Top Ten Albums 2011 (Simon)

When I finally found the time to start writing again, I realized how close we were to the end of the year. The end of the year at MM (and at pretty much all other music blogs) means choosing our Top Ten lists, and while 2011 had some great records to offer, the theme for this post is going to be, "Challenging". If nothing else, many of the records on this list (I'll note the exceptions) were at first markedly imposing -they were tough to get through the first spin. They're innovative, creative, and in a lot of ways unique, but none of them have the same easy groove of some of last year's picks (see Ray LaMontagne, Tallest Man on Earth, and others). So, without further ado, my top ten albums of 2011.

VIDEO: I Bought That New tUnE-yArDs Album Because of This

My 2011 Record Store Day purchases

I attempted to get to my local record store before doors opened this past Saturday (aka "Record Store Day"), but ended up getting there a few minutes after the floodgates had opened. I walked in to find a line snaking through all three aisles of the store. I proceeded to spend the next two hours or so waiting in line to get into the vinyl room of the store, which happened to be the room with all the Record Store Day exclusives. Needless to say, by the time I gained access to the room, a number of the releases (namely the Foo Fighters' cover album Medium Rare and seven-inches like Hendrix's "Fire") I was hoping to score had already been snagged. Apparently, people had started waiting outside the store between 4 and 5 in the morning. The store didn't open until 10. It was raining. I love Record Store Day, but I'm glad I stayed dry and got some sleep.

Knowing that my choice exclusives were gone (or didn't even come out...Kate Bush - Hounds of Love Collector's Edition, anyone?), I searched the racks for a few records. One record I came across was tUnE-yArDs' newest LP, w h o k i l l. I had been very interested in picking it up, or at the very least checking it out, after I saw a live performance of "Real Live Flesh" from tUnE-yArDs' debut Bird-Brains. As soon as I saw the new LP in front of me, I grabbed it and tucked it under my arm.

New England native Merri Garbus is the force behind tUnE-yArDs, and man is she an amazing performer and songwriter. w h o k i l l is a hybrid of afropop, punk, R&B, pop, and funk that is pretty mindblowingly awesome (and it only seems to get better with each listen). After the hop, check out the captivating performance of "Real Live Flesh" that got me -- and surely tons of others -- on the tUnE-yArDs bandwagon.