I think it’s probably a combination of working two jobs (plus freelance work, whenever I’m able to get it) and reliving past punk favorites on the old Spotify, but I wasn’t able to listen to as much new music as I would have liked last year.

And, as I was reviewing various best-of lists, I realized I left out a couple of albums I really liked. I’m going to blame old age for these oversights. Seriously, looking at these albums, I kept wondering, This came out in 2011?

Devotchka, 100 Lovers 

The Man from San Sebastian is all angular post-punk, Eastern European folk fusion; perfect! As long as we’re hanging out in the baroque, chamber pop neighborhood, let’s throw Beirut’s The Rip Tide into this mix, too.

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Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two 

My rhymes age like wine as I get older. Man, I hope that’s true of me in the future as well. After all these years, their hooks are still undeniable.

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Tune-Yards, Who Kill 

Here’s something dumb: the font-nerd in me wouldn’t let me listen to their album for a long time because seeing the alternating lower/uppercase letters in their band name drove me nuts.

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Office of Future Plans, S/T

Sign me up for anything from J. Robbins. Been listening to his post-Jawbox project Channels via Spotify. OFP is all the discordant (puns!) wonder, plus cello!

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While I wait for new releases from Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Dirty Projectors, and more in 2012, I still have to catch up with 2011 releases from The Roots, F—– Up, The Dodos, Theophilus London, and Liturgy.

Good thing J. Evans will be picking all my new music for 2012!