The Year That Was: 2011′s Best Projects #30-21

#30 Metal Chocolates Metal Chocolates

Atmospheric sounds and abstract raps. Nothing better will capture what is to be heard on Metal Chocolates.

OC Notes stays in his Pioneer Square lab, always making something new, usually via new methods and means. Never one to stay on one tip for too long you can expect dusty crate digging sounds next to lighting fast drum chops next to live instrumentation including the plucking of a guitar string by the man himself. His ever shifting mind frame makes for an exciting and unique sound not in the vein of any of his peers.

Rik Rude is the cigar rockstar who runs with that crazy crew Out For Stardom, follows soccer like he was born across the pond and sips red wine and nothing else. His bars are rarely easily decipherable, using his writtens to express an inner curiosity about life and the world. His adlibs are more deliberate than your favorite rapper and he I challenge you to come up with another emcee whose flow feels like the notes coming out of Miles horn or Herbie’s keys.

As you enter the world that is Metal Chocolates you won’t want to leave. You will beg for more “Pioneer Square Powerded Donuts” as you get high on the “Opium of Love.” “Afro Egypt” queens will enchant your dreams while you cruise with the “Candy Store Controller” on a quest for “High Tea” at the “Big Band Cinema.” As the world takes shape you’ll be “Lookin For Love” in “Glass Elevators” that whisk you away faster than a deadly “Car Chase.” Peace will be found in “Peanut Butter Raspberry” fields where “Everything Stays Dipped” and no one stresses “Chocolate Grills for Cavities.” And this is just the “Intro.”
-Will J.

<a href="http://metalchocolates.com/album/metal-chocolates">Metal Chocolates by Metal Chocolates</a>

#29 KeithCharles Spacebar BeforeCommonEra

This is one of those albums that I discovered thanks to the Bandcamp searching of Will and I’m really glad he’s got no life and an amazing passion. However, when I was processing all my albums from 2011 to create my top 25 list, I almost forgot to include this album in the folder! I don’t mean that as an insult, rather a compliment because this project feels very familiar without sounding used.

On “PrettyBrownEyedGirl” the references to an older time are obvious: warm keys set upon dusty drums with a bouncy bass line and hook paying tribute to an abstract concept of Van Morrison’s classic tune. However, the tune escapes a blasé fate with an interesting slide from the upbeat chorus to the downtempo verse. It’s a simple development, but it provides the listener with a necessary layer of complexity that keeps you jiving with the music and wishing you had a comparable equivalent to Spacebar’s sultry topic.

Continuing with this type of silently confident vibe, “Blowing O’s” finds Spacebar mixing it up with a smooth jazz beat that makes for a great headphone track because of its sound manipulation. With light keys panned right, a melancholy horn panned left, and an accenting trumpet square in the center of the mix, the vocals slide nicely into the mix to make for smooth tune perfect for a lazy afternoon with something special.

Although, I wouldn’t consider KeithCharles to be the most dynamic of all MCs, he exploits his available talents well and selects quality backing tunes. Considering BeforeCommonEra is KeithCharles’ first release, this guy has to be watched because it seems this young man has the touch necessary to rock some good stuff.
-Kyle J.

KeithCharles Spacebar “Blowin O’s”
<a href="http://spacebar.bandcamp.com/track/blowinos">BlowinO’s by KeithCharles Spacebar</a>

#28 Craft Spells Idle Labor

The title of Craft Spell’s first full length is an ideal fit when describing its effortless feel. From beginning to end the eleven tracks flow with finesse into one another, balancing a fare share of the upbeat mixed with melodic moods. A KEXP discovery of mine back in April, I was surprised to see how fresh faced the foursome were as to being responsible for crafting such a mature sound. The basic beats and repeated one liner chorus’ combined with Justin Vallesteros’ vibrant vocals make anyone listening flashback a few decades, as it reflects the classic elements of charm and eloquence. A timeless record embedded with Seattle summer memories and impromptu dance parties, it surely deserves recognition as a dynamic debut.
-Kayte O.

Craft Spells “Party Talk”

#27 M83 Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

In the days leading up to the release of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, it seemed all anyone could do was talk about the supreme hyperbole Anthony Gonzalez used to describe it: “very, very, very epic.” He moved to Los Angeles. He invoked benchmark records like Smashing Pumpkins’ Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the Beatles’ White Album, and My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. He unveiled the project would be a 22-track double-disc. Basically, he set himself up to fall short.

