Massive 2011 Songs Post

I plan on doing lists for my favorite albums, songs, movies, and video games from 2011. I spend most of my free time enjoying and hunting for stuff I would like, and if you found this blog you might like what I’ve found. So HERE WE GO:

Blawan - Getting Me Down

Pretty much a must have on any year end list. Catchiest stuff I listened to over and over again this year. Here’s the track that is sampled if you are interested in that.

 Also featured in the super-nineties music video is this dance I don’t even know what the fuck

Always amazing to hear what talented music makers can do with so little. On Resident Advisor’s year-end tracks list, they quote Blawan talking about making “Getting Me Down” which is more interesting than what I’ve written so far.

Markus Captain Kaarlonen - The Fight

Rochard is a nice little puzzle/platformer that has great high points and many low points, but this isn’t the video game post (yet)

This track may not be super impressive, it has a pretty generic electronic-ooh-we’re-in-space feel. But the problem with putting a video game soundtrack song on here is that having experienced the song while floating in low gravity with your mining laser  boosts the song’s promise for me.

Long Arm - Double Bass In Love

Wow, until today I had not seen this video. Not sure if it’s official, where the hell that clip is from, or who  is, but this video is pretty perfect for the feel of the song. Lonely, fuzzy, jazzy. Great listening for late nights. This album as a whole was pretty perfect for late nights as well. Reminds me of a more jazzed out version of Bonobo’s album from last year, Black Sands which is highly recommended as well.

Tyler, The Creator - Tron Cat

I know “Yonkers” was a top 10 track of the year (and video) but “Tron Cat” fucking rides and is even more quotable in the wacked out way Odd Future is. 

“Wolves, I know you heard of us, we’re murderous

And young enough to get the fucking priest to come and flirt with us”

Also, in regular conversation, “I’m awesome” is no longer a finished thought without “..and I fuck dolphins.” This is Tyler’s fault so FUCK YOU TYLER

MED - Where I’m From (Feat. Aloe Blacc)

I guess I’m cheating because this was a single since 2010, but the album came out this year (and it was aight… I think I deleted it from the HD a while ago) Oh No is great, Aloe Blacc improves any song, and MED is… consistent. Catchy “real” hip-hop from the legendary Stones Throw. Shit, I don’t have any links or gifs to spice up this writing… guess Aloe’s caramel voice will just have to speak(?) for itself.

The Weeknd - The Party & The After Party

The first half of this song shows off the group’s sly, cocky, promiscuous attitude. The second half shows off what makes The Weeknd different from any other soft-voiced smooth-talking RnBers. The bleakness and regret that comes from living the OVOXOLOLYMCMBYOLO* lifestyle is rarely shown off. Probably because in the end Abel doesn’t regret a thing.

*not 100% sure this is a thing

Araab Muzik - Streetz Tonight

I was going to upload a video of me explaining how this dance-y sounding song is still very hip hop and then a second video of me rapping over this beat.. but then I read a YouTube comment that totally expressed my views! Sorry, no video today or ever.

Are some of you on here stupid? People are commenting as if Araab made this beat as a remix of the original, and they are comparing it like one version is better than the other. People, this is not a remix and its not dubstep, its a hiphop beat made with a dance sample! Saying its boring because its repetative is stupid as its not a dance track that needs to have bigs drops and multiple changes to keep the listener interested. People that are followers of hiphop will get it! DaGhost99 

Thank you DaGhost99! Keep up the good work!

Shabazz Palaces - Are You… Can You… Were You? (Felt)

No one should be surprised at this album as Ismael “Butterfly” has had a handle on good hip hop since Digable Planets. Listening to this song evolve from a chill out head bobber to a fucking anthem on the state of Hip Hop is nothing short of incredible. That last verse is worth reading on (the amazing!) Rap Genius.

Radiohead - Lotus Flower

I’m doing this post in one sitting, so I might be getting lazier at writing stuff. There really isn’t much to say though, just Thom singing about being lonely or something over a humming bassline. And I loved it.

Curren$y - Full Metal

Sometimes you need a badass song to walk around the halls to like you’re Big Meech. Sometimes you need a badass song to convert to .wav and place in some hidden folder so you can tune into your custom radio station on GTA San Andreas and ride around the city like you’re Larry Hoover. 

