2011 Top 10 CDs

In no particular order, here's my top 10 CD list for 2011. I'm sure I'm missing a few but here's what I can recall.

Andrew


1. Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp - Cosmic leider

Spooky, eerie alto sax and piano duets. Seriously freaky at times.

2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness blues

More off-kilter hippie folk. Not quite as their first full-length release but that's usually the case with most 2nd albums.

3. Chris Parrello + Things I Wonder - s/t

4. Turtleboy - Smart matter

5. A Troop Of Echoes - Days in automation

#s 3-5 were deceptively good, growing with each listen and crossing musical boundaries (is it jazz? or rock? or ...?)

6. Grateful Dead - Europe '72, vol. 2

OK, I'm a bit of a deadhead. I didn't pick up the 73-CD set of the complete 1972 European tour but this is a nice addition to the original Europe '72 set.

7. Miles Davis Quintet - Live in Europe 1967: the bootleg series vol. 1

Live recordings of the latter days of the second great Davis quintet.

8. Crumbling Ghost - s/t

UK folk-rock done right.

9. Raoul Bjorkenheim, Bill Laswell, and Morgen Agren - Blixt

Loud, wild instrumental rock/jazz power trio.

10. Richard Thompson featuring Linda Thompson - Live at the BBC

Any RT is good RT.