2009 Year-End List #2: 10 Favorite EPs

In 2008 I ranked Animal Collective's Water Curses EP as my second favorite release of the year. This was truthful, and in retrospective, it probably was my absolute favorite thing that came out then, but I felt weird about it. This year, I listened to a higher number of EPs, and liked enough of them to make a separate list. Here is that.


(10) Bay of Pigs EP - Destroyer (Merge)
After last year's decent but disappointing Trouble in Dreams, Daniel Bejar comes around again with two incredibly long songs that sound nothing like anything he's ever done before. "Bay of Pigs" is a 13+ minute epic that is subtle, spacious, dancey at moments, and simply gorgeous. It is awesome the whole way through, and is easily the best thing he's done since Destroyer's Rubies. "Ravers" is almost eight minutes of soothing ambiance, and isn't too far off from any of the slow instrumentals from David Bowie's Low.
Top jam: "Bay of Pigs"


(9) Reality EP - Real Estate (Mexican Summer)
Real Estate do the lo-fi thing right. While the Reality EP doesn't even come close to touching their self-titled full length that was released earlier this fall, this baby's still got some sweetness to it. An EP full of slow and moody, yet summery guitar pop. No real standouts, but all the tracks flow and meander nicely. Perhaps a little too nicely.
Top jams: "Basement," "Younger Than Yesterday," "Dumb Luck"


(8) Desktop EP - Desktop (Suburban Sprawl)
Not surprisingly, my buddy (and singer/keyboardist for Detroit's The Pop Project) Zach Curd's voice works perfectly in the context of bangin' electro-pop. Desktop is a collaboration between Curd and fellow Detroit musician Keith Thompson, of The Electric Six and Johnny Headband. Their debut, self-titled EP consists of three dance tracks that fit somewhere between Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, New Order and Junior Boys. Needless to say, it is really fun.
Top jams: "Fired Up," "Too Much"


(7) The Succulent Leftovers EP - The Recital (Suburban Sprawl)
The Recital also hail from Detroit, and The Succulent Leftovers EP compiles their final recordings before their breakup, which occurred earlier this month. I have only followed them since their last release, 2005's Colour Up. While that album is pretty good, I never came around to loving them until now. The Succulent Leftovers EP doesn't sound as good as Colour Up, but I like the songs better. Their brand of quirky, somewhat complex, guitar-oriented indie pop comes across as less awkward and a lot more confident. I wish this had been a full length.
Top jams: "Kid, You're Wrong," "Colony of Windmills," "Drop Those Legs"


(6) High Times EP - Washed Out (Mirror Universe)
If Ernest Greene, the young lad that is Washed Out, can expand his horizons just a little without the quality and integrity of the project suffering, he should be huge. This cassette release features some of the coolest electronic pop I've heard that isn't Daft Punk or Junior Boys. Now, he doesn't sound anything like those two duos, but their are a few similar elements, I guess. Some people may be turned off by the lo-fi spin on his songs (his recordings sound like warped vinyl or tape rips) or the stupid new sub-genre tags of "glo-fi" or "chillwave" or whatever. However, this dude knows his way around smooth, moody, mid-tempo summer pop.
Top jams: "Belong," "Good Luck," "Phone Call," "Olivia"


(5) Leaves in the Gutter EP - Superchunk (Merge)
You probably know who Superchunk is, so I won't go into all the, "90s indie rock flag-bearing, Merge Records owning, long time of not releasing anything new" details. Well, they finally came out with another EP, and it showcases their typical, punk-infused power pop sound. This isn't a bad thing at all. These boys still have it, and I'm glad to hear it. Now when can I expect a new full length?
Top jams: "Learned to Surf," "Screw It Up," "Knock Knock Knock"


(4) Losing Feeling EP - No Age (Sub Pop)
I'm not sure I'll ever fully get No Age. I never listened to Weirdo Rippers, and Nouns had some great moments, and I think I'll like it more when I decide to revisit it. But, this EP is really good and I like the direction they're headed in. They traded in a bit of their punk edge to create more atmosphere, which makes for a really nice, evolved final product. I hope they pick up the tempos just a tiny bit on the next full length, and if that really does happen, No Age could become one of my favorites.
Top jams: "Losing Feeling," "Genie"


(3) Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP - Deerhunter (Kranky/4AD)
Bradford Cox and co. seem to be caring less and less about atmosphere and more about kicking our asses with noisy, distorted pop tunes. On the Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP, there isn't really any fooling around. Three out of the five songs skate by in under three minutes. Most of them stick to a faster, driving beat and are laced with choppy, distorted, only slightly shoegaze-y guitars. Microcastle is still Deerhunter at their best, and with an entire album of this, everything might start to sound the same. Still, this is totally sweet.
Top jams: "Rainwater Cassette Exchange," "Disappearing Ink," "Circulation"


(2) Life of Leisure EP - Washed Out (Mexican Summer)
Washed Out was discovered thanks to the brilliance of his Life of Leisure EP. There are only a few differences, such as here there are less songs, and these songs are longer. But, the one crucial difference is that this is by far the better release from him this year. The songs are less scatterbrained, and even smoother and sexier. There are more standout tracks, as well. "Get Up" and "New Theory" are sweet mid-tempo electronic pop masterpieces, and you can't get much sexier than the fantastic slow jam "Feel It All Around." What a year for this dude.
Top jams: "Get Up," "New Theory," "Feel It All Around," "Lately"


(1) Fall be Kind EP - Animal Collective (Domino)
Oh man, Animal Collective has had quite the year, haven't they? Not only did they release one of the best albums of the decade, they followed it up just under a year later with another fantastic EP. And, somehow, it still sounds like nothing I've ever heard before. Sure, there are some similarities between this and Merriweather Post Pavilion, like plenty of synths and programming and samples and the likes. But, thankfully, they brought back some real, live drumming! Fall be Kind is also darker and even more mysterious. I'm having a hard time trying to explain why exactly so different, though, so you'll just have to trust me. God, I love this band.
Top jams: "Graze," "What Would I Want? Sky," "I Think I Can"

2009 Year-End List #1: 15 Least Favorite Albums

To start things off, I debut what I hope will become a yearly tradition. When Buddyhead was popular, I loved that they had a "worst albums of the year" list. Granted, as fun as those lists were to read, they were incredibly pointless and obvious. This list is based solely on the albums that I listened to. No assumptions, no inclusions of obviously awful radio pop albums. These are albums within the constraints of my taste, that I was disappointed by, wasn't impressed by in the least, or simply LOATHED. This should be fun


(15) It's Frightening - White Rabbits (TBD)
White Rabbits' 2007 debut, Fort Nightly, showed a lot of promise, as did their set opening for Spoon and The Walkmen in the spring of 2008. That record wasn't too unlike the NYC garage-pop of The Strokes and early French Kicks, and the emphasis on percussion made it just a little bit original. My only real qualm was that it was a bit obnoxious in places. This year's It's Frightening is a bit different. You'd think Britt Daniel having a hand in their recording would make the band better, but oh no. The production is nice and all, but dear God, this is especially busy and obnoxious. What I liked about Fort Nightly is nowhere to be found, and the songwriting is just not there. And, why these guys are labelmates with Radiohead is completely beyond me.


