Chad Radford’s personal stash: Top 30 Atlanta releases of 2011 (30-21)

Sifting through the blizzard of records, CDs, cassette tapes, 7-inches, and online albums and EPs has been a massive archaeological dig that’s yielded a ton of music this year — some good, some bad, and some that’s utterly unlistenable. After compiling an initial list of 78 releases, I’ve narrowed it down to the 30 recordings that I felt left the biggest impression not only on myself, but on the local music scene.

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I don’t want to bequeath an unnecessary element of competition here, this ain’t a football game, and besides, music has always been about building communities. This is a list that’s all about the Atlanta music that I loved in 2011, and keeping a tight list of 30 was no easy task. Cuts were made, but honorable shout-outs go to the following: Pink House Tapes’ 4xcassette tape box set featuring the Clap, Mood Rings, Red Sea, and Shepherds — Shepherds’ Holy Stain EP in particular. Whores’ Ruiner EP. Pony Bones’ CocK a DooDLe doo The Difference Machine’s “Psychology” single. Eddie “Cappuccino” Meeks’ “Flush the Throne” single. Überchriist’s self-titled cassette. Floyd the Locsmif’s Divine Dezignz 3: Dirty Canvas. And last but not least, Places released a whopping three albums and two EPs via Bandcamp over the last year, The Future, Half-Dones, March, Loft Sessions and Cough Cough. All of them are well worth checking out, and I fully expect to hear a whole lot more from all of theses groups over the year to come.

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So without further ado, here is the first of a three-part list, numbers 30—21.