Entries categorized as “Best Albums of the Year” 495 results

Billy Kalb writesBilly Kalb’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ amd Music Director Billy Kalb.

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

1. Four Tet – There Is Love In You (Domino)
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   I was wary of Kieren Hebden’s foray into techno with 2007’s Ringer EP, given what a fan I was of his earlier work and his previously glitchy, jazz-inflected sonic palette. But There is Love In You brought me back. Sprawling and ambitious, club-tested at London’s legendary Plastic People, Love in You is a near-perfect album. It’s dark but warm, mechanical and organic all at once, and the reassembled vocal snippets convey a beauty that lyrics could not. Absolutely stunning.
2. Sam Amidon – I See the Sign (Bedroom Community)
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   Almost entirely slept-on despite some decent press, Sam Amidon’s third full-length came to my attention almost by accident and soon became one of my favorites. Amidon is what you might call a folk singer, but he chooses to draw on material that’s often centuries old: immigrant songs, murder ballads, wedding dances. Rather than go the route of stuffy traditionalism, he imbues his versions with cues taken from 20th century classical minimalism, chamber pop and Arthur Russell. They’re old songs, but Amidon makes them glow like new.
3. Judson Claiborne – Time and Temperature (La Société Expéditionnaire)
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   No band this year wrote a better song about cannibalism. Chicago’s own Judson Claiborne put together a fantastic full-length of moody folk-rock in 2010, and if you haven’t heard it, you’re doing yourself a considerable disservice. Sometimes haunting and bible-black, other times bursting with joy, Time and Temperature is one of the most honest, rewarding, and genuinely likeable records I heard this year. Check it out.
4. The National – High Violet (4AD)
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   Tied with...
   
   The Walkmen – Lisbon (Fat Possum)
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   Both the National and the Walkmen mine similar territory; early on, both bands explored the angst of coming to terms with adulthood, wrestling with new responsibilities and figuring out where you belong in this grown-up world. By 2010, both have mellowed a bit, more comfortable in their skin. There’s still plenty of doubt and pain, but it’s been tempered with quiet confidence and an appreciation for the good things. That’s not to say they’ve become boring, however; what they lack in larger-than-life size they more than make up for in ever-increasing depth.
5. Robyn – Body Talk (Konichiwa)
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   Not Part 1, not Part 2. I’m talking about the whole damn thing. Signed to her own label and free to do whatever she likes, Swedish pop sweetheart Robyn released EPs at a furious clip this year, compiling her favorite songs onto a full-length album last month. Part of the joy of Body Talk was hearing what she’d come up with next, from synth-pop ballads to dancefloor ragers to duets with Snoop Dogg. Not everything hit the mark, but there’s enough quality material for a very, very killer iTunes playlist — Robyn gets exactly what being a pop star in the 21st century is all about.
6. Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers (Hotflush)
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   Dubstep has mutated into something…something approachable. Mount Kimbie’s Crooks and Lovers is more than your standard issue dubstep: the rhythmic sensibility is almost the same, but the pop sensibility is off the charts. Which is to say: it’s danceable, but chilled out; it’s abstract, but upfront; it’s hazy, but laser-focused. It’s just right. And even so, it’s totally unexpected – and rarely this well-executed.
7. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (Def Jam)
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   Tied with...
   
   Janelle Monáe – The Archandroid (Atlantic)
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   A year after the death of the King of Pop and a thousand media laments of how no one makes big-tent pop albums like Thriller anymore, two wildly creative talents made a couple of big-tent pop albums… and the wider world hardly noticed. A real crime, I promise you, and those who missed it will inevitably come to regret their error. Full-to-the-brim with innovative production and killer hooks, Sir Lucious and The ArchAndroid satisfied the pop itch like few other albums this year could. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
8. Jason Adasiewicz – Sun Rooms (Delmark)
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   With his partners-in-jazz Mike Reed (drums) and Nate McBride (bass), Jason Adasiewicz is busy redefining the role of the vibraphone in the genre. No great surprises here if you’ve heard any of Adasiewicz’s work elsewhere (and considering how prolifically collaborative the dude is, chances are you have), just some wonderful performances and warm, inviting tones (like a sun room, get it?). If jazz isn’t really your thing, this could be the album to change that. And if jazz is your thing, you’re in for a treat.
9. Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be (HoZac/Sub Pop)
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   You know what so much of the current garage-rock revival lacks? Hooks. You know what I Will Be has in abundance? You guessed it. Dum Dum Girls are a melodic steamroller, and nothing will get in their way – not boys, nor rivals, nor rules. Boosted by killer production from Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, The Go-Go’s), singer Dee Dee radiates effortless cool and confidence, and she’s totally earned it: when you can write songs like this, being a total badass should come naturally.
10. The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
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    Like a cinephile going out of his way not to see overt Oscar-bait, I avoided ear contact with the much-hyped third Arcade Fire album as long as possible. But something pulled me in; I’d hear a fantastic song on CHIRP, or I’d be in the car with my girlfriend and she’d put it on. And you know what? Sometimes hype is warranted. This band continues to get better, and fortunately, they’ve also dropped the heavy-handed doom and gloom of Neon Bible in favor of graceful, instantly memorable pop songs. They’re still rallying against the world, of course, but this time around, it’s much easier to join in.

