The Sonic Parthenon Playlist: Spring 2011, Vol. 1

A little bit different for this recap of the passing season.

Albums
Airborne Toxic Event - All at Once ("Changing" is by far the stand-out on what may prove to be a sophmore slump record for a band that has exploded.)
The Lonely Forest - Arrows (as of right now, my album of the year - except I didn't think to put this in the list when I first published it, and I forgot to play them as I intended on last week's Sonic Parthenon Show.)
The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh ("Boeing 737" sounds like nothing else as their road of a record.)
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong (the title track and "Heart in Your Heartbreak" rule the roost but overall the Pains have asserted themselves as one of THE bands of the era. They're in this for the long haul.)
The Strokes - Angles ("Taken for a Fool" is great. "Under Cover of Darkness" could be the single of the year. Everything else is essentially dreck. Letdown.)
Tv on the Radio - Nine Types of Light (With each record, TVOTR not only improves but makes the case that they may be the band we cite first and foremost for this generation of music, the way we cite Nirvana).

Songs

4 on the Floor - "Junkie"
Boat - "Forever in Armitron"
The Dogs - "Dance More"
Manhunt - "Just in Time"
A quartet of rockers that I've grouped for simply being straight-up rock n roll. "Junkie" is straight out of the playbook and "Just in Time" sounds like the stepchild of Dinosaur Jr (only missing of course the solos).

Usonia - "It's Your Night"
Starfucker - "Bury Us Alive"
A pair of dance numbers for that warm weather groove. There are two more that I just started listening to that will be around for the summer recap. Dirty Vegas on the Sonic Parthenon Show?! Anything is possible...