Ten Music Resolutions For 2012

PR Firms
Quit sending e-mails letting other blogs know that a track is premiering on another site.  This does nothing for those other blogs.  You're basically saying "go steal this track from the site we just gave the premier to and rehost".  A bunch of blogs don't rehost or steal tracks so this e-mail is worthless to us.  Just send us an e-mail when we can post legally and cleared.  We don't send your PR firm an e-mail letting you know I just posted about an artist you don't represent because why the hell would you care.  Don't do the same to us. 


Independent Labels
Get creative.  It's tough out there for independent labels, but it's also the best time ever for trying something new, something bold, something that makes your label standout in a crowded sea of music releases.  The old model isn't gone, it's been blown up, so keep adjusting and don't be afraid to think outside the box.


Music Fans
Make 2012 the year you quit illegally downloading music.  I made this pledge a few months ago and haven't missed it once.  With Spotify, streaming sites like Bandcamp or Soundcloud, and early album listens on NPR and other sites, the excuse of illegally downloading to determine if you want to buy an album is no longer valid.  Illegal downloading has become a habit that only has the purpose of getting art a few weeks before it becomes available everywhere legally.  People started downloading because the industry worked on a buy it if you want to listen, but now we're basically stealing ice cream samples at a store that gives it away for free.


Record Store Owners
Keep going.  You're better then all of us and vinyl fans are grateful for your dedication.  Most are struggling and the ones making money aren't going gangbusters.  Remember everyday that you're directly shaping music fans and are one of the last vestiges of physical music consumption.  Your resolution is to be proud of what you're doing and keep doing it for as long as you can.


Concert Goers
Camera phone etiquette.  I know that you want to get a shot of a band and then post it to instagram, twitter, facebook, etc so that everyone knows that you exist and do cool things, but how many photos do you need to take?  The resolution for concert goers is take one photo per set and put your phone away.  During the break in between bands, then send it to all your social media networks.  Remember why you're at the show and if you're there to take photos with your phone, remember that you are disrupting the experience for others.


Music Festivals
The last few years this ugly trend has spread across the major music festivals: THEY'RE ALL THE SAME!  Same headliners, same medium acts, and same up and comers.  I respect the Pitchfork music festival because the lineup is a direct reflection of their tastes, this should be adopted by all the other festivals...why is your festival special or unique?  With the same lineup being repeated in various locations across America, how can any music fan feel like they're participating in something special? They can't.  Have a vision and take chances on variety.


Music Bloggers
Write this down on a post it note and put it next to your computer:  "What is the one thing your blog offers that no other site does."  Two years ago I put this note on my workspace and while Hank and I are still working to be better each year, it really focused us on trying to create new content rather then reblog the same track as everyone else.  Here is the thing, it's not an either or resolution.  If you reblog buzz tracks for hits, there is no reason you still can't have a unique section that delivers something fresh to your readers.


Blog Readers
Take the time to comment on a post.  Most of us music bloggers do this for free and one of the things we love the most is connecting with our readers.  I'm not saying be fake or always post positive comments, just add to the discussion, let us know how you feel about the content and add to it.  Most bloggers hit a point where they're not quite sure why they're doing it, a simple comment from a reader can snap them back into understanding the purpose of running a music blog.


Bands
Quit worrying about signing to a label.  You're existing in the best time where a band can find a fan base without money or label support.  Focus on dominating your local music scene, create an Internet presence, and put the quality of your art as priority number one.  If you do these things and realize that overnight success only happens for a few, everything else will fall into place.  Work hard and pr firms, booking agents, and labels will come to you when you've put in the work and become the best band you can be outside the worrying about things you can't control.


Everyone
Create something and share it.  I have tons of friends who all have creative passions but deny them because of doubt, fear, or a number of excuses.  If you have a creative dream, go for it, and realize that it might not reach the level of success you imagined, but at the very least the Internet is positioned for your art to at least be shared properly.  Be it making your first album on your laptop, starting a blog, or making something and putting it up on Etsy...just create and be passionate, doubt yourself or ask questions later.


We hope you had a great 2011 and wish you an even better 2012.


-WLFY

SPOTWLFY MIX: NYE 2011

When making this mix my goal was to create a collection of songs that would act as a great lead up to the parties of New Year's Eve.  You will assuredly be bombarded with loud dance music and the clamoring of excited voices ready to bring in a new year filled with possibilities.  For me, the turning of a new year has always been about reflection and contemplation, so why not make a ten track mix to aid these moments.

The mix is not all about ball drops, countdowns, or celebration...every track is about time, because for me time is the core of New Year's Eve.  I hope you throw on this mix today or tomorrow before you go out. Just spend some time with the songs and yourself, thinking about the year you had, the year to come, and how fortunate we are to have the gift of reflection and this wonderful music to complement the thoughts.

SPOTWLFY: NYE 2011

And if that doesn't do your holiday right...

...Just Spotify this.

Happy Holidays From WLFY

Hank's Top 25 Albums of 2011

25.
Lia Ices

Grown Unknown

25a.

