i've already stated how i've unquestionably missed a lot of new stuff this year. catching up on old stuff and not regretting it at all. that being said, here's the new stuff i listened to!
The Top List01. Dead Mechanical - OK Night : I just really like what they do (they were my #2 pick of 2010 as well). Some kind of Superchunk/Dischord Punk thing. Seems like a shit ton of bands these days are promoting themselves as having 90s indie/alt/punk rock influences. I don't know why that annoys me but it does. Maybe it's because none of them hit as hard, or write songs as good, as these guys.
02. Surfer Blood - Pythons : I liken this to my pick of the Vaccines in 2011. Nothing new under the sun, at all. Not even a fraction. But I love the songs. Just straight-up catchy pop/rock.
03. Low - The Invisible Way : Sheesh, not only is my list this year uninformed, it's predictable as well. Love this band though, probably more now than I did 10 years ago, and that was when I loved them more than the 5 years before that.
04. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City : Still doesn't replace their debut in my heart, but better than their second, and has really held up to repeated listens.
05. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories : Might as well fill out the top 5 with another "no duh." Another retro-fad I've been subjected to a lot this year is modern disco, and I KNOW why that annoys me... because it sucks! But this record is fun.
Interchangeable Picks:06: Rose Melberg - September: Covers album, featuring her takes on the Clean, Mag Fields, Jonathan Richman, Big Star, Simon & Garfunkel, Beatles, etc. 'Nuff said.
07. Lemuria - The Distance Is So Big : This band was my #1 of 2008. Heck, that album is near my #1 of that whole decade. This is about 6 steps below that, which is to say still really really awesome.
08. Tullycraft - Lost In Light Rotation : Another band that has been seen on old top lists. I think I see a pattern developing here. Indie pop giants, though.
09. Night Birds - Born To Die In Suburbia : Not quite
The Other Side of Darkness levels but still head and shoulders above most punk bands these days.
10. Dott - Swoon : That punky girl-pop that I like, but only when the songs are solid, which these are.
The Rest:11. Aaron Neville - My True Story
12. Sugar Stems - Can't Wait
13. Moondoggies - Adios I'm A Ghost
14. French Films - White Orchid
15. Moby - Innocents
16. Kingsbury Manx - Bronze Age
17. Bad Sports - Bras
18. Thermals - Desperate Ground
19. Octopus Project - Fever Forms
20. Barton Carroll - Avery County, I'm Bound To You
Top EP01. Skinny Genes - Meh (Note/Plug: I decided I should write some nonsense about this record, which is easily the most-played release this year for me. You can read it, and some other top-picks from the fine people at Jersey Beat, here:
http://www.jerseybeat.com/2013-JB.html - scroll a little ways for me.
Stupid Me 2012 Top Picks01. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams : This came out in December and I picked it up very early in 2013. It's been a steady go-to for a good 11 months now.
02. Django Django - S/T : Turned on to this by someone here, as it was on their 2012 top list. Absolutely love it. I feel like I should just throw out my Beta Band records because this is so much better.
Songs I Played Endlessly, Even Though The Rest Of The Album Was Deleted01. Bad Religion - True North
02. Wavves - Demon To Lean On
03. Waxahatchee - Swan Song
04. David Bowie - You Will Set The World On Fire
I'll put together a mix, probably. And check out all your lists and mixes. And then I'm closing the book on this one!
