The LARRY Page's Albums & Singles of the Year: 2009 So it shouldn't be a big surprise that Animal Collective has topped both my albums and singles lists this year. I guess primarily because their music had the highest rankings of any 2009 releases on my decade-end lists . But also because they've dominated just about all the year-end critic and blogger lists that have come out so far. For me, Merriweather Post Pavilion , which was released in [...]
The LARRY Page's Top 100 Albums of the 2000s Considering the number of albums that came out in the 2000s, narrowing down a list of my top 100 albums of the last ten years was surprisingly easy. It really forced me to select albums that truly got me excited about music. And while there were hundreds of other albums that I really enjoyed this decade, these albums are the main reason I read so many music websites and blogs and magazines. The ones that [...]
The LARRY Page's Top 200 Singles of the 2000s As a lifelong listmaker, I have long been excited about the challenge of coming up with my 200 favorite singles from my first full decade as an adult. So after a lot of shifting through old lists and a bunch of resources to make sure I didn't leave a single song behind, here's what I picked as the 200 songs that defined my decade. Top 200 Singles of the 2000s
TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2008 So, here's my long mulled over list of favorite albums of the year. Just a couple notes before you read on: You may notice that in my intro to last year's list I mention feeling bad that I couldn't find room for Bon Iver's debut disc. Well, after a year of satisfying listens (and an official label release), I thought it deserved a spot on the 2008 list. Lastly, if you've been looking at a lot of year-end best albums lists, it seems like a [...]
TOP 50 SINGLES OF 2008 It became very clear to me when I began compiling this list that I spent much of 2008 seeking out good dance music. Luckily, the year was full of great electronic acts and energetic indie bands that I didn't have to search too hard. Dance cuts all but dominated this year's list. But you won't get to #1 without hearing a fair share of dramatic guitar riffs and undeniably catchy pop hooks. As usual, I've done my best to limit these choices to songs that were actually [...]
FULL MP3 ALBUM: VICE GIVES YOU THE GIFT OF GOOD MUSIC Vice Gives You The Gift Of Good Music It's not a holiday album. It's a compilation of tracks (downloadable via Amazon.com) from artists on the Vice Records roster, including Chromeo, Japanese Motors, King Khan & The Shrines, and The Streets. A couple of these had already been available for free download on the label's mp3 blog , but I believe most of these are first time freebies. And, if you [...]
LIST: LAST.FM BEST OF 2008 Last.fm Best of 2008 If you've been poking around through music blogs lately, you've surely already experienced the glut of year-end lists touting the best of the year. (And yes, I'll be adding to the mess soon enough.) One year-in-review I was particularly fascinated by was the one at Last.fm, which ranks the year's top tracks, albums, and new artists by total number of listeners on the site. The countdown of tracks is dominated by Coldplay and MGMT, but the other two lists [...]
VIDEO: LOW It might not be a typical holiday album, but Low's 1999 holiday record Christmas was actually quite hauntingly beautiful. This year, they cross the line from haunting to just plain creepy on their new yuletide single "Santa's Coming Over". And check out those kids in the video. Truly frightening. LOW "Santa's Coming Over" See also: subpop.com tags: music | music videos | indie rock | holiday music | Low
MP3: A.C. NEWMAN "There are Maybe Ten or Twelve" ( ACNewman.net ) This track from A.C. Newman's upcoming album Get Guilty is a simple and pretty pop song. It feels very much like some of the ballads from Challengers , but I think we'll have to wait until we hear the album before we can judge how much of a departure it is from his previous work with and without The New Pornographers. tags: music [...]
VIDEO: MGMT I'm not sure I would have guessed that MGMT would make "The Youth" a single, but I suppose the most obvious dance-floor-ready tracks from Oracular Spectacular have already been released. Whether you love the track or not, you'll at least be amused by the video, which was directed by Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job! . MGMT "The Youth" Other MGMT music videos: "Time to Pretend" "Electric Feel" "Kids" [...]
