Top 15 Local Releases of 2011: Jason P. Woodbury
10. Source Victoria, Slow Luck (self released)
There's something to be said for youthful exuberance, and then there's grown-ass rock music. It's no insult -- songs like "Black Luck Black Label" and "When You Say Congratulations" require years of craft-honing, and one like "Once I'm Dead," in which songwriter Brendan Murphy stares steadily into the inevitable, can only come from a songwriter who's lived enough life to know that it's worth singing about.
9. Vegetable, "Castration Frustration/SOL" (Gilgongo)
Two songs of jutting, angular deconstruction rock. "Castration Frustration" is like Devo taking on the jocks (well, taking on the jocks more), and "Sol" finds drummer/vocalist Anna Nxsty shredding her vocals as she proclaims: "We have to fight the disconnect."
8. Kinch, The Incandenza (self released)
Nothing from Kinch has been bad, but The Incandenza is the first release from the band that truly grabs and holds; "That's Just the Mess We're In" could appeal to fans of Spoon's piano pop, "Once I Was a Mainsail" flashes a smartass grin, while "VHS" could even grab a few fans from, dare I say it, Vampire Weekend.
7. Dogbreth, Chookie (Skulltula Records)
The three-song combo of "Black Coffee," "Cum as a Star Pt. 1," and "Cum as a Star Pt. 2" only takes up four minutes and 28 seconds of your time but packs as much emotional punch into that time as most bands' full-lengths. Recalling Blink-182, Weezer, and They Might Be Giants, Chookie is the album songwriter Tristan Jemsek and friends have been hinting at for years.
6. Father Figures, Lesson Number One(AZPX Records)
Featuring former members of JFA, Pinky Tuscudero's White Knuckle Ass Fuck, and Northside Kings, it's no surprise that the members of the Father Figures can write songs. But the album is no nostalgia trip. This is vital, urgent post-punk, with melody, heart, and, most important, soul.
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