(14) I Blame You - Obits (Sub Pop)
Featuring Rick Froberg, formerly of Drive Like Jehu and much more recently Hot Snakes, I was banking on Obits' debut I Blame You to offer up some half-way interesting punk rock. Therein lies the problem: it isn't interesting at all. Instead, it is unfortunately straightforward and there isn't much to it.


(13) High on Jackson Hill - Immaculate Machine (Mint)
Immaculate Machine is a Canadian indie pop band that features A.C. Newman's niece, and that detail is where anything remotely interesting about this band ends. "Thank Me Later" is a very nice tune, but as a whole, High on Jackson Hill is about as bland as it gets.


(12) 200 Million Thousand - Black Lips (Vice)
This, Black Lips' fifth full length, is admittedly the first record of theirs that I've given a chance. It seemed like for awhile they were quite the hype band, until 200 Million Thousand's release, when everyone seemed to stop caring. I completely understand, because it isn't very good. I was hoping for a truly great lo-fi punk record, and instead got one that is mediocre at best. Aside from the album's opener and especially the awesome Clash-esque jam, "Drugs," there is nothing worthwhile here.


(11) The Bachelor - Patrick Wolf (Bloody Chamber/Nylon)
Talk about obnoxious! On The Bachelor, Patrick Wolf sure knows how to be annoyingly dramatic, loud and in your face. I won't deny that he is an incredibly talented and unique artist, but who cares when his stuff is this unbearable?


(10) Tea Tornado - Marmoset (Joyful Noise)
Here is an ugly, difficult record. The long-standing, ex-Secretly Canadian band excel at creating space, but suck at including any beauty whatsoever. Marmoset's latest, Tea Tornado, offers shitty production, shittier melodies and a heap of other bullshit that is completely unmemorable.


(9) The Crying Light - Antony and the Johnsons (Secretly Canadian)
This guy freaks me out to no end. Antony ruled on last year's self-titled disco/house effort from Hercules and Love Affair, then finally followed up 2005's critically acclaimed I Am a Bird Now with this snoozer of a creepfest. There's nothing offensive or anything about The Crying Light, except that some of its sounds are unsettling and it is tremendously boring. Also, as with a good number of these albums, there is way too much drama.


(8) Change Remains - Starlight Mints (Barsuk)
Here is yet another incredibly obnoxious, piece of shit record. My main man Travis put a fantastic Starlight Mints song on a mix for me back in the fall of 2006, but everything else I've heard from the band (which, honestly, is only this) has been awful. On paper, Change Remains sounds good: synth-heavy, psychedelic pop. Unfortunately, not everything works out that way.


(7) Skin of Evil - Blackout Beach (Soft Abuse)
While Skin of Evil is one of my favorite album titles of the year, and its closer, "Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982," is eerily beautiful, I could have done without it. Blackout Beach is the solo project of Frog Eyes' and Swan Lake's Carey Mercer. It really is a terrifying and even disgusting listen. I never care to get inside Mercer's head like this again. Way too stripped down and intimate.

(6) Outer South - Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (Merge)
I never wanted to like Conor Oberst, but then 2005 happened and I easily fell in love with both Bright Eyes albums that were released that year (the gorgeous country-folk of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and the wonderfully disturbed pop of Digital Ash in a Digital Urn). Luckily for me, after both of those, he decided to go right on back to sucking and he hasn't looked back since. This time he decided to invite a few other dudes to collaborate on some songs, and it just so happens that they are his worst. Merge, you can do so much better than this idiot.


(5) Tonight - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
Just in case you didn't already know, I am pretty smart. I interpreted the promise of a new, long-awaited Franz Ferdinand as a shitty lost cause, and that's exactly what it is. I am not surprised at all. This is pure poppy dance-rock bullshit, with the exception of "Send Him Away," which is actually a pretty neat jam. Domino, please lose these assholes.


(4) The Planets Are Blasted - Boston Spaceships (Guided by Voices)
Boston Spaceships is the newest project of ex-Guided by Voices' mastermind Robert Pollard. So, of course one would be excited about this, ya know? And, keeping in mind how frequently GBV released, and how many songs were recorded, I figured that Boston Spaceships could potentially produce with a similar success. Nope. Three full lengths in (The Planets Are Blasted being the second), and this band is recording some of the safest and most bland indie rock around. No thank you.


(3) Hymn to the Immortal Wind - Mono (Temporary Residence)
I HATE post-rock, and this is the worst of it. Granted, Hymn to the Immortal Wind is the first record of Mono's that I decided to try (not really sure why, now). This is post-rock with elephentitis, chock full of quiet moments that always eventually swell into these corny, grand moments. This is incredibly boring and offensively dramatic. It really sucks.


(2) The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists (Capitol)
UGH. Colin Meloy, I am so sick of your literate, pretentious whine. I admit, I was once a fan of The Decemberists, but you have taken this WAY TOO FAR. You wanna do a rock opera? Okay, fine. Just, be sure to expect to turn off a shit ton of your fans. You can stop making music now. Please.


(1) Wavvves - Wavves (Fat Possum)
Here it is! My least favorite album of the year! It sucks! The trend of lo-fi, punk-infused indie rock has really come to a head over the past two years, and Nathan Williams' Wavves project contributed immensely to that. Too bad his songs are terrible! Well, actually, and I hate to admit this, but his first record had one or two jams, and "No Hope Kids" is the lone highlight from this one. I don't know, maybe a lot of it has to do with how incredibly shitty these recordings are. Regardless, I loathe Wavvves, and I can't wait for the hype to swallow him whole. It doesn't help that this guy seems like a total douchebag.

