Most of these albums are contained within this: Our Seasonal Soundtrack: Winter Spotify playlist.

The Antlers

Hospice

[Frenchkiss; 2009]

In the past couple of years, no album has come close that delivers the devastating emotional blow that Hospice delivers. In fact, it was our album of the year back in 2009. The narrative of the concept album centers on the relationship between a hospice worker and a terminally-ill patient, while hitting upon themes of depression that are not detailed explicitly but rather symbolically. I couldn’t imagine another vocalist singing these lyrics than Peter Silberman, whose yearning, delicate falsettos add more dynamic to the emotional delicacy of the songs. The lo-fi production combined with the lush instrumentation that includes hazy guitars and hollow drums that leave the album feeling isolated from the world. This allows the focus to solely be on the characters and their story. Everything I’ve mentioned has nothing to do with winter in a literal sense, but metaphorically, Hospice is chilling enough that it can weather up its own heart-breaking blizzard.

- Ace Ubas

Recommended listening:

“Kettering”

“Sylvia”

Click here to listen to Hospice on Spotify.

Band of Horses

Cease to Begin

[Sub Pop; 2007]

Winter is all over Band Of Horses’ 2007 sophomore LP Cease To Begin. From the album cover that depicts a moon shining over the darkened water to the opening barnstorming anthem of “Is There A Ghost?,” which uses spare lyrics to touch on the cold weather themes of death, loneliness, exhaustion, and isolation. Even when the album is at its sunniest, the harmonizing hoedown of “The General Specific,” the light atmosphere it betrayed by lyrics that reveal it’s “80 degrees, the end of December was comin’ on.” Here in Los Angeles, it really has been 80 degrees throughout the winter and Band Of Horses’ under-appreciated release can seem like a perfect soundtrack, with a mix of sweetly delicate confessionals like “No One’s Gonna Love You,” slowed-down country swooners like “Marry Song,” and straight-ahead rockers like “Islands On The Coast,” reminding that winter doesn’t always have to be cold, and it doesn’t always have to be quiet, but the spirit of the season remains no matter what climate you come from.

- Philip Cosores

Recommended listening:

“Is There A Ghost?”

“Marry Song”

Click here to listen to Cease to Begin on Spotify.

Beach House

Teen Dream

[Sub Pop; 2010]

It seems ironic that I would choose a band called Beach House for a winter soundtrack. The name makes me think of seagulls cawing, the horrible feeling of sand in between your toes and the pain of walking across a stony beach in bare feet. Teen Dream is far from this, evoking imagery of the joy of snow falling whilst watching it from inside. With Victoria LeGrand’s crisp, breathy vocals and warm harmonies from Alex Scally provide the perfect balance between the unbearable cold journeys out during winter and the relief of warmth when you reach your destination.

- Aurora Mitchell

Recommended listening:

“Norway”

“Zebra”

Click here to listen to Teen Dream on Spotify.

Björk

Vespertine

[One Little Indian; 2001]

Thank the Icelandic gods that Björk fell in love with artist Matthew Barney, for their union was one of the greatest things to happen to music. Björk’s once-in-a-lifetime fount of inspiration produced Vespertine, an album designed to evoke the concept of being cooped up with your lover during the winter months. Of course, skeptics might say Björk has perpetuated the Vespertine-as-winter-album mythology so much that we listeners cannot divorce ourselves from the association. That may be true, but you have to concede that the production on Vespertine is meticulously engineered to embody the sounds of the frigid Icelandic tundra, such as the deeply textured microbeats which evoke footsteps on the frozen ground. As if that wasn’t enough winter, she had a music box specially made for the album, requesting that it sound as tinny and twinkling as possible in order to maximize the delicate, snowy soundscapes. What would winter be without the occasional Vespertine spin? I don’t even dare imagine.

- Arika Dean

Recommended listening:

“Hidden Place”

“Aurora”

Click here to listen to Vespertine on Spotify.

Bon Iver

Blood Bank EP

[Jagjaguwar; 2009]

Sure, the Blood Bank cover art makes this extended play a dead giveaway to make our list. But well beyond the most cosmetic of surfaces lies a group of songs perfect for the winter season: “Blood Bank” is in part about becoming trapped in fresh snowfall, “Beach Baby” and “Babys” may be more sprightly in nature, but deal equally with somber narratives that seem so much more vivid amid the backdrop of the season, and the minimalist “Woods” crawls at a pace best suited for those cold months where time, not just nature, has a tendency to feel frozen.

Justin Vernon has been hailed for his solo work, leaving Blood Bank lost somewhere in the shuffle. But the songs that make up this EP represent some of the best songwriting of Vernon’s young career. The title track and “Beach Baby” read like poetic confessionals, with the former staking a decent claim to the throne of best single Bon Iver track yet.

- Andrew Bailey

Recommended listening:

“Blood Bank”

“Beach Baby”

Click here to listen to Blood Bank on Spotify.

Cannibal Ox

The Cold Vein

[Definitive Jux; 2001]

It’s in the name and it’s all over El-P’s dystopic futuristic production: this is a cold record. For my money, The Cold Vein is the most atmospheric hip-hop record ever recorded. Jaime Meline has never since reached the heights or cohesion of The Cold Vein‘s icy psychedelia and MCs Vast Aire and Vordul Mega have never sounded so deliciously prophetic and paranoid. The Cold Vein feels like Manhattan beneath a grey nuclear winter, still crippled in post-apocalypse by everyday socioeconomic struggles. Of course, the perpetual season is more a canvas and a feeling than a reality, but the trio create a thick atmosphere of oppressive displacement and doom only to find cathartic release on the one-two closer of “Pigeon”/”Scream Phoenix.”

- Will Ryan

Recommended listening:

“Iron Galaxy”

“Straight Off the D.I.C.”

Devendra Banhart

Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

[XL; 2007]

Although Devendra Banhart and his usual collaborators recorded Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon in sunny Southern California’s Laurel Canyon, it is far from what I would consider light. Banhart recorded this album after his relationship with Brazilian singer Cibelle shattered and heartache can be felt throughout the 2007 release. The raw emotion is perfect for a contemplative winter night.

Banhart’s sorrow and pain is interspersed among strange and trippy songs like “Shabop Shalom” and “The Other Woman.” “Seahorse,” the album’s gem, focuses on the uncertainty of life and what lies in wait after death. Banhart sings “I know it ain’t easy / Being left on your own / Why did you leave me / Well I don’t really know / And why wait another day / When a day won’t change a thing” on the track “Bad Girl.” The melancholic call for freedom on “Freely” washes over the listener like the imminent destruction of a wave as it crashes onto the shore. Album closer “My Dearest Friend” shows a vulnerable human being, certain he’ll die of loneliness.

Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon switches between acoustic folk songs like “So Long Old Bean,” funky rock songs like “Carmensita” and strange numbers like “Tonada Yanomaminista.” It’s not the most accessible Banhart album, but it’s certainly the most heartfelt.

- Nicholas Preciado

Recommended listening:

“Seahorse”

“Freely”

Click here to listen to Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon on Spotify.

Echospace

The Coldest Season

[Modern Love; 2007]

Perhaps it’s a bit on the nose, but the first record from Echospace, the collaboration between Deepchord’s Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell, captures winter so thoroughly that it couldn’t be left off this list. Working within the realm of cavernous Deepchord dub techno and infinite analog reverberation, the duo build a swirling hour and twenty minute alpine journey. Shuttering synths arc in tangled waves while gusts of cold wind rise and fall around the tightly woven dance grooves and 4/4 kick. Despite The Coldest Season being an ode to winter, the record is surprisingly cozy. When the warm and immediate hooks land it’s like that first brush of warmth coming inside after being caught in a subzero snowstorm.

- Will Ryan

Recommended listening:

“First Point of Aries”

“Abraxas”

Eels

Electro-Shock Blues

[DreamWorks; 1998]

Winter’s association with death needs no explaining, and no one tackles death quite like Eels did with their 1998 album Electo-Shock Blues. The album surrounds lead singer Mark Oliver Everett (or “E”) as he comes to terms with both his sister’s suicide and his mother’s death from lung cancer. It’s a tough, emotional listen, with tracks like “Dead Of Winter,” which pulls no punches in discussing the details of dying from cancer, finding resonance whether you have dealt directly with the issues at hand or not. Musically, the album (which received arrangement help from noted artists Jon Brion and T-Bone Burnett) can embrace the bleak reality that is ever-present, as on “Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor” or “Going To Your Funeral Part 1,” or they can juxtapose the themes with bright, sparkling instrumentation, as on “Last Stop: This Town.” Ultimately, Electo-Shock Blues is a strange album, in that it is far ahead of anything in terms of quality that Eels have ever recorded, and it took such head-on public coping to create such profound art. As it closes, E leaves the listener with the final realization that “maybe it’s time to live”; an encouragement that makes the most sense when things are at their chilly worst.

- Philip Cosores

Recommended listening:

“Dead of Winter”

“Last Stop: This Town”

Click here to listen to Electro-shock Blues on Spotify.

Explosions in the Sky

The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

[Temporary Residence; 2003]

Though the title of this album may seem ironic to the feature, this instrumental masterpiece is everything but. As with all instrumental bands, they communicate their narrative through their music, and most of the time, their song titles. “The Only Moment When We Were Alone” and “Your Hand in Mine” provide themes of joy and love, while “Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean” and “Memorial” are of desolation and despair. Keeping those titles in mind, they can probably trigger memories that relate to those titles. The beauty of instrumental music is that it encourages you to form your own narrative of the music, or brings upon reflection of the self or the world around you. This internalization is the kind of thing people do during the winter since they tend to stay indoors and this album is certainly a mood-setter. The weaving guitars and precise drumming intertwine to form brooding melodies and beautiful crescendos that crash together in a cold climax. The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place essentially symbolizes the winter season. There are moments of cold weather that lead to subtle hints of snow. Before you know it, a blizzard arrives without any hint of warning.

- Ace Ubas

Recommended listening:

“The Only Moment When We Were Alone”

“Memorial”

Click here to listen to The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place on Spotify.

With this name change, also comes a new site design and URL: BeatsPerMinute.com. But don’t worry, we will always own the OneThirtyBPM.com URL and all old articles and links will convert over to the new URL. As far as the new design is concerned, that is coming at the end of January, and will feature an overhaul of the homepage, as well as implement some new features that will provide our readers with the best experience out there.

We know you have a myriad of options when it comes to consuming music news and reviews on the web, and yet, here you are on our humble site. Consider this our gigantic thank you for every visit, comment, tweet, “like,” or kind word you’ve ever said about us. 2011 was an amazing year for us, but without each and every one of you readers it would have never been possible.

And with your continued support, we are hoping to make 2012 our best year yet. Thanks to new partnerships and readers like you, we were able to produce one of our first pieces of original content in 2011. Studio Lurk, featuring Cymbals Eat Guitars, was a huge success. But it’s only the beginning of what will soon become a recurring feature on the site, along with the continuation of some of our other new and unique content like Discussions, Versus and our Seasonal Soundtracks. It’s these sort of projects, along with even more planned for 2012, that continue to help set BPM apart and make it a continued destination for dedicated readers.

But, aside from our differentiating content, even our day-to-day focus has greatly grown in our few short years in the business and will continue to do so. It has become our mission to truly provide readers with all the news and media coverage you could ever desire. With our expanded staff of great writers and editors, we hope to also be able to provide not only our best, but also our most consistent and expansive reviews content throughout the year.

Here’s to 2012 at Beats Per Minute!

-The Beats Per Minute Staff

PS. Be sure to follow us at our new homes in the world of social media:
new Facebook page
new Twitter handle: @BPMfeed

Looking back at our 2011 list of Most Anticipated Albums, there is a pretty wide spectrum of releases that fulfilled their potential (Destroyer, Fleet Foxes, James Blake), never quite took off (Danielson, Hercules And Love Affair, Lupe Fiasco), and even a few that we are still waiting for (Dead Man’s Bones, Blur, Portishead). Sorry guys, we couldn’t get them all right.

This year, there seem to be even less announced albums then we are used to, and hopefully we will see a surge in confirmed 2012 releases in the coming weeks. Regardless, we still have our theories about what we will see this year, broken up into Announced, Confirmed, In Progress, and Speculative. We couldn’t blurb everything (shout-outs to Cat Power, Ceremony, Screaming Females, Air, Cloud Nothings, The Men, Miike Snow, Swans, Santigold, Black Star, Die Antwoord, and Band Of Horses – don’t worry, we are looking forward to your releases, too), but we have a pretty good cross-section of what we hope to hear in the coming year. Have a safe and happy new year from all of us at BPM, as we look forward to our website’s best year yet.

- Philip Cosores

Announced Albums
Albums that have been announced and given a set release date

Bear in Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool
Due out April 3rd on Dead Oceans

In 2009, Brooklyn-based trio Bear in Heaven made an impact on the music scene with their highly impressive album Beast Rest Forth Mouth. That album delved into different genres such as shoegaze, psychedelic rock, post-rock, and even krautrock. Basically, they’re not afraid to experiment with different sounds – and they don’t plan on stopping on I Love You, It’s Cool. In their press release, they’ve stated that the album is going to be more “abstract and drone-based” than their previous material and will center on the theme of the current state of the music industry. If you head over to their website, you can stream the entire album. There’s a catch however: the album is slowed down 400,000%. By the time you reach the end of the last track, it’ll be the 3rd of April, which happens to be the album’s release date. What a coincidence!

- Ace Ubas

The Big Pink – Future This
Due out January 17th on 4AD

Way back in 2009, 4AD signed English duo The Big Pink (AKA Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze) and released their debut LP A Brief History of Love, a record displaying jumbo stadium sized anthems and feedback heavy quick-fix blasts of noise in equal measure. Rather than the sublime record however, The Big Pink are perhaps best known for their now calling card hit “Dominos,” a song that has littered many a TV ad and sports montage and even been sampled by mainstream rap’s current queen bee, Nicki Minaj.

The question is, will The Big Pink stick to the winning formula they struck on crowd-pleaser “Dominos” or will they try and shrug the song off as their tag by going in a completely new direction, on forthcoming LP Future This? Well, on current evidence it looks like a change in style may be on the cards. In 2010 there was talk of the duo experimenting with more hip-hop influences in the studio, which are also apparent on recent single and album taster “Hit the Ground (Superman)” which features a sample of Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman.” It’s an encouraging sign that if The Big Pink have made a hip-hop album, they might well pull it off.

- Toby McCarron

Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
Due out March 6th on Bella Union

Andrew Bird may not have turned many new heads in his direction with his last album Noble Beast, but those who were already looking his direction (and paying close attention) heard the innovative violin-sweeping modern troubadour deepen and sharpen his sound. The line between guitar sounds and violin plucks was shadowed further with stand-out tracks like “Not a Robot, But a Ghost,” while his lyrics became both cleverer and more perplexing, as the opening lines on “Anonanimal” showed. The album also had Bird spreading himself out multiple times during the its runtime – a welcome gesture for those who were fond of his live shows – while showing he could still keep things tightened up and still deliver a jaunty indie-pop hit (“Fitz & The Dizzyspells”). While Noble Beast may not have wowed everyone to use as many superlatives as their mind could create, it was another enjoyable and interesting step for Bird, adding to his consistently great catalogue.

Much like many of his songs, it’s hard to predict where he’ll go next. More electric guitar might find its way onto the record but a very brief teaser trailer only offers a few slowed sweeps of his violin, so it’s anyone’s guess really. Chances are Bird may well stick to an apocalyptic theme as he has addressed on many of his past records but considering Bird has name-dropped things like t-shirt printing and osmosis in the past, who knows what his subject matter will be. On the vocal tracks he contributed to the Norman soundtrack, he seemed fascinated with all things nautical and the night sky, but whether those were themes explored for the film specifically, we’ll have to wait and see. Whatever the material on Break It Yourself is and sounds like exactly, I’m sure it’ll be fascinating in its own particular way.

- Ray Finlayson

Bowerbirds – The Clearing
Due out March 6th on Dead Oceans

Bowerbirds have always seemed one of those bands that is doomed to the fringes of indie consciousness. Their brand of poppy-folk is just catchy enough to flutter into the minds of fans of bands like Fleet Foxes, but as of yet they’ve failed to release an album that has really stuck in any appreciable way. That’s not to say that 2009’s Upper Air wasn’t an astounding achievement, it certainly was, but it just didn’t allow the crossover success that they seem capable of and that bands like Bon Iver and the aforementioned Fleet Foxes have already achieved. However the lead single from this upcoming effort promises something special. “Tuck The Darkness In” seems an important distillation of everything that is good about Phillip Moore and Beth Tacular into a sprawling nearly-five-minute cut. It’s nothing over the top or epic, but its sunny vocal harmonies and trickling strings seem to indicate that they’ve truly come into their own as a musical entity. It’s nothing too far removed from most indie folk, but it feels different and special in a way that their previous material didn’t necessarily approach.

- Colin Joyce

Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Due out January 31st on Columbia Records

Leonard Cohen spent much of the 90s in spiritual seclusion and had few public appearances in the early 00s. So it was a big deal when he resumed touring in 2008, including a spot at Coachella, to consistent critical acclaim. In January, eight years after his last proper album, the other shoe finally drops and Cohen delivers new songs in the form of Old Ideas. He belongs to class of veteran artists with decade-spanning careers, except his output has been much sparser than those in his company like Dylan or Waits. That’s what makes this return all the more special, and it will be interesting to see what one of folk’s greatest songwriters can do today, especially without any of the co-writers of his last studio albums.

- Justin Pansacola

Leonard Cohen – “Show Me The Place”

Lana Del Rey – Born To Die
Due out January 31st on Interscope Records

With all the hype (and hate) circling poor little Lana Del Rey, the release of Born to Die has become much less about anticipating the album for the fun of listening to it. No, rather, more so than in some time, this debut is a proving ground. Can she successfully capitalize on all the noise surrounding her, or is she simply the next Vampire Weekend? Because the truth is, if the album is sound, all the hipsters’ ire in the world won’t stop her. People are taking sides, indie critics already seem poised to love or hate the record, simply based on their perception of the girl, and not her music. It’s not an enviable position, but with the quality of the tracks released so far – regardless as to who is helping her along with them – it seems Lana will weather the storm. One thing is not up for debate: dig her or despise her, everyone’s waiting and talking in hushed voices about this one. She must be doing something right.

