CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Patrick Seymour writes

CHIRP Radio Best of 2011 (Patrick Seymour)

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2011. The next list (in no particular order) is from Patrick Seymour.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members’ picks.)

• Iceage – New Brigade (Dias/What’s Your Rupture?)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  Yes yes yes! This quartet from Copenhagen bang out 12 quick tunes a la Wire’s Pink Flag or early Joy Division. The hooks and melodies are there, but they are secondary to frantic guitar playing and full throttle drumming. An impressive debut from this young group, I’m stoked to see what’s next.
• Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges (Constellation)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  Just one guy, a saxophone and a whole bunch of microphones. Stetson is able to fill up a whole lot of sonic room just with his saxophone (Laurie Anderson and Shara Worden lend some vocals) and without any overdubs. The multiple microphones capture percussive noises, ambient sounds, Stetson’s breathing and other miscellany providing additional textures. Making an albums worth of engaging solo saxophone pieces is a tough feat, but Colin Stetson certainly has on “Judges.”
• Psychic Paramount – II (No Quarter)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  This is some time travel music. Put on some headphones and hop on your bike (please bike responsibly), press play on this album and your normal 25 minute commute will now take about 10. This trio play bombastic instrumental music that doesn’t let up. One minute it is wandering and hazy then the drummer (total beast) steps on the gas and it is five blissful minutes of dive bombing guitars and helicopter bass playing. This is the music I wanted Acid Mothers Temple to play before I had heard Psychic Paramount.
• Starlicker – Double Demon (Delmark)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  Local jazz trio Starlicker is made up of superstars Rob Mazurek on cornet, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, and John Herndon playing drums. Everyone in the band is involved in about 10 other groups which makes it a wonder that this album got recorded in the first place. Adasiewicz is a remarkable talent providing an array of colors and tones while Mazurek steps in and out of the picture, leading when it is called for and holding off to let the other two shine.
• PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (Vagrant)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  PJ Harvey albums are exciting because each one is different from the last, so you are not quite sure what you are going to get. All the more impressive is the fact that she has continued to put out great music with each album and “Let England Shake” sits among her best work. The album which focuses on the conflicts of her homeland and the images she conjures are often grisly. The music compliments the lyrical content and prevents this from being a grim album, resulting in what can best be described as Harvey’s take on folk music.
• Hauschka – Salon des Amateurs (Fat Cat)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  I tuned into Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka’s music last year for his fantastic “Foreign Landscapes” for which he paired his prepared piano with a 12 piece woodwind ensemble. On “Salon des Amateurs” Bertelmann chose a different route, pairing his piano playing with several percussionists (members of Mum and Calexico), strings, and electronic noises. Post-classical never sounded so catchy. Sounds bubble along and the music comes up just short of full on dance tunes.
• Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming (Daptone)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  Making his debut at the ripe young age of 62 Charles Bradley has recorded a monster of an album. Backed by one of the best contemporary studio bands, the Menahan Street Band, “No Time for Dreaming” delivers 12 sharp funk/soul tracks. Akin to James Brown, Lee Fields, or the local group JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, this is prime material for your soul dance party nights.
• Radiohead – The King of Limbs (Tiker Tape Ltd.)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  There is so much baggage and hype with Radiohead that I just leave them alone. I was drawn in after hearing a couple of tracks on “King of Limbs” and had to question my previous stance on the band. They recorded a concise album that moves even further away from the guitar albums of the 90s/early 2000s and into the realm of brooding electronic sounds and studio constructed music.
• Shawn Lee & The Ping Pong Orchestra – World of Funk (Ubiquity)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  This is one of those albums that is not an earth shattering great record, but it is really solid and a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. Shawn Lee, for this album takes a slew of instruments found commonly in the music of other cultures around the world and used them to record a globe trotting funk album. You are treated to sneaky grooves, Korean scatting, exotic sounds, and much more.
• Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat Dan Singa – Suara Naga (K)
  BUY: Insound / iTunes
  This gets my great weird album of the year award. Arrington de Dionyoso fronted the late blooming Beefheart inspired band Old Time Relijun before he started his Malaikat Dan Singa group, which further mines the territory of his old band. He sings in Indonesian over some heavy post-punk weirdness. The album title translates to dragon’s voice which gives you a clue to Dionyoso’s singing style. He also plays the bass saxophone which he wields with abandon. This record is in a league of its own, give it a shot.
• It has also been a great year for reissues. Here are my top 5…
  Skip James – Today! (Vanguard)
  Raincoats – Odyshape (We Three)
  El Rego – El Rego (Daptone)
  Vagrants – I Can’t Make a Friend (Light In The Attic)
  Beach Boys – Smile (Capitol)