2009 Year-End Lists: An Introduction

The time has come, and though I'm not completely ready, I'm going to go ahead and get started.

Any posts through the rest of the year (and unfortunately possibly into the first part of January, if I don't get my ass in gear) will be pertaining to the best (and one post to the worst) of 2009.

I listened to 195 releases this year: mostly full-lengths, a decent number of EPs and a handful of 7"s. I blame it on not having a job for exactly half of the year. The result of this is more lists and inclusions on lists than I thought I would ever do. There is also one segment from last year that I am omitting. Gone is the best songs by local artists list that I had so much fun doing last year, mainly because there weren't as many impressive releases from Michigan artists. New to this year are my least favorite albums and favorite EPs lists.

I'm not sure how rapidly I'll be posting these, but here's the loose schedule:

Part 1: 15 Least Favorite Albums of 2009
Part 2: 10 Favorite EPs of 2009
Part 3: Honorable Mention Songs of 2009
Part 4: Favorite Songs of 2009 #100-61
Part 5: Favorite Songs of 2009 #60-41
Part 6: Favorite Songs of 2009 #40-21
Part 7: Favorite Songs of 2009 #20-1
Part 8: Honorable Mention Albums of 2009
Part 9: Favorite Albums of 2009 #40-21
Part 10: Favorite Albums of 2009 #20-1

I'm surprised that I was able to come up with a list of 100 songs that I absolutely loved, but like I said, I had a lot of time to digest music this year.

Also, with the top 60 songs and top 40 albums lists, I hopefully will be providing 20 song mixes to download with each of the posts.

Lastly, I apologize ahead of time for this being so overwhelming. I hope that these will somehow be half as enjoyable to read as they were to write.

Twitter Review Session #9

The final Twitter review session of the year! I'll pick it up again as soon as I get around to listening to next year's releases. Until then, hopefully all can enjoy my year-end music posts, which should begin by the end of this week.

(181) Seek Magic - Memory Tapes (Sincerely Yours/Acephale/Something in Construction)
"Glo-fi." Stupid name for a new subgenre of lo-fi electronic pop. I dig it though, and this dude's voice rules. (6.5/10)

(182) Chez Viking - The Mercury Program (Lovitt)
A post-rock-ish album that actually is good! These jazzy instrumentalists have pretty much always ruled. (6.5/10)

(183) Psychic Chasms - Neon Indian (Lefse)
The best of this "glo-fi" stuff, for sure. This kid is brilliant. Three of my fav songs of 2009 are right here. (8/10)

(184) Received Pronunciation - Pants Yell! (Slumberland)
Very smart and subtle guitar pop. Cool hooks, structures, and plenty of slight twists thrown in for good measure. (8/10)

(185) In Prism - Polvo (Merge)
Technical, a little sludgy at times, lots of texture. In other words, math rock, and a pretty solid record at that. (6.5/10)

(186) Threadbare - Port O'Brien (TBD)
Folky indie pop that doesn't really do much for me. Some moments late on are nice, but that's about it. (5.5/10)

(187) Intuit - Ramona Falls (Barsuk)
Another Menomena side-project of trippy pop songs, only this one isn't really anything special. (6/10)

(188) Real Estate - Real Estate (Woodsist)
Moody, yet summery, shimmering guitar pop. These dudes sound bored, but they rule. Best of the lo-fi this year. (8.5/10)

(189) Reality EP - Real Estate (Mexican Summer)
More chimey, lo-fi guitar pop goodness, only even slower and a little more boring. Keep it up, boys. (7.5/10)

(190) The Succulent Leftovers EP - The Recital (Suburban Sprawl)
Final release from one of Detroit's finest indie pop bands. Fairly complex, fun and flawed in the right ways. (7.5/10)

(191) Know Better Learn Faster - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (Kill Rock Stars)
Not as great as last year's under-appreciated indie pop gem, but still fairly wonderful. (7/10)

(192) Forget the Night Ahead - The Twilight Sad (Fat Cat)
Dynamic, Scottish shoegaze rock. Tight, succinct songs that are very dark and get impressively loud. (6.5/10)

(193) Life of Leisure EP - Washed Out (Mexican Summer)
Beautiful, mid-tempo, lo-fi electronic pop. Yes, "glo-fi" if you will, I guess. Damn awesome. (8/10)

(194) High Times EP - Washed Out (Mirror Universe)
More boring and not as memorable as the first EP, but still some sweet lo-fi synth pop goodness. (7.5/10)

Twitter Review Session #8

(161) The XX - The XX (Young Turks)
Subtle, new wavey electronic pop. All the rage now it seems, it's just that I didn't give a shit at all. (5.5/10)

(162) It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Interscope)
They're finally back with another decent album with a few great jams. Was surprised by the electronic spin. (7/10)

(163) Popular Songs - Yo La Tengo (Matador)
New Jersey's best dudes and gal offer another fantastic pop album that sounds like the best mix tape imaginable. (8.5/10)

(164) Taxis - Zoos of Berlin (self-released)
Probs my favorite Detroit album of all time. Original, professional, soulful, beautiful. Well worth the wait. (9/10)

(165) Fall be Kind EP - Animal Collective (Domino)
Keeping up their tradition of releasing awesome EPs after their albums. How can this band be so good? (8.5/10)

(166) Logos - Atlas Sound (Kranky)
At first underwhelming, this is a grower of a bedroom pop record. "Walkabout" is one of the best songs of 2009. (8/10)

(167) Beast Rest Forth Mouth - Bear in Heaven (Hometapes)
A truly innovative mix of freaky electronics and dark pop. Unfortch, that sounds better than it actually is. (5.5/10)

(168) There is No Enemy - Built to Spill (Warner Bros.)
Jammy, guitar-centric indie rock, duh. This just happens to be BTS's best since Keep It Like a Secret. (7.5/10)

(169) Phrazes for the Young - Julian Casablancas (RCA)
Strokes front-man comes out of hiding with surprisingly electronic pop album. Not too shabby at all. (6/10)

(170) Split 7" - Child Bite/Big Bear (Joyful Noise)
Two peas in a pod: weird, artsy, complex punk. The CB song isn't as good as the one on the previous 7". (6/10)

(171) Love is a Wave 7" - Crystal Stilts (Slumberland)
Hip, lo-fi post-punk band releases one of the best songs of the year with a pretty great b-side. (8/10)

