So Much Good in Every Word: 2011 Best Album(s) #8,7,6

Ah! I get one more post in during the first month of 2012!
I think I'll take us down, down, down to #5....
#8
Starfucker - Reptilians
The band the FCC loves to hate! 
The band that is responsible for me being *thisclose* to losing my radio show on more than one occasion! It just rolls off the tongue...

Reptilians is a treasure of dancy goodness. Semi-locals (from Portland). Again, not a typical pick for me, it's ok folks who are waiting for the folky, alty singer songwriter stuff - it's coming it's just closer to the top of the list.
 I'm giving it a second award as well... #1 Best Album Art of 2011.

The vinyl came with a black and white poster of this image as well. Rad!
Sidenote: I heard someone really dorky say "rad" the other day. Whaaa? You gotta be RAD to use the word rad, right?
I may have mentioned on this blog before that I love colored vinyl. What a lovely surprise when you open that sleeve, right? Well, Reptilians is one of two CLEAR records that I now own. Really awesome looking - until you are in a dark radio studio trying to cue up a specific track - sorry to all the listeners who heard the second half of the song before the one I meant to play first... who cares, right? It's not like we're getting paid.


#7
Cotton Jones - Sit Beside Your Vegetables EP
 If you read my last blog, you know that Cotton Jones was one of my very very favorite live acts of 2011. The show was so good we saw them two nights in a row. The only reason this isn't even higher is because there are only 4 four songs, and even though they are all excellent, it felt like a tease. The EP really gives Whitney a chance to shine as well, Egg on the Sea is a tasty (ewww eggs) track that reminds you that Michael isn't the only stellar vocalist in the band.

This isn't the absolute best video, but it's from the show we were at (Portland's Doug Fir) and this tune brought a tear to my eye. The lyrics omg (see post title). The wife was about as pregnant as I am now (which is REALLY pregnant) and so adorable. They are the (second) cutest couple ever. I passed Michael Nau in the hall before the show and (not recognizing him) thought his sweater was dorky.  And it was pretty hot in there for a sweater... anyway. I changed my mind because he is the coolest.
Most of the show there were a lot more folks on stage (accordion! hello! The accordion player told me afterwards that he really liked Sam Bond's in Eugene because it smelled like his grandmothers' house. True story).
I SUPER HEART COTTON JONES. Seriously. If you don't know this band, do yourself a favor and please, please check it out.


#6
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
You know what your gonna get. And the getting is GOOD. It's really hard to go wrong with Tom Waits IMO. I just keep loving him more and more. And the more I listen to Bad as Me, the more I love it. Which means if I had postponed this post even longer, it probably would have moved up my chart even higher. Bone Machine is my favorite Waits album, but this one is creepin....
Congrats to Mr. Waits for his 2011 induction to the R n R Hall of Fame.





I love a renaissance man. One of my favorite quotes about Tom Waits, read on my film teacher's office door on a poster explaining the difference between a "movie" and a "film":

 Tom Hanks will never star in a film. Tom Waits will never star in a movie.

Don't even get me started on my love of Christopher Plummer. Or my love hate of Terry Gilliam. That's for another day.

Stay tuned for the top 5!