Sarah tells us what she was listening to when she wasn’t listening to Let England Shake. She also takes time to make fun of Brandon for heeding Justin Vernon’s advice. Seriously, though – dude wrote “Skinny Love.” Maybe we should listen. (Just not to Bonnie Raitt, please.)
That Dog – “Never Say Never”
From: Sarah Braunstein
To: Brandon Hall, Natalie Snoyman, Chris Mollica
Brandon, hold up. You never mentioned that you’ve been whiling away the hours of 2011 listening to Bonnie Raitt. If Justin Vernon said that Loutallica’s Lulu was the best thing he heard all year and we all just needed to spend some more time with the album in order to see the light, would you do it? Ok, I’m just angry because I’ve had “Something To Talk About” stuck in my since reading your entry and I haven’t even heard that song in over 10 years.
Sorry, just had to say it. That’s all the criticizing I’ll do this time around.
Unlike Natalie, I haven’t done much musical retrospecting over the years. I mean, every December I’ll talk about my favorite albums of the year with one (Brandon), maaaaaybe two people if I’m feeling particularly conversational, but that’s the extent of my list-making. I generally take this time of year to hang out on the lists of other publications, blogs, and know-it-alls in order to fill the gaps of albums that I overlooked. Well, “overlooked” probably isn’t the right word. I’ll readily admit to missing some of “the best” albums of 2011 because of self-imposed listening ruts – also known as playing Let England Shake on repeat – or from finding myself newly in possession of great albums from years past. “What albums?” you ask. I’ll get to that but first, every list needs a title.
<clears throat>
“I’m sorry 2011, I couldn’t hear what you said because I had That Dog turned up too loud: A list of seven albums that might have been made in 2011 based solely on Sarah Braunstein’s iTunes play counts followed by a brief FAQ about the list”
1) That Dog, Retreat From The Sun (1997)
2) Phosphorescent, Pride (2007)
Phosphorescent – “Wolves”
3) Talk Talk, Laughing Stock (1991, re-issued in 2011)
4) Mirah, C’mon Miracle (2004)
Mirah – “We’re Both So Sorry”
5) Warpaint, The Fool (2010)
Warpaint – “Undertow” (Live via yourstru.ly)
6) Kate Bush, Hounds of Love (1985)
7) Unrest, Imperial f.f.r.r. (1992)
Unrest – “Imperial”
FAQ:
Q: Is this list comprehensive?
A: No, this list is not comprehensive because, well, that could get boring for you. Also, I just returned home after working 12 hours to find my Chicago apartment without HEAT (what kind of shit is that?!) and can’t type for too long for fear of frostbitten fingers.
Q: Are the albums in any particular order?
A: No. The albums are in no particular order.
Q: Why seven? Why not 5 or 10?
A: Is music divisible by 5? Didn’t think so.
Q: Why didn’t you write more about these albums?
A: Because just the fact that I listed them like my opinion matters at all should be enough to make you go out, get the albums, and listen yourself. Right? Isn’t that the point of these things?
“I do believe you’re blushing”
Sarah
From: Brandon Hall
To: Sarah Braunstein, Natalie Snoyman
I totally forgot about That Dog! We discovered them this year? Man, what a long year.
Dude. Did you notice Let England Shake didn’t even make Paste’s top 50!? I knew there was a reason I’ve never given Paste a cent of my money. Jebus.
Also, ha! That is a hilarious picture of Justin Vernon. Sure makes the whole Bonnie Raitt thing make a little more sense.
And yes, if Justin Vernon had told me to spend more time with Lulu, I would have. And I would have come to the same conclusion: it rapes koalas.
B
AudioVole 
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