- Chase McMullen

Dirty Three – Toward the Low Sun
Due out February 21st on Drag City

Only two albums in and with an enviable reputation for wild performances, Nick Cave’s recent onstage announcement that Grinderman was over was a bittersweet moment. What is not sad is that no Grinderman frees the four old men in suits to get back to their long-neglected other projects. Will a new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds record surface? One can only dream. But the revelation that Warren Ellis had been contributing to a new Dirty Three record – their first since 2005 – has already gone a long way in making amends for the fact that we will likely not get to hear Cave scowl “I petted her revolting little Chihuahua” for a very long time.

- Liam Demamiel

Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II
Due out February on Southern Lord

With Earth renowned for melding the subtle with the epic, it was of little surprise when Dylan Carlson decided to release a double-disc thematic suite. However, what was a surprise was the wait for Part II, with label Southern Lord deciding to delay it for a year – disappointing both band and fans alike. Finally slated for release, one can only sense that the wait has been well worth it. Speaking to Carlson last year, he gave me a tantalising yet cryptic hint of what can be expected; “It is closest to the title track of the first part, which was freely improvised in the studio. Part II is all improvisatory, although it has more overdubs than the first part. It is about the restoration of magic and the destruction of Aristotelian logic and our return to our quantum state. It is also about the eventual negation of monotheism.”

- Liam Demamiel

Fanfarlo – Rooms Filled with Light
Due out February 28th on Canvasback Music

With their debut album Reservoir, London-based outfit Fanfarlo created one hell of a catchy album. On record and in a live setting, they play a wide range of instruments that include an eclectic variety to say the least: mandolin, melodica, musical saw, and a sound tube. They’re like the musical offspring of Beirut and Neutral Milk Hotel, but more pop. So far, they’ve given everyone a taste of the new album with songs “Deconstruction” and “Replicate” that shows maturation in their sound. Surprisingly, the tracks are a bit darker and the arrangements are tighter with subtle hints of post-punk, showing that Fanfarlo isn’t afraid to experiment with their music. The shift away from the folk-pop aspect only makes the upcoming sophomore release all the more intriguing.

- Ace Ubas

Fanfarlo – “Deconstruction”

Craig Finn – Clear Heart, Full Eyes
Due out January 24th on Vagrant

The Hold Steady have been one of the most prolific and consistent bands of the 21st century, so a step taken outside that continual work cycle seems sort of strange. But, hell, if anyone deserves a break it’s probably these guys – not that Craig Finn has really taken one. While the rest of the band took time off, he flew to Texas to continue writing songs which he would go on to record with a new band for his solo album. While a lot of The Hold Steady’s charm comes in the form of their riffs and other instrumentation, the thing that keeps you coming back is Finn’s lyrics, so a solo album from the man, which potentially promises to be even more lyric-centric, is very appealing indeed. We’ll find out soon enough if Finn is capable of carrying an album on his own (his live performances as front man of The Hold Steady strongly suggest that this is the case). And if not, we’ll be getting a new album from The Hold Steady soon enough anyway.

- Rob Hakimian

Craig Finn – “Honolulu Blues”

First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
Due out January 24th on Wichita Records

The Swedish folk pop duo First Aid Kit first received attention via their cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” a few years back, and since then they’ve gone on to release their debut full-length and tour the world, while continuing to grow as songwriters. The Lion’s Roar will be released on January 24 and it was recorded in Omaha with Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis producing as well as guesting. The album will be the Söderberg sisters’ second LP and so far we’ve been treated with the excellent lead single “The Lion’s Roar” and a session version of their Emmylou Harris tribute “Emmylou” – and by all indications the album is definitely going to be something special.

- Johan Alm

First Aid Kit – “The Lion’s Roar”

Guided by Voices – Let’s Go Eat the Factory
Due out January 1st on Fire Records

Pollard and friends’ first album since Half Smiles… is out January 1, and has been streaming for a couple weeks now. Featuring the lineup that dropped the now-legendary Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes 15-and-change years ago, the album is unsurprisingly jagged and fragmented, favoring brevity and a variety of earworms over any grander scope or unifying principle. This return may not always feel fully conceived (some decisions are pretty bewildering), and fans with monolithic expectations may find it easy to overlook the strength of many of these tunes. But the squall and hunger are there, as are the tiny moments of tenderness that make Guided by Voices a band so easy to have monolithic expectations of.

- FM Stringer

Islands – A Sleeping & A Forgetting
Due out February 14th on Anti-.

When Islands’ creative lead Nick Thorburn talked about A Sleeping & A Forgetting being his most personal album yet, he certainly wasn’t exaggerating. “This is Not a Song,” the first single from the forthcoming album, is a slow, piano driven balled that deviates from the once bubbly pop of Return to the Sea. A Sleeping & A Forgetting is more than an interesting release in the band’s catalogue, as it will assuredly define the rest of the group’s future. I personally found 2010′s Vapours a more than enjoyable effort, but it was swept under the rug after Arm’s Way‘s obvious shortcomings. The critical reaction to the record should be interesting, because if Islands haven’t already been written off by every outlet, I think A Sleeping & A Forgetting could be a pleasant surprise. Fans are never going to get another Return to the Sea or another Unicorns album, but a more grounded and focused approach to songwriting for a musician like Thorburn could make Islands a surprise hit in 2012.

- Erik Burg

Damien Jurado – Maraqopa
Due out February 21st on Secretly Canadian

Of the 9 albums under Damien Jurado’s belt, the best ones seem to suffer from a case of almost-but-not-quite. One of the most promising was 2010′s Saint Bartlett, which elevated his melancholy folk songwriting to a newer, fuller sound. But the success of some turning points is dependent on the follow through. When Jurado releases his big number 10 album in February, the career narrative will be whether or not his last album was a compelling blip, or the warm-up to his best work yet. It helps that he’s bringing along producer Richard Swift for a second go around.

- Justin Pansacola

Damien Jurado – “Nothing Is News”

The Magnetic Fields – Love At The Bottom Of The Sea
Due out March 6th on Merge

There’s no denying the brilliance of Stephin Merritt at this point. His reputation as one of the great songwriters of our era long precedes him, and there’s no doubt that upcoming efforts will be more of the same. Where Love At The Bottom Of The Sea will be particularly interesting, aside from its status as another (likely) solid set of Magnetic Fields songs, is in its supposed return to synthesizer-based composition. We haven’t really seen much of this side since 90s efforts like The Charm Of The Highway Strip and Get Lost, so we’re sure to be in for a treat. Merritt says that many of the synths used on Love At The Bottom Of The Sea didn’t exist when he last made an album based in this sort of technology, so it will certainly be interesting to see how he’ll take advantage of this new gear to return to his songwriting roots.

- Colin Joyce

of Montreal – Paralytic Stalks
Due out February 7th on Polyvinyl

Whether you think Of Montreal have jumped the proverbial shark or not, Kevin Barnes and company are rolling full steam ahead on yet another full length in 2012. Paralytic Stalks is said to feature more of the personal lyrical structure that made Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? so great, which would benefit a band that’s gone completely off the rails in terms of storytelling. I can’t fault the man’s imagination, but if Of Montreal don’t reign in their imagination on the new album, they may as well be forgotten about. Enough with the overwrought sexual symbolism and fetish idealism, more attention paid to crazy song structures and polished production. Thankfully, “Wintered Debts” delivers on some of those suggestions, combining countless string and percussion arrangements in a seven-and-a-half-minute package that’s more about music than fever dream imagery. It could ultimately be a benchmark album for the storied band, because if Paralytic Stalks isn’t the return to earth Barnes needs, it could render Of Montreal the laughing stock of indie music.

- Erik Burg

Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It
Due out February 21st on Matador

Mike Hadreas’ 2010 debut effort under his Perfume Genius moniker was simply some of the most heartbreaking music ever recorded. As bold a claim as that is, there’s no denying the emotional weight of tracks like “Mr. Petersen” or “Learning.” If “All Waters” is any indication of the overall style of the new album, Hadreas might be focusing more on mining the hazy atmospherics of songs like “Gay Angels,” but in any case it’s sure to be majestic. Early reports from Turnstile Music’s (Hadreas’ UK Label) Twitter seem to indicate that we might be in for something even more special than Learning, and if that’s anywhere close to true then the results should be devastatingly beautiful.

- Colin Joyce

Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend
Due out January 24th on Secretly Canadian

Porcelain Raft is the project of the London-based Italian musician Mauro Remiddi, and Strange Weekend is Porcelain Raft’s first proper record, but Remiddi is far from a newcomer to music even though he’s only had his name on a few singles yet. So far we’ve been treated with one teaser from Strange Weekend – the wonderful “Put Me to Sleep.” It gives us a fair idea of what to expect from Strange Weekend; dreamy and athmospheric electronic pop music, with more than a pinch of T. Rex-styled glam rock thrown in. Porcelain Raft is definitely one of the most promising acts around, and with a support slot for M83 scheduled he’s surely going to be receiving a lot of attention next year.

- Johan Alm

Porcelain Raft – “Put Me To Sleep”

School of Seven Bells – Ghostory
Due out February 28th on Vagrant/Ghostly International

School of Seven Bells (or SVIIB) is a band that I feel has flown under the radar, despite sharing the stage with notable acts such as Blonde Redhead, The Raveonettes, and M83. Last year, they released their sophomore album Disconnect from Desire that landed on many year-end lists. With their upcoming third album Ghostory, they look to build on the success and make an impact with their perfect blend of dream-pop, shoegaze, and electronic music. However, it will be interesting to see if there’s a shift in their sound as guitarist Ben Curtis (who’s also producing the album) and vocalist Alejandra Deheza have moved on without the latter’s twin sister, Claudia (who left the band for personal reasons).

- Ace Ubas

Shearwater – Animal Joy
Due out February 14th on Sub Pop

Few side-projects fully establish themselves as well as Shearwater has managed to. Now seven albums into their career, they are an entirely different band than the one that originally formed to showcase the quieter ideas that didn’t have room in the Okkervil River canon. Lead songwriter Jonathan Meiburg has stated that their previous three albums, (the fantastic Palo Santo, the even better Rook, and the disappointing The Golden Archipelago), formed a trilogy of sorts, leaving this new album Animal Joy to represent another shift in sound. Shearwater has proven themselves talented enough to accomplish many different goals so far in their career so there is no real reason to doubt that this new direction won’t be a welcome one.

- Ricky Schweitzer

The Shins – Port of Morrow
Due out March on Aural Apothecary

It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from The Shins. While James Mercer was off working on Broken Bells, his mildly successful side-project with Danger Mouse, he left the band that jump-started his career to rest on the laurels of its previous three good-to-brilliant albums. After it became clear that Mercer had been kicking out band members, leaving them to submit to wild ideas like opening taco carts (see: Jesse Sandoval), we came to understand that Port of Morrow, the long awaited follow-up to Wincing the Night Away, would showcase a new Shins sound. Regardless of this potential shift, Mercer must have taken up The Shins moniker again for a reason and so expectations understandably are sky high.

- Ricky Schweitzer

Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror
Due out February 14th on Mom + Pop

Building steadily on the hype of early single “Crown On the Ground,” Sleigh Bells had all eyes on them when they finally released their debut album Treats in 2010. Luckily for us they did not disappoint, and Treats not only managed to meet expectations, but exceed them by both intensifying and clarifying what was already known about the band. Sleigh Bells have created one of the least predictable and most outrageous sounds that have been brought into the musical landscape in the last few years so whether or not their sophomore release will follow this mold is anyone’s guess.

- Ricky Schweitzer

Sleigh Bells – “Born To Lose”

Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Due out March 19th on Fat Possum

Jason Pierce’s 2008 comeback effort Songs in A&E was probably his strongest effort since 1997′s masterpiece Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. When he took the latter album on the road for a few select shows with a full choir and orchestra, audiences walked out of the concert halls proclaiming them to be the best shows they’d ever seen or would see. So it’s no surprise he brought out a choir and orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall to debut the next Spiritualized album, which will hopefully have the heights of those shows.

- Ryan Nichols

Tennis – Young and Old
Due out February 14th on Fat Possum

Tennis’ debut album, Cape Dory, was released in January of 2011. This seemed like a strange time to release an album that sounds like it would be the perfect soundtrack for the slow orange haze of summer evenings. Unfortunately, the band have gone and done it again, and decided to release their new album in the winter once more. However, our first tastes of Young and Old suggest a slight change in sound to something more full, and altogether more lively. “Origins” suggests neither a specific time or a place where it would be ideal listening, rather it seems as though it could be perfect listening at almost all times. After all, truly good pop music sounds good whatever the occasion. If the rest of the album can follow suit then Tennis may have deftly avoided the “difficult second album” trap, and who knows, they might even convert some haters too.

- Rob Hakimian

Tennis – “Origins”

The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know
Due out February 7th on FatCat

The Twilight Sad have never really taken off as one of the bigger Scottish indie acts, but they are regarded by critics as being a band that should really be listened to and appreciated. Positive reception for their stylish 2007 release Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters put them into the music-lovers vision, and since then, through a series of EPs and a second album in 2009, the band have gained loyal followers owing to their introspective lyrics and dense, melodic arrangements. Early previews of their third LP, No One Can Ever Know, have suggested that this album will shake things up for The Twilight Sad and present fans with a new and formidable sound; this should prove to be a drastic enough change to earn them some new fans whilst maintaining their existing followers. Still a relatively young band, The Twilight Sad have set themselves apart from their peers through their excellent music and their overt national identity. It will prove incredibly interesting to see where they go with their next album, but it will certainly be somewhere that we will want to follow.

- Alex Phillimore

The Twilight Sad – “Kill It In The Morning”

Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
Due out February 7th on Jagjaguwar

Sharon Van Etten’s third album, Tramp, is set to come out in February. Tramp is Van Etten’s first album on Jagjaguwar and was produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner. Sharon recently released a single from the new album, “Serpents,” which features Bryce and Aaron Dessner, Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, Doveman’s Thomas Bartlett, and Matt Barrick of The Walkmen. The 12-track album is also set to feature Julianna Barwick and Beirut’s Zach Condon. 2012 is sure to be a busy year for Van Etten and she is currently on tour through the winter.

- Ryan Jordal

Listen to One Thirty BPM’s top albums of 2011 in this Spotify playlist.

50.

Low

C’mon

[Sub Pop]

After 2007’s Drums & Guns gave him a chance to vent about Iraq, and last year’s second Retribution Gospel Choir album gave him a chance to rock out, Alan Sparhawk returned with Low this year delivering what they do best: devastating songs focused on, but not limited to, love. The beauty of C’mon is immediately evident from the twinkling opening of “Try To Sleep” and remains current throughout songs like “Especially Me” and “Nightingale.” But, at the same time, Low were not afraid to get a little more fierce with songs like “Witches” (about Sparhawk’s father) and the colossal eight-minutes of pure building in volume that is “Nothing But Heart.” The most affecting part of C’mon is the earnestness with which every song is delivered by Sparhawk and his partner Mimi Parker. When Sparhawk tells you that he’s “weary and stumbling from the desert heat” in “Done” you feel the burden (helped greatly by some atmospheric wailing guitar and booming drums), and when Parker lamentably intones about being lost and hopeless over a mournfully bobbing 6/8 rhythm in “Especially Me” you can’t help but relate.

C’mon is Low’s ninth album and by this point almost any band would be repeating themselves. This may be true thematically on C’mon, but with the emotional honesty that they do it lyrically, vocally and instrumentally, their albums will always be affecting.

- Rob Hakimian

49.

ASAP Rocky

LiveLoveA$AP

[RCA / Polo Grounds Music]

In case you didn’t hear, this kid A$AP Rocky got a bigger advance than Drake did. That’s right, what this drugged out Harlem kid brought to the table convinced some very powerful suits that he was worth more than everyone’s favorite singing Canadian mannequin. Those aware of the state of the charts may nervously ask, ‘why, exactly?’ Well, the label clearly sees the chance to invest in something “cool” with Rocky. It’s an odd thing: despite the changes in sound, one way or another, from Chuck D, to Dr. Dre, to 50 Cent (and even Eminem, on a bad day) all gained popularity through a ‘gangsta’ persona. What White America’s interest in this represents has been debated to no end, but the fact remains: people like a G. For the first time in hip hop history, “real shit” has almost no place in mainstream rap. Young Jeezy can hardly get his album released, and 50 Cent simply can’t. The closest thing is Rick Ross, marching about in his one man play. A$AP Rocky – and his label – believe the lost aspect is far from gone, simply misplaced. Above all, LiveLoveA$AP finds that vibe many have looked for ever since they found their way out of the Wu’s chambers: carried by a sensibility very much in the now, and those Clams Casino soundscapes, this is a New York gangsta (something else that’s been missing) for the now. We’ve been looking for this guy.

- Chase McMullen

48.

Tim Hecker

Ravedeath,1972

[Kranky]

I’m gonna be honest; I didn’t love this album when I first heard it. Not the way I loved An Imaginary Country and Harmony in Ultraviolet, anyway. Maybe that’s just because I’ve grown weary of the concept album, and while there’s not much of a discernible “plot” here, Ravedeath, 1972 — recorded in a church with an old pipe organ that was later digitally treated with help from Icelandic producer Ben Frost — is certainly an album that revolves round a concept, in this case the idea of musical detritus and “digital garbage.” But after putting aside Ravedeath for a while in order to let the surrounding critical hype and epistemological questions dissipate, I returned to it expecting adequacy and was surprised by its excellence. Ravedeath, 1972 does a lot more than it lets on; though it may initially seem monolithic and almost overwhelming, it turns out that Hecker’s subtlety (along with Frost’s experienced touch) can manifest itself in even the bleakest of conditions. And yes, this LP is bleak; who knew an MIT student prank could inspire such aural austerity? But what lies just beneath this album’s rocky, grayscale surface is a comforting assurance that music will survive long after the various media on which it’s stored have been disposed of or abandoned and forgotten in some record collector’s dusty “Miscellaneous” bin. And however intimidating this album might sound, such an assurance is always cause for celebration.

- Josh Becker

47.

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Lenses Alien

[Memphis Industries]

There exists a palate of tropes and signifiers in indie rock, as in any subgenre of pop music, that just aren’t going anywhere. And for good reason. Guns, girls, getting fucked up, and feeling painfully like a person each aren’t going anywhere, and it takes a rare voice to cast them in a lens so intensely listenable as Cymbals Eat Guitars does on Lenses Alien. Informed equally by the likes of Pavement and The Promise Ring, the record is an alarming tour of intimacy and squall, a sort of cognitive drama that hits hardest when rooted in scene, a gesture it implements with pleasant comfort. On “Plainclothes” our speaker relates a copkiller narrative with adolescent memory and replaces Eucharist with the kind of mushrooms that allow an alternative worship, and yet never does it feel too mighty a leap. Suburbia is a landscape often explored, but Cymbals Eat Guitars’ tri-state wasteland is affectingly original: brutally vapid and yet religiously significant, a stage for our most willfully youthful demons.

