Review: Sporting Life, Singles [2011]
San Francisco-based Sporting Life released its debut album, Singles, back in September 2011. Barely a year old, the band already sounds like it has been in existence for much longer. Singles combines the aesthetic of 1990s American indie rock with the confident attitude of mid-2000s Brit rock. A song like "Parking Lots" has elements of the raw energy of British punk, while the vocals on "Immigrant" recall James Mercer of the Shins. With fuzzy guitars, driving percussion, and melodic hooks, this is a can't-miss collection of songs.
The band has made Singles available for free (or choose your payment) on bandcamp.com. You can also purchase a 7" single of "Life in the Fields"/"House of Lies" at the same link.
Check out the video for "Immigrant," which was also one of GTI's top songs of 2011:
Top 50 Songs of 2011
Here are 50 songs that defined 2011 for me. This year, I only included one song per band, as I wanted to feature as many bands as possible.
Listen. Enjoy. Tell me what you think.
And yep, that's my ugly mug on the cover.
Here's the playlist:
1. Wilco - One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)
2. City Reign - Anywhere Anyway
3. The Mountain Goats - Never Quite Free
4. Zaac Pick - Whitewater
5. Yuck - Holing Out
6. The Tallest Man on Earth - Weather of a Killing Kind
7. Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain
8. Laura Marling - My Friends
9. The War on Drugs - Best Night
10. Bright Eyes - Shell Games
11. Radical Face - Always Gold
12. Beirut - East Harlem
13. Carter Tanton - Murderous Joy
14. Air Review - America's Son
15. Michael McGraw - Poorboy
16. The Middle East - Land Of The Bloody Unknown
17. The Antlers - Putting The Dog To Sleep
18. Megafaun - State / Meant
19. Bon Iver - Holocene
20. Robbers On High Street - Monkey
21. The Whiskey Saints - Curtains
22. The Far West - Bound to Lose
23. Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune
24. James Vincent McMorrow - Sparrow and the Wolf
25. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
26. Siskiyou - Twigs And Stones
27. Foo Fighters - Walk
28. The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
29. Iron & Wine - Walking Far From Home
30. Joshua Hyslop - If I Was a Better Man
31. J Mascis - Is It Done
32. Kurt Vile - Baby's Arms
33. Girls - Die
34. R.E.M. - It Happened Today
35. Fruit Bats - WACS (ft. J Mascis)
36. the august arrival - Through it all
37. Young Liars - Colours
38. Sporting Life - Immigrant
39. Alela Diane - To Begin
40. The Rest - The Last Day
41. William Fitzsimmons - The Tide Pulls From The Moon
42. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Stamp
43. Wye Oak - Civilian
44. Jim Ivins - House Of Three
45. Real Estate - It's Real
46. Snowmine - Curfews
47. David Thomas Broughton - Apologies
48. Creepoid - Old Tree
49. Cut Off Your Hands - You Should Do Better
50. The Dodos - When Will You Go
8tracks: Winter 2011/2012 Mix
New mix for December 2011/January 2012 on 8tracks.com:
All of the songs on this list have either been featured on GTI or are due for a post. Whether I actually get around to writing all these posts is a matter of speculation, but in case I don't, at least you get to hear the songs. "Whitewater" is my wife's favorite song of 2011, and "Poorboy" is my early favorite of 2012 (despite actually being released last year). Sporting Life's "Immigrant" is on my definitely-need-to-write-about list, along with First Aid Kit's "Emmylou" and a bunch of other songs on this mix.
While the selection here is all over the place, from delicate indie folk to the in-your-face energy of Young Liars, I still think these songs manage to work well together. Let me know if you like it.
Playlist:
1. Zaac Pick - Whitewater
2. Michael McGraw - Poorboy
3. Sporting Life - Immigrant
4. Young Liars - Colours
5. Shearwater - You As You Were
6. First Aid Kit - Emmylou
7. Tanlines - Brothers
8. dress rehearsal - River Blue
9. Tucker Green - Someday You'll See
10. The Far West - More Than This (Roxy Music cover)
11. Good Old War - Calling Me Names
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