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2011 Top 11: Songs That Got Me Through The Day

Starting with our Reader’s Poll, we’re looking back on 2011 with a series of top 10’s that will cover everything from album covers to music videos, from favorite 7“‘s to favorite LPs, so check back and see what our staff has to say as we make our way to the new year.

My top ~~ten~~ eleven songs that got me through the day a.k.a. more than likely the top eleven records I also enjoyed this year.

1. Kurt Vile - Baby’s Arms, Smoke Ring for My Halo (Matador)

Once you get what it is about Kurt Vile that makes him such a unique crafter of amazing gems, by then you are pretty much hooked. He might as well go by Crack Vile.

Kurt Vile - Baby’s Arms

2. Thee Oh Sees - The Dream, Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In the Red)

Any reminder of how crazy last night’s Oh Sees concert, if you can remember, is a good thing. With plenty of reminders from the TWO albums Thee Oh Sees gave us this year, we had plenty to listen to and to haunt us, even when we are sleeping.

The Dream by Thee Oh Sees by GIMMETINNITUS

3. Dum Dum Girls - Take Care of My Baby, He Gets Me High EP (Sub Pop)

Dee Dee sure has cleaned up her act and no one is complaining. In a classic year for her, with the release of both an excellent record and an even more entertaining EP. “Take Care of My Baby” is a romantic ballad and strong showcase for Dee Dee’s amazing songwriting skills.

Dum Dum Girls - Take Care Of My Baby by malddim

4. White Fence - Get That Heart, Is Growing Faith (Woodsist)

Anyone else think that Tim Presley is really the third Davies brother? Because gosh darn it if White Fence don’t come off as sounding like they too had some sunny afternoons around Waterloo Bridge.

White Fence - Get That Heart. by LitePanda

5. Dirty Beaches - Lord Knows Best, Badlands (Zoo Music)

I want to go to town of Twin Peaks, drink the best coffee & eat delicious pie at the diner, play this song on the jukebox, sing to Audrey Horne, but then walk away with Shelly Johnson.

Dirty Beaches - Lord Knows Best by thesubs-blog

6. Pure X - Half Here, Pleasure (Acéphale)

Chillest record of the year.

Pure X: “Half Here” by alteredzones

7. Death Grips - Beware/Guillotine, Exmilitary (Third Worlds)

1 +1 = 2.
Fact.
Where the hell have I been factor + Zach Hill on drums = Solid.
Fact.

Death Grips - Exmilitary - 2 - Guillotine by deathgrips

8. Angel Olsen - Some Things Cosmic, Strange Cacti (Bathetic Records)

Not a song you would hear on a garage specialized blog, but we’re like that. Miss Olsen is quite the writer and it’s her lyricism that has me drawn to her, but damn it if homegirl doesn’t have a set of pipes.

Angel Olsen - Some Things Cosmic

9. Mikal Cronin - Hold On Me, Mikal Cronin (Trouble in Mind)

This is here for more personal reasons, but that does not change the fact that there is some special water being pumped to the masses in San Francisco, because these dudes cannot record bad tunes.

10. Ty Segall - “The Floor”, Goodbye Bread (Drag City)

Goodbye Bread is Ty’s “singer/songwriter” album, whatever that means. This album is a definite push, but one that is exciting, still holding to his rockin’ roots. It has only been making everyone just as excited to hear his next record as much as everyone is boning to see The Dark Knight Rises.

Ty Segall - The Floor

11. Circle Pit - “Slave”, Slave (Hardly Art)

With its True Romance/Wild At Heart style lyricism, “Slave” had me entranced. Its snake charmer-like guitar solo had me revisiting its mysticism throughout most of 2011.

Circle Pit - Slave / Honey by hardlyartrecords

Of course there were way more than just those 11 records that I enjoyed. There was a lot of music released this year that I enjoyed and a lot of new discoveries that didn’t come out this year. Some of those amazing artist are: Purling Hiss, Girls, The Memories, White Fang, Bleached, Habibi, Young Prisms, Peach Kelli Pop, The Rev-Lons, Sic Alps, Heavy Hawaii, Jeff The Brotherhood, Phoung Tam, Night Beats, Bazooka (Greece), Colleen Green, The Aay Jays, The Panthers, Hunters, The Beets, Dead Luke, Allah Las, The Emeralds, The Bugs, Crocodiles, Hunx and His Punx, Shannon and the Clams, Fucked Up, Milk Music, and many, many more.