Lot’s of great music to look forward to this year, so we thought we’d preview some of our favorite bands and labels with music set to come out in 2011! Had trouble paring it down to just 11, but in the name of thematic consistency we’d go to any lengths! Here’s what we can’t wait to get our dirty little hands on this year…Stream or download the Eleven For Twenty Eleven podcast in it’s entirety, or stream MP3s below!
Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx: Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here was arguably the best release of 2010, carrying intense emotional weight inside the album’s dark and alluring midnight city. The album was Scott-Heron’s first solo release in thirteen years, and it charted the lost and low times of the once vital artist and poet, who had been called “the godfather of hip-hop” for the pioneering work he’d done in the 70’s and 80’s. Produced by XL Recordings owner Richard Russell, work on the album actually began in 2007 while Gil Scott-Heron was still in jail on a cocaine charge. Corresponding with the inmate by letter, Russell found that the artist, though dogged by cops and the courts, had lost none of his relevance, and had in fact, gained a stronger and more focused voice in his struggles.
This year we look forward to the intriguing release, We’re New Here, on which Jamie Smith of The xx remixes 13 tracks from the original “I’m New Here” album sessions…thirteen dubby and delicious tracks, still close to the rich bone! Look for it Feb. 22 through the Beggars Group, on XL Recordings.
MP3: Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx “NY Is Killing Me” XL Recordings
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: 
BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx “I’ll Take Care Of You” XL Recordings
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
The Cave Singers: The Cave Singers have joined the Jagjaguar label, and will be releasing their newest album No Witch on February 22nd. The Seattle band, made up of former Pretty Girls Makes Graves and Murder City Devils member Derek Fudesco, as well as Pete Quirk of Hint Hint, and Marty Lund of Cobra High, has it’s roots in Seattle’s strong post-punk community, and since the bands formation the trio have found themselves making stripped down rock with folk leanings and punk attitude. “Swim Club” off there up-coming release demonstrates the band’s knack for a ragged but suave elegance with Pete Quirk’s worn but warm vocals plying with their midnight charms. Let’s ride!
MP3: The Cave Singers “Swim Club” Jagjaguwar
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
Das Rascist: “DAS RACIST IS A WEED EDGE/HARE KRISHNA HARD CORE/ART RAP/FREAK FOLK MUSIC TRIO BASED IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, COMPRISED OF QUEENS-BORN HIMANSHU KUMAR SURI, SAN FRANCISCO-BORN VICTOR VAZQUEZ, AND QUEENS-BORN ASHOK KONDABOLU. SURI AND VAZQUEZ MET AT SARAH LAWRENCE BARD POMONA WESLEYAN ART COLLEGE IN MASSACHUSETTS, WHERE VICTOR WAS HIMANSHU’S RESIDENT ADVISOR IN A “STUDENTS OF COLOR FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE” THEMED FRESHMAN YEAR DORMITORY. THE DUO LATER ADDED KONDABOLU AS A HYPE MAN AND SPIRITUAL ADVISOR.”…. We still can’t say it any better than when we first told you about it last year when “Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell” hit us upside the funny bone. Couldn’t get enough back then, and still can’t! Since then the boys have traveled to China, S Korea, Puerto Rico, and Europe while making their two albums, Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man available for free download from their site. Now Mommy, that’s what doobies do.
MP3: Das Racist “All Tan Everything (ft. jay-z)” Self-Released Das Racist
MP3: Das Racist “Fashion Party (with Chairlift)” Das Racist
HEY BUDDY, MORE MUSIC INSIDE
Temporary Residence Limited: Temporary Residence has always put the fine into the art of releasing killer music, and this year the label has so much great stuff coming out we just couldn’t choose. I mean, really, you could spend the next year listening to just TRL records, and you would not die of malnutrition. That’s a promise. New stuff from The Books as well as a remastered, reissue of their debut Thought For Food, the new Caroline album Verdugo Hills (the first in 5 years), as well as new work from Explosions In The Sky, Eluvium, Grails, Young Widows, Maserati, The Black Heart Procession (with Lee Scratch Perry), Three Mile Pilot. Had enough? I mean we could go on. My Disco’s Little Joy comes out this January! Till then, you have enough to keep you busy…
MP3: The Books “Beautiful People” Temporary Residence Ltd
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: My Disco “Closer” Temporary Residence Ltd
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: Maserati “We Got The System To Fight The System” Temporary Residence Ltd
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: Grails “I Lead Three Lives” Temporary Residence Ltd
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY VINYL: INSOUND
Esben & the Witch: This Brighton Trio’s first EP on Matador, Marching Song, was a stunner with it’s slowly layered intensities of emotion growing into glacial monuments of agony and tension. Rachel Davies haunting vocals animate with a dark lilt while Daniel Copeman and
Thomas Fisher create huge canyons of sound via guitar, bass and electronics. Their first full length Violet Cries will be out on January 21st via Matador. Till then, we have a taste of things to come, the preview track “Warpath”, as well as this chilling remix of “Skeleton Swoon” by worriedaboutsatan. Uneasy listening, indeed.
