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DJ Bylamplight writesKumar McMillan’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ and Tech Director Kumar McMillan.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

  1. Reading Rainbow – Prism Eyes (HoZac)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    This album started when husband and wife duo Reading Rainbow recorded three songs in one day for Shaking Through studios. It's raw, simple, and full of emotion. It might get overlooked if you're already sick of the beach / garage sound that hit new levels of hype in 2010 but don't miss out on this. Seriously. Every moment perfectly follows the last and the combination of Rob and Sarah's voice is exquisite. They belt out some killer, blissed out minor-key harmonies and the song writing is full of subtle nuance. The layered vocal harmonies are actually pretty complex and intricate at times (e.g. the way it climbs on I See The Light). It's the kind of album you might hear in the background at a clothing shop, not really paying attention, until about halfway through where you drop everything and ask the clerk what that beautiful sound coming out of the speakers is. As with most full length LPs deemed worthy enough for release on HoZac, this is truly a start to finish labor of love. By the way, they have the coolest myspace username evar. Look it up.
  2. Jed and Lucia – Superhuman Heart (Ubiquity)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    This album gets referred to a lot as California sunshine pop but it's not a 60s revival album. It's more like what The Free Design might produce today if Boards of Canada loaned them some of their synths and drum machines. It has the same playful melodies and free spirit and is often backed by acoustic guitar for sunshine pop authenticity. The subtle electronic sounds are warm and inviting, while all songs are rooted in these lovely, mystical folk vocals. After listening start to finish you get this feeling that you've just woken up from an epic dream where you can't remember every last detail but you remember how vivid and strange everything was. It has an atmosphere to it -- an openness -- like one might experience after a vision quest deep in the desert. I come back to this album again and again for that feeling.
  3. Quadron – Quadron (Plug Research)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    This duo from Copenhagen captured my heart the moment I heard the angelic vocal inflections of front woman Coco O. She could easily be mistaken for an ebony diva from Philly with her range and depth. It was released in March but I still put it on time and time again -- the secret to its success is how silky smooth it sounds. The production pulls from the soft electronics of 90s R&B to soul dripping 60s horn arrangements, and then there are those amazing breathy vocal harmonies. Songs like Day, as it opens with a majestic baritone clarinet before Coco O begs, "Day, treat me bright / Treat me warm;" it just melts my heart. This is a phenomenal listen start to finish, melancholy at times but always sincere.
  4. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    I'm a sucker for shoegaze / dream pop but this album will reach deep into your consciousness and change you. Right about halfway through, something clicks and the rest just falls into place. As with most things Bradford Cox has a hand in, it swirls and floats and lifts you up, lets you down easy. This album is, in its entirety, an impressive work of art. Its shimmering melodic texture ebbs and flows and the structure of each song builds on the last. Each wall of gorgeous harmonic sound and each progression feels so perfect, so well crafted. At the end you are rewarded by a majestic, shining prize in the epic piece, He Would Have Laughed. However, it's an ending that wouldn't be near as effective without every leading minute.
  5. Reds and Blue – Son of The Stars (Addenda)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    As co-owner of the Addenda label I'd be in the wrong business if one of the releases I had worked tirelessly to put out didn't make my best of the year list. Son of the Stars gripped me right from the beginning in the way it shifts and progresses in mysterious ways. The drums dance around negative space and completely mess with your head if you try to follow each stab and shuffle. The vocals are in a new wave style yet are completely submerged in a murky abyss of harmonic soup. The album has been in the works for years and it shows; it's a monumental cathedral of collaboration between a talented trio of musicians and outside collaborators from all corners of the Chicago scene. The sound crosses over from post rock to dub and even simmers down into a heavy Black Sabbath pace at times. I honestly can't stop listening to this album.
  6. Bird Show Band – Bird Show Band (Amish)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    This sounds like a lost Bruce Ditmas live album as Moog destroyer Ben Vida improvised with a crew of Chicago all-stars one day in the legendary Shape Shoppe studio. It bubbles and squeaks and twists your brain into a pulp. But it's not alienating like some free jazz -- it's controlled and calculated. You can sense the acute listening that was taking place throughout the entire session. This is one of those jazz albums where something extremely exciting was etched into time and thankfully it was caught on tape. It's been in my heavy rotation all year.
  7. The Budos Band – The Budos Band III (Daptone)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Yep, you guessed it, this is the third album from massive Staten Island afro-soul ensemble, The Budos Band. As their bio accurately states, "The cobra is poised to strike if anyone dares challenge The Budos on their quest." This album is literally that cobra. It is by far their most viscous, dark, and sinister melodic masterpiece. It cuts you like a razor and takes no prisoners. It makes you want to commit malicious crimes using it as a soundtrack. I didn't fully appreciate how intricate these compositions were until I saw them performed live--full horn section, keyboards, guitars, percussion--on the big stage this summer at the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival. It blew me away. This album for me is partly a souvenir from that show but is also a huge milestone for this band. They have transcended the classic afrobeat tendencies (the Fela sound, etc), proving that the Budos is real.
  8. Various Artists – Turkish Freakout: Psych Folk Singles 1969-80 (Bouzouki Joe)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    For some reason 2010 was the year in which all rare Turkish psychedelia from the 60s and 70s finally saw the light of day. This comp of reissued 7"s and select songs from LPs has some crossover with others like Anatolia Rocks but each song is a gem and the track order is careful and poignant. These records are impossible to find but you've probably heard bits and pieces when sampled by the Gaslamp Killer, a huge Turkish psych collector in LA. Just like 60s rock, the rhythms cross over into funk and soul, but unlike western rock, the Turkish sound is emblazoned with heavy minor-chord emotion. The beautiful and somewhat melancholy vocals from singers like Beyaz Kelebekler offer a glimpse into a dark and mysterious time in Turkish history. Above all, the funky rhythm shared by all of these records is breathtaking; it's unlike anything produced in modern times.
  9. Qwel & Maker – Owl (Galapagos)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Since I'm a west coast kid I'm a harsh critic of Midwest hip hop; Chicago emcees usually sound like cheap imitations of Busdriver to me. However, the third album from Qwel & Maker is a new milestone in independent Midwest hip hop. It actually has more of classic east coast sound but don't read too much into that. It just sounds smooth. It samples some really choice funk and soul cuts and packs a punch on every well composed verse of rhymes. The Galapagos4 label is a little inconsistent for my tastes but I'm glad I crossed paths with this release -- it's been in my heavy rotation ever since.
  10. The Alps – Le Voyage (Type)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    I've only just discovered this modern psych/folk band and this album really caught my ear. The title is for real; it honestly takes you on a voyage. From beginning to end each melody and texture bends into the next, captivating your imagination. It's very visual. Their sound thrives on all the best parts of 70s psych, the epic glory of Hawkwind or the unpredictability of King Crimson. And just as any decent psychedelic album should, it comes complete with sitar and crickets.

