About Today

About Today’s Favorite EPs of 2011

Speaking of 2011, I totally forgot that I wrote this up. 

10. James Blake, Enough Thunder EP (Universal Republic)
The dubstep maestro keeps it simple and works on his vocals and piano on this quiet, isolating EP. How many hipster weddings in the next year will use his cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Case Of You” as a first dance song? Probably lots, bro.

9. Phantogram, Nightlife EP (Barsuk)
Phantogram took a backseat in my sexy pop category last year to the more downtempo record from The xx, but there’s no xx this year, so I relied on this excellent EP to get my fix of backseat grooves.

8. White Denim, Takes Place In Your Work Space EP (Downtown)
These guys are on their way to becoming the next Guided By Voices as far as prolificity goes. On top of that, their initial psychedelic rock phase is starting to bleed into all sorts of other interesting genres, most of the time within a single track. And the quality hasn’t taken a hit at all either.

7. Childish Gambino, Childish Gambino EP (self-released)
Perhaps the reason that comedian/actor Donald Glover’s full-length album **Camp** was panned somewhat (hey, I liked it) was that it was hard to follow this already terrific EP of passionate (and really funny) hashtag rap.

6. Dum Dum Girls, He Gets Me High EP (Sub Pop)
Hugely stepping their game up from their debut album just last year, this all-girl fuzz-pop group absolutely destroys it on this record including the only cover of The Smiths’ “There Is A Light” that you’ll ever need.

5. Toro Y Moi, Freaking Out EP (Carpark)
Apparently Chaz thought that there wasn’t enough ass-shakin’ at the Toro Y Moi shows because this EP is nothing but gloriously 80s dancefloor jams.

4. Mina Tindle, Mina Tindle EP (Mina Tindle)
Do you remember that warm fuzzy feeling you got the first time you heard St. Vincent, Regina Specktor, or Feist? Well, get ready to have it again.

3. Ghost Animal, A Ceremony EP (Spooky Town)
This (now) duo from Portland have made their best recordings yet on this EP. Dark shoegazey reverb positively drips over some terrific pop tunes. Like The Misfits playing Beatles songs. Or something. It’s good. Just listen.

2. Jens Lekman, An Argument With Myself EP (Secretly Canadian / Service)
There isn’t too many artists these days (in any genre) that I would call both pop perfection and just plain funny. Swedish indie-popster Jens Lekman is, though. These songs tackle mundane subjects like the titular arguing with yourself to an exciting but doomed attempt to meet Kristen Dunst and find them equally hilarious.

1. Alex Turner, Submarine OST (Domino)
Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner puts his considerable lyrical pop talent to work providing the soundtrack for a quirky coming-of-age/first-love story and along the way, discovers that he can croon. It’s impossible to listen to these songs and not think back to your own teenage years and their heady emotions.