- FM Stringer

46.

Dum Dum Girls

Only In Dreams

[Sub Pop]

Distinguishing yourself these days is freaking tough. Everyone is culling from the same past, so when you have an uprising of twee-hards or 90s slackers or girl-group revivalists all cut from similar cloths, you start pointing out specifics that maybe aren’t that specific or perhaps just arbitrary. Granted, first records are one thing — you’re getting your bearings, everyone loves a fresh new thing even if it kinda sounds like that band you were into a few months back (trend piece!) — but in this the internet age, so come sophomore release it’s kill or be killed, stay inside your fuzzbox (sorry, Vivian Girls) or, y’know, grow.

All easier said than done, but on Only In Dreams, Dum Dum Girls did just that. It’s not that you had to worry about frontwoman Dee Dee’s songwriting capabilities, because you’d be hard pressed to find a tighter bunch of tracks that shimmer so lithely on a record with such dark undercurrents. The deftness with which Dee Dee tackles separation, anxiety, and death all running through her, and this record, is astounding: the deceptively light “Caught In One,” the stunningly simple sentiment of “Bedroom Eyes,” the solipsistic turn of “In My Head,” and that wail, that voice, on “Coming Down.” That all of this comes served with some of the most delightful and gorgeous melodies of the year — well, it’s really more than enough to make Dum Dum Girls stand out more than they already did.

- Jon Blistein

45.

Little Dragon

Ritual Union

[Peacefrog / EMI]

Little Dragon’s Ritual Union shows the band moving away from the 80s vibe of their previous release, Machine Dreams, and moving towards a sound that they can call their own. It’s a great mix of electronic, R&B, pop and jazz influences. The overall tone of the album would fit perfectly on a rainy day, but it’s not limited to just that. The tambourines and funky synth lines on “Little Man” can get everyone out on the dance floor. The atmosphere and steady rhythm on “Crystalfilm” is great for a late night drive.

The rhythm section is tight and the individual skills of Fredrik Wallin, Hakan Wirenstrand and Erik Bodin compliment each other well. And I have nothing but compliments for vocalist Yukimi Nagano. Her vocals intertwine beautifully with the music, winding through drum beats and bass lines. I’ve always loved that Nagano’s vocals flow with the music, rather than sitting on top and overpowering it. Ritual Union only furthers Little Dragon’s musical abilities and the range of their influence.

- Nicholas Preciado

44.

Beyonce

4

[Columbia]

For many people, 2011 will be remembered as the year that Beyonce made her first truly brilliant album. Though it has been damn near impossible to deny her talent as both a singer and a performer since she first gained stardom with Destiny’s Child, Beyonce as a songwriter always had room for improvement. Each of her three previous solo albums had genuine highlights to be sure, but 4 marked the first time where Beyonce had crafted an album that can and should be taken in as more than merely a collection of good songs. As an even greater testament to her success with 4, the only track on the album that sounds out of place, (“I Was Here”), is also the only one on which Beyonce is not listed as a co-writer. 4 is the album where arguably this generation’s most talented female pop-star threw caution to the wind and acknowledged that she had nothing left to prove. With this boldness came an influx of wide-ranging influences from psych-R&B (“1+1″), to Fela Kuti inspired afrobeat (“Countdown”), and everything in between. By diversifying her sound, Beyonce crafted her best and most personal work yet. 4 is as bereft of pandering as it is of filler and for a woman so close to the center of the cultural zeitgeist to have created such a work is worth applauding.

- Ricky Schweitzer

43.

Feist

Metals

[Cherrytree / Interscope]

After exploding into the mainstream with the apple certified “1,2,3” it wouldn’t have been surprising if Feist had capitalized on this success with an album full of catchy singles. But the thing is, Feist has been an established artist long before the Grammys and iPod owners had “discovered” her in 2007. Prior to this newfound exposure, Feist made albums that were understated, and beautiful. She’s always had the ability to craft a much larger sound out of her stripped down writing, with the mixing of her hushed vocals over chilling arrangements. The Reminder was really no different; accept a couple songs that were just so damn catchy it was impossible for people to resist. Metals sees her slip back into what she has always done: making spaciously beautiful music. But this time we get a mix of layered sounds that manage to creep in throughout the album. Six albums into her career, Feist shows us that she’s perfected what she’s good at, while also demonstrating some new tricks she has picked up along the way.

- Brent Koepp

42.

The Field

Looping State Of Mind

[Kompakt]

Back when we first met Axel Willner in 2007, he had just made From Here We Go Sublime, a masterstroke of minimal techno. On that album Willner made known his incredible talent for building and expanding upon simple sampled loops until the sound is grand and large, while still retaining the aspects that place it in the “minimal” category. The samples Willner chose made the songs sound so familiar, even to a person who had never so much as glimpsed at a Field record before. Next came 2009′s respectable but largely unassuming follow-up Yesterday and Today, which saw Willner expanding slightly farther out of the minimal bubble and even adding (gasp) vocals. Little fanfare was to be had for that record, and thus my expectations for Looping State Of Mind could be characterized as unsure, so I was not disappointed by what I heard. Though it proves not to be From Here We Go Sublime 2: From Here We Go Sublimer, it is a very much welcome return to the forms that made that first record so great. Its title is entirely apt. Willner makes a loop back to a focus on building, expanding, and screwing with loops, sometimes for over 10 minutes at a time, and including from time to time fragments of Y&T. The vocals on “Burned Out” don’t come as a shock, and the synth motif that comprises most of “Is This Power” feels like it picks up where Y&T left off. But the real shining moments of the record are those that recall the desolate, icy landscapes evoked by FHWGS such as the beginning chords of “It’s Up There,” or the beautiful, wintery, and stuttering “Then It’s White.” The album also lies between FHWGS and Y&T in its density. The tracks are long; you won’t find one shorter than seven minutes, but they’re just long enough that they don’t try the listener’s patience, and seem to work in such a way that the listener with the patience to sit through the back-to-back 10-minuters “Arpeggiated Love” and “Looping State of Mind” will be the listener to take away the most rewarding experience. However, this is one experience that is entirely worth making time for.

- Harrison Suits Baer

41.

Oneohtrix Point Never

Replica

[Mexican Summer]

The samples on Replica were scrounged from DVD collections of decades old TV advertisements. Compilations of thirty-second fragments strung together in an endless parade of cast off, dead and buried zeitgeist for people to relive over and over. The advertisement is designed to manipulate, in itself often feeding off a person’s sentimental attachment to childhood or to a specific emotion. It’s not a surprise people get sucked in. I won’t name names, but we have music like this too. Textures, melodies, and production techniques that recall a specific era for its own sake have become an institution of sorts and 2011 wasn’t exactly a break from the trend.

Oneohtrix Point Never isn’t a stranger to accusations of perpetrating the latter. His 2009 collection, Rifts, had little to offer beyond retro-futuristic synthscapes that wouldn’t have been out of place in a John Carpenter movie. But OPN’s third record thrives on self-awareness, seemingly asking the question, when does this aggrandizing of the past become unhealthy? Replica contrasts rich analog synth melodies and delicate piano with chopped up samples from vintage advertisements to create little self-contained universes in stuttering states of decay. The record beautifully captures the tragedy of nostalgia in a musical landscape often bent on chasing after the ideal of the past rather than building upon what it’s given us.

- Will Ryan

Action Bronson

Dr. Lecter

[Fine Fabric Delegates]

Reports of the demise of New York rap are greatly exaggerated. Heavyweights like Nas and Mobb Deep came back in rare form this year, and the city’s underground is positively brimming with talent, from the absurdist rabblerousers in Das Racist to neo-traditionalists like Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, A$AP Rocky, and Action Bronson. In a group that includes reformed drug dealers and retired corporate headhunters, Bronson might actually be the strangest: a pudgy, affable sometime chef of Albanian descent with an urgent, nasal delivery reminiscent of Wu-Tang veteran Ghostface Killah. On Dr. Lecter, his debut album, Bronson showcases a limber flow informed by legends like Raekwon and Kool G. Rap and a fantastic ear for swinging, soulful beats, all of which were provided by producer Tommy Mas. Bronson races through a lightning quick set populated by tales of wild sexcapades and heists gone wrong, each one packed with vivid imagery, madcap energy, and suitably elaborate food metaphors in equal measure. With Dr. Lecter, Bronson, Mas, and guests like Maffew Ragazino and Meyhem Lauren have crafted an earnest love letter to the freewheeling youth of New York’s rap scene. They just don’t make records like this anymore.

- Craig Jenkins

Active Child

You Are All I See

[Vagrant]

Though Pat Grossi’s 2010 EP, Curtis Lane, there were hints of the brilliant pop craft that was to come, the magnitude of this followup record was quite unexpected. Aside from making what might have been the best R n’ B song of the year (“Playing House”) in a year that saw a revival of the form, Grossi’s proved to have a truly original songwriting voice. Despite comparisons to downtempo contemporaries like James Blake, Grossi’s stunning harp-laden compositions remain something truly beautiful and visionary in an era where it is exceedingly hard to do such things. Whether putting forth tracks like the choir based slow build of “See Thru Eyes” or the melancholic “Way Too Fast”, You Are All I See proves to be an entirely fulfilling listening experience. After a busy CMJ week and a monthlong turn opening for M83, Grossi seems poised to capitalize on this outstanding release and move toward even bigger things.

- Colin Joyce

Braids

Native Speaker

[Kanine]

This year seems to have quite a number of relatively young and up-and-coming bands making an immediate impact in the indie music scene with highly impressive releases. The Montreal-based quartet, Braids, is definitely one of them. Their self-produced debut entitled Native Speaker has already gotten critical recognition as it was short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. Having been released at the beginning of year, it’s easy for it to have flown under the radar when composing year-end lists. Many critics seem to draw comparisons to Animal Collective when discussing Braids, which is never a bad thing. However, that comparison shouldn’t define them or their sound. With Native Speaker, they have crafted a beautiful album full of swirling guitars, hollow percussion, twinkling keys, and hypnotizing vocal melodies led by vocalist/guitarist Raphaelle Standell-Preston as she sings about sexual discovery, desire, and easing into adulthood. This is an album that has the ability to take you through an ethereal experience. Essentially, this is what dream-pop is all about.

- Ace Ubas

Julianna Barwick

Magic Place

[Asthmatic Kitty]

So look, I could use this space to tell you how wonderful this album is. I could mention that “Vow” and “Flown” are both haunting and heartbreaking, or I could talk about the viscerally uplifting effect of “Prizewinning” and “Envelop.” I could try to describe Barwick’s ethereal yet indelible presence on this album, or her masterful use of loops, reverb, and spartan instrumentation. I could even attempt to tie in this album’s angelic drones to some broader statement of purpose about ambient music in 2011, and how albums like this one are working to erase the needless stigma we’ve attached to “new age” efforts since long before Enya arrived on the scene. I could mention bands this album reminds me of, like the Cocteau Twins or even the expansive, languid balladry of Galaxie 500. I could do all these things, but I won’t; instead, I encourage you to simply listen to the album yourself. Nine songs and 43 minutes later, you might feel as though you’ve been touched by an angel; the best part is that angel is always accessible, with a simple pressing of the Play button.

- Josh Becker

Bill Callahan

Apocalypse

[Drag City]

Bill Callahan has proved, though distinctively under the radar, to be one of the most lasting and consistently excellent artists of the last two decades. Under the Smog moniker as well as his his own name, each Callahan record has its own virtues and Apocalypse is no exception. Mostly abandoning the more ornate instrumentation of Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle as well as the near electro-funk of some of his earlier releases, Apocalypse is in many ways the most straightforward record Callahan has made in some time. In this regard, it is more in tune with recent Cass McCombs and Bonnie “Prince” Billy records than anything Beck, a touchstone of his earlier work, has produced. Simplifying his approach allowed Callahan to focus on doing what he does best- creating immaculately conceived mood pieces, complete with evocative lyrics and his unique voice, always maintaining a perfect balancing act between comforting and intimidating. In this regard, Callahan most resembles The National’s Matt Berninger, though the comparison likely begins and ends there. While Apocalypse might not become known as the finest record Callahan has ever produced, tracks such as the blistering “Drover,” and the wistful “Riding For the Feeling” easily rank among his best ever. There appears to be no end in sight for Callahan and this fact is as worth celebrating as Apocalypse is in and of itself.

- Ricky Schweitzer

Giles Corey

Giles Corey

[Enemies List Home Recordings]

Condensing Giles Corey into two hundred words isn’t easy, and that’s not just because it’s a personal favourite of mine and thus could talk about it for many, many paragraphs. It’s an album full of so much source material and emotional depth that it can always feel like you’re only just ever scratching the surface. But delving into Daniel Barrett’s own personal grief isn’t an instantly appealing journey, and that’s because he sounds so lost and hopeless for the majority of the time. On “Empty Churches” he sounds like he’s dissecting every bit of EVP he can find, just in an attempt to locate someone, or some kind of answer to his deeply depressing question about whether he wants to continue living. Elsewhere, on “Grave Filled With Books,” he sounds totally content when he sings “I’m not the only one that you’ve never loved,” like he knows as a fact that there is no hope from any human ever. And that dread and sorrow runs through the majority of the album’s runtime, making Giles Corey a deeply affecting personal statement but also a deeply memorable album that seeps into your own emotional state.

- Ray Finlayson

Curren$y

Covert Coup

[Warner Bros.]

As his releases pile up in very, very short order, Curren$y’s taste and sense of timing are turning out to be among the strongest of any rapper currently in the game. Released on the New Orleans native’s holiest of days, Covert Coup is just about everything that a mixtape needs to be. Clocking in at just under 28 minutes, there’s no bloat or overindulgence, and each of the ten tracks serves a purpose. It’s really more of a teaser than anything else, whizzing by with a high degree of efficiency. It’s also the beneficiary of some top-notch production and a series of killer guest spots (the appearances by Fiend and Freddie Gibbs are standouts), and the one-two punch of “Smoke Break” and “Scottie Pippens” is as good as any free hip hop release has had this year. Curren$y slips in his share of boasts, but there’s a pervasive tongue-in-cheek playfulness that prevents you from taking him too seriously. You get the sense that he really doesn’t either. The end result is a highly listenable, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it effort with a surprising amount of replay value.

- Brendan Frank

Death Grips

Exmilitary

[Self-released]

Punk and rap have always made strange bedfellows. Both share a bleeding heart intensity and a razor-sharp singularity of purpose but precious little else. As such, for every group that successfully fused the genres (like the Beastie Boys, whose 90s output was littered with spastic bouts of outright hardcore), there exists an equally spirited failure. For every Body Count, there’s a Hed PE. This is what makes Death Grips’ debut “mixtape” Exmilitary such a revelation. The Sacramento-based trio of vocalist MC Ride, producer Flatlander, and avant garde drum legend Zach Hill have delivered a stir fry of seemingly disparate genres here that just inexplicably gels. Ride’s vocals (try and imagine Wu-Tang Clan architect RZA moonlighting as a manic, unhinged carnival barker) are searing half-rapped, half-screamed diatribes that sound completely at home in every setting, holding court with outre production that employs hyperactive percussion, samples ranging from Black Flag to Link Wray to Mogwai, and all manner of squelching, unorthodox electronic noise. Bleak and uncompromising in sound as well as subject matter, Exmilitary sounds like nothing else released this year.

- Craig Jenkins

Frank Ocean

Nostalgia, Ultra

[Self-released]

What sets Odd Future’s Frank Ocean apart from the R&B pack is how utterly unconcerned he is with proving his technical vocal prowess. There are no outsized runs on his self-released debut, Nostalgia, Ultra. A great deal of care was put into every one of these arrangements, but Ocean pulls off the rare feat of crafting his songs so perfectly that they come off as effortless, almost nonchalant in their brilliance. His high-profile guest appearances on Goblin and Watch the Throne have put him on the map as a hook man, but Ocean’s own album proves the 23-year-old to be an astonishingly mature balladeer.

- Sean Highkin

Iceage

New Brigade

[What’s Your Rupture? / Escho]

This year saw punk aficionados Fucked Up release David Comes To Life, an hour-long, four-act, thinking man’s hardcore punk rock opera with a plot so Byzantine and Labyrinthine that it seems like a lyric sheet and a graduate degree in comparative literature are required to fully appreciate its genius. On the opposite extreme of the punk spectrum this year, we find Fucked Up’s former tourmates, plucky punk newcomers Iceage. This year these teenagers released New Brigade: in every way the antithesis to David Comes To Life. Its 24 minutes make it one of the breeziest listens of the year, each song rolling by at unpredictable speed. Songs start, speed up, stop suddenly, and speed up again. Before you know it you’re at the end of closer “You’re Blessed” and you feel like getting that comparative literature degree might have been a waste of time. You’re still going to need that lyric sheet, though, as lead singer Elias Ronnenfelt belts out double-tracked syllables with a distinctly Scandinavian drawl. Pop and rock tropes abound in this peculiar little gem of a punk album, such as in the choruses of standouts “Remember” and “Broken Bone,” the former another particular class of songs that calls upon the listener to do what the title says, and the latter a venue-crashing, fist-pumping sing along that’s sure to make crowds go wild.

- Harrison Suits Baer

Check out One Thirty BPM’s top songs of 2011 in this Spotify playlist.

100. Curren$y

“Scottie Pippens”

[Jet Life]

99. Fucked Up

“Queen of Hearts”

[Matador]

98. Cults

“You Know What I Mean”

[In The Name Of]

97. Girls

“Honey Bunny”

[True Panther]

96. Little Dragon

“Ritual Union”

[Peacefrog]

95. Feist

“The Circle Married The Line”

[Interscope]

94. Ryan Adams

“Lucky Now”

[PAX AM]

93. Radiohead

“Give Up The Ghost”

[Ticker Tape / XL]

92. Fleet Foxes

“The Shrine/An Argument”

[Sub Pop]

91. Braids

“Glass Deers”

[Flemish Eye / Kanine]

90. Death Grips

“Exmilitary”

[Self-released]

89. The Weeknd

“The Morning”

[Self-released]

88. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX

“NY Is Killing Me”

[XL / Young Turks]

87. Blue Sky Black Death

“Sleeping Children Are Still Flying”

[Fake Four Inc.]

86. Total Babes

“How We Wanna Be”

[Old Flame]

85. Washed Out

“Eyes Be Closed”

[Sub Pop]

84. Pusha T

“Blow”

[G.O.O.D. Music]

83. Iceage

“White Rune”

[What's Your Rupture?]

