Modern Mystery’s Year End List 2011 (Albums & Songs)

Yes, we’re a little late on this, but here is our Year End List(s) in all of their glory.

TOP ALBUMS of 2011

                                                     1. Real Estate – Days
Literally the most beautiful album we heard all year. Everything about Days is near perfect. Haunting guitars and echoing vocals provide a stunning LP that will hold the test of time. Real Estate put out the essential record of 2011 and will hold a place forever in indie music history. Congratulations to these guys for pouring their heart and soul into a record, and letting the listener hear every beat, every emotion, and every ounce of perfection.

2. Beirut – The Rip Tide
A close runner up, Beirut proves that they have staying power on their highly anticipated second album. They certainly lived up to the hype and brought the indie rock game to a whole new level.

3. The Drums – Portamento
Catchy, and a little deeper, The Drums plunge into the ocean, not to go surfing this time but to get a little heavier. The outcome? Amazing.

4. Sloan – The Double Cross
Always a MM favorite, the best foursome since The Beatles provide another album of blissful harmonies and catchy riffs. Sloan manages to do it again.

5. The Strokes – Angles
It may have taken 5 years for this little gem, but it was certainly worth the wait. We hope the next album is a little more cohesive, a little more “Strokesy,” but hell, it’s still one of the best records our ears came across this year, not to mention the most anticipated.

6. Neon Indian – Era Extraña
An incredible sophomore effort, that had us dancing around the apartment, the office, the car, etc. Alan Palomo knows what makes our hearts tick, and it’s his infectious brand of chillwave.

7.  Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
The second anticipated musical act out of retirement this year, Adams put out a tear jerking album of all acoustic material, this time without his infamous Cardinals. Gorgeous as always, that man cannot write a bad song.

8. Bright Eyes – The People’s Key
 What may be the last album under the name Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and company pull out all the stops on this intriguing and somewhat eerie album. Oberst is better than ever, just when you thought that was impossible.

9. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic
Stephen Malkmus albums always equals a win. Pretend to be surprised. The Beck produced record caught our ears this year. Nice one Malkmus, as always.

10. Sam Roberts Band – Collider
Another great album from SRB, the band is on a hot streak of great releases. Always a little under the radar, this cult favorite is winning over hearts and ears quickly. Jump on in.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Atlas Sound – Parallax
Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Destroyer – Kaputt
Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
Cults – Cults
Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
Panda Bear – Tom Boy
James Blake – James Blake

Top Songs of 2011

1 The Strokes – “Undercover of Darkness”
2 Neon Indian – “Hexx Girlfriend”
3 Real Estate – “Green Aisles”
4 Bright Eyes – “Shell Games”
5 Chairlift – “Amanaemonesia”
6 Sloan – “The Answer Was You”
7 The Drums – “Money”
8 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – “Senator”
9 Beirut – “Santa Fe”
10 Washed Out – Amor Fati
11 Joy Formidable – Whirring
12 Girls – “Honey Bunny”
13 Unknown Mortal Orchestra -“Ffunny Ffriends”
14 Real Estate – “It’s Real”
15 Cass McCombs – “Country Line”

Oberhofer Premiere “Gotta Go” On Pitchfork, Sign To Glassnote Records

Brad Oberhofer is on a roll. Recently signed with Glassnote Records, Oberhofer will be releasing their debut album in the early months of next year. While we wait for that, he just premiered on Pitchfork the single “Gotta Go,” which will be released through White Iris and will come out physically on October 4th. You can get “Gotta Go” HERE.

On top of that, the band will be joining Les Savy Fav on stage on September 6th at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg in New York after a year touring with bands like Twin Sister, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian and Bear In Heaven. Needless to say, the Tacoma native has the indie music scene at his feet.

Neon Indian’s New Album Gets A Release Date

After earning practically universal critical adoration for his first album, Psychic Chasms, Neon Indian mastermind Alan Palomo is finally ready his second offering.

Neon Indian’s sophomore album, Era Extrana, will be released September 13^th. Here’s a video for the song “Heart: Decay” off of the upcoming LP.

NEON INDIAN – HEART : DECAY from gorillavsbear.net on Vimeo.

While understandably pressed for time due to performing at massive festivals like South by Southwest and Bonnaroo and touring with the Flaming Lips, Phoenix, and Massive Attack, fans can’t help but be antsy for new material.

To create the newa lbum, Palomo holed up in an efficiency apartment in Finland and cobbled it together from journal entries he made during the time. The album has Neon Indian treading darker waters and exploring a little more somber territory.

