The following is a list of albums from 2011 (some may be from earlier) that I still haven't listened to yet and intend to. This list mostly exists so that 6 months from now I can read this again and kick myself for still not getting around to listening to them.
- TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light: For someone who has been a huge fan of TVotR for a number years now, I still don't know what I'm waiting for with this one. Originally, I think it was just because I was waiting to listen to it for when I bought a physical copy of it. Considering I still haven't done that, that may still work as my excuse. Still, it's not the best excuse.
- Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love: This was from 2010, I think. And yet here I am, still not having listened to this album. I don't know what my problem is. I own every B&S album (EVEN Storytelling!) so why I haven't picked this up is beyond me. This HAS to be the year when I finally listen to this.
- Bjork - Biophilia: In a very similar example to TVotR above, this was a case where I was holding off on listening to it until I bought the album. But in an even sadder turn of events, I literally have this album in my iTunes right now, available to listen to. I don't know why I hold off listening to this still. I think, perhaps, I'm scared of not liking it. Still, that's weird for a fan of Bjork, who has to endure a radically different soundscape with every album. This better be good, Bjork, because I'm going to listen to this damn thing this year!
- Bon Iver - Bon Iver: What? No! That's heresy! Didn't you hear? Bon Iver was christened the patron saint of indie music in the year of 2011! Yeah, well, I didn't really pay attention... Don't get me wrong, I have the album. I've actually listened to it. But in the handful of times I've listened to it, I was more bored than I was blown away. The fact that so many other people have praised him so much makes me think that I obviously haven't given him enough of a chance, and so this year I'll be trying to see I can get the same miraculous sensation that others got from it.
- Stereolab - Not Music: Another leftover from 2010 that is long overdue for my consumption. Stereolab is easily one of my all-time favorite bands. That and the fact that this is the band's last album before their hiatus makes a really strong case for me having this in my collection. Still, the knowledge that this was mostly culled from the same sessions that spawned Chemical Chords, a pretty good but slightly forgettable album in its own right, and even includes remixes of songs from said album made this release seem not as urgently needed as previous collections. I still stand by that excuse now. Eventually I'll pick up the album, and I'm willing to bet that it's going to be very good...probably better than I'm giving it credit for. It's just not at the top of my list of things to get.
- Destroyer - Kaputt: I love New Pornographers. I usually love Dan Bejar's songs on NP albums the most. I love Destroyer. I thought Trouble in Dreams and Bay of Pigs were both really good. So...I guess I should get on this, right? Especially since everyone else went gaga for it this year? Yeah, yeah, I'll get around to it.
There are probably other albums I could list here (Girls, yours is another album I really should've listened to more), but those are the biggest examples. And, just so that I can say I'm making an effort to listen to the things I forgot, here's an album or two that I've finally gotten around to listening to in 2012 that I wished I listened to last year when they were released:
- The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Love: I love The Rapture. I think when this album came out, though, I was burnt out on the idea of dance-punk or whatever the hell The Rapture were playing at the moment. I figured I'd listen to it eventually, but I just wasn't in the mood then. Well, now I've listened to it and, damn, I wish I listened to this last year. This is a great album and I think it's more a more worthy follow-up to Echoes than PotPYL was. Don't get me wrong...I love Pieces of the People We Love. It was a great album and it took the worst-case scenario that came in the post-Echoes world (The Rapture becoming a pop band) and made it sound fucking awesome. It's just that ItGoYL sounds like a more natural progression from Echoes, more mature and structured. It's still pop, but it's got a little bit more meat to it too. The good songs on this album are good and the great songs are absolutely fantastic. I can't believe I didn't listen to "How Deep is Your Love" until now. The Rapture, I'm sorry. I'll never doubt you again.
- Mr. Gnome - Madness in Miniature: Yeah, okay, I don't know who the hell Mr. Gnome is either. Yes, that's a pretty stupid name. Somewhere in September or October I downloaded this album though, based simply on the assumption that a band with the name "Mr. Gnome" had to at least be worth a shot, right? Still, I neglected the mp3s for a few months until the year was done and over with and I was cleaning out some of the music that I had deemed "bad" and unworthy of space on my hard drive. That's when I finally gave Mr. Gnome a shot. And...this is a great album. I love it. I don't know how to describe it...folky alternative (somebody might compare it to Arcade Fire, but don't listen to them) with occasional guitar freak outs. It's heavy, it's wacky and it's really really entertaining. Mr. Gnome, I still don't know much about you, but I really like you.
Anyways, that's that. Join me next year when I whine about how I didn't listen to new albums by (possibly) Prince, Billie Holiday and Blues Traveler.
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