Top 50 2011: You and I

First, it’s not that ”You and I” (that’ll get discussed later).  Second, this is my favorite album of the year.  Hands down.

Washed Out stepped up his game this year.  As the last vestiges of the first chillwave were beginning to dissipate, those who started it began to show whether they were in things for the long haul or not.  Some tripped up (the second Memory Tapes album comes to mind), some hit rocky landings (sorry, Era Extrana), while others, like Ernest Greene, hit the ground running.  Within and Without is steps above the material on the group’s first two EPs without losing the core characteristics that made it great in the first place.  There’s a calming presence to the album and a sound that appeals to multiple audiences – I gave my dad this album as a gift and it’s on an almost constant loop in his truck when driving.

While any track from the album’s second half could be featured here, I wanted to single out “You and I”.  This was the first taste of the new Washed Out we heard (as part of the Adult Swim Singles program summer of 2009) and it’s only been slightly tweaked for the final album mix.  When I see the album’s cover, this is the song I think of.  There’s an almost spiritual sense of intimacy in the way the loops cycle and layer around the song’s lyrics, a closeness that’s immediately felt.  I can’t wait to see where this album places on various sites’ end of year lists.