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.

On August 17 James Blake’s Twitter (@jamesblake) sparked mentions of a collaboration between himself and Bon Iver. BBC Radio 1 had the pleasure of debuting the collaboration August 24. The song “Fall Creek Boys Choir” features the experimental electronica sense of both artists, as the vocals layer into a whirlwind of sultry electronica goodness. The vocals were performed on behalf of Bon Iver with James Blake backing the production aspect of the track. The song will be available for purchase on August 29. You can listen to the collaboration below.

The summer is here, and that means that the men are hot, hot, hot.

 

Two years ago, we had our list of hot women, and the temperature is now ripe for the opposite sex. Here are our list of the 88 Hottest Men in Indie Rock (we love you Jack White!).

 

1. Sufjan Stevens

 

Our WKNC djs had bellowing arguments and fisticuffs to put Sufjan Stevans on top.  Ever since he invited us to “Come on feel the Illinoise!”, his soft, luring voice only complimented his angelic  good looks. If only he felt the way about us as he does about the fifty states. And it doesn’t hurt that he played a cover of The Innocence Mission’s “Lakes of Canada” with a banjo ON TOP OF A ROOF! Could you get hotter than that? We didn’t think so.

2. Andrew Bird

There’s a reason why his last name is “bird”.

Andrew Bird is well versed in violin, guitar, and the glockenspiel. But his greatest instrument is that fabulous whistle. That croon could attract many an avian creature and delighted female alike.  His classic countenance combined with his folky and eclectic sound makes him number two on our list.

 

3. Phil Moore (Bowerbirds)

Moore comprises half of Raleigh favorites, The Bowerbirds.  Even though the band is very in-touch with Mother Nature (“In our Talons”; also both Moore and Beth Tacular currently reside in a trailer in the woods of Pittsboro),  this mountain man could not bathe for weeks on end and still be hot. Recently he has been sprouting a long ponytail, and he still looks prettier than most women.

 

4. Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend)

What band is Ezra Koening not in? He played saxophone for the Dirty Projectors, interned with The Walkmen, recorded with MIA and The Very Best, and provided vocals on Discovery’s LP, not to mention front.  A graduate of Columbia, Koening is intelligent enough  to woo you with talk about unnecessary punctuation and sweet enough to teach your little sister’s class room. What a pile of sugar, spice, and everything adorable.

 

5. Chris Chu (Morning Benders)

The lead singer of Morning Benders looks like me if I were a male, but that is not the sole reason he makes a top slot in our hot list. Plus he piled in massive amounts of musically inclined in the studio to record the Yours Truly Recording of the epic ”Excuses”.

 

6. Sondre Lerche

Countless Viking blood must have been shed to make this Norwegian hottie. So pale, so gorgeous. Only the warmth of his delicate voice will save you from the cold of his country.

 

7. Will Hackney (Midtown Dickens, Mount Moriah, Lost in the Trees)

I remember seeing the keyboard man in Mount Moriah and commented to myself, “Hot damn. That keyboard man is ridiculously attractive.” He was so attractive, it was ridiculous. As it turns out, the man behind the keys is actually the co-owner of Trekky Records and partakes in what seems like every single local band.

 

8. Christopher Bear (Grizzly Bear)

Despite the fierce moniker  of his last and band name, Christopher Bear has a baby face. I wish I had the right to bear his hands.

 

9. Kristian Matsson (Tallest Man on Earth)

With a voice like Bob Dylan,  the Tallest Man on Earth is actually of average height.  And he’s from Sweden! But that rough voice is only a front for his soft, story-spinning heart. I want to be the Queen of Spain.

 

10. Matt Berninger (The National)

That deep set baritone contributed the soundtrack to Obama’s campaign video and probably bedded a lot of women.

 

11. Paul Banks (Interpol)
My love for Interpol is for one of those bands that I will consistently love and support despite the fact that their recent releases have been subpar. One of the reasons for this is because of Paul Banks, his bilingual vocals, and his smashing attractiveness. I don’t think I can ever have enough of this Julian Plenti.

 

12. Damian Kulash (OK GO)

When OK GO toured Raleigh last year, Damian Kulash lauded Raleigh for the homeplace of his grandfather, the one who invented a species of beetle. His other grandfather invented the Fish Stick. Good genes apparently pour into this sex creature.

 

13. Andrew Vanwyngarden (MGMT)

This adorable cutie from MGMT looks so young and innocent, I feel almost shameful for putting him on this list.

 

14. James Blake

The cover of James Blake’s eponymous album is blue and distorted and basically obscures James Blake’s beauty. Why hide behind a blue blob, James Blake? Maybe he didn’t want his “pretty boy” countenance to be the deciding factor in his music, which is commendable, but it doesn’t hurt that he is  a’smokin’.

