FIDLAR

​See also:
*"She Gets A Free Abortion": The Five Dopiest Political Punk Songs
*The Top Ten Los Angeles Albums Of 2011
*Top Ten Los Angeles Metal Albums of 2011
*Top Five Los Angeles Jazz Albums of 2011

L.A.'s punk scene went places in 2011 -- mostly to the beach and the bar. Many of the year's best records in the genre were heavily infused with a surf-garage rock sound and lyrics about being really, really fucked up. It's a rather stark transition away from The Smell's sober ethic.

A note: These albums weren't ranked entirely in the traditional way; I also took into account how well the energy from their songs translated into live shows.

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From the film Zabriskie Point

​See also: What To Do This New Year's Eve

With a galactic alignment and Mayan prophecy fulfillment on the horizon -- not to mention the Aquarian dawning -- 2012 is poised to be a pretty cosmic year.

So as you embrace your turquoised-out, biker hippie wizard lover this New Year's Eve, preferably beneath some desert stars or giant redwoods, be sure that these rockin' mystical jams are playing on the record machine.

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Two thousand eleven was the year in which musicians were praised for embracing their essences. M83 gets even more epic! Bradford Cox gets even more introverted! Drake gets Draker! The members of Wild Flag still rock!

Artists were also derided for the obvious: Odd Future proves they don't give a fuck! Yelawolf sells out! Dum Dum Girls get a production budget! But there was more to the story than folks were letting on. In fact, when it came to the below five albums the critics completely whiffed.

5. Destroyer
Kaputt
Why this album is overrated: Dan Bejar earned praise for making easy listening sax and synth pads "safe." But not a song here is as full-bodied or satisfying as rival Bon Iver's cheeseball "Beth/Rest." And Bejar's New Pornographers material smokes this -- hasn't anyone listened to them back to back?

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Jennie Warren

The Allah-Las

​Remember new love, that burbling feeling of excitement you feel upon playing a new group and realizing you can't live without them? "Who is this?" your friends exclaim. "Make me a copy!"

Here are our five favorite upstart local bands who released EPs in 2011 that made us feel all warm and jittery inside. (We might ask them to prom.)

5. The Allah-Las
Surf's up, my long haired hippie friends. The first few bars of "Catamaran" is unmistakable. We're going to the beach. The Allah-Las have managed to capture with only two songs a long hot lazy summer day slinking along the PCH with no particular place to go. It's an EP to ramble to, to amble to, but never to go anywhere with purpose to. It's apt that this band was founded in the back of Amoeba Records, because their sound feels like a long lost 1960s B-side gem that you find under racks and racks full of dusty records. For more see: The Allah-Las Put Their Retro Where Their Mouths Are

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5. Cage 2012
Southwest Chamber Music, Japanese American National Museum, March 3-4

Hey L.A., where's the love for your native son, John Cage? It's the 100th anniversary of his birth next year, and the only party in town is being thrown by Southwest Chamber Music. The opening Cage 2012 concert showcases violinist Shalini Vijayan playing two late opuses while sharing the stage with sound art by Mineko Grimmer. Melting chunks of ice slowly release embedded pebbles above wires and rods, creating an unpredictable, jangly, splashing counterpoint to the long but sparse notes of the violin part. This is as Zen as it gets in a concert hall.

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Blue Whale

​Walter Smith III
Blue Whale, December 17

Joon Lee, the modest personality behind Little Tokyo's Blue Whale, is an indispensible part of the local jazz community who books some of the most daring acts in Los Angeles. Saxophonist Walter Smith III, a hard-swinging transplant, was one such act earlier this month. His band of ringers put on an powerhouse set before a standing-room only crowd that reminded everyone that there is a sizable (and bar-patronizing!) jazz community in Los Angeles. -Sean J. O'Connell

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Audio Visual Photography

Agalloch

​In the world of heavy metal, the most critical component for long-term success is a killer live show. Even back in the era before the record industry imploded, the bands that got the most devoted fan bases were the ones that could fucking bring it live. All of the shows below featured bands that did exactly that in 2011.

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Lina Lecaro

​It was another great year for nightlife in Los Angeles. Despite the economy, party vibes inside the clubs were as creative and crazy as ever. From hip-hop haps to gay grinders, electro-a-go-go's to arty parties, the energy was contagious. Sure, many of Hollywood's swankier spots struggled to sell enough bottles, but those aren't our focus anyway. The club nights that kept us coming back never rested on their laurels. They sought to book the best DJs and attract the most bodacious crowds. Here, then, are the ten best Los Angeles club nights of the year.

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Gretchen Parlato

​See also
*The Top Ten Los Angeles Albums of 2011
*Top Ten Los Angles Metal Albums of 2011

Despite what some may believe, Los Angeles has a rich jazz history. From Central Avenue to Hermosa Beach, early innovators like Hampton Hawes, Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon honed their chops in this town before attaining global recognition. Thankfully that tradition continues today. Los Angeles is not lacking in young jazz talent. Want proof? In no particular order, here are our top five LA-influenced "jazz" albums of 2011.

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Josh "CuriousJosh" Reiss

People are freaking psyched about this post

​Man, y'all did some clicking this year. You must have had, like, a lot of time on your hands, or not been interested in advancing in your professions or hanging out with your family. Well, we at West Coast Sound salute you! We love hanging out with you in our little corner of the internets, and you seem to like us too, considering we break our own records for traffic seemingly every week. But enough about us! Let's talk about you. What do you like about us? In 2011, anyway, here were the five posts of ours you read the most.

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