I didn’t realize how good music was in 2011 until I started making my year-end lists. Though I had trouble deciding just what would make the awards podium, the wealth of remarkable material is, well, remarkable. You’ll probably notice, when it’s all said and done, there are a number of high profile omissions, that says more about the quality of music this year than what may have been “lacking” in those releases–also, I didn’t want to have 30 or 40 honorable mentions in addition to a top 20. Without further ado, let’s open the flood gates with a list of EPs, splits, and LPs that were great but didn’t quite fit in my top 20. In other words, I really enjoyed these and got tired of trying to assign numbers, but felt these in need of a spotlight. (Don’t read anything into the order, it’s all alphabetical, folks.) (more…)
January 9, 2012
Best Records of 2011: Honorable Mentions
Posted by johnschlotfelt under 2011, Best Of, Chicago, Corn-Fed Music, Iowa, Music | Tags: Alex Body, Black Milk, Childish Gambino, Coppertone, Danny Brown, Ela Orleans, Glenn Jones, Jacaszek, James Blake, Joe Jack Talcum, Mandelbrott & Skyy, Night-People Records, Russian Circles, Ryan Garbes, Samuel Locke Ward & The Boo Hoos, Street Gnar, The Atlas Moth, The Roots, The Skull Defekts, Thrill Jockey, Toby Goodshank, YOB, Zola Jesus |Comments Off
May 6, 2011
Gold Sounds: Deluxe Double Fold
Posted by johnschlotfelt under Corn-Fed Music, Download, Gold Sounds, Iowa, Music, Review | Tags: Candy Dinner, Dirty Beaches, DIY, Ela Orleans, Iowa Music, Mix Tape, Night-People Records, We Shave |Comments Off
Last summer, Night-People label head, Shawn Reed, unleashed Cola-Heavy Nights, a mix of then recently released and upcoming tracks from the label; dude’s at it again. We’re barely even into spring and Reed already has another summer-themed sampler of recent and upcoming Night-People jams.
From the greaser quaffed Dirty Beaches to the dopamine-diluted reggae of Coppertone; from the sleepy psych of Reed’s fellow Wet Hair bandmate Ryan Garbes to the synthy wisps of Three-Legged Race; Deluxe Double Fold is all the drunken euphoria, backyard bbqs, sweat-soaked porch hangs, and heat-stroked pass outs you can experience.
Go ahead and get down, cause Reed’s broken us off with a lil’ taste of the Night-People Records’ summer output for free. Download it here. Check the tracklisting (with a couple cuts streaming) below: (more…)