Josh T. Pearson

Last of the Country Gentlemen

24.
Low

C'mon

23.
ARMS

Summer Skills

22.
Nerves Junior

As Bright as Your Night Light

21.
Shabazz Palaces


Black Up

20.
St. Vincent

Strange Mercy

19.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

Mirror Traffic

18.
The Mountain Goats

All Eternals Deck


17.
Jonathan Wilson

Gentle Spirit



16.
Bill Callahan

Apocalypse


15.
Marissa Nadler

Marissa Nadler

14.
Kurt Vile

Smoke Ring for My Halo

13.
The ACBs

Stona Rosa


12.
Radical Dads

Mega Rama



11.
Gillian Welch

The Harrow and the Harvest


10.
Atlas Sound

Parallax

When Bradford Cox put out a series of demos and home recordings last year, what was impressive wasn't only the amount (some 3 discs) but the quality.  Cox, on Parallax, takes the remains of last year's impressive Deerhunter album (Atlas Sound's side project or the other way around) Halcyon Digest and crafts exquisite apathetic gems.  I wouldn't be surprised if this guy makes great sandwiches out of the ends of the bread.

09.
White Denim

D

White Denim earns its place this year with a fantastic EP as well as D, which emerges from your speakers like a 1970s gem gone all futuristic.  Tight, enveloping instrumentation coupled with down-home rock and a garage rock aftertaste, it was a great year for 70s inspired albums (see Wilson's Gentle Spirit above) -- White Denim's release is the pinnacle.

08.
Beirut


The Rip Tide

REVIEW

07.
Wild Flag

Wild Flag

REVIEW

06.
The Antlers

Burst Apart

You split up the books.  You fight over the toaster.  You get an area rug.  You put it in the new place. You hook up the speakers.  You listen to Burst Apart.

05.
Vetusta Morla

Mapas

When you buy Madrid-based Vetusta Morla's Mapas, it comes with a bunch of postcards with arcane lines, lyrics, and places for you to sign your name.  It's a genius bit of album artwork that will totally fly under the radar.  However, the meaning is implicit -- you can put yourself in these songs.  To any of my friends who regret Radiohead moving on from The Bends, the answer is Vetusta Morla.  Once you bridge the language barrier, what awaits you is some of the most melodic, crisp, emotive music out there.  Unfortunately, when it comes to the USA, we're generally far too xenophobic to listen to Spanish music much less put something like this on a list.  So, consider this a political act.  Like all great political acts, it comes from a place of personal pride and admiration.

04.
Radiohead

King of Limbs

I'm surprised this is up here, too.  When In Rainbows arrived on my best of list a few years ago, I wrote what I considered to be the greatest Radiohead review of all time:  "Ho hum, another FANTASTIC Radiohead album."  This record was anything but ho hum, and the reception proved it.  A lightning rod for fans and critics alike, King of Limbs was totally unlistenable the first time I heard it -- an arhythmic mess that sounded more like a Thom Yorke album than a Radiohead album.  Perseverance, friends, pays off.  And, yeah, if it wasn't Radiohead, I wouldn't have set it on repeat in the office and finally after the fifth or sixth spin finally heard "Codex."  Like any good key, it lead to a different world.

03.
Tom Waits

Bad as Me

REVIEW

02.
Other Lives

Tamer Animals

If you asked me for a winner of the year, it'd be Sufjan Stevens.  Though there was no album from the (formerly?) prolific Michigander, his fingerprints can found all over Other Lives' phenomenal Tamer Animals.  As Zach points out, this record is as close to landscape painting as music can get.  Probably, if you've read us before, you know that this blog's genesis was a way for Zach and I share music over long distances.  If I were driving one to see my co-creator, this is the record I would listen to, not only because he recommended it, but because like the great expanse of terrain, it seems to cover everything.  Grandiose and lush, each moment seems to defy characterization.  A tribute to the strength of this record is how difficult it is to write about.  A definition as description limits on an LP that feels euphoric, haunted, and ultimately limitless.

01.

Glen Campbell

Ghost on the Canvas

I'll let you in on a secret:  best of lists are meaningless.  I mean, they're great for checking off Christmas lists and making you appear smarter to your friends and family, but ultimately -- what do they do?  For the past couple years, I've taken my own spin on this top spot, placing what I considered to be my favorite record of the year here.  This year, I place what I consider to be the most important.  Don't deride us as Grammy voters yet.  Ghost on the Canvas's import isn't only in the summation of a career but in tireless personal struggle that created it.  An illness and struggle that is remarkably missing from each song.  Like those big fat books that you haven't read and those super long movies that look boring but turn out to be anything but, Campbell's work is monumental and exceptionally touching.  Memories and harmonies in every track, we revel in another's life through each song.  The past doesn't seem to be slipping away, it is painted more and more vividly, making us aware of our own precious mortality and the jubilation.

Zach's Top 25 Albums Of 2011

25.

Caveman

Coco Beware

24.

Radical Dads

Mega Rama

23.

Wild Flag

Wild Flag


22.
Marissa Nadler

Marissa Nadler

21.

