
Mixtape: Twelve Highlights from 2012 (Podcast #295) "Best of" lists are intrinsically a tricky proposition, but compiling them is made all the more difficult by the San Francisco Bay Area's rich pool of local musical talent. This mixtape compiles twelve of our favorite local performers from this year, all of whom had big years in their respective genres. Limiting the list to twelve meant that a lot of talented folks were left off, but this mix offers a nice sampling of some of the best that 2012 had to offer. [...]

For the rest of the year, we'll be spotlighting our KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2012, leading up to our 2012 Top Album Countdown , as voted on by our listeners! Voting ends on Friday, December 21st , so let us know your favorites now , and tune in on Friday, December 28th to hear if your picks made the list! Alabama Shakes at KEXP, 01/31/12 // photo credit: Brittney Bollay ( more photos ) Marji's 2012 Top Ten Albums [...]

50. Thee Oh Sees "Putrifiers II" Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II.mp3 49. Titus Andronicus "Local Business" Titus Andronicus - Ecce Homo.mp3 48. The Fresh & Onlys "Long Slow Dance" The Fresh & Onlys - Presence Of Mind.mp3 47. Animal Collective "Centipede Hz" Animal Collective - Todays Supernatural.mp3 [...]
Our year end lists are wrapping up at this point, but we wouldn't be a legitimate music site without a list of the top songs from 2012. Personally, I feel like this list is a thousand times more difficult to compose than an albums list because we're dealing with close to 400-500 songs in the running. It's been a long process trying to narrow that iTunes playlist down to 100, and I know some incredible tunes from this year are missing, but we hope you enjoy. Ladies and gentlemen, follow the jump for the ATH version of top 2012 songs. [...]

Well the end of 2012 is drawing to a close and we've run down the albums that got the most play around RSTB this year. To avoid the list just being a mass of Ty Segall albums Twins (a personal fave of the bunch) takes the place on the list but the other two would have easily made the list, especially the collab with White Fence which got plenty of play around here as well. Some really great releases this year and a banner year for both Drag City and Sacred Bones with some heavy inclusions in our list. [...]

Separately, Tim Cohen and Jon Bernson released two of my favorite albums this year. Cohen as the frontman of The Fresh & Onlys and Bernson as the mastermind behind Exrays . And so it should come as no surprise that I was excited to learn about their most recent collaboration (their second overall) under the name Window Twins . On Wish , Cohen and Bernson blend together live drums, programmed beats, spindly guitar, bright horns, and various layers of electronic sonics set against analog instrumentation to create a dark, texturally-rich, and slow-burning brand of psychedelica. [...]
Windish AgencyThe Fresh & Onlys' evolution from lo-fi slackers to an act every bit as formidable as fellow San Francisco garage-rockers like Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps, and Sonny & the Sunsets has

Live music picks for MONDAY NOVEMBER 12 through SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2012. MONDAY NOVEMBER 12 / YELLOW OSTRICH / THE GARRISON / 1197 DUNDAS W / $13 / 19+ It's always refreshing to come across a band with a unique and fresh sound, and this is certainly true of Brooklyn's Yellow Ostrich . In the past, they've opened for Of Monsters and Men and Los Campesinos! , and now they're on tour in support of their latest album, Strange Land . Their [...]

Photo credit: Matthew Saville I want to start off by welcoming back this feature to The Wild Honey Pie. It's been over three weeks since I've been able to post our suggested shows, and for that, I apologize. Fuck you Superstorm Sandy. Anyways, this week is stacked with great concerts across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the subways still aren't running at full capacity so it might be tough for people to get to Williamsburg. But then again, that might actually be a good thing. Take that as you will. Don't miss Tame Impala [...]
No witty intro here. I am no longer witty. I am witless. I am a slave to this computer. I don't have anything intelligent to say. I want to just copy and paste a bunch of publicist blurbs in here with no music for you to listen to. I want this computer to crash. I want some whiskey. Maybe I should start smoking pot. Maybe I should get a xanax prescription. Maybe this is all I needed to do to get started with this post. Maybe you guys won't even read any further because you think I am high. Maybe [...]