82. Born Gold

“Lawn Knives”

[Hovercraft]

81. Raekwon

“Rich and Black” (feat. Nas)

[Ice H2O]

80. Dumbo Gets Mad

“Harmony”

[Bad Panda]

79. Peter Bjorn and John

“I Know You Don’t Love Me”

[Startime]

78. Elite Gymnastics

“So Close To Paradise”

[Psychedelic Surf Club]

77. Frank Ocean

“We All Try”

[Self-released]

76. Machinedrum

“Lay Me Down”

[Planet Mu]

Album of the Year: Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Track of the Year: M83 – “Midnight City”

Music Video of the Year: Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers”

EP of the Year: Burial – Street Halo

Best Twitter Account: Tyler, the Creator (@fucktyler)

Shit, San Andreas And Fapping Is All I Care About Now Haha

December 12, 2011 12:37 PM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@fucktyler

Tyler, The Creator

Best New Artist: The Weeknd

Best Live Act: Bon Iver

Most anticipated release of 2012: Animal Collective’s follow-up to Merriweather Post Pavilion

15. Born Gold – “Lawn Knives”

[Dir. Alex Fischer & Ellis Bahl]

Throughout the last few years as GOBBLE GOBBLE, Cecil Frena has firmly entrenched himself as a major proponent of weirdo pop songs. “Lawn Knives” in particular was one of the weirdest, featuring some of the most surreal lyrical imagery the year saw. It was paired with an appropriately surreal video featuring a group of kids doing… something. There’s definitely some religious connotations to be made, with the Bible making an appearance and one particular little girl’s role in leading the troupe of children. It’s beautifully shot more than anything, and even if the narrative structure is unclear, the sinister nature of the whole ordeal is entirely apparent. It’s a fittingly bizarre video, for an entirely bizarre song.

- Colin Joyce

14. Times New Viking – “No Room To Live”

[Dir. Brandon Reichard and Pelham Johnston]

Sometimes the simplest looking videos are the hardest to make. This video of Times New Viking carrying their equipment down the street from their house to their practice space, while being coloured in and scribbled all over, is strangely beautiful, and while it may look like fairly simple it was in fact a painstaking venture. The video features nearly 3000 frames, and every single one of them had to be coloured in. Around 40 artists from the area of Columbus, OH (TNV’s home) pitched in to make this video what it is. Even before knowing that, I was thoroughly impressed by the video’s charm, but after I heard the work that went into it and watched again, I was blown away.

- Rob Hakimian

13. EMA – “California”

[Dir. Leif Shackelford]

Choreography and cool are two words that you would not usually associate with each other, but the video for EMA’s “California” allows singer Erika M. Anderson to act out the words of her song without feeling contrived. Anderson’s motions, in fact, seem completely natural, as if she were giving a rousing speech from the center of her heart. Behind her are impactful clips of poverty, religious iconography, and even fireworks, always threatening to wash out the entire scene in their overwhelming brightness. While some might watch the video and see nothing but a singer singing their song, there is an immediacy and a weight to it all that makes “California” seem like something more, showing good reason why this was many of our first experience with EMA and it led to her having a pretty great year. Yeah, director Leif Shackleford proves that little packages can make big impacts with this one, using the song as the star of the clip and Anderson as a most convincing method of presentation.

- Philip Cosores

12. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”

[Dir. Lana Del Rey]

For most of us, our first encounter with Lana Del Rey was watching the “Video Games” video, which was pieced together and edited by the singer, featuring grainy nostalgia clips of young people dancing, American flags, skateboarding, cartoons, Los Angeles, and actress Paz Del La Huerta falling down. And while a book could be written with all the commentary about the self-shot footage of Del Rey pouting her big lips and looking into the camera with a sort of distant sincerity, there is one thing that no one can deny: this video as much a part of Lana Del Rey as any music she ever records will be. Combining with the intimate vocals of the singer, the images are deeply affecting, making skateboarding seem like something that happened 50 years ago when times were simpler and more innocent. And, it’s quite an achievement to disassociate the viewer from fairly common sights through clever editing and a fitting soundtrack. But, most of all, “Video Games” is the clip that launched a career, and time will tell whether this is the beginning of a musical chapter or just another notable footnote.

- Philip Cosores

11. Wye Oak – “Fish”

[Dir. Katherine Fahey & Michael Patrick O'Leary]

Not even the best song on Baltimore duo Wye Oak’s excellent Civilian, “Fish” is given one of the year’s finest video treatments. Recruiting fellow hometown artists Michael O’Leary, whose photograph makes a splash on Civilian’s cover, and Katherine Fahey, who painted the album art for their 2008 debut, the aftermath is a gorgeous bout of shadow puppetry, which takes a bizarre turn into Moby Dick-meets-Darwin territory. And if Wye Oak keep evolving at this rate, who knows what they will be capable of next time around.

- Michael Tkach

You can listen to these EPs at this Spotify playlist (or, at least, the seven that are on Spotify)

10.

Kurt Vile

So Outta Reach

[Matador]

In his relatively young career, Kurt Vile has become one of the most consistent and impressive songwriters I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. There is no greater proof of this than this year’s So Outta Reach EP. Vile had already released Smoke Ring For My Halo towards the beginning of 2011, so the need for more material was minimal, but Vile delivered a succinct and enjoyable EP, the sort of above and beyond effort that is quickly gaining him a widespread following. So Outta Reach isn’t his most impressive material, as it borrows a lot from what Smoke Ring For My Halo accomplished, but there’s a certain comfort that comes from knowing exactly what you’re getting with a Vile release. He doesn’t reinvent his own wheel, and if you enjoyed even one song from his debut in 2008, you will probably love every track on So Outta Reach. I mean, he even made me want to listen to some Bruce Springsteen after hearing his cover of “Downbound Train.” It’s indescribable how Vile seems to retread lyrics and guitar patterns, and yet with each release, his music continues to grow into an even more organic and sonically gorgeous product.

- Erik Burg

09.

Holy Other

With U

[Tri Angle]

Holy Other is just one of the artists to flourish from Tri Angle Records this year, in amongst a roster than includes oOoOO and Clams Casino (who produced most of the ASAP Rocky mixtape). Easily grouped with artists such as Balam Acab because of the atmospheric ambiance radiated, Holy Other’s debut EP With U is packed with wave motion synth pulses that lap over each other. What makes this EP so likeable is how easy it is to forget you’re listening to music and just get sucked into the atmospheric soundscapes that are created by the German producer. Packed with drum machine claps, sampled vocals and haunting synth bleeps, it’s easy to label this as a cross between chillwave and witch house, but it combines the elements of both that have made them so successful and builds upon them. With U is just one of several greatly appreciated outputs this year from Tri Angle Records.

- Aurora Mitchell

08.

Toro y Moi

Freaking Out

[Carpark]

“Chillwave” is really a terrible genre tag. Sure, it’s one whose music evokes Instagram-ed pictures dotting your best friend’s Tumblr, or that hazy summer day reminiscent of something you’d see in Do the Right Thing. Lots of it sounds cheesy and cheaply made on laptops, but some actually goes above that and sounds like something a full band could get together and really do, as opposed to something produced by a laptop. Chaz Bundick’s Toro y Moi is the leading man of terrific music from this genre, adding a near R&B tinge to that nostalgia, on his albums Causers of This and later, Underneath the Pine. However, on Freaking Out, Toro y Moi goes for the ‘80s dancefloor funk, filling spaces accented by strobe lights and balloons. If anything, Freaking Out is going for irony in its title. This is dance music, laid back.

- Ryan Nichols

07.

Phantogram

Nightlife

[Barsuk]

Though the band has described Nightlife as a “mini-LP,” the Saratoga Springs duo’s six-song collective is an EP both at its heart and definition. And like their full-length debut, Eyelid Movies, it is absolutely a must-hear release. Over the course of 2010, Eyelid Movies became one of my favorite albums, a go-to on dark, rainy days, where the elastic electronics and dream-like vocals meshed up perfectly with the less-than-ideal weather. But Nightlife, packed with thicker and peppier layers of electronics and a production quality that has taken clear jumps forward, defies just one perfect mood or weather (granted, we’ve only at the EP since November). It’s a versatile release that, especially in between true full-length albums, does a brilliant job of furthering the band’s aesthetic and sets them up for their next highly anticipated release, accomplishing exactly what these smaller releases should.

- Andrew Bailey

06.

King Krule

King Krule

[True Panther]

Archy Marshall aka Zoo Kid aka King Krule was born in 1994, I’m trying desperately to stop myself from calculating what age that makes him lest I be physically sick. Marshall is possibly the first of many promising young musicians that are going to spawn out of the age of music-on-demand. His music is an amalgamation of everything that’s popular right now, from introspective indie to atmospheric dubstep, and in King Krule’s slight 13 minutes he manages to traverse from one to the other, making reference to several other styles along the way. This is a kind of eclecticism that is common amongst young music fans these days, but it’s extremely rare to see this influence turned around to produce something so idiosyncratic. This young Brit has a lot of expectations resting on his shoulders currently, and this release shows that he has the potential to meet them.

- Rob Hakimian

As the seasons change, so do our listening habits. In much the same way we stuff our summer clothes to the back of our closets come winter, the shift in temperatures and scenery prompts us to dig up old favorites at specific points throughout the year. Autumn, a season where the leaves begin to crackle and the heat of summer gives way to breeze and chill, is no exception. At One Thirty BPM, we’ve already begun plucking old fall favorites from our collections. This is our seasonal soundtrack.

Animal Collective

Feels

[FatCat; 2005]

Throughout my childhood, fall didn’t really exist. Growing up in Florida, the sticky summer just transitioned very slowly to the crisp mornings of winter. Leaves didn’t change, and the static nature of summer afternoons just carried through until late November finally brought relief. Feels reminds me of those days, sitting out in the heat of late October, and sweating profusely, wishing desperately that I was elsewhere. There’s just something about the drumming more than anything that conveys that insistence that I’d have been better off anywhere but on that front porch.

- Colin Joyce

Recommended listening:

“Banshee Beat”

“The Purple Bottle”

Asobi Seksu

Citrus

[Friendly Fire Recordings; 2006]

Once the summer comes to a close, the cooling temperature progresses from comfortable to freezing, leaves change into an array of picture perfect colors before rotting in the dirt, sunsets are viewed from the office rather than at home or the beach, and that summer romance has been replaced with a fall fling. Fall is the most bittersweet of seasons, or rather, citrusy sweet. On their 2006 sophomore album Citrus, Asobi Seksu conjures waves of guitar noise that harken back to the glory days of shoegaze, but electrifies them with a refreshing dose of buoyant pop hooks. The combination of Yuki Chikudate’s dulcet vocal melodies that soar and coo in English and Japanese and James Hanna’s effect-laden guitar swirl makes for a superbly crafted collection of exuberant dream pop with an inescapably wistful undercurrent.

- Frank Mojica

Recommended Listening:

“Thursday”

“Strawberries”

The Beatles

Magical Mystery Tour

[Parlophone; 1967]

The Beatles were a rarity: one of the few rock-bands that managed to experiment with unconventional music-making techniques while nevertheless retaining their worldwide popularity. Starting with Rubber Soul and furthermore elevated by Revolver, their creativity reached an all-time peak with The Magical Mystery Tour — a contemporary soundtrack for an hour-long, British television film. While many would argue that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was The Beatles’ most innovative work (if not by any band ever), it was The Magical Mystery Tour that solidified the group as totally weird, as they ditched the traditional set-up of “guitar and bass” for a more orchestral and instrumental approach.

The Magical Mystery Tour reminds me of Fall because of the lush landscapes it depicts. With “The Fool on the Hill,” McCartney sings about an isolated individual living on a broad, expansive terrain. His implementation of woodwinds complements the narrative perfectly– illustrating an image of grand scenery with the juxtaposition of desolated isolation. The same can be said about “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “Penny Lane”– songs that more or less paint the “lyrics” for us in a rich, musical manner.

- Ryan Studer

Recommended Listening:

“The Fool On The Hill”

“Strawberry Fields Forever”

Belle and Sebastian

Tigermilk

[Electric Honey; 1996]

From the unassuming guitar balladry that opens “The State I Am In” to the tea-and-sympathy flute folk of “Mary Jo,” Tigermilk is wistful, organic, and pretty, much like the decaying spectrum of ocher and earthen hues that seize New England trees come autumn. Back in 1996, when he was still just another lad at vocational school, Stuart Murdoch needed this diaphanous escape; indeed, Tigermilk as a whole balances itself between the boundless pleasures of dreams and the mundane, often maddening necessitudes of daily life. “I was puzzled by a dream that stayed with me all day in 1995,” Murdoch explains on “The State I Am In.” Meanwhile, on the surely autobiographical “Expectations,” he laments the department store drudgery that looms over his future; you see, “For careers, you say you want to be remembered for your art.” On the aptly named “I Could Be Dreaming,” Murdoch questions his protagonist: “If you had such a dream, would you stand up and do the things you believe in?” By closer “Mary Jo,” we still get no respite from his subconscious’s existential crisis: “Life is never dull in your dreams; a pity that it never seems to work the way you see it,” he sings as the aforementioned flute belies his inner disappointment. The true achievement of Tigermilk isn’t just that it so perfectly nails these universal feelings of adolescent anxiety and inadequacy; no, what makes this a classic is that for all its depression, you just want to listen to it again and again. Each listen further reinforces both its familiar charm and subtle elegance, much like a certain season I know.

- Joshua Becker

Recommended Listening:

“Expectations”

“My Wandering Days Are Over”

Bob Dylan

“Love and Theft”

[Columbia; 2001]

I must confess that I cheated a bit in choosing albums to write for this feature. You see, in Minnesota, where I grew up, we didn’t experience “fall” in the way most people do. Instead, there was a period of time late in the year where it was suddenly too cold to go swimming but not cold enough to go sledding. The extreme weather we had in the summer and winter made fall and spring seem not like seasons, but transitions. Fall was the time where we lamented the end of summer and braced for the winter ahead, and “Love and Theft” is the record with which I most enjoy seeing the summer out. In particular, “Summer Days” finds fellow Minnesotan Dylan in denial about the season’s festivities coming to an end. “I know a place where there’s still something going on,” he growls in his signature sandpaper voice. The instruments on “Floater” conjure up images of a lazy summer day when “leaves begin to stir.” It is this kind of transitional late summer/early fall day that “Love and Theft” encapsulates so well.

There are those who would prefer that summer continue forever, and Dylan can relate: “Sometimes somebody wants you to give something up,” he sings, “and, tears or not, it’s too much to ask.” Though it may not be entirely too much to ask for summer to end, it is that fervent love and fond remembrance of the warm season that “Love and Theft” evokes so clearly, and that is what makes it so great for the autumn.

- Harrison Suits Baer

Recommended Listening

“Mississippi”

Bowerbirds

Upper Air

[Dead Oceans; 2009]

Bowerbirds’ second full-length album, Upper Air, drips with the changing of seasons: falling leaves, tire swings gently brushing the edge of a creek, carved initials on tree stumps. There is a nostalgia and a romance to autumn that folks in certain parts of America, like Bowerbirds’ home of North Carolina, experience more vividly than, say, we in Los Angeles. But Upper Air provides a direct glimpse into all the emotion and memories that this seasonal change can evoke: the galloping conclusion of “Silver Clouds” is a horseback ride on an empty beach, “Northern Lights” is a first held hand quickly blossoming into love, “Teeth” is a candle’s light in the dusk. Yes, Upper Air is an evocative album, a sensual album, a tremendously listenable album built on astonishment and beauty – it is everything the fall is, put on record; one last bit of warmth to keep us comfort through the winter.

- Philip Cosores

Recommended Listening

“Chimes”

“Northern Lights”

Braids

Native Speaker

[Kanine Records; 2011]

Even though Braids’ debut full-length was released this past January, the overall feel of Native Speaker isn’t apropos with the cold and desolate characteristics that comprise winter. It’s quite the opposite actually. With sounds that derive from psychedelic rock to post-rock, Native Speaker is an album that’s filled with layers-upon-layers of lush textures, ethereal harmonies, and blissful melodies that provide the listener with a type of warmth found only during the fall. It’s also an album where lovers can frolic around to while laying on a bed of grass as frontwoman Raphaelle Standell-Preston sings the erotic lyrics with a sense of delicacy. Fall is a season where watching leaves fall from trees becomes a beautiful sight and sitting at home on a weekend is the ideal thing to do. Either way, feeling comfortable is the goal. And Native Speaker is just that – a comfortable album.

- Ace Ubas

Recommended Listening:

“Lemonade”

“Plath Heart”

Bright Eyes

Fevers & Mirrors

[Saddle Creek; 2000]

For many of us, it’s still hard to stop thinking of autumn as the back to school season. And what’s school without hormone imbalances and social crises? Listening to the Bright Eyes mainstay Fevers & Mirrors always brings back those indulgences into primal, romanticized, and youthful emotion. It was a time when Conor Oberst could make simple jealousy sound like the edge of catastrophe, or a cheating lover feel like the end of all things. The album is almost uniformly bleak, touching on all the hits from death to heartbreak to hopelessness. Autumn’s back to school tradition may not need be so dark, but it can be worthwhile to remember when youthful emotions were so vicious and unashamed.

- Justin Pansacola

Recommended Listening:

“The Calendar Hung Itself”

“Something Vague”

Cass McCombs

Catacombs

[Domino; 2009]

Catacombs is a warm album, but not in the rousing, energetic way that would be more fitting for spring or summer. It’s the type of music you’d like to wake up to on a late afternoon, with its mid-tempo country sway and deeply hypnotic melodies. If we consider fall to be the beautiful and mellow season, you would find it in the artfully restrained music and contentedness of Catacombs. “You Saved My Life,” is a grateful love song, where the earnestness can be felt in lines like, “Darling now I must live for you, one reprieve grants another until each world is born anew.” Then there’s “The Executioner’s Song,” which would be purely an expression of profound satisfaction were it not for the title and music video. These are themes that are not commonly done well, but McCombs makes it easy to dive in. As you wait for the winter, this album will help you slow down, dig deep, and cherish.

- Justin Pansacola

Recommended Listening:

“You Saved My Life”

“The Executioner’s Song”

The Clientele

Strange Geometry

[Merge Records; 2005]

Autumn is the season of things coming to an end; leaves fall off the trees, the days get shorter, and we begin the approach to the end of the year. Endings are very much the base of Strange Geometry; the ends of relationships, the ends of periods of your life, or merely the end of summer – and throughout, singer Alasdair MacLean seems desperate to turn back. “Everything in my life felt like it was coming to a mysterious close; I could hardly walk to the end of the street without feeling there was no way to go except back,” Alasdair MacLean divulges on “Losing Haringey” – more a spoken story set to crisp guitars than an orthodox song.

