Com Truise - "Galactic Melt"
This was a little more solid than "Cyanide Sisters" to me, but they are both interchangable pretty much. Music that makes you feel good.
Hank Williams III - "Ghost To A Ghost"
This is an interesting album with a range of styles that definitely is not limited to classic country, although that's mostly what it is. There's some avant-garde psychedelic-ness on some songs, a few zydeco styled tracks, and some more rock tinged stuff on here. The title track is something to be heard, with the production almost sounding like Devotchka or something along those lines, and featuring Tom Waits and Les Claypool among other guests. This was an ambitious year for Hank. He finally burned up the last album on his major label contract and started releasing his albums independently through his own company. This is the first "traditional" Hank III album to come out of that. The other 2 projects he self-released in 2011 didn't fare as well for me as this album did. Hank 3's A.D.D. is his stoner metal band, but it just kinda seemed thrown together, and I wasn't really feeling the style he did the vocals in. Hank 3's 3 Bar Ranch was even a bit more experimental, combining heavy metal music with the recordings of auctioneers playing over it. It sounds OK for a short while, but I can't take listening to the whole LP straight through, it gets a little grating. I wouldn't even say that "Ghost Of A Ghost" is a 100% solid album either, but the best songs on it are classic sounding, and it's quite an ambitious project that sounds like the end result of a man doing exactly what he wants to do with his career.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack"
Clearly David Fincher liked what they did with "The Social Network" soundtrack and rehired them on again for the next film. This is one of the most ambitious soundtracks I can think of. 3 full CD's worth of material, all very surreal sounding instrumental movie score style songs except for 2 tracks with vocals. One is a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" done fabulously by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, and the other a new track by Reznor's post Nine Inch Nails, female led act, How To Destroy Angels. I still haven't seen the film, but either the whole thing must be filled with music, or they gave us the unused stuff on this soundtrack too, which is cool.
Rustie - "Glass Swords"
This is one of those rare occasions where someone simplifies their style a little from their previous output, and it actually works out in a positive way. This album is great, and not a dubstep album at all, even though that's what he's most known for.
Battles - "Gloss Drop"
I didn't find out about this band until this album, but apparently the vocalist left the band, and they just kept going as a lushly produced instrumental band with occasional vocal guests, not unlike Air, but with a more rock based approach similar to a band like Tortoise. The end results are great.
Thundercat - "The Golden Age Of Apocalypse"
This guy is something of an enigma is music. This came out on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder record label, but is mostly a progressive jazz/funk album with electronic tinges. This guy has also been the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies for the last 8 years or so, but he must really have to hold back within that setup after hearing how good of a bass player he actually is on this album. He's almost on some Frank Zappa type shit with his skill level. People who sit and say that "no good new music ever comes out" need to shut the fuck up and check this out.
Ital Tek - "Gonga"
You can tell he really likes a lot of the juke stuff that comes out on Planet Mu. I like his version of that style more than I like that whole style, I think. This is great hard hitting club music to me.
Primus - "Green Naugahyde"
The triumphant return of Primus. Not one of the best albums of their career, but not one of the worst either. Super solid.
Dimlite - "Grimm Reality"
To put it simply, Dimlite makes uncategorizably fucked up, yet compelling music. It never seems like he's being weird just to be weird though, it all seems natural.
Groundislava - "Groundislava"
Debut LP that's mostly planted within the 'beat scene' sound, but has some other variances too that sound more techno-y at times, but not in an annoying way.
Bare - "Hard As Hell EP"
This is pretty much "bro-step", but it sounds great to me, and "2 Die 4" is one of the funniest dubstep songs since "Warface" by Jakes with the Space Ghost samples from Zorak.
Skream - "Hats Off"
A nice dope little single.
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