# Best Indie Rock Songs of 2011, Vol. II – Yuck, Radiohead, Panda Bear, Real Estate, Datarock, Fleet Foxes, The Go! Team, Generationals

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2011/10/best-songs-of-2011-vol-ii-radiohead-yuck-dodos-strokes-panda-bear/
- Published: 2011-10-03T01:03:26-04:00
- Author: Max Hammer

Last week, we launched the first mixtape of IRC’s [Best Songs of 2011](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/best-songs-2011)
to a relatively strong response from regular readers and visitors.  The first volume
includes more than 30 top songs originally released in January of this year. They
were chosen from dozens upon dozens of tracks emailed directly or that we found 
surfing a variety of music sites and blogs.

During the planning for this series, we wanted to do things differently than all
of the other music sites and blogs. So, there will be a total of 12 Best Songs mixtape
editions – one for each month of 2011, appearing chronologically from January to
December. We asked a few other trusted advisers, and they all liked the concept.

If you felt like 2011 just flew right by, or simply fancy reliving it all over again
organically, this series is a great way to experience the best indie rock songs 
of 2011 as they were released month to month. We’ve looked and this is the only ‘
best of 2011’ playlist series that we know of that published chronologically.

More importantly, all of the songs for the Best Songs of 2011 playlist series were
chosen by listeners and visitors based on the tracks that literally millions of 
people worldwide streamed and downloaded the most on IRC. So far, the first edition,
highlighting the most popular songs of January 2011, has received tens of thousands
of visits since it was published last week

Whether it was songs like “Umder Cover of Darkness” by The Strokes, or “Bloom” by
Radiohead, two hot tracks, “holing Out” and “Rubber” from one of the best new bands
of 2011, Yuck. Plus, IRC exclusive release of Opus Orange’s new single, “Crystal
Clear,” was one of the four number one songs of February 2011.

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#### The No. 1 Songs of February 2011 – Reader’s Choice

“Bloom”_ _ – **Radiohead** from _The King of Limbs_

[“Under Cover of Darkness”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/01%20Under%20Cover%20Of%20Darkness1.mp3)–**
The Strokes** from [_Angles_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004J4WQ46?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004J4WQ46)

[“Queer Eyed Boy” ](http://www.freeindie.biz/songs/rumspringa/Rumspringa-QueerEyedBoy.mp3)–**
Rumspringa** from _Sway_

“Crystal Clear” – **Opus Orange** from _Opus Orange EP_

The shortest month of the year was jam-packed with hot tracks that are still among
the best songs of the year, eight months later. IRC regular and new visitors also
approved of lead tracks off new albums by The Dodos, Panda Bear, Beach Fossils, 
Fleet Foxes, Generationals, Cut Copy, Holy Ghost, Real Estate, Datarock, Scattered
Trees, Akron/Family, The Go! Team, Times New Viking, In These Woods, Class Actress
and more.

In case you missed it, you might want to start first with [Volume One](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/best-songs-2011),
published last week, with the focus of songs released in January 2011.  From all
of the eventual 12 volumes, we will use the same concept to reveal the IRC Reader’s
Choice for the Top 50 Songs of 2011.

#### Best Songs of 2011 – February 2011

[“Holing Out”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/04%20Holing%20Out5.mp3)–**
Yuck** from _[Yuck](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004NFCMFY?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004NFCMFY)_

[“Black Night”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/The%20Dodos%20-%20Black%20Night6.mp3)__–**
The Dodos** from _No Color_ (Bonus Version)

“Slow Motion”_ _ – **Panda Bear** from [_Tomboy_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004LXM6SQ?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004LXM6SQ)

[** **](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/britishseapower.co.uk) “Living
Is So Easy”_ –_ **British Sea Power** from _[Valhalla Dancehall](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/indroccaf-2043)_*

###### *_ This single was originally released in late 2010, but the album, one of the best of 2011, was released on Jan. 11, 2011. Therefore, this track should have been ideally featured in Volume One of Best Songs of 2011. _

![beachfossils](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/beach11.jpg "beachfossils")

