Guest Lists - So much music...so little time

• We asked some of our musical friends in Harford County to let us know what they liked over the past twelve months. Here's what we got back..alot to check out on youtube or whatever... 

Jeff Koplovitz (from pop band Sea Patterns and solo project Lean Horse Marathon)

1. Destroyer | Kaputt  2. Radiohead | The King of Limbs  3. Atlas Sound | Parallax 4. Fleet Foxes | Helplessness Blues 5. Girls | Father, Son, Holy Ghost 6. The Drums | Portamento  7. The War on Drugs |Slave Ambient  8. James Blake | S/T  9. Gang Gang Dance | Eye Contact  10. Wye Oak | Civilian  11. Kurt Vile | Smoke Ring For My Halo  12. Liturgy | Aesthetica  13. Grouper | A I A  14. The Horrors | Skying  15. Ponytail | Do Whatever You Want All The Time 16. Future Islands | On The Water  17. Lil B | I'm Gay  18. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Belong  19. Real Estate | Days  20. Tim Hecker | Ravedeath, 1972  21. Araabmusik | Electronic Dream  22. Panda Bear | Tomboy  23. Timber Timbre | Creep on Creepin' On  24. Colin Stetson | New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges  25. Tyler the Creator | Goblin 

something like that...Beach Boys Smile Sessions DONT COUNT.

Kevin Niemann (member of The Libyan Suite)

Top 30 albums

1. Future Islands – On the Water (2nd in a row. Knockin em dead ) 2. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts  3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues  4. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo 5. Neon Indian – Era Extraña 6. Real Estate – Days  7. EMA – Past Life Matyred Saints  8. The Beach Boys – The SMiLE Sessions (counts)9. Oxes – Bile Stbudy  10. The Drums – Portamento 11. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost 12. Celebration - Hello Paradise 13. Panda Bear - Tomboy 14. Winks - She's Done 15. Puerto Rico Flowers – 7  16. Thank You – Golden Worry 17. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic  18. Atlas Sound – Parallax  19. Sea Patterns – “Kid Pop Demo” 20. jamie xx and Gil Scott-Heron (RIP) - We're New Here 21. Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine 22. Washed Out – Within and Without  23. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake  24. Yuck – Yuck  25. Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde 26. Radiohead – The King of Limbs  27. Cass McCombs – WIT’S END  28. Destroyer – Kaputt 29. Moss of Aura – Wading 30. TV on the Radio – Night Types of Light 

Songs of the Year

1. Real Estate - Green Aisles 2. EMA - California  3. Iceage - White Rune  4. Thurston Moore - Benediction 5. Future Islands - Balance 6. Kanye West and Jay-Z - Niggas in Paris 7. Future Islands - Before the Bridge 8. Kurt Vile - Jesus Freak 9. Radiohead - Give Up the Ghost 10. TV on the Radio - Will Do  

Top 10 other...

1.Best breakup that even though I didn’t want to happen, had really good shows – Double Dagger 2. Best comeback from literally nowhere – Jeff Mangum 3.Best band started in other band’s demise – Roomrunner 4.Best venue: 2640 Space 5.Best Harford County event: Hermes Herald Launch 6.Best strife influenced anti-folk band: The Libyan Suite 7. Best record I got really into this year: Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen 8.Bands that I want back together – Double Dagger, Ponytail, Videohippos (second year running), LCD Soundsystem, REM, Pavement, Wzt Hearts 9. & 10. -Two Reasons I’m excited for 2012: Ed f'ing Shrader, and Slint's Spiderland on vinyl

David May (Host of Desert Island Jazz  at 91.1 FM WHFC )

There were two outstanding cd's last year:  Mary Jane Knutson's "In the Bubble", and Alphonse Mouzon's "Angel Face".  I've been playing them a lot on WHFC and Pure Jazz Radio.