 

Honorable Mentions:
Various Artists – Let's Boogaloo Vol. 5
The Limiñanas – The Limiñanas
The Streets on Fire – This is Fancy Javelin (tracks: "Unforgettable Super Lady", 'Moscow 1980")
cassette/podcast: Andean Ocean Mixtape
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Kings Go Forth – The Outsiders are Back
Various Artists – Afro-Beat Airways: West African Shock Waves (Ghana & Togo 1972-78)
Lobisomem – Concussus
Casino vs. Japan – Night On Tape
Warpaint – "Undertow"
Tame Impala – "It Is Not Meant To Be"

What a great year for new music!

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Categorized: Best Albums of the Year

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Jonny writesJon Schech’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Jon Schech.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

These are in chronological order by release date...

  • Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM (Elektra)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: “Le Chat du Café des Artistes”, “In The End” b/w “Time Of The Assassins” - Even when these two get ambitious for a “get you later” hit (Heaven Can Wait) or a striptease anthem (Trick Pony) the results are all fine and good. Half are great, most are really good. Thanks, Beck!
  • Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: (side one/A) and “Lover of Mine” - This surprised me – I’m not the indie hype type. This is just brilliant music that even overrides the few times Alex goes all Chris Martin. Too much to love about this. It’s just a beautiful record.
  • Kings Go Forth – The Outsiders Are Back (Luaka Bop, Inc.)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: (every track on the record!) - Okay I’m a bit impartial because they’re from Milwaukee, but why not? As long as they stay away from jazz, I’m on board.
  • The Poison Contol Center – Sad Sour Future (Afternoon)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Track: “Stay Golden” - This is the aural equivalent of having the finest slice of whatever you have been fancying the most. I just don’t know what to do because I’m not this indie, unless I’m listening to this. It’s like the White Album of indie. A delectable slice of almost perfect indie pie, disguised as genius off center pop music from Iowans!
  • The Black Keys – Brothers (Nonesuch)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: “The Only One” b/w “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Tighten Up” - This is no ‘solid album’, but what is these days? These guys are so proper with everyone their record registered on the corporate charts. What they do is great, and somehow it makes no difference as long as they keep doing good things. Also: “Everlasting Light” jams so good it needs no hook. Modern day greatness...
  • Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: “Hot Body Rub”, “Round And Round” b/w “Little Wig” - At first you think this is a joke but then the massive genius ambition grabs you. I never thought or I forgot how making this kind of music could be possible. Thanks to this record, I hope more of this kind of music begins to exist. Amazing harmonies and awesome hooks abound. Refrain from ignoring “Butt-House Blondies”. The song has substantial meritas actioni!
  • Jaill – That's How We Burn (Sup Pop)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: “Demon” b/w “Thank Us Later” and “That’s How We Burn” - I’m not a-gonna try to convince you this is good. Either you dig it or not. I personally even like the album cover. That has to be none other than the west coast of Lake Michigan. Green.
  • Orgone – Killion Vaults (Ubiquity)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: (Every track on the record! Again!) - This band released two records this year. This is the instrumental one that blew me away. Now they have to get that star vocalist to step up (or add another one?) because they’ve got it. West coast sh’ comin’atcha!
  • Aeroplane – We Can't Fly (Eskimo)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: “London Bridge” b/w “My Enemy”, “Superstar” b/w “Caramellas” - I’ve been waiting to get sick of this record. I haven’t. This is true continental music as implied by the title, and this is, at this point, still a good thing. They can always come to America and infuse their already genius music with some deeper soul, and that would blow me away.
  • Violens – Amoral (Friendly Fire)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Tracks: “Violent Sensation Descends” b/w “It Couldn’t Be Perceived” - This record deserves high marks for just plain being ambitious. With so many strong influences vying for a ‘sound’ makes listening more challenging. I wouldn’t want to be laughed at for overlooking the amazing potential here.

 

The Suburban Wives Fantasy Singles! (honorable mention songs, records…)