Throughout Strange Geometry the music conjures several autumnal images. MacLean’s guitar shimmers like sunlight under a canopy turned golden through the filter of oranged leaves; the violin melodies seem to soundtrack the graceful falling of leaves from the trees, particularly on the Beatles-esque “(I Can’t Seem To) Make You Mine”; the whole sound of Strange Geometry is designed for reflection.

In London, where both I and The Clientele come from, autumn can seem perennially dark and wet – more of a pre-winter than a season in itself. And for me, nothing on Strange Geometry sums this up better, both literally and metaphorically, than the simplistic “the rain has brought the night, and the night has brought the rain.”

- Rob Hakimian

Recommended Listening:

“Since K Got Over Me”

“E.M.P.T.Y.”

Dead Man’s Bones

Dead Man’s Bones

[Anti-; 2008]

While Dead Man’s Bones isn’t a definitively Halloween-themed record, it’s certainly the next best thing. When Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields first started making music together, they did so with a mutual admiration of ghosts in mind. Their debut record is ripe with love stories starring apparitions and monsters and backed by an equally haunting soundtrack. The pair enlisted the help of a children’s choir and heavily sanctioned their own recording process, limiting the number of takes and excluding outside instrumentalists. As a result, Dead Man’s Bones feels crunchy and organic. There are a lot of imperfections in the songs, adding all the more to the spooky, uneasy aesthetic.

The album was initially released in October 2009 and subsequent shows featured Gosling and Shields in full costume. Even the album’s cover follows a similar protocol: the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir appear in full costume while Gosling and Shields flank them on either side in plainclothes, their stern, upright demeanor almost cult-like in nature. It’s a most appropriate image to an album perfectly befitting an eerie time of year.

- Andrew Bailey

Recommended Listening:

“Pa Pa Power”

“My Body’s A Zombie For You”

Demdike Stare

Tryptych

[Modern Love; 2010]

Tryptych is a compilation of Demdike Stare’s three 2010 vinyl releases with an album’s worth of new material thrown in — you know, just to pad things out. The CD-only release is two hours and 40 minutes of nightmarish kick drum-throbbing ambient tech. If Gas was obsessed with Ouija boards, Lynchian dreamscapes, fifteenth century witches, and free jazz you’d get something similar to Demdike Stare, except add a bit of doom heaviness to the cauldron of black drones. Throw this on in a pitch black basement and tell some ghost stories.

- Will Ryan

“Library of Solomon Book 2″

“Regolith”

Jaga Jazzist

What We Must

[Ninja Tune; 2005]

Jaga Jazzist is a massively underappreciated experimental group out of Norway, and this album, What We Must, needs to be heard. Jaga started as a drum-and-bass group, but in 2005, they used What We Must to shift toward post-rock and experimental jazz, adding a full-time drummer and layers upon layers of dramatic instrumentation. With its tendency toward crescendos and slow-burning subtlety, this album was practically designed to accompany the awe-inspiring glories of nature that occur every autumn, such as chlorophyll draining from leaves, or birds flying south. Better yet, Jaga presents us with a more Scandinavian take on colder worlds–the opening track, “All I Know Is Tonight,” is a sweeping, multiple guitar-driven track that sounds the way the frigid landscape of Norway must look. I swear to the Norse gods that if you give What We Must a chance, you will be rewarded with one of most epic albums you’ll hear this season.

- Arika Dean

Recommended Listening:

“All I Know Is Tonight”

“Swedenborgske Rom”

Kate Bush

Aerial

(Disc 2)

[Sony; 2005]

The first disc of Kate Bush’s Aerial is a solid set of smart, textured, jazzy pop. But it’s the album’s second half, an extended suite called “A Sky of Honey,” that I find myself coming back to, especially this time of year. The sparse instrumentation is used to push moods over hooks, although there’s plenty of the latter if you spend enough time with it. “Somewhere In Between,” “Sunset,” and “Nocturn” are as tuneful as anything in Bush’s formidable catalog, but they’re neither overtly poppy nor insular. They occupy the same gray area that autumn does between summer and winter, and it’s a sound that perfectly suits the lyrical theme of changing seasons.

- Sean Highkin

Recommended Listening:

“Sunset”

“Somewhere In Between”

100.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Your Funeral… My Trial

[Mute; 1986]

The volatile bleakness of Nick Cave’s early stint in the Birthday Party be damned, Your Funeral… My Trial is midnight at the morgue. The CD bonus track “Scum” is a vicious attack on a critic and former friend, Mat Snow, that had the nerve to give him a bad review. Or, as Cave articulates, he’s a “miserable shitwringing turd.” Elsewhere, there’s the horror story of a circus catastrophe on “The Carny” and the brooding strength of “Stranger Than Kindness.” The entire album is submerged in despair, and with only one cover to speak of (Tim Rose’s “Long Time Man”), this is the Bad Seeds’ turning point: a significant shift to original, powerful material. Tender Prey would continue this trend, and is likely just as deserving to be on this list. If you’re new to Nick Cave, Your Funeral would be a great introductory point; this and every subsequent album has largely squelched Snow and his ilk.

- Michael Tkach

99.

Boogie Down Productions

Criminal Minded

[B-Boy; 1987]

How quickly we forget. Younger heads are fond of the word “dusty” – they use it for albums such as Illmatic, and if that’s dusty, then Criminal Minded must be freakin’ archaic. I’m not fond of the idea, but it’s nearly true: KRS himself surpassed the album with his next two records, and so on. Yet, just about anything you enjoy about hip-hop, thank this album. The foundations of East Coast gangsta, the weapons rakishly displayed on the cover, heavy sampling (as well as the plethora of musical influences to be found), hell, even the first-person crime story was essentially popularized here. As with anything in music history, it’s a tricky business: the late ‘80s saw rise to the great rap revolution, so several individuals can lay claim to the same advancements, however, undisputedly, The Blastmaster and crew ensured their place in history here. It’s easy to call an album like this outdated, but nothing could be further from the truth. Listen to any recent gangsta album worth its salt; they’re still pretty much borrowing leaves from KRS’ rhyme book. Hell, it’d do KRS himself some good to give it another listen; he may recall his own fire and stop his disappointing role as hip-hop’s preacher. An album so influential it was inevitably relegated to memory. Making this mandatory listening would sure clear out the Waka Flacka’s of the world fast, they’d be instantly irrelevant.

- Chase McMullen

98.

The Police

Ghost In The Machine

[A&M; 1981]

For their fourth studio album, The Police stepped away from the reggae-punk aesthetic of their first three records and moved in a more overtly pop direction, adding horns and synths to their mix. Sting was already as consistent of a pop songsmith as there was in the new-wave movement, and Ghost in the Machine features some of his best work. The hits “Spirits in the Material World,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” and “Invisible Sun” are great, but the best tracks here are the ones where Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland stretch out. The trio’s new, diversified sound would be further refined on their 1983 swan song, Synchronicity, but this transitional work is arguably even more fascinating and worthwhile.

- Sean Highkin

97.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants

[Restless / Bar/None; 1986]

Two guys named John (Flansburgh and Linnell) stand out as quirky misfits in a decade full of quirky misfits and their self-titled 1986 debut could stand alone as a fair representation of the group that has persisted for more than 25 years. Are there overly-clever throwaways? Look no further than track number three, titled “Number Three.” Are there irreverent exercises in art pop that would leave most audiences shrugging their shoulders? Try “Youth Culture Killed My Dog” or “Toddler Hiway.” But, what They Might Be Giants might be best remembered for, and which would clearly continue on future releases Lincoln and Flood, is that beyond all the clever wordplay and cheap-o drum machine beats are unforgettable, strangely affecting hooks on which their best songs hinge: “Don’t Let’s Start,” “She’s An Angel,” and “Everything Right Is Wrong Again.” They Might Be Giants quickly put any fears to rest that they were nothing more than a novelty act known for recording songs on answering machines, and with a little help from MTV, they were well on their way to becoming one of the more unexpected success stories of the ‘80s.

- Philip Cosores

96.

New Order

Movement

[Factory; 1981]

New Order’s debut album is one that very much falls between two stools; it tries to continue down a similar direction as Joy Division while simultaneously trying to find a new sound as a new band. Ian Curtis’ shadow looms large over many of the tracks on the album, which sound like they’re almost directly cut ripped off from Closer; the plodding bass and drawn out vocals of “Truth,” the drums of “ICB” are strikingly similar to “Atrocity Exhibition” and the slow doom-like build of “Doubts Even Here,” which seems tailor-made for Curtis’ vocals – though Bernard Sumner gives it a good shot.

Simultaneously there are elements of the avant-dance-rock group that they would go on to be in the bouncy bass and synth of “Chosen Time,” the clamorous drums and guitars of “Denial” and the spacey highlight “The Him.” Every song on this album is an exciting and interesting experience, and while it could be criticised for being stuck between two sounds, half a cup of Closer and a dollop of Power, Corruption and Lies still makes a pretty tasty meal.

- Rob Hakimian

95.

Bad Brains

Bad Brains

[ROIR; 1982]

The big yellow lightning bolt on the front of Bad Brains’ self-titled debut was an apt design choice. Not only did it perfectly capture the anarchical “fuck you” message to the Feds in the band’s home base of Washington D.C., it also accurately signaled the lightning-fast pace of the album’s 15 tracks. Bad Brains was one of the first albums to demonstrate, in sonic form, how punk and metal were so intrinsically similar — and continually influencing one another in the early 1980s. Bad Brains used skillful metal guitar work, dub reggae, and the in-your-face energy of hardcore punk to get their message across. Most people didn’t expect them to be a crew of African-American guys, and they were subversive in that way, too. The true spirit of punk — the idea of defying people’s expectations — flourishes in this album, and to this day, I don’t know a single punk who doesn’t consider it a huge influence. Songs that you might consider using as entry points, if you’re unacquainted: “Big Take Over,” “I,” “Attitude,” and the frequently-covered “Right Brigade.”

- Arika Dean

94.

Talking Heads

Speaking In Tongues

[Sire; 1983]

From the funk-inflected bassline and moonlit synth dollops of opening track “Burning Down the House,” 1983′s Speaking In Tongues presents itself as a decidedly more eclectic affair than the existentially troubled Remain In Light. On “Making Flippy Floppy,” David Byrne’s typically cryptic lyics are backed by an unexpectedly straightforward and dance-ready musical arrangement that includes (of all things) a cowbell. A cowbell! “Our president’s crazy, did you hear what he said?” Byrne asks, though it doesn’t really matter which particular Reagan soundbyte he’s referring to. “There are no big secrets; don’t believe what you read,” Byrne contradictorily adds. Such is the case with the album as a whole; the Heads didn’t simply retread into familiar art-rock territory following Brian Eno’s departure, though the album is certainly a more accessible affair than most of the Heads’ prior material. No surprise that “Burning Down the House” became the band’s first and only Billboard Top 10 single. On Speaking In Tongues, Byrne and company proved that they could open up their sound without sacrificing their soul. Case in point: that weird gurgling noise on “Girlfriend is Better” (and parts of “Slippery People”) could have been abrasive and unnecessary but instead adds a surreal industrialism to the band’s sound. It’s very weird, but in a way that you’d want to hear again and again.

- Josh Becker

93.

Metallica

Ride The Lightning

[Megaforce / Music for Nations / Elektra / Vertigo; 1984]

Hey, Metallica, you’ve just put out a highly successful, debut thrash-metal record, what are you gonna do next? “We’re gonna play some acoustic guitar!” OK, that’s probably not what the band was thinking when they wrote “Fight Fire With Fire” and made it the first cut on their sophomore release, Ride The Lightning, but talk about setting the tone. Yes, those heavy riffs and apocalyptic lyrics were still there, but Ride The Lighning saw Metallica taking on more complex harmonies and melodies, and willingly pushing themselves in new directions. The thundering “For Whom The Bell Tolls” is a headbanger’s dream, and Kirk Hammet’s solo on “Fade To Black,” the anti-suicide power ballad, is one of the most shred-tastic moments in Metallica’s discography (as is the one in “Creeping Death”). Following up Kill ‘Em All was no easy task, but the intricacies of Ride The Lightning built from the record’s assuredly metal base, proved that Metallica were more than just your run of the mill thrash band.

- Jon Blistein

92.

U2

The Unforgettable Fire

[Island; 1984]

Whatever people think of as the “U2 sound” was born here. The Unforgettable Fire marks two crucial transitions for the group: the transformation of Bono’s lyrical sensibilities from largely political to largely personal, and The Edge’s, Adam Clayton’s, and Larry Mullen’s shift in sonic focus from punk energy to the kind of atmospheric chiming that would inform the entire careers of more bands than you could name (you know who they are). This second development is due no doubt to the band’s working for the first time with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose production colored the album’s highlights from the epic centerpiece “Bad” to the MLK-celebrating anthem “Pride (In the Name of Love),” which became one of U2’s more enduring hits.

- Sean Highkin

91.

Prince

1999

[Warner Bros.; 1982]

By 1982 Prince had already established himself as a wunderkind, developed a sexually abrasive and “weird” stage persona, and recorded four albums including masterpiece Dirty Mind. In Prince’s world, this meant it was time for a career-breaking double album, which is exactly what the world received with 1999. The album bursts at the seams with funky dance gems such as the apocalyptic title track and the schizophrenic synth-pop of “Delirious.” Great as those tracks are (they rank with the best of the best of Prince’s entire songbook), the real revelations come on “Little Red Corvette.” The song, Prince’s biggest hit to date, captured a different side of The Purple One. It’s an early example in a long line of Prince double entendres, and provides a preview of the more sexually cautious Prince that would later emerge on Sign O’ The Times. Musically, the track is perfect pop. Synthesizers simulate the slick movement of the song’s namesake vehicle, building to one of the best choruses of the ‘80s. The rest of the album was similarly impressive, setting Prince up for a decade of chart dominance.

- Jason Hischhorn

100.

Human League

“Don’t You Want Me”

[Virgin; 1981]

The awful cultural and musical trends of the ’80s are usually lamented upon as silly and idiotic, and for some reason, unbeknownst to me, new wave and pop music from the period are included in that group. Did bands like Culture Club and the Human League deviate from social norms? Of course. But just because they wore bad-looking clothes and makeup doesn’t mean their art should be discounted in the modern era. Take for instance “Don’t You Want Me,” a song that once reached #1 on the US, UK and Canadian charts, and a song now mostly used in dimly lit bars during karaoke hours. The synth pop hit still stands as an example of pop songwriting, guy-girl vocal verses, arpeggiated keyboards, and that certain undeniable charm that can’t be written. “Don’t You Want Me” is a terrific song, and it would be shame to have be remembered only for its incidental humor.

- Erik Burg

99.

The Fall

“The Classical”

[Kamera; 1982]

“The Classical” was a sort of rebel’s anthem for those formative post-punk years in the early ‘80s when bands like The Fall were trying to lead the punk ideology to more adventurous heights — and taking the most slacker route possible. When this song comes on as the opener for Hex Enduction Hour, there is no mistaking that you’re listening to something incredibly important. It barges into your eardrums like a stumbling-drunk house guest with two — count ‘em, two — drummers that demand your immediate attention. It doesn’t take long for frontman Mark E. Smith to start mouthing off into the microphone with seemingly irreverent drivel — “Hey there, fuckface! Hey there, fuckface-uh,” he slurs and punctuates with his trademark vocal tick. The nervous-yet-bouncy guitar line that runs throughout the song helps make it one of The Fall’s most melodically-cohesive tracks to-date. Or their best song entirely, according to me, and if you disagree, I’ll fight you on it — in true Mark E. Smith fashion.

- Arika Dean

98.

Journey

“Don’t Stop Believin’”

[Columbia; 1981]

In all probability, the signature Journey anthem is being belted out to the delight of a dive or karaoke bar at this very moment. Guilty or otherwise, the pleasure behind “Don’t Stop Believin’” is hard to deny. Thanks to Steve Perry’s inimitable style of belting, the song worms its way through the ear of the listener and establishes permanent residence. From the opening keyboard riff to the delayed gratification that comes from an unusual structure which finally reveals the chorus near the end of the song, “Don’t Stop Believin’” is definitive to both the art of the power ballad and the decade from whence it came.

- Frank Mojica

97.

Van Halen

“Unchained”

[Warner Bros,; 1981]

Van Halen going “dark” for Fair Warning was a great move, if only for having tracks like “Unchained” being signature tunes over the party anthems. Sure, it’s pretty laid-back at times and that part when David Lee Roth talks to something is pretty absurd, but after that it’s pretty serious. As with anything Van Halen, the guitar is the focal point and it sets the scene well. Eddie Van Halen manages to convey a menacing atmosphere surprisingly well throughout the song, all the while straddling the line between menacing and playful. It’s almost as if he’s saying something menacing with a wink and a twisted smile. There’s also a little message peppered throughout the song and it’s all about change. Given the tensions surrounding the band around this point, it’s a clever little addition which doesn’t derail the rest of the song.

- Daniel Griffiths

96.

Talking Heads

“This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)”

[Sire; 1983]

Ah, the song that made so many reconsider the relationship they share with their lamp. Who can say why a grinning David Byrne chose the lamp as his dance partner in this scene of Stop Making Sense? Maybe it’s a cheeky play on “light in your eyes,” maybe it’s about love in things we take for granted, things that never leave and help us to bed when we’re fumbling and maybe kind of drunk. I like to think Byrne would tell me to stop thinking so much.

“Naive Melody” is as fine a love song as they come, alternately chirping and soaring over the kind of bass and keys that make you want to wiggle. In a way it’s also a sort of foil to “Once In A Lifetime.” Here we are with our lamp-eyed lover and it doesn’t matter how we got here, only that we are.

- FM Stringer

95.

Peter Gabriel

“Red Rain”

[Geffen; 1987]

The one-time Genesis frontman had already rattled off a stellar series of quirky, prog-leaning solo albums by the time 1986’s So was released. While the album is remembered today primarily for the pop hits “Sledgehammer,” “Big Time,” and “In Your Eyes,” the best example of its smart blending of pop hooks with an arty undercurrent is its opening track, “Red Rain.” Gabriel’s stroke of genius was bringing in Stewart Copeland of the freshly disbanded Police solely to create a rain effect on the hi-hat – a job nobody in the world is more uniquely qualified to do than Copeland. “Red Rain” is also a terrific showcase for Gabriel’s reedy, versatile tenor.

- Sean Highkin

94.

