Welcome readers to the brand new Aural Innovations webzine for 2012. In order to keep pace with a rapidly changing world and so many great space rock/stoner/psychedelia releases coming out, we’ve decided to abandon our traditional ‘issue’ format in favour of an ongoing stream of reviews. You’ll still be able to read reviews on all the latest albums and catch interviews and articles about your favorite artists, as always, but now you won’t have to wait months between issues for new stuff to read. We’ll be uploading articles as they come in on an ongoing basis, keeping you informed in a timelier and more interesting manner. But don’t worry, all those old issues and articles will still be available to read in our archives, and we’ll continue to add new articles to the archives as well.

To celebrate the kickoff of our new format, here are lists of our writers’ favorite picks for 2011. As always, there were no rules here. Some numbered their lists, some didn’t, but this is what we were listening to in 2011. Now we’re looking forward to a great 2012 with new reviews and articles already in the works!

If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail myself at flake_cosmo@hotmail.com or Jerry at jkranitz@aural-innovations.com.

Jeff Fitzgerald
Editor, Aural Innovations Webzine

Staff Picks For 2011

Chuck Rosenburg

1. David Lynch – “Crazy Clown Time”
2. Lunar Dunes – “Galaxsea”
3. Lumerians – “Transmallinia”
4. Anubian Lights – “Distant Beacons: Unreleased/Rare 2002-2011″
5. All Tiny Creatures – “Harbors”
6. Carlton Melton – “Country Ways”
7. Carlton Melton – “Pass It On…”
8. Farflung – “Live At Roadburn” (released in 2010)
9. Vert:x – “Ggantija”
10.White Hills – “Hp-1″

2011 – The year I discovered:

11. The Edgar Broughton Band
12. Suicide
13. Sweet Teeth – “From the Fourth Hand Of the Buddha…”
14. Most of Flaming’s Fire catalogue

15. 2011: A time to think about what Captain Beefheart gave me

Scott Heller

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80- Rise up for Africa (Knitting Factory)
The Higher Craft- The quest into the stepping stone age (Yellow Taxi)
Gösta Berlings saga- Glue Works (Cuniform Records)
Bong- Beyond Ancient Space (Ritual Productions)
Radio Moscow- The great escape of Leslie Magnafuzz (Alive Records)
Pentagram- Live Rites (Svart Records)
Øresund Space Collective- Entering into the Space Country LP (Kommun2)
Vibravoid- Minddrops (Sulatron records)
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats- Bloodlust LP (Rise above Records)
Omnia Opera- Nothing is Ordinary (Umbilical Records)
Siena Root- Root Jam (Transubstans)
Causa Sui- Pewt’r Sessions 1 and 2 (Paraiso Records)
Electric Moon/Glowsun Split LP (Sulatron Records)
Earthling Society- Stations of the Ghost (4Zero Records)
The Cosmic Dead cassette (Who can you Trust)
Gregg Allman- Low Country Blues (Rounder Records)
Soul Manifest- White Season (Nighttripper Records)
US Christmas- The Valley Path (Neurot Recordings)
Steel Mill- Jewels of the Forest (Rise above Records)
Papir- Stundum (El Paraiso Records)

Christian Mumford (in no particular order)

Secret Saucer – Four On The Floor
V.A. – Kiss To The Right Side of Your Brain: A Tribute To Monster Magnet
Van Der Graaf Generator – A Grounding In Numbers
Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning
White Willow – Terminal Twilight
Helios Creed – Galactic Octopi
The Bevis Frond – The Leaving Of London
Yes – Fly From Here
Øresund Space Collective – Live at Roadburn 2LP
Spirits Burning – Behold The Action Man
Hawklords – Barney Bubbles Memorial Concert 2LP
Paul Roland – Grimm
Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
Ozric Tentacles – Paper Monkeys
Osiris The Rebirth – Lost
Mötorhead – The Wörld Is Yours
Legendary Pink Dots – The French Collection
Meads Of Asphodel – The Murder Of Jesus The Jew
Roky Erickson & Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
Ulver – Wars Of The Roses

