Sadly, 2011 is coming to an end but the year has been truly incredible. The collage above represents only a small chunk of the amazing records we were apart of. Recap 2011 with us below as we go through top lists from Planetary staff, bands and friends. Looking forward to 2012!
Sean Moran, Radio Promoter
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
The Wonder Years – Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing (Hopeless / No Sleep)
Cataldo – Prison Boxing (Red Pepper)
Mansions – Dig Up The Dead (Burning House)
La Dispute – Wildlife (No Sleep)
Touché Amoré – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me (Deathwish Inc)
Into It. Over It. – Proper (No Sleep)
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Sup Pop)
Santah – White Noise Bed (No Sleep)
My Goodness – My Goodness (Sarathan)
Honorable Mentions:
Polar Bear Club – Clash Battle Guilt Pride (Bridge 9)
Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines (Merge)
Pianos Become The Teeth – The Lack Long After (Topshelf)
Mikal Cronin – Mikal Cronin (Trouble In Mind)
Lemuria – Pebble (Bridge 9)
Tenni Gharakhanian, Radio Consultant
Acid Baby Jesus – Acid Baby Jesus (Slovenly)
Coasting – You’re Never Going Back (M’lady’s)
Mansions – Dig Up The Dead (Burning House)
Mikal Cronin – Mikal Cronin (Trouble In Mind)
My Goodness – My Goodness (Sarathan)
Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In The Red)
Total Control – Henge Beat (Iron Lung)
Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread (Drag City)
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
You Me & Us – Paperweights (Self Released)
Honorable Mentions: Archers of Loaf (reissue), Superchunk (reissue), Anna Calvi, Davila 666, The Babies, The Beets, Pow Wows, JC Satan, Jacuzzi Boys, Ume, and so many more I’m sure I’m forgetting
Oscar Zubia, Radio Promoter
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther)
Drake – Take Care (Young Money/Cash Money)
Tyler, The Creator – Goblin (XL)
Austra – Feel It Break (Paper Bag)
Britney Spears – Femme Fatale (Jive)
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
Beyoncé – 4 (Columbia)
Active Child – You Are All I See (Vagrant)
Big Black Delta – BBDLP1 (Self Released)
Neon Indian – Era Extrana (Mom + Pop)
Kelly Fitzpatrick, Radio Promoter
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream [EP] (In The Red)
tUnE-yArDs – W H O K I L L (4AD)
Middle Brother – S/T (Partisan)
Feist – Metals (Interscope/Cherrytree)
My Goodness – My Goodness (Sarathan)
Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three – Middle of Everywhere (Trade Root Music Group)
Mikal Cronin – Mikal Cronin (Trouble In Mind)
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Mute)
Honorable Mentions: Charles Bradley, A.A. Bondy, Tycho, Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, Cataldo
Greg Khaikin, Manager of Radio Promotions & Business Development
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Mute)
Big Black Delta – BBDLP1 (Coming Home)
Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain In The Cloud (Approaching Air Balloons / Atlantic)
Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines (Merge)
Jay Z and Kanye West – Watch The Throne (Roc – A – Fella)
Peter Bjorn and John – Gimme Some (Almost Gold/ Startime International)
Death Grips – Ex Military (Third Worlds)
Hurricane Bells – Tides and Tales (Invisible Brigade)
Smoking Popes – This Is Only A Test (Asian Man Records)
Adele – 21 (XL / Columbia)
Stephanie Spear, Online Publicity
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
Phantogram – Nightlife (Indica Records/Fontana North)
Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys (Atlantic)
Seryn – This is Where We Are (Velvet Blue Music / Spune)
Big Black Delta – BBDLP1 (Coming Home Records)
Slow Club – Paradise (Moshi Moshi)
Mansions – Dig Up the Dead (Burning House)
Coma Cinema – Blue Suicide (Wonder Beard Tapes / Fork and Spoon)
Other Lives – Tamer Animals (TBD Records)
