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Celebrating the people, places and things that are positively impacting American culture.
Top 10 of 2011: Music
Dec 28, 2011
2011 was a busy year for music fans. Whether you spent your time discovering new bands, exploring with Spotify, or entertaining your friends on Turntable.fm, there was a lot to do. Here are some of the Character Approved things that made this year in music a memorable one for me.
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- Sleeper Agent: One of the most enthusiastic young bands to debut in 2011, Sleeper Agent captures an energy and a sound that reminds me a lot of a young Jack and Meg White. [Image: Sleeper Agent Music]
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- St. Vincent: Her new album Strange Mercy is not only one of the best of the year, but it's one of the most forward-looking as well. Pop music can be a constricting genre, but Annie Clark's St. Vincent project brings it to places it's never been before. [Image: Stereogum]
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- The Weeknd: The Weeknd is easily one of the freshest new artists in R&B (and in the indie crowd which was so quick to adopt him). He's released two, going on three, albums so far in 2011--all of which were free downloads. [Image: Rolling Stone]
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- Portugal. The Man: Their major label debut, In the Mountain In the Cloud, was everything PTM fans have come to love about the group: soaring melodies, psych-rock instrumentation, and a lot of soul. [You Ain't No Picasso]
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- Turntable FM: This new website combines the fun of a DJ set with the goofy atmosphere of a mid-90s AOL chatroom. The result is strangely addictive. [Image: The Tech Scoop]
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- My Morning Jacket: This year marked a big step upward for My Morning Jacket. Their new album Circuital landed them on the charts and afforded them the chance to do an episode of VH1 Storytellers, a webcast of their hometown show (special guest: Erykah Badu), and a headlining slot at many major music festivals. Oh yeah, and the record's amazing. [Image: You Ain't No Picasso]
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- Mister Heavenly: In a year of supergroups, Mister Heavenly stood out as one of the best. With the combination of Man Man, Islands, and Modest Mouse/The Shins members, Mister Heavenly has a fresh approach to indie rock. [Image: Paste]
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- Jimmy Fallon: While not a musician, it's hard to deny what Jimmy Fallon has done for music in 2011. He books the newest young acts, invites classic artists to sit in with his house band the Roots, and even performs with his guests. This guy promotes more good music than most radio stations. [Image: Wikimedia]
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- Spotify: This new music service is changing the way people think about their listening experiences. As an added bonus, Spotify's new Facebook integration makes sharing musical discoveries easier than ever before. [Image: Android Guys]
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- Watch the Throne: A team-up so big it feels pulled from greek mythology. Everything about this is huge: the album, the videos, the tour. It's all almost as epic as the men who made it: Jay-Z and Kanye West. [Image: Amazon]
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