CP BEST OF 2011

JUNE 20, 2019 …  I’m a little behind in my goal of getting these annual reviews out, for you to vote on.

Sometime right after the first of the year, I’ll be doing a BEST OF THE DECADE Retrospective ranging from 2010 thru 2019.  Your VOTE will count in determining which of the outstanding records of the past decade have endured as among the best of the decade.

At Bohemian Foundation, our focus is on building community …by coming together to create and enjoy music.

TOP 10 BEST OF THE CP FOR 2011

These are the TOP 10 albums from 2011 — which were your favorites?

1. ALBUM of the YEAR  – Devotchka – 100 Lovers (Epitaph) Genre/style: Adult alternative
Added: December 2010
Sampled tracks: 100 Other Loves, The Common Good, Contrabanda
Notes:  no one should be surprised at the tremendous of this record in 2011, here in Colorado or nationally.  Devotchka has emerged since 2000 as one of the most inspired bands to ever come out of the Rocky Mountain west, and while the critics may not have liked their sixth album as much as the previous one, it garnered nearly 2x the airplay of any other album on this list.

2. Elephant Revival – Break in the Clouds (Ruff Shod Records)Genre/Style: Folk
Added: November 2010
Sampled tracks: Feathers Rise, Barefoot Friend, Rhythm of the Road
Notes: this title clocked in at #14 in the Best of 2010 based solely on taste, because it came out too late in the year to garner much in the way of spins. … making it the #1 recurrent title, as well as the #2 all around title in spins and taste for the year.

3. Finnders & Youngberg – FY5 (self)Genre/Style: Bluegrass, country-folk
Added: April 2011
Sampled tracks: Driftwood, Nebraska, Sold On You
Notes:  “Finnders” is more appropriately spelled Finders, but Mike Finders got understandably tired of folks calling the band F-eye-nders and Youngberg, so they adjusted the spelling so us djs could get it right LOL.  With the addition of 2 new members and the loss of 1, the band now rightly identifies with the five member FY5 moniker and an impressive set of bluegrass and country.  High on the taste factor and in spins.

4. John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light – Beautiful Empty (Free School) Genre/Style: Alternative adult contemporary rock/pop
Added: *re-entered charts April 2011
Sampled tracks: Same Scar, In My Neighborhood, Love Is A Shark
Notes: originally a December 2009 release locally, the album was rereleased nationally in April 2011. Clocking #16 for 2010, Beautiful Empty comes in #2 in recurrent titles, as well as climbing to #4 for the whole year in spins and taste.

5. Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Big Head Blues Club: 100 Years of Robert Johnson (Ryko)Genre/Style: Blues
Added: January 2011
Sampled tracks: Ramblin’ On My Mind, When You Gotta Good Friend, Preachin’ Blues
Notes: we got our first taste of what this album might sound like with the band’s interpretation of Smokestack Lightning off of their Rocksteady album. The featured guests on this album reads like a who’s who, with the late Hubert Sumlin, Charlie Musslewhite, Ruthie Foster, BB King and others making appearances.

6. John-Alex Mason – Jook Joint Thunderclap (Naked Jaybird)Genre/Style: Blues
Added: January 2011
Sampled tracks: Gone So Long, Ridin’ On, Rolled and Tumbled
Notes: RIP John-Alex (1976-2011). The release of Juke Joint Thunderclap marked a revolution of sorts in the fusion of rap and blues, with Cody Burnside laying down some very cool rap on top of John-Alex’s blistering blues grooves.

7. Tennis – Cape Dory (Fat Possum)Genre/Style: Pop/inde
Added: January 2011
Sampled tracks: Marathon, Pigeon, Seafarer
Notes: Getting nostalgic and bringing back a sound embodying at least part of the 60s feel good sun and surf propelled this album into the top 10 – with nearly all reporting stations reporting high spins and taste.

8. Spring Creek – Hold On Me (self)Genre/Style: Bluegrass
Added: July 2011
Sampled tracks: Way Back in the Mountains, With Body and Soul, Hold On Me
Notes: Hold onto this release – Spring Creek has reportedly decided to move onto new projects beginning some time in 2012. Following their success on Rebel Records, the fellas got a new bass player, and decided to record an album that matched their own ideas of how they wanted to sound on record. Produced by the band with Sally Van Meter, recorded at Notably Fine Audio (now Mighty Fine Productions) with Colin Bricker and Mario Castillo at the helm. Masterd by Dave Glasser at Airshow.

9. Carmen Sandim Sextet – Brand New (Dazzle Recordings)Genre/Style: Jazz
Added: February 2011
Sampled tracks: Zoloft Bounce, Brand New, Feliz
Notes: *serviced to radio/press by Rocky Mountain Music Network* – There were no jazz records in our TOP 20 in 2010, so this is an excellent surprise. “The songs also work as vehicles for some fine soloing from trumpeter Ron Miles, guitarist Matt Fuller and saxophonist Danny Meyer.” (Westword)

10. Whiskey Blanket – No Object (self)Genre/Style: Hip-hop
Added: December 2010
Sampled tracks: Up Up Away, Rule the Roost, Joie De Vie
Notes: *serviced to radio/press by Rocky Mountain Music Network* — one of the most unique hip-hop records to emerge from Colorado in recent memory, all three core members of the band are incredibly educated and skilled classical and bluegrass musicians who expand anyone’s most conservatively held position of what hiphop should sound like. Very high taste factor among the voters. Special guests include Bonnie Paine (Elephant Revival)