Best of 2010 .....

This was an excellent year for music, and there are great albums that came out all the way to the wire. I didn't include ones that I really liked but only got to listen for a little bit of time, Like Mr. West's album for example. Enjoy and check out the albums! (If the videos seem cut off in the blog, double click the video and it should play in a new window).

Top 15

15. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Fun album with a mix of hip hop and electronic running through it. These guys are already coming out with a new album...Prolific Albarn does it again...



14. The Roots - How I Got Over

Excellent, risk-taking hip hop by guys who should now be considered masters of their art. Check it out! (stinks how everything has commercials attached now, 15 seconds and the song will start)



13. The Walkmen - Lisbon

I've written about these guys before, still rock. This one is tight and clean, really good but I grow fonder and fonder for EWPTLMIG.



12. Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP

Their debut album made my top albums list and this EP just shows that they continue to get better. Honest to goodness rock n roll with lots of fixins, country, pop, even some Spiritualized...




11. Menomena - Mines

Sophomore album and there is a little of a slump. Still really enjoyed this. Hope the rumors of a breakup are just that...



10. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Bangin' beats from that "other" guy from OutKast. This proves that he is not that "other" guy but a creative equal to Andre. Bump this wherever and whenever you can..




9. Vampire Weekend - Contra

I know these are the guys we love to hate. Preppie, trendy, sell-outs..etc. I don't care..



8. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

Awesome debut from a tiny firestarter. This album has it all, every genre until we are reminded that it's all music.





Tune in tomorrow for the top 7,


Happy New Year!

Something Old, Something New - The Cool Kids (New!) and LL

The New



The Old



Do Good Work!

You Are In My System

You don't even know. Count the ways this video is so good.

(If the video is cut off on your computer, double click on the video)



peace

Meet Diplo Plus Arcade Fire News!

Cool piece on Diplo. A reggae version of "Freebird"...sounds interesting...




And this:

Hello. The tracklisting for Arcade Fire's new album The Suburbs is confirmed and we thought you might like to have a look. The Suburbs is out August 2nd in the UK and August 3rd in the US and Canada.

Thank you,
Your Friends at ArcadeFire.com

01 The Suburbs
02 Ready To Start
03 Modern Man
04 Rococo
05 E mpty Room
06 City With No Children
07 Half Light I
08 Half Light II (No Celebration)
09 Suburban War
10 Month Of May
11 Wasted Hours
12 Deep Blue
13 We Used To Wait
14 Sprawl I (Flatland)
15 Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
16 The Suburbs (Continued)


Enjoy el verano!!


peace

Some yums

Get the new album "High Violet" now!! I have it and it is excellent....


Alberto

Random noises

Pop/Indie fun from Guatafán

Guatafán

Unofficial Official new video from The Black Keys



cheers!

New National album, new Erykah Badu, and Pitchfork Festival Lineup!!

Been gone awhile. Been listening to new music from The National, check it out here. They have an album called "High Violet" due out May 11. Check out this track:

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio - mp3

Something else just out, Erykah Badu's new one. You may have heard about her bizarre, publicity stunt? and here is a clip from Jimmy Kimmel's show of her performing "Window Seat". Lots of good stuff out this year, stay tuned for more...and visit Erykah's site for the official video and more...




Once again and for the fourth year in a row, I am attending Chicago's Pitchfork Festival in July. Here’s the full lineup. The acts with the asterisks were just announced:



Friday

Modest Mouse

Broken Social Scene

Robyn **

Liars **

El-P

The Tallest Man on Earth **

Sharon Van Etten **



Saturday

LCD Soundsystem

Panda Bear

Wolf Parade **

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Raekwon

Titus Andronicus

WHY? **

Delorean **

Real Estate **

Bear In Heaven

Free Energy **

The Smith Westerns

Dâm-Funk

Kurt Vile **

Freddie Gibbs

jj **

Netherfriends **



Sunday

Pavement

Big Boi **

Major Lazer **

St. Vincent

Lightning Bolt

Beach House **

Girls

Sleigh Bells

Neon Indian **

Cass McCombs

Here We Go Magic

Surfer Blood **

Local Natives **

Washed Out **

Best Coast **

CaveAllá


Peace!

Not Gonna Lie.....I love Tron

I'm so there....

Man Jeff, 1st Crazyheart and now this? You are truly the man.

(If the screen is cut off double click on it)

New Broken Social Scene

New record due out May 4. The album is called Forgiveness Rock Record and the new song is called, "World Sick".

It's been about 5 years since their last album, and I am excited to hear it. The new song sounds great...

Broken Social Scene - World Sick.mp3

Enjoy!

Part 3 (only 2 months late)

Okay. Here we go. No particular order here but these are the rest of my favorites for 2009:

One of the other Portland's many fine musicians, M. Ward made more of his good style of music, with his album, "Hold Time". I loved "Post War" so much that I have a hard time imagining too many albums coming along that will be as good. But this album is excellent in its own way, too. His low key folk does it for me most every time.

