My Favorite Albums Of 2011: Part 1 - Honorable Mentions

Here it is!  This is part one of my "Favorite Albums Of 2011" list.  The next three posts, part two and three of which will be up after a Christmas break, contain my thirty favorite records of the past year.  I spent many hours deliberating over which albums to include.  Finally, I selected the albums that made 2011 an amazing year of music.  These records were the soundtrack to my life (bonus points for the reference?) this year.  Some of them stayed in my stereo for months at a time.  This post contains ten albums that I enjoyed, but didn't quite make it into my top twenty.  Although they're out of the top twenty, I still loved each and every one of them.  In alphabetical order, here are the honorable mentions...

Active Child - You Are All I See

Active Child's Pat Grossi has a voice that fills the room like a choir.  You Are All I See took me by surprise earlier this year.  I listened to a copy of the album only knowing that it would involve a harp and lots of falsetto.  We've all heard that with female vocalists, including Florence Welch and Joanna Newsom, and it works just as well with a guy.  I went back to "Hanging On" again and again.  The entire album has a great atmosphere and is perfect for all of your zen-like activities.

Alexander - Self Titled

Ima Robot's Another Man's Treasure was on my list last year.  Alexander Ebert once again finds a spot on my playlist with his first solo effort.  He's gone from Ima Robot's dance-punk, to Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros' folk-rock, and most recently this self-titled collection of songs.  "Truth" is the faux-rap lead single, while "Glimpses" evokes Bob Dylan.

Beyoncé - 4

"Me and my boo, and my boo, boo, ridin'"  That line becomes engraved within your brain after listening to "Countdown".  Beyoncé's latest album is a mix of modern day pop and the throwback sounds of Prince and the Jacksons.  "1 + 1" is the ballad that should've been a hit.  "Love On Top" had way too many key changes for a single track, but it sounds so good.

Gotye - Making Mirrors

"Somebody That I Used To Know", a duet with Kimbra, never gets old.  The chart topping single from Gotye's third album will draw you in and then you get to witness the rest of this record.  Think of a modern equivalent to The Police with an eclectic spin.  The album may be a bit random at times and "State Of The Art" still confuses me, but I feel like Gotye filled a gap that was missing.

James Blake - Self Titled

The first time I listened to James Blake's cover of "Limit To Your Love", I made the mistake of using laptop speakers.  If you've heard the song, you can imagine what I was missing.  After getting around to a real set of speakers I found out what all the fuss was about.  James Blake is a mix of classical piano and auto-tuned electronic music.  The production on this record is precise with the perfect amount of space to breathe.  Some people call him post-dubstep, but what does that really mean?  Sometimes I find this album to be obnoxiously annoying and other days I love it.  In the end, this album deserves to be recognized.

The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

I saw The Joy Formidable live earlier this year as they opened for the Foo Fighters.  The Welsh trio put on a massive show.  Their extended instrumentals get bigger and bigger until they explode.  The Big Roar is a mix of shoegaze and pop music.  It's also an amazing debut album.

Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

You could say that Nicolas Jaar is in the same realm as James Blake.  They both take electronic elements and mix it up a little.  Nicolas adds in tastes of jazz and world music, growing up in Chile himself.  Space Is Only Noise sounds like a film.  It's moody and dramatic.  At only 21, he has the world dancing to his odd beat.

SebastiAn - Total

French electro artist, SebastiAn is the only DJ on my list.  You can hear the similar sound of his Ed Banger label mates on Total, but this record is packed from front to back.  Appearances from Mayer Hawthorne and M.I.A only sweeten the deal.  "Total" and "Tetra" are some of my favorite cuts, as they show the span of styles in his work.  This stuff is heavy.

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

Apart from the occasional single, St. Vincent's previous albums never caught my attention.  The music was fine, but nothing stood out from the crowd, it was just there.  Strange Mercy caught my attention.  It was the vulnerability of "Cheerleader". It was the beautiful La Vie En Rose melody of "Surgeon".  Nothing about this album is over the top.  Every element knows its place and performs eloquently.

Zola Jesus - Conatus

Conatus completely stopped me in my tracks.  It's been out for months, but I only recently gave this record a listen.  That voice.  She's like a darker and less accessible Florence Welch, mix in some Fever Ray-esque sounds for good measure.  The entire album is just captivating.

But wait! Before I end this post, I want to include one more record...

Ellie Goulding - Lights

When making my list, I wasn't sure where to put this album.  While the US had to wait until this year to hear the record, it was released around the world in 2010.  There are few albums that will be included later on the list that are still waiting for American releases, but they had 2011 release dates around the world.  As a result of this technicality, I consider Lights to be an album of 2010.  However, it only seems right to give it a special spot in this feature.  Ellie's voice isn't typical for pop music.  It's smoky and has more human qualities when compared to her other contemporaries.  Lights is an amazingly catchy debut that put her on the radar.