(172) Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones (Anti-)
Ryan Gosling's surprisingly charming indie/folk project. Not so surprising that he's a much better actor. (5/10)

(173) Landscapes - Ducktails (Olde English Spelling Bee)
More weird, meandering, ambient, druggy stuff from Real Estate dude. Challenging, pretty, eventually boring. (6/10)

(174) Embryonic - The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros.)
Not even close to the Lips record I was hoping for. Surprisingly dark and somehow different for them. (7.5/10)

(175) Grey-Eyed Girls - The Fresh & Onlys (Woodsist)
Second 2009 LP from these Cali lo-fi psych-rockers. Not as good as the self-titled, but still solid. (7/10)

(176) Stills EP - God Help the Girl (Matador)
Follow-up to a wonderful full-length, twee-popra released earlier in 2009. Unfortch, not as memorable. (6/10)

(177) Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic (Western Vinyl)
Wonderful, organic, experimental folk not too far off from earlier Grizzly Bear. Some true jams here. (7.5/10)

(178) House of Horror 3: More Songs About Hauntings and Ghouls - Alec Jensen & Matt Bezdek (self-released)
Their fun, annual Halloween themed pop album. For how quickly it's put together, this is great. (7/10)

(179) Declaration of Dependence - Kings of Convenience (EMI)
Truly great sparse, poppy folk duo. The modern time's Simon & Garfunkel, perhaps? The best harmonies! (8/10)

(180) Let's Build a Roof - Lake (K)
Fantastic lo-fi-ish indie pop from K Records band. Probably surprise of the year. Seriously, this is really good. (8.5/10)

New Favorite Song #4: Dreams

Whoo boy, what a song. Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," featured on the insanely popular, 1977 almost-masterpiece Rumours, was my jam of the summer. That feels like a long time ago, but I am still losing my shit over it. So much so, that I couldn't resist singing it the last two times I went to karaoke at the Elbow Room.

There is so much that makes the song incredible. For starters, Mick Fleetwood's drumming here is some of the tightest I have ever heard. His performance on it deserves a post all to its own. The beat is as simple as they come, but the groove is so smooth. And he pulls off these quick, subtle fills that are right up my alley.

To be honest, the drumming might just be my favorite thing about "Dreams." But that's not where the brilliance of it ends. Stevie Nicks' sultry voice is a nice touch and the complex vocal melody fits with the chord progression (which also is fantastic) very nicely. The icing on the cake is the chorus when those harmonies come soaring in. Add the lyrical depth (I'm assuming, like most of the album, the song is strongly influenced by the relational turmoil that was taking place within the band members' intertwined love lives), and we've got one of the greatest pop songs of all time.

Why don't you listen for yourself?

Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

Emotional Listening #4

Good god, it has been a long time since I have done one of these posts. I'm trying, guys, to get my blogging ass back in top notch gear. This Emotional Listening segment seems to follow the them of 90s indie rock. Anyway, here goes...


In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (Merge, 1998)
Here is a record that took me a long time to even care about in the slightest. I always heard about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea being a pure classic, if not one of the greatest indie rock albums of all time (though the rock is few and far between here). When I finally decided to give it a chance about five years ago, I was disgusted. Not really, but I LOATHED Jeff Mangum's voice. And, since I hardly ever pay attention to lyrics, I didn't understand the claims that he was this genius. Now, many moons and several tries later, I sort of get it. Mangum's voice still makes me cringe at times, and I still feel a little underwhelmed by the record as a whole. But, there are some really great moments, the best being "Holland, 1945." What an incredibly gnarly song, am I right? The untitled instrumental track is also great. If only the rest of the record was along those lines. A lot of the soft moments lose me, but don't get me wrong, there are some choice ones. Overall, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a decent lo-fi, folky chamber pop album. I don't think it's the best of the 90s or anything like that, though.
Top jams: "King of Carrot Pt. 1," "Two-Headed Boy," "Holland, 1945," "Oh Comely," "(untitled)," "Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2"


Slanted and Enchanted - Pavement (Matador, 1992)
It blows my mind that in some circles, Slanted and Enchanted is considered THE Pavement album of all Pavement albums. It's good, I'm not going to argue that. But, the best? Really? It's completely uneven, sounds like shit (of course, I know that's cool now, but it is difficult in this case), and every other album is better, by a lot. "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17" and "Perfume-V" are all awesome, however. And, I do enjoy the punk edge that is missing from their four other albums. Like I said earlier, it is just crazy to me that there are people out there who consider this better than anything else the band has done. You people are nuts.
Top jams: "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17," "Loretta's Scars," "Here," "Perfume-V"


Wowee Zowee! - Pavement (Matador, 1995)
First and foremost, I shall thank my boy, band mate and fellow blogger Alec Jensen for the gift of the original version of Wowee Zowee! about two years ago. My first thoughts about Pavement's third and probably most bizarre album were that it was overwhelming and a conundrum. On first listen, I didn't think there were any memorable songs at all. I know, I was a complete idiot, because after spending some time with it much more recently, I realize it is brilliant. It's still a bit overwhelming, with a whopping 18 songs. And I don't love all of it, only about half of it. But as an album, it is a doozy. It fits in perfectly between the badass slackery of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and the more polished (but in my opinion equally as brilliant) Brighten the Corners. The best songs here ("Rattled by the Rush," "Grave Architecture," "Kennel District," "Pueblo") are easily on par with the best on the other two mentioned, as well as Terror Twilight. I definitely get bored in places, but the challenge of getting through those moments is worth it to hear the highlights. This band was ridiculous.
Top jams: "Rattled by the Rush," "Black Out," "Grounded," "Best Friend's Arm," "Grave Architecture," "AT&T," "Kennel District," "Pueblo"


Pinback - Pinback (Ace Fu, 1999)
I am not surprised at all that I fell in love with this, Pinback's debut. Rising out of the ashes of Three Mile Pilot, it sounds like early Death Cab for Cutie before early Death Cab for Cutie sounded like early Death Cab for Cutie. I guess this is a bit more cyclical, robotic and sounds much less emotionally charged. The guitar tones and melodies are there, though. And boy are those melodies there, in the best way. It's all about the contrast between the dire tone of the songs, those wonderful, chimey guitar lines, the bland and lifeless drum beats and the incredibly catchy and especially awesome melodies. "Crutch" is the prime example of this. I'm not sure why I don't listen to this more.
Top jams: "Tripoli," "Chaos Engine," "Shag," "Crutch," "Lyon," "Montaigne"

