Live4ever’s Essential Listening end of year retrospective continues today with our pick of the tracks and EPs which have crossed the Live4ever Ezine‘s path during the past twelve months.
Featuring stand-out singles from some of the rock world’s best established artists, as well as plenty of impressive releases from a selection of our favourite new bands, we hope the rundown will inspire you to both check out the artists featured, and let us know of your own highlights from 2011 by leaving a comment below.
And if your nearest and dearest isn’t included today, be sure to check back next Wednesday to see if they are featured on the third and final instalment of our 2011 recap, Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2011 – The Albums.
25: Kings Of Leon – ‘Back Down South‘
“‘Back Down South’ isn’t just a nostalgic ode to home and to early influences, but to a time when Kings Of Leon made great records.”
24: abandcalledboy – ‘Teenage Parasites’
“…with ‘Teenage Parasites’ abandcalledboy are onto a firm sample of the kind of brutal noise rock that will make them a live act to be reckoned with in the next few years.”
23: Friendly Fires – ‘Hawaiian Air’
“…a goofy, unselfconscious and shining pop anthem that one can’t help get their MC Hammer-meets-Flashdance groove on to. ‘Up in the sky Honolulu-bound!’ Party on.”
22: The Strokes – ‘Under Cover Of Darkness’
“The unmistakable sound of The Strokes blasting through the speakers was like welcoming an old friend with a new swagger, but the same outfit, after much too long a time.”
21: Badly Drawn Boy – ‘I Saw You Walk Away’
“It’s like sitting alone, watching the sun rise on the first day of summer – a song sent to anyone who has known the trials that come with falling in love.”
20: The Subways – ‘It’s a Party’
“If you were expecting a huge leap forward in both maturity and experimentation then you may be rather disappointed. This does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a party.”
19: Pete MacLeod – ‘Rolling Stone’
“… a message that’s simple but appealing and that makes you want to pack your bags and head out on a voyage that’s yours and yours alone…”
18: Foster The People – ‘Pumped Up Kicks’
“…know how to produce familiar lighthearted tunes with a modern twist and a liberal dollop of summer time abandon. Savvy indie pop doesn’t come much sharper than this.”
17: The Janice Graham Band – ‘Murder’
“…obviously keen to deal with the raw reality they’ve come from in the same way they deal with their music – head on with a grin, and a refusal to compromise.”
16: Dead Social Club – ‘Syrian Kisses EP’
“It’s rock, and it’s not even rock. Guitars don’t seem to matter to DSC as much as good song-writing and nifty fingers at the effects station…”
15: Feist – ‘How Come You Never Go There?’
“Feist has imbued her single with a genuine pleasantness that insists on itself, like she has with much of her back catalogue – one that’s hard not to enjoy, or feel cheated by.”
14: The Black String Theory – ‘This Clouded View’
“If you like your sensitive side of alternative music backed up with some muscle then this fulfills the criteria on all accounts. Play loud. Very loud.”
13: Foo Fighters – ‘Rope’
“Raucous and melodic, new single ‘Rope’ has a legitimate thrill about it. There’s urgency and the desperation of unspoken promises in Grohl’s longing bark of a voice.”
12: Letting Up Despite Great Faults – ‘Paper Crush EP’
“Although it’s the sort of dream-pop that would’ve sent the indie kids crazy in the late 80s, nothing here sounds like a throw-back.”
11: Keren Ann – ‘My Name Is Trouble’
“…perhaps it is this unexpected unique marriage between the song’s catchy temperament and a frail yet crisp vocal that makes for a winning formula.”
10: Pint Shot Riot – ‘Twisted Soul’
“Sharp new wave guitars swimming around a reverberating bass-line, all underpinned with a steadily evolving fist-in-the-air quality.”
9: Brett Anderson – ‘Brittle Heart’
“It’s quite possibly the finest moment of his solo career and a return to a sound that could be described as much more mainstream than most of his solo work has been.”
8: Little Vegas Lies – ‘A Truth Not Far Away’ EP
“’Say you want it all, but you don’t know what you got,’ sings Moore, though it’s pretty clear what we have here – a confident young band going places, and fast.”
7: Okkervil River – ‘Rider’
“A much less literary affair, even with the world-weary ennui Will Sheff works into every release… comes with an uneasy angst that will have you fist-pump first and head-scratch later.”
6: Elbow – ‘Lippy Kids’
“Elbow’s new single is a heartbreaking look at childhood’s end, touching on half remembered instances of pre-adolescent pain, when ‘nobody at home knew me any more’.”
5: The Savage Nomads – ‘The Magic Eye’
“Diverse is the word to describe this band, making individual track commentary a bit like giving a run down of a compilation album.”
4: The Black Keys – ‘Lonely Boy’
“…a quick, powerful fix for all of the hungry Black Keys fans tapping their toots in anticipation of their next all-American meal.”
3: Lykke Li – ‘Sadness Is a Blessing’
“‘Wounded Rhymes’ is as apt a phrase as you’re ever going to find for this music, which is as just as well, since ‘Sadness Is a Blessing’ comes from that same album.”
2: The Slow Show – ‘Midnight Waltz EP’
“With…a musical potential that is bordering on limitless, brace yourselves for whatever The Slow Show decide to throw at us next.”
1: Tom Williams & The Boat – ‘Get Older‘
“…sweeps and slides seamlessly between country and rock, underpinned by the impressive power and bittersweet lyrics of the aforementioned frontman.”
Essential Listening 2011 series:
Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2011 – The Gigs
Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2011 – The Tracks
Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2011 – The Albums
My most favourite EPs of 2011 are:
Acoustic EP – The Twilight SadPlaces To Haunt (EP) – Netherlan