2011 was a great year for new jazz recordings

Kevin Wenger ( Sea Patterns  )

1. laddy gaga - the fame monster

2. katie parry - california girls

3. roller coaster tycoon ( i know this isn't an album but it is a cd and it is ALOT of fun)

4. kanye west

5. twingirlsfantasyshadowdeloreanfossils - twingirlsfantasyshadowdeloreanfossils EP (LOVE that chillwave)

6. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (i know this isn't 2010, but this album is AWESOME)

7. King Crimson - The Blackwater Serpent King's Mirror Opus (pts. IX and X)

8. Rusko - WUBDUBWUBWUB (remix)

9. Jet - Get Born

10. Van Halen - Diver Down (Technically a reissue)

Chris Allen (member of Earlyriser )

• ...here's my 2011 album list.  10) "Weird Al" Yankovic - Alpocalypse The man is a legend, and never gets the credit he deserves. 9) PJ Harvey - Let England Shake I haven't heard the entire album, but a bandmate has introduced me to a lot of Mrs. Harvey, and I have enjoyed what I've heard. 8) The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar A female fronted alt rock band with a penchant for heavy breakdowns?  Yes please! 7) The Decemberists - The King Is Dead A solid disc of their unique brand of folk, in more catchy/radio friendly format.  Come for the songwriting, stay for the lush instrumentation. 6) Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys A very unusually upbeat album, that in a very Ben Gibbard-esque manner, has become even more depressing then any album before since all the happy songs are now moot after Zooey Decheanel filed for divorce from their frontman. 5) The Wombats - This Modern Glitch British rockers add synth to their mix and end up breaking some new ground, while still staying true to their tight hooks and cheeky lyrics 4) TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light Layers upon layers of beautiful sounds that is amazingly well translated live.  From snyths and drum machines to horn sections and tribal percussion, there's not much this band can't do. 3) Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours This album got put out in the beginning of the year and got lost in the shuffle, but it is very worth finding.  It's the album that the Kids have been destined to make since they started, and it brilliantly showcases their musical potential. 2) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light Dave Grohl.  Those two words should pretty much cover it, but adding original Foo, Pat Smear, back in the band, a three guitar attack has never sounded better.  Add in a Kurt Cobain tribute song with Kirst from Nirvana, and it's one of the most rockingly poignant albums of the year 1) The Black Keys - El Camino It didn't leave my cd player for a solid 3 weeks.  It just barely made it into 2011, but pretty much blew everything else away.  The groove, the guitar, the snyths, the soul.  It has everything, including important instructions on the front cover to get the most out of your listening experience: Play Loud.  Follow the instructions, and you won't be disappointed.

Chris Corkran ( Chris Corkran )

Favorite Bands/Musicians of 2011

10. Kurt Vile  9.  Erik Petersen 8.  New Flesh 7.  Double Dagger 6.  Microkingdom  5.  Libyan Suite 4.  Sea Patterns 3.  Roomrunner 2.  One Watt Sun 1.  Like Patterns

Chris Sweeney ( Sea Patterns ) Here's my list, I'll call it, Music Worth Listening to in 2011 -  Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues" - Destroyer "Kaputt" -Girls "Father, Son, Holy Ghost" - Telekinesis  "12 Desperate Straight Lines" - Earth "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I" - The Rural Alberta Advantage "Departing" - Cass McCombs "Wit's End" - Bon Iver "Bon Iver, Bon Iver" -Beirut "The Rip Tide" - Wilco "The Whole Love"  Feist "Metals" - Atlas Sound "Parallax" - Future Islands "On the Water" - Roomrunner "Roomrunner"

...and lately in the store, we've been listening to - James Farm, a highly recommended post bop new jazz supergroup led by saxophonist Joshua Redman with Eric Harland (drums), Matt Penman (bass) and Aaron Parks on piano.  - A guitar army from England called Action Beat, who create a barrage of dissonance influenced heavily by New York's Glenn Branca's guitar symphonies and early Sonic Youth - raw and intoxicating. - Jennifer Herrema's (Royal Trux) new band, Black Banana's "Radtimes Xpress IV", a "Let's Dance" Garbage loud, dirty guitar ripped club date to move yer feet and shake yer booty in this new year!