Favorite Albums of 2011 #21 through 17

21: Old Silver Key - Tales of Wanderings

This mostly-instrumental album, which may be classifiable as blackgaze, incorporates elements of folk music nicely to go with textured layers of guitar noise. It's gloomy but has a good amount of energy to it.

20: Maria Taylor - Overlook

I've written about her before. It's her voice and the warm glow of the guitar feedback that make this album so intimate and its sentiment so heartfelt.

19: Austra - Feel it Break

Debut album from this Canadian synth pop group. I love the synth tones, which have a heavy sort of echo to them. It's sort of dance music but has a chilly atmosphere and outstanding vocals; whereas Maria Taylor's (see above) convey warmth, this album is sung with a strong, almost shrill voice that is nonetheless, disarmingly pretty.

18: Obits - Moody, Standard and Poor

Fast-paced post-punk with a great sense of urgency to it. Also, guitars that sound as hollow as this are always a winner.

17: Amebix - Sonic Mass

Amebix have generally been associated with hardcore punk, but this album (their first in 24 years!) is a blend of punk and metal. There's a rawness to everything, from the barked vocals to the grinding guitars. There's a lot of energy here for a band that formed 33 years ago. Not everything is dialed up to 11 though; the slow songs work really well, perhaps showcasing the powerful guitar sound better than the fast ones.

Favorite Songs of 2011 (part 3)

Frank Turner - "I Still Believe"


Fugiya & Miyagi - "16 Shades of Black and Blue"


The Horrible Crowes - "Behold the Hurricane"


Iron & Wine - "Walking Far From Home"


Katie Costello - "The Weirds"


Kurt Vile - "Ghost Town"


La Dispute - "King Park"


Low - "Especially Me" (they cut the song short by about a minute and a half in this video)


Manchester Orchestra - "Virgin"


Maria Taylor - "Masterplan"


Mastodon - "Black Tongue"


Mates of State - "Maracas"


Mogwai - "Rano Pano"

Maria Taylor - Overlook (2011)

Maria Taylor is an alt-country musician and Overlook is her fourth album released under her own name. She's also been featured on four albums as one half of the folk duo Azure Ray. While Azure Ray's music is low-tempo, low-key and has a sense of fragility to it, Taylor's solo work is more lively and has a poppier feel to it. The first thing I noticed was how great her singing voice is. Of course that was true of her previous albums, but I had forgotten just how beautiful her voice is. The production handles it perfectly, at times lending an airy quality to it that contributes the album's emotionally-dense feel. I think one of the marks of a really great singer is when you hear him or her sing, you’re convinced the words mean more than they actually do. That happens while I listen to Overlook, and that’s an exciting thing. I felt like the music itself was as emotive as her voice but there’s a weight to the music. Anyone can sing sad songs over soft acoustic guitar plucking, but here Taylor really layers sounds, strings here, a warm synth tone there and a bluesy guitar solo for good measure. So much alt-country sounds like it goes through the motions, trying one cliche after another. The authenticity I hear in her voice and the beauty of the arrangements make Overlook an above average album for those who have an interest in the style.

9.0 / 10