MP3: Esben and the Witch “Warpath” Matador Records
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: Esben and the Witch “Skeleton Swoon (worriedaboutsatan Remix)” Matador Records
David Lynch: David Lynch’s masterful and dark dramas have always used sound and music in thrilling and innovative ways, and really, without the meticulous sound design, scores by Angelo Badalamenti, and innovative uses of musical performance such as Koko Taylor’s sudden appearance in Wild at Heart, these movies might lack some of their emotional punch. In fact, the more you delve, the more you realize how involved in music David Lynch has been through the years, and so it should be no surprise that we will see the director releasing the first solo album of his career, Good Day Today/I Know in delux vinyl and cd editions complete with art work by Vaughan Oliver and Marc Atkins on January 31st. The electronic album featuring vocal and lyrics from Lynch will also feature remixes by Underworld, Sasha, Boys Noize, Skream, Diskjokke, Jon Hopkins and Ratcliffe.
MP3: David Lynch “I Know” Sunday Best Records
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3:
MP3: David Lynch “Good Day Today (BoysNoize Remix)” Sunday Best Records
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3:
The Social Registry: Since 2003 Brooklyn label The Social Registry have delivered the goods with a well-curated collection of avant and pop-styled, independent music from bands like Gang Gang Dance, Psychic Ills, Blood on the Wall, and The Sian Alice Group. The label continues to be a hub of cutting edge music, and this years crop of interesting bands and albums tends towards the far-out and other-wordly, with psyched-out and trance inducing releases from Zs and Nymphs, as well as the island-exotic Highlife release, Best Bless. Wanna taste?
MP3: Zs “AcresRMX (Gabe Andruzzi Remix)” The Social Registry
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: Highlife “F KENYA RIP” The Social Registry
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: Nymphs “Reeds of Osirion” The Social Registry
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON
MP3: Psychic Ills “Secret Flower” The Social Registry
BUY VINYL: INSOUND
La Sera: Since 2007 Katy Goodman has played bass and lent her vocal talents to the surf punk trio Vivian Girls. The girls have put out a slew of recordings on labels like In the Red and Woodsist Records, as well as starting their own label Wild World. Ever busy, Goodman began assembling ideas for her new project La Sera early last year. With a love for “pop hits from the 1950’s and ethereal choral vocals”, Goodman’s lovely voice drifts through dreamy hazes and golden pop delights. We look forward to up-coming releases on Hardly Art, a second 7″ that will include “Devils Hearts Grow Cold”, as well as a self-titled, full-length due out in the next month or so!
MP3: La Sera “Never Come Around” Hardly Art
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3 ON: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
MP3: La Sera “Devils Hearts Grow Gold” Hardly Art
BUY MP3 ALBUM: AMAZON BUY MP3: BUY VINYL: INSOUND
Wu Lyf: “…WORLDUNITE.. | ..JOIN.. | ..MUSIC.. | ..FILM.. | ..SHOWS…. ..”for kids who have the courage to remain kids”.. .. ..INFORMATION.. .. …. Established in 1998, The Lucifer Youth Foundation is a non-for-profit organization anchored to the concrete truths of unconditioned youth. The LYF encompases a selection of disciplines including petty crime, détourned design, dolla talk, busting heads, cutting film, scripting-ill literature and playing heavy (pop)…”….. Many paths of misdirection lead to and from this Manchester outfit. Lucifer rises in 2011.
MP3: Wu Lyf “Heavy Pop”
USF: Seattle’s Jason Baxter and Kyle Hargus have played together for awhile under various names including United Studios Florida, while collecting “dozens of for-fun albums”. The duo seems to have settled on the moniker USF, and have crafted an awesome downtempo, sub-tropical radiance full of tasty synth washes and big beat drops! Need a winter getaway, well February 8th the boys have a new 12″ EP, Jamaica Plain set for release on the Northwest label, Highfives and Handshakes. Big sun, white beaches…
MP3: USF “Point Break II” Highfives and Handshakes
Young Wrists: Can’t seem to get enough of Italy’s Young Wrists. Their sunshine melancoly comes on like remembering some summer fling that should have been. Just a two piece, Alberto and Letizia hail from the coastal town Pesaro, and they have just released their first 7″ on We Were Never Being Boring. You can take a listen to the dangourously beautiful “I Want You To Disappear” below, a bonus track off the 7″, and while you’re at it give a watch to the video for their song “July 1986”.
MP3: Young Wrists “I Want You To Disappear” We Were Never Being Boring Collective
