The A.V. Club’s top 10 Madison records of 2011
10. Deep Shit: Creepin’ While You Sleepin’
To reach the heart of Deep Shit’s Creepin’ While You Sleepin’ EP, there’s a maze of delightfully horrid layers to cut through. There’s the deliberately tacky use of the “let’s have our album cover be centered on cats with machine guns” device; the expert placement of a rambling Ice-T sample from 2000’s beloved Leprechaun In The Hood, where the rapper demands some “shoot your motherfuckin' homeboy in the face type shit” and that you “smack your bitch up”; and an awesome intro from Madison’s own DJ Pain 1. Then there’s the actual music: Frenzied drum-blasts, gut-rattling basslines, dizzying guitar, and the twisted growl of Lauden Nute merge for a massive, brain-prodding Voltron of sound as each tune makes unapologetic, breakneck shifts between power-violence, hardcore, and doom.
9. Exurbs: Exurbs
The unexpected arrival of Exurbs’ self-titled debut didn’t allow time to build up any expectations. Because if we had known that Beau Sorenson (engineer on albums by Sparklehorse, Death Cab For Cutie, and more), Andrew Fitzpatrick (All Tiny Creatures), and Jeff Sauer (Czarbles) were working on an instrumental album together, then we would have marked our calendars. But it’s no matter that the release snuck up, because the dreamy bounce of “Seamounts” and the glitches in the woozy collage “Vega” are instantly inviting, like a sonic whirlpool. It’s the therapeutic listening experience we didn’t know we needed.
8. Icarus Himself: Career Culture
2010’s Mexico EP and tremendous songs like “Digging Holes” made waiting for Icarus Himself’s long-awaited second full-length, Career Culture, all the more excruciating. But when the album finally dropped, it quickly rewarded the wait by knocking heads back with the charging opener “Wake Up” and the windmill riffing of “Anywhere You Go,” before rolling out surprises like the tropical thumper “WI Via In.” But the heart of the Culture belongs to “On Your Side,” which perpetually builds upon a solid groove amid stinging organ and distant drums while all manner of guitar sweeps around Nick Whetro’s sleepy voice.
7. The United Sons Of Toil: When The Revolution Comes, Everything Will Be Beautiful
The year of political turmoil Wisconsin endured has spawned a number of musical reactions, but none were as potent as The United Sons Of Toil’s latest, which just happened to come along at the right time. The first bars of opening track “Alcoholism In The Former Soviet Republics” sets a furious tone, as a rumbling, melodic bassline and the sound of a drum kit being beaten to death meet Russell Hall’s dynamic, blood-freezing howl and scorched guitar. More highlights come early, like “Overturning The Rumford Fair Housing Act,” engaging listeners right away and holding us rapt for the entire album.
6. The Hussy: Cement Tomb Mind Control
While we’re stoked that the Isthmus was fertile with sonic weirdos like Peaking Lights, Exurbs, and Julian Lynch this year, sometimes we just need a hissing dose of brain-prodding rock ’n’ roll—a niche The Hussy fills proudly. After a few years of scattered EPs and countless ear-mangling live sets, 2011 was the year the Madisononian trash-rock duo finally compressed Bobby Hussy’s (literally) flaming guitar, stage dives, and blasting feedback with Heather Hussy’s punished drum kit and sass-powered vocals into the duo’s first full-length, Cement Tomb Mind Control. Whether with its sugary swing on “Wrong/Right” or its bitter blast on “Odd Duck,” CTMC packs a crimson-aura of buzzing overdrive and raw cool.
The Hussy @ Mickey's Tavern from Ryan Heraly, Manic Eye Media on Vimeo.
5. Dead Luke: Meanwhile ... In The Midwest
It’s hard not to see Dead Luke’s Meanwhile ... In The Midwest as the culmination of years of buzz-building by the band, because Meanwhile feels like the final step in a years-long process, where the band completed its transition from a confrontational noise-rock outfit to Madison’s answer to the Black Lips. Things still stay (relatively) dark and sinister on Meanwhile, but there are moments of genuine pop craftsmanship here, along with shit-kicking, face-smashing Bo Diddley covers and mega-long songs perfect for eerie drives through the country (closer “Endless High”).
4. Julian Lynch: Terra
Who would have thought that consistency would be the biggest selling point for Julian Lynch, an artist who blends multiple and disparate American forms into his own unique music? But with Terra, Lynch delivers his third consistently adventurous, consistently thrilling, and consistently great album. Terra expands on the spaced-out, laid-back mood of last year’s Mare, and perfects it, delivering 10 tracks of sprawling, experimental music that is uniquely Lynch’s. Lynch is probably not long for Madison—he’s in grad school—but as long as he keeps making records while he’s here, expect him to pop up on this list annually.
3. Man Mantis: Cities Without Houses
Over the last few years, no artist has defined the sound of Madison hip-hop quite like Man Mantis, who has produced tracks for Dumate, J. Dante, F. Stokes, and various other local MCs. With his 2011 instrumental hip-hop album, Cities Without Houses, Man Mantis not only cemented his position as the pre-eminent beatcrafter in Madison, but also as the heir apparent to crate diggers like DJ Shadow and RJD2 who essentially created the genre. From the opening oscillations of “Come Into My Parlor” to the closing triumphalism of “Lost Parade,” Cities Without Houses proves you don’t even need words to make the best Madison hip-hop album of 2011; you just need a wild, unique imagination.
2. All Tiny Creatures: Harbors
The attention to detail that went into Harbors, the debut full-length from All Tiny Creatures, can be seen in the four circular characters that accompany the album, with each character representing a portion of the 11 tracks. But more so, it can be heard in the expertly produced songs themselves. The addition of vocals claimed much of the hype around Harbors—particularly Justin Vernon’s appearance on our favorite Madison song of 2010, “An Iris”—but most of the singers, like Megafaun’s Brad and Phil Cook on “Tine Feature,” just add another layer of texture to the already dense songs. For as precise as Thomas Wincek and company’s arrangements are throughout, joyous highlights like “Holography” and “Glass Bubbles” are never cold.
1. Peaking Lights: 936
From the moment Peaking Lights teased listeners with a snippet of the infectiously haunting “Tiger Eyes (Laid Back)” when it appeared on VBS.TV’s Sound Builders, we were left pacing anxiously, waiting for the married duo to finally drop 936. It’s easy to feel let down after a year of waiting for pretty much anything, but this year’s warmest and most multidimensional song cycle wouldn’t allow it. A worldly Frankenstein of reggae, psych-rock, synth-pop, and power electronics, 936 is colored in by the hovering voice of Indra Dunis and the laboriously crafted, mechanical voice of Aaron Coyes’ trashed electronics, toy keyboards, and mutilated guitar pedals. It was also the sweet conclusion to Peaking Lights’ four years in Madison, where we watched the band streamline its old setup (which essentially looked like a fucking entertainment center onstage) into a few suitcases of electronics. The duo also committed its time to running the Good Style Shop—a vintage shop that offered free performances from Thee Oh Sees, Acid Mothers Temple, and more, while also serving as a friendly, if a bit cramped, venue for local experimental musicians (and non-musicians). As the duo bids the Dairy State farewell and heads to sunny Los Angeles—with a follow-up album already in the works—its mighty contribution to Madison D.I.Y. culture stays here, frozen in the breezy bounce of “All The Sun That Shines,” the whirling tones of “Hey Sparrow,” and the angelic melodies of “Marshmallow Yellow.”
