The Ash Gray Proclamation's Top Tracks Of 2011

As we prepare to shut the door on 2011 we've gone ahead and prepared a spotify playlist of our favorite tracks of 2011. It's a testament to the vibrant Boston music community that over half of these tracks come from some of favorite locals. Our Top Tracks were determined by plays on iTunes and Spotify. Later this week we'll begin sharing album lists starting with Los Gamester's year in review on Friday and some lists from Echoes Myron and myself next week.

1. Soccer Mom - (A) Natural History
The remarkable EP, You Are Not Going To Heaven from Boston noise pop concern, Soccer Mom quickly became one of favorite releases of the year soon after it's October release. The opening track, (A) Natural History finds guitarist William Scales handling vocals on the crushing track that deftly marries noise and pop hooks to a euphoric effect.
Listen via Spotify or Bandcamp

2. Boston Spaceships - I Took On The London Guys
Let It Beard, the impeccable swan song from Robert Pollard's Boston Spaceships came a midst the GBV reunion frenzy and found the trio issuing their 5th and finest LP in just over 3 years. I Took On The London Guys features former Dream Syndicate member, Steve Wynn contributing guitar and the Spaceships delivering an inspired blend of British folk and power pop. Our Let It Beard review can be found here.
Listen via Spotify

3. Hallelujah The Hills - Some Of Them We Lost
Hallelujah The Hills spent a good chunk of the year writing and recording their forthcoming third full length, playing a handful of shows, and releasing a couple of singles. Some Of Them We Lost appears on a 7" that never actually got pressed to vinyl due to curious circumstances, but thankfully the band issued it digitally. When we saw HTH play this track last winter  at TT The Bears we were instantly sold on it's slow building charm, and exuberant and chaotic finish.
 
4. The Hush Now - Memos
The Hush Now released their third and in our estimation finest LP with Memos in September. The title track serves as the LP, centerpiece and finds THN delivering a  lush, lovelorn pop song with chiming guitars and Noel Kelly's soaring vocals. Now if we could just convince them to stop giving away their high caliber guitar pop anthems for free.


5. Los Campesinos! - Songs About Your Girlfriend
Arriving at the tale end of the year, the latest offering from Los Campesinos! is a bit more subdued than previous outings but no less devastating. The opening chords of Songs About Your Girlfriend bring to mind Back to Basics era Billy Bragg, until Gareth Los Campesinos delivers the line, "You don't like us, because your girlfriend likely does" and you quickly realize you're hearing one of the septets finest moments, full of swagger and wit.
Listen via Spotify

6. Sloan - Unkind
Sloan returned last spring to celebrate their 20th Anniversary with a new album, The Double Cross. Unkind finds the power pop luminaries doing what they do best, delivering killer hooks over charging guitars. One listen is all took to have us playing this from spring to winter.
Listen via Spotify

7. Eldridge Rodriguez - The Big Windup
The Beatings/Midriff Records founder and noise rock stalwart, issued one of the years most satisfying listens, with the superlative You Are Released. The set opens on a thrilling note with The  Big Windup, it's a cacophony of guitar squalls, strident rhythms and sad bastard lyricism.


8. Slowdim - Don't Cough Me Out
As soon as we heard Spirals, from Slowdim, we were more than a little smitten. All of the songs on the bands terrific debut, were written and recorded by fronter Paul Sentz last winter. There's a certain warmth and intimacy that runs through entire EP , especially on  Don't Cough Me Out. It's a damn near perfect pop song, smart, direct and arresting.


9. The Capstan Shafts - Come Wilder
To our surprise, back in July Dean Wells released a new LP from The Capstan Shafts as a pay what ever the hell you want deal on his Bandcamp page. We reviewed the album here.Some might say it's a return to his lo-fi ways after last years superlative mid-fi offering Revelation Skirts, but we prefer to focus on the fantastic pop songs it offered, like Come Wilder, which is 2 minutes of charging guitars and hooks a plenty.
Listen via Spotify or Bandcamp

10. Johnny Foreigner - New Street, You Can Take It
Birmingham, England's Johnny Foreigner made their return earlier this fall with their third and arguably best LP, Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything. New Street, You Can Take It begins innocently enough with Kelly Southern and Alexei Berrow trading vocals over a quiet snare drum and gently played guitar, but once they reach the chorus "You Kinda Always Know When It's Over" the track slowly builds until the band sounds as if  they could bring down the walls around them.
Listen via Spotify

11. Get Help - Little Symbols 
The duo of Tony Skalicky of The Beatings and Mike Ingenthron of Microdot, collectively known as Get Help released The Good Green Earth last spring via Midriff Records which we wrote about here.We were immediately taken in by the albums intelligent pop songs and massive hooks. Little Symbols is an impressive combination of  guitars heroics and heartbreak. Giving up never sounded better.