MIXTAPE. 2011 IN 45 SONGS

(or roughly 2.30 hours).

Here's a collection of great songs from 2011. Lots were left out.
(tracklist inside the player)

Chaotisch und charmant's Cloudcasts on Mixcloud

2011. 50 ALBUMS

In a year where law makers and the entertainment  industry made more pressure than ever to try to regain some power against piracy - therefore make independent artists life harder, we also had more mediums and ways of sharing and distribute music blossoming. Major allies of independent music - sites like Soundcloud and Bandcamp - became, once and for all, vital for artists and listeners while more ways of accessing music (user radios, podcasts) gained popularity. I believe we passed the halfway point of a cultural movement that is going towards a highly personalized way to release and consume music.
Tomorrow I'll say a few things about albums and artists from the list below. Also, highlights and a podcast with 45 songs from 2011.

50 THE WAR ON DRUGS SLAVE AMBIENT secretly canadian
49 RAINBOW ARABIA BOYS AND DIAMONDS  kompakt
48 VARIOUS ARTISTS A TRIBUTE TO CLUB TROPICANA VOL. 2  beko dsl
47 HONG KONG IN THE 60S MY FANTOMS  proper songs
46 RADIATION CITY THE HANDS THAT TAKE YOU  apes tapes
45 YOUTH LAGOON THE YEAR OF HIBERNATION  lefse
44 SUMMER CAMP WELCOME TO CONDALE  moshi moshi
43 YOUNG GIRLS YOUNG GIRLS  home skool
42 ROMANTIC STATES A SHELL IS BORN  self released
41 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA  fat possum
40 COMET GAIN HOWL OF THE LONELY CROWD  what's your rupture?
39 MOUSTACHE OF INSANITY ALBUM OF DEATH  fika
38 HUNX AND HIS PUNX TOO YOUNG TO BE IN LOVE  hardly art
37 JESPER LUNDAGER DYEING LILIES BRIGHTER COLOURS  self released
36 SCATTERED TREES SYMPATHY  roll call
35 THE FOREVER PEOPLE THE FOREVER PEOPLE  self released
34 EGIL OLSEN KEEP DREAMIN - KEEP MOVIN  ellersoul
33 NICK CAMILLO AD INFINITUM  a little bit weird
32 THE BILINDA BUTCHERS REGRET, LOVE, GUILT, DREAMS  self released
31 CULTS CULTS  columbia / in the name of
30 GENERATIONALS ACTOR-CASTER  park the van
29 JINJA SAFARI LOCKED BY LAND  cooperative music
28 BART & FRIENDS STORIES WITH THE ENDINGS CHANGED  lost and lonesome
27 LA SERA LA SERA  hardly art
26 VIOLENS NINE SONGS  static recital
25 MATES OF STATES MOUNTAINTOPS  barsuk
24 CODE PIE LOVE MEETS RAGE  flagless
23 MANEL 10 MILLES PER VEURE UNA BONA ARMADURA  warner
22 BIG TROUBLES ROMANTIC COMEDY  slumberland
21 SECRET CITIES STRANGE HEARTS  western vinyl
20 DESTROYER KAPUTT  merge
19 ACID HOUSE KINGS MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU  labrador
18 CRAFT SPELLS IDLE LABOR  captured tracks
17 HEHFU MUSIC FOR MY BROKEN EARS  bleeding gold
16 KALLE MATTSON ANCHORS  parliament of trees
15 SWTHRT COMPACT DISC  self released
14 LITTLE JUNGLES WUT'S GOIN THRU YER HEAD  self released
13 THE SOUND OF ARROWS VOYAGE  skies above
12 SEAPONY GO WITH ME  hardly art
11 VARIOUS ARTISTS ONE YEAR OF ORIGINAL MUSIC FROM FEBRUARY RECORDS  february
10 GOLD-BEARS ARE YOU FALLING IN LOVE?  slumberland
09 SEA LIONS EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEA LIONS  slumberland
08 FAN MODINE GRATITUDE FOR THE SHIPPER  daniel 13
07 LA ESTRELLA DE DAVID MARACAIBO  canada
06 THE CITY AND HORSES WE WILL NEVER BE DISCOVERED  paper garden
05 LA BIEN QUERIDA FIESTA  elefant
04 TENNIS CAPE DORY  fat possum
03 EAST RIVER PIPE WE LIVE IN RENTED ROOMS  merge
02 AZURE BLUE RULE OF THIRDS  hybris / matinée
01 FRENCH FILMS IMAGINARY FUTURE gaea

2011. TOP 30 SINGLES+EPs

I think 2011 was an exciting year when it comes to singles and - specially - EPs... I can tell that I was more excited coming up with this than the list of best albums. Not that there weren't amazing albums in 2011, but to go back and see the amount of great EPs was very satisfying and pleasurable...
There were so many great new artists that released music as singles or EPs. The popularization of Bandcamp and Soundcloud also was a major contribution and I had spent my share of time wandering through those sites, looking for new artists. As a result, 19 of the 30 releases listed below are self releases.

