NOTE: This is a significant listing, as this is the first month that songs can be eligible to qualify for our Top Spins of 2012 year-end poll at the end of next year. The results for the 2011 year-end poll will be published the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
- You can listen to the monthly Top 25 Spins each Wednesday evening on Jivewired Radio beginning at 8 PM EST.
Our mission at Jivewired Radio: Promote indie artists and their music. The music we play on Jivewired Radio (powered by Live365) is made available to you by artists and labels. If there's a particular artist or band you really dig on, show some love; click a link, buy a LP, go to a show and spread the word. You can listen by clicking on the following link: Launch Jivewired Radio
Songs and/or albums can be purchased by clicking on any album artwork and you can use the mini-reviews as a guideline. We've notated outside sources for content, and we hope those writers are cool with that. If not, going forward, we'll write up something for each artist.
Listener's Poll Top 25 Spins For November 2011
01. Dum Dum Dah Dah by The Nghiems
from the album "The Pine Tree, The Mushroom & The End Of The World"
Label: RYAN LINDSEY MASTERS
By marrying atmospheric melodies with synthetic strings and hypnotic, carefully manipulated beats the band vastly overachieves for a first release. Think Flaming Lips meets Wilco with a touch of Yo La Tengo added for good measure. The best way to describe their sound is as a delicious ache. And when it all clicks for the band, it's deliciously good. ~ Read Our Review!
02. Til My Heart Quakes by Alyssa Graham
from the album "The Lock, Stock & Soul EP"
Label: SUNNYSIDE/WALRUS
"I'm not sure if I've heard another song this year that has instantly affected me like "'Til My Heart Quakes," the lead track from her new release, The Lock, Stock & Soul EP. It was like hearing Ray LaMontagne's "Jolene" or Iron & Wine's "Passing Afternoon" again for the first time --" ~ Speakers In Code
03. Hipster Kids/Sexy Beards by Dr. Pants
from the album "The Trip, Side1: Illusion & Truth"
Label: LITTLE WEASEL RECORDS
Before I get into specifics, let me tell you how absolutely addictive "The Trip, Side 1: Illusion & Truth" is. The song "Hipster Kids/Sexy Beards" is but one example. It's a song that will figuratively grab you, tie you down, beat you silly, hit on your sister, eat your lunch, steal your milk money and then have you begging for more. ~ Read Our Review!
04. Pacific Coast Eyes by Graham Colton
from the album "Pacific Coast Eyes, Vol. 2"
Label: GC RECORDINGS
Graham Colton makes a statement on this record. More than just a pop record, "Pacific Coast Eyes, Vol. 2" encapsulates intimacy on a purely aural level and Colton represents well amongst his contemporaries and peers. That intimacy resonates not just in it's balladry, but to even greater depths by utilizing reactive, well-built and emotive arrangements throughout. We have had a slew of wonderful new releases out of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area recently and you can safely add Graham Colton to the A-List of outstanding performers that call the OKC home. ~ Read Our Review!