M. Ward from the album "Hold Time" - Shangri-La.mp3

The next band has gotten all the rave reviews, and although I really did enjoy "Merriweather Post Pavilion" and listen to it a lot in '09, I wasn't one of the folks that felt this album was next level. Very enjoyable and original though.

Animal collective - My Girls.mp3

Next up is one of my new favorites. His last album, "Armchair Apocrypha" is still tops in my book and as with M. Ward, Andrew Bird has made an excellent album in "Noble Beast" but not quite one that reaches the heights that Armchair did. Still a very enjoyable album.

Andrew Bird - Masterswarm.mp3

An album that just grew and grew on me, with its weird textures and moody isolation it isn't a super friendly first listen but it continues to fascinate me. Enjoy a remix of Fever Ray's song from the self-titled debut (Fever Ray is a side project from one of the members of the group "The Knife". That's her in the face melt mask accepting an award at some Swedish music awards show or something):

If I Had A Heart (Familjen Remix).mp3

I've posted previously about Califone and they were on my list a few years ago with their previous album. This one again doesn't match up to the previous album but what does that mean really? This one is really cool, and original. Look over these guys discography and they are all good. Listen up:

Califone - Giving Away the Bride.mp3

Next up is Major Lazer with "Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do". Taste makers Diplo and Switch take a break from producing Baile Funk and Baltimore club music to do their version of dancehall reggae, more like digital dancehall. Listen for yourself:

Major Lazer - Hold The Line feat. Mr. Lex & San.mp3


I've posted so often about Beirut that I don't think I need to say more except that this time he recorded half the album with a 16 piece mariachi band from Mexico and the second half is his electronic alter ego, Real People. Recommended:

Beirut - La Llorona.mp3

Some honorable mentions go to "The Very Best" and their album "Warm Heart of Africa. Which is excellent. Kings of Convenience's album "Declaration of Dependence" is excellent as well.

Enjoy!!

The Mascot (1934)

Part 3 of 2009 music is coming but had to post this....


Quite possibly the greatest thing I have ever seen. It is a bit nutty, but it is a happy ending. It also has a great soundtrack.

The Mascot - 1934 You can watch it all without it being broken up and a bit better quality here

The story is off the hook. A mother is worried about her child, and puts her tears into the stuffed dog she makes for the girl. As she sleeps, the mother has a dream that the dog—this symbol of the mother's love, searches for something that will make the daughter feel better. The illness happening inside the girl is visualized as a party of demons making mischief, but the faithful dog protects the orange and escapes, bringing it back to the girl, and this is what cures her of her illness.







and the last part:



Take the 28 minutes or so and watch this. You will not be disappointed.


peace

2009 Favorite Albums pt. 2

Here are some more albums that occupied my ears last year.......


Frenchies Phoenix came out with a great, catchy album called, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.


Phoenix - 1901-mp3


Neko Case keeps up her consistently high quality production with Middle Cyclone. This album has so many good tracks (that were even better live I must say). It is a masterful album. I will try to pick deeper cuts...

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone-mp3

Neko Case - Magpie To The Morning.mp3

Next up is the debut (I think) album from "Girls" called Album. It really rocks, I hear some Elvis Costello, some early Replacements and a whole lotta fun. See for yourself:

Girls - Lust For Life-mp3

Dirty Projectors put out something pretty original on their album, Bitte Orca. Pretty Cool stuff:

Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is the Move-mp3

Another one worth your time and money is the The Antlers' Independently released album titled, Hospice.

The Antlers - Bear-mp3


Stay tuned for the last installment coming soon.

Enjoy!

Albums 2009

Okay, here we go. Figured out my technical difficulties. Unfortunately, all the old mp3's can't be accessed anymore, sorry.


Top albums of 2009 - Not necessarily in any order:


Islands -Vapours

Great album, more in the tradition of the "Return to Sea" album. Great, poppy, catchy indie rock hooks that I can't get enough of. Take a listen:

Tender Torture.mp3

The xx - S/T

These guys have my favorite; the guy girl vocals, a groovy base, a slow boil. Gotta love it.

Check it:

Crystalised.mp3

Probably the album I listened to the most and enjoyed over the longest sustained time period was the benefit album "Dark Was the Night". It had numerous excellent songs. Here is a sample and if you want to read more I blogged about it earlier in the year here.

Take a listen:

So Far Around The Bend - The National mp3

Feeling Good - My Brightest Diamond mp3

One more for today and more to come. Here are Camera Obscura with the album "My Maudlin Career", one of my favorites of the last several years. Beautiful harmonies, catchy hooks and excellent tunes...

French Navy.mp3

More in the days to come, enjoy these and sorry for the delay and technical difficulty, (if anyone is out there and cares that is)

Peace and Happy New Year!

Small Obstacle....

From the place I was keeping my mp3's for this blog. Will use a different place for a while.

Enjoy the Taken By Trees Video after the message....!



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Taken By Trees - My Boys