But then, in the days after the album was released, it seemed all anyone could talk about was how M83’s sixth effort lived up to Gonzalez’s astronomical build. And astronomical is exactly the right word. He builds and ebbs with a carefully crafted wall of synths and the most prominent vocals of his career. Drawing heavily on childhood nostalgia and dreamlike imagery—both lyrically and melodically—HUWD makes memories and pop sentiments into something bigger than they are. Grandiose, even. The shrieks of “Midnight City” are contagiously triumphant. “I woke up stronger than ever,” he sings on Steve McQueen. “Nothing can hurt me today!” You can’t help but sing along. Maybe you take a stab at mimicking the French accent. And before you know it, you believe.

The thing is, Gonzalez set out to make a set of records reflecting on his past 30 years, music he would remember for the rest of his life. But, like a great musician, his introspection and reminiscence opened a channel for our own. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming was responsible for some of the most soaring, exuberant moments of 2011. It made our lives seem a little more surreal, more perfect, more… epic.
-Nick F.

M83 “Midnight City”

#26 Shlohmo Bad Vibes

Instrumental music isn’t for everyone. Some love the simplicity to a lacking vocals track, some crave the interaction of a singers voice with a musical arrangement of instruments. I for one am an equal opportunity offender, seeking out music of both varieties, however finding a the instrumental of an originally filled song is something special. No one was meant to speak words to Shlohmo’s tracks, he gives you more depth than most singers could.

Fractured vocals haunt many of his loops. But so to do an assortment of other sounds, some chopped, some played. The music always feels slightly faint but never leaves you even after the track ends you will find yourself humming melodies, nodding to a beat that is absent or even trying to find the groove to dance.

You’d be hard pressed to compare Shlohmo’s record to anything else out of the “beat” scene that has been sprawling out of control since FlyLo hit us upside the head with 1983. There is little bass here, more an ambient desire to help your head drift off into a nether world where you just exist in a daze. It’s mellow and heart wrenching. Its an always growing nexus filled with ideas you may have never thought manageable together.

Bad Vibes is anything but, you won’t know how to walk away from Shlohmo’s debut, only how to press play in an effort to distinguish what exactly he has crafted and how it stands out from the norm.
-Will J.

Shlohmo “Places”

#25 Elzhi Elmatic

In the hands of a lesser MC and producer, this shot-by-shot musical remake of Nas’ seminal Illmatic could have been a career-threatening disaster. Before EL began releasing previews of the album there didn’t seem to exist a reason for the endeavor but, as Pete Rock himself says on the mixtape, it all started to just “make sense” once drops and video clips began circulating on the internet.

We’re reminded here of how closely Elzhi’s flow resembles that of his inspiration’s, circa 1994, and how the MC’s native Detroit is an ideal stand-in for Nas’ Queensbridge of the same era. Exceptional lyrical talent aside, not least of all responsible for the success of Elmatic is the record’s producer and house band (of sorts), Will Sessions. The original compositions are rejuvenated with live instrumentation and jam interludes that actually expand the idea of what the source material is capable of. Real magic occurs at the end of “Life’s a Bitch” when the ghost of Stokley Williams floats in to flip the remake into a remake of The Gap Band’s “Yearning for Your Love” (the sample source of Nas’ original track). Of course Elmatic doesn’t serve as a replacement to its muse, and it certainly doesn’t surpass it, but it does accomplish the next best thing: It reminds you of exactly why you loved Illmatic in the first place.
-Chul G.

Elzhi “Detroit State Of Mind”

#24 Oddisee Rock Creek Park

Oddisee has long been one of my favorite ‘producers on the mic’ but in this mostly instrumental offering he is making a strong case for being the best beat maker in the game, period. From the opening bongos and chants he sets the mood for this audible excursion through the DMV’s most renowned green space, Rock Creek Park. This track finds Diamond District’s YU rapping about rolling thru DC with the windows rolled down as the chorus pays homage to the classic Blackbyrd’s song that shares the album’s title and you can’t help but feel like your in the passenger seat. Oddisee flexes his production chops something serious on tracks like “Skipping Rocks” and “Beach Dr.” which literally transporting you to a distant place and time as if it was the soundtrack to one of your old home movies. This out of body experience carries on throughout the whole of the record, including my favorite uptempo jawn “Uptown Cabaret” which blends the classic kicks and handclaps of vintage disco with modern syths and pads. If your ever find yourself listening to music as a ‘getaway,’ do not miss this trip.
-DJ100proof

Oddisee “Closed After Dark”
<a href="http://mellomusicgroup.bandcamp.com/track/closed-after-dark">Closed After Dark by Oddisee</a>

#23 J*Davey New Designer Drug

The main psychological effect of the New Designer Drug is euphoria. Getting high or “stoned” is the reason most listeners use the New Designer Drug.