Check back after Christmas for the rest of my favorite albums, including my top three.

Foo Fighters, The Joy Formidable and Social Distortion: Live At The Verizon Center

On 11/11/11, the Foo Fighters brought their Wasting Light tour to Washington DC.  A sold out Verizon Center would witness the band play one of their final shows before starting the Australian leg of their tour.  Along with opening acts The Joy Formidable and Social Distortion, this would most definitely be a concert to remember.

The evening had a less than ideal start.  After I forgot the tickets a ticket mix-up, I headed into the stadium, bought a Foo t-shirt, grabbed some barely edible arena food, and found my seat.  If only I would have known about the group of incredibly drunk men seated directly in front of me, who would eventually be ejected from the show.  Seeing these dim circumstances certainly had me worried about the concert.  Luckily, the music turned out to be a completely different scenario.

The Joy Formidable, a trio from Wales, kicked off the night with a thirty minute set of five songs.  While the majority of the seats were still waiting for occupants, the band played hard and loud.  Those who showed up on time to see them were the lucky ones.  Takes from their album The Big Roar, including "Cradle", "Whirring", and "Austere", filled the space.  The Joy Formidable were a great way to start the concert and their sound matches the tour flawlessly.

While the arena continued to fill, Social Distortion began to play.  Lukewarm at first, the band picked up momentum as they went on.  "Story Of My Life" was a turning point, as it led into a stretch of songs ending with the climax of their "Ring Of Fire" cover.  Social Distortion felt like an odd fit to fill the spot between The Joy Formidable and Foo Fighters.  I feel like the order of Social Distortion playing before The Joy Formidable would've made more sense.  Either way, the Foo Fighters were up next and everyone was more than ready.

It was evident from the first note of "Bridge Burning" that tonight was going to be something special.  Having grown up between Springfield and Alexandria, Dave Grohl declared this his hometown show.  With a sold out arena of dedicated fans, the Foo Fighters pumped out a set that clocked in at three hours.

The majority of their latest record, Wasting Light, was heard along with a massive selection of their biggest singles and classic tracks spanning across almost every album.  Identical to Wasting Light's order, the set's opening song flowed directly into "Rope" with roaring excitement from an overly eager room.  After the two opening acts and several stage changes, these two songs seemed to fly by at an incredible pace.  By now, ever single body in the building was either dancing, throwing up the horns, or screaming every word back to the stage.  A familiar set of "The Pretender", "My Hero", and "Learn To Fly" followed.  "My Hero" was the night's climax in terms of crowd participation.

The band pummeled through song after song only to be occasionally interrupted by the always captivating, and often hilarious, banter or backstory.  Drummer, Taylor Hawkins took over the vocals for "Cold Day In The Sun" and once again for a cover of Pink Floyd's "In The Flesh?".  "These Days" was transformed into a Veteran's Day dedication, while "This Is A Call" reached back to the self-titled album.  "All My Life" ended the set as the lights went down to a howling crowd.

Encores on the Wasting Light tour have been notoriously long and filled with surprises, so when Dave came back out and stood upon a raised platform for an acoustic set, the enormous Verizon Center turned intimate.  He spoke to the audience between verses and sing-along choruses of "Wheels", "Best Of You", and "Times Like These".  The latter of the three led back into a full band performance.  I must admit that the solo acoustic rendition of "Best Of You" really changed how I feel about the song.  I've gone from liking it to loving it.

After the acoustic jam, Grohl introduced Bob Mould, of Hüsker Dü and Sugar, who joined the band for "Dear Rosemary" and a cover of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' "Breakdown".  Mould's irreplaceable vocals made "Dear Rosemary" one of the night's most memorable moments.  The Foo Fighters ended their marathon of a show with an all out rendition of "Everlong" that left everyone in the building at a new high.  It was the song that no one wanted to end, but it did, and everyone reluctantly stood in awe as the band left the stage

Unless you're dying to see the performing artist, I wouldn't suggest choosing the Verizon Center for a venue.  Unfortunately, it's nearly the only choice in DC for a venue of arena proportions.  Still, the Foo Fighters overshadowed every single complication or problem that I was faced with.  This was a concert that I'll never forget and I'll always recommend you see the Foo Fighters if ever possible.  Plus, they promised to play the 930 Club next time around and that is a show you will not want to miss.

Download: Foo Fighters - "Wasting Light"

Download: The Joy Formidable - "The Big Roar"

Download: Social Distortion - "Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes"