pionears:

PIONEARS presents 2011 in music. 
A mixtape looking back at some of our favourite songs from 2011. 

listen to it and download it on our soundcloud: 

 

In order appearance, here is the list of the featured artists:

► Nicolas Jaar - ‘Don’t Break My Love’
► Gruff Rhys - ‘Shark Ridden Waters’
► High Highs - ‘Flowers Bloom’
► Taskaki Miyaki - ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’
► Psychic Ills - ‘Mind Daze’
► Girls - ‘Vomit’
► Atlas Sound - ‘Te Amo’
► Puro Instinct - ‘Stilyagi’ feat. Ariel Pink
► John Maus - ‘Quantum Leap’
► Clive Tanaka y su Orquestra - ‘Neu Chicago’
► Neon Indian - ‘Polish Girl’
► Toro y Moi - ‘Elise’
► Jamie XX & GIl Scott-Heron - ‘I’ll Take Care of You’
► Flight Facilities feat. Jess - ‘Foreign Language’
► Washed Out - ‘Echoes’
► Air Drops - ‘Jejune’
► Chrome Sparks - ‘Still Sleeping’ feat. Steffaloo
► Phantogram - ‘Don’t Move’
► bon été 

Now you have the listing, enjoy the eargasm.
Treat yourself and support the artist by buying their album and going to their shows, because without them, none of this would be possible.

Notable omissions include: Real Estate, Nils Frahm, Wooden Schijps, Kurt Vile, Sabzi, Clock Opera, The Kills…

Thanks for listening,

PIONEARS.

Nicolas Jaar - ‘Don’t Break My Love’

Some songs just need to shared because they’re just too beautiful not to be. Sometimes you hear something so pure, so original and so poignant that it would be selfish to keep it to yourself. Such is the case with this masterpiece from Nicolas Jaar, combining the ebbs and flows of post-dubstep with his own brand of the minimal house style on which he is building his name. For a twenty-one year old to show such delicacy, such intimacy and such an impressive development of sound means that there can only be bigger things to come. 

Sounds A Little Like: Balam Acab vs. Butch Clancy. 

Check the EP here. 

(Source: pionears)

Four Tet - ‘She Just Likes To Fight’

I’ve always thought of myself as a fan of Four Tet, but recently relistening to 2010’s There Is Love In You made me realise that I never fully realised how gloriously good the music is, and just how unique Kieran Hebden’s sound is. When everybody makes such as effort to label genres and strands of music, sometimes it’s important to sit back and just focus on the tune. And the reason that there is little need to label this music is that it’s unique. There are similar artists out there but they don’t quite have the same approach. With Hebden it’s the solid beat foundation - always more organic than electronic - that drives the song along and it’s always a lush melody layered over the top provides the tune, but it’s the ethereal sounds - the drones, the flutter, the chopped up women’s voices - that really make it Four Tet. 

Sounds A Little Like: Bonobo but less jazzy. 

Sia - Breathe Me (Butch Clancy Remix) 

This song deals more with explosions than music. It’s packed with moments of abstract craziness that transform the song from a soft modern ballad into a wretched dubstep bedlam. It’s the kind of song that can make you lose your mind in three seconds flat. I’ve never been the biggest fan of plain old dubstep, but some dubstep remixes can absolutely hit the nail on the head, this one included. And in terms of danceability these dubstep professionals are really forcing dancefloors into a different direction, a positive one at that. 

Sounds A Little Like: Elton John meets Skrillex. 

Air - Alone In Kyoto

I’ve never been to Japan, but I can imagine that this comes pretty close to summing up a slow rainy evening there. It manages to convey a sense of loneliness and melancholy in a more complex way than many other songs that try this do. It’s something about the subtly intersecting melodies that creates this spirit, and whilst there is so much going on at once in this song, it’s by no means cluttered. It’s a combination of this and the natural feel to it (the glockenspiel, the guitar plucking): even the electronic sounds sound somewhat organic, that make it so poignant, and so fitting - in my imagination at least - of a slow calm scene in Japan.

Sounds A Little Like: Röyksopp meets Ólafur Arnalds. 

Chrome Sparks - I’ll Be Wait For Sadness Comes Along

In the early months of this year this was one of the most played songs in my eardrums. In the car, on the computer, on the mix CD, you name it. It’s gloriously good, especially as it’s all the work of just one guy, and his use of different sounds mesmerising, but somehow I let that slide and lost interest. Until a few weeks ago that is when I picked up his My <3 EP off Bandcamp (name your price), and rediscovered just how talented this guy is. It’s electronica fused with chillwave and some sort of alternate dubstep and it’s a great combination. In songs such as this it’s the gentle ringing of the xylophone that really make the difference, whereas in <3 & Soul it’s the electronic trumpets that sing through your ears for hours to come. At time it’s dreamy and at times it’s almost danceable - it’s usually somewhere in between - but it’s guaranteed to be catchy.

Sounds A Little Like: Clock Opera + Washed Out.  

Get the My <3 EP here. 

Girls - Vomit

It’s undeniably refreshingly when you hear a new song and enjoy the first listen so much that you insist on playing it repeatedly, without it getting old. The reason why it’s so refreshing is that it’s not a regular occurrence, but that makes stumbling across that something special all the more precious. What Girls have done here has all the makings of a modern classic, the slowly plucked intro, the drony vibes, the pick-up chorus and the 60’s organ all the way to the great-gig-in-the-sky-esque wailing towards the end. The words ‘Come Into My Heart’ are seared into your mind on every listen whilst the sound keep your head nodding until long after the song ends. It’s a Tune with a capital T. 

Sounds A Little Like: Real Estate slowed down & matured. 

Memory Tapes - Green Knight

If there was just one thing that Memory Tapes could rely on it is the fact that he (Dayve Hawk) is completely different to anyone else. But luckily the music is good as well, so they don’t just have to rely on that. Whilst the music is good, it’s definitely hard to describe, it combines elements of funk and world music with more modern styles, such as chillwave, sometimes resulting in something soothing and relaxing, but at other times resulting in all out disco. It’s the work of a highly competent producer but somewhat more importantly it’s listenable, enjoyable and at times, danceable, in a weird alt-disco kind of way. 

Sounds A Little Like: Amadou & Mariam meet the Cocteau Twins meet Washed Out.

LIPS - Everything To Me

There’s nothing like a good bit of dream pop, especially when it’s from a relatively unknown bedroom project. And especially when it’s this good. It’s a simple combination of soft synths, the lush female vocals and the carefully balanced electro-percussion that give this song it’s charm. It’s a slow moving dream pop that gives off nothing but relaxed vibes. LIPS is a project by a New Zealand popstress currently living in Brooklyn and hopefully producing as much stuff like this as possible in the coming months. Stay tuned. 

Sounds A Little Like: Computer Magic. 

Get it here.

Micah P. Hinson - Watchers, Tell Us Of The Night

Don’t let his boyish looks put you off: Micah P. Hinson is a man, and he sure sounds like one. That ragged voice of his providing the necessary completion to his epic country ballads. It’s the combination of the orchestral strings riff and the scuttling percussion in this one that really give it the drive and power that it conveys. It’s fantastic alt-country and it leaves you with a taste for more. What more could you ask for? 

Sounds A Little Like: The Black Keys meets Explosions In The Sky. 

Bon Iver - I Can’t Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt Cover)

As a massive Bon Iver fan, it was with eager anticipation that I awaited the release of Vernon’s second full-length record, Bon Iver, Bon Iver. This even meant ignoring the leaked album when it appeared on the internet one month before its release, instead preferring to wait to purchase and listen to the hard copy. And so it was with high hopes that I lay down one day in late June to listen to the album from start to finish, having only heard ‘Calgary’ and the first minute of ‘Perth’ before that. What followed was a combination of surprise, awe and admiration for Vernon and his progression as a musician. There’s absolutely no denying the album is great, it’s a precise combination of delicate sounds, from the soft coos of the saxophones to the oohs and aahs of the falsetto, from the multiple layers of guitar effects to the powerful rhythms laid down by the percussion, and of course the gently plucked acoustic guitar. It’s already critically acclaimed and there is no doubting that for many it’s an absolute masterpiece, but for me, it lacked something. I’ve listened to it repeatedly, in search of that special something that only For Emma, Forever Ago has given me, the sense that how the music sounded and what it represented was truly something special, but despite my searching I still haven’t found it. Don’t get me wrong - I like it, every song is good, and the sound and quality of the production is fantastic, but it doesn’t give me the emotional connection that I had with the stripped down acoustic songs of before, a connection that I was perhaps naively anticipating. And the closest that I can get to that is from the B-Side to the ‘Calgary’ single, a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’, which to me proves that whilst Vernon can turn his hand to almost anything (see GAYNGS, Kanye West, Volcano Choir etc.) when it’s just him - instrument and soulful voice - then he is at his very very best.

Get it here. 

Julian Lynch - Ruth, My Sister

It’s ethereal but in the most soothing manner. It’s such a slow mover that the five minutes feel like an eternity. It’s the subtle use of all these quirky sounds layered on top of each other that creates a bizarre audio world where few musicians really dare to venture. There’s something created by the repetition and the subtle sax, the nonchalant percussion and the gentle moans, that when put together makes a lullaby. The problem with this kind of music is that it’s hit or miss, but with ‘Ruth, My Sister’ Lynch has got it spot on. 

Sounds A Little Like: Something in between David Lynch & Múm.

Get it here. 

Peter Broderick - Roscoe (Midlake Cover)

You’ve got to hands down give credit to Midlake for the original song, because it’s soulful, moving and a modern classic in it’s own right. But as with many things he does Peter Broderick has added his own multi-instrumentalist charm to it. He strips it down to the bone and then builds it back up again: the piano effervescent, the strings intermittent but powerful, and the percussion - when it comes - minimal, silky smooth and natural. But what gets me every time is the introduction of the sleigh bells circa 3:30. A soft touch, but oh so thoughtful. It’s a smooth cover that lays testament to the ability of both bands. And I just can’t stop listening to it. 

Sounds A Little Like: Peter Broderick covering Midlake.