Groovemine contributor, ADRIAN ROJAS, presents his picks for the most compelling records of the year (in no particular order):
James Blake (self-titled)
Not only is this the most compelling and innovative album of the year, but it’s one the finest knit pieces of music to have been released over the past five years. Non-traditional dubstepper James Blake solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with his self-titled debut album, a piece that — to this day — enchants me with its woozing bass and uncharacteristically poignant lyricism. James Blake is as novel as it is superb, as James Blake’s melding of vocoder-enhanced cooing and two-step drum patterns combine to create something so hauntingly unlike anything else released this year.
w h o k i l l by tUnE-yArDs
A New England white girl pushing Afro-beat music? I wouldn’t have expected myself, but Merrill Garbus’ tUnE-yArDs project created a flawlessly addicting album in w h o k i l l, which grabs influences from nearly every corner of the planet, including traditional and non-traditional African sounds. Garbus’ cathartic lyricism (“There is a freedom in violence that I don’t understand, and like I’ve never felt before”), and her perfect dictation of melody (See: “Gangsta”) help to make this one of the most infectious albums of the year.
Read the Groovemine review
Black Up by Shabazz Palaces
Led by Palaceer Lazaro, better known by his real name Ishmael Butler, Shabazz Palaces is as left-field as one could get in terms of hip-hip. After a successful 2010 that saw the release two excellent EPs (Of Light, Shabazz Palaces), the group’s debut full-length, Black Up, featured unorthodox instrumentals and abstract lyricism that’s unlike any other hip-hop you’ve ever heard. Hell, if you want to know what this album is about, the self-descriptive last line from the standout/closer “Swerve… The Reaping of All That is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)” explains it all: “This shit is way too advanced.”
Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls
I’m going to get a lot of flak for what I’m about to say, but Girls are the modern day Beach Boys. Their 2009 debut album, conveniently entitled Album, still to this day manages to make my eyes a little glossier than normal. So, when they followed Album with Father, Son, Holy Ghost, I was a little apprehensive to say the least. I was scared they would somehow find a way to ruin the magic that was their debut, but instead, they created an album that can stand close very close it. Father... is a titillatingly enchanting look into love, loss, and regret, filled with remarkable instrumentation (check out “Vomit”) and the voice of a troubled man.
Read the Groovemine review
House of Balloons by The Weeknd
2011 may go down as the year R&B reached the indie masses — again. The Weeknd, a Toronto-based project created by Abel Tesfaye, brought a burgeoning drug-obsessed, sex-craving, and dopey scene to the limelight. Combining groggy, drug-influenced beats, The Weeknd’s candid sound can make everything going around you seem like a sexual escapade. Tesfaye’s effortlessly integrates hard-as-fuck rapping (“Complaints from the tenants/ Got the walls kickin’ like they 6 months pregnant/ Drinkin’ Alizé with our cereal for breakfast”) and delicate crooning, creating an album that’s one of the most fervent in recent memory.
>>MORE COMPELLING MUSIC...
+ Read KYRSTEN BEAN's picks for The Most Compelling Music of 2011
+ Read JENNIFER MILLS' picks for The Most Compelling Music of 2011
+ Read ADAM SHANLEY's picks for The Most Compelling Music of 2011
+ Read NEIL LEVENS' picks for The Most Compelling Music of 2011
