To top off the strongest year in their young existence as a band, Yeasayer have gifted their fans with a live album available in a variety of high-quality audio formats. The Christmas factor is the album comes via a pay-what-you want scheme a la Radiohead's In Rainbows those millions of blog years ago. It comes at a perfect time for fans seeking to hear the crux of Yeasayer music and also to look forward to what will be an exciting 2011. Check it out on their website
A couple nights ago, blog-bros, Randy and I, watched Animal Collective's visual album, Oddsac. The album was released before the existance of this blog, back in August. I know this can be around 1400 blog years ago, but it's never a bad thing to blog about some AnCo. This piece of art is fucking awesome. I don't why people didn't rave so hard about it. It's so good. Visually stunning, crazy concepts, hilarious acting by every member, with sounds and visuals perfectly matched up with the help of visual artist, Danny Perez. To watch this as a visual album will certainly satisfy. It's very dark with contrasting beautiful music. It captures the viewer, with atmospheric sounds and visuals. Getting lost from scene to scene. Lights. Colors. Sounds. You're going to want the just the music. It makes for some great listening. I know this wasn't initially what the band intended, but that's one of the beauties of enjoying music in 2010-- you can do it however/wherevever/whenever/yadaever you want to. So I did a little googling and found a great .rar file for the tunes here.
Hear two tracks off the visual album and view the tracklist. Also, quick review of Animal Collective this past year after the jump…
More Christmas goodies are flying in by the day, and the latest is a Christmas Eve mixtape special from Swedish duo jj. Download the 10 track effort on Sincerely Yours and check their blogspot for lyrics. Tracklist after the jump
deadmau5 agreed 'tis the season and provided this new trancey monster called "Limit Break." In typical prog-house fashion he infiltrates the synapses and raises the tension throughout but never quite releases it, making for a good filler in a DJ set and an interesting look at a style he has moved away from in recent material.
James Blake has announced the release date of his full length debut album. It's coming out February 7th via A&M/Atlas, and features Blake's stunning cover of the Feist/Chilly Gonzales song "Limit To Your Love"
London-based, Still Corners has been hitting the blogsphere all year with their dreamy, hazy, 'reverb soaked' tunes, and this track really hit me: a cover of Rogue Wave's "Eyes." An already great song, but now with more atmosphere and depth. A great year-end tune and it fits with the holidays approaching. The theme, loneliness, surrounds it. As it does so well during the Christmas season.
Top 10. Top 10 LPs & EPs of 2010. There was plenty of good music this year, much more out there than the 10 posted here, but these are my top 10 favorite LPs & EPs of 2010. We saw the ebb and flow of Chillwave [link]. Nostalgia hit it's peak then stayed up there and I don't see it dying in 2011 [link].
This was my first year I really followed music, seeking out that new 'relevant' tune of the week. I went to so many concerts and festivals this year (like <30). Saw some truly moving shows[The xx] and some annoying ones [MGMT]. This year I really fell in love with new music and I could name the new/hip trend in music for any month. Without further ado, here are the LPs & EPs that I felt a real/emotional connection with and can't ever see myself from stop listening to or enjoying!
Finals have ensured that this post has been delayed beyond any previous relevance, but nevertheless, it must be done. 2k10 was easily the greatest musical year of my life, filled to the brim with shows, festivals, and countless albums/singles/buzzbands to try and keep up with. Too much stock is placed in "ranking" albums/songs of the year and represents distilling music into the lowest common denominator: a lazy formula requiring no work to get the maximum enjoyment. Thus is the American way but when ranking opinions is ultimately useless. As such, the following albums were the records I formed the deepest personal connections with and simply could not stop playing for the duration of the year. If you haven't heard any of these by now I implore spending some time with them, and if you have, remember how perfect they all were to soundtrack another year. The truth is, at some point each one of these records were the album of the year. Without further ado:
Flying Lotus (mortal name Steven Ellison) is one of the true geniuses in the modern electronic music scene, having risen from making background beats for Adult Swim to releasing a masterpiece, the space-jazz-electro odyssey known as Cosmogramma. It remains one of the most important pieces of music I've ever listened to in my life and I firmly believe it will come to be remembered as a true game-changer in our current era that sees so much repetition and complacency. [Previous raving over his music]
Ellison was also a film student before making it into the music industry, and as such his music videos further his inimitable artistic vision by blurring the line between the two mediums to create new entities greater than simply the sum of their parts.
His newest video comes for my personal favorite track on Cosmogramma, "Zodiac Shit." Those words are probably the best and only way to try and describe the music for lack of any better metaphor, and the track perfectly personifies his signature style. The Lilfuchs-produced video does its job and simply takes the song to that next metaphysical level. Check it out:
As the snow/my pre-finals homework/miscellaneous laundry items pile up, I find myself hesitant to dive into a steady listening cycle of Christmas chunes. (Sufjan/dubstep Santa, I'll be ready soon enough) Instead I've been opting for summery nostalgic jams, (Contra is apparently even better as a winter album as a summer album - seriously) and this music fits in perfectly. Like any buzzing buzzband worth their salt, Canadian bedroom project Teen Daze instantly transports the listener to a nameless beach, and leaves me feeling as if I woke up to the tide lapping at my heels. I realize I have nothing better to do, and roll over and continue imagining this music in my cranium. That kind of nostalgia.
Here's a highlight from their lovely debut Four More Years called "Shine On, You Crazy White Cap"
On November 30th the band released a new EP fittingly entitled Beach Dreams on their bandcamp site. It's available via a pay-what-you-want pricing scheme or as a free download with an email address. Stream it/download it below:
For more Teen Daze and a blurb about the new EP from the band, check after the jump