Blondie

“Call Me”

[Polydor / Chrysalis / Salsoul; 1980]

If there’s one song that best depicts Blondie, it’s “Call Me.” It was a number one bit both in the United States and across the pond.

“Call Me” was the theme song in the film American Gigolo. Giorgio Moroder, a disco producer, worked with singer Debbie Harry on the cover track, which explains the song’s dance floor vibe. Harry sings “Cover me with kisses baby / Cover me with love / Roll me in designer sheets / I’ll never get enough,” which goes well with the film, along with the chorus. Hell, even the track’s name ties in with American Gigolo.

Moroder originally went to Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks to work on a song for the movie, but Nicks was unable to due to contract complications. Even though I wonder what the song could have become if Nicks had a hand in it, I can’t imagine the song being done by anyone else.

- Nicholas Preciado

93.

A-ha

“Take On Me”

[Warner Bros.; 1985]

I’m not sure exactly what it is, but you can always count on the Scandinavians to create pure pop gold, and A-ha’s “Take On Me” is just that. Granted, the song’s huge Billboard chart performance was bolstered by the revolutionary rotoscope-animated music video, which was released to MTV (ah, how influential you used to be!) a month before the single officially dropped. But still: Those driving drums and that infectious plunking synth line, to say nothing of Morten Harket’s phenomenal vocal performance, starting the chorus as low as he can go and slowly building to that final falsetto. And in that moment you can hear the thousands of mangled party sing-alongs and karaoke performances to come — but even in our perpetual failure to replicate that high-note, we keep doing it because man is it a blast to try.

- Jon Blistein

92.

LL Cool J

“I Can’t Live Without My Radio”

[Def Jam; 1985]

Long before he was doing whatever it is LL does on that NCIS bastard child of a show, Cool J was the coolest MC on the block. It didn’t last long, as his earnest nature got quickly crushed, bludgeoned, and stomped out by harsher performers, but lest you forget, he was the man. It may look at first glance now, but any serious head will tell you, Radio is one of the most important hip-hop records ever released. Let’s put it this way: this track was sampled on Eazy’s debut. If you consider that album influential (if you’re sane, you should), then what does that make this? With some simple verses about his life, LL had attracted a nation’s attention. Before you knock him for following in Cube’s footstep’s, let’s give him a hand for helping build hip-hop into the storytelling force it is.

- Chase McMullen

91.

Cyndi Lauper

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”

[Epic / Portrait / CBS; 1983]

The name Robert Hazard is probably unfamiliar to you, but the Philadelphia-born songwriter is responsible for one of the ‘80s’ most enduring feminist anthems. In fact, Hazard never meant for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to be particularly “feminist” at all, having come up with the idea for the song while taking a shower (from a male perspective, no less). But such is the power of Cyndi Lauper’s vocal presence; despite the song’s inauspicious beginnings, she made it a Billboard smash and her signature tune. Lauper was thirty years old (hardly a “girl” anymore) when she released her version of the song in late 1983, but her rambunctious delivery — equal parts girly, flirty, whiny, and impassioned — coupled with a classic music video endeared her to girls the world over. The track itself is catchy but nothing special; lighter-than-air synths dance around ‘50s-throwback chanting and an infectious rhythm. But Cyndi Lauper made it special; who else could have imbued it with such a devilishly adolescent spirit? And can you imagine what it would sound like today, with Lauper’s one-in-a-million delivery chopped and truncated by an overzealous autotune?

- Josh Becker

The Naked & Famous have made an official video for relative slow-burner from their album Passive Me, Aggressive You. Fitting in with the slow and sensual music, the video centres around a naked man and woman seemingly mid-coital relations, though not much movement is happening. The video was deemed too rude for YouTube, but you can watch it below through a vimeo embed.

Daniel Lopatin seems unstoppable at the moment. Following the release of last year’s Returnal under the Oneohtrix Point Never moniker, and this year’s Channel Pressure with Joel Ford as Ford & Lopatin, as well as a handful of other various releases prior to those, he will return later this year with a new album called Replica.

Replica is lo-fi audio samples-based like his previous work and features many “ghost vocals” that aim to provide a narrative to the long and amorphous ambient passage of music. Those wondering how this album has progressed from Returnal should know that there’s much heavier use of tape looping, sampling, analog filtering, acoustic piano, sub-frequencies and plate reverb. “Replica has as much to do with environmental, broadcasted, and club sounds as it does with more direct musical influences,” Lopatin says.

The Joel Lambert-produced album is coming out on November 8th through Software/Mexican Summer. Check out the tracklist and album art below.

Replica track list:

01. Andro
02. Sleep Dealer
03. Power of Persuasion
04. Remember
05. Replica
06. Nassau
07. Submersible
08. Up
09. Child Soldier
10. Explain

Cover art:

Following the sudden appearance of a beautiful-yet-random trailer on their website, and the discovery that it was for Inni; a Vincent Morisset-directed film that will premiere at Venice Days, we now have the details of release of the film.

Described as “the definitive Sigur Rós live experience,” Inni is a double-live album and a 75 minute live film. It was recorded over two nights at London’s Alexandra Palace, where Sigur Rós were joined by a live string section for their last show of the tour and their last before going on indefinite hiatus.

The film is filmed almost entirely monochromatically, which marks quite a contrast withg the band’s last DVD Heima. Vincent Morrisset has gone to pains to record and re-record the footage on to 16mm and through prisms and found objects to create a beautifully claustrophobic atmosphere.

The audio portion of the set is just over 100 minutes long and features the full live set with one unnamed omission. It is the first official live audio recording the band has put out from one of their full live shows and reportedly it is “far and away the best way of replicating the full-force effect of standing in front of [Sigur Rós].”

The actual release dates for Inni have not been revealed since they will probably be staggered for different territories, but it will be out at some point in November through Sigur Rós’ own Krunk label. If you haven’t yet seen the trailer for Inni (or wish to watch it again) then do so below.

Red Hot Chili Peppers have premiered the video for “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” the lead single from their upcoming 10th studio album I’m With You. The video features fotage from a recent surprise performance on a rooftop in Venice Beach, CA. Watch below.

“The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” is from I’m With You, which comes out on August 30th through Warner Bros.

Panda Bear, whom had already announced some scattered U.S. shows at both Popped! Festival and at the Hollywood Bowl, has now added dates in both Chicago and Dallas. Both will be headlining dates and you can find all the details below.

Also of note, Panda Bear’s recently acclaimed release, Tomboy, will be released as a special new limited edition 4x LP box set, on Oct 31st via Paw Tracks. Along with the Tomboy album on two LPs will be the Tomboy single mixes on one LP and several Tomboy unreleased instrumentals/acappellas, plus “The Preakness” and a 16-page art booklet. All profits from the sale will go to the American Cancer Society and it’s limited to 5000 copies worldwide.

Check out the tracklisting below.

LP 1 (Expanded Album) – You Can Count On Me // Tomboy // Slow Motion // Surfer’s Hymn // Last Night At The Jetty // Drone
LP 2 (Expanded Album) – The Preakness // Alsatian Darn // Scheherazade // Friendship Bracelet // Afterburner // Benfica
LP 3 (Single Mixes) – Drone // Tomboy // Last Night At The Jetty // Surfer’s Hymn // Scheherazade // Benfica // Slow Motion // Friendship Bracelet // Alsatian Darn // Bullseye // You Can Count On Me
LP 4 (A Capellas/Instrumentals) – Alsatian Darn (I) // Slow Motion (I) // Friendship Bracelet (I) // Drone (I) // Last Night At The Jetty (I) // You Can Count On Me (AC) // Alsatian Darn (AC) // Slow Motion (AC) // Afterburner (AC) // Drone (AC)

Panda Bear Tourdates:

09/23 Philadelphia, PA POPPED! Music Festival at FDR Park
09/25 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl *
09/27 Dallas, TX Granada
09/29 Chicago, IL The Vic

* = w/ Smith Westerns, TV on the Radio, Warpaint, Arctic Monkeys

Denver fourpiece Woodsman have completed the recording of their new EP Mystic Places and have set the six-track collection, for release on October 25th through Fire Talk. The only physical release will be on vinyl.

Woodsman have already released two albums of their tribal-infused krautrock. The band’s two drummers propel the music through shifts and turns while the textured guitar work is always guiding, taking their music in interesting directions. Their love for touring and playing live has led them to create more music, and judging from lead track “In Circles” Mystic Places will be some of their most live-sounding yet. Check out “In Circles” below, and pre-order the Mystic Places EP here.

Woodsman – “In Circles”

The band are relentlessly on tour and we advise that you see them if they’re coming anywhere near you. Dates are below.

8/17 – 7th St. Entry – Minneapolis, MN
8/18 – Project Lodge – Madison, WI
8/19 – Ball Hall – Chicago, IL
8/22 – Happy Dog – Cleveland, OH
8/23 – Embassy Vinyl – Scranton, PA
8/25 – Cake Shop – New York, NY
8/26 – Shea Stadium – Brooklyn, NY
8/27 – BIMA Music Festival – Baltimore, MD
8/31 – BAR – New Haven, CT
9/6 – Danger Danger – Philadelphia, PA
9/7 – Christ Episcopal Church – Richmond, VA
9/8 – Hopscotch Music Festival – Raleigh, NC
9/9 – Hopscotch Music Festival – Raleigh, NC
9/10 – New World Brewery – Tampa, FL
9/11 – BACKBOOTH – Orlando, FL
9/12 – The Atlantic – Gainesville, FL
9/17 – Pig Slop Studios – St. Louis, MO
9/18 – JR’s Lightbulb Club – Fayetteville, AR
9/19 – City Tavern – Dallas, TX
9/20 – Emo’s – Austin, TX
9/21 – The Exchange – Hot Springs, AR
9/24 – Boomslang – Lexington, KY
9/26 – WonderRoot – Atlanta, GA
9/28 – Tin Roof – Charleston, SC
9/30 – Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD

Mystic Places artwork:

Usually you know it’s a slow news day when news stories are made from single tweets, but when two fine young artists who have made two of the best albums of the year threaten to get together and work some magic, it’s something worth reporting. This stems from something James Blake tweeted this morning:

24th August 2011 - James Blake & Bon Iver "Fall Creek Boys Choir"

August 17, 2011 10:48 AM via FacebookReplyRetweetFavorite

@jamesblake

James Blake

Fall Creek is the place where Just Vernon has set up his studio and does all his work. The “boys choir” is evidently because both men possess heavenly voices, and hearing them in unison would be something special indeed. Whether “Fall Creek Boys Choir” is a joke or an official name is yet to be made clear, but I could see it going either way.

In other collaboration news it seems that The Flaming Lips are planning on continuing to put out more collaborative EPs. So far they’ve worked with Lightning Bolt and Prefuse 73 amongst others, but their next partners are the biggest yet: Death Cab For Cutie. Coyne barged in on Death Cab’s interview with Spinner at Osheaga to propose the idea to a seemingly bewildered Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer. You can read the transcroption of the interview at Spinner.

And finally, another of the year’s strangest collaborations that we told you about a while ago between Lou Reed and Metallica has got an official website. LouReedMetallica.com has been set up, but all you can see for now is a picture of the man and the band with a ‘coming soon. message.

That’s your collaborations in music round up for today.

Since Low are from the relatively small city of Duluth, Minnesota, I have never really thought of their music as being something that would pair well with the hustle and bustle of hectic urban life. However, the video for “Especially Me” proves me wrong, mixing images of Mimi Parker singing despondently on the train with images of the sped up New York subway sytstem and environment. It’s a strange video that might not be the most interesting, but the song is fantastic and it works nicely with it. Watch below.

“Especially Me” is from Low’s most recent album C’Mon, out now on Sub Pop.

Dent May’s last album The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele was, as the title suggests, simple pop songs played on the ol’ uke. Judging from the first song we’re hearing from his upcoming single, “Wedding Day,” May has tired of sticking to the ukelele and has now branched out into full synth pop for his summery stylings. The new single, coming out on clear 7″ vinyl through Paw tracks on September 13th, features two songs. The a-side is entitled “Fun” and you’ll have to wait to hear that one, but you can stream the b-side “Wedding Day” below. If you can’t wait to hear “Fun” then get down to one of his shows where there are a limited run of 100 cassettes of the single being sold.

Dent May – “Wedding Day”

Weekend have a new EP, titled the Red EP, due out on September 20th via Slumberland, and ahead of the release they have offered up the following stream of the single “Hazel.” Notice a remarkably cleaner sound on the track, and a distinct and catchy melody weaving its way throughout. Are Weekend the band that we expected them to be after their quite good debut, Sports? Looks like the answer might be yes.

Weekend – Hazel by Slumberland Records

ROCK THE BELLS 2011 FESTIVAL SERIES Tour Dates
08.20 Los Angeles, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
08.27 San Francisco, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
09.03 New York, NY – Governor’s Island
09.10 Boston, MA – Comcast Center

We’ve got long awaited debuts from the likes of Washed Out and Twin Sister, the returning class of 2009 in the form of St. Vincent and Bat For Lashes and everything in between; from titans like Björk to underrated musicians like Fruit Bats.

One Thirty BPM is here to guide you through 2011 Part 2. We’ve lovingly put together our collection of what we’re looking forward to in the next six months; whether they’re confirmed, promised or just hoped for. Each comes with an interesting insight and a piece of media. Please enjoy and leave us a comment telling us what you’re looking forward to.

- Rob Hakimian

Air France

Air France carved such a specific sound out for themselves with their first two beach party EPs, On Trade Winds and No Way Down, that it’s hard to believe the duo hasn’t released a proper full-length. While details are still super scarce it sounds like it’s at least a possibility 2011 might see a release from the Swedish Balearic pop outfit that includes more than six tracks, the duo posted this teaser seen below on their blog a couple of months ago.

- Will Ryan

Bat For Lashes

As Bat for Lashes, songstress Natasha Khan has been mesmerizing fans with her haunting, other-worldly pop that drew comparisons to Björk and Kate Bush. In 2009, Bat for Lashes evaded the dreaded sophomore slump with the stellar Two Suns; a bewitching album that featured a rare Scott Walker collaboration. After spending the majority of 2009 touring in support of Two Suns, the Bat for Lashes camp has been relatively quiet but decidedly not silent, with only a handful of live performances, such as opening for Coldplay in Latin America and one-off performances with a string section at the De La Warr Pavilion and Sydney Opera House. Khan has also released two Record Store Day singles and a collaboration with Beck for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack, but the world at large has been left in anticipation for a new album and subsequent tour.

Following her Australian performances, Khan released a message in which she promised a return to the studio to “carry on making treats.” Besides this note, official word on the follow-up to Two Suns has been scarce. Although there is no title or release date yet, Natasha Khan has revealed some details in recent interviews. Khan told The Brag that she is continuing to explore duality, specifically in her mixed Pakistani/English heritage, and according to her statements to Two Thousand, will be “pushing the electronic side but also still pushing the ballads in terms of the story-telling.” A new song apparently entitled “Oh Yeah” made its debut in Sydney, and the hypnotic slow-burner that seems destined to become a single (listen to the performance below). Khan also reportedly spent a couple weeks last year recording again with Beck. Until more details are made official, all we can expect from the third Bat for Lashes LP is a magical voyage that entrances as it blends contrasting genres and sounds.

- Frank Mojica

Bat For Lashes – “Oh Yeah” (Live in Sydney)

Beirut – The Rip Tide
(August 30th)

Since first producing work under the Beirut sobriquet in 2006, New Mexico native Zach Condon has been building a reputation as one of the most versatile and tireless workers in independent music. He’s done this not only through brandishing a rich blend of Eastern European inspired folk with lush instrumentation and a haunting (if not tragically beautiful) vocal delivery, but also through a rigorous touring schedule. In 2009, the ostensible “split” EP March of the Zapotec/Holland found Condon embracing both his early dalliances with electronic music as well as his more recent fascinations with Mexican wedding and funeral marches. This provided the prodigious artist with a brilliant reprieve/creative refresher course, aimed to clear the docket for more traditionally focused LPs. Two years later, we’ve gotten our first evidence of such a thing with the dulcet gem “East Harlem,” which is set to appear on the upcoming album The Rip Tide. As far as sound , you can expect the album to be a slight departure from the usual Franco-inspired dream waltzes (as evidenced by the below single), but Condon notes that the LP will be “…sunny. I write sad songs when it’s nice outside. I write warm and happy songs when I’m up to my neck in snow for three months.”

- Dan Rivera

Beirut – “East Harlem”

Bjork – Biophilia

Let’s face it – Björk’s last record, 2007’s Volta, was a disappointing and utterly forgettable release from an artist that has otherwise put out works ranging from good to outstanding throughout her career. With the bad taste it has left in everyone’s mouth, it’s slightly more difficult to get excited as Björk preps her follow-up, Biophilia. That being said, an artist with one bad record is still a strong artist, and if there’s anyone that has the talent to craft a successful comeback, it’s Björk.

We’ve heard very little from Biophilia, but information regarding its experimental release has been trickling out for a while now. The work is being touted as the first “app album” – with songs that will be released, one by one, with their own accompanying iPad app. While the strange presentation sounds like something fitting of a Björk release, and the talent behind it is strong, (Michel Gondry is said to be in charge of directing the project) one can’t help but worry that all of this may amount to little more than a gimmick.

It’s a risky project, one that can fall flat just as easily as it can succeed. But no matter what the outcome of the release method, our first glimpse into the album’s musical direction – lead single, “Crystalline” – is promising. It’s a strong effort – strong enough, in fact, to earn Björk a vote of confidence despite the misstep that her last album was. Let’s hope the rest of Biophilia can match up.

- Cole Zercoe

Björk – “Crystalline”

Childish Gambino
(September)

Even before Donald Glover became something of a cult celebrity for his role on NBC’s Community, he was making music under the moniker of Childish Gambino (a name derived from a Wu-Tang Clan member name generator, if you haven’t already read that tidbit a thousand times). But with 2010’s CULDESAC and this year’s aptly-titled extended play EP, Childish Gambino has become one of hip-hop’s most hyped young stars. As a result of this surging popularity, Glover’s new album – tentatively slated for a September-ish release – is one to keep a keen eye on. Based on his previous releases and high energy live performances, it’s a record almost certain to be entertaining. But Glover’s material – not being black enough, hooking up with girls of different complexities, rising to stardom and overcoming insecurities along the way – is what’s really going to determine whether or not Childish Gambino can jump to the next level. If he can expand his horizons and maintain the same performance par, the sky’s the limit.

