GUEST SPOT'S Best Of 2011 part 1

We did not want this site to be all about us, we wanted people to contribute their musical experiences, favourite tunes, musical memories, legendary gigs etc and as a result we have compiled a number of excellent posts which have enhanced our site and our music collection. It's with great thanks to you guys for putting in the time and effort to write and share these experiences with us. Thanks again for contributing for the best of 2011 post too. Remember, feel free to submit any contributions at any time, they are always welcome and we enjoy them greatly.

Singing Bear:-
Singing Bear is a self confessed old school music lover who runs a blog which all of us here at TuneDr follow. Grownupbackwards is a real treasure trove of forgotten gems, classics and rarities, so go and check it out. Here are 3 of SB's best.

Low - 'Try to Sleep'
'Try To Sleep' is the opening track on Low's excellent album, C'Mon. These Minnesotan 'slow-core' merchants have been around for a while now but it's taken me until this year to really take note of their rather wonderful stripped-down sound. I love their harmonies and insistent guitar work, which, over the course of an album, can take you on a journey to places where you feel, at once, at home, if somewhat uneasy. Sometimes, life just has to get slow.

Laura Marling - 'Don't Ask Me Why'
'Don't Ask Me Why' by Laura Marling is from her beautiful album, A Creature I Don't Know. I has guilty of avoiding Ms, Marling for far too long, having been put off royally by her connections with Mumford and Sons and Noah and The Whale. Should we judge people by the company they keep? Perhaps there are times when we should look beyond that because in the case of Laura Marling, I think she out-grew that gang some time ago. So, I eventually opened my ears and heard all this fine music from one so very young. All three of her albums are very good indeed but one gets the sense of real maturity on A Creature I Don't Know, which, at times, leaves you breathless with its melodic and lyrical invention. She's going to get even better, I'm sure.

Tom Waits - 'Hell Broke Luce'
One of my all-time favourite artists came back to us this year as Tom Waits released his new album, Bad As Me. In certain respects it must be said that what you get on Bad As Me is what one would expect from old Tom - some demented howling at the moon with a little nod to his jazz-bo, beatnik past thrown in for good measure, but that's no reason for complaint: the quality of the songs is top-notch. There aren't many artists of Tom's vintage still regularly creating such vital music. It's good to have him back. There's a host of great things on Bad As Me but I've chosen 'Hell Broke Luce', which is Tom's take on the US war machine and some of its more recent activities. Wild and hard-hitting.

Stuart:-
Stuart is a man of little words and wanted the music to do the talking instead. Have a look at his Mother Love Bone post, where he takes you back to a simpler time where you caressed your records.

Bombay Bicycle Club -'What You Want'  

The Vaccines - 'All In White' 

Chapel Club - 'Blind' 

Emma Bazeley:-
Emma Bazeley, introduced me to White Denim this year and her excellent review of a She Keeps Bees gig compelled me to investigate further.

She Keeps Bees - 'Vulture'
The drumming and compilation just get me.

Twin Shadow - 'Slow'
I discovered them this year and love the 80s feel and George's voice.

Peaches - 'Kick It' Featuring Iggy Pop
I love this just as much for the zombie video and the fact Peaches and Iggy refuse to grow old gracefully!

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