While mainstream radio was populated by plenty of fluffy (albeit fun) dance-pop, R&B and hip hop, much of the best music of 2011 was off the grid – released, almost without exception, on an ever-ballooning number of independent labels. So as we say goodbye to 2011, here are my picks for the year’s best CDs that flew under the radar and didn’t get nearly the attention or popularity they deserved.
1. Sleeper Agent: “Celebrasion” (Mom + Pop) — On riffy rockers like “Proper Taste” or “Force a Smile,” Sleeper Agent sounds like The Who on speed. But just when you think you have a fix on the band’s sound, out comes a sweet pure pop tune like the ballad “That’s my Baby” or a Strokes-ish rocker like “Get Burned.” With its energetic and irresistible tunes, the arrival of Sleeper Agent is cause for “Celebrasion.”
2. Centro-Matic: “Candidate Waltz” (Undertow Music Collective) — Though its music falls under the roots rock/Americana umbrella, Centro-Matic is more sonically adventurous and creative than most such acts. There’s crunchy rock (“All the Takers”), lovely but sturdy balladry (“Shadow, Follow Me”) and ghostly, grainy, yet pretty pop-rock (“Estimate x 3”). With a career that dates back to 1995, Centro-Matic should be vastly better known.
3. Tommy Keene: “Behind the Parade” (Second Motion) — Since the early 1980s, Keene has been turning out tightly crafted, highly melodic and lyrically smart rocking pop. “Behind the Parade” follows suit. “Deep Six Saturday,” “Running for Your Life” and “Already Made Up Your Mind” sound like pop classics in waiting — and they are just a few of the keepers on “Behind the Parade.”