MP3: FRIDA HYVONEN "Enemy Within" ( Secretly Canadian ) Swedish songstress Frida Hyvonen has a voice that's both haunting and tender, And it's hard to ignore its power on "Enemy Within", which will appear on her upcoming sophomore album Silence is Wild . Musically, Hyvonen appeals to lovers of traditional singer-songwriters, yet she constintent dares to move boldy out of the girl-at-a-piano comfort zone. See also: fridahyvonen.com tags: music | [...]
MP3: +/- {PLUS MINUS} "Snowblind" ( Absolutely Kosher ) A new track from search engine stumpers +/-, who'll be releasing their latest album entitled Xs on Your Eyes on Oct. 21. See also: plusmin.us tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | +/-
MP3: JENNY LEWIS "Acid Tongue" ( Toolshed ) I'm not sure anyone succeeds at freshening up a traditional storytelling country-folk song quite like Jenny Lewis. The Rilo Kiley singer releases her new solo album Acid Tongue on Sept. 23 -- this time without the Watson Twins but with help from collaborators like Elvis Costello, Zooey Deschanel, and Chris Robinson. Just one listen to this title track and I'm yearning to hear all those harmonies. See also: [...]
MP3: BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT "Hologram Buffalo" "Oppressions Each" ( Matador ) With these two spacey selections, psychedelic folk band Brightblack Morning Light blaze the trail toward their forthcoming release Motion to Rejoin , which may make even the most straight-laced of fellows want to dress like a hippie and pop some pills. See also: thebrightblackmorninglight.com myspace.com/brightblackmorning light tags: music | mp3 [...]
MP3: HORSE FEATHERS "Curs in the Weed" ( Kill Rock Stars ) Frontman Justin Ringle styles his voice after Nick Drake on this new track. Despite a roster of multi-instrument-playing band members, the Oregon-based outfit finds beauty in the simple and sparse. Horse Feathers' new album House with No Name is available on Sept. 9. See also: myspace.com/horsefeathersmusic tags: music | mp3 | folk | [...]
VIDEO: CSS I certainly don't disagree with the lukewarm reviews critics gave CSS' sophomore album Donkey . It's pretty lackluster compared to their debut album, which made the Brazilian group dancefloor regulars a couple years back. However, the CD does have one glowingly good moment. Their new single "Move" was the lone track I really thought could be a hit when I first listened to Donkey . Doused in '80s electro-pop, the song even features a brief and adorable Debbie Harry-esque rap. CSS "Move" See [...]
MP3: PATTERN IS MOVEMENT "Bird" ( Team Clermont ) Two-man Boulder band Pattern is Movement's new album All Together was released on Tuesday. Fans know them from their high energy eclecticism. If you need proof, throw on this track. It sounds like it belongs in a Japanese pop musical. See also: patternismovement.com tags: music | mp3 | indie rock [...]
VIDEO: THE FUTUREHEADS Like many, I was a big fan of the driving, angular pop of The Futureheads' 2004 self-titled debut. But their follow-up album 2006's News and Tributes was a bit of a disappointment -- more of the same, but much less fun. Their newest single "The Beginning of the Twist" is a good sign that the English band found their mojo again and that their next album just may something to look forward to. THE FUTUREHEADS "Beginning of the Twist" [...]
MP3: PANTHER "Violence, Diamonds" "Puerto Rican Jukebox" ( Kill Rock Stars ) The former one-man Portland act Panther recently doubled in size. Charlie Salas-Humara has made a Joe Kelly (previously of 31 Knots) an official member of the multi-instrumental experimental funk rock band and they'll both appear on the upcoming release 14 Kt. God . The LP is available on Feb. 19, but you can sample these two tracks for a taste of the duo's jumbled up [...]
MP3: SHE & HIM "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" ( Merge ) M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel first met each other when they recorded a song for a movie soundtrack together (a Richard and Linda Thompson cover for some little known indie flick called The Go Getter ). Apparently, they seemed to like each other's talents because after the collaboration the pair got together to record a full album of original songs Deschanel had been hiding at home. Deschanel's [...]
Hobby Box -- MP3s, Streams, Album Picks & More
Boards of Canada – Reach For The Dead
Macklemore + Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us (Major Lazer Remix)
