10 Must-Have 2011 Lansing Albums
We recently ran our "Best of 2011 in Music" series, featuring Lansing musicians, hip-hop artists and promoters offering up their favorite local albums of 2011. (Read the lists, here, and, here.)
Now, check out a list of 10 Must-Have Lansing Albums, before 2012 rings in.
Of course, there wasn't room for every local release, so this is only a small sampling of the great music that came out of Lansing in 2011!
What was your favorite album - local or national - of the year? Let us know in the comments section, below. Happy 2012!
10 Must-Have 2011 Lansing Albums (in no particular order):
Westrin & Mowry, "Late Night Run." On "Late Night Run," Michigan music favorites Brian Westrin and Pete Mowry explore their love for indie rock and Americana, with drifting, dreamy songs that are pretty and shimmering. A very live-sounding album.
Joshua Davis, "Magnolia Belles." Joshua Davis is is long known for his work in Steppin' In It. His new solo release, "Magnolia Belles," features original, roots-flavored songfare.
Genocya, “Ever Descent.” Metal gents Genocya unleashed their new full-length, "Ever Descent," this past year, and the tight collection of heavy music was produced and mixed by some heavyweights: metal producer Dave Otero (Cobalt, Arcanium), who is based in Colorado, and Lansing's Shaun Peters (Wasteland).
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, “On Being.” Out on Lansing's Bigger Brush Media, Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers' latest album, "On Being," brings indie folk with an edge.
Mike Vial and the Great Lake Effect, "Where the Sand Meets the Tide." This EP from Mike Vial and the Greak Lake Effect mixes delicate folk with jangle-y pop-rock to great accord.
JYoung the General, "Black History Year Installment Two." Say you dig rap with a message? You may want to check out JYoung the General, who brings socially-aware rhymes to his latest album, "Black History Year Installment Two."
Narc Out the Reds, "Pawnmower/ Leak in the Disease" 7-inch single. Narc Out the Reds have always carried a pop bitter sweetness with their alternative rock tracks, and their new 7-inch single, "Pawnmower/ Leak in the Disease," builds on that, featuring two songs with a very hip, lo-fi, prog-alt feel.
The Plurals' "Futurospective." Longtime Lansing group the Plurals dropped their latest release, "Futurospective," in 2011, and the set brings a dream haze of accessible indie rock.
Know Lyfe, "Empire of Wolves." Longstanding Lansing metal-core chaps Know Lyfe released their latest LP, “Empire of Wolves,” in October, and the set carries the band's trademark brutal, heavy flavor, with a touch of melody and pop appeal.
Chris Bathgate, "Salt Year." "Salt Year" is an intricate, memorable album from a folk-rock artist who keeps getting better. Chris Bathgate -- who goes from catchy and comfortable to dreamy and meloncholy in a jiffy -- is from the Pinckney area, but he's still a great pick for this list!