Marissa Vega, Online Publicity
James Pants – James Pants (Stones Throw)
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
Clams Casino – Rainforest EP (Tri Angle)
Beyoncé – 4 (Columbia)
Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact (4AD)
Frank Ocean – Nostalgia/Ultra (Self-released)
Active Child – You Are All I See (Vagrant)
Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse (Brainfeeder)
Austra – Feel It Break (Paper Bag)
SBTRKT – SBTRKT (Young Turks)
And some lists from our bands & friends…
John Gourley, Portugal. The Man
Feist – Metals (Interscope)
Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain In The Cloud (Atlantic/Approaching Airballoons)
Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (Atlantic)
Raekwon – Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang (Ice H20)
Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (Columbia)
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee (Capitol)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Fat Possum)
The Black Keys – El Camino (Nonesuch)
Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming (Dunham Records)
The Black Lips – Arabia Mountain (Vice)
Zach Carothers, Portugal. The Man
Favorite Films of 2011:
Rango
I Saw The Devil
Hanna
The Tree Of Life
Drive
Melancholia
Jason Sechrist, Portugal. The Man
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Fat Possum)
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light (RCA)
Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (Atlantic)
Red Fang – Murder The Mountains (Relapse)
Foster The People – “Pumped Up Kicks” (Startime International / Columbia)
The Black Lips – Arabia Mountain (Vice)
Washed Out – Within and Without (Sup Pop)
Ryan Neighbors, Portugal. The Man
Radiohead – King Of Limbs (XL / TBD)
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Fat Possum)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (Atlantic)
Morning Teleportation – Expanding Anyway (Glacial Pace)
Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (Columbia)
Feist – Metals (Interscope)
Explosions In The Sky – Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence)
Weird Al Yankovic – Alpocalypse (Volcano)
Jonathan Bates, Big Black Delta
Top 5 UFO Videos:
Out of The Blue
UFO Mass Sighting in Carmichael
California Drone
The Secret Nasa Transmissions
The Greatest Story Ever Denied
Stan McConnell, Santah
Destroyer – Kaputt (Merge)
Battles – Glass Drop (Warp)
Woods – Sun and Shade (Woodist)
Radiohead – King of Limbs (XL)
Pure X – Pleasure (Acéphale)
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)
The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)
Feist – Metals (Interscope)
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther)
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien (Barsuk)
Evan Thomas Weiss, Into It. Over It.
Iron Chic – Pacer [Split 7″] (All In Vinyl)
Cloud Mouth – Keep Well [10″] (Ice Age)
Pianos Become The Teeth – The Lack Long After (Topshelf)
By Surprise – Mountain Smashers (Topshelf)
Former Thieves – The Language That We Speak (No Sleep)
Punch – Nothing Lasts [EP] – (Deathwish)
Basement – I Wish I Could Stay Here (Run For Cover)
Tangled Hair – Apples [EP] (Big Scary Monsters)
Balance & Composure – Separation (No Sleep)
The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – 2011 Catalog (Topshelf)
Honorable Mentions: Look Mexico, Code Orange Kids, Mixed Signals , Andrew Jackson Jihad, Xerxes / Midnight Soul
Travis Shettel, TS & The Past Haunts
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks – Mirror Traffic (Matador)
Crystal Stilts – In Love With Oblivion (Slumberland)
Bill Callahan – Apocalypse (In The Red)
Thee Oh Sees – Singles Vol. 1 & 2 (Castleface)
Davila 666 – Tan Bajo (In The Red)
The Duke Spirit – Bruiser (Fiction / Shangril-La Music)
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV (Young Money)
Wild Flag – Wild Flag (Merge)
The Black Lips – Arabia Mountain (Vice)
Superchunk – Foolish (Merge)
