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Favorite
Flagpole's
Athens Albums from 2011
I2ST 3STO IPJLT^TICITXjJLIR, ORDER...
Minima Moralia by Tunabunny
This album snagged the band its first substantial national and international
coverage created a sizable buzz at this year s CMJ Music Marathon and will
catapult the band into its first tour of the U K in February And it's a devil because
careful, sustained repeated and observant listening—the kind that goes deeper
than the easy touchstones of noisy pop. post-punk influences and melodic
vocals—reveals an album packed with pam confusion, isolation longing, grasp
ing and gasping Its certainty is wobbly and emerging It holds a defiant stance, but
with its fists m its pockets Its a guitar album that has no heroes and, in a grand
sense, no history It's the biggest gulp of fresh air this year (Gordon Lamb)
The Future Doesn't Need You by
Gripe
Its so difficult to create a truly individual
sound in the codified world of hardcore/
power violence/gnndcore Even the bands
that attempt to put their own spin on things
generally submit to being the third version of
much better known groups Gripe is different
The band's first record of 2011. The Future
Doesn 't Need You, is the document that put
Gripe on hardcores map The reaction from
the underground press, which resides largely
online these days has been overwhelming
Gripe gave good reason to stop being an
apologist tor weaker bands simply because
they were new. sounded familiar, had good
intentions, etc Significantly though there s
never been the feeling from Gripe that they
were putting out a challenge to anyone
The quality of the work was |ust such that it
automatically became a thing to enioy and
envy The band proved that if the creativity is
there, then the rules are meaningless Sure,
hardcore and punk have always liked to say
that there are no rules Bullshit There are tons of rules, and everyone knows them.
And thank God tor them, because they help keep stupid bands corralled Gripe
needs no walls (GU
Comfort by powerkompany
Powerkompany is a testament to the collaborative spirit, ana the beautiful fruit
, it can bear Husband and wrfe duo Mane Davon and Andrew Heaton put their heads
•ogether in creating this acoustic/electronic dream-pop project, and the results
preserved on Comfort are by turns soul-stirring
and heartbreaking (David Fitzgerald)
Black Velvet by
Madeline Adams
On this release, local treasure Madeline
Adams explores more abstract lyrical territory
while backed by the measured and thoughtful
arrangements of her band Once again Adams
proves herself to be one this towns finest
songwriters, with an album full of vivid stories
and dynamic melodies featuring her captivating,
deceptively sweet vocals and biting wit (Michelle
Gilzenratl
People and Places by
FLTRSK
2011 was a huge year for electronic music. I——rjgz
and thanks primarily to FIT RSK Athens can
claim a piece of that cultural shift This chameleonic trio's genre-quantum-leaping
turned their debut album. People and Places, into a multifaceted tour de force
Creatively daring, unconscionably danceable and never, ever dull; don't miss this
FLT (OF)
Better Things by Easter Island
Released in March this year. Better Things felt as light and sweet as the spring
breeze, but its lovely tones feel even richer now as a soundtrack to the winter
months It shimmers like the Christmas lights wrapped around trees downtown,
and it envelopes you like a plush down comforter And that's true even on songs
like "Into Bedrooms*; despite lyrics that threaten. “I could kill you. and I d like to
I d destroy you," the song still feels about as abrasive as a Snuggie With dulcet
piano tones, echoey guitars and the Payne brothers' gentle vocal vibrato, Easter
Island makes some of the prettiest music to be found in town (MG)
Have You Met Lera Lynn ? by
Lera Lynn
This was a huge year for Lera Lynn Her song "Bobby. Baby" took first place
in the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at Merlefest. she gained a dedicated
local following that came out in droves to see her play both solo and with her band;
her cover of TV on the Radio’s "Wolf Like Me’ got over 45 000 views on YouTube
And this record stands as both a bold introduction to her work and a testament to
her growing potential Lera Lynn writes country songs that are full of bluesy grit,
but her vocals never get too twangy Instead they seduce with the breathy, smoky
tones of a iazz singer The pleasure is ours. Lera Lynn, and we look forwarding to
meeting you again in the new year (MG)
Breaks in the Armour by
Crooked Fingers
This albums strongest attribute is its sincere directness Eric Bachmann
(Arches of Loaf) exhibits great restraint, reeling in his pop tendencies to create a
stark yet beautifully nuanced collection of songs wraoped in ragged Americana
and propelled by tension The album was
recorded locally with Matt Yelton at The
Bakery, and I'm glad Bachmann decided to
stick around so Athens can officially call
Crooked Fingers its own (MG)
Maybe These Are
the Breaks by
Masters of tne
Hemisphere
With Athens greatest comeback record
of the year. Masters of the Hemisphere return
in fine form with their first release in nearly
a decade This record offers pure, unadul-
terated indie-pop bliss with bright, catchy
melodies coated with just the right amount
of sheen The song structures often feel
deceptively simple because the tunes are so
fun and easygoing, but Masters' songwriting
approach is more ambitious than ever On
Maybe These Are the Breaks the band tra
verses that signature Kindercore jangle-pop sound as well as acoustic ballads and
even a little country folk, complete with steel guitars (MG)
Oblangle Fizz, Y'all by Reptar
This Ben Men-produced EP could never completely live up to the hype and
high expectations of Reptar s rabid tanbase, but it certainly proved effective, none
theless The risk was that Reptar's own reputation would upstage the release How
could any recording compete with the Dionysian jubilation of the band's live gigs 7
ft couldnT, but frankly, it didn't matter Instead
of trying to mimic the live experience, the EP
revealed the nuanced arrangements and subtle
ties of Reptar's songwriting that sometimes get
lost in all the costumes and confetti Elements
like Graham Ulicny’s delightfully malleable
vocals—at turns accented, exaggerated and
playful—take center stage here Occasionally the
tunes get lost in their own ambition, ambling off
in opposing directions, but even those imperfec
tions showcase an underlying sense of adven
turousness that will continue to propel the group
forward Reptar has not yet reached its peak, uut
it's on its way up fast (MG)
wn Ww i wf i ana war
PUNCH DRUNK
- t -m wK- -JINK
Punch Drunk by Don
Chambers + GOAT
“Like Tom Waits fronting a Southern rock
band* seemed to be the critics' consensus on
this one. and it's a winning combination that
Chambers has perfected It's a raunchy, heavy take on Southern Gothic that features
Chambers' most visceral vocal performance to date This album is gritty, some
times sleazy, but always fierce Or. as Bao Le-Huu wrote in his review for Flagpole
in November,"Punch Drunk is a towering, swaggering triumph that's dizzyingly
rich, dark as the night and unrelentingly massive.* (MG)
Honorable Mention:
1. No Weight No Chain by Ruby Kendrick
2. Your God Is Dead to Me Now by Five Eight
3. Tournament by Manray
4. Hide the World by Dodd Ferrelle
5. Form a Sign by Grape Soda
6. Rise On Up and Melt by Efren
7. We’re Not Coming Back This Way by Sam Sniper
8. Psychopomp by Kuroma
9. Castlebandia by Bit Brigade
10. Contenders by Ken Will Morton
11. Manifest Blasphemy by Yo Soybean
16 FLAGPOLE.COM -DECEMBER 21, 2011
