KALX 90.7FM Berkeley

waiting ...

Recent Playlist

View Schedule
Donate
--/--/--
-:--:-- --

2011

Sex 14s Top Forty Albums of 2011

by

  1. Zbigniew Preisner – Requiem for My Friend (New Music Productions)
  2. James Blake – James Blake (Polydor)
  3. Brooklyn Rider – Brooklyn Rider Plays Philip Glass (Orange Mountain Music)
  4. Tom Waits – Bad As Me (Anti-)
  5. Miguel Zenón – Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook (Marsalis Music)
  6. tUnE-yArDs – W H O K I L L (4AD)
  7. The Antlers – Burst Apart (Deluxe Version) (Frenchkiss)
  8. Blueprint – Adventures In Counter-Culture (Rhymesayers)
  9. The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow (Sensibility Music)
  10. Gem Club – Breakers (Hardly Art)
  11. Kuniko Kato – kuniko plays reich (Linn)
  12. Active Child – You Are All I See (Vagrant)
  13. (etre) – Inferno From My Occult Diary (Porter)
  14. June Tabor – Ashore (Topic)
  15. Hauschka – Salon Des Amateurs (Fat Cat)
  16. Jay- Z and Kanye West – Watch the Throne (Roc-A-Fella)
  17. My Brightest Diamond – All Things Will Unwind (Asthmatic Kitty)
  18. GusGus – Arabian Horse (Kompakt)
  19. Soley – We Sink (MORR Music)
  20. Original Cast Recording – The Book of Mormon (Ghostlight)
  21. Build – Place (New Amsterdam)
  22. Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol.2: Judges (Constellation)
  23. Graham Reynolds – The Difference Engine (Innova)
  24. Tommy Guerrero – Lifeboats And Follies (Galaxia)
  25. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (Vagrant)
  26. The Wailin’ Jennys – Bright Morning Stars (Red House)
  27. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest (Acony)
  28. Todd Snider – Live: The Storyteller (Aimless)
  29. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
  30. Theophilus London – Timez Are Weird These Days (Reprise)
  31. Rene Marie – Voice of My Beautiful Country (Motema)
  32. Lucinda Williams – Blessed (Lost Highway)
  33. Bombino – Agadez (Cumbancha)
  34. Chick Corea – Orvieto (ECM)
  35. Jonny Greenwood – Norwegian Wood OST (Nonesuch)
  36. Tinariwen – Tassili (Anti-)
  37. Liturgy – Aesthethica (Thrill Jockey)
  38. Feist – Metals (Cherry Tree)
  39. Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal – Chamber Music (No Format)
  40. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine (Domino)

Sex for Teens’ Top Films of 2011

  1. The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
  2. Le Quattro Volte - Michelangelo Frammartino (Invisibile Film)
  3. Margin Call - J.C. Chandor (Roadside Attractions)
  4. Insidious - James Wan (FilmDistrict)
  5. Carnage - Roman Polanski (Sony Pictures Classics)
  6. The Skin I Live In - Pedro Almodóvar (Sony Pictures Classics)
  7. Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn (Bold Films)
  8. Source Code - Duncan Jones (Summit Entertainment)
  9. Weekend - Andrew Haigh (Sundance Selects)
  10. Hugo - Martin Scorsese (Paramount Pictures)

Best Albums of 2011

by

  1. Anna Calvi – S/T (Domino)
  2. Veronica Falls – S/T (Slumberland)
  3. Sea Lions – Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sea Lions But Were Afraid To Ask (Slumberland)
  4. Seapony – Go With Me (Hardly Art)
  5. La Sera – S/T (Hardly Art)
  6. Crystal Stilts – In Love With Oblivion (Slumberland)
  7. Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams (Sub Pop)
  8. Ringo Deathstarr – Colour Trip (Sonic Unyon)
  9. Vivian Girls - Share The Joy (Polyvinyl)
  10. Wye Oak – Civilian (Merge)
  11. Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On (Arts & Crafts)
  12. Brilliant Colors – Again And Again (Slumberland)
  13. Kissing Party – Wasters Wall (Hot Congress)
  14. Girls Names – Dead To Me (Slumberland)
  15. Times New Viking – Dancer Equired! (Merge)
  16. Cloud Nothings – S/T (Carpark)
  17. Austra – Feel It Break (Domino)
  18. The Coathangers – Larceny & Old Lace (Suicide Squeeze)
  19. Still Corners – Creatures Of An Hour (Sub Pop)
  20. Widowspeak – S/T (Captured Tracks)
  21. Asobi Seksu – Fluorescence (Polyvinyl)
  22. Fergus & Geronimo – Unlearn (Hardly Art)
  23. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (Vagrant)
  24. Minks – By The Hedge (Captured Tracks)
  25. Modular – Sinfonias Para Terricolas (Elefant)

