Archive for December, 2010
He Is We Live
Read more to watch He Is We perform “Forever and Ever” and “Happily Ever After” live.
The Wonder Years Finish Writing
According to this tweet by The Wonder Years‘s Nicholas Steinborn, the band has finished writing their new album. The new record will be the band’s third full-length and first with Hopeless Records.
You can also watch The Wonder Years’s recent AltPress sessions here.
End of the Year Coverage: 2010
Ah, 2010. What a great year it has been. (Unfortunately, I’m a poet and I don’t even know it. There I go again…) The following lists, written by our staff writers and beloved guests, serve as a mere glimpse into what we have enjoyed this past year. They are, in no way, shape or form, a complete image of what we have listened to, but hopefully, they guide you towards albums that you may have missed throughout the year. The following lists are also not a list of the “best” albums of the year, but our favorites.
So without further ado, bring on the awards and the lists!
Frank Wu
Featured Stream: Angus & Julia Stone – “Draw Your Swords”
Staff Album of the Year:
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Whether you believe it’s over-produced, over-excessive, over-reliant on guests or just over-the-top Kanye, there is no doubt in our minds that Kanye West, the man with his ego in a Luis Vutton bag, has released the Album of the Year with his album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. From the obscure but incredibly fitting sampling in “Dark Fantasy”, Kanye’s blaring self-image in “Power”, Nicki Minaj’s biting verse in “Monster”, Chris Rock’s comedic “Yeezy Taught Me” skit in “Blame Game”, to Gil Scott-Heron’s preaching in “Who Will Survive In America”, there really isn’t anything left to be said about this album that hasn’t been said already. Kanye has not only crafted his own masterpiece but has probably created an album to be remembered for decades to come. (Pardon the melodrama.)
Tait Gu
Biggest Thank You:
Drake – Thank Me Later
Thanks Drake! You didn’t even have to ask.
Best Album Art:
Caribou – Swim
This Is An Award To The Most Direct Album Art.
The Black Keys – Brothers
Frank Wu
Albums of the Year
1. Angus & Julia Stone – Down The Way
2. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Jimmy Eat World – Invented
4. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
5. Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager
6. The National – High Violet
7. Shad – TSOL
8. Yeasayer – Odd Blood
9. HoneyChild – Nearer The Earth
10. Steel Train – Steel Train
11. Drake – Thank Me Later
12. The Roots – How I Got Over
13. Hellogoodbye – Would It Kill You?
14. Vampire Weekend – Contra
15. 65daysofstatic – We Were Exploding Anyway
16. Valencia – Dancing With A Ghost
17. Jónsi – Go
18. Anberlin – Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place
19. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
20. Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
Honorable Mentions
Aziz Ansari – Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening
B.o.B – B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Beach House – Teen Dream
Best Coast – Crazy For You
Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot The Son Of Chico Dusty
The Black Keys – Brothers
Caribou – Swim
Curren$y – Pilot Talk
Curren$y – Pilot Talk II
Das Racist – Shut Up, Dude
Das Racist – Sit Down, Man
Dessa – A Badly Broken Code
Eminem – Recovery
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
House of Heroes – Suburba
Julia Stone – The Memory Machine
Minus The Bear – OMNI
Motion City Soundtrack – My Dinosaur Life
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Neon Trees – Habits
Portugal. The Man – American Ghetto
Rooney – Eureka
Sage Francis – L(i)fe
The Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt
Wakey!Wakey! – Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You…
The Wonder Years – The Upsides
Xiu Xiu – Dear God, I Hate Myself
You, Me, and Everyone We Know – Some Things Don’t Wash Out
EPs of the Year
1. Lydia – Assailants
2. Atmosphere – To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP’s
3. Looking For Alaska – Everything We All Wish We Could Be EP
4. Heinali and Matt Finney – Conjoined EP
Mixtapes of the Year
1. Wale – More About Nothing
2. J. Cole – Friday Night Lights
3. Kid Cudi – Cudder Is Back
4. XV – Vizzy Zone
Hardest-Working Artist of 2010
Kanye West
Top Songs of the Year
Angus & Julia Stone – “Draw Your Swords”
B.o.B – “Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams)”
The Dangerous Summer – “Good Things”
HoneyChild – “The Father”
Jimmy Eat World – “Invented”
Kanye West – “Runaway (feat. Pusha T)”
Kanye West – “Gorgeous”
Kid Cudi – “MANIAC (feat. Cage & St. Vincent)”
The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
Wale – “The Eyes of the Tiger”
Yeasayer – “Madder Red”
You, Me, and Everyone We Know – “Shock and Awe”
Most Anticipated for 2011
Angus & Julia Stone
The Dangerous Summer
Death Cab For Cutie
Foo Fighters
Kanye West and Jay-Z
louellen
Manchester Orchestra
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Patrick Stump
The Strokes
Yellowcard
Tait Gu
Albums of the Year
1. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
2. Beach House – Teen Dream
3. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
4. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
5. Sleigh Bells – Treats
6. No Age – Everything In Between
7. Vampire Weekend – Contra
8. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II
9. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
10. MGMT – Congratulations
11. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
12. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
13. Avey Tare – Down There
14. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
15. Caribou – Swim
16. Curren$y – Pilot Talk
17. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
18. Wavves – King of the Beach
19. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot The Son Of Chico Dusty
20. Girl Talk – All Day
Songs of the Year
Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
LCD Soundsystem – “Dance Yrslf Clean”
Gorillaz – “Empire Ants”
Flying Lotus – “Do the Astral Plane”
Avey Tare – “Laughing Hieroglyphic”
Beach House – “Walk in the Park”
Crystal Casltes – “Celestica”
Deerhunter – “Desire Lines”
Kanye West – “POWER”
No Age – “Chem Trails”
Vampire Weekend – “White Sky”
Sleigh Bells – “Rill Rill”
MGMT – “Congratulations”
Cee-Lo Green – “Fuck You”
Big Boi – “Daddy Fat Sax”
Most Anticipated for 2011
Panda Bear
Radiohead
The Strokes
Gorillaz
Cut Copy
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Kevin Miao
Albums of the Year
1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
2. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. MGMT – Congratulations
4. The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme
5. Kid CuDi – Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager
6. The National – High Violet
7. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
8. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
9. Free Energy – Stuck on Nothing
10. Sleigh Bells – Treats
11. A Great Big Pile of Leaves – Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?
12. Freelance Whales – Weathervanes
13. Tokyo Police Club – Champ
14. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
15. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
16. Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
17. LCD Sound System – This Is Happening
18. Beach House – Teen Dream
19. The Wonder Years – The Upsides
20. Deadmau5 – 4×4=12
Mark Johnson
Albums of the Year
(In no particular order)
1. Letlive – Fake History
2. Proceed – Curious Electric
3. Underoath – Disambiguation
4. Tides of Man – Dreamhouse
5. Chiodos – Illuminaudio
6. E.S. Posthumus – Makara
7. Pierce the Veil – Selfish Machines
8. Brightwood – Elementals
9. Lights – Acoustic EP
10. Funeral for a Friend – Young and Defenceless
11. Trophy Scars – Darkness, Oh Hell
12. Emarosa – Emarosa
13. Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise
14. Conditions – Fluorescent Youth
15. The Bled – Heat Fetish
16. Deftones – Diamond Eyes
17. The Great American Beast – Domestic Blood
Christian Corless (Louellen)
Albums of the Year
(In no particular order)
1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
2. The Walkmen – Lisbon
3. M.I.A. – // / Y /
4. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals – III/IV
5. Bob Dylan – The Witmark Demos
6. The National – High Violet
7. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
8. Interpol – Interpol
9. Sufjan Stevens – The Age Of Adz
10. She & Him – Volume Two
Most Anticipated for 2011
The Strokes
Richard Picot (Louellen)
Albums of the Year
1. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
2. Interpol – Interpol
3. The National – High Violet
4. The Walkmen – Lisbon
5. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
6. The Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt
7. Frightened Rabbit – The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
8. Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle
9. No Age – Everything In Between
10. Four Tet – There Is Love In You
Kyle Huntington (7Ravens and AbsolutePunk.net)
Albums of the Year
1. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
2. The National – High Violet
3. Bombay Bicycle Club – Flaws
4. Warpaint – The Fool
5. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
6. Theophilus London – I Want You
7. Four Tet – There Is Love In You
8. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
9. Sleigh Bells – Treats
10. Crocodiles – Sleep Forever
Most Anticipated for 2011
The Maccabees – TBA
Bombay Bicycle Club – TBA
Laura Marling – TBA
The Vaccines – TBA
louellen – Union EP
The Strokes – TBA
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
Feist – TBA
Yuck – Yuck
Chapel Club – Palace
Death Cab For Cutie – TBA
Heinali and Matt Finney
Albums of the Year
1. The National – High Violet
2. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
3. Whirl – Distressor
4. Superman Revenge Squad – Dead Crow Blues
5. Yawning – Noah
6. Bad Books – Bad Books
7. Black Swan – In 8 Movements
8. Murmuure – Murmuure
Most Anticipated for 2011
1. This Will Destroy You – Tunnel Blanket
2. Sleepmakeswaves’ New Album
New Zac and Josh Song Days After Leaving Paramore
Just days after Zac and Josh Farro were officially left Paramore, a track has surfaced on Soundcloud that is supposedly from Zac and Josh’s new project. Listen to the song here.
