One of the true breakthroughs in 2011 was the joyful dance pop of Cut Copy and their third album Zonoscope. From their relentless tour schedule, their spot-on live shows and their infectious single "Where I'm Going", these Australians have gone from a hidden gem to a marquis talent that everyone knows. This is definitely more than a one hit band as each track is a crowd pleaser from the Chariots Of Fire inspired intro to the Madchester 15 minute rave finale. Expect Cut Copy to be around long after the party is over.
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Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Where the new-wave 80's seemed to dominate the best of 2011, the punky, yet melodic alt-rock of the 90's get a high five from these kids from the UK. Soundchecking every big artist on the college radio charts from 1988-1994, they have resurrected a sound that was long pronounced dead over a decade ago. When you listen to "Get Away", "The Wall", "Suicide Policeman" and "Holing Out", I hear Dinosaur Jr., Yo La Tengo, The Lemonheads and Superchunk. When I think of all of these old bands cashing in on reunion tours, they are catering to people wanting jump in a time machine and relive their childhood, at least for an evening. Yuck does that without the hefty price tag and they still have many albums and high points ahead of them.
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Yuck - Various Tracks
The Britpop-goth sound of The Horrors has become more genteel since they burst onto the overhyped UK scene five years ago. Now on their third LP Skying The Horrors have an equilibrium between the dry ice cloud of their tenebrous past and their accessible present sound. The shoegazing is like a blanket of haze setting over this album, but the pop nuggets shine through like diamonds. Each song has an individuality and value, whether they make your head bob or make your hair stand up on end. Whether is it the loving single of "Still Life", the teasingly explosive "Endless Blue" or the stretched out mileage that burns on "Moving Further Away", The Horrors have made an album that acts as a reminder of the greatness and as the savior of UK music.
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The Horrors - Still Life
Homer could not have conceived of an epic presented quite like this. The story that connect the songs in David Comes To Life are the stuff of The Who's rock operas: love, death, rebellion and mysticism. However, the whole sprawl is draped in punk rock tempo, layers upon layers of power chords and the universal screams of a lead singer who goes by Pink Eyes. When you consider the modest and anti-establishment beginnings of Fucked Up (for example, the band name is Fucked Up), to create a double album that borrows so much from mainstream music is incredulous. Still, this band who seems to be leading the charge against the homogenizing of punk has riffs that could be found in any classic rock album. Although the band is on infinite hiatus right now, their next move after this sprawling effort could be equally unpopular and exciting.
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Fucked Up - A Little Death
Sometimes an artist finds that perfect balance between the maturing and honing of their technique and the palpable, raw excitement of being great musicians. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack of Wye Oak found this in Civilian where the inviting warmth of Wasner's vocals and simple chords teases and manipulates the listener as each song gets read like a new chapter. The openers "Two Small Deaths" and "The Alter" are moody yet enveloping, then "Holy Holy" and "Dog's Eyes" blow through you like a hurricane. It is this astonishing tension, the thoughtful ebb and flow that runs through Civilian while framed by earnest guitar work and emotive vocals that keeps this album always in the front of my mind and the top of my list.
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Wye Oak - Civilian
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