05. We Don't Gotta Work It Out by Fitz & The Tantrums
from the album "Pickin' Up The Pieces"
Label: DANGERBIRD RECORDS
Many recent students of old-school soul get the rhythms and vibe right, but what sets Michael Fitzpatrick and his L.A. crew apart is their mastery of Motown-esque melodies. Guitar-less but heavy on the organ, sax, and hands-to-the-heavens claps, this home-recorded debut swings like demos of actual '60s hits. Lyrically, it's less finessed, as the conscious but clunky "Dear Mr. President" makes clear. But Fitz and sidekick Noelle Scaggs can croon and wail like a biracial, male-female Hall & Oates, and with "MoneyGrabber," they've got their own "Maneater. ~ Spin Magazine
06. Come Visit Me by The Rosebuds
from the album "Loud Planes Fly Low"
Label: MERGE RECORDS
Yes, The Rosebuds look back with some traces of regret and even bitterness, but they also look forward to acceptance and rejuvenation. They have spilled their guts here, but they are fascinating, beautiful guts to behold. For her part, Crisp is just as contemplative and reflective. “I need you to save me, even if it makes it worse,” she sings on “Come Visit Me.” The song, along with the track, “Woods,” offers a bouncier touch that is very much needed. ~ Atlanta Music Guide
07. Used To Get High by The John Butler Trio
from the album "Live At Red Rocks"
Label: ATO RECORDS
‘Live at Red Rocks’ highlights Butler’s prodigious guitar skills, powerful songwriting and the transcendental live performance he delivers with Byron Luiters (bass) and Nicky Bomba (drums.) It showcases the innovative, rhythmically complex, diverse and playful sound that has garnered the JBT a devoted fan base worldwide. ~ Jam Band News
08. Hey Love (Clean Edit) by Nappy Roots
from the album "Nappy Dot Org"
Label: NAPPY ROOTS
Call this one concreteplayalisticbrainfoodmusik. A natural-sounding team-up between Kentucky's proudly self-proclaimed "barnyard's baddest" crew and the Organized Noize production unit, who are entrusted to handle the entirety of the project, Nappy Dot Org is another fine chapter in the Nappy Roots story that leaves you wishing a little more of the commercial southern shine could be directed the underrated group's way. ~ Hip Hop DX
09. Before by Washed Out
from the album "Within And Without"
Label: SUB POP RECORDS
Washed Out's music will envelop and then swallow you, and shy of using words like ethereal and ambient, which are far too easy descriptives, just know that listening will make you feel like you are a better person; lights out, thoughts and soul cleared, headphones on. "Within and Without" is truly transcendental. ~ Read Our Review!
10. Volcanic Vacation by Anton Mink
from the album "Outside The Lines"
Label: MERGE RECORDS
Another collection of fantastic rock and roll that fuses inspiration from a myriad of other genres to create a jam-like, DIY feel. Outside The Lines may or may not win over anyone who took the time to check them out based on my review of their last LP, but let's be honest; that's the first step you should be taking at this point. And, for what it's worth, I think Outside The Lines is a much more refined, well-written and overall more enjoyable place to start. ~ MusicEmissions
11. Baby Jeans by Wooden Birds
from the album "Two Matchsticks"
Label: BARSUK RECORDS
American Analog Set guest vocalist Leslie Sisson, another onstage guitarist/singer for the Wooden Birds, takes the lead on "Baby Jeans", a charming take on a high-school crush. Patient, generous, and smart, the song proves that while Kenny does well to maintain the Wooden Birds' solitary core, he does well to expand it occasionally, too. ~ Pitchfork.com
12. Free My Mind by Katie Herzig
from the album "The Waking Sleep"
Label: DOWNTOWN/MERCER STREET
Katie Herzig has finally delivered the album she’s always hinted that she was capable of making since going solo in the early 2000s. The Waking Sleep is not just a step forward, because in many ways it’s a quantum leap into the territory of a maturing, talented singer-songwriter. This is her most consistent effort yet, and the process of building the songs up from programmed sounds reveals Herzig’s deft architectural hand, and the fact that she’s chosen bouncy, spirited and cathartic as her palette further bolsters the album. ~ Glide Magazine
13. Whole Love by Wilco
from the album "The Whole Love"
Label: ANTI/EPITAPH
Amiably skronky, seven-minute kitchen-sink opener "Art of Almost" aside, there is a concerted effort to mothball the experimental tangents of recent years in favor of laconic twang, organ-driven garage pop, and tempered balladry. This is not to say there aren't moments of dissonance -- "I kill my memories with a cheap disease," goes the psych-lite lament "Sunloathe" -- but now Tweedy's showing off his journal, not his record collection. Dad's never cooler than when he's not trying to be. ~ Spin Magazine
14. Record Store by Broncho
from the album "Can't Get Past The Lips"
Label: RYAN LINDSEY MASTERS
BRONCHO are one of alternative rock's big new hopes and they quickly live up to that hype with their debut album "Can't Get Past The Lips", an energized collection of garage and alternative rock anthems that bode well for a promising future. The album deserves classic debut status and is a strong and hugely likeable release that’s worthy of the hype now surrounding them. "Can't Get Past The Lips" is not a bulky record by any means, but it is certainly not a token gesture either. In fact, Broncho's debut demonstrates a strong songwriting acumen and stubbornly heightened emotions that feed their collective energies. ~ Read Our Review!