In reality though, Curren$y is a busy man, releasing four Mixtapes/Free LPs/Albums/Things With Songs throughout the year. Good on you, spitta andretti.

Frank Ocean - Swim Good

Still can’t decide whether Frank Ocean is just riding the Odd Future hype just to get his name out there? Check out his interview with GQ. 

“Orange. Why do I like orange so much? ……………… I think, I’m just trying to remind people to get their vitamin C, get their supplements… and shit”

He’s just as much OF as Mike G, who did a good job with the chopped and screwed version of this song.

Jacques Greene - Another Girl

What does it mean to feel like “Another Girl?” Hell if I know. I do know Pitchfork’s blurb on this song is short, sweet, and quite agreeable:

2011 was a banner year for R&B appearing in unexpected places, but few instances sounded as euphoric as in Jacques Greene’s “Another Girl”. Like its 2010 predecessor, Girl Unit’s “Wut”, “Another Girl” twists and turns on single-syllable eruptions of joy. Here the primary motif is a Ciara sample from her song “Deuces”: “You got me feeling like a…” Greene builds from it slowly, allowing those smaller samples to skirt around each other alongside a synth line that restlessly moves left and right. Sometimes you’re asked how you feel and you don’t quite have words to respond; depending on the day, a spin through “Another Girl” could be the answer. —Hari Ashurst 

So there you go, Alex gets out of writing once again! Ha-ha!

Clams Casino - Motivation

A lot of times, the producer leaves a beat lifeless, leaving it to the rapper to inject some life into the song. On “Motivation,” Clams leaves the beat with a faint sign of life as the sample slips in and out. This song fucking owns and Clammy will be getting $$$PAID$$$ for years to come.

Blu - My Sunshine (Feat. Nia Andrews)

I have nothing but respect for Blu and everything he does. Below the Heavens is a stone cold classic, and was where Blu got his recognition with the veteran, Exile. The next step is usually slippery for people who were blessed with early success. “What do you do now, after a classic album?” Judging by the mellowed out, relaxed flow found on Blu’s projects from this year’s NoYork! and Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them his answer is: “Whatever the hell I want.”

CFCF - Cometrue

If you’re listening to the songs on this list, you might be noticing a pattern here.

1) Electronic beats

2) Some kind of simple melody

3) Meloncholy, desolate vocal samples

“WELP, BETTER PUT THIS SHIT ON TUMBLR”

— Me

In fact, lets just get the rest of the songs that fit that description, that I also included on my “Songs 2011” playlist on foobar.

James Drake - Measure It All

Great mashup from Bombé & Mr. Caribbean.

Is this footwork? This sounds like Burial. Is this dubstep? No, no way. What the hell is this?

——THIS ENDS THE ELECTRONIC SONGS THAT ‘FIT THE DESCRIPTION’ AND BEGINS THE THE POPULAR HIP-HOP SECTION——

Kanye West & Jay-Z - Otis

Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this song. Swagga, Aziz Ansari. I mean this isn’t even the first time Kanye brought some pricey Otis samples into his music. I have to admit though, this line is fuckin’ awesome:

“Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive”

— Yeezy

That line is like, the epitome of Kanye West, maaaaan.

Terius Nash - Wake Me When It’s Over

Terius Nash aka The-Dream aka Mr. Yeah aka Love King is sad as hell :(

I mean, if their had to be a theme to this year’s popular music it was “Man I really regret treating my Ex like shit.” The Weeknd does share his regret, as brief as it may be, Drizzy Drake aka The Kitten Whisperer aka OctobVariesOwn spends a lot of Take Care asking his girls to remember him, not get engaged, wait up a bit, blah blah blah. And now The-Dream is regretting cheating on his wife. 

Oh well thanks for the music!

Common - Blue Sky

I don’t know why I was surprised about how great Common’s The Dreamer / The Believer was. Maybe it was the cheesy name, that the last time I saw Common was him getting crossed up on the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, or maybe it was how lame it was that he didn’t respond to my super awesome tweet at him. Well, despite all that.. this album is pure, old school hip-hop. This sounds retarded, but Common is the “realest” rapper around. Something tells me he wouldn’t approve of my next song, though.

Drake - Lord Knows (Feat. Rick Ross)

There’s only one way to convey how loud I listen to this song, and how much I like it:

Thanks for reading! -Alex