The three best bleeding albums of 2011

The phrase “Bleed Like Me” can sometimes make people cringe. Yet we all bleed – both physically and emotionally. And magnificently, it can act as the very thing that connects us as human beings.

Throughout my life, I have gravitated toward music to emotionally coagulate. Looking beyond the Top 40 hits, I could always find distinctive bands to reflect my lows and help lift me up to my highs.

Each year some amazing, unknown artists pump out incredible music that unfortunately doesn’t make it to the surface world of radio. While singers like Gaga and Adele dominated the charts in 2011, other musicians scored even higher with my heart. This is just some of my best music for my bleeding of the last year.

Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, Amanda Palmer
Freshly cut off from her record label, Amanda Palmer independently released Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under. Filled with a combination of both live and studio recordings, the album does a wonderfully odd job of centering its theme on that of Australia and all things related. It stays surprisingly lighthearted compared to Palmer’s past works.

The opening track is a humorous ukulele cover of the ultra oldie classic “Makin’ Whoopee.” However, she often still tours her way into ballads such as “Australia” where she sings about the disappointments of daily living and day dreams about the Land of Oz.
With Palmer’s sharp and humorous wit, other songs such as “Vegemite (The Black Death)” and “New Zealand” had me laughing hysterically.

The Goes Down Under album, in fact, goes in all sorts of directions. But nearly every track is worthy of her signature sing-along sound; whether it is based in humor or based in thought.

Something to Die For, The Sounds
Swedish based indie rock group, The Sounds, have not quite taken off in the United States. Their high-energy blend of rock and dance music reminisces the spirit of classic new wave acts such as Blondie or The Cars. Their 2011 release Something To Die For went heavy on the dance aspect unlike any of their previous work.

The album’s intro pulsates into an addictive techno style track that should have been triple its length.

Lead singer Maja Ivarsson has a power house set of vocals that are anything but typical. And the album doesn’t go without their captivating pop/rock sound either. While “The No No Song” may be guitar focused, it doesn’t lack entertainment as the catchy chorus could still play impeccably in a night club.

Something To Die For was the high energy album that had me ready to take on the world.  If nothing else, it at least gave me the chance to dance around in my underwear in the privacy of my own living room.

5, Lamb
Lamb, a duo known for eloquently blending drum ‘n bass with down tempo electronica, swore they would not make another album until they could do so without the pressures of a record label. This year brought them that very opportunity with the release of 5.

The record caught me craving a combination of hardwood floors and amped up subwoofers so that I could lie down to relax to its beauty while being massaged by the vibrations of its electronics and deep bass lines. Louise Rhodes raspy vocals and poetic lyrics add a raw and authentic emotional element that seems hard to achieve in any genre.

Rhodes is known for singing on subjects of romance but 5 only offers that up once on the sorrowfully dark sounding “Butterfly Effect.” The majority of these tracks focus on inner-exploration as Lou sings about the wonders of life. In songs like “Wise Enough” and “Build a Fire,” she begs the human spirit to gain the strength to move onward while “Rounds” and “Last Night The Sky” remain more curious.
“Existential Itch” and “Another Language” add a more amiable pop effect to balance out some of the album’s more heavy moments. Still, Lamb nailed its mission of adding beauty to obscurity through the brilliant dissimilarities of two very diverse musical artists.

More than any other during the year, this album held my mind hostage as it warmed my soul. Its contrasting components kept me engaged regardless of my mood. 5 went from being a collection of stunning songs to being an old friend I could turn to.