8 Albums From 2011 I Forgot To (Or Just Didn’t) Review

We listen to a lot of music here at 402. A LOT. We get stacks and stacks of EPKs on top of things we pursue independently with the intention of reviewing on top of things we listen to just because we love them. Case in point: if my last.fm stats are anywhere close to reliable, I listened to ~140 Cloud Cult songs in 2011. They didn’t even put out an album in 2011!

Point is– we listen to a lot of good stuff that doesn’t get reviewed. Not because it isn’t worth telling the world about, but because we’re busy as shit. In honor of that, I’ve put together a list of 8 indie albums from 2011 that I liked but, for one reason or another, never reviewed for 402. Please note: these albums were not chosen by consensus. These are just personal favorites.

1. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

I’d never loved a Fleet Foxes record before, but I love this one. LOVE it. Especially the title track. Unfortunately, it sat near the top of my “things to review” list for so long that I basically forgot about it. But let’s be fair: Fleet Foxes have Rolling Stone and Pitchfork to sing their praises; neither they nor you need me to extoll their virtues. Just give this a listen if you didn’t get around to it. It’s awesome.

2. Wolf Gang – Wolf Gang EP

Another good EP from 2011, proving once again that good music is going back to the shorter format. This whole EP wasn’t astounding, but lead track “Lions In Cages” found a home on my Favorite Songs of 2011 mixtape, beating out big names like Gil Scott-Heron, and The Elected.

3. Action Bronson – Dr. Lecter

A chubby white dude with a beard like Rick Rubin who sounds just like Ghostface and raps about food? How can this not be awesome? Dr. Lecter blew me away, and would have been in serious consideration for an Album of the Year nod had I gotten around to reviewing it earlier.

4. Andrew Jackson Jihad – Knife Man

Okay, this may for real be my favorite album of 2011; it’s funny, sweet, genuine, caustic, and balls to the wall. I like it even more than Can’t Maintain, their 2010 album which was represented in the second installment of my short-lived Missed Gems segment. Listening to this reminds me of why music is such an incredibly powerful medium. And it makes me feel awesome.

5. MC Chris – Marshmellow Playground

I pitched a piece to PopMatters (say that three times fast!) about Marshmellow Playground, but no one bit. Turns out, 11-minute kid-themed albums by nerdcore rappers aren’t considered serious art. But this is one seriously interesting album, and one that I spent hours upon hours ruminating on. It’s deeply sad, slightly disturbing, not at all a children’s album though it is written from the point of view of a child. It opens with kids on a playground then turns into a Linkin Park-esque self-help anthem, and the last lullaby is the soundtrack to a crazed serial killer winning. Is it pastiche? Is it satire? Is it serious? All I know is that it’s a total trip.

6. Das Racist – Relax

It lacks the punch of their earlier mixtapes, but Das Racist has a proven track record of who-gives-a-fuck that rivals any artist in history. This is hip-hop for the post-gangster generation. They don’t give a fuck, and neither should we, though El-P’s guest spot is, for my money, the most valuable co-sign these guys have gotten.

7. Tyler, The Creator – Goblin

I know, I know– Tyler has officially outstayed his media welcome. Between rampant homophobia, Twitter beef with Tegan & Sara, and getting arrested for destroying a soundboard at The Roxy, Tyler hasn’t had the best PR year. But his 2011 solo effort was raw and rugged and, eye-rolling cameos by some of Odd Future’s less talented members aside, was surprisingly good. Sorry, Childish Gambino fans: I think the “angry young black guy who had a hard life growing up and wrote a record about it” award goes to Goblin.

8. Mason Jennings – Minnesota

Why didn’t I review Minnesota in 2011? Easy– I didn’t listen to it until 2012. It’s been on DJ Fuze+ for months, but I think I got him mixed up with Waylon Jennings or one of those other old-school Country Western guys and therefore just didn’t care enough to listen. When I did, I was pleasantly surprised– sweet melodies, understated piano lines, and great lyricism presented in the perfect 35-minute chunk. Given the glut of shitty music we have to wade through each year, this album is like a mouthful of mineral water after a hard workout; it goes down smooth and you’d happily have 10 more just like it.

That’s it for me chronicling my failures of 2011. See you next year, when I tell you all about the best albums of this year that I completely missed until 2013!