15. Instant Insanity by Dr. Pants
from the album "The Trip, Side1: Illusion & Truth"
Label: LITTLE WEASEL RECORDS
Before I get into specifics, let me tell you how absolutely addictive "The Trip, Side 1: Illusion & Truth" is. The song "Hipster Kids/Sexy Beards" is but one example. It's a song that will figuratively grab you, tie you down, beat you silly, hit on your sister, eat your lunch, steal your milk money and then have you begging for more. ~ Read Our Review!
16. Try Me Out Sometime by Broncho
from the album "Can't Get Past The Lips"
Label: RYAN LINDSEY MASTERS
BRONCHO are one of alternative rock's big new hopes and they quickly live up to that hype with their debut album "Can't Get Past The Lips", an energized collection of garage and alternative rock anthems that bode well for a promising future. The album deserves classic debut status and is a strong and hugely likeable release that’s worthy of the hype now surrounding them. "Can't Get Past The Lips" is not a bulky record by any means, but it is certainly not a token gesture either. In fact, Broncho's debut demonstrates a strong songwriting acumen and stubbornly heightened emotions that feed their collective energies. ~ Read Our Review!
17. Just You by Amy Stroup
from the album "The Other Side Of Love Sessions"
Label: MILKGLASS
Amy Stroup may not be a household name, but chances are good that you’ve heard her music if you aren’t one of those people who has sworn off TV forever. She’s got a pretty impressive rap sheet actually, with Castle, One Tree Hill, Private Practice and Brothers & Sisters being among the many shows that have featured her music. Considering the general sound of her work — acoustic with tinges of pop and rock, vocals that range from quiet and raspy to higher and crystal clear — it’s no surprise why those shows like her so much. ~ Stereo Subversion
18. All Die Young by Smith Westerns
from the album "Dye It Blonde"
Label: FAT POSSUM RECORDS
That moony/beery-eyed feel bleeds through every corridor of this album and in turn forms a crystalline expression of what moves this band. Their use of the studio in augmenting that never goes overboard, though: this music still retains the innately psychedelic, lamplit, tongue-kissed sense of atmosphere that set it apart. There's perhaps no better instance of all that than "All Die Young", the album's centerpiece. It's a ballad turned hymn whose grand, tumbling scale and "Oh Yoko"-indebted outro celebration are peaks on an album rich in them. In its closing moments, Omori sings what sounds like, "Love is lovely when you are young." They were convincing before, but now they seem like experts. ~ Pitchfork
19. Sunglasses by Crown Imperial
from the album "Crown Imperial"
Label: SUNDAE RECORDS
Not much more than a year-old, Norman’s Crown Imperial already proves it’s a force to be reckoned with, on its self-titled debut. In just 16 minutes, the band flexes a knack for versatility, an eye for cohesiveness and an ear for massively addictive melodies. It’s a sleek, stylish and polished effort that showcases a great deal of upside and maturity, ready to go places. Crown Imperial’s disc is not only one of the best from an Oklahoma act this year, but one of the best EPs of the year, period. Joshua Boydston, Oklahoma City Gazette
20. The Dream by Thee Oh Sees
from the album "Carrion Crawler / The Dream"
Label: IN THE RED
Scratching away at his strings with bloodthirsty ferociousness, Dwyer's guitar playing is best described in terms usually reserved for feral cats. His solos are not as much foot-on-the-monitor, spotlight-capturing moments as they are products of primal instinct. This is particularly evident on the album's two longform tracks, the two songs that combine to make up the album's title. Much like last year’s "Warm Slime"-- the audio equivalent of a pro-wrestling iron man match-- "Carrion Crawler" and "The Dream" experiment with what happens when you tighten things to a breaking point and then let go. Short blasts of distortion leave their mark throughout the album, guitar tones evoking the image of exploding paint cans in a mid-size room, adding to the unruly spirit of the band's albums and live sets. See, Thee Oh Sees understand the intrinsic value of making a huge mess. ~ Pitchfork Magazine
21. Balance by Future Islands
from the album "On The Water"
Label: THRILL JOCKEY
