2011: Columbus' Stellar Year

Yeah. It's cool. I'll always play the "homer" card and rep Columbus above all other "scenes" in America and the world. If you were to never leave the I-270 corridor, you could still grow up hep, maybe even more hip than if you left and abandoned your roots in some soul-less megalopolis. Don't change. Stay here. Plant the seeds and keep watching them grow. This is simply a list of notable records that came solely from this city. Oldies, newbies, and for the most part, great peoples. I could probably name another 5 releases that pricked up my ears this year -- but this is the best of the best. Go buy, go listen.

Psychedelic Horseshit - Laced (Fatcat) 

>>>> Wrote some words on this here. <<<<

Envelope and Jacoti Sommes - This Could Go Either Way EP

>>>> Wrote some words on the record here. <<<<

Psandwich - Northren Psych (CDR)

>>>> Tempted to call them the best live band in town right now. This could've gone either way as well, but it turned out to be the psych garage record of the year, packed with everything that has put Columbus' brand of outsider punk and loaded with new dimensions Ron House sounds spryly surprised to encounter. <<<<

Moon High - Six Suns (self-released)

>>>> Seems this town is rancid with Appalachian art/alt-folk bands -- it's hard to keep them apart. Burn the violins I say. Moon High might get lost in some of those affectations, but keep it quaint and deceptively stoned enough to feel the songs. Good songs, that's all that matter .<<<<

EYE - Center of the Sun (self-released)

>>>>Wrote some words here. Rumor has it, Center of the Sun is soon to be released (on vinyl) on a reputable national label. <<<<

Cheater Slicks - Gutteral: Live 2010 (CDR)

>>>> Wow. The Slicks are more productive now than then and that's indicative of how much they are coveted by the cognoscenti of high/low art in Columbus. Australians would travel to Bourbon St. just to see this once, we get them once a month. Appreciate every moment. <<<<

Times New Viking - Dancer Equired (Merge)

>>>> I have nothing to say. I've said enough. In a lot of ways, TNV are done shouting, now reflecting, and soon to build a whole new temple to barbed pop and guitars. This is a nice breath before moving on.Their most realized record to date. <<<<

The Lindsay - Deep in the Queue (Anyway)

>>>> Mr. John Olexovitch would probably hate me if I called the Lindsay the Smashing Pumpkins of the Columbus family. Well they are. Olexovitch is nothing like Billy Corgan, but this band's riffs mirror those of alternative nation -- and that in itself is an alternative to what goes on in the dives. Every time they play, they explore, and what they do sonically gets bigger and bigger.Stadium rock for the thinking man on a budget.<<<<