Honorable Mentions

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner (Ghostly International)
White Hinterland – Kairos (Dead Oceans)
In Tall Buildings - In Tall Buildings (Whistler)
Matthew Dear – Black City (Ghostly International)
Caribou – Swim (Merge)

Josh Lesser writesJosh Lesser’s Best of 2010

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

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

1. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor (XL)
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   Sure, at first blush a punk concept album loosely based on combining coming of age in New Jersey and the American Civil War seems like an unlikely pick for best album of the year.  But Titus Andronicus puts the full force of their rage, youth, and passion into track after shout-alongable track, and thesis statements on the state of America and youth abound ("we have enemies everywhere", "you will always be a loser", "its still us against them").  Listening to the album, or, even better, at witnessing their live show, its impossible not to get swept along with them.  Essential Tracks: "A More Perfect Union", "Four Score and Seven"
2. Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago (Matador)
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   Shearwater continues their growth from folk side project (from Jonathan Meiburgs former band, Okkervil River) to one of the most unique bands out there with this album.  Lushly orchestrated and densely lyrical, each song builds its own particular mood and atmosphere while Meiburg wails and howls and whispers above it.  The album moves effortlessly from gloriously uplifting to ominous and claustrophobic and back again. Essential tracks: "Uniforms", "God Made Me", "Castaways"
3. Girl Talk – All Day (Illegal Art)
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   While I havent lived with this album as long as some of the others, I can't say I was more excited about any album on this list dropping.  And while on first listen it didnt seem as immediate or complex as former albums, the test for me for Girl Talk is whether it makes me want to giggle and dance at the same time.  And once he mixes Rhianna and Fugazi on the second track, it did.  Essential Tracks: "Let it Out", "Thats Right"
4. The National – High Violet (4AD)
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   When I want existential dread and wine soaked–sadness, I need look no further than this incredible record.  Even the hopeful songs have terrifying images (being carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees, for example). Themes of protecting your children, craving sorrow, and, of course, zombies infuse this record with a maturity that wasn't present as much on the previous National albums, and they are no worse off for it. Essential Tracks: "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "England"
5. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
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   Brutalist Bricks explodes out of the gate with a song about suicide bombings, and never looks back.  Returning to the political rabble rouser form he did so well on Shake the Streets Ted Leo and co. sound tight, together, and focused.  Perfect for long drives and short bursts of righteous anger. (bonus points for the amazing, Paul F. Tomkins-starring, music video sending up American Idiot: The Musical)  Essential Tracks: "The Mighty Sparrow", "Bottled in Cork"
6. Midlake – The Courage of Others (Bella Union)
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   Pretty much any album Midlake released after the near-perfection of Van Occupanther would have been a let down for me, but Courage of Others goes a long way towards soothing that pain.  Rainy day music written by druids, its almost surprising to hear them address more direct, less mystical notions on songs like "The Courage of Others" (which evokes neither ancient kingdoms nor moss covered hillsides, and speaks more to emo kids than forest children).  But they do both eually well, it turns out. Essential Tracks: "Rulers, Ruling All Things", "Acts of Man"
7. Frightened Rabbit – Winter of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat)
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   Like Midlake, Frightened Rabbit had the tall order of following up one of my favorite records of the last five years (Midnight Organ Fight).  And while this album took a while to grow on me, grow it did.  No other band reaches quite the heights that Frightened Rabbit does at its best when it mixes pedestrian images with soaring backings to pack the perfect punch.  Sadness rarely sounds as joyful as they make it sound.  Essential Tracks: "Things", "The Loneliness and the Scream"
8. Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises (Caldo Verde)
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   I've been saving this one for the winter, because a July release date for a Sun Kil Moon album seems somehow inappropriate. While I will admit Kozelek stripping back to his man-and-his-Spanish-guitar persona is not my favorite one of his (preferring the more produced, full band sounds of the Red House Painters and his first Sun Kil Moon album), I will eagerly absorb anything this man does, and Admiral Fell Promises has not disappointed.  I look forward to many cold winter days alone with this album.  How many things can you that about? Essential Tracks: "Alesund", "Sam Wong Hotel"
9. "Ready to Start" from The Suburbs by Arcade Fire (Merge)
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   Maybe this is out of place on a Best of the Year list, but I feel I can't in good conscience discuss this year in music without pointing out the two albums that disappointed me the most.  Two new albums from two of my favorite bands...I felt my cup would runneth over.  But try as I might to get into The Suburbs, I just cant do it.  There are tracks that I like, and one track that I love (hence giving the nod to "Ready to Start" as a standout of the year) but I fell in love with both Funeral and Neon Bible within the first couple of listens.  And while it may not be fair to compare them all, compare I must, and this album just does not clear the bar.  I'm still holding out hope for Arcade Fire, that someday it might just click...
10. "We Can Get Together" from Heaven is Whenever by The Hold Steady (Vagrant)
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    ...As for The Hold Steady, "We can get together" is a great song, and keeps with the bands mission statement, but for the most part, the rest of the album is pretty forgettable.

