It’s that time of the year again, and as we say farewell to 2011 and greet 2012 many of us here at WKNC reflected on what the best albums of the year were. Much like the previous two years I sent out a request to the Daytime staff to see what their favorite albums of 2011 were, and below are their top five individual favorites.

 

Sarahnade

 

 

 

 

1. The Dodos- No Color
2. The Decemberists- King is Dead
3. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
4. Givers- In Light
5. Future Islands- On the Water

 

Hurricane Julia

 

 

 

 

1. tUnE-yArDs- w h o k i l l
2. Darwin Deez- Wonky Beats
3. Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside- Dirty Radio
4. Tom Waits- Bad as Me
5. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Wolfroy Goes to Town

 

John

 

 

 

 

1. James Blake- James Blake
2. Rangers- Pan-Am Stories
3. Amen Dunes- Through Donkey Jaw
4. Thee Oh Sees- Carrion Crawler/The Dream
5. Grouper- A I A: Alien Observer/Dream Loss

 

Psychonaut

 

 

 

1. TV on the Radio- Nine Types of Light
2. M83- Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
3. Zola Jesus- Conatus
4. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
5. Coma Cinema- Blue Suicide

 

DJ Walter-Ego

 

 

 

 

1. Andrew Jackson Jihad- Knife Man
2. Metronomy- The English Riviera
3. Crystal Stilts- In Love With Oblivion
4. Black Lips- Arabia Mountain
5. Starfucker- Reptilians

 

Mollypop

 

 

 

 

1. Sarah Jarosz- Follow Me Down
2. Chris Thile & Michael Daves- Sleep With One Eye Open
3. Bombadil- All the Rain Promises
4. The Decemberists- The King Is Dead
5. Mandolin Orange- Haste Make, Hard Hearted Stranger

 

DJ Radio Dead

 

 

 

 

1. Shabazz Palaces- Black Up
2. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
3. tUnE-yArDs- w h o k i l l
4. Jay Z and Kanye West- Watch The Throne
5. Radiohead- The King of Limbs

 

DJ Ones

 

 

 

 

1. Wye Oak- Civilian
2. The Dodos- No Color
3. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
4. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
5. James Blake- James Blake

 

May Day

 

 

 

 

1. The Drums- Portamento
2. Future Islands- On the Waterfront
3. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
4. The Dodos- No Color
5. The Joy Formidable- The Big Roar

 

DJ Flipside

 

 

 

1. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
2. Yuck- Yuck
3. Real Estate- Days
4. Delicate Steve- Wondervisions
5. Ponytail- Do Whatever You Want All the Time

 

DJ Mason

 

 

 

 

1. tUnE-yArDs- w h o k i l l
2. Braids- Native Speaker
3. Youth Lagoon- The Year of Hibernation
4. Panda Bear- Tomboy
5. Deerhoof- Deerhoof vs. Evil

 

Anastassia

 

 

 

 

1. Yuck- Yuck
2. Braids- Native Speaker
3. Girls- Father, Son, Holy Ghost
4. Balam Acab- In Motion
5. Real Estate- Days

 

Chuck

 

 

 

 

1. Balam Acab- Wander/Wonder
2. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
3. Holy Other- With U
4. The Weeknd- House of Balloons
5. Liturgy- Aethethica

 

What are your favorite albums of the year? Comment below.

Enjoy these albums, compiled by The DJ Ones.  [editors note: Those Darlins' album art is quite interesting!]

 

