Riffs, Rants & Rumors: 2011 in the Rearview Mirror

posted in: Features • Rock

You didn’t think RR&R would torture you with anything as tedious as another year-end Best-of list, did you? Granted, we do have a piece in the works that will inform you of some excellent albums you might have missed along the way, but that’s as close as we’re willing to get. Instead, this time around we’ll simply take stock of both the magic moments and the missteps that the last twelve months have brought us”works that delivered delight and dismay in equal measure.

Old Punks Never Die

Wire “ Red Barked Tree

As the original post-punk outfit, Wire has always lived or died by how well they balanced their arty side with their edgy side. Their discography isn’t without its share of miscalculations in that area, but thirty-four years down the line from their debut album, this one is right on the money.

Gang of Four – Content

The Gang were right on the heels of Wire in first-gen U.K. post-punk, and were just as groundbreaking, but their twenty-first century revitalization has been marred by some dodgy moves. First they re-recorded a batch of their classics on 2005’s Return the Gift, and then they made matters worse with this irksome outing, which is considerably more annoying than the output of the worst third-hand Go4 copyists.

Social Distortion  – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

True survivors, old-school SoCal punks Social Distortion have been through every rock & roll tribulation”death, drugs, you name it (How did VH1’s Behind the Music miss these guys?)”but not only are they still going strong, they added some extra bluesy swing and Stonesy swagger to their latest.

Arty Indie Icons

Destroyer “ Kaputt

After years of turning out love-it-or-hate-it albums of arch, Bowie’s-evil-little-brother indie pop, Dan “Destroyer” Bejar decided that what he really wanted was to be “Slave To Love”-era Bryan Ferry instead, and made his most approachable album to date in the process.

Iron & Wine “ Kiss Each Other Clean

Speaking of one-man bands with a shifting cast of supporting characters, Sam Beam’s considerable virtues have almost always been subtle ones, so it might take a while for this album to grab you, but the stylistic expansion into a more groove-based approach doesn’t hurt the kinetic energy of tunes that still revolve around Beam’s always-evocative wordplay.

Fleet Foxes “ Helplessness Blues

The Fleet Foxes first EP and debut album were among the most striking releases of their era, no question, but they may have set the bar too damn high. The notorious sophomore jinx seems to have hit these boys especially hard”while the feel isn’t monumentally different here, there’s an undeniable whiff of amiable mediocrity.

Whatever Became of Britpop?

Beady Eye “ Different Gear, Still Speeding

In the big Oasis split we’ve spent years waiting for, little brother Liam Gallagher was the first out of the box with a new project. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t a million miles from the Oasis sound, though it lacked a certain something that only the elder Gallagher brother could have added.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds “ s/t

Noel had his own post-Oasis business to attend to, and while the first release from his new band wouldn’t be likely to alienate old fans either, it pointed in a distinctly more melodic, classic-pop direction than Liam’s rockier outing.

Coldplay “ Mylo Xyloto

Much as you might want to despise them for making the likes of The Fray and their ilk possible, you can’t deny that Coldplay has their moments, of which their last album contained its share. But this time around, while there’s nothing actively unpleasant on offer, they seem content to settle softly into a sea of “meh.”

The ˜80s Are a State of Mind

R.E.M. “ Collapse Into Now

You know all those wiseacres who said “Oh, where they still together?” when R.E.M. announced their breakup earlier this year? It’s albums like this that made such sentiments possible. It’s been well over a decade since R.E.M. had any real reason for remaining together, and perhaps this aptly titled album was simply the last, long-awaited nail in the coffin of a once-mighty band.

Duran Duran “ All You Need Is Now

DD’s twenty-first century output hasn’t exactly been overwhelming either, but for whatever reason, they finally decided to make the crucial move of listening to someone else’s advice. Hotshot producer/Duran fan Mark Ronson told them it was time to make the follow-up to Rio they were too busy posing for photo shoots to ever really get right.

The Cars “ Move Like This

Almost all the crucial, classic Cars elements are here on the new wave pioneers’ first album in twenty-four years”Greg Hawkes’ bleeping synths, Ric Ocasek’s bone-dry delivery and angular tunes, guitarist Elliot Easton’s blend of chug and jangle and David Robinson’s big, booming drums. But without the moody baritone of Ben Orr, the modern-day Cars can only take you so far.

Prog Party

Yes “ Fly From Here

Sure, they’ve pulled a Journey/Judas Priest by replacing Jon Anderson with a guy from a Yes tribute band. But it’s not Anderson’s voice that’s missed most here”Benoit David’s got that down cold”it’s the erstwhile frontman’s ability to turn the other members’ artier impulses into something more melodically digestible.

Elbow – Build A Rocket, Boys!

Dear Genesis fans: just give it up. Peter Gabriel is never going to reunite with Phil Collins and company. If it hasn’t happened by now, it’s not bloody likely. Fortunately, you’ve got proggy post-Britpoppers Elbow to inspire notions of what a modern-day Genesis with Gabriel might sound like.

Justice “ Audio, Video, Disco

Yes, Justice made it’s reputation with a a 2007 debut album that was solidly in the electronic/dance camp, despite a significant rock influence in the riff department. But for the follow-up, the Parisian duo has made a sharp left turn, and inexplicably but delightfully decided that they’re more interested in pursuing a contemporary variation on 10cc and the Alan Parsons Project.

Seminal Songpoets

Kate Bush “ 50 Words For Snow

Bush didn’t do much to inspire high expectations earlier this year, when her first release in six years turned out to be full of pointless re-recordings of old songs. Thankfully, it was followed six months later by a powerfully produced batch of striking new songs much better than anyone had any right to expect.

Lou Reed & Metallica “ Lulu

Wait a minute, didn’t the Rollins Band break up years ago? Seriously, though”this is a spectacularly awful record”in an era awash in just-okay albums, this is a failure so epic you’ve almost got to love it just for its outlandish level of dreadful disastrousness. Almost.

Tom Waits “ Bad As Me

There’s pretty much no such thing as a bad Tom Waits album. Either you’re on board with his particular brand of weird or you’re not. If you aren’t, there’s nothing on Bad As Me that’s likely to change your mind any more than any of his previous albums. If you are, here’s a bakers dozen of the master’s sui generis delicacies, delivered piping hot from his odd inner world.