Their third and latest LP, On the Water, is more invested in wide-open spaces. The opening (and title) track gives all the elements of the band's sound more leg room: Herring's unhurried vocals, epic, smoldering synths, and the steady churn of a not-too-choppy tide on a sample that begins the song. Recorded in a friend's house in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, overlooking the Pasquotank River, On the Water draws from the imagery and movement of the sea. It's less intent on bringing the drama or the fury than In Evening Air was, but its reflections on aging and memory accumulate into something surprisingly moving. ~ Pitchfork Magazine
**Jivewired review pending**
22. Flood Waters by Josh Garrels
from the album "Love & War & The Sea In Between"
Label: SMALL VOICE
The musical grooves would still be interesting and encouraging without the lyrics (there aren’t many musicians who can get away with five wordless tracks on an album), but it’s the poetry that really sets Josh Garrels apart, expounding upon oceanic themes to celebrate adventure, life, love, community, and home. Unless you just don’t enjoy folk music at all, I think you’re going to enjoy this album a lot. You have no excuse not to ~ Indie Vision Music
23. Bottled In Cork by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
from the album "The Brutalist Bricks"
Label: MATADOR RECORDS
Sometime in the future, we may look back at Ted Leo's legacy as a galvanizing force for the indie underground, smashing indie's shoegazing standstill with a veracious intensity that will leave some poor sap somewhere off indie's beaten path too embarrassed to be that one guy still not dancing or singing along. At some point, being uncool stops being sneaky cool and really becomes ostentatiously uncool. Ted Leo is here to save you from yourself. I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude for that. That being said, in the here and now, this album is, plainly put, helplessly addictive. ~ Read Our Review!
24. Everything Will Be Fine by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
from the album "Want More"
Label: BLOODSHOT RECORDS
Like their previous release, “Want More” is an outstanding package that captures the energy and excitement of JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. It showcases a vision of modern soul while pacing the album with a couple of slower, but equally intensified songs that include “Missing Things.” All in all, it makes for a great go-to CD to keep in the car, though the album probably sounds best on vinyl with a good pair of headphones and a martini. ~ KDHX-FM 88.1
25. The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie by The Joy Formidable
from the album "The Big Roar"
Label: CANVASBACK/ATL
After a decade that saw Britpop break down into Franz Ferdinandian funk, Arctic Monkeys insolence, and xx-ian austerity, the Joy Formidable project a certain guileless bravado rarely heard since the mid-1990s. For this Welsh trio, a Glastonbury main-stage headlining slot doesn't represent some distant career goal to gradually aspire to, but a deeply ingrained spiritual state of mind. This notion informs every rocket-launcher riff and back-of-the-bleacher chorus heard throughout The Big Roar, the title of which is but a surface indication of the band's wanton disregard for subtlety. The deliberate nature of the Joy Formidable's aesthetic can be evinced by the fact that four of the songs here first appeared in alternate form on the 2009 mini-LP A Balloon Called Moaning and have been retooled for this big-league debut on Atlantic. ~ Pitchfork Magazine
Fifteen That Just Missed:
26. Amor Fati by Washed Out
27. Weekend by Smith Westerns
28. Two For Flinching by Red City Radio
29. Can't Let Go by Red Molly
30. We Are The Tide by Blind Pilot
31. I Hope You Die by Wye Oak
32. Woke Up Near Chelsea by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
33. DIY by Keep Shelly In Athens
34. The Great Fire by Future Islands
35. Cool Kids by Natalie Walker
36. Blues & Kudzu by John Moreland
37. Behind Me Now by The Silos
38. Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine
39. Possibility by Lykke Li
40. Bad Blood by Crooked Fingers
Previous In This Series: Jivewired Radio Top 25 Songs For October 2011
See Also: Jivewired Radio Year End Listeners Poll - Top 50 Spins For 2010
*Note: Listening statistics are provided by Live365 as part of our contractual agreement as a Pro Station Broadcaster. Jivewired currently has a total of 27,780 songs in our library that are played randomly at any given time, with about 2,500 songs programmed for airplay in any given month.
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