Mixtress 9’s Fave Albums (2011 version)

by

  • Morning Musume – 12 Smart (Up Front Works)
  • Perfume – JPN (Tokuma Japan)
  • AKB48 – Koko Ni Ita Kota (King Records)
  • Tokyo Girls Style – Kodou no Hitmitsu (Avex)
  • Frank (Just Frank) – The Brutal Wave (Weird Records)
  • Friendly Fires – Pala (XL)
  • Daedelus – Bespoke (Ninja Tune)
  • SBTRKT – S/T (Young Turks)
  • Justice – Audio Video Disco (Ed Banger)
  • Various Artists – Space Escapade Unit 1 (Destination: Pluto Sector 68)(Elefant)
  • Radiohead – The King Of Limbs (TickerTape Ltd.)
  • The Drums – Portamento (Universal Republic)
  • The Rapture – In The Grace Of Your Love (DFA)
  • Rolling Stones – Some Girls (Deluxe Edition) (Universal Republic)
  • Beach Boys – The Smile Sessions (Capitol)
  • Bjork– Biophilia (One Little Indian)
  • DRC Music – Kinshasa One Two (Warp Limited)
  • The Horrors – Skying (XL)

Ion’s Top 11 Bay Area Hip Hop Albums of 2011

by

  • The Dime – Brickyard Cove (Corner Store Music Group)
  • Eligh & Amplive – Therapy At 3 (LRG)
  • GQ – Trouble Man (Jamla)
  • Headnodic – Red Line Radio (Brick)
  • Hopie – Dulce Vita (S/R)
  • Kev Choice – The Power of Choice (S/R)
  • Mistah F.A.B. – I’ve Found My Backpack 2: The Lost Notebook (Faeva Afta)
  • Moe Green – Lionheart EP (S/R)
  • Otayo Dubb – Cold Piece of Work (Beatrock Music)
  • Trackademicks – State of the Arts (HNRL)
  • Zion I & the Grouch – Heroes in the Healing of the Nation (Z & G Music)

Ion’s Top 20 Hip Hop Albums of 2011

  • Apathy – Honkey Kong (Dirty Version)
  • Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4eva (S/R)
  • Classified – Hand Shakes and Middle Fingers (HalfLife)
  • Cunninlynguists – Oneirology (RBC)
  • Drake – Take Care (Young Money)
  • The Doppelgangaz – Lone Sharks (Groggy Pack)
  • Eligh & Amplive – Therapy At 3 (LRG)
  • Elzhi & Will Sessions – Elmatic (Jae B. Group)
  • Grieves – Together/Apart (Rhymesayers)
  • Hail Mary Mallon – Are You Gonna Eat That? (Rhymesayers)
  • Kendrick Lamar – Section.80 (Top Dawg)
  • Open Mike Eagle – Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes (Hellfyre Club)
  • Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) (Duck Down)
  • Phonte – Charity Starts at Home (Hard Boiled)
  • Reks – R.E.K.S. (Showoff)
  • The Roots – Undun (Def Jam)
  • Saigon – The Greatest Story Never Told (Suburban Noize)
  • Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)
  • Tech N9ne – All 6’s & 7’s (Strange Music)
  • yU – The Earn (Mello Music Group)

