Monday XV Beast of 2011 part 1

I hope everyone had a nice time on Jesus's  b-day yesterday.

As you all may know 2011 will soon be 86ing out of here, leaving 2012 to rear its ugly head onto our new cat calendars. What? You didn't get a cute little cat calendar for Christmas? Hey, guess you weren't good enough this year...

But these albums (in my eyes and ears) were...

Nostalgia For Tomorrow's Favorite Albums of 2011


Ramshackle Glory - Live the Dream (2011)

Ramshackle Glory is a new project by Pat the Bunny and friends. Pat the Bunny no longer sings about fucking shit up, pissing on politicians, killing his own baby or robbing banks like he did in his previous projects Wingnut Dishwashers Union and Johnny Hobo and The Freight Trains but still sings about death, friends, drugs and politicians. He just sings about them a little different now a days.

You can surely tell that this new outfit for Pat and gang is very much a recovery album now that he has cleaned himself up. You can really tell that this is a much more grown up album by Pat the Bunny and yet it is still very fun. I think the last song on this record really shows a great deal of Pat and his struggles along with his recovery and rehab.

This album did not really start to get to me until the lose of my friend Martin Smith. I can't listen to this album now without thinking about him and his journey around the country. The songs Bitter Old Man and Your Heart is a Muscle... get me the most.

Check it..

Last.fm
Official site
Other members' work


Hella - Tripper (2011)

Zach Hill and Spencer Seim are back and rocking that two piece shenanigans A.K.A. laying down that Hella good instrumental stuff (math rock) we have grown to love. The back to their roots Hella and "Tripper" fits right up there with Hold Your Horse is and The Devil Isn't Red as it is not super bogged down by electronics and vocals or excess members. It is still very much a head turner as anything Zach Hill touches is! Iz all good.

I'm not super digging the artwork however...

Last.fm
Bandcamp


Glass Fingers - "this" (2011)

To be very honest, "this" should have its very own post. Unfortunately I am lazy and a little behind on things. It's no biggie. So I will say a good word about this album here and maybe again on a future post of Glass Fingers (because I have tons more of those).

"this" by Glass Fingers is the epitome of all of Jesse Gertz (hands behind Glass Fingers) hard work and years of playing around with electronic music. Gertz and the music he birthed has come along way and 2011 was really good to it. Not only did he produce a super solid album that featured some of my favorite songs he has ever concocted but he also made quite a name for himself (or for Glass Finger's self) in the local scene. Along with many shows with fellow P-town acts, Glass Fingers also had the honor of playing with Thanksgiving, Pterodactyl and even Dan Deacon! That's saying a lot for a kid who used to play little shows in his own home or friends basements just for the hell of it, drawing crowds of 10 people to just him, my friend Higbone and I.

Now I don't think Jesse Gertz could ever let himself bet too famous but man oh man did 2011 look good for this ol' chap of mine. Glass Fingers' "this" was even ranked #1 on The University of Maine's Free Press' Top 5 Albums of the Year as well as making its way on to The Maine Campus's Top 25 Albums of 2011 list. The latter featuring "this" as the album by a local artist!

"this" is very special album to me as it is to most of my friends, including Jesse Gertz himself (whether he likes it or not). I can not listen to this album without thinking about Martin Smith either but in a much more personal way. Like me, most of these songs were Martin's favorites even before they were put on this release. The song Runaway was actually for Martin some time before his death.

RIP MPS

Last.fm
Official site

Stay tuned for part too! and lists of other peoples favorite albums of 2011!

Just for The LOL's