- Andrew Bailey

Childish Gambino – “The Longest Text Message”

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Hysterical
(September 20th)

While Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s return has been announced for September (on an album called Hysterical), the immediate question was which Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was returning? Would it be the band that arrived in 2005 with a remarkable self-titled debut and a business strategy that showed that these blog things are for real and these record label things are overrated? Or, will it be the band of their follow-up, Some Loud Thunder, which opened with a track that seemed like it had been seriously mis-recorded and, despite a couple of bright-spots, instantly cast the band as failure stories rather than success stories? If our first taste of the album, the anthemic “Same Mistake,” is any indicator, then Clap Your Hands Say Yeah might be the comeback story that we are all hoping for.

- Philip Cosores

Coldplay

I would like to say the stakes are raised for Coldplay’s next album, but I’m sure that’s been said for every new release, at least from a commercial point of view. To hell with it, the stakes are high for Album No. 5. Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends was a big success for the band and they need to produce something as excellent to keep their momentum going; coming out with two critically and commercially successful albums will do wonders for their careers now, and when people look back on them. Judging on the lead single, ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ and its accompanying B-Sides, Coldplay aren’t content with staying in one place which bodes well for the future. They’re making sure they keep growing, album by album.

Coldplay could quite easily take the ‘Biggest Band in the World’ title if they produce a cracker of an album, and I’m very excited to hear what they come up with.

- Daniel Griffiths

Coldplay – “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien
(September 13th)

Cymbals Eat Guitars’ debut album Why There Are Mountains gained a lot of well-earned hype in 2009, so it’s understandable that Lenses Alien, their new record lined up for September 13, would land on this list as something we’re anticipating. While the band hasn’t released any new music from the album just yet, they’ve been forthright on their Twitter account with just enough information about it to help stir the pot. Still, the direction of the new stuff is yet unclear. But you can likely expect to hear some of the same titanic guitar riffs that made their debut so addicting.

- Andrew Bailey

Cymbals Eat Guitars – “Plainclothes” (Live on BBC 6 Music)

Dr. Dre – Detox

All things considered, the plague of false starts, delays, early leaks, alternate projects and personal intrusions on Dr. Dre’s Detox, originally slated for release in the latter half of 2005 (!), isn’t that surprising. There are kids that ended up Moms and Dads before Only Built For Cuban Linx II came out, so can we really complain? And yeah, Detox was apparently finished in 2008 – handpicked from some 400 tracks – yet it wasn’t until late last year that the classically west-coast thumper “Kush” hit the web, and February 2011 for the massive “I Need A Doctor,” a ghastly circus complete with the practically prerequisite Eminem bro-poem and killer verse of Dre’s own. So, I mean, we’re pretty sure Detox is coming out this year, but your guess is really as good as ours. All signs, however, point to it being well worth the wait.

- FM Stringer

Dr. Dre – “I Need A Doctor” (feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey)

The Drums

Photo by Philip Cosores

Somewhere in the middle of the chaos that was The Drums’ 2010, the indie pop group began to work on their second album. The band, still mostly intact following the break out success of last year’s The Drums, have hardly had a moment to stand still with their frantic touring schedule and the departure of guitarist Adam Kessler this past September. Frontman Jonathan Pierce seems eager to keep the band from slowing, “This may not last forever. We might have three albums, maybe four. Who knows? We might have a hundred. It’s good to do it all now. I feel like we all share this nervous energy and a fire in our belly.” Accordingly, don’t expect any wild departures from the sound that made up their debut, as drummer Conner Hanwick explains, “[The Drums] don’t want to do a whole lot of change.” If they deliver another set of summer-soundtracking songs, there will hardly be any complaints.

Watch the teaser trailer for the album (possibly titled Portamento) below.

Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams
(September 27th)

Earlier this year, jangle-punk rockers Dum Dum Girls followed up their promising 2010 debut, I Will Be, with the solid, but way too short He Gets Me High EP. Though each of that release’s four tracks were excellent (especially their wonderful cover of The Smiths’ classic “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”), its brevity left plenty more to be desired. Luckily fans won’t have to wait much longer: The group’s 2nd LP, Only In Dreams is slated for release this September on Sub Pop. Recorded at Queens of the Stoneage frontman, Josh Homme’s Pink Duck Studios, the record was produced by Richard Cottehrer, who produced Dum Dum Girls’ debut (and is also responsible for, among many other things, debuts from Blondie and The Go Gos); Sune Rose Wagner of the Ravonettes also produced.

- Jon Blistein

Dum Dum Girls – “He Gets Me High”

But, these are not the only major music festivals happening this summer. What are our picks for the best and brightest in summer mass-concerts for your consumption? We have put together a little preview for you to enjoy below, showcasing music festivals large and small, many of which we will be bringing you reports from, and which we hope will get you out of your house and into the sun for a weekend or two.

So, without further rambling, we bring you our Summer Music Festival Preview. Enjoy.

Primavera Sound

Photo by Christopher Alvarez

May 26th-29th
Barcelona, Spain

Lineup: The Flaming Lips, Pulp, Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, OFWGKTA, Belle & Sebastian, The National, PJ Harvey, Mogwai

Tickets: http://www.primaverasound.com/ps/?page=entradas&lang=en

A Few Words: Now in its eleventh year, San Miguel Primavera Sound has become one of the top destinations in the world for music lovers, attracting a maximum of 35,000 attendees a day in 2010. In true Catalan tradition, Primavera starts later in the day than most festivals, but the music doesn’t end until sunrise. In case a Barcelona location wasn’t enviable enough, the festival site is directly on the Mediterranean at Parc del Forum and features eight stages, including the indoor Auditori that will host two sets from Sufjan Stevens. New in 2011 are two additional days of music at the limited capacity Poble Espanyol, the original festival site of Primavera, and with artists including Echo & the Bunnymen performing Heaven Up Here and Crocodiles, Mercury Rev performing Deserter’s Songs, Caribou, Nisennenmondai, and Deakin, those days are not just an added bonus but downright essential.

The long-awaited return of Pulp is clearly the top star of the weekend (and 2011′s must-see reunion), but who is the Saturday headliner: Animal Collective or PJ Harvey? Both, actually, and the same applies to Thursday’s co-headliners Grinderman and The Flaming Lips. Primavera shuns the traditional headliner system in favor of a wide top tier consisting mostly of acts on equivalent footing over a single superstar per day. What also makes the Primavera Sound lineup special is how it relies less on safe, crossover acts (so, no Mumford & Sons) and more on edgier, esoteric fare like Einstürzende Neubauten. After all, ATP and Pitchfork each curate a stage. Other lineup highlights are Belle & Sebastian, Explosions in the Sky, James Blake, Mogwai, Odd Future, Yuck, and Big Boi, while late night electronic offerings include DJ Shadow, Simian Mobile Disco, Girl Talk, and two Kode9 sets. The final day at Parc del Forum coincides with the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United, so prepare for a riotous good time in Plaça de Catalunya at the end of the night.

- Frank Mojica

Sasquatch

May 27-31
George, WA

Lineup: Foo Fighters, Modest Mouse, Wilco, The Flaming Lips (performing The Soft Bulletin), Death Cab For Cutie, Robyn, Local Natives, Death From Above 1979, The Decemberists, Bright Eyes

Tickets: Sold Out

A Few Words: Location, location, location. Undeniably the greatest thing George, Washington’s Sasquatch Music Festival has going for it is the physical magnificence of its host venue, the Gorge Amphitheatre. Widely considered the best outdoor music venue around, the Gorge itself is a massive presence when backdropping the bigger names on the festival’s considerable lineup, and the other three stages aren’t too bad either. Though last year’s Yeti stage was plagued by sound issues during sets by WHY? and No Age, the festival’s crew mostly achieves a tightly run operation. The festival organizers have again assembled a lineup sure to generate scheduling conflicts and force some frustrating decisions (they’re pitting The Flaming Lips and Flying Lotus against each other!), but really that’s kind of a good thing, and speaks to the overall quality of the artists billed.

Festival staples The Flaming Lips and Wilco are there, joined by Foo Fighters, Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse at the top of the list. Also in tow are indie darlings Beach House, Deerhunter, Yeasayer, Surfer Blood, The Antlers, Wavves, Best Coast, Smith Westerns, etc. and Canada’s hilarious Trailer Park Boys bringing the chuckles. My favorite live act of all time, !!!, is on the bill along with giants J Mascis and The Decemberists. One of the best parts of Sasquatch is its affinity for reunited legends. Last year saw Pavement, who fucked around with us in classic Pavement fashion, sandwiched between LCD Soundsystem and Massive Attack, and this year Guided By Voices and (wow) Archers of Loaf get to hang out with the young folks, maybe teach ‘em a thing or two. A reunited Death From Above 1979 will also play. If Sasquatch leaves anything to be desired, its in the electronic and dance music department. Sure we’ve got FlyLo, Gold Panda and Bassnectar, but fucking Skrillex? Seriously?

The camping situation at Sasquatch is lovely and painless, and while it’s kind of a drag that the last performance of each day wraps up around 12:30am, the campground parties rage into the wee hours. The festival attracts all types of people from all over (my car drove all the way to Washington from New Jersey, yes seriously, and we were camped next to some friendly Canadians) and the vibes are generally welcoming and considerate. You’re more likely to see bros playing pong on top of a trailer than dreadlocked drumcirclers, but those folks are there too, and if you ask nicely, just about anyone will help you out or point you in the right direction. It’s a younger and hipper crowd than Bonnaroo’s, and its a difference that can be felt, but you’re likely to find whatever kind of fun you’re looking for at Sasquatch.

- FM Stringer

Soundset

May 29th
Shakopee, MN

Lineup: Atmosphere, Big Boi, Slaughterhouse, De La Soul, Brother Ali, Doomtree, Curren$y, Mac Miller, Zion-I and The Grouch, Blueprint

Tickets: http://www.soundsetfestival.com/tickets/

A Few Words: What began as a humble celebration of underground hip-hop in 2008, Minneapolis’ Soundset festival has grown into one of the state’s largest music festivals, drawing huge acts from around the country. Centered around Minneapolis rap label Rhymesayers, Soundset features four-time headliners Atmosphere closing out another Memorial Day weekend. There’s also Brother Ali, Evidence, Doomtree, and Blueprint representing the chief label in its hometown. Big Boi, on the heels of last year’s great Son of Chico Dusty will be anchoring the lineup along with superstar collective Slaughterhouse, the collaboration of Royce Da 5’9”, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, and Crooked I. Everybody’s favorite Gorillaz hook-men De La Soul will also be there, catering to the more soulful hip-hop fans in the crowd. There’s also a B-boy and DJ tent, featuring some fun freestyle action all day, and a custom car show for those crazy people who can’t stay in one place all day. What makes Soundset unique is that it feels more like a celebration of music than some of the other more large scale festivals throughout the summer. It might be difficult for some people to think of the upper-midwest as a premier destination for hip-hop, but thanks to Rhymesayers’ tireless work and Atmosphere’s growing fame, Soundset has blossomed into a star studded affair that features a variety of artists and a “Minnesota nice” attitude to boot.

- Erik Burg

Bonnaroo

June 9-12
Manchester, TN

Lineup: Eminem, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, The Strokes, Buffalo Springfield, My Morning Jacket, Lil Wayne, Mumford & Sons, Robert Plant & The Band Of Joy, The Decemberists

Tickets: Sold Out

A Few Words: This year’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, marks the event’s 10th anniversary. Headlined by Arcade Fire, Eminem, Buffalo Springfield, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Mumford & Sons, The Strokes, and too many exciting undercard acts to list (okay, I can’t help it: Ray LaMontagne! The Decemberists! Sleigh Bells!). It’s not difficult to see the allure. But Bonnaroo hasn’t become one of the summer’s most popular events solely for its consistently great music. They’ve also booked great comedy acts and have lined up an ample amount of peripheral entertainment and concessions.

As far as festivals go, you’ll find that the food and drink options are surprisingly good. It goes without saying that you’re going to pay too much, but even the prices aren’t as outrageous as you might expect. An angus burger might run you five bucks, but it’ll be a damn good burger. Of course, the vendors change year to year. But take heed of this advice: if you see banners advertising alligator jambalaya, put down a blanket in the shade to reserve a spot and get in line. Its the best money you can spend on food while you’re there. Bonnaroo also offers good beer on tap and plenty of more hydrating options, which trust me, you’re going to need. Midsummer in Tennessee can be painfully hot, so be wise and take a few extra bucks for bottled water. And once you’ve bought a bottle, keep it. There are free refill stations scattered around the farm.

In addition to thirst-quenching cash, you might want to consider cab fare. Or, as the case may be, golf cart fare. Camp sites aren’t assigned, so where you end up setting up your quarters will be completely dependent on where you’re sent by the festival’s traffic directors. There’s a good chance you’ll be an unpleasant distance from the main gates (last year, my tent was about a mile and a half from the entrance). A golf cart taxi ride will run you another five dollars or so, but you can see how it’d be well worth it. Horror story to prove it: last year I lost my keys on the first night but didn’t realize it until returning to camp. I wound up walking a mile and a half back to the main entertainment area (known as Centeroo), then another mile and a half back to camp. Which reminds me: be smarter than me and keep an extra set of car keys handy.

For the $250 or so it costs to get in, Bonnaroo represents one of the smarter ways you can spend your dough and a week of vacation. For all the blistering heat (and, let’s be honest, porta-stink), nothing matches the non-stop party atmosphere that you get on the farm. This event isn’t like a show at your local venue where everyone more or less keeps to themselves. Its a certified social event. And, oh yeah, the line-up is pretty fantastic as well (Big Boi! Iron & Wine! Deerhunter! Matt & Kim!).

- Andrew Bailey

Glastonbury

Photo by Andrew Allcock

June 24-26
Glastonbury, UK

Lineup: Coldplay, U2, Beyonce, Morrissey, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bright Eyes, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Paul Simon, Primal Scream

Tickets: Sold Out

A Few Words: Located on a 1,000 hectare compound at Worthy Farm, the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts is England’s largest and most famous festival with 135,000 punters and 40,000 artists, crew, and volunteers. Fields dedicated to crafts, healing, circus performers, and the environment provides peaceful refuge and a wide range of sights and activities to enjoy during the day, but it is those six hours of night when the festival truly comes alive. Glastonbury features several late-night after hours areas overflowing with surprises. The 2011 incarnation of The Common is Latin America-themed, and attractions include a haunted bullring, Mexican wrestlers, and nude painting. DJs spin in the monstrous, fire-breathing Arcadia stage while a human Tesla coil freaks out the crowd, and the dystopian Shangri-la promises to once again bewilder many an intoxicated attendee with its labyrinth of interactive art displays and themed bars.

Glastonbury is an ultimate barhopping destination, with dozens of bars scattered throughout the site. It’s the kind of festival where demonic nurses sell syringes full of tequila a hop and a skip away from a shrine to Bono with fresh Guinness on tap. The hill of the infamous Stone Circle area has breath-taking views of the massive festival site and a relaxed party vibe that is at its liveliest from sunset to sunrise – just watch out for discarded canisters of laughing gas when returning to your tent. Apparently there is music at Glastonbury, too, but it is entirely possible to avoid the main stages entirely and still not experience everything else the festival has to offer. It’s five days of total immersion.

The festival of festivals celebrated its 40th birthday last year with a guest-filled headlining performance by Gorillaz, a secret set from Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and surprise appearances from The Edge, Kylie, Jarvis Cocker, and Doctor Who himself, Matt Smith. In addition to superstars such as Beyoncé, Coldplay, Paul Simon, and Morrissey, and some of the hottest talent in this year’s festival circuit like Elbow, Lykke Li, Cee Lo Green, Fleet Foxes, Little Dragon, and Battles, the 2011 edition of Glastonbury is guaranteed to host an equally impressive collection of surprises and once-in-a-lifetime collaborations. Festival organizer Emily Eavis recently told NME that one of the Park Stage’s two “special guest” slots belongs to a band with headliner potential, thus opening the floodgates of rumor and speculation on the possibility of the lineup’s only true glaring, inexplicable omission being corrected: Pulp.

P.S. Did we mention that U2 is headlining? That’s a pretty big deal, right?

- Frank Mojica

The Antlers struck gold with their 2009 release, Hospice. In my entire life, I’ve never heard anything quite so emotionally demanding, regardless of medium. The tale of a nurse falling in love with his patient only to watch her die by the album’s climax is a narrative that we can all in some way, shape or form relate to. The next album by The Antlers has a lot to live up to; after crafting such an emotional masterpiece, will Silberman take the new LP down a similar heartbreaking route, or throw off his shackles as a melancholy troubadour and take the project in a new direction? Only time will tell.

- Alex Phillimore

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Comittee Part 2
Expected out Spring on Capitol

Sadly, MCA’s battle with cancer is still the major topic of conversation in regards to the Beastie Boys. But, hopefully, that will change soon with the help of modern medicine and a little hot sauce. The latter is the second part of a series in which the first part is indefinitely shelved. While this may seem odd, and live dates may not be in the cards for the near future, this release is a positive sign for a group in need of positive signs. 2011 could be a big resurgence year for the Beasties in more ways than one.

- Philip Cosores

Black Lips – TBA
Expected out Spring 2011 on Vice Records

The Black Lips began touring a few months back and an album announcement seemed imminent. Well, here we are in January and it still seems imminent. The release, which is reported to feature production work from Mark Ronson, follows the disappointing 200 Million Thousand, which could have placed the band in the forefront of the punky-indie scene. Now, they are another bad release from seeming on the decline of relevance. We all hope this one is good. We’re betting it will be.

- Phillip Cosores

Blur – TBA
Expected out 2011

If “Fool’s Day” was anything to go by, new Blur could sound exactly like the old Blur which should be welcomed. Besides the fact that it’s possible we’ll be getting new Blur with Coxon, it’ll be interesting to hear what these now grizzled, old and more settled-down old men will make of modern Britain, with some new instruments and styles to incorporate. Expect Damon’s experiences with Gorillaz to have an influence as well. The reunion shows in 2009 showed a band energised and if that’s channelled into the studio it’ll be an explosive return.

- Daniel Griffiths

Bright Eyes – The People’s Key
Due out February 15th on Saddle Creek

Most probably questioned whether Conor Oberst would return to the Bright Eyes moniker that he built his career on, but the quality of his eponymous releases makes even the last Bright Eyes album –2007′s Cassadaga– look like audio gold. Will this continue the political direction he seems to have fully embraced? Will he remember that he is at his best when he is angry and raw? Will he find a way to mature without completely boring us? Jesus, I hope so. At worst, we get to hear the old songs again when he tours in the spring.