Twitter Review Session #7

(142) Creaturesque - Throw Me the Statue (Secretly Canadian)
Nice and sort of interesting but pretty boring pop blah blah blah you've heard this from me before. (6/10)

(143) Beacons of Ancestorship - Tortoise (Thrill Jockey)
Spastic, unique instrumentals, sure. A lot of people love Tortoise, and I just don't get it with their 2009 album. (5.5/10)

(144) Bird-Brains - Tune-Yards (Marriage)
Very simple, sparse and rhythmic experimental folk that offers interesting vocals and not much else. (5/10)

(145) Romanian Names - John Vanderslice (Dead Oceans)
Pretty and impeccably produced indie pop story songs. His best since 2004's Cellar Door. (7/10)

(146) Dark Was the Night - various artists (4AD)
Pretty good benefit comp, huh? Dirty Projectors, Books/Jose Gonzalez and Riceboy Sleeps songs are best. (6.5/10)

(147) Warm Heart of Africa - The Very Best (Green Owl)
Fun and feel-good and interesting and all that, yes, but the no holding back is a little too joyous here. (5.5/10)

(148) Tight Knit - Vetiver (Sub Pop)
Gorgeous, simple folk pop with really nice instrumentation. This came out of nowhere for me. (8/10)

(149) Rose City - Viva Voce (Barsuk)
Husband/wife duo expand to include others and the result is a unique and pretty badass indie pop record. (7.5/10)

(150) Everything Goes Wrong - Vivian Girls (In the Red)
I believe all the hype, now. These girls know how to make some really good, catchy, messy and badass punk rock. (8/10)

(151) Unmap - Volcano Choir (Jagjaguwar)
Bon Iver/Collections of Colonies of Bees collab that features beautiful layers and cool, subtle rhythms. (7/10)

(152) Wavvves - Wavves (Fat Possum)
I can't deny that I've gotten into this lo-fi stuff that is so trendy now, but aside from one song, this is shit. (2.5/10)

(153) It's Frightening - White Rabbits (TBD)
Britt Daniel-produced obnoxious New York pop/rock. Just a tad bit less than mediocre. (4.5/10)

(154) Rules - The Whitest Boy Alive (Bubbles)
Smooth, soulful, subtle, dancey, jangly project from Kings of Convenience dude. Pretty good! (6/10)

(155) Eskimo Snow - Why? (Anticon)
A slower, even moodier direction for Yoni Wolf and co. Pretty stuff, but I miss the hip hop rhyme schemes and groove. (7/10)

(156) Wilco (The Album) - Wilco (Nonesuch)
So much better than 2007's Sky Blue Sky. "Wilco (The Song)" is one of the absolute best of the year. (7.5/10)

(157) The Bachelor - Patrick Wolf (Bloody Chamber/Nylon)
All over the place, and pretty fascinating in places, but I can't take the overwhelming obnoxiousness at all. (4/10)

(158) Magnolia - The Wooden Birds (Barsuk)
American Analog Set's Andrew Kenny's new band, which sounds like acoustic AmAnSet. Mellow and v. pretty. (6.5/10)

(159) Songs of Shame - Woods (Woodsist)
Quirky, lo-fi indie pop on their own Woodsist label that is so popular these days. My expectations weren't quite met. (6/10)

(160) How I Became Illustrated - The Word Play (Suburban Sprawl)
My boys finally came out with an album and I'm finally writing about it. Best jagged 90s indie rock around. (8.5/10)

Twitter Review Session #6

(118) The Visitor - Jim O'Rourke (Drag City)
One almost 40 minute long track. Truly gorgeous. Easy to get lost in, and unfortunately distracted. (6.5/10)

(119) Junior - Royksopp (Astralwerks)
Solid, fun, catchy and dancey electronic pop. Not the best, but there are several JAMS. (6.5/10)

(120) Mandala - Rx Bandits (Sargent House)
An interesting and loud take on The Police and The Clash's dub-inspired pop. Impressive skills, gets monotonous. (6.5/10)

(121) Oohs & Aahs - Say Hi (Barsuk)
Nice, lame, boring, unoffensive indie pop. I have no other words to describe the way I feel about this. (5.5/10)

(122) Bonfires on the Heath - The Clientele (Merge)
Beautiful, moody slow to mid-tempo 60s pop. It's about time I'm not bored by these guys! (7/10)

(123) New Leaves - Owen (Polyvinyl)
Fifth Owen LP is the same ol' same ol', and even cornier than normal, but boy is it gorgeous. (6.5/10)

(124) Other Truths - Do Make Say Think (Constellation)
As much as I hate the genre, not a bad post-rock album. Not nearly as good as the last one, though. (6/10)

(125) Higher Than the Stars EP - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
Four more songs in the vein of their s/t full length plus a remix. Just fine. (6.5/10)

(126) Old Patterns - Alan Scheurman (self-released)
Late 2008 album of spacey, psychedelic folk from ex-singer of Rescue. Recorded w/Warren Defever. Totes good. (6.5/10)

(127) Let Go EP - The Silent Years (Side Cho)
Detroit indie pop darlings and their latest EP of spacey rock ala The Bends meets late SDRE.The goods! (6.5/10)

(128) The Loud Wars - So Many Dynamos (Vagrant)
Poppier, emo-ier version of The Dismemberment Plan's Vagrant debut. Flashlights was better, but still good. (7/10)

(129) Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk (Shangri-La)
Mediocre as shit "all-star" band featuring James, Mogis, Oberst and Ward. Getting real sick of these guys. (5.5/10)

(130) The Eternal - Sonic Youth (Matador)
Obviously a so-so album for Sonic Youth. Is my cred completely shot since I can't seem to care about them? (5.5/10)

(131) Got Nuffin' EP - Spoon (Merge)
A nice thought between Ga x 5 and the next record, but nowhere near as good as Spoon usual is. (5.5/10)

(132) Change Remains - Starlight Mints (Barsuk)
Corny, obnoxious, electro-indie pop. Not my bag at all, no thank you. (4/10)

(133) Vapours - Islands (Anti-)
Listening to Islands just makes me miss The Unicorns. Nick Thorburn has just come to be a little too serious for me. (6.5/10)

(134) The BQE - Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty)
Suf, please stop the epic, over-orchestrated sidetracks, and please get back to weird, beautiful folk records. (5/10)

(135) Actor - St. Vincent (4AD)
What a babe, right? Annie Clark also happened to release one of the better, more innovative pop albums of 2009. (8/10)