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	Those Darlings	Screws Get Loose	Oh Wow Dang
#2	Seapony	Go With Me	Hardly Art
#3	Amor De Dias	Street Of The Love Of Days	Merge
#4	Donkeys	Born With Stripes	Dead Oceans
#5	Kids on a Crime Spree	We Love You So Bad	Slumberland
#6	Vaccines	What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?	Columbia
#7	Cults	In The Name Of	Columbia
#8	Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside	Dirty Radio	Partisan
#9	Thao and Mirah	Thao And Mirah	Kill Rock Stars
#10	Tiger Darrow	Tiger Darrow	You Know Who You Are
#11	Arctic Monkeys	Suck It And See	Domino
#12	Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.	It’s A Corporate World	Quite Scientific
#13	Gardens and Villa	Secretly Canadian	Secretly Canadian
#14	Girls Names	Dead To Me	Slumberland
#15	tUnE-YarDs	WhoKill	4D
#16	Rosebuds	Loud Planes Fly Low	Merge
#17	Liam Finn	FOMO	Yep Rock
#18	My Morning Jacket	Circuital	ATO
#19	Friendly Fires	Pala	XL
#20	Hooray For Earth	True Loves	Dovecote
#21	Death Cab For Cutie	Codes And Keys	Columbia
#22	Foster the People	Torches	Columbia
#23	Balkans	Balkans	Double Phantom
#24	Vetiver	The Errant Charm	SubPop
#25	Black Lips	Arabia Mountain	Vice
#26	Thurston Moore	Demolished Thoughts	Matador
#27	David Bazan	Strange Negotiations	Barsuk
#28	Danger Mouse and Danielle Luppi	Rome	EMI
#29	David Fonseca	Between Waves	Castle Of The Amazing Cats
#30	Matt Pond PA	Spring Fools	Altitude

 

Another week, another Top 30 hits from your friendly daytime music director, Michael Jones.

	Artist	Album	Label
#1	Austra	Feel It Break	Domino
#2	Donkeys	Born With Stripes	Dead Oceans
#3	Thao and Mirah	Thao and Mirah	Kill Rock Stars
#4	Love Inks	E.S.P.	City Slang
#5	tUnE-YArDs	Whokill	4AD
#6	Kids on a Crime Spree	We Love You So Bad	Slumberland
#7	Girl Names	Dead To Me	Slumberland
#8	Amor De Dias	Street Of The Love Of Days	Merge
#9	Vaccines	What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?	Columbia
#10	Rosebuds	Loud Planes Fly Low	Merge
#11	Those Darlings	Screws Get Loose	Oh Wow Dang
#12	Generationals	Actor-Caster	Park The Van
#13	Dodos	No Color	Frenchkiss
#14	My Morning Jacket	Circuital	ATO
#15	Foster the People	Torches	Columbia
#16	Wild Palms	Until Spring	One Little Indian
#17	Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.	It’s A Corporate World	Quite Scientific
#18	Seapony	Go With Me	Hardly Art
#19	Matt Pond PA	Spring Fools	Altitude
#20	Black Lips	Arabia Mountain	Vice
#21	Friendly Fires	Pala	XL
#22	Antlers	Burst Apart	Frenchkiss
#23	Okkervil River	I Am Very Far	Jagjaguwar
#24	Thurston Moore	Demolished Thoughts	Domino
#25	Sam Roberts Band	Collider	Rounder
#26	I’m From Barcelona	Forever Today	Mute
#27	Fleet Foxes	Helplessness Blues	Sub Pop
#28	Wombats	This Modern Glitch	Bright Antenna
#29	Dan Sartain	Legacy Of Hospitality	One Little Indian
#30	Vetiver	The Errant Charm	Sub Pop

 

They are delicious and they are going FAST! (only you don’t have to pay for them… )

This week at WKNC we have some amazing giveaways we are pretty excited about. We’ve also got something AMAZING coming next week, so stay tuned (literally). Or become our friend on facebook to find out NOW.

4/6 Black Lips @ Cat’s Cradle

Bronzed Chorus @ Pinhook

4/7 Destroyer @ Cat’s Cradle

Surf City @ Kings

Movie: Hanna @ Mission Valley Cinema

4/8 Fridays on the Lawn: Midtown Dickens and Butterflies @ Harris Field (Just kidding, you can’t win tickets… its FREE for everyone!)

 

4/9 Dr. Dog @ Cat’s Cradle

 

Rotting Christ (Chainsaw) @ Volume 11

4/13 The Greenhornes @ Kings

 

Remember, you have to listen to win!