- Philip Cosores

Cass McCombs played shows in October and December in Los Angeles that featured new music, a Darker My Love member in his band, and even more confidence for the long-blooming singer. While it seems like we have been expecting greatness from Cass for nearly a decade, the fact is that we have already seen it. “Windfall,” “City of Brotherly Love” and “You Saved My Life” should all be classic tunes, and another great record from the songwriter might give his back catalog the attention it deserves.

- Phillip Cosores

Coldplay did something out of character in 2008. They made an album less focused on singles and more on a cohesive listing of tracks that flowed almost like a concept. Viva La Vida surprised me; it’s not until the third track, ”Lost!” that the album has anything close to a radio-friendly song, and even then it proved to be one of their best. In fact, the album in general was a thoroughly surprising success; the shoegaze breakdown of ”Yes” was one of many moments that took me off-guard and raised a cheeky grin. It seemed that by their fourth release, Coldplay had finally realised their potential. And so, with Brian Eno back as a collaborator, I hope that Coldplay remain in this new musical zone with their as-of-now-untitled fifth release: taking risks and reaping the rewards.

- Alex Phillimore

The quiet hiatus between Bright Like Neon Lights and In Ghost Colours has been done away with in anticipation of Zonoscope, the third studio album for Aussie dance-rock outfit Cut Copy. The album’s first two singles, “Take Me Over” and “Where I’m Going,” encapsulate Cut Copy’s new sound. The tropical drums and spacey synths on “Take Me Over” along with the chanting tambourine and tribal rhythm on “Where I’m Going” hint at a more refined pop taste on Zonoscope. As frontman Dan Whitford said about the album, “we wanted to explore a looping hypnotic trance and revise the whole palette of what Cut Copy was about.” Don’t be surprised if you see Cut Copy atop the major festivals this year, parlaying the last album’s success with Zonoscope‘s promise.

- Erik Burg

It’s been five years since we last hear from Daniel Smith, so that photo up there is not at all what the songwriter’s new “famile” is going to look like. Before you get upset or angry or skip to the next blurb, be comforted by news that Sufjan Stevens is now in the group (at least for the album) and Jens Lekman guests on the LP. The eleven-song set will be released on Smith’s own label will feature more traditional rock rhythms with the full arangements still present, at times approaching the cinematic in scope. Accessibility is in these days, so it might be a good change.

- Philip Cosores

It must be tough being Dead Man’s Bones. Half your band is in elementary school. After soccer practice, there is just not a lot left in the tank. That is why the group resorted to having new kids in every town for their lone tour, and then resorted to heavy work last summer in Los Angeles, culminating in a show-stealing performance at FYF Fest that included the children dressing as famous dead people. The costume ideas (Coco Chanel?) screamed Silver Lake. So despite a wealth of new, and very good, material, I would bet the sophomore release will be another summer affair. Before you begin feeling sorry for the band, remember that Ryan Gosling is involved. It’s not that tough being Dead Man’s Bones.

- Phillip Cosores

50.

The Books

The Way Out

[Temporary Residence]

Since its release in June 2010, the Books’ fourth album The Way Out has been one of the year’s most rewarding listens. The duo of Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong have topped themselves once again, with multiple layerings of sampled percussion from vinyl, voice clips from videos and audio cassettes, and of course, their own brilliant playing and ability to organize all this chaotic sound into a beautiful work of art. The slam-dancing funk of “I Didn’t Know That” rocks the hips and stimulates the mind as “Group Autogenics II” gives the perfect come-down at the very end. In between it all, Zammuto and de Jong delve deep inside and come back out showing us the human experience in a way never seen before.

- Rob Galo

49.

Cee Lo Green

The Lady Killer

[Elektra]

In ten years, Cee Lo’s third solo album, The Lady Killer, will probably be remembered mainly as a vehicle for the unstoppable, “Hey Ya!”/”Umbrella”-caliber single “Fuck You!,” just as Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere will always be the album that had “Crazy.” This, however, is grossly unfair to the rest of the songs on The Lady Killer, which is as strong an R&B album as has been released in a few years. Cee Lo puts on a virtuosic vocal display on the album, and sounds equally comfortable doing his thing across many different styles of soul music, from the “Billie Jean” bounce of “Bright Lights, Bigger City” to the Motown throwback “Cry Baby.” And, yeah, there’s “Fuck You!” too.

- Sean Highkin

48.

The Besnard Lakes

The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

[Jagjaguwar]

It’s not often you hear a combination of power-pop and shoegaze but that is what the Besnard Lakes have gone for here, and they’ve done it well. Their married leaders Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas often attack vocals in unison. They’re at their best when doing this, powerfully harmonizing and punching up the impact of their choruses. Between vocals there are crashing and undulating guitars which form a fantastic platform some more playful guitar work. When all of these ingredients are mixed together, they produce a heady concoction of delightful layered, loud, yet thoughtful rock music.

- Rob Hakimian

47.

Warpaint

The Fool

[Rough Trade]

Best Coast holds the honor for the most-hyped debut of the year, but Warpaint’s The Fool can’t be far behind. And it wasn’t really what anyone expected, with the energy of their live show being nearly impossible to record. But The Fool had much better things than energy to offer: complex arrangements, dark lyrics about addiction and heartbreak, and strong pop melodies hidden so well in stoner rock that the record truly sneaks up on you. It’s hard to believe Warpaint released their debut album this year, but fortunately for us, The Fool sounds like a first step towards something greater. They’ve set the bar high for themselves. Let’s hope they are up for the challenge.

- Philip Cosores

46.

Sharon Van Etten

Epic

[Ba Da Bing]

Epic, but with a small ‘e’–that’s how Sharon Van Etten jokingly described her 2010 album Epic during a September performance at Atlanta’s 529. All kidding aside, her tongue-in-cheek summarization not only holds true for this gorgeous, melancholic showcase of these seven heartrending tracks, but also for her growth as a songwriter. More importantly, Sharon Van Etten has created one of the most human albums in a long time, allowing her emotions, thoughts and reflections to paint a stunning and honest masterpiece.

While her quiet conviction stirs with every passing swoon of her voice, the melancholic, minimalist songwriter has expanded her sound on this sophomore effort, recently adding a backing band to accompany her. This decision has brought her music to life from a longing whisper to a quiet roar. With songs like “One Day” and “Save Yourself,” she may never be “Epic” in the anthemic rock sort of way that the word is often associated with, but a small ‘e’ will certainly suffice for this talented singer-songwriter.

- Max Blau

45.

My Chemical Romance

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

[Reprise]

My Chemical Romance ditched the goth Sgt. Pepper’s-influenced afterlife for a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of gunslingers and fast cars. Thematically this is just as over-the- top and bombastic as their previous albums. However, MCR decided to skip the concept this time around and make a more straightforward rock album that’s about letting loose and having fun. Gone are the melodramatic themes of death, lovers and spiritual entities. Danger Days trades all of this for a more upbeat and warm outlook on the music they make. The album seamlessly balances balls to the wall rock tunes with glossy ’80s-influenced pop gems. Whether you prefer MCR’s rock opera era or their early pop punk sound, this album finds a middle ground to satisfy both while making some interesting new steps for the band musically. At this point, fans should expect that they won’t get the same band on every release. Danger Days is no exception, and this is probably the most accessible the band has been without losing their renowned dramatics and bravado.

- Brent Koepp

44.

Owen Pallett

Heartland

[Domino]

It’s really not that hard to see why Owen Pallett ditched the Final Fantasy moniker for his new album. It was a confusing name to begin with, and although the music is the same on its basest levels, (this is classical-influenced indie folk after all) it’s like he’s headed in a whole new direction. While his older songs are impressive in their own right, it’s hard to go back to the Final Fantasy work after hearing Heartland’s lushly produced tracks. Just listen to “The Great Elsewhere”: its stuttering drum patterns and swelling strings are much more fleshed out ideas than something like, say, “Many LIves -> 49 MP.” The latter isn’t a bad song by any means; I still regard it as one of Pallett’s best songwriting efforts. What I mean to say is that Pallett is just all-around improving–improving on what was already great material. It’s extremely cliche at this point to praise an artist for maturing, but that’s what Pallett has done here, and it’s easy to imagine that he’ll just get even better.

- Colin Joyce

43.

Foals

Total Life Forever

[Transgressive]

On the strength of Total Life Forever, it’s time to say that Foals are on the verge of something great. If Antidotes highlighted a band full of potential for a stunning career, Total Life Forever saw Foals not only reach that potential, but exceed it and show a tantalising glimpse of what magic they could put onto disc. Opener “Blue Blood” isn’t the most spectacular or explosive openers, but it has that typical Foals style, giving the listener a comfort zone, softening them for the differences in the remainder of the album. There’s the bright and self-assured “Miami,” which should have been the lead single given the strength of the song. “Spanish Sahara” and “This Orient” are perfect side closers and openers that sound just as good apart as they are listened to back to back on CD/mp-whatever. They’re easily a testament to Foals’ continuing maturity. It’s the second side/half of the album that’s the real triumph, though. There’s enough ambience, melody and heaviness in the last four tracks to keep everybody happy. If Foals keep growing as much as Total Life Forever demonstrated, they could be this generation’s Radiohead.

- Daniel Griffiths

42.

Scuba

Triangulation

[Hotflush]

Riding the London bass waves that have, in part, taken asunder drum & bass’s long-held stranglehold on the legacy of jungle and future music, Scuba returned in 2010 with a followup to 2008’s A Mutual Antipathy without faltering, woozily, and without missteps. Scuba has inherited Burial’s ability to translate dubstep to long form, keeping clear of monotony and the uninspired. He channels Joy Orbison’s house-infused undercurrents, and, to his namesake, delivers interesting dubstep with a subterranean, semi-aqueous bent. Triangulation is no instant-access vehicle; it demands close attention to sound design but delivers complex aesthetic results each time.

- Jason Cook

41.

Spoon

Transference

[Merge]

Transference sees Spoon relinquishing a little of the studio polish that has been a hallmark of their recent albums and producing interesting results. The album does not have as much cohesion as their previous releases but on the other hand it’s interesting to hear the band trying out some new ideas, most of which work. Aside from dabbling in lo-fi (“Before Destruction”) and Beatles-esque pop songwriting (“Goodnight Laura”) the main influence here is certainly Krautrock. Many of the tracks here set themselves into a regular groove and Spoon do what they do best by adding various audio layers to produce interesting musical collages. Spoon’s vocalist Britt Daniel is in an unusually open mood here too, admitting his faults and allowing his desires to be unveiled. It’s an interesting document showing Spoon trying something new here, which they may or may not follow up on their next release.

- Rob Hakimian

50.

Broken Social Scene

“Sweetest Kill”

[Arts & Crafts]

As much attention as Broken Social Scene get for the ecstatic group bliss-outs and supercharged guitar jams, the best moments in their discography are often the quietest. After all, is there really a better BSS song than “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl”? So it follows that on Forgiveness Rock Record, perhaps their poppiest album yet, the best song is one of the most hushed. Over restrained, barely-there guitars, Kevin Drew coos sweet nothings in a surprisingly durable falsetto. It sounds like he’s sending a transmission from a private place. In its humble way, it’s as exciting as this band’s most epic anthems.

- Matthew Lingo

49.

Titus Andronicus

“The Battle Of Hampton Roads”

[XL]

If you were going to knock “The Battle of Hampton Roads,” the easiest target would be its fourteen-minute length, which could be cut in half and be just as affecting. In its favor is the entire vocal half of the song, which contains a wealth of angry-as-hell lyrical gold that will appeal to any level of angst-ridden individuals. Musically, think 12 bar blues: “Johnny 99” “Antichrist Television Blues”–nothing groundbreaking, but nothing not to enjoy. Best line: “Is there a human alive who has looked themselves in the face with winking, or say what they mean without drinking, or believe in something without thinking [...] if someone doesn’t approve. Is there a soul on this earth that isn’t too frightened to move?” But the biggest punch comes with the revelation: “I’m sorry Dad, no, I am not making this up.” As if your son being an artist wasn’t bad enough, he also is fucked up beyond imagination. But who isn’t?

- Philip Cosores

48.

Vampire Weekend

“Giving Up the Gun”

[XL]

Vampire Weekend have proven themselves when it comes to writing pop gems, and they haven’t lost their touch with “Giving Up The Gun.” While the muted guitar adds a quickness to the song, the steady rhythm section keeps the song at a relaxed pace. Short pauses in the song are strategically placed to help emphasize the vocals. Ezra Koenig sings, “Your sword’s grown old and rusty/ Burnt beneath the rising sun/It’s locked up like a trophy/ Forgetting all the things it’s done,” and carries on in nostalgia, remembering how things used to be.

- Nicholas Preciado

47.

Arcade Fire

“We Used to Wait”

[Merge]

When we all first heard “We Used to Wait,” there was almost a general consensus that it was one of the most majestic, powerful songs on The Suburbs. They had to go and ruin this by making it, unquestionably, the most emotionally-loaded song, thanks to the song’s presence in that interactive Google Chrome video which allows you to take a glimpse of your old childhood home. Salty teardrops stained keyboards everywhere. Thanks a lot, guys.

In all seriousness, this is the kind of song that you could set fireworks off to during the soaring choruses or the aggressive finale, and it would make total sense—the song is that damn dynamic. But it’s also the imagery in the lyrics that tugs at your heartstrings, especially for us, a generation that still remembers things like writing letters, but it just feels like a distant memory or a dream.

- Arika Dean

46.

Pantha du Prince

Lay in a Shimmer

[Rough Trade]

Hendrik Weber, the mastermind behind Pantha du Prince, has pieced together a beautiful electronic number. It has ambient qualities, but would not be out of place on the dance floor. Bells and hums come in and out over two different beats, one organic and one electronic. Chimes and blips join the ensemble as the song progresses. Even when the beat momentarily stops near the middle of the track, there is still groove hanging in the air. “Lay in a Shimmer” has plenty of space, but Weber has turned what might otherwise be emptiness into atmosphere.

- Nicholas Preciado

45.

The Walkmen

“Angela Surf City”

[Fat Possum / Bella Union]

The Walkmen create celebratory, exciting surf rock. On “Angela Surf City” the band combine fast-paced guitars with propulsive drum fills typical of the genre, and yet predictable is not a word that can be associated with their performance. The track has a sense of joyous optimism about it, even when the vocal register elevates in volume and the tightly-executed music picks up the pace. It’s taken the Walkmen a while to gain the popularity that they deserve, and yet their sound has never been more fresh or youthful. Lisbon may be a thoroughly enjoyable album, but “Angela Surf City” rightly deserves its place as the winning track, kicking the album off with an irresistible charm all of its own.

- Alex Phillimore

44.

Gorillaz

“On Melancholy Hill”

[Virgin / Parlophone]

Between apocalyptic fables and commentaries on doomsday consumerism, you wouldn’t think there would be space on Plastic Beach for something like “On Melancholy Hill.” If this isn’t the first Gorillaz song that could be succinctly described as pretty, it’s one of a small handful. Fluorescent keyboard notes delicately burst over heaving synths while Damon Albarn forgoes the usual conveyor belt of guest stars and keeps the best track on the album for himself. For a record overflowing with different voices and styles, the guy behind all of them knows when to take centre stage. It’s his strongest vocal performance on the record and proof that even in the post-Blur era he can still craft a great pop hook.

- Brendan Frank

43.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

“Death And Rats”

[PAX AM]

When Ryan Adams announced his retirement from music in January 2009 nobody really expected it to last, and it didn’t. In May 2010 he released his “sci-fi metal concept album” Orion and he soon announced plans to release two previously unreleased albums, Blackhole and Cardinals III/IV. III/IV was recorded during the same sessions that gave birth to 2007’s Easy Tiger and III/IV finally saw the light of day in the final month of 2010. The record is in many ways a better and more accomplished version of Adams’ 2003 album Rock N Roll, and “Death And Rats” is among the more classical Ryan Adams & The Cardinals-sounding tracks on an album mostly filled with power poppy rock ‘n’ roll. The track’s catchy chorus, guitar lines and harmony vocals wouldn’t have seemed too out of place on Cold Roses or Easy Tiger.

- Johan Alm

42.

Foals

“This Orient”

[Transgressive]

“This Orient” forms the second half, or part, of what is arguably the centrepiece of Total Life Forever. If “Spanish Sahara” was representative of Foals’ new found ambient leanings, “This Orient” highlights the band’s ability to still write a melodic and evocative pop song, in their own unique style (see: “Cassius”). It’s odd to think that for a fairly up-tempo song only the drums drive the piece along. The guitars are occupied with Sigur Rós-esque noise, the synths are playing a lovely little eastern-sounding melody that is still quintessentially Foals, while there’s an intricate passage on guitar throughout the verse which is fast becoming Foals’ signature sound. Along with Yannis on vocals, who manages to wrench every note out with as much emotion as possible, you’ve got a killer track from one of 2010’s most exciting bands.

- Daniel Griffiths

41.

Iron & Wine

“Walking Far From Home”

[Warner Bros. / 4AD]

The creativity of Sam Beam knows no bounds. Not content with being a one-man band and acoustic singer-songwriter, “Walking Far From Home” has Iron & Wine conquering pop territory. There are “oooh”s and “aaaah”s coming out from everywhere, electronic beeps and whirrs appearing as the song progresses, with drums also joining in on the action the song grows from its fragile beginnings to a big emotional climax. As always with Iron & Wine, the vocals are beautiful. Simply beautiful. And the best thing about the track? It isn’t from an album already released, it’s the first single from Kiss Each Other Clean due in 2011. So, we get to look forward to this being released again, alongside a whole album full of songs.

- Daniel Griffiths

Album of the Year: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Track of the Year: Cee Lo Green – “Fuck You!”

Music Video of the Year: Kanye West – Runaway

Most Disappointing Album: MGMT – Congratulations

Most Overlooked Album: Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)

Best New Artist: Janelle Monae

Best Live Act: Arcade Fire

Most Anticipated Album of 2011: Radiohead

…for the second year in a row no less.

New Artist to Watch in 2011: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

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The Strokes

Hot Chip

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Al Green

Cults

Empire of the Sun

The Black Angels

Guided By Voices

Mister Heavenly

Passion Pit

OFF!

No Age

Titus Andronicus

Pavement

Phoenix

LCD Soundsystem

Sleigh Bells

My Morning Jacket

Janelle Monae

Panda Bear

The Hold Steady

Ted Leo

Shout Out Louds

Joanna Newsom

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Interpol

Harlem

Perfume Genius

Black Mountain

Warpaint

Sufjan Stevens

Christopher Alverez

She And Him

Robyn

Electric Daisy Carnival

Best Coast

Coachella 2010

Radiohead