The Joeys: Best of 2011

Ahhh it's that time of year again where year end lists are almost impossible to avoid if you use the internet (which you obviously do if you're reading this). While I find many of the lists that seem to pop up are rather idiotic ("The 10 STIs contracted by Snooki in 2011!"), I do enjoy a lot of the current events ones and I especially enjoy the music ones which is why I try to make an effort to make my own personal list of the best of the year. That and everyone REALLY, REALLY cares what I think.

Anyway, I will shut up now and just get to the goddamn list. I now present to you Joey Lusvardi's picks for the best music of 2011!

LIVE ACT OF THE YEAR

This year, I had the privilege of going to not one but TWO music festivals, SXSW in March and Lollapalooza in August. Obviously, I saw a LOT of bands at these two festivals which made picking my favorite that much more difficult. I went back and forth between a few but ultimately decided that the best band I saw this year was...

THE SOUNDS

I didn't find out the Sounds were going to be at SXSW until just before I left and let me tell you, I flipped a shit. The night we arrived, they were playing at a party hosted by a music blog and the crafty little Soundsie that I am managed to get in in time to catch them. I was pretty far back but still danced until sweat from myself and various strangers was dripping down my entire body. The next day, I happened to run into them on the street. I was pretty damn awkward but managed to get a hug and a picture of myself with Maja!

And, if that wasn't enough, the day before we left I SAW THEM AGAIN. Yep, they were so good I saw them TWICE in three days. There's just something about Maja and her sexy dancing, her awkward Swedish accent, and that she'll randomly throw swears out that's so appealing. Oh, that and Felix is kind of sexy. Don't get me wrong, there definitely artists I saw that were better musically and others that had more energy or had something really unique to offer but there's just something about the Sounds that no other artist can quite capture.

Honorable mentions:
Lykke Li: Another Swede who I saw twice and puts on a killer performance. I had my doubts about her but when I saw her at Lollapalooza, it was an instant "WOW."

Ellie Goulding: Speaking of instant wows at Lollapalooza, ELLIE GOULDING. I am OBSESSED with this woman. She's a talented musician and that carries over live. She even keeps her cool when unexpected things happen such as a fan dancing her way on stage and going for a boob grab.


The Joy Formidable: Another Lolla act. They are insane. The trio are all incredibly with the lead singer and guitarist, Ritzy, shredding like some sort of rock goddess on her guitar... which she then proceeded to bang repeatedly into a gong during their final song. And they had giant inflatable cats. What's not to love?!

The Head and the Heart: My big discovery at SXSW, these guys (and gal) create such such incredible harmonies that will either make you happy or drink a whole whiskey river to drown your sorrows. My adviser from work and I saw them on a whim and a recommendation from a friend (Thanks, Merrijoy!) and two songs in were ready to bring them to my school's campus.

BEST NEW ARTIST

Every year I discover countless new artists because I'm a whore... A music whore, that is. Some of them are awful and I hope they fall off the face of the earth and I never hear their noise again (Ke$hit, for example). Others remind me that there is hope for the future of music. The following artist exemplifies the latter.

ELLIE GOULDING

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, are friends with me on Facebook, talk to me, or spend a significant amount of time eavesdropping on me, you know that I'm obsessed with this woman. Obsessed probably is a strong enough word, to be honest. She is glorious in every way. First off, look at her. The woman is sexy as hell. You can't see her body in this picture but she runs five miles a day even when she's on tour so she's not just a pretty face. On a more musically relevant note, she is incredibly talented as well. She makes pop music but it doesn't sound like anything you'll hear from anyone else. Unlike so many pop musicians these days, she also plays a variety of instruments. And to top it off, she's great live. She was invited to play the royal wedding, the Nobel Peace Prize concert, AND the national Christmas tree lighting ceremony this past year. Oh and her cover of Elton John's "Your Song" topped the charts in the UK. Pretty impressive for someone who hasn't been around too long, right?

Honorable mentions:

The Naked and Famous: These guys are pretty great, too. They remind me a little of the New Pornographers but, in my opinion, better. They have a nice electronic/alternative sound and have both male and female vocalists which I find quite enjoyable in a band.

The Joy Formidable: I already sang their praises in the last honorable mentions but they really deserve it again. Their whole album, The Big Roar, is a fantastic female-fronted-but-still-has-more-balls-than-most-of-the-men-I-know rock powerhouse.

The Head and the Heart: These guys are fantastic live, fantastic musically, and fantastic people (They were all really nice when I met them).

SONG OF THE YEAR

This one and album of the year are by far the most important of all of my musical picks. One song that defines an entire year? Shit, that's a pretty hefty decision to make! And with so many great songs and strong releases by a huge variety of artists, there was a huge pool to pick from.