En noviembre se lanzará un disco con versiones nuevas del clásico disco The Velvet Underground & Nico -está cumpliendo 45 años-, por parte de Castle Face y amigos. De esta edición sólo se harán 1000 copias en vinilo color banana, con la portada reimaginada por el artista David Shrigley . El álbum incluye a Kelley Stoltz , Warm Soda , Ty Segall , Blasted Canyons (feat. Jeremy Cox de Royal Baths ), White [...]

It's that time of year again that B3SCI hooks-up you mad scientists with some seriously cray tricks and treats for your speakers of choice. We invite you to cram your Halloween playlists with this spooky heap of fright-night favorites and freshly minted bangers. Get down to these monster jams below and let's celebrate everyones favorite annual time for scantily clad gatherings, inebriated celebration and late night spelunking. Full Volume 4 Mixtape below. Also, be sure to check out Halloween mixes for volumes 1-3 HERE . James Brown - The Bells [...]

For my money, The Fresh & Onlys' Long Slow Dance is one of the best records of the year, so an opportunity to peer behind the curtain and learn a little bit more about its creation - in this doc from F for Fake Pictures - is well worth seizing. Related Posts: Download seven Velvet Underground covers from The Fresh & Onlys, Blasted Canyons, Burnt Ones, and more Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, The Fresh & Onlys on 'The Velvet [...]

As we previously reported , Castle Face Records is releasing a tribute album to The Velvet Underground & Nico in conjunction with the 45th anniversary reissue of that classic VU record. The bad news is that the label's already sold out of copies - just another reason to see any of these bands at shows, I think - but tracks from the covers record have been steadily leaking around the web in recent weeks . Here's [...]

The Fresh & Onlys' take on "All Tomorrow's Parties" is the latest track to surface from the celebratory covers compilation The Velvet Underground & Nico by Castle Face And Friends . The Bay Area crew doesn't stray too far from the original version, giving their rendition the same trudging drum beat and thumping bass. However, the track's constant piano plinking is upgraded with a modern swirl of psychedelic effects. Stream the result below (via Paste ). The Velvet Underground & Nico by Castle Face And Friends will be available only on vinyl [...]

Posted at 12:00pm, 10/22/2012 Every week we bring you the best cutting edge music from around the web. Our newest batch of uploads are ready for your listening pleasure. You can download the following mp3s individually OR play them all in a row. Click on the artists at the right under Related Downloads to learn more about each band and see similar music suggestions. Play All [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO VIEW ON SITE] [RICH MEDIA, CLICK TO [...]

It's fund drive time at KSVR and KSVU, and that means spending a little extra time in the studio. I arrived early and accompanied Stuarto during his show then he accompanied me during mine. I snapped the above shot of Stuarto before I took over the mic. He had an oldies theme going, playing tunes by the Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Willie Nelson and many, many more. My show, par the usual, was filled with the new. From new tracks off forthcoming albums by Book Club and The Pharmacy, [...]

Long Slow Dance is, for the most part, a departure from the rough and the grit of Play It Strange for something I can only describe as a bit more contemporary. I know, right!? It sounds strange to say that, given The Fresh & Onlys ' occasional penchant for noisy, rambunctious (albeit not overly so) psychedelic rock. So hear me out. First, there's more production. At least on Long Slow Dance , The Fresh & Onlys' days of raw garage rock/pop is over. Listen [...]

With as much psychedelic pop and rock that I've been listening to lately, it only made sense to put together a full show featuring the sub-genres. Of course, I also threw in some beloved garage rock to keep things sane. For the first time in ages, I took the KSVR and KSVU airwaves and played several older tunes (older meaning 2011 and before), with bands like Wooden Shjips and The Mantles and Comets on Fire. New releases got their fair share of air play as well: recent songs from The Fresh & Onlys, Two Gallants, Sunglasses and [...]
San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys are no longer simply a garage rock sensation. With their latest full-length Long Slow Dance , the prolific four-piece proves they have mettle and staying power. Their fourth full-length is the band’s most expansive and best effort to date, with the eleven songs recorded reel to reel for a shimmering, solid, and sensuous sound. Long Slow Dance incorporates their characteristic sounds of jangly psychedelia, dark twang, melodic sunny '60s pop and vintage garage rock as deliberately crafted flourishes, resulting in delightfully hook-filled indie rock songs. Notable tracks include the [...]