last years “merriweather post pavilion” by animal collective was clearly one of the blogospheres favorite albums of the year, virtually guaranteed to be seen on almost every top 10 list of 2009. and of those great tracks, “bluish” was always among my favorites. i think i liked the laidback chillness of that song compared to a lot of the others on the album. but even as accessible as this animal collective album was (compared to albums of anco past), there were still some people who were kind of afraid of it and missed out on its beauty because of that. entre sondre lerche.
the norwegian singer songwriter recently released an acoustic guitar version of the track, and it definitely accentuates the fact that the fellas of animal collective can really write a great tune when it comes down to it. i feel like some people think of them as hiding behind their electronics and effects, but even a completely stripped down version like this is a great listen. dare i say that i like this version just as much as the original?
and since we love the fans so very much, a bonus track for you today. and its another case of one of our current favorite artists doing an excellent acoustic cover of an electronic tune from another of our favorites: grizzly bears cover of hot chips “boy from school”. a great twist on one of my favorite hot chip tunes.
i dont reckon this album made many year end lists, but the completely raw sound (both musically and vocally)just stuck with me and kept bringing me back for more. and after seeing this two piece live this summer, i know that i want to listen to their music and to party with them. just a fun album.
to be perfectly honest, this album really didnt do much for me at first. then i was lucky enough to catch mr. penate live on a whim while i was in chicago earlier this year and i got to witness how fun and exciting his music can be first hand. then i found out my friend amber waited on him earlier that day, and i realized it was meant to be and the album went into heavy rotation shortly after.
the ever lovely natasha khans second album has really shown her moving forward since the release of the great “fur and gold” a few years back. this time, the songs are bigger and harder hitting. and its no surprise since she spent a bit of time in new york with dailybeatz favorite yeasayer working on beats. and for the second time, she even nabbed a mercury prize nod. we hope to see lots more of her in the future.
here we go magic is actually the third musical outing by luke temple, who previously released music under his actual name. i feel as though this album is best listened to on a lazy hazy summer afternoon. the intentional low production quality (allegedly recorded on a 4 track) actually adds to the album in this case. its almost as if we are listening in on some sort of practice session. a practice session which can get pretty ambient at times but more often than not is pretty neat.
its almost become uncool or cliche to like this album after how much buzz it got when its released, but since i am uncool, i am not afraid to add it to my top 
special thanks to mr peabs for informing me of this one month ago. i think the best way to describe this album is to steal from amazon reviewer mark roberts who says, “like m83s ‘saturdays=youth’, its a gorgeous and non-ironic homage to 80s music, without seeming any way dated.” i couldnt have said it better myself mark. hopefully this albums release date early in the year wont have thrown it off the radar of too many year end lists.
ah yes, everyones favorite early twenties london minimalist rock band, the xx. i was really late in listening to this album (as i am with most everything) but from even the first track i knew i was going to like this one. its amazing how much emotion can be put forth with such little sound at all. and the voices of oliver sim and romy madley croft just work perfectly together. not to mention the fact that they put out one of the biggest remixes of the year.
yeah, thats right, a compilation has made its way into my best albums of the year list. why? mostly because it was basically a whos who of the indie world at that point in the year and there were tons of great tracks that came from that album. and its for a good cause taboot! and is there even any doubt as to which track youre going to hear from it?
karen o and crew did it again, this time the tunes were bigger, brighter, and just made you want to dance. the album came out just as the warm weather was starting to take shape, and it became an essential summer album. with a big festival repertoire this year, including an impressive last minute lollapalooza headlining gig, the band solidified their place among todays great rock acts.
after just one listen to this album i knew it was right up my alley, especially since my tastes have turned so much to anything that can be danced too. even the title of the opening track, “happy up here”, was a great indication of what youd be getting from this one, fun energy. a great pump-you-up record with one of my top 5 songs of the year.
