50 Favorite Songs of 2011 [25-1]

Find Songs 50-26 here
25. Churchill - The Only One
24. StartYourOwnRebellion - Live Like an Outlaw
23. Dawes - If I Wanted Someone
22. Delicate Steve - The Ballad of Speck and Pebble
21. Neighbors - Watergun
20. Jennie Abrahamson - Hard to Come By
19. Rural Alberta Advantage - Stamp
18. The Barr Brothers - Beggar in the Morning
17. Monogrenade - Ce Soir 
16. Dolorean - The Unfazed
15. The Antlers - I Don't Want Love
14. Cataldo - Rock of Calvary
13. Ambassadors - Unconsolable 
12. Cults - You Know What I Mean
11. Slow Club - Half Drunk
10. Future Islands - Before the Bridge
9. Seryn - Untitled
8. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Heart on a String
7. The Middle East - Jesus Came to my Birthday Party
6. Other Lives - For 12
5. Sin Fang - Fall Down Slow
4. Diego Garcia - Roses and Wine
3. Shakey Graves - Built to Roam
2. Big Snow Big Thaw - Damn Allegheny
1. Of Monsters and Men - From Finner

Get The Songs:

Songs 50-26: Download ZIP

Songs 25-1 : Download ZIP

Stream Playlist: On Spotify 

 I wrote down 50 of my most listened to songs from 2011, without repeating a band, based on my last.fm account. The only flaw is that some songs had the advantage of spending more time in my library than others. There's plenty I've left out, and frankly a "best of" list would look a little bit different, but I'm really happy with how this list turned out and it's probably more interesting than an attempted best of list.  I hope you can enjoy it and maybe find some favorites too. Check out yesterday's post: songs 50 - 26.

Best Week of Concerts Ever?

Last week brought a few nights that were stacked with concerts that led to some tough last minute decisions. This week brings the big guns with Fleet Foxes and Lykke Li coming to town along with some other people I'm dying to see live for the first time like Tune-Yards. Luckily, this week it is perfectly spread out over 7 days. There's not a difficult decision in sight unless you count the internal debate of whether or not it's practical to go out every night this week. Considering the line up I think it is. Here's what we have to look forward to this week in Boston.

via The Examiner

Monday 5/16
Tune - Yards with Buke & Gass at Brighton Music Hall
Super buzzed about, P4K best new music, and yeah it's only $10
Tune - Yards - Powa

Tuesday 5/17
Fleet Foxes at The Orpheum
Why would you not go?
Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean

Wednesday 5/18
Diego Garcia at Cafe 939 [show postponed to 5/25]
Diego Garcia - You Were Never There

Thursday 5/19
Great Lakes at O'briens Pub
Great Lakes - Ghost brother
Local show: Movers & Shakers at Plough & Stars

Friday 5/20
Lykke Li with at House of Blues [almost sold out]
  Tonight by LykkeLi

Sunday 5/22 
Junip at Brighton Music Hall
Junip - In Every Direction

Diego Garcia - You Were Never There

Diego Garcia's album, Laura, is an entire break-up album inflected with spanish guitar is a painful beauty that you can't turn away from. It takes you through all the stages of a break up in such detail that the listener can envision the story and Diego Garcia's heartbreak from start to finish with an intense clarity. Don't worry though, there is a secret happy ending if you, like me, decide to google him and find out that he is currently married to this "Laura", the same one that provided the emotional material for these songs. The promo song is not my most favorite from the album, which if you give it a listen, bodes very well for the rest of the album. "Roses & Wine" and "Stay" are my favorites. The last time I played an album on repeat like this was the January of the Shakey Graves discovery. Feel free to hold me to this, Diego Garcia will be on my end of year list. Buy This!

Diego Garcia - "You Were Never There"