Following the album release is a full tour, which has Neon Indian traversing the nation. You can see the new material live here:

 

9/15 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church

9/16 Washington DC – Rock n Roll Hotel

9/17 Carrboro, NC – Moog Festival

9/19 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade

9/20 Birmingham, AL – Bottletree *

9/21 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks *

9/22 Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds *

9/23 Austin, TX – The Mohawk

9/24 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater

9/26 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress

9/27 San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern *

9/30 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour *

10/1 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop * ^

10/3 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge *

10/4 Vancouver, BC – Venue *

10/5 Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe *

10/7 Boise, ID – Reef * ^

10/8 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge * ^

10/10 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *

10/12 Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar * ^

10/13 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry * ^

10/14 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall * ^

10/15 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop * ^

10/16 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick * ^

10/18 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace * ^

10/19 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa

10/20 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall ^

10/21 New York, NY – Webster Hall ^

 

* w/ Com Truise

^ w/ Purity Ring

Oberhofer Announces US Tour With Neon Indian & Sleigh Bells Including Dates With Cults, Eternal Summers & The Beets

This is what you need to know about the band Oberhofer: they sound fantastic. The 7″ they just released (“Away Frm U” / Dead Girls Dance”) is phenomenal. The guitars wail as though they are looking for release from this world, the drums are amazing, the entire sound is like nirvana for the ears. The lyrics do leave something small to be desired. Maybe it stems from Brad Oberhofer’s age (he is 19 after all), but the text-language spelled track names rub me the wrong way. The only redeeming quality to these lyrics is the way Oberhofer sings them. There is such an air of sincerity in his voice that you almost forget about the words themselves. Almost. Then again, I was that kid who sat and poured over lyrics so perhaps I am a bit jaded. Either way, this band sounds incredible live. There is so much energy and passion in these shows that you can’t help but fall in love with them. So, here lies the Oberhofer recipe to success. Record some badass songs in your parents basement in Tacoma, WA. When that house burns down, shake the loss off and move to New York, find a new band with an incredible sound and start shaping your art. See this band live. Do it now. Below are the tour dates for this summer.

5/14 – Coco 66 – Brooklyn, NY !!
5/16 – Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA ^
5/17 – Radio Radio – Indianapolis, IN ^
5/18 – Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI ^
5/19 – The Aquarium – Fargo, ND
5/20 – Pyramid Cabaret – Winnipeg, MB ^
5/22 – Republik – Calgary, AB ^ #
5/23 – Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB ^ #
5/25 – The Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC ^ #
5/26 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR ^ #
5/30 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA ^ #
5/31 – Satellite Club – Los Angeles, CA %
6/1 – Casbah – San Diego, CA & @
6/8 – The Basement – Columbus, OH
6/10 – Midpoint Music Festival – Cincinnati, OH
6/11 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH ^
6/12 – The Ottobar – Baltimore, MD ^

* w/ Cults
^ w/ Neon Indian
# w/ Sleigh Bells
% w/ Hands
& w/ The Beets
@ w/ Eternal Summers

!! w/ Widowspeak & Vacations

Class Actress Announces SXSW Show

 

Brooklyn’s own Class Actress have announced a spring headlining tour that takes them right through SXSW.  The band’s first EP, Journal of Ardency is available now on Terrible Records.

A special extended version of the EP will be available at all shows. The CD features a cover of Neon Indian’s “Terminally Chill”. You can see Class Actress (with MillionYoung) right here:

Mar 9 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl

Mar 10 Savannah, GA @ Savannah Stopover

Mar 11 Miami, FL @ The Vagabond

Mar 12 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum

Mar 13 Orlando, FL @ Backbooth

Mar 16-19 Austin, TX @ SXSW

Mar 20 Dallas, TX @ Bro Fest 2011 @ Club Dada

Mar 21 Little Rock, AR @ Arkansas Community Arts Co-Op

Mar 22 Kansas City, MO @ Crosstown Station

Mar 23 Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s

Mar 24 St. Louis, MO @ Old Rockhouse

Mar 25 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

Wool Recordings Announces Limited Edition Franklin 7″

With a new album on the horizon, Wool Recordings has announced plans to release a limited edition 7″ single from New Jersey DJ artist, Franklin. The vinyl single will be released in February, with two new tracks and a remix from Com Truise (otherwise known as Seth Haley). Franklin, the latest side project of Franck Rabeyrolles, relishes 80s old-school synth and bass lines that transcend the standard “chill wave” moniker, creating a sound world that is much more personal, and a lot more tasty. Franklin’s recent remixes for the likes of Neon Indian and Twin Shadow have already brought him wide acclaim from Lowdown Magazine, Dublab, and The Organ– making the anticipation surrounding his new album all the more unbearable.