30 THE FANTASIES EARTH LIFE  self released
29 LA OLA QUE QUERIA SER CHAU EY BONITA, GUSTAN DE VOS TODOS MIS AMIGOS!  self released
28 LENZIE MOSS WHERE EAGLES DARE  self released
27 BURNING HEARTS INTO THE WILDERNESS  shelflife
26 YOUNG WRISTS FUCKED UP IN THE HEAD self released
25 DANIEL RODIN ANOTHER TOWN  self released
24 UNIVERSE CARRIZO PLAIN  self released
23 LITTLE CHORDS LITTLE CHORDS self released
22 DOM FAMILY OF LOVE  astralwerks
21 DELAY TREES BEFORE I GO GO self released
20 WONDER BEAR AVALANCHE  absent fever
19 THE SORRY SHOP THANK YOU COME AGAIN  self released
18 STAND UP AGAINST HEART CRIME LOST IN TIME AND SPACE  self released
17 ECHO LAKE YOUNG SILENCE  no pain in pop
16 BURNING GOD LITTLE NOTES ON BEING SNOWBLIND  nabovarsel
15 AN INTRODUCTION TO SUNSHINE SNOW TIRE eyes four
14 HEART-SICK GROANS LOOK!!! THESE THREE PAINTERS OF HITS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN  self released
13 KARIBEAN LOVE, TEARS AND SPIRITUAL BLESSING  self released
12 LA OLA QUE QUERIA SER CHAU OJALA QUE ESTE VERANO NO NOS MATEN  self released
11 PURE X YOU'RE IN IT NOW  light lodge
10 WE, THE MODERN AGE! EP 2011  self released
09 DIRTY GOLD ROAR  autumn tone
08 RADIOSEVEN RADIOSEVEN self released
07 COMPUTER MAGIC ELECTRONIC FENCES  white iris
06 THE PANDUHS CATCH A WAVE  self released
05 FLAG WHITE LET GO  self released
04 FRENCH FILMS GOLDEN SEA*  gaea
03 AIR DROPS EP  self released
02 STAND UP AGAINST HEART CRIME STAND UP AGAINST HEART CRIME  self released
01 KIDS ON A CRIME SPREE WE LOVE YOU SO BAD  slumberland

*from 2010 but discovered in 2011. Too good. Had to mention.


PERSONAL FEELINGS
1 KIDS ON A CRIME SPREE released an EP that in 10-15 years, will be a classic. People will always return to it to get the feeling of this moment. It captures and translates the musical spirit of our times. It isn't the EP I've heard the most this year, but I feel it has a different weight (and by weight I don't mean importance or relevance).

2 STAND UP AGAINST HEART CRIME was the discover of the year. First release was a self titled EP with a minimal-wave, aseptic, melancholic and futuristic collection of songs and then when I thought I knew or had their music figured it out, the band comes up with 2 marvelous songs with warm guitars and dreamy melodies.

3 Electronic music was best heard in EPs this year.
3.1 AIR DROPS released a piece of art in form of bits with evocative and profound sounds; probably one of the releases that most 'spoke' to me.

3.2 FLAG WHITE brought us the richest landscape of electronic dreams, culminating in a song called Alaska - the romantic digital anthem of the year.

3.3 RADIOSEVEN gave us one of the most compelling combinations of space station futurism and pop music of 2011.

4 KARIBEAN released GREGORIAN SPRING, a timeless and anthemic indie pop song that fills my heart with joy. Simple melodies and far-from-over-produced songs can't go wrong.

5 COMPUTER MAGIC is going to be big. 2011 proved that.

6 LA OLA QUE QUERIA SER CHAU is a band from Argentina and its freshness is absolutely addictive. Unpretentious summery tunes. One of the bands I wanted the whole world could listen...

7 THE SORRY SHOP is from Brazil and comes from my homestate, Rio Grande do Sul. ABOUT KINGS AND QUEENS I alone makes this EP a must listen of the year. Beautiful and urban as few things heard this year.