Essential Bloomington discography

Bon Iver - “Bon Iver, Bon Iver” (Jagjaguwar)

After a semi-controversial first effort with “For Emma, Forever Ago,” indie folk icon Justin Vernon used his experience collaborating with Kanye West for the rapper’s lauded “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” to produce the more broadly appealing “Bon Iver, Bon Iver.”  It went to No. 2 in the U.S. and put Jagjaguwar on the international map in a way previously unparalleled.

The War on Drugs - “Slave Ambient” (Secretly Canadian)

Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan probably never thought to add My Bloody Valentine-like guitar to their most wistful songs, but that’s what the War on Drugs figured out for “Slave Ambient,” and the result is one of the best albums of 2011.

Racebannon - “Satan’s Kickin’ Yr Dick In” (Secretly Canadian)

Bloomington natives Racebannon create some of the most spazzed-out noise punk on the planet, and the Faustian concept album “Satan’s Kickin’ Yr Dick In” sees them at their most unconventional, genre-skewering and excellent.

Okkervil River - “Black Sheep Boy” (Jagjaguwar)

The brilliant third LP by Austin indie crew Okkervil River was primarily written by main man Will Sheff here in Bloomington. Its lyrics highlight his muse Tim Hardin's struggle with heroin addiction. It’s a gritty, gorgeous recording befitting of its subject matter.

Andrew Jackson Jihad - “Only God Can Judge Me”  (Plan-It-X)

Polarizing folk punks Andrew Jackson Jihad have only released an EP and a split on Plan-It-X in their productive, checkered career, but “Only God Can Judge Me” is a short, sharp shock of angst-ridden acoustic cacophony punctuated by lyrics like, “They say Jesus saves, but Jesus doesn’t care ‘cause he is in a grave/Let’s be our own gods.” Feisty.

Against Me! - “Crime As Forgiven By Against Me!” (Plan-It-X)

Before they found mainstream success with albums like “Reinventing Axl Rose” and “New Wave,” Against Me! was a no-budget DIY folk punk act, and the “Crime As Forgiven By” EP is the most essential snapshot of their early career, including its raw rendition of eventual live staple “Walking Is Still Honest.”

husband&wife - “Operation:Surgery” (Crossroads of America)

This powerful, subdued set of songs from Bloomington indie troupe husband&wife is a key reason they’ve found so much success in the local live arena. Pure emotion drips from every note of “Operation:Surgery” without it ever feeling overwrought.

dREKKa - “Take Care to Fall” (Bluesanct)

Wrongly thought at first to be a vanity project for Bluesanct founder and dREKKa main man Michael Anderson, “Take Care to Fall” is a harrowing collection of glitchy, lo-fi experimental music reminiscent of the hauntology movement. Its visionary weirdness sets the tone for Bluesanct recordings  to come.

Destroyer - “Kaputt” (Dead Oceans)

The ninth LP from Canadian chamber pop god Dan Bejar and his none-too-merry band marks a turning point for Destroyer, whose sonic palette extends here to include bigger arrangements for synths and brass, as well as a liveliness that, while still tempered by melancholy, makes “Kaputt” the act’s most expansive album yet.