplane Flies High)

11.  The End Is The Beginning Is The End (Batman & Robin)

Buy the new Smashing Pumpkins reissues Gish & Siamese Dream...now!

The 11 Best Songs By Smashing Pumpkins (Post-Break-Up)

The post break-up years of the Pumpkins might as well be considered the dark years.  Billy has had to endure years of criticism for everything he put out.  Zeitgeist was criticized for sounding too much like the original Pumpkins (true story).  Teargarden was criticized for being given away for free.  I remember reading one review where the writer said that "A Song For A Son" was an excellent song but he hated it because it was made by Billy Corgan.  Billy just couldn't win.  But when you listen to the material with a unbias view...it's surprising how consitant the sound is to the 90s Pumpkins.  They may be the only band of their peers who has maintained such a solid hold on their rock roots.  Listening to the new reissues back-to-back with stuff like Zeitgeist and Teargarden...there's a definite kinship to the material...it's not like Pearl Jam or Stone Temple Pilots who have abandoned the sound that made them who they are.  Along those lines, the best thing about the reissues...the reason why we're here....is that they haven't done the same thing as the other recent reissues.  Billy has fought the loudness war.  He didn't make all the music levels blasted up.  The highs are still high and the lows are still low.  As criticized as he is for being musical pariah...he sure knows what the hell he is doing.

Here are the 11 Best Songs by Smashing Pumpkins (Post Break-Up):

1.  A Song For A Son (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: Songs For A Sailor)

2.  Tarantula (Zeitgeist)

3.  Doomsday Clock (Zeitgeist)

4.  Freak (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: The Solstice Bare)

5.  The Fellowship (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: The Solstice Bare)

6.  FOL (FOL Single)

7.  That's The Way (Zeitgeist)

8.  Lightning Strikes (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: Vol. 3)

9.  7 Shades of Black (Zeitgeist)

10.  G.L.O.W. (Guitar Hero Single)

11.  Pox (American Gothic)

Buy the Smashing Pumpkins new reissues Gish & Siamese Dream...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Smashing Pumpkins (Pre-Break-up)

Back in the 90s, Smashing Pumpkins were it.  Nirvana had faded since Nevermind and wouldn't perk up again until Kurt died.  Pearl Jam was big until No Code...then slipped away quickly.  But the Pumpkins kept going strong.  Through Mellon Collie in the late 90s, they were the biggest rock band out there.  Even when nu-metal rap-rock took over...the Pumpkins stayed relevant.  In hindsight, the Pumpkins have been kicked down in importance behind Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and even Stone Temple Pilots...but during the 90s they were hands down the heavyweight champs.  Over the past couple of years, all the 90s bands have been re-releasing their epic albums with new mastering and bonus tracks.  Nevermind was mediocre with a bunch of song all freely available on the internet and in better quality...and apparently the remastering is blown out.  The new version of Ten was so cheesy, I didn't even bother to listen to the remastering of Vs. and Vitalogy.  But...the bonuses were decent...albeit only a handful of songs were released.  Both re-issues were a bit of a let down.  But the Pumpkins re-issues for some reason seem the most exciting.  Both come with a full DVD concert (winning!) and a full CD of bonus tracks...some have been leaked on the internet...but a lot still are still surprisingly unheard of.  It's like the Pumpkins took a lot of care in making a package that people would want...and not just one that they could sell.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Smashing Pumpkins (Pre-Break-Up):

1. Siva (Gish)
2. Disarm (Siamese Dream)
3. Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
4. I Am One (Gish)
5. Soma (Siamese Dream)
6. Galapagos (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
7. Starla (Pisces Iscariot)
8. Stand Inside Your Love (MACHINA)
9. Rhinoceros (Gish)
10. Tonight, Tonight (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
11. Thru The Eyes of Ruby (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)

Buy the new Smashing Pumpkins Deluxe Re-Masters now!!  Gish & Siamese Dream

The 11 Best Chris Cornell Solo Songs

It's the last few minutes of Thanksgiving.  I hope you're all full of turkey and are ready to hit the mall.

Stay tuned for my Black Friday experience.

Here are the 11 Best Solo Songs By Chris Cornell:

1.  You Know My Name (Carry On)
2.  Sunshower (Great Expectations)
3.  Can't Change Me (Euphoria Morning)
4.  Seasons (Singles)
5.  Billie Jean (Carry On)
6.  Killing Birds (Carry On)
7.  Flutter Girl (Euphoria Morning)
8.  Never Far Away - Rock Version (Scream)
9.  Moonchild (Euphoria Morning)
10.  No Such Thing (Carry On)
11.  Enemy (Scream)

Buy Chris Cornell's Songbook...now!!