"WHIRRING" BY THE JOY FORMIDABLE

Awwww, look at how cute Ritzy, the lead singer of the Joy Formidable, is!! She's just an adorable English woman, probably a nurse or a teacher or something non-threatening, right? WRONG. You are so fucking wrong.

See how wrong you were?

Ritzy is the definition of badass. Simply being in her mere presence is like some sort of rock-and-roll religious experience. Her badass nature is especially apparent in"Whirring," a six minute rock opera, for lack of better words to describe this masterpiece. Remember earlier when I talked about her slamming her guitar into a gong during the final song of their Lolla set? Yeah, this was that song. Any song that evokes guitar slamming is a great song in my book. The song starts out with two minutes of Ritzy's vocals along with some great guitar playing but it gets REALLY great for the last portion when the singing stops and the song becomes one giant guitar solo. And I'm not talking your grandmother's guitar solo, assuming your grandmother was/is into music that includes a guitar solo. It's more like... Fuck it, just go listen to the song. Even if you've heard it before, go listen again. You'll see what I mean.

Honorable mentions:

"The No No Song" by the Sounds: For those who remember my halfway through 2011 best of list, this song was my pick for the best song so far (I hadn't heard "Whirring" at that point). It has everything I love in a song: Angry female vocals, synths, guitars, and sexy, sexy Swedes.

"Polish Girl" by Neon Indian: A friend sent this song to me a few months back and I've been listening to it non-stop ever since. It's got a really cool electronic beat and their lead singer's voice is like silk. If I could sex his voice, I would.

"Toes" by Lights: I love Lights. She's cute, has tattoos, and plays Zelda. Oh, and she's got a great voice and makes awesome indie pop music. This song was the first one I heard from her new album, Siberia, and it still is my favorite. It's a really cute crush song that very accurately describes the feeling of being interested in someone new.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

What's harder to do than make one great song? Make 10+ of them and put them all on the same record. Like I've said, 2011 was a great year in music. So which artist made the best collection of songs from the past 365 days?

"THE HEAD AND THE HEART" BY THE HEAD AND THE HEART

You should've seen this coming by the number of times I've mentioned them already. This band is fucking incredible. How my ears lived without them remains a mystery. Their self-titled debut is one of those rare albums that I like every song on it. Every song. There's not one that I feel so-so about or think really sucks. THEY'RE ALL GREAT. There are upbeat songs ("Cats and Dogs," "Ghosts") and mellow, low key ones ("Rivers and Roads," "Winter Song") to fit any mood, any life situation, anything you feel like listening to. If this album isn't in your music collection and this band not on your radar, you're missing out on what I'm confident will be one of the greatest bands of our time.

Honorable mentions:

"Metals" by Feist: For those are familiar with Feist, you'll recognize her distinctive sound on this album. However, she still continues to grow and explore new sounds and improve (as if that's possible) on previous work.

"Ceremonials" by Florence + The Machine: Yep, Florence's sophomore album is pretty great. She makes me question whether or not the sophomore slump is real. Give "Spectrum" a listen.

"Wounded Rhymes" by Lykke Li: Another indie pop gem. This album got Lykke a lot of well deserved press this year and it translates well live. Songs range from upbeat ("Get Some") to romantic ("I Know Places") to absolutely heart wrenching ("Unrequited Love").

"Departing" by the Rural Alberta Advantage: Ahhh, Canadians... How I love thee and your music. I saw these guys twice this year, too, and they were great. "Departing" is just as good as their first album. Nils' voice is very distinctive and unique and Amy and Paul are both great musicians.

"Catching a Tiger" by Lissie: I love Lissie and this album is fantastic. It's very rock filled and Lissie is a really kickass chick. She seems really cool, too.

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM OF 2012

2012 is already looking to be a great year for music and it hasn't even begun yet. So great, in fact, that I couldn't pick just one most anticipated album and need to pick two. Oh, that and my two favorite bands have albums due out in 2012.

NO DOUBT AND METRIC

Oh lord, I've been waiting for a new No Doubt album for about as long as I can remember. AND IT'S FINALLY, FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR. The band says that they've made significant progress and... I can't wait. I'm literally going to wait outside of the store to buy this album the day it comes out. I'll probably buy like six copies actually.

Metric... How they can follow up after "Fantasies" remains a mystery. However, I remain confident that they will made another impossibly great album. Emily recently said that the album is due out in April which means I should probably start saving up for possible trips to see them at various festivals. Oh, and that means that there's hope for my dream of them touring with No Doubt, right?!

Thus concludes my list for the year. I'm sure there's tons of music I missed but I'm only one person. Here's to 2011 and to an excellent 2012!