Brendan Philip’s Top 10 Singles of 2011

I will start this by saying that I really had no difficulty selecting the albums [post with my album list forthcoming] that I really enjoyed this year because there weren’t that many albums I was into. HOWEVER, there were far too many songs that I resonated with, but I got it down to ten choices. The thing about this list is I now I can’t really pit them against one another, but I will try. It may be best to look at the list’s order as a loose competition: they’re really all my favourites.

10. The Internet – She DGAF
The Internet – She Dgaf by Deutsch Schokolade

This duo is part of Odd Future, but fall more in the vein of Frank Ocean, for whatever that may be worth to you. This song and the album that it accompanies is a mostly spacey affair, this particular track having this samba (or is it bossa nova? :s) rhythm for the verses and a nice dirty double time kick drum for the chorus. If you’re curious as to what the DGAF stands for, its (She) Don’t Give A F***, the song being a narrative about this rad girl and the things she does that show she doesn’t give a f*** what you think.

9. Lianne La Havas – No Room For Doubt
Lianne La Havas – No Room For Doubt by PluggedIn

This is a spooky drum-less number by a young British girl featuring Willy Mason, who also co-wrote the song with her. It’s my favourite type of song, melancholy lullabies. She has a couple EPs out and is also on tour with the band Bon Iver. But check out the video for this one, it was shot really well and is just as creepy as the song.

8. Toro Y Moi – I Can Get Love
10 Toro Y Moi “I Can Get Love” by wearevanenewyork

There’s just some artists who have a great work ethic and in a short time Chaz Bundick, the man behind this project has put out two full lengths and has a few EPs and bootlegs floating around. This song comes from his most recent EP, Freaking Out. I can hardly describe the sound of this one; it’s driven by piano with a four on the floor stomp, crazy psychedelic vocals nuanced with light airy female vocals. It’s a fresh groove that even at its 5-min length deserves to be pulled up a few times.

7. J*DaVey – Queen of Wonderland
J DaVeY – Queen of Wonderland by freevisions

The hardest working independent genre-less group out for the past few years! This song is featured on their long awaited full-length album, New Designer Drug. This song is way genre-less, left coast weirdo s***. It’s composed of strange sounds through and through. Aside from the drums, I couldn’t even begin to describe what is happening in this song. Then we have Miss Jack Davey with her underplayed vocals that erupt into her actually summoning the spirit of the Queen of Wonderland. I have really never heard her sound this ferocious before but I really like the sound of this. Check it out.

6. Little Dragon – Ritual Union
Ritual Union by Little Dragon

With it’s minimalist song structure and the vocally well-endowed Yukimi Nagano this song makes me want to dance as much as I want to be still and engaged with the mysterious imagery that makes this song really potent. The brilliance of the lyrics, “Ritual union got me in trouble again”, I am sure we won’t all have the same response to what this may mean, but hearing it will surely draw some response out of you?

Hit the jump for Brendan’s #5-1 picks….

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Part 3: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums: 10-1

The third and final part in our rundown of our favorite albums of 2011. What made the Top 10? What was #1? Scroll down to find out:

10. aFraKaRen – 11:11 EP

9. Emay – Mind Altering Dynamics

8. Mary J. Blige – My Life 2: The Sequel

7. Watch the Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West) – Watch the Throne

6. Slakah the Beatchild – Something Forever

5. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’

4. Amy Winehouse – Lioness: Hidden Treasures

3. Tinariwen – Tassili

2. Roots – Undun

And finally, to find out what our favorite album was here at The Kitchen for 2011, hit the jump for album #1…

Previously:

– Part 1: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums: 30-21

– Part 2: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums: 20-11

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Part 2: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums: 20-11

Part 2 of our run-down of our favorite albums of 2011…

20. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee

19. Elaquent – The Midnight After

18. Blitz – Native Sun

17. The Weeknd – House of Balloons

The Weeknd – House Of Balloons by The_Weeknd

16. Washed Out – Without and Within

Hit the jump for albums #15-11….

Previously:

– Part 1: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums: 30-21

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Part 1: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Albums: 30-21

You already know the drill. Not a ‘comprehensive’ list of the top-selling, popular or ‘best’ albums of the year here as if there really could even be such a thing! Just the albums that moved this here blogger in some way during the course of the year, albeit ranked in some rough order of how much I loved them. Especially as you approach the Top 10. So with that said, here we go…

30. Kidstreet – Fuh Yeah

29. Muhsinha – Gone 2xEP

28. The Makeover – The Polaris Prize Mixtape


Polaris Prize Shortlist MAKEOVER Mixtape by The MAKEOVER

27. Real Frequency – The Real Frequency presents The New North

26. Diddy-Dirty Money – Last Train to Paris

Hit the jump for albums #25-21….

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Part 5: The Best Of The Kitchen 2011 – Singles: 10-1

And so we reach the end. Part 5, the final installment in our journey through The Best Of The Kitchen Singles Edition featuring the Top 10 favorite joints here at The Kitchen for 2011:

10. The Stepkids – Shadows on Behalf

MP3 Download: The Stepkids – Shadows On Behalf by stonesthrow

Originally posted HERE.

9. Jai Paul – BTSTU

Originally posted HERE.

8. Lil Wayne – 6 foot 7 foot feat. Cory Gunz



Originally posted HERE.

7. Nas – Nasty

Originally posted HERE.

6. Mount Kimbie – Before I Moved Off (Abbey Road Debuts recording)

MP3 Download: Mount Kimbie – Before I Moved Off (Abbey Road Debuts recording) by Anorak London

Originally posted HERE.

5. Jigg – Keys to the City

[I know this a freestyle over a Nipsey Hussle mixtape (?) beat but Jigg absolutely MURDERS it and the video is so ig’nant but compelling a view at the same time that I had to include this anyway. My list, my rules. Ya dig?!]

Originally posted HERE.

4. Young Jeezy – I Do feat. Jay-Z & Andre 3000



Originally posted HERE.

3. Meek Mill – I’m a Boss feat. Rick Ross

This was (I think?) the only track that I somehow managed to not post before it made it on this list which is pretty stunning considering this was arguably the, or at least one of the, biggest street/club tracks of 2011. “F-ck a blog, dawg ‘cos one day we gon’ meet!” Seriously Ross, please accept my deepest, sincerest apology for sleeping as I am more than willing to concede that this was a monstrous record all around: beat, production, lyrics, vocal performance etc. etc. An honorary shout-out to Ace Hood also for the related record, “Hustle Hard” which, while it didn’t make this list, was no doubt as big an anthem and one of the biggest records of last year too.

2. Jose James – Coltrane (Dear Alice)

COLTRANE (DEAR ALICE) by josejamesworldwide

As I declared when I picked this for my Couch Sessions Best of Top 5, this flawlessly produced jazz track is the closest evidence for the existence of God I found in music all this year. I seriously don’t even feel worthy of being allowed to listen to it when I play it, it’s that sublime a work of art to me. Absolutely stunning.

Originally posted HERE.

And our #1 favorite record for 2011 here at the Kitchen was….

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