Top Albums and Songs of 2011

So, how was 2011? Incredible live gigs were witnessed. Indie legends Sonic Youth and R.E.M. called it quits, while legends-that-never-fully-got-their-due Pulp and Cibo Matto returned for brief reunion tours. Skrillex stripped dubstep of any grace or melody and unleashed a monstrous, kid-friendly corpse that inspired the flooding of YouTube with countless "dubstep remixes" of everything from Rebecca Black to the "You dun goofed!" guy. In terms of new music, seemingly everyone channeled r&b, chillwave became more of a tsunami, and the more grating the synth pop, the more crossover appeal it generated. In regards to the year's best albums, some didn't fit into the trends du jour or get the career-making "Best New Music" tag and were subsequently overlooked by most, and some were hyped to the point of ubiquity and have appeared on every other list. Nevertheless, these are the albums that were dearest to the heart of Simply Fuss Free in 2011

Simply Fuss Free's Guide to Every Top Albums of the Year List

December's here, which means that music critics are taking a break from discovering new music and sorting out what the last 11 months have yielded. Ever get tired of seeing nothing but the same albums in a slightly different order on every blog's end-of-the-year list? Fortunately, the science squad team here at Simply Fuss Free has cracked the formula behind the average annual list of top albums that you will read over and over again in 2011 and beyond. 

Top 20 Live Acts of 2011, Part Two

If you missed numbers 20-11, check out part one before proceeding. How does one rank for a list such as this? For example, the artists that occupy numbers 9-12 were all equally impressive for completely different reasons. The answer lies a combination of factors including everything from emotional attachment to dramatic effect, with attempts at tacking the completely subjective with some degree of objectivity thrown in for good measure. And now that the secret behind lists like these has been revealed, on with the show.

Top 20 Live Acts of 2011, Part One

Seeing bands live is my favorite thing in the world to do. Unfortunately, I have not been able to attend nearly as many shows as I would have liked this year, missing live favorites such as Little Dragon, St. Vincent, and that ball-dropping Arcade Fire Coachella set. Nevertheless, my 2011 gig history includes two stellar festivals and some rare treats, and in any case, Simply Fuss Free is back in business.

Full reviews of Primavera Sound and the Asbury Park edition of I'll Be Your Mirror are available at Consequence of Sound and One Thirty BPM, respectively.

Make a Pledge for Emmy the Great's New Album and Get Cool Swag

So Emmy the Great, one of my favourite artists from the past few years, is about to record a follow-up to 2009's stellar First Love. Studio and producer time is expensive, especially for independent musicians, so fans now have the opportunity to guarantee the release of a new album and to relieve any guilt that came from downloading First Love instead of buying it. Plus, you are rewarded for your pledges with rather interesting gifts. Autographed album for £12? Watch a rehearsal gig for the next tour for £50? Hang out with Emmy backstage at Bestival and interview artists for WaterAid (all money for this particular pledge goes to WaterAid) for £150? Songwriting workshop for £100? And did I mention that a portion of all proceeds go to charity? For some items, such as the aforementioned Bestival hookup, all money goes to a charity. Support worthy charitable causes and help fund a new Emmy the Great album? What are you waiting for?

Click here to pledge to Emmy the Great

If I can't convince you, maybe this charming video will:

In Case You Missed It: Another "Cymbal Rush"

So last month at the 40th anniversary edition of Glastonbury, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed a secret set for the massive crowd of fans that found the rumors too compelling to ignore. During the nine-song set, the breathtaking and apparently versatile "Cymbal Rush" from Yorke's The Eraser was given yet another live interpretation. When performed at the Radiohead gigs in 2008, Thom Yorke took the stage alone at the piano. While not as different as Atoms for Peace's funky, tribal performance of the song, this new take benefits from Greenwood's French Connection, giving the already spell-binding song an added layer of eeriness.

So what's your favourite?

Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood at Glastonbury:


Atoms for Peace in Boston:


Thom Yorke (minus the rest of Radiohead) at the Santa Barbara Bowl in 2008:

So I Went to Glastonbury 2010

Last year I went to Glastonbury and loved it so much, despite the overwhelming nature of the fest, the weather, and the toll it all takes on the mind and body, that I just had to return this year. Read my formal review of Glastonbury 2010 here. For a recap, here is a far-more detailed account of last year's adventure.

How did they compare? Sadly, I got sick by Wednesday night due to the stress involved with getting there and setting up, plus breathing in all that dust, and those extreme drops in temperature between day and night. Yes, I had to go to the onsite emergency room and was prescribed antibiotics for my chest and sinus infection. I only got to have one cider the entire time. Life isn't fair.

But besides this, it was the best Glastonbury yet. The Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performance and the Jarvis Cocker DJ set elevated a great lineup to the level of amazing, the artwork was better than ever, the weekend was full of Glastonbury moments that will be remembered for years, and the boiling heat and impenetrable cloud of dust gave us all a newfound appreciation for the rain and mud of previous years.

Some more photos:


Brothers Cider!


Massive crowd for England vs Slovenia


Sunset at Stone Circle is nice.


Subtle?


Deliciousness!


Every kind of craft imaginable is available at Glastonbury, and then some.


Best thing ever.


Our Father who art in Dublin, Bono be thy name...


A replica of Stonehenge made out of glowing cubes of light. This was a performance space, too.


The Rabbit Hole, an Alice in Wonderland-themed tent with "secret" tunnels that lead to all sorts of other places and venues, even a cinema. Sadly, I did not discover them all, but I got to see Jarvis Cocker dj here. Only at Glastonbury!


Scrapping plans to see Florence + the Machine, get a good dinner, and stake out a spot for Gorillaz in order to see if the Thom Yorke secret set rumours were true was the best decision ever. Jonny Greenwood was there, too!


Arcadia's amazing laser-firing, flame-spewing mega-stage monstrosity.


Dog-Faced Geisha Bar, and a bunch of tentacle-themed cartoons. Only at Glastonbury...and Japan.


Glastonbury has a Spiegeltent, and like everything else at the festival, it's a bar.


Snap!


Drum Machine. Very fun. If you did a good job playing it, it would say "the machine is happy" and you could hear every little thing you did, even with several others also doing their own thing at the same time. The best art is of the interactive variety.


Say no to crack.


Sunrise at Stone(d) Circle, aka the laughing gas capital of the world.