Other short-term psychological effects of the New Designer Drug include:

Distorted Sense of Time: Brook’s beats are both expansive and spacious at the same time. The creep into your head and re-establish your whole equilibrium. Users report absorptions of volumes of music when reality shows only a handful of keystrokes.

Euphoria: Jack slices in with her angelic voice and creates a false sense of stability and happiness amongst listeners. Users have reported smiling, laughing and dancing for no apparent reason.

Paranoia: Users have reported an acute fear that the mainstream is on its way to take this drug away from them. In all likely hood this is not based on reality, but patients experiencing effects of this drug have sighted Warner Brothers cease and desist letters towards the drug as a reference.

Magical or “random” thinking: In many cases users have shown an urge to dance and sing in even the most inappropriate of times. Some studies have also shown an increased inclination towards sexual acts and promiscuity even with no actual changes to body chemistry.

Short Term Memory Loss: Upon ingestion users are often seen hitting the play button over and over again as though the record has yet to play for a first time. Strength of the memory loss is still to be determined, but it appears the user has no recollection that they just played the record through in its entirety

Anxiety and Depression: Users have reported feelings of lamented loves lost, and a longing for companionship. Studies have showed a trend towards anxiety in users as relates to there ability to find more variations of the New Designer Drug in the future.
-David P.

J*Davey “Whatcha Lookin @”

#22 Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues

The thing about Fleet Foxes’ sophomore record Hopelessness Blues is that it had to follow their debut. Few first albums accomplish what theirs did, achieving airy harmonies and golden acoustic melodies on an impressive scale. So, naturally, it took some time to hit the next mark. They rented a house in Port Townsend, wrote and recorded there, and scrapped almost everything. Then they moved into Death Cab For Cutie’s old space, an old Sub Pop haunt where Nirvana laid down Bleach. And eventually, after two years of pressure and frustration and unending attempts at writing good songs, Pecknold and his crew wrote 12 really, really good ones.

There’s no shortage of the mellow ebb and flow Fleet Foxes are known for, still filled with touches of Neil Young and Simon & Garfunkel and the occasional (though less prevalent) group harmonies. The album is vast, filled with the towering choruses they’ve more or less patented. But while the band stays true to their vein of pastoral folk sonically, if one thing’s changed it could be summed up in the album’s first words: “So now I am older.” Helplessness Blues is more mature, sure, but most importantly that maturity bravely gives up some of the album’s timelessness for earnest intimacy. In some of the most poignant moments Pecknold reflects on the relationship he lost during the album’s creation, alternating between the injured aggression of “The Shrine/An Argument” and the bittersweet reminiscence of “Lorelai.”

Ultimately, it seems, he asks questions that don’t necessarily have answers. “I walk with others in me yearning to get out,” he sings on “Someone You’d Admire.” “After all is said and after all is done, God only knows which of them I’ll become.” Pecknold searches for his place in the world, but most tellingly he searches for himself.
-Nick F.

Fleet Foxes “Grown Ocean”

#21 Clams Casino Instrumental Mixtape

Clams Casino’s Instrumental Mixtape best summarizes how the unassuming bedroom producer from New Jersey helped to change the conversation on what constitutes a rap track. Clams (born Mike Volpe) cut his industry teeth providing acclaimed underground compositions for Lil B in early 2011 (“Motivation”) and since then his production services have been sought by high-profile artists like Mac Miller and, most recently, The Weeknd.

Clams’ method of locating sample sources by entering simple words or phrases into file-sharing services like Limewire has redefined the term “crate digging” and resulted in the unlikely marriage of vocal snippets from artists like Imogen Heap with trap music’s famously distorted low-end, pristine rapid-fire high-hats, and chopped and screwed vocals. The newly adopted sound of rappers like ASAP Rocky owes just as much to new age-y adult contemporary artists like Enya as it does Houston DJs. As we enter 2012, Clams Casino sits at the forefront of the movement, the penultimate example of what is possible within hiphop when an ocean of digital wildlife sits at a computer savvy, hiphop geek’s disposal.
-Chul G.

Clams Casino “Brainwash By London”