Beach House Holiday Song
Do you care for the winter sun? Beach House doesn’t. Grab their new holiday song titled “I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun” for free here.
Review: HoneyChild – Nearer The Earth
HoneyChild – Nearer The Earth
Released: August 31, 2010
Label: Self-released
I may sound clichéd here, but HoneyChild is probably one of the best bands you’ve never heard. The band, currently comprised of Tobias Jesso (Guitars & Vocals), Noah Gersh (Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin, & Vocals), Erik Donley (Vocals & Guitar), Jamie Schefman (Bass & Vocals), Lance Piebenga (Keys), and Rheese Detrow (Drums), hails from Los Angeles, California. Gersh describes, “We’re all very different, and all have incredibly unique things to bring to the table.”
The band’s self-released debut Nearer The Earth was recorded with just two microphones and a laptop, but the eight-track release contains a bright, sunny sound that is filled with brilliant moments of layered melodies and instrumentals.
Opener “The Father” begins the album with a mellow, passionate sound that is both gripping and inspiring. The soft crooning is emphasized by the twinkling guitar in the background and rhythmic clashing of the drums, creating a powerful mix of emotions and passion that is both didactic and contemplative: “I couldn’t leave my land by the deep doors, my eldest son…”
The pace of the album picks up with “Tijuana”, an uplifting anthem that feels suitable for a stadium. The aptly titled “Driving Song” is warm and inviting, with a catchy chorus that begs for a sing-a-long on a long road trip: “Soldier standing with head fake high / What could have been of your life / The fields have grown / We won’t live that long / I got home I got / Take me home.”
“Lonesome Tiger” and “The Owl” are slotted in the middle of the record, with both songs containing metaphoric tales of nature and life: the lonesome tiger finding love and the sage owl calmly watching over the world. “Joker’s Wild” sounds like a clever blend between a natural, folk-roots sound and the indie rock-infused sounds of Portugal. The Man, something the band must have picked up during their shows with P.TM, Alberta Cross, OneEskimo, White Denim and more.
My main gripe with the record is the relative brevity of the songs. The eight track of the album last only about twenty-six and a half minutes, with the longest track (“The Owl”) lasting 3:51. Most of the songs begin by launching the listener directly into the song, which works superbly on “Driving Song” and “Tijuana”, but the more subtle build-ups in “The Father” and “The Owl” are layered perfectly, creating a dreamy, powerful atmosphere. While the head-on approach works well for the band, the slower songs are more engrossing listens overall and, personally, my favorite songs from the album.
8.0
Standout Tracks: “The Father”, “Driving Song”, and “The Owl”
The Dangerous Summer UK Tour
In February of 2011, The Dangerous Summer will be heading to the UK to support Francesga. Read more to see the tour dates.
Tour Dates:
February
11 – Norwich Arts Centre
12 – High Wycombe Bucks University
13 – Wolverhampton Slade Rooms
15 – Nottingham Rock City Basement
16 – Newcastle O2 Academy 2
17 – Glasgow King Tuts
18 – Derry Nerve Centre
19 – Belfast Speakeasy
20 – Dublin Academy 2
22 – Leeds Cockpit
23 – Manchester Roadhouse
24 – London Borderline
25 – Oxford O2 Academy 2
26 – Southampton Joiners
27 – Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
Merry Christmas From Ace Enders
You can purchase Ace Enders/I Can Make A Mess Like Anybody’s Business Christmas songs here.
Bamboozle Lineup Announced
The lineup for Bamboozle 2011 has been released. Lil Wayne, Taking Back Sunday, Motley Crue, The Gaslight Anthem, and Wiz Khalifa will be headlining the two-day festival.
You can check out the full poster with the lineup here.
A Kanye Christmas
Kanye West has released a new Christmas song titled “Christmas In Harlem”. Download the new track here.
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