Broken Bells
Affair EP
“Traxx” b/w “Frozen” by Salem
“Hang On In There” by John Legend/The Roots
“Rollercoaster” by Black Mountain
“Wings Away” b/w “Dance Floor” by The Apples In Stereo
“Lines” by Elsinore
“Bellringer Blues” b/w “When My Baby Comes” by Grinderman
“I’m Aware” by Clinic
“Tarmac City” b/w “Mighty Fine Pie” by Endless Boogie
“Come On Sister” b/w “Suicide Girl” by Belle & Sebastian
“Search Party” b/w “Photojournalist” by Small Black
“Horophones” by The Love Language

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Categorized: Best Albums of the Year

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CHIRP DJ writescloudsasha’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio volunteer cloudsasha.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

  1. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    This album is true to it's name. It feels like a dreamy crush. It's the perfect combination of melody and harmony; an album that's so easy to fall in love with.
  2. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Aussie trio Tame Impala brings back rock 'n roll the way it's supposed to be heard: with the perfect mixture of smooth as heck production, reverb, percussion and guitar slam dunks. Innerspeaker is an album the way that an album is supposed to be. Each track is a show-stopping psychedelic adventure
  3. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    When I first heard that Ariel Pink was going to release a fully produced album using actual, real-life drums I couldn't believe my ears. Before Today is a throwback to the 70's and early 80s in the best way. Ariel has broken out of his reclusive shell and with the backing of Haunted Graffiti, they've created a perfect pop gem.
  4. How to Dress Well – Love Remains (Lefse)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    My friend recommended me this track by saying, "He samples Inoj, man!" Annnnd that's when I was sold. Love Remains' second track,"Ready for the World", cuts up Inoj's "Love You Down" and transforms it into a beautiful accompanying melody with graceful hand claps and ghosty background vocals. Each track fits into the next one seamlessly. How To Dress Well makes me feel like I'm riding a giant, sparkly, white horse through a magical forest.
  5. Toro Y Moi – Causers of This (Carpark)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    I just want to be happy. I just want to listen to music that reminds me of how nice the summer was. Toro Y Moi's Chaz Bundick makes me feel good. He sets himself apart from the other recent bands that fall under this mush of Beach Boys-esque music through his crudely produced style that shifts from rock 'n roll to slicked out electronic. [Note: His follow up 7" single Leave Everywhere deserves major bonus points.]
  6. Las Robertas – Cry Out Loud (Art Fag Recordings)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    What's better than three super hot Costa Rican girls playing super poppy garage rock? Nuthin'! Las Robertas are surfing the 2010 wave of garage girl bands with grace and style, and boy, wouldn't I like to be on that surf board with them.
  7. Caribou – Swim (Merge)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    As soon as you hear the start of "Odessa" off of Caribou's Swim, you're sold. Daniel Snaith, a former mathematician, puts his his big, number crunchin' brain to use by developing the most successful Caribou album yet--not to mention the live show is killer, filled with kaleidoscopic videos that will blow your miiiiiiind.
  8. Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils (Captured Tracks)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    With a slight nod to the reverb-filled vocals and melodies of the Clientele, Beach Fossils sing their summer hearts out and twang their guitars. This is a perfect sleepover dance party album from the hearts of these four Brooklyn boys to you.
  9. Fur Cups For Teeth – FCFU (Self-Released)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Fur Cups For Teeth are an all-girl, Brooklyn based, trio. The start of this album is reminiscent of the riot grrrl with guitar and drum heavy pop beats with perfectly harmonized, soulfully sweet vocals. These girls ooze attitude and wit. They’re able to shift from punk songs ("Buffalo," "International Baby") in the beginning of the album to Le Tigre and Ladytron-like electro dance beats ("Dadadaddy") with no difficulty at all. This album is versatile, danceable, and can easily seduce the ears of first-time listeners.
  10. White Mystery – White Mystery (Self-Released)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    No one can ever deny a brother-sister duo that is not only from Chicago, but one of the best live acts of the whole entire year. Look out world, there's a ginger cloud rising over the mountains!