Nik Kaloper, The Jezabels
Top Internet Videos:
Jam Jam’s Gonna Go for a Swim Swim
Darth Vader Troll
David Harvey – Crisis of Capitalism
Zach Wahls Speaks about his Family
Gladiator Spider
Oh Hi Mark (my favourite scene from the movie, The Room)
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie: 16th Note Shuffle
Murmuration
Future Islands – Tin Man
Noam Chomsky on OWS Protest
Clayton Stevens, Touché Amoré
Balance and Composure – Separation (No Sleep)
Panda Bear – Tomboy (Paw Tracks)
Pianos Become The Teeth – The Lack Long After (Topshelf)
Washed Out – Within and Without (Sub Pop)
James Blake – James Blake (A&M / ATLAS)
La Dispute – Wildlife (No Sleep)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (4AD / Jagjaguwar)
Radiohead – King of Limbs (XL)
Joyce Manor – Joyce Manor (6131)
The Weeknd – House of Balloons (Self Released)
Matt Agrella, Look Mexico
TV On The Radio – Nine Types of Light (Interscope)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (4AD / Jagjaguwar)
Kite Party – Baseball Season (Animal Style)
Into It. Over It. – Proper (No Sleep)
Owen – Ghost Town (Polyvinyl)
Only Thieves – Heartless Romantics (Self Released)
Bomb The Music Industry – Vacation (Quote Unquote)
My Morning Jacket – Circuital (ATO)
Restorations – Restorations (Self Released)
Wavelets – Athaletics (Tiny Engines)
White Wives – Happeners (Adeline)
Roger Harvey, White Wives
Mansions – Dig Up The Dead (Burning House)
Into It. Over It. – Proper (No Sleep)
Kevin Devine – Between The Concrete and the Clouds (Razor Tie)
Balance & Composure – Separation (No Sleep)
Lissie – Covered Up With Flowers (Fat Possum)
Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math (Columbia / Favorite Gentleman)
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
Bright Eyes – The People’s Key (Saddle Creek)
The Mountain Goats – All Eternal’s Deck (Merge)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (4AD / Jagjaguwar)
Chris Browder, Mansions
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (4AD / Jagjaguwar)
Jay-Z & Kanye West- Watch the Throne (Roc-A-Fella)
Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
Weatherbox – Follow the Rattle of the Afghan Guitar (Youth Conspiracy)
State Champion – Deep Shit (Sophomore Lounge)
Rival Schools – Pedals (Photo Finish / Atlantic)
The Get Up Kids – There Are Rules (Quality Hill)
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar (Atlantic)
Radiohead – The King of Limbs (XL)
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire (Capitol)
Lisa Hresko, Editor-In-Chief, CMJ
Bollywood Bloodbath – Various Artists (Finders Keepers)
Cambodian Space Project – 2011: A Space Odyssey (Metal Postcard)
Destroyer – Kaputt (Merge)
Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise (Circus Company)
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Mute)
Brian Shultz, Bridge 9 Records
Balance and Composure – Separation (No Sleep)
Touché Amoré – Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me (Deathwish)
Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math (Columbia/Favorite Gentlemen)
Former Thieves – The Language That We Speak (No Sleep)
Title Fight – Shed (Side One Dummy)
Defeater – Empty Days & Sleepless Nights (Bridge 9)
O’Brother – Garden Window (Triple Crown)
The Horrible Crowes – Elsie (Side One Dummy)
Pianos Become the Teeth – The Lack Long After (Topshelf)
Thrice – Major/Minor (Vagrant)
Chris Hansen, No Sleep Records
Pianos Become The Teeth – The Lack Long After (Topshelf)
Defeater – Empty Days & Sleepless Nights (Bridge 9)
Sleigh Bells – Treats (Mom + Pop)
Fireworks – Gospel (Triple Crown)
Washington Square Park – Washington Square Park (Animal Style)
Trapped Under Ice – Big Kiss Goodnight (Reaper)
Britney Spears – Femme Fatale (Jive)
The Streets – Computers and Blues (Rhino)
H2O – Don’t Forget Your Roots (Bridge 9)
Moving Mountains – Waves (Triple Crown)
Kristen Bayusik, Data Manager, CMJ
Kvelertak- Kvelertak (Indie)
Mastodon- The Hunter (Reprise)