(136) Dragonslayer - Sunset Rubdown (Jagjaguwar)
Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug's other project, which sounds like his Wolf Parade songs. Best from them (SR) yet. (7.5/10)

(137) Leaves in the Gutter EP - Superchunk (Merge)
Great power/pop/punk from one of the longest lasting bands in indie rock. Release a full length already! (7.5/10)

(138) Dark Days/Light Years - Super Furry Animals (Rough Trade)
Truly fantastic and versatile psychedelic pop. Stupid that this is the first time I've tried 'em out. (8.5/10)

(139) Enemy Mine - Swan Lake (Jagjaguwar)
Creepy-ass Bejar/Krug/Mercer supergroup. Pretty fascinating at times, but mostly pretty boring. (6/10)

(140) The Atlantic Ocean - Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian)
Fun, beautiful, weird piano pop not too unlike Randy Newman, and much better than Ben Folds has become. (8/10)

(141) Now We Can See - The Thermals (Kill Rock Stars)
For some reason I've always thought I disliked this band. Turns out, they do some solid pop punk here. (7/10)

New Favorite Song #3: King of Pain

My real, passionate blogging has been absent of late, and I truly regret this. I have a ton of entries all pent up that I'd like to share. It is just taking forever getting to them, in spite of having SO much time on my hands. This is one of those entries.

Now, I don't really know if it's cool to like The Police any more, or if it even ever was, or if it is incredibly uncool. Regardless, I love 'em, and this has always been my favorite song of theirs. I recently (as in several months ago) decided it is one of my favorite songs of all time.

"King of Pain," from 1983's Synchronicity, balances on the line of nice deep cut and obvious single material. The melody is not only catchy, it is simply a very high quality one. There are some cheesy elements, like the fake marimba sounds and the obvious, popular 80s production.

However, there are some nice, a-typical (for The Police) characteristics of the song that make it stand out to me. For one, Stewart Copeland doesn't wail, and his usual reggae beat doesn't really lurk its head around the song at all. I sort of like the way his snare drum sounds here, too. Andy Summer's guitar isn't really in your face at all, either. Also, the song is quite long and uncomplicated. It's a nice, moody, mid-tempo 80s pop song. There's nothing obnoxious at all, which I think sometimes is the band's downfall. So that is good.

The biggest reason "King of Pain" rules so hard though is that melody and the harmony that goes over it during the choruses. Whoo boy, gives me goosebumps. Is that weird? I don't care. Enjoy if you wish.

PS Please notice how awesome they look in that photograph.

Twitter Review Session #5

(99) Hold Time - M. Ward (Merge)
Never been a HUGE fan, and the album has its low points, but good Lord, there are some absolute JAMS here. (6.5/10)

(100) Losing Feeling EP - No Age (Sub Pop)
Less punk rock and faster tempos and more ambience and meandering. This makes me excited for what they do next. (8/10)

(101) Invisible Cities - Nomo (Ubiquity)
One of the most impressive live groups I've ever seen, but their afrobeat instrumentals lose something on record. (6/10)

(102) Apple's Acre - Nurses (Dead Oceans)
Freakish folk pop that's kind of interesting but really not that much. Not offensive by any means, but also not great. (6/10)

(103) Outer South - Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band (Merge)
Ugh. I am so tired of this guy and his cohorts. (3.5/10)

(104) I Blame You - Obits (Sub Pop)
Ex-Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypt. Not far off from what you'd expect, except that it's mediocre. (4.5/10)

(105) Mecca - Office (Quack!)
Really great pop record with impeccable production. Helps that it's catchy as all get out. (7.5/10)

(106) The Seaside EP - Owen (Polyvinyl)
Typically gorgeous, but this brings nothing new to the table and even rehashes some older songs. Lame. (6/10)

(107) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland)
Great, cute, noisy indie pop not far off from early My Bloody Valentine and The Smiths. (7.5/10)

(108) You Can Have What You Want - Papercuts (Gnomonsong)
Really pretty, sad, slow to mid-tempo pop tunes. A more organ-driven version of late-60s psychadelic pop, I guess. (7.5/10)

(109) Manners - Passion Pit (Columbia/Frenchkiss)
Defs obnoxious as hell, but underneath are some really great, huge, dancey electro-pop gems. (6.5/10)

(110) Living Thing - Peter Bjorn and John (Witchita/Almost Gold)
Not nearly as bad as I first thought, but still no good by any means. Three sweet jams, though. (5.5/10)

(111) The Phenominal Handclap Band - The Phenominal Handclap Band (Friendly Fire)
An interesting mix of 70s psychedelic prog and funk. First didn't give two shits. Now I dig. (6.5/10)

(112) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix (Glassnote)
Best straight up pop record I've heard in a while. This record has it all: melodies, awes productch, SONGS. FANTAST. (8.5/10)

(113) Everybody Come Outside! - Pomegranates (Lujo)
These boys have matured and released a nice, spacey indie pop album that's surprisingly original. (7/10)

(114) Blessed Be, Yours Truly in Spirit & Soul EP - Prussia (Common Cloud)
The local Detroit scene's recent darlings whom I just can't get entirely into. Dark, lo-fi, reverby pop, one awes song. (6/10)

(115) Between Noise and the Indians - Push-Pull (Joyful Noise)
Equal parts zany, geeky and badass punk rock with insane time signature and rhythm trickery. Not amazing, but FUN. (6/10)

(116) Album - Girls (True Panther)
Not as good as I was hoping after all the Pitchfork hype, but still a solid and fairly interesting pop album. (6.5/10)

(117) The Life of the World to Come - The Mountain Goats (4AD)
I've never given a shit about John Darnielle, always assumed I hated him, but this is a really nice album. (7/10)

Fall 2009 Mix

Fall is my favorite season, and since 2006, I have compiled a mix CD to celebrate said season every year. It started mostly with tracks showcasing the acoustic guitar and orchestrated string sections. I have since grown to be able to capture the mood of autumn with a more diverse group of songs (at least, in my opinion).

This year, I have decided to share my fall mix. You can download it as a zip via Mediafire HERE.