[“Calyer”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Beach%20Fossils%20-%20Calyer6.mp3)__–**
Beach Fossils** from _What A Pleasure_

[“Helplessness Blues”](http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Fleet%20Foxes%20-%20Helplessness%20Blues.mp3)–**
Fleet Foxes** from _Helplessness Blues_

[“San Pedro”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/83301.mp3)_ _ – **Mogwai**
from _[Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/indroccaf-2044)_

[“Take Me Over”_ _](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/00%20Take%20Me%20Over-Cut-Copy5.mp3)__–**
Cut Copy **from _Zonoscope_

⌊trust-generationals⌉⌊trust-generationals⌉

“Trust” – **Generationals** from [_Trust_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004BTS88W?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004BTS88W)

“Four Days Straight” – **Scattered Trees** from _Sympathy_

[“Buy Nothing Day”](http://musicforants.com/assets/new/06%20Buy%20Nothing%20Day.mp3)–**
The Go! Team** from _Buy Nothing Day 7″_

“Whiplash” (RAC Mix) – **Jayme Dee** from _Whiplash_ EP

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![The-Cosmic-Birth-and-Journey-of-Shinju-TNT](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/
uploads/The-Cosmic-Birth-and-Journey-of-Shinju-TNT.jpg "The-Cosmic-Birth-and-Journey-
of-Shinju-TNT")

[“Silly Beans”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/sillybears3.mp3)_ _–**
Akron/Family** from _S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT _

[“Birds” ](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/the-submarines-birds_lovenotesandletterbombs5.mp3)__–**
The Submarines** from[_ Love Notes/Letter Bombs_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004LSJCAG?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004LSJCAG)

“Rubber”_ _ – **Yuck** from _[Yuck](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004NFCMFY?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004NFCMFY)_

[“Omega Dog”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/01-Omega-Dog3.mp3)_ _–**
The Dears** from _Degeneration Street_

![realestate-itsreal](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/51i4Rb3NrkL._SS500_.
jpg "realestate-itsreal")

“Blue Lebaron” _ _– **Real Estate **from _It’s Real_

[“Catcher in the Rye”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/datarock_catcher_in_the_rye4.mp3)–**
Datarock** from _Catcher in the Rye 7″_

“Do It Again” _ _– **Holy Ghost** from [_Holy Ghost_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004IM1PVE?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004IM1PVE)

[“No Room to Live”](http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Times%20New%20Viking%20-%20No%20Room%20to%20Live.mp3)__–**
Times New Viking ** from _Dancer Equired_

[“Sharevari”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Sharevari1.mp3)_ _ – **
The Dirtbombs** from [_Party Store_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004IVHFO6?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004IVHFO6)

“Little Horn” –** Suns **from _Close Calls in the U.S. Space Program_

[“Always”](http://www.nomethod.se/audio/always.mp3) –** In These Woods** from [_In These Woods_](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/B004CBMT7A?ie=UTF8&tag=indroccaf-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004CBMT7A)

[“Careful What You Say” ](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/1-careful-what-you-say1.mp3)__–**
Class Actress** from [_Journal of Ardency_ EP](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0035YH6PK/ref=nosim/indroccaf-20)

“Trails” –** Asobi Seksu** from _[Fluorescence](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/indroccaf-2045)_

“You Know I Did”_ _ – **The Liptonians ** from _[Let’s All March Back Into The Sea](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/indroccaf-2046)_

#### The Evolution of the Single Concept

For decades, it has been common practice for new singles to be released weeks, even
months, before the album itself to help promote album sales.  In the heyday of vinyl,
advanced LPs and 45’s were sent by record labels to deejays at thousands of radio
stations across the country and the world.

Nowadays, it is common for singles to be released as MP3 links, files and scripted
embeds that can be streamed, and sometimes downloaded, from the web. While much 
has been lost in sound quality during the transition from master tapes to vinyl 
and especially to the common MP3 format, singles are more significant than ever 
before because more music consumers cherry-pick singles and buy fewer albums in 
the age of digital formats, iTunes and MP3 players.

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