Ty Segall

Goodbye Bread

20.

tUnE-YarDs

w h o k i l l

19.

Deerhoof

Deerhoof vs Evil

18.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

17.

ARMS

Summer Skills

16.

Youth Lagoon

The Year Of Hibernation

15.

Tom Waits

Bad As Me

14.

Glen Campbell

Ghost On The Canvas

13.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Wolfroy Goes To Town

12.

Eleanor Friedberger

Last Summer

11.

Bill Callahan 

Apocalypse

10.

Mother Mother

Eureka

The most fun album of 2011, Mother Mother's Eureka is the closest thing we'll come to recapturing the sound of The Pixies.  Utilizing pitch perfect harmonies, huge percussion, spacey synths, and one of the best current frontmen in indie rock, Mother Mother crafted a record that reminds us that indie rock isn't all about ambient expression or trying to fit into whatever current trends marks a band as cool.  Eureka is about writing great rock songs that make you want to move without sacrificing the artfulness or unique qualities that makes Mother Mother such a special band.  

09.

Kurt Vile 

Smoke Ring For My Halo

Kurt Vile proves that singer/songwriter music still has a lot of room to be tampered with. People for decades on top of decades have sat alone in rooms with an acoustic guitar and tried to write great music.  That makes it all the more impressive that Smoke Ring For My Halo sounds unlike any record before it with its driving guitar riffs wrapped around hazy backing instrumentation and Vile's cutting vocals that start and stop on a dime.  Every word is carefully considered and positioned with such genius that even the simplest expressions from Vile can slice its own meaning in half.   

08.

The Deloreans

American Craze

2011 will be known as the reemergence of 90's rock with bands like Yuck or Pains of Being Pure At Heart and 60's pop vocal music with bands like Cults or Tennis.  Even though I loved the debut release from Cults, The Deloreans took a crack at 60's pop music nostalgia and did it better than everyone else in 2011.  Frontman, songwriter, and producer Jeremy Perry might be the smartest musician on this list with his talent, extensive knowledge of music history, and ability to mimic production moves from greats like Joe Meek.  This is a band without a team behind them, no pr, no label (independently released), so a lot of people slept on this record, or never heard it in the first place.  If you're reading this, I'm begging you to check out "American Craze" from start to finish, you might be surprised what this band accomplished in a basement and with the talent to make one of the best records of the year.

07.

Other Lives

Tamer Animals

Earthy.  That one word says everything you need to know about Other Lives.  Every vocal moment or piece of instrumentation feels like thick dirty roots sprawling from the ground, bending, shedding, and eventually creating this beautiful finished product above the surface. Tamer Animals has this natural feel that encases a raw power and emotion that can't be denied. Oh, and there is also so of the most impressive vocal moments of 2011 complimented by a band that has each member exploring the boundaries of their respected instrument.  Similar to Fleet Foxes in genre, Tamer Animals embarrasses Helplessness Blues with its creativity and organic feel.

06.

Atlas Sound

Parallax

I can't name another person that is having the kind of run Bradford Cox is currently on from 2007-2011.  I will be happy to look back on these years and point out that our generations John Lennon was Bradford Cox.  He's crafting music that transcends the listen and dispose of way that we treat music today with streaming services and a constant stream of "now you need to listen to this".  On Parallax, Cox fills his tracks with beautiful melodies that contradict that  downright evil imagery he focuses on with his lyrics.  The album doesn't have a weak moment and once again shows that Cox understands what an album is, a collection of tracks that has to work perfectly from one to another, a notion that seems simple but is being quickly forgotten by many in the current state of music that revolves around singles. 

05.

Mountain Goats

All Eternals Deck 

Calling All Eternals Deck one of my favorite Mountain Goats albums is a bold statement considering how extensive John Darnielle's discography is.  The album has this wild west narrative that is supported by expansive songwriting that compliments the notion of a large land unexplored.  Darnielle seems very comfortable in his music, allowing the songs to develop without ever pushing forward or trying to make emotional moment happen.  Rather, they just occur, and Darnielle's natural talent shines, making All Eternals Deck a huge achievement for a songwriter who could easily put his career on cruise control.  

04.

Shabazz Palaces

Black Up

I've said it a hundred times, but here is goes once more: Black Up is the best hip-hop album I've heard in years.  Shabazz Palaces is much more interested in exploring the artistic abilities of the medium of hip-hop, rather than bombastic production and lyrics focused on vanity or self-imposed titles of greatness.  I implore any young musicians considering an attempt at making hip-hop music to study Black Up and understand that the medium of hip-hop can be explored, manipulated, and improved by artistic expression just like every other genre of music or art.  Shabazz Palaces focus on making a great record and not building a persona or side story that informs the music.  That seems incredibly rare today and their mission to create an amazing record that stands alone is an impressive feat in 2011.

For the top three albums of 2011, I point you to my reviews of their records.  

03.

Radiohead

King Of The Limbs

REVIEW

02.

Nerves Junior

As Bright As Your Night Light

REVIEW

01.

The Antlers

Burst Apart

REVIEW