Charles van de Kree

1. Bill Nelson–The Practice of Everyday Life
2. Winterlight–Hope Dies Last
3. Mark Dwane–The Singularity
4. Peter Hammill–Pno Gtr Vox: Live Performances
5. Atomic Skunk–Alchemy
6. Daft Punk–The Tron Legacy
7. Jon Durant–Dance of the Shadow Planets
8. Brian Eno–Drums Between the Bells
9. Jeff Oster–Surrender
10. Steve Roach–Quiet Music: The Original 3-Hour Collection

Mike Reed

Iggy & The Stooges – ‘Raw Power Live – In the Hands of the Fans’ (both the lp and DVD)
Hawklords – ‘Barney Bubbles Memorial Benefit Concert’ DVD
Vokokesh – ‘Dr. Hofmann’s Bicycle Ride’
Dragon Tears – ‘Turn On Tune In F*** Off’
Farflung – ‘Live At Roadburn’
Motorhead – ‘The World Is Yours’
Asteroid No. 4 – ‘Hail To The Clear Figurines’
Monster Magnet – ‘Masterpiece’
Guru Guru – ‘Live In Germany ’71’ (I supplied the fan recording of this 1971 bootleg to Mani Neumeier – email him and ask him if you like)

Alice Cooper – ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’

Jerry Kranitz (in no particular order)

Omnia Opera – “Nothing Is Ordinary”
Osiris the Rebirth – “Lost”
The Higher Craft – “The Quest into the Steppingstoneage”
Sendelica – “The Pavilion Of Magic And The Trials Of The Seven Surviving Elohim”
Temple of the Smoke – “…Against Human Race”
Electric Orange – “Netto”
Cranium Pie – “Mechanisms Pt 1″
White Hills – “H-p1″
Djinn – “Last Wish”
EYE – “Center Of The Sun”
Lunar Dunes – “Galaxsea”
Louis Davey – “Last Chance of a Lifetime”
Stellar Polaris – self-titled
Vibravoid – “Minddrugs”
My Brother the Wind – “I Wash My Soul In The Stream Of Infinity”
Three Dimensional Tanx – s/t

Brainticket Box Set (Cleopatra Records)
Space Rock Invasion USA Tour (Nektar-Brainticket-Huw Lloyd-Langton)

Jeff Fitzgerald

20. Vibravoid – Minddrugs
19. Helios Creed – Galactic Octopi
18. Lunar Dunes – Galaxsea
17. Secret Ghost Champion – Psychosomatic Immortality
16. Nick Riff – The Universe Is Mental
15. Siena Root – Root Jam
14. Ambisonic – ARP
13. Wobbler – Rites at Dawn
12. Arboretum – The Gathering
11. Cranium Pie – Mechanisms Part 1
10. Steven Wilson – Grace for Drowning
9. Airbag – All Rights Removed
8. Anathema – Falling Deeper
7. Earthling Society – Stations of the Ghost
6. Osiris the Rebirth – Lost
5. Ballo delle Castagne – Kalachakra
4. Moonwagon – Night Dust
3. Eternal Tapestry and Sun Araw – Night Gallery
2. Eternal Tapestry – Beyond the 4th Door
1. Omnia Opera – Nothing Is Ordinary

Honourable mention:
Comets of Cupid – Western Lands…it came out near the end of 2010 and I didn’t quite catch it till the following year, but it was certainly one of the albums that had the most spins on my CD player in 2011.

Pat Albertson

1. Papir – Stundum
2. White Hills – H-p1
3. Paper Monkey – Ozric Tentacles
4. Oresund Space Collective – Sleeping With The Sunworm
5. West – Wooden Shjips
6. Vibravoid – Minddrugs
7. Gnomonaut – The Chronocosm
8. The Ripper At The Heaven’s Gate Of Dark – Acid Mothers Temple And The Melting Paraiso UFO
9. Lost – Osiris The Rebirth
10. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will

Honourable Mentions

Farflung – Live At 013 Roadburn 2009 (released at the end of 2010, heard by me 2011)
Harvey Bainbridge – Dreams, Omens And Strange Encounters (released at the end of 2010, heard by me 2011)

Not Aural Innovations material but still excellent listening

Wynton Marsellis & Eric Clapton – Wynton Marsellis And Eric Clapton Play the Blues Live From Jazz At Lincoln Centre