As we’ve posted our favourite albums and we’re now on our way through our favourite free releases, we thought it was time we put up our tracks of 2011 too. Each of us has picked the one song that hit us hardest during the year.
Tyler, the Creator – Yonkers
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSbZidsgMfw]
“One of the rare occasions where a song blew me away so much on the first listen that I had to immediately play it again. Fresh, sinister and outright angry with the polarising character/personality/performance to back it up.” Dave
Tyler Butler – Morana
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYWOQQK9e8k]
“Winter King has been one of my albums of the year and Morana sums up everything that is good about Tyler Butler. For me, folk is at it’s best when used as a vehicle to tell a story. Butler can write with depth and convey a suitable sense of melancholy but (importantly) also manages to infuse each song with a believable honesty and endearing warmth. The perfect antidote to superficial nature of much of contemporary music.” Jon
Youth Lagoon – July
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vooM9Bxw9Rs]
“This was probably the track that I took most quickly to this year. The way the song slowly builds, gathering momentum before finally hitting a cathartic crescendo. The video I’ve included is a live session version of the song which is brilliantly recorded.” Liam
Richard Knox & Frederic D. Oberland – Sleeping Land (Part I)
“This track transports me to the ends of the earth instantly. Knox and Oberland manage to capture the violent beauty of the Arctic in a way that’s simultaneously emotional and subtle. Pure escapism.” Matt
Jamie XX – Far Nearer
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFeTNqfNthU]
“I latched onto this song the night the London riots really kicked off. I was glued to the news with this looping over and over. It felt so vibrant in comparison to everything else that was going on.” Will