And, here is the tracklist:

1. "Pancho Villa" Sun Kil Moon
2. "Our Way to Fall" Yo La Tengo
3. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)" The Byrds
4. "Kid A" Radiohead
5. "Grass" XTC
6. "Two Doves" Dirty Projectors
7. "The Killing Moon" Echo & the Bunnymen
8. "Cold Wind" Arcade Fire
9. "Some Strange Rain" Cotton Jones
10. "Kingston" Field Music
11. "Never Been Born" Owen
12. "Easier" Grizzly Bear
13. "Jennifer and Julia" The Clientele
14. "Jim Cain" Bill Callahan
15. "Ancient Questions" Mount Eerie
16. "Family of Others" Deerhoof
17. "Never Going Back Again" Fleetwood Mac
18. "Which Will" Nick Drake
19. "Somebody That I Used to Know" Elliott Smith
20. "Aaron & Maria" The American Analog Set
21. "Willow Tree" Chad VanGaalen
22. "The Model" Belle & Sebastian

Enjoy!

Cursive/The Love Language/Javelins @ The Pike Room, 7/28/09

Remember the band Cursive? Believe it or not, they still exist and release a new record about every three years. This has been one of those years, and they happen to be one of what seems like only a handful of bands that consistently play in Michigan when the time comes.

This past summer, Pontiac, Michigan was graced with the presence of Omaha, Nebraska’s greatest outlet of righteous anger.

This night really was an interesting concert experience, especially when Detroit-area show attendance is unpredictable, and usually not all that good. By the time my buddies Javelins took the stage as local openers, the Pike Room was packed. Granted, this was billed as a “rare small room appearance” for Cursive, but there being 200+ kids in attendance by 9:15 PM already made this a special evening.

Javelins played one of the better sets I had seen from them in a while. Not that their sets have been lacking lately, it’s just that this one was especially tight. I will admit that I’m getting a little antsy for some new material, but when the arty, dreamy and shoegazey post-punk pop of last year’s masterpiece, Heavy Meadows, is done this tightly, it is a pleasure to experience. And a Javelins show is not a Javelins show unless they close with the title track, which was one of the best songs of 2008.

I knew absolutely nothing about The Love Language going into the night, and after passively listening to them while chatting with some friends, I understood why. They were incredibly bland and uninteresting. I’ll leave it at that.

Without question, Cursive were the highlight of the night. I was shocked at how good their set was. Hearing songs from the new record, Mama, I’m Swollen, in a live setting completely won me over. I was bummed they didn’t play opener “In the Now,” one of my favorite songs of this year, but aside from that they made some solid choices from it.

Aside from the new stuff, the band did a great job of spreading the rest of their setlist around, performing tracks from 2006’s Happy Hollow, The Ugly Organ (2003), the Burst and Bloom EP (2001), and yes even their classic, Domestica, which dates all the back to 2000. It was fantastic to see them play gems like “Some Red Handed Slight of Hand,” “Art is Hard” and “The Recluse” from The Ugly Organ, and it was especially awesome to experience Burst and Bloom’s leadoff track, “Sink to the Beat” as part of an encore again.

However, it was the surprising amount of material Cursive played from Domestica that was the highest of highlights. I had only seen them twice before this, and both times in 2003 at the Majestic Theater, and had never seen them perform “The Game of Who Needs Who the Worst,” but boy did they deliver the goods this time. “The Radiator Hums” and “The Martyr” were completely badass, especially thanks to the group of friends and other random attendees in close proximity and I shouting along to the lyrics.

This was one of the most enjoyable shows I had been to in quite some time. Between the number of people I knew there, the body count in general and the whole reason we were there, it was a grand night to remember. I am overjoyed that Cursive still have it in them to put on an intense and emotionally charged as well as incredibly entertaining performance. It helps that they are still releasing great music.

Twitter Review Session #4

(57) Technicolor Health - Harlem Shakes (Gigantic)
Zany indie pop somewhere in the realm of Born Ruffians, but nowhere near as good. Opening track is awes, tho. (5.5/10)

(58) Slight Fountain - Hermit Thrushes (Joyful Noise)
Deadpan mathy folk rock? Some neat ideas rhythmically, but really quite boring. (6/10)

(59) Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship - Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship (Romantic Air)
Trippy song experiments by Zoos of Berlins' Trev + LTD (ex-Pas/Cal). Eerie and rhythm-heavy. (7.5/10)

(60) Assemble - Hi Red Center (Joyful Noise)
Very technical, all-over-the-place, sorta emo-y indie pop. Maybs like a more accessible Deerhoof? Pretty great. (7.5/10)

(61) Dark Dark Woods - Husband & Wife (Crossroads of America)
Bloomington, IN buds play dark, pretty slowcore with a Pedro the Lion-esque pop sensibility. (7/10)

(62) Here//There - Ilad (Syjip)
Imagine if Radiohead, old Wilco, and Tortoise had a child together. Eerie stuff with an awesome groove. Talented group. (6.5/10)

(63) High on Jackson Hill - Immaculate Machine (Mint)
Mediocre power pop from New Pornographers girl plus some people. Really bland and boring. (4.5/10)

(64) I Was a King - I Was a King (Control Group)
Pretty standard, noisy pop/rock. Not bad, but nothing remotely special by any means. (5/10)

(65) Post-Nothing - Japandroids (Polyvinyl)
Another loud, noisy, mediocre rock 'n' roll band. Cool guitar stuff, but whatever. Could use some bass, defs. (5.5/10)

(66) Watch Me Fall - Jay Reatard (Matador)
Really good, surprisingly somewhat diverse pop punk. I really like this record quite a bit. (8/10)

(67) Flowers - Joan of Arc (Polyvinyl)
Tim Kinsella and peeps do their usual, odd but emo-y thing, and it is bizarre and decent like always. (6/10)

(68) Begone Dull Care - Junior Boys (Domino)
Subtle, smooth 'n' sexy synth pop with some nice blip-bloopin' from these two Canadian dudes. This record RULES. (8.5/10)

(69) Tragic Boogie - The Life and Times (Arena Rock)
Allen Epley (ex-Shiner) and his latest space rock beast that sounds like Shiner. It's still really good. (7.5/10)

(70) Curse Your Branches - David Bazan (Barsuk)
FKA Pedro the Lion's new full length, and IMO his lyrics are not up to snuff and it is boring. Disappointment. (5.5/10)

(71) Black River Killer EP - Blitzen Trapper (Sub Pop)
B.T. seem to have dropped their sloppiness and are content doing the southern rock thing. Not as into it. (6/10)

(72) by- - Bygones (Sargent House)
Hella's Zach Hill and dude from Tera Melos do a much more melodic version of Hella or Marnie Stern. It kind of rules. (7/10)