Ion’s Top 20 Everything Else Albums of 2011

  • Adele – 21 (XL)
  • Ambrose Akinmusire – When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note)
  • Marsha Ambrosius – Late Nights & Early Mornings (J)
  • Bon Iver – S/T (4AD)
  • Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming (Daptone)
  • Chase & Status – No More Idols (Mercury)
  • Destroyer – Kaputt (Merge)
  • Florence & the Machine – Ceremonials (Universal Island)
  • Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra. (S/R)
  • Giraffes? Giraffes! – Pink Magick (S/R)
  • M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (Naive)
  • Nero – Welcome Reality (Mercury)
  • SBTRKT – S/T (Young Turks)
  • Jill Scott – The Light of the Sun (Warner Bros)
  • Sepalcure – S/T (Hotflush)
  • 65daysofstatic – Silent Running (Dustpunk)
  • Thundercat – The Golden Age of Apocalypse (Brainfeeder)
  • Tycho – Dive (Ghostly Int’l)
  • Washed Out – Within and Without (Sub Pop)
  • The Weeknd – House of Balloons (S/R)

Ion’s WOW (Whackyourheadupside-Overthetop-Wickedepic) Tracks of 2011

  • Adele – “Turning Tables”
  • Ambassadeurs – “M.O.P.E.”
  • Avicii – “Levels”
  • BT & Adam K – “Tomahawk”
  • James Blake – “A Case of You” (Joni Mitchell cover)
  • Burial – “Street Halo”
  • Chase & Status – “Brixton Briefcase (feat. Cee-Lo)”
  • Far Too Loud – “Moneymaker”
  • Gonjasufi – “Change (Shlohmo Remix)”
  • Ellie Goulding – “Lights (Bassnectar Remix)”
  • Hudson Mohawke – “Thank You”
  • J*Davey – “Queen of Wonderland (feat. Thundercat)”
  • Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”
  • Eric Prydz – “2Night”
  • Random Axe – “Monster Babies”
  • Salva – “Wake Ups”
  • Teebs – “While You Dooooo”
  • Thundercat – “Boat Cruise”
  • Amon Tobin – “Goto 10”
  • Tyler the Creator – “Yonkers”

Ion’s Favorite Moments as a KALX DJ in 2011

  • Gil Scott-Heron tribute show during Yo! KALX Raps – May 30th
  • DNAE Beats live set on my show – May 31st
  • Phillipdrummond and FLO live freestyle – July 19th
  • Meklit Hadero in studio live performance – September 27th
  • Fundraiser show with This Mutha – October 25th
  • Zombie-themed Midnight Express show – October 21st
  • Fundraiser show as a pitcher for Sergio – October 30th
  • Lateef the Truthspeaker interview – November 15th
  • Baby Jaymes phone interview – November 29th
  • Denise Sullivan interview – December 13th
    …and many thanks to all the guests, DJs and listeners involved the past year!

Best New Old Stuff

by

  • V/A – Cartagena! Curro Fuentes & The Big Band Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962 – 1972 (Soundway)
  • Tom Waits – Bad as Me (Anti-)
  • V/A – Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music (Bear Family)
  • Imperial Tiger Orchestra – Addis Abeba (Mental Groove)
  • V/A – Russkie Wig-Out! Demented Surf/Electro/Exotica From Behind The Iron Curtain (Omni)
  • Los Chicharrons – Roots of Life (Voodoo)
  • Lumerians – Transmalinnia (Knitting Factory)

15 Killer Albums of 2011

by

  1. The Weeknd – House of Balloons (S/R)
  2. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (L Y F)
  3. Cut Copy – Zonoscope (Modular)
  4. Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch the Throne (Roc-a-Fella)
  5. Tyler, the Creator – Goblin (XL)
  6. The Strokes – Angles (RCA)
  7. Bon Iver – S/T (Jagjaguwar)
  8. Wilco – The Whole Love (dBpm)
  9. Phantogram – Nightlife (Barsuk)
  10. The Roots – undun (Def Jam)
  11. The Dodos – No Color (Frenchkiss)
  12. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy (4AD)
  13. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther Sounds)
  14. Radiohead – The King of Limbs (TBD)
  15. The Antlers – Burst Apart (Frenchkiss)