 

Honorable Mentions
Girls - Broken Dreams Club
Teen Inc. - Fountains/Friends of the Night 7"
Minks - By the Hedge

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Categorized: Best Albums of the Year

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Owen Harris writesOwen Harris’ Best Of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Owen Harris.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

  1. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    As confirmed by James Murphy, this album doesn’t signal the end of LCD Soundsystem per se, but future endeavours may involve less touring in support. Or more. Their previous long-play outing, Sound Of Silver, is still a high-rotate turntable showing at the Kiwi pad, but it’s in the live arena – festival or club - where LCD come into their own. Their Coachella performance closing out Friday night was a weekend highlight, 20-ft disco ball and all, and similarly the Metro performance threatened to tear the roof off the sucker. And yes, Nancy rocks! Fave tracks? Opener Dance Yrself Clean, Pow Pow, I Can Change.
  2. Sharon Van Etten – Epic (Badabing)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Sharon’s 2nd full-length outing is, indeed, gorgeously epic. I was lucky enough to catch her 6 or so months back at the now-legendary Chris Knox Stroke Benefit concert in NYC, and was impressed. Now, I’m bummed I missed her gig at Lincoln Hall supporting Junip. Word has she blew them off the stage. This LP has been on high-rotate and I’ll probably still be listening in decades to come. Standouts? Hard to choose, but if pressed, Peace Signs & One Day.
  3. The Fall – Your Future, Our Clutter (Domino)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Mark E. Cha Cha! To my ears their best since Kurious Oranj, but don’t ask me about most in-between. The riffs are their, the Mancunian mumble is in full effect, and reports from their recent Auckland NZ gig suggest The Fall have never been better. We saw them there in the early 80’s, bootlegged by Chris Knox as Fall In A Hole. Check out Bury Pts. 1 + 3
  4. Stan Ridgeway – Neon Mirage (A440)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    The man will need no introduction to many, but to the rest he’s best known for Mexican Radio back in his Wall Of Voodoo days. Stanard has been pretty prolific ever since, and even organizes musical train adventures around the Southwest. His current album Neon Mirage is right up with the best of Wall of Voodoo, with an eclectic mix of musical styles from ubiquitous country steel guitar to bossa-nova rhythms. His stories are colourful, told with a vivid musical palette.
  5. The Puddle – Playboys In The Bush (Fishrider)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    George Henderson is a Kiwi music legend. The Puddle have been around in one form or another for many a year, but their latest Playboys In The Bush is arguably their best. Check out the epic Valhalla which in a live setting is even more powerful. Other personal faves include What I Believe and Sleepy People.
  6. Dear Time's Waste – Spells (Self-Released)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Kiwi Clare Duncan has crafted yet another collection of beautiful song, in some cases even more delicate than those on her debut EP, Room For Rent. Check out Alice, Swallowed, We Are Where We Were Before
  7. The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo (EMI)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    These Wellingtonians from NZ have churned out yet another great album, just as diverse and different as the last. Here’s hoping we have a proper US tour soon! Buffalo, Pot, Bitte Bitte
  8. Grayson Gilmour – No Constellation (Flying Nun)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Grayson is the first signing to the recently re-purchased and re-juvenated Flying Nun records out of NZ, which has indie musical pedigree going back to 1981. The songs are largely in the orchestrated pop vein, with a definite Kiwi edge. I look forward to more. Pure pop for now people! I Am a Light, Pearly Whites
  9. Gil Scott-Heron – I'm New Here (XL)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    It’s not Winter In America or Pieces of a Man, but it’s a new Gil album, which many predicated would never happen. Produced by XL Recordings owner Richard Russell, it has a contemporary edge, with spoken interludes adding rather than detracting from the grittiness of the delivery and material. A solid listen, standouts include Me and the Devil and New York Is Killing Me. Welcome back, Gil.