1. Black Lips have released details about their follow-up to 2009′s “200 Million Thousand.” The album, which has yet to be titled, is set to release sometime during the summer. In talking about the next album, guitarist Ian Saint Pé stated, “I’m already digging what we’ve got. I’ve read reviews where people say we haven’t changed, but, man, the wheel ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” (via Billboard)

2. The New Pornographers have announced a new single, and a large, upcoming, North American tour in support of their next album entitled “Together.” The single, is called “The Crash Years,” and the band is planning to make a stop at Memorial Hall, on the campus of UNC, June 25. (via Pitchfork)

3. Saturday Night Live actor Fred Armisen has joined Joanna Newsom during her current tour. Armisen who helps open the show as German drumming expert Jens Hennemann, has joined Newsom during her shows in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. (via Pitchfork)

4. Concert promoter Live Nation has started testing new digital wristbands that would allow concert-goers the ability to purchase concessions and work as the ticket for a show or festival. The technology, which is used to help fight against touting, uses smart chip technology to track the audience. John Probyn from Live Nation UK states, “Your ticket won’t be a paper ticket, it’ll be a wristband unique to you.” (via NME)

5. Beck has been joined by Liars, St. Vincent, and Sergio Dias of Os Mutantes to record INXS’s 1987 album, “Kicks.” The fourth album in Beck’s project to cover entire records in one day, was recorded in approximately 12 hours. The song “Guns from the Sky” is available to listen to now. (via NME)

If you’ve never seen Black Lips live, you owe it to yourself to do so the next time they are in town. This being my third time seeing them at the Cat’s Cradle this weekend, I can say with 100 percent certainty that they put on one of the best rock shows out of any touring band playing now.

After a mediocre opening set by the band Box Elders (think Black Lips minus any hooks), the Lips took the stage at full throttle and never let up. “O Katrina” and “Short Fuse,” two of my favorite Black Lips songs, popped up early in the set, along with Beatles-esque crowd-pleaser “Dirty Hands.”

One of the most entertaining parts of a Black Lips show is watching guitarist and singer Cole Alexander flail around the stage. While I’d seen him pull the spit-straight-up-and-catch-it move before, he had a new trick this time which involved spitting on the back of his guitar and raising it up to catch the drip. All this while never missing a note.

A lively crowd who bounced the whole show and a light mosh pit only served to add to the energy being exuded from the stage.

Black Lips are truly the definition of a great live rock show.

Here are the fantastic shows that are taking place this week that WKNC is giving away tickets to! Be sure to tune into 88.1 FM or stream live for your chance to win!

Tuesday, March 16
Kool Keith w/Juan Huevos @ Cat’s Cradle

Thursday, March 18
Black Lips w/ Box Elders @ Cat’s Cradle

Saturday, March 20
The Rosebuds w/ Mount Weather @ Cat’s Cradle

As always, check out the Rock Report for a complete list of local shows!

WKNC is always working hard to bring you more ticket giveaways to great shows, and this week is no different! Tune into 88.1 FM for your chances to win tickets to these awesome shows:

Wednesday, March 3

Ex-Monkeys w/ Geometric Operetta, Cheezface, Wretched Martyr & MC Bingo Blower @ The Pour House

Friday, March 5

A Rooster For The Masses w/ Decoration Ghost & Free Electric State @ The Pour House

Saturday, March 6

Rogue Wave w/ Avi Buffalo @ Cat’s Cradle

Sunday, March 7

Dropkick Murphys w/Larry and His Flask & Strung Out @ Fillmore Charlotte

Also, get excited about up coming giveaways for other sweet shows happening later this month including Phoenix @ Koka Booth and Black Lips @ Cat’s Cradle.

Don’t forget! You can always be sure to get a full schedule of local shows happening in your area by checking out WKNC’s Rock Report.

Bored on your Spring Break? The boss giving you hell at work? We have the remedy with more great shows and chances to win tickets! Tune in during the week for the following shows at Cat’s Cradle!

Ben Kweller & The Watson Twins playing @ Cats Cradle on March 1st

Watson Twins

Tapes ‘n Tapes playing @ Cats Cradle on March 2nd

Black Lips playing @ Cats Cradle on March 4th

Music Tapes playing @ Cats Cradle on March 5th