Halstead turns back toward Slowdive.

Neil Halstead, the mastermind behind the brilliant, slowcore outfit Slowdive of the '90s has a new band, "Black Hearted Brother. But over the past 15 years or so he's been under the moniker Mojave 3, a band that drifted away from the Slowdive sound with every release. Mojave 3's first few releases were excellent -- and while the past couple aren't terrible -- they're at best indie Beatles impressions. That's why it's great to hear the soaring "spacerock" sounds of Black Hearted Brother. BHB isn't Slowdive but it sounds like a close cousin. Their highlights are "(I Don't Mean to) Wonder" and "This is How it Feels." Welcome back Neil.

Thrice the Pleasure, New: Minks, Washed Out, Porcelain Raft

I'll start with Minks since their song may end up as song of the year, and every frame of my body wants to burst it out. It's called "Doomed and Cool."

Then we have one of my favorite two bands over the past five years, the chillwave outfit led by Earnest Greene, Washed Out, who recently released "Paracosm." Dream away to "It All Feels Right."

Finally, and none the lesser, whose new album Permanent Signal -- like all his releases -- are on this side of brilliant. Check out the awesome "The Way Out."

Kozelek: "You Missed My Heart"

Mark Kozelek's best piece since "Moorestown," lyrically and musically. The live versions are the best, the Beijing version being the finest -- that link is first (the YouTube version was recorded in Melbourne). Also included here is the version Jimmy LaValle from the Album Leaf formally released with Mark. It's different, and in my opinion, not as effective, but definitely singular and worth owning.
http://songs.to/#!pl=9daf9ce94b870dc19813c580714f55f5a3611576

New Ocean Blue!!!

Some things must be documented. It's been over 10 years since The Ocean Blue released a full-length, and the new album, "Ultramarine," doesn't disappoint. It's a hybrid of the luscious classic "Cerulean" and the edgier "See." High School and adolescent college have never sounded so good!

Best Albums - 2012

30. How To Dress Well - Total Loss

29. Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man

 

















28. Grizzly Bear - Shields

27. Dum Dum Girls - End of Daze

26. Memory Tapes - Grace/Confusion

25. Polica - Give You The Ghost


















24. Chairlift - Something

23. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

22. Menomena - Moms


















21. Jessie Ware - Devotion

20. Scott Kid- White Noise

19. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory

18. Memoryhouse - The Slideshow Effect

17. Craft Spells - Gallery

16. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

15. Frankie Rose - Interstellar

14. Alby Daniels - This Dawn

13. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan

12. Japandroids - Celebration Rock 

11. Sun Kil Moon - Among The Leaves

 

















10. Grimes - Visions

9. Tame Impala- Lonerism

8. The Walkmen - Heaven

7. Dive - Oshin

6. Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend

5. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

4. Chromatics - Kill For Love


















3. Beach House - Bloom

2. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It


















1. Wild Nothing - Nocturne

St. Vincent

Best Songs - 2012 (pick your order)

Sky Ferreira - Everything is Embarrasing


 Craft Spells - Burst


Porcelain Raft - Put Me To Sleep


Sun Kil Moon - Young Love


Beach House - Myth


Chromatics - Kill For Love


Perfume Genius - Floating Spit


Frankie Rose - Gospel/Grace


Rhye - Open


Beach Fossils - Shallow


Bat For Lashes - Laura


Cloud Nothings - No Future/No Past


Abby Daniels - This Dawn 


Memoryhouse - Walk With Me


Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built


Neptune - Lemonade1


Doe Paoro - Born Whole


How To Dress Well - & It Was U

 
Twin Shadow - 5 Seconds


DIIV(Dive) - How Long Have You Known?

5 Best Music Videos - 2012

5. Grimes - Oblivion 


4. tUnE-yArDs - My Country


3. Explosions In The Sky - Postcard from 1972


2. Wild Nothing - Paradise


1. Polica - Wandering Star

5 Best Covered Tracks - 2012

5. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Jeremy (Magnetic Fields)


4.  Field Music - Rent (Pet Shop Boys)


3. Bon Iver - Who Is It (Bjork)


2. Mark Kozelek - Randolph's Tango (Thin Lizzy)


1. Chromatics - Ceremony (Joy Division)

10 Best Album Covers - 2012

10. Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes

9. Jessie Ware - Devotion

8. Scott Kid - White Noise

7. Polica - Give You The Ghost 

6. Dum Dum Girls - End of Daze

5. Phedre - Phedre

4. Lower Dens - Nootropics

3. Chromatics - Running From the Sun

2. Las Malas Amistades - Maleza























1. Nicolas Jaar - Don't Break My Love

Crafting Spells

Walkmen Heaven

getting the families involved. playing a few dates with Beach House (!!!)

DIVE (er)

The band, and the album. One of the most gifted tracks of '12, and an album to hold us over till the next Washed Out offerings. These songs just do it.

beach house, myth

At long last. Well, two years isn't so long.

we dream in PoP

Memoryhouse may be the definition of dream pop. Beach Fossils and Frankie Rose make blissful returns, ditching fuzz, no doubt Wild Nothing-indebted.

we Dream in Pop

Wild Nothing - Nowhere



memoryhouse - Walk With Me

Beach Fossils - Shallow



Frankie Rose - Interstellar

{2011 videos}

Some fine videos. And fine videos require great songs.

5. Youth Lagoon - "Montana"


4. Active Child - "Playing House"


3. Memory Tapes - "Today Is Our Life"


2. St. Vincent - "Cruel"


1. Low - "Try To Sleep"

{2011 albums}

I know all hundreds of you have been waiting patiently but tis the season ...and it took a couple days to sort out the final ten. Secret Stars, The Rapture, Slow Club and The Soft Metals made strong pushes toward the end, but alas...

The year's final band shout-out goes to Catwalk. Congratulations! We look forward.

40. Widowspeak - Widowspeak
39. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
38. Gem Club - Breakers
37. Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
36. Yuck - Yuck
35. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
34. Atlas Sound - Parallax
33. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
32. Blouse - Blouse
31.Pure X - Pleasure
30. Braids - Native Speaker
29. Dirty Beaches - Badlands
28. Cults - Cults
27. EMA - Past Life Of Martyred Saints
26. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
25. Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years
24. Girls Names - Dead To Me
23. Beirut - The Rip Tide
22. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
21. How To Dress Well - Just Once
20. The Antlers - Burst Apart
19. Tennis - Cape Dory
18. James Blake - James Blake
17. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
16. Memory Tapes - Player Piano
15. Minks - By The Hedge
14. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
13. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
12. Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine
11. Low - C'mon
10. Active Child - You Are All I See
9. Destroyer - Kaputt
8. Craft Spells - Idle Labor
7. Washed Out - Within and Without
6. John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
5. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
4. Porcelain Raft - Gone Blind
3. Coma Cinema - Blue Suicide
2. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
1. Wild Beasts - Smother