2011 albums of the year : #2

2. we are the tide blind pilot expunged records, september 13, 2011 "new york"

when bon iver, bon iver was released in june, i remember thinking that i would be very happy if it wasn't my favorite album at the end of the year, because that would mean that some truly great music would have been released during the second half of the year. to be honest, i'm not sure that we are the tide qualifies as "great" in the traditional sense, although blind pilot do what they do and they certainly do it very well (but let's be fair--it is an expertly crafted album by a tremendously appealing band, and certainly at least "very, very good"). rather, we are the tide is my second-favorite album of the year because of what it represents--with 2008's 3 rounds and a sound, it's the other blind pilot bookend to the most significant period of my life. it's the kind of relationship that can truly be appreciated only by me, but seeing as how this is my list, i get to determine how much weight it is given. and it means a lot. similar to bon iver, bon iver, i do have some reservations about assigning such importance to an association that is, no doubt, painful to recollect. however, i know that with time comes distance, and one day i hope those memories will serve only as reminders of what i have survived, and help me to appreciate the future present.