Portugal. The Man- In The Mountain, In The Cloud (Atlantic/Approaching Airballoons)
Feist- Metals (Interscope)
Foo Fighters- Wasting Light (RCA)
Opeth- Heritage (Roadrunner)
Black Keys- El Camino (Nonesuch)
Primus- Green Naugahyde (ATO)
Frank Turner- England Keep My Bones (Epitaph)
The Lonely Forest- Arrows (Trans)
Johan Agebjörn
Top 10 Tracks of 2011:
Det Vackra Livet – “Viljan”
Electric Youth – “Fade Away”
Tiger Baby – “Crystal Ball”
Goldmund – “Turquoise Hexagon Sun” (Boards of Canada cover)
Grimes – “Weregild”
Bogdan Irkük a.k.a. Bulgari – “The Thracian Plain”
Zombi – “Shrunken Heads”
Steve Moore – “Frigia”
CFCF – “Cometrue (d’Eon Remix)”
College – “Answers (Stephen Falken Loyal Remix)”
Benjamin Nelson, PS I Love You
Top 10 Records I Purchased in 2011:
Twin Shadow – Forget (4AD)
OMD – Architecture & Morality (DinDisc/Virgin)
OMD – Dazzle Ships (Telegraph (Virgin))
OMD – Organisation (DinDisc)
Stevie Nicks – The Wild Heart (Modern Records)
Prince – Controversy (Warner Bros.)
Prince – Dirty Mind (Warner Bros.)
Chad VanGaalen – Diaper Island (Flemish Eye/SubPop)
Wild Nothing – Gemini (Captured Tracks)
Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night (Warner Bros.)
Al Johnson, Cuff the Duke
Skeletones Four – Gravestone Rock (Self Released)
Snailhouse – Sentimental Gentlemen (White Whale)
Hooded Fang – Tosta Mista (Outside Records)
Feist – Metals (Interscope)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
Wilco – The Whole Love (Anti-)
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)
Doug Paisley – Constant Companion (No Quarter Records)
Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath The Willows (You’ve Changed Records)
The Black Keys – El Camino (Nonesuch)
Francois Turenne, Cuff the Duke
Doug Paisley – Constant Companion (No Quarter Records)
Skeletones Four – Gravestone Rock (Self Released)
Hooded Fang – Tosta Mista (Outside Records)
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)
Sloan – The Double Cross (Yep Roc)
Wilco – Whole Love (Anti-)
Destroyer – Kaputt (Merge)
Stephen Malkmus – Mirror Traffic (Matador)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
Timber Timbre – Keep on Creepin’ on (Arts & Crafts)
Paul Lowman, Cuff the Duke
Doug Paisley – Constant Companion (No Quarter Records)
Skeletones Four – Gravestone Rock (Self Released)
Bill Callahan – Apocalypse (Drag City)
Hooded Fang – Tosta Mista (Outside Records)
Wilco – The Whole Love (Anti-)
Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath The Willow (You’ve Changed Records)
Bry Webb – Provider (Idée Fix)
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop)
The Weather Station – All Of It Was Mine (PID)
Jennifer Castle – Castlemusic (Flemish Eye)
Wayne Petti, Cuff the Duke
The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)
Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath The Willows (You’ve Changed Records)
Doug Paisley – Constant Companion (No Quarter Records)
Thurston Moore – Benediction (Matador)
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)
Hooded Fang – Tosta Mista (Outside Records)
Wilco – The Whole Love (Anti-)
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing (Saddle Creek)
The Black Keys – El Camino (Nonesuch)
The Skeletones Four – Gravestone Rock(Self Released)
Trevor Laroque, Paper Bag Records
The Field – Looping State of Mind (Kompakt)
Tim Hecker – Dropped Pianos (Kranky)
The Weeknd – House of Balloons (Self Released)
Moonface – Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped (Jagjaguwar)
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines (Columbia)
The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream (Light in the Attic)
Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence)
The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)
Balam Acab – WanderWonder (Tri Angle)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
Best EPs
Burial – Street Halo (Hyperdub)
Massive Attack vs Burial – Four Walls/Paradise Circus (Inhale Gold)