this was one of the latest additions to my music collection, and i reckon that if i had a little more time to spend with it, it may have inched up even higher. the dreamy sounds laid over a nice beat just take you to another place. i think this is one of those albums where the album art perfectly fits the music. cant wait to see what weird and or memory tapes and or cassette bring us next.
yeah, you knew it was coming eventually. my love affair began when i finally got a studio version of “my girls”, the track i fell in love with when i heard it live almost a year earlier. and the rest of the album kept me coming back for more. im really not going to repeat everything anyones said about this album because we would be here all day, but this is a must have for any music fan. bonus points for most psychedelic album art. just find a large version of the album cover and get back to me.
the first time i listened to this album it was early on a sunday morning driving through the (at the time) desolate streets of detroit. this scenario was so fitting with the album that karin dreijer andersson eventually turned it (well, something like it) into a music video. my surroundings during my first listen really shaped my vision of this album in an extremely positive way. however intrigued i was by andersson before this project, i am now intrigued tenfold by her mysterious persona.
this album definitely snuck up on me, with its loud guitars and catchy melodies. i think what i like most about it is that the whole album just sounds so much like california. not any specific destination or aspect of california, just california as a whole. perhaps because of christopher owens’ gritty and playful vocals, the album just feels real and genuine. its also one of those albums where my favorite song changes weekly. right now, its “morning light”.
so much to say about this latest offering from phoenix. i still remember my first time hearing “1901″ and how i knew instantly it would become a go-to song when i needed some energy, and then i realized that a lot of the album was the same way. and a seven and a half minute track that was almost all instrumental? sign me up. and just recently i was able to witness first hand that their live performances contain all of the energy of the album (and then some).
i still have no idea what “veckatimest” is supposed to mean, but i do know that it lived up and surpassed any hype and expectation. a solid offering from the very first notes of “southern point” to the wistful ending of “foreground” and jam packed with classics in between. this is one of those albums that just about any music fan young or old will probably enjoy.
for annie clarks sophomore album, she broke every musical rule. whatever role you thought an instrument would play, it played the opposite on this one (listen to the flute throughout this song below, for example). and i think thats whats so special about this album. it doesnt really sound like anything youve ever heard before, and its almost uncomfortable to listen to at first, but once you get a grasp on whats going on, you can really apprecaite how one of a kind it is.
ok, so i dont know if this album was technically released this year, or why it seems to have multiple names, but it definitely found its biggest audience this year either way. the album cover describes the album perfectly. old fashioned and awesome. this folky number (allegedly all recorded live on a 24 track machine) is perfect for that friend who just cant get in to any of your music because it was made on a computer and therefore unpure. full of beautiful melodies with stripped down production, its the simplicity of this album that draws you in, and its the catchy songs that will keep you singing. it conjures visions of flower children holding hands singing songs, in a totally non-dirty hippie way.
one of the most emotional albums, musically and lyrically, in recent memory. the tale of troubled lovers dealing with a terminal illness is told in great detail on this album, complete with the good times, the bad times and everything in between. but much of the time (save for maybe “kettering”), the music doesnt want to make you cry, in fact, it does quite the opposite. in “bear”, for example, the music is like that of a childrens lullaby but builds into something much bigger. and if you think that their live show would be boring and quiet, you would be in for a shock when they nearly blow the speakers out.
if you read this blog with any regularity, then you probably already knew this was the number one album. miike snow was really my overall musical act of the year, with the great album, two great live performances that i witnessed, and two of the ILLEST remixes of the year. in my opinion, this is the perfect album for people who hear the word “electronic” and run away screaming, because its totally electronic in a completely digestible way. the album starts out with the total pop hit “animal”, then “burial” gives our first tastes of computers, but its subtle and welcome. by “silvia”, youve moved on from dipping a toe in the water to pretty much end up waste deep in electronic goodness, and by then, the water feels fine so youre ready to dive in head first. luckily there are tracks later like “plastic jungle” and “in search of main” to whet your appetite. and the album pales in comparison to their live performances, with their 5-10 minute dj improvs following nearly every song.
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