Dan Morgridge writesDan Morgridge’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' favorite music of 2010. Here with a list of his 10 favorite singles from 2010 is CHIRP Radio DJ Dan Morgridge.

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

1. "Bombay" by El Guincho, from the album Pop Negro (Young Turks)
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   "We are going to explore the cosmos in the ship of the imagination." So states El Guincho in his Carl-Sagan-esque intro to the B-movie/home cinema/let's-film-some-shenanigans (NSFW) video for Bombay, his opus of 2010. The bizarre feats of cinema displayed juxtapose the somewhat sorrowful lyrics - but if you don't speak Spanish, just sit back and appreciate the melodic and almost percussive singing. The instruments weaving in and out, the steel drums and hand claps, and the echoed final cry will keep the song growing in your head for a long time.
2. "Tin Man" by Future Islands, from the album In Evening Air (Thrill Jockey)
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   While "Tin Man" and my number one song share a prominent steel drum, Future Islands match it with a muscular guitar and the inimitable gruff wails of lead singer Sam Herring. The summer jam for driving around right before sunset, few other songs this year can come close to the gamut of emotions this tune can serve.
3. "Not In Love ft. Robert Smith" by Crystal Castles (Motown)
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   I always have a soft spot for musical re-imagination - I always find art begets art, so I love seeing someone professionally do the same thing and succeed. Taking the raw material from the rarely-mined field of Canadian glam new wave, Platinum Blonde's tune got an injection of chiptune steroids from Crystal Castles. But then for the December release, the band replaced the anemic, computerized vocals of Alice Practice with none other than Robert Smith. The Cure frontman pours his heart into it like he was 17 and just dumped, instantly owning the song like his name was Hendrix and it was about a joker and a thief.
4. "Burden Of Tomorrow" by The Tallest Man On Earth, from the album The Wild Hunt (Dead Oceans)
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   In another universe, Swede Kristian Matsson is the world's best Bob Dylan impersonator. Lucky for us, here he's found just enough of his own songwriting voice (and just slightly more forgiving nasal tones) to be an electrifying artist in his own right. From an album of rock-solid songs accompanied only by his own guitar, banjo or piano, Matsson's narrow stand-out is the bright-eyed gleam of "Burden Of Tomorrow", a mythological origin story: "Oh but rumor has it that I wasn't born/I just walked in one frosty morn" - yelped with enough passion that you could almost believe him.
5. "Runaway" by Kanye West, from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam)
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   It feels almost criminal to not give Kanye the top spot in this list. You can almost imagine he would go through infinite numbers of online reviews, leaving anonymous comments saying "8.5! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF A GENIUS I AM FOR PUTTING CHRIS ROCK AND APHEX TWIN ON THE SAME TRACK?!?" But his hubris aside, Kanye has spent a year collaborating on an album with an all-star cast, but more importantly, with the Internet itself. Leaking demos left and right, posting songs without real lyrics, jumping up on tables to rap as the songs hit him - in the cult of the amateur, Kanye is king.
   