(73) Bay of Pigs EP - Destroyer (Merge)
The 13 minute subtle disco epic, "Bay of Pigs" is Bejar's best song in a while. The other song is nice and boring. (7/10)

(74) LP - Discovery (XL)
Ra Ra Riot/Vamp Weekend synth-heavy electronic pop collab. The obnoxiousness outweighs the few good parts there are. (6/10)

(75) Time to Die - The Dodos (Frenchkiss)
Not really expanding too much on their experimental, polyrhythmic folk sound, but somehow they do it better here. (7/10)

(76) I'm Going Away - The Fiery Furnaces (Thrill Jockey)
After a few off albums, The Fiery Furnaces return with this much less overbearing, zany little pop gem. (7/10)

(77) The Ruminant Band - Fruit Bats (Sub Pop)
A really solid pop record, slightly of the psychadelic 60s kind. That's all this is. (7/10)

(78) Aim and Ignite - fun. (Nettwerk)
Really wanted to like this Format/Steel Train/ex-Anathallo collab, but it's a bit too dramatic and the vocals way too nice. (5/10)

(79) Waterparks - Alec Jensen (Phi Slamma Jamma)
My friend and bandmate is a lo-fi pop whiz kid. His latest solo full length is the best thing he's done yet. (8/10)

(80) Survival Strategies in a Modern World - Liechtenstein (Slumberland)
Swedish female trio. Simple, noisy, reverb-y, punk-y indie pop, not too unlike Vivian Girls. But maybs better. (8/10)

(81) Dear John - Loney Dear (Polyvinyl)
Bland and boring pop dude who puts out one good song per record. Shrug. (5.5/10)

(82) The Floodlight Collective - Lotus Plaza (Kranky)
Other Deerhunter dude, Lockett Pundt and his purely shoegaze project. Songs go nowhere, but are full and BEAUT. (7.5/10)

(83) Josephine - Magnolia Electric Co. (Secretly Canadian)
Mostly boring but pretty country rock. I've always wanted to like these dudes but I just can't do it. (6/10)

(84) Tea Tornado - Marmoset (Joyful Noise)
Sparse, sorta noisy, bland indie pop that lacks what most pop bands' strong suit is: MELODY. I don't like this at all. (4/10)

(85) Grand - Matt & Kim (Fader)
I really do not want to like this obnoxious boy/girl/keyboard/drums duo, but there are too many good songs here. (7/10)

(86) The Mountain - Heartless Bastards (Fat Possum)
Fairly loud and ballsy country-tinged rock 'n' roll that actually is quite good. (6.5/10)

(87) Catacombs - Cass McCombs (Domino)
Another record that I really wanted to like this year. Really pretty folk-pop that gets a little bland. (6/10)

(88) No More Stories... - Mew (Columbia)
Spacey indie pop that's way more interesting than I anticipated. I don't love this record, but it pleasantly surprised me. (7/10)

(89) Jewellery - Micachu & the Shapes (Rough Trade)
Short, sweet and noisy A.D.D. pop songs for fans of the likes of Deerhoof and whatnot. Not bad at all. (6.5/10)

(90) (a)spera - Mirah (K)
Orchestrated yet somehow sparse female pop. I was hoping this to be just a wee louder, but it lacks nothing in beauty. (7/10)

(91) No One's First and You're Next EP - Modest Mouse (Epic)
A collection of b-sides from the last few years. Only three songs from the Good News... sessions rule hard. (6/10)

(92) Hymn to the Immortal Wind - Mono (Temporary Residence)
Ugh. Incredibly dramatic, boring as hell instrumental post-rock. Total snoozer. (3/10)

(93) Years of Refusal - Morrissey (Lost Highway)
I don't think I will ever care about Morrissey's solo records. Not that this is bad, it's just nothing special. (6/10)

(94) Wind's Poem - Mount Eerie (P.W. Elverum & Sun)
Lo-fi, noisy experimental folk. I've never been able to get entirely into P. Elverum, and this is still the case. (5.5/10)

(95) Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band (Dead Oceans)
Loud, upbeat, emo-y indie rock with classic rock guitarmonies. Not sure where the hype came from. (5/10)

(96) Desktop 12" EP - Desktop (Suburban Sprawl)
Pop Project/Electric Six collab w/ Zach Curd as MVP. S. Wonder, New Order and Junior Boys as kindred spirits. (7.5/10)

(97) ...And the Ever Expanding Universe - The Most Serene Republic (Arts & Crafts)
Layered, relatively spastic and complex indie pop that is surprisingly good. (7/10)

(98) Get Guilty - A.C. Newman (Merge)
I still really like The New Pornographers for the most part, but in essence, I am so over this dude's bland pop. (5.5/10)

Predictions For Pitchfork's 20 Best Records Of 2000-2009

My best bud Travis (who blogs here) and I spent a couple hours today texting about our predictions for Pitchfork's decade-end albums list finale, which comes tomorrow by way of a top 20. Thanks to this collaboration, we were able to come up with a list of around 16 that we feel somewhat confident about. Being totally stumped after that, and toying around with the idea of a couple others, here is my attempt at filling in the holes and putting these albums in some sort of order. I can't wait to see how wrong I will be come tomorrow morning.

20. The Runners Four - Deerhoof (Kill Rock Stars/5 Rue Christine, 2005)
19. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne (Cash Money, 2008)
18. White Blood Cells - The White Stripes (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2001)
17. Silent Shout - The Knife (Mute/Rabid, 2006)
16. Is This It - The Strokes (RCA, 2001)
15. The Blueprint - Jay-Z (Roc-a-Fella, 2001)
14. Discovery - Daft Punk (Virgin, 2001)
13. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem (EMI/DFA, 2007)
12. Person Pitch - Panda Bear (Paw Tracks, 2007)
11. Illinois - Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)
10. Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros (Smekklyesa, 2000)
9. The Moon and Antarctica - Modest Mouse (Epic, 2000)
8. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective (Domino, 2009)
7. Stankonia - Outkast (La Face, 2000)
6. Turn On the Bright Lights - Interpol (Matador, 2002)
5. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (XL, 2001)
4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco (Nonesuch, 2002)
3. Late Registration - Kanye West (Def Jam/Roc-a-Fella, 2005)
2. Funeral - Arcade Fire (Merge, 2004)
1. Kid A - Radiohead (Capitol, 2000)