Washed Out

We owe it to ourselves to absorb Washed Out's new album next month. 2 songs from the record:

Eyes Be Closed

You and I

Craft Spells, Idle Labor

Lovely record from my stomping grounds in Northern California, and via the hottest label running...

From the Morning Heat by CraftSpells

Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years (album stream)

2010

Covers
Finest cover art and brilliant cover songs, including a Christmas cover by The Golden Filter.

Wild Nothing - Gemini

The Golden Filter - "White Nights" (Psychic TV)


Mark Kozelek - "Natural Light" (Casiotone For The Painfully Alone)


Passion Pit - "Tonight, Tonight" (Smashing Pumpkins)

2010

Music Video
I'd been underwhelmed with music videos this year...until my friend showed me this: the best video of the year for arguably the best song of the year.

2010

Album

This list is subjective to my ears. There's no preferential treatment. You can be on the LA hype train, a Brooklyn cliche, lo-fi, wi-fi, 'high'-fi, or ugly. EPs with 5 or more original songs are considered.

40. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

39. Frankie Rose And The Outs - S/T

38. Warpaint - The Fool

37. The Kissaway Trail - Sleep Mountain

36. Tamaryn - Waves

35. Sufjan Stevens - Age Of Adz

34. Sea Of Bees - Songs For The Ravens

33. Spoon - Transference

32. Zola Jesus - Stridulum II

31. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows

30. Lower Dens - Twin-Hand Movement

29. Efterklang - Magic Chairs

28. Perfume Genius - Learning

27. Woods - At Echo Lake

26. Mynabirds -What We Lose In The Fire We gain In The Flood

25. Caribou - Swim

24. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

23. Best Coast - Crazy For You

22. Girls - Broken Dreams Club

21. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

20. The Walkmen - Lisbon

19. Active Child - Curtis Lane

18. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

17. The National - High Violet

16. The Innocence Mission - My Room In The Trees

15. Twin Shadow - Forget

14. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

13. Retribution Gospel Choir - 2

12. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

11. Menomena - Mines

10. Magic Kids - Memphis

9. Beach House - Teen Dream

8. Mimicking Birds - S/T

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

6. Wild Nothing - Gemini

5. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago

4. The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme

3. Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises

2. The Drums - S/T

1. Owen Pallett - Heartland

2010

Song
It was a great year for music

30. White Sea - "Mountaineer"
listen
29. Mimicking Birds - "Home and Somewhere Else"
listen
28. Teenage Fanclub - "Sometimes I Don't Need to Believe in Anything"
listen
27. The Tallest Man on Earth - "Like the Wheel"
listen
26. Viernes - "Entire Empire"
listen
25. Surfer Blood - "Fast Jambroni"
listen
24. Efterklang - "Mirror Mirror"
listen
23. Minks - "Funeral Song"
listen
22. Magic Kids - "Candy"
listen
21. The Besnard Lakes - "Albatross"
listen
20. Crystal Castles w/ Robert Smith - "Not in Love"
listen
19. How To Dress Well - "You Won't Need Me Where I'm Goin'"
listen
18. Beach House - "Norway"
listen
17. Kanye West, et al. - "Runaway"
listen
16. The Radio Dept. - "The Video Dept."
listen
15. Washed Out w/ Caroline Polachek - "You and I"
listen
14. Wolf Parade - "Yulia"
listen
13. The Clientele - "Minotaur"
listen
12. Shearwater - "Castaways"
listen
11. Perfume Genius - "Mr. Peterson"


10. Twin Shadow - "Tyrant Destroyed"


9. Zola Jesus - "Sea Talk"


8. Sun Kil Moon - "Australian Winter"


7. A Weather - "Third of Life"


6. The Drums - "Forever and Ever Amen"


5. Tamaryn - "Windstorm"


4. Wild Nothing - "Summer Holiday"


3. Owen Pallett - "Lewis Takes off His Shirt"


2. Active Child - "I'm in Your Church at Night"


1.Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Round and Round"

Best Of 2009

Per some demand, I have put togther my list of the best albums of the past year.

25. Washed Out - Life Of Leisure 24. Cass McCombs - Catacombs









23. The Big Pink - A Short History of Love 22. Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter









21. The Antlers - Hospice 20. Echo and The Bunnymen - The Fountain









19. The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha 18. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care










17. Morrissey - Years of Refusal 16. The Kingsbury Manx - Ascenseur Ouvert!










15. U2 - No Line on The Horizon 14. Passion Pit - Manners









13. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest 12. Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free









11. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers 10. Grand Archives - Keep in Mind Frankenstein









9. Flaming Lips - Embryonic 8. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns









7. The Clientele - Bonfires On The Heath 6. The xx - xx









5. Mew - No More Stories... 4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion









3. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca 2. Girls - Album










1. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - s/t / Higher Than The Stars