 

15. and 16. Flight of the Conchords (Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement)

In this New Zealand duo’s rap ballad, “Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenoceros”, McKenzie and Clement proclaim that their “rhymes are so potent that in this small segment / [they]I made all of the ladies in the area pregnant,” which is a fairly accurate description.

 

17. Kele Okereke (Bloc Party)

Not only is he on our hot list, but last year, Kele Okereke  was named the

Sexiest Out Gay Male Artist by music website LP33. Quite an accomplishment. Kele is known for being very political in his songs, and we commend that kind of fortitude.

 

18. Johnny Flynn

He may be the Justin Bieber of Indie Rock, but Johnny Flynn is one promising hot young artist. He writes his own poetry, and cites Yeats and Shakespeare in his lyrics.  A man that well-versed deserves a spot in our hot list.

 

19. Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes)

The founder of Fleet Foxes has this shy, coy look about him, like an animal emerging from the forest about to be hit by a car. But when he opens his mouth, out bursts the love child of Crosby, Stills, Nash and / or Young. Not to mention that beard completes this fox’s face.

 

20. M. Ward

M. Ward is the Him of She and Him but don’t let Zooey Deschanel (#2 on our Hottest Women of Indie Rock list)  distract you from how hot he is. Take a gander at “Poison Cup” and his intense longing croon will win any girl over.

 

21. Carter Gaj (Max Indian)

Carter of Max Indian wore sunglasses during his performance in Double Barrel Benefit, and he is the only man who can pull off doing so at night. His cool attitude could only be the product of some magical force that drifted from Aphrodite’s sea foam waves.

 

22. Kevin Drew (AC Newman, Broken Social Scene)

A founding member of a Canadian supergroup, Kevin Drew has dated hot indie women, Feist and Emily Haines. We can tell why of course.  With talent like that, it’s hard to resist.

 

23 and 24. The Dodos (Meric Long and Logan Kroeber.)

A dodo is an endangered bird but “The Dodos” are two fetching men who rock out with the intensity of gods.

 

25. Thomas Mars (Phoenix, Air)

Mars is the baby daddy of Academy Award-winning director Sophia Coppola’s baby.  What a father. Here we have a lead of the Grammy-award winning French dance pop band Phoenix, and my, is he hot. I hope he runs into me with a lasso.

 

26. Spencer Krug (Frog Eyes, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade)

27. Thom Yorke (Radiohead)

28. Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros)

29. Bon Iver

30. Jens Lekman

31. Ryan gosling (Dead Man’s Bones)

32. Matt Johnson (from Matt and Kim)

33. Brian Corum (Lonnie Walker)

34. Dan Whitford (Cut Copy)

35. Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club)

36. and 37. Ratatat (Mike Stroud, Evan Mast)

38. Villagers

39. Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses)

40. Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio)

41. Chris Keating (Yeasayer)

42. John Paul Pitts (Surfer Blood)

43. Patrick Stickles (Titus Andronicus)

44. Stephen Malkmus (Pavement)

45. Beck

46. Bill Callahan

47. Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)

48. Sam Herring (Future Islands)

49. Stu Mclamb (The Love Language)

50. Noah Lennox (Animal Collective, Panda Bear)

51. Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)

52. Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips)

53. Jose Gonzales

54. Hamilton Leithauser (the Walkmen)

55. and 56. Seth and Scott Avett

57. Jack Beva (Foals)

58. Dave 1 (Chromeo)

59. Robert Schwartzman (Rooney)

60. Twin Shadow

61. Yoni wolf (Why?)

62. Owen Pallet

63. Calvin Harris

64. Chuck Chriss (Freelance Whales)

65. Alex Scally (Beach House)

66. Britt Daniel (Spoon)

67. Dougy Mandagi (Temper Trap)

68. Michael Angelakos (Passion Pit)

69. Patrick Phelan (Luego )

70. Win Butler (Arcade Fire)

71.Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend)

72. Ivan Howard (The Rosebuds)

73. J.Roddy Watson

74. Colin Meloy (The Decemberists)

75. Jack Penate

76. John Darnielle

77. Ari Picker

78. Brett Harris

79. Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony)

80. James Mercer (Shins, Broken Bells)

81. Conor Oberst

82. Ben Gibbard

83. Matt Voorhis (SNMNMNM / Rooster for the Masses)

84. Ash Bowie of Polvo

85, 86, and 87. The beards of Megafaun (Phil and Brad Cook, Joe Westerlund)

88. Jack White