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Categorized: Best Albums of the Year

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DJ Betynka - It's 12 O'Clock Somewhere writesElizabeth Ramborger’s Best Of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ and treasurer Elizabeth Ramborger.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members’ picks.)

My first year of DJing on CHIRP has brought a lot of new and different music my way and I’m glad to say this by-no-means-exclusive-or-even-in-any-particular-order list is influenced by the wealth of new music I’ve been exposed to from fellow DJs. It’s also been an incredibly busy year and odd that I haven’t had as much time to really process music coherently. No matter! Spending Xmas day on my couch, looking out on the snow in Ukie Village and cataloguing some of my favorites from 2010 is about the best way I could hope to spend an afternoon.

  1. Stornoway – The Beachcombers’ Windowsill (4AD)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    first heard this release one afternoon when I was getting frustrated working on some paperwork at the studio. Billy Kalb threw it on and quietly backed out of the office and it did the trick. There’s something about Stornoway that makes me think of other great British songwriters…it led me to dig out some old Kirsty MacColl and Billy Bragg. Beautiful stuff that just hits me the way music should. They’re also a nice group of lads who can pull off their lyrical sincerity, raising mundane moments up into simple grandeur.
  2. The Fresh & Onlys – Play It Strange (In The Red)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    The prolific Fresh & Only’s brought us their best yet, improving on their previous lo-fi neo-surf-garage-psych-jangle releases with an album that haunts and twinkles and stomps.
  3. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Ironically it’s with his supposed last LCD Soundsystem record that I fall completely in love with James Murphy. One of the best moments of the summer was LCD Soundsystem taking the stage at Pitchfork—the Chicago skyline, the moon coming out…Murphy brings a warmth to his shows that took me completely off guard. Swoon.
  4. Robyn – Body Talk (Konichiwa_
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    I’m listing the whole she-bang of EPs here, too. From hipster guilty pleasure to full-on pop star, Robyn’s come a long way.
  5. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Great hooks and beauty all over this one with a good dose of jangle.
  6. Sonny and the Sunsets – Tomorrow Is Alright (Soft Abuse)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Sonny Smith strikes me as being a modern-day Jerry Lee Lewis. The Sunsets emerge from the San Francisco scene along with favorites the Fresh & Onlys and Thee Oh Sees, but with a humor and swagger all their own. “Love Among Social Animals” will put a smile on your face.
  7. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    I hate to admit I didn’t realize the lead singer was a girl. Sort of like Yaz? The “dream pop” categorization sums it up. A beautiful album you can listen to over and over and over again
  8. Judson Claiborne – Time and Temperature (La Société Expéditionnaire)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Solid local folk rock. A gorgeous album from start to finish.
  9. Jonsi – Go (XL)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    “Go Do” is my inner indie Nike slogan, propelling me out into the sun to just do it. Whatever it is, it will be good.
  10. Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush To Relax (Goner)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    It seems appropriate to close out this list with a band that formed at a work Christmas party (at a vinyl pressing plant!). I overlooked them awhile back when recommended to me by a friend, but this release led to an immediate purchase of their back-catalogue. Infectious garage punk. An unfortunate middle-booking at the Empty Bottle just led them to steal the show.

 

Other Odds and Ends

The Liminana’s – “I’m Dead” 7” (HoZac)
ooo! French pop at it’s new best! And on a local label!

 

Radar Eyes – “Not You Again” (B-side, HoZac Hookup Klub Record 12)
my favorite little local release, this has a nice shambolic indie pop vibe.

 

 

Black Tambourine – s/t (Slumberland)
best reissue

 

 

Posies – Blood/Candy (Rykodisc)
my favorite band ever but this wins worst Thax Douglas reference award. Oh Jon and Ken, what were you thinking?

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Categorized: Best Albums of the Year

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