One thing can be said for Madison's music scene in 2011. It was the emergence of the city as a bona fide lo-fi mecca. Maybe you had to have your ear to the ground of the indie music blogs, like we do, to see the numerous mentions of Madison artists like Peaking Lights, Julian Lynch, All Tiny Creatures, Dead Luke and Slow Loris across the country. Something is going on here. Can someone please tell the Madison Area Music Awards?
Madison is developing a reputation as a fertile ground for experimental creativity outside the rigid confines of what’s left of the established music industry. Basement/bedroom studios are the norm with no rules, schedules or forced commercial intentions to get in the way. A true breeding environment for pure, original, independent music.
After running this blog for over two years there’s one thing that we’ve come to know. Madisonians would rather have a local artist take risks, push boundaries and potentially fail than go with the status quo. The same irreverent vigor that fueled the capitol protests is present in the music scene here. Revolution not only works in politics, but encompasses the arts and music as well.
Pundits argue that Madison is too small and fragmented to have a viable music scene comparable to Austin, Texas. We disagree. The constant four-year replenishment cycle of new students at the UW guarantees that the Madison indie breeding ground never gets stale, always injecting new energy into an ageless scene. You want proof?
Our top ten local Madison albums of 2011:
#10 Nellie Wilson and the Hellbound Honeys - Taking the 'O' Out of Country
#09 Jeremiah Nelson - Drugs to Make You Sober
#08 The Midwest Beat - Gone Not Lost
#07 The Hussy - Cement Tomb Mind Control
#06 Icarus Himself - Career Culture
#05 Slow Loris - Routine Glow
#04 Dead Luke - Meanwhile...In the Midwest
God of Nothing
#03 All Tiny Creatures - Harbors
An Iris
#02 Julian Lynch – Terra
#01 Peaking Lights – 936
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