   But to describe his finished products as amateur would be a grave mistake - love or hate him, Kanye has agonized over every second, pored over every sample. "Runaway" is the perfect microcosm of the album: a seamless blend of egomania and melancholy, both unsatisfied and unrepentant. Some of the lyrics will cause bystanders to grimace - "I sent this girl a picture of my dick/I don't know what it is with females, but I'm not too good at that shit" is as unrefined as you can imagine a song lyric- but are we grimacing at Kanye, or with him?
6. "Plastic People" by Four Tet, from the album There Is Love In You (Domino)
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   Four Tet's paean to the club he has used as a sounding board for much of his latest album is a peculiar lie on it's surface - a quiet, scruffy ethereal sound. But it's tempo is pure dance - a touch of two-step, a hint of rave, and a mix of whatever else it takes to get a full crowd at the Metro dancing again (like he did here in October). It's a perfect tune for when everything outside is moving fast and everything inside is moving slow.
7. "Meet Me In The Basement" by Broken Social Scene, from the album Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
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   When a band whose vocal talents include Feist, Emily Haines, and several other occasional lead singers, you have to credit them with some moxie for calling an instrumental jam "something that's become our anthem" at the Pitchfork Music Festival this year. But by golly, the song has legs that go all the way to the floor, and the guitar interplay is some of the finest you can bang a head at. Bonus points: the anonymously-submitted video bashing the G20 summit in Toronto that the band put on their YouTube channel.
8. "The Gaudy Side Of Town" by GAYNGS, from the album Relayted (Jagjaguwar)
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   2010 was a banner year for Justin Vernon. Playing cover tag with Peter Gabriel, having Kanye West decide to make "Woods" the backbone of his penultimate track on his craziest album yet - but you could argue that it all started with him getting to have a little fun with GAYNGS. Not to say that anything on Relayed comes off as tongue-in-cheek; somehow, the band plays a tribute album to 10cc's I'm Not In Love with perfect conviction and execution. But “The Gaudy Side of Town” has a mournful 80’s sax wail, slinking bass, and all-high-hat scattered drums mixed with Vernon ditching his mournful winter hibernation voice for a whispery croon of schmaltzy sleaze, and you have to wonder if playing such a fun role didn't help send him into bigger superstardom (for better or worse).
9. "Generator ^ Second Floor" by Freelance Whales, from the album Weathervanes (Frenchkiss/Mom and Pop)
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   Weathervanes earned its share of detractors - whether for the band's spontaneous concerts, wacky instruments like a watering can, or some of the rather grating selections from the album itself. With outstanding biases aside, the elements displayed in just the first two build-up minutes alone are stunning - banjo lead, washboard and accordion ambiance, glockenspiel taking over, and then an electric guitar somehow tastefully topping it all off. Then the harmonies pop in, and suddenly you're not cheerfully singing along in the streets to this kind little tune about accepted death.
10. "O.N.E." by Yeasayer, from the album Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
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    One part Animal Collective, one part George Michael, all parts capable of making you dance like the dirtiest hippie imaginable. Anand Wilder sings his own "I Will Survive" like he's so over it, he's already in Copacabana wearing wayfarers and flirting with anyone who might bring him a Mai Tai.

Honorable Mentions:
"Heaven's On Fire" by The Radio Dept.
"Dancing With The DJ" by The Knocks
"Neighbor Riffs" by Surfer Blood
"Low Shoulders" by Toro Y Moi
"Ducktails" by Art Vandelay

Shawn Campbell writesCraig Reptile’s Best of 2010

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

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

Craig Reptile's Top 10 of 2010 (in no particular order):

• Autolux – Transit Transit (tbd)
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  Suckers for shoegazer should celebrate this release from Autolux, while those unfamiliar with the genre of fuzzy, woozy guitars and ethereal, wispy vocals should find a compelling and wide-ranging introduction here.
• Pomegranates – One of Us (Afternoon)
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  From sped up tape sounds to ambient guitar squalls, this record never fails to surprise and inspire. If you dig The Jesus and Mary Chain, Blonde Redhead, Animal Collective, Crocodiles, Neon Indian, Serena-Maneesh, Brad Laner, and labelmates The Poison Control Center, you should dig this.
• Sambassadeur – European (Lubrador)
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  Ambassadors of Swedish orch-pop have returned with lush, fully fleshed out instrumentation, featuring melodies that bridge the girl group sound a la Phil Spector and the ambitious approach of 80's post-New Wave anthem producers.
• Club 8 – The People’s Record (Labrador)
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  More Swee, but this time afrobeat and Latin American rhythms and energy dominate each song--like listening to 10,000 Maniacs’ In My Tribe at 78 speed, it’s a rush of rapid rhythms and rumbling bass, with angular latticework guitar parts and soaring soprano singing.
• The Soviet League – The Soviet League (Angel Oven Records)
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  This sounds like Brian Eno and Roy Orbison meeting XTC alteregos Dukes of Stratosphear. Utterly mind-blowing. If this is the future, I want to be a part of it.
• Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love (Matador)
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  I guess twee orch-pop is not for everyone, but I can't imagine anyone not loving this record. But anything's possible. Every cut is a winner in my book (the one I'm writing about love, 'natch).
• Dreamend – So I Ate Myself Bite By Bite (Graveface)
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  A lovely and haunting symphony of banjos and crickets from Ryan Graveface's latest project. It may have been a bad dream, but it sure sounded beautiful to me.
• Darling – Lights That Last Forever (Cardboard Sangria)
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  Try as I might, I could not find a bad song on this Chicago group's first full length release. This is pure power pop for 2010 people, and it's full of anthemically awesome surprises.
• Azure Ray – Drawing Down the Moon (Saddle Creek)
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  I loved the record before seeing this lovely female duo at a sold out Schubas, and love it even more now &ndash never has sad been so beautiful.
• The Thermals – Personal Life (Kill Rock Stars)
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  It may not be their most rocking release, but Hutch's lyrics have never been better or more . . . personal. I still believe he's the Chuck D of indie rock.

5 Favorite EPs of 2010:
California Wives – Affair (Self-Released)
Chaperone – Cripple King (Self-Released)
Verma – Verma (Plustapes)
Pilot Cloud – Diaspora (Acoustic Firework)
Atmosphere – To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP's (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

Rubbed in Dirt, Dipped in Sugar writesJohn Lombardo’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2010. The next list is from station volunteer John Lombardo.
(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members’ picks.)

1. 97-Shiki – Showing Teeth is a Good Thing (Self-Released)
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   A fierce collision of noise and groove that reminds me of DC’s Metamatics with a smattering of trumpet. This equal parts jarring and catchy EP was released only as a cassette, along with digital download code card. The best of both worlds from these retro-futurists.
2. Real Estate – Out of Tune (True Panther Sounds)
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   Somehow even more remarkable than their self-titled LP, these guys create some of the most reserved and captivating pop songs out there. Insane harmonies pacify stretches of hypnotic jamming, all glued together by relentless hooks.
3. White Mystery – White Mystery (Self-Released)
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   Virtually every one of these songs have become “instant classics” with fans going berserk at live shows at the first hint of Alex’s opening riffs. Along with their break-neck touring pace and penchant for unusual shows (living room record release shows, Halloween celebrations, and restaurant performances), White Mystery have distinguished themselves on this epic full-length which matches the duo’s live greatness.
4. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (Kanine)
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   Seemingly appearing out of nowhere, this young Florida quartet blend Weezer’s first trips to LA with Pavement just reaching their stride to produce a new strain dreamy pitch-perfect pop. Their vocalist conjures up Morrissey in his tone as well as lyrics. With epic songs like Catholic Pagan entertaining Smiths-esque themes along with the added wit and vigor of a new generation.
5. Lower Dens – Twin Hand Movement (Gnomonsong)
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   In a rare break from her long-running solo career, Jana Hunter departs from her free-folk freak outs, joining forces with a strong group of Baltimore players to create a rock-solid and gripping debut record.
6. Disappears – Lux (Kranky)
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   Layers and layers of reverb peppered with distorted hot lixx. Fantastic songs anchored by Brian Case’s unique vocals. Hazy, swarming guitar-rock that plays smooth start to finish.
7. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
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   The highly anticipated follow-up to Microcastle truly delivers! Chock full of doubled-vocals and insane pop hooks, this record serves as a beautiful soundtrack for the depressives of the world.
8. Dag Nasty – Dag With Shawn (Dischord)
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   The lost tapes of a 1985 Halloween recording session that would be completely re-recoded and released as the entire album, Can I Say. These songs with legendary wildcard Shawn Brown (“Swiz,” “Sweetbelly Freakdown”) on vocals give a rare glimpse of the band that most people never got a chance to see. Raw and relentless chugging riffs, all held together by Shawn’s patented howl.
9. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
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   Recorded in the heart of lovely Wicker Park, this beast of an ensemble record finds local producer and drum wunderkind John McEntire and a slew of other indie rock royalty making guest appearances. High production with catchy songs that will almost make you forget You Forgot It In People.
10. Bill Callahan – Rough Travel for a Rare Thing (Drag City)
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    This live record captures a unique ‘best of’ type of glimpse of (Smog)’s discography that only a handful fans witnessed at a rare Hideout show this year. Callahan’s somber baritone on solo re-workings of classics like “Cold-Blooded Old Times,” “Our Anniversary,” and “Say Valley Maker” affirms and echoes his longevity and success. Great great great!