I’ve learned something very valuable in college, and that’s to hold basement parties dear to your heart.

There’s going to be a juncture in all of our lives where we can’t attend them anymore. So enjoy the grungy keg rooms, the mysterious ducks into a dark space with your closest friends, and the sloppy exits with a new friend.

The last basement party I went to brought me new friends in a less Biblical sense.

Finley Knight is the best new friend your ears can have. For all of us crazies dancing around, Finley Knight also did our bodies some good, too. We grooved with plastered-on smiles, stripping some layers so our sweaty bodies could keep moving with the music. My good friend P. Mac near died and rose to heaven when they played his requests for Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias” and “Fire on the Mountain.” The songs suited the band well, a band that’s sort of like the bastard child of all rock, funk, and jam genres. Finley Knight shows us that being genre-ambiguous is sometimes a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Finley Knight is a three-piece group made up of Bryce Axlerad and brothers Johnny and Connor Detjen. The band really started to take off last summer when Bryce moved to Chicago where the brothers live. Success seems to be a steady route for them, playing venues like the House of Blues in Chicago.

But they’re not too proud to play a free basement gig. It was one of the first stops on their tour this year, and this Brighton apartment is home to Megan, Johnny and Connor’s cousin. When the keg was kicked, we all stayed to hear them play their set out. In all reality, we didn’t want them to stop; they’re the type of musicians who bring the happiness out of a crowd.

I caught up with them a couple days after. They were two weeks into the tour, talking on Bryce’s cell phone from their 32-foot Winnebago RV. Connor described their tour bus as a home away from home: fairly comfortable and 100 percent sleep-able. Sometimes they’d pull up in a Wal-Mart parking lot and get a full night’s sleep when they can’t crash at a friend’s place.

From their first-tour feelings to their less-depressing-than-Radiohead sound, here’s what you should know about Finley Knight.

Courtney Allessio: How do you read the crowd when you’re playing a show?

Bryce Axlerad: Every show we have a tentative set list, but we really do play to the crowd, we try to feel out every song. If the crowd’s really into it, we’ll do a more upbeat song. A lot of times we go in without really knowing exactly what we’re going to play.

CA: So when you moved to Chicago, as far as record signing goes, how did that play out?

BA: … We’re unsigned. Basically with this whole tour we’re doing now, we don’t have management. It’s a big process, putting together everything – we’re doing it all ourselves. We’re not signed, but we really enjoy that. In doing this tour, we got so much freedom. We can play a show and then go visit friends – we really enjoy it.

CA: What brought you to Megan’s apartment in Brighton on this tour?

BA: That’s exactly the thing – that’s the freedom. Connor and Johnny have several cousins who go to school in Boston so we were like, we’ll definitely set up a show there so we can see them. I’m from Houston, Texas, and I’m setting up a bunch of shows there with my friends. It’s so great because we get to this opportunity to tour and see so many new places and so many new people. But at the same time, we get to go places where our friends are. People have been just so nice. We could not do this without the help of our friends. Every place we go we’ve had such hospitality. They’ve been so willing to help us out, gives us places to stay and shower.

Bryce hands the phone off to Connor.

CA: So you and your brother have been making music for a while?

Connor Detjen: We grew up taking piano lessons at age six. We started playing in bands together from basically 8^th grade and onward through college and just have always been music together, the two of us.

CA: At what point do you look at this and consider yourselves a success?

CD: I think definitely we’d consider ourselves successful already, but there’s obviously always room for improvement. We’re always constantly trying to take it to the next level. The fact that we’ve decided to do this wholeheartedly and seriously as our career choice is already a success in our minds because we are able to do this first tour.

Meeting strangers on tour who take nice photos and sent them to along. Compliments of FK's Blog

CA: Are there locations you booked because you wanted to visit the city?

CD: We booked a show in Nashville, just because we wanted to pass through there. It’s such a music town, it’s beautiful, and there’s great exposure there. A lot of the other places we booked because we knew there’d be a good fan base. We have a show at the University of Georgia in Athens, and we do not know many people there. But we set up a show with a band that’s well known locally. We’re really excited because I think music is well appreciated in Athens… There’s a lot of strategy that went into setting up the show.

CA: Is it exciting to get to travel the country and eat different food?

CD: Yeah, we’ve gone to some really cool restaurants. It’s not only the food but also seeing all of the country that we’ve been seeing. Some of these places we’ve never been to. We’ve been blogging about the trip about all the places we’ve been visiting. There’s a lot of funny stories, we literally write what we’re doing everyday.

And finally, the pass off to Johnny.

CA: I had trouble characterizing your music, how would you describe Finley Knight?

Johnny Detjen: If I had to only use three words, we’ve been saying alternative electronic jam? We are really trying to incorporate, what I think a lot of bands are doing right now, an electronic edge with the standard guitar, piano, bass, and drums. We’ve been doing that in a few different ways – having a loop going or this program Ableton Live that allows you to even out notes easily.

We’ve recently been really influenced by Ratatat. We love, love Radiohead, and we grew up on a lot the jam scene like Grateful Dead and Phish. Radiohead’s a little too mellow, or for a lack of a better word, depressing. We’re trying to be a little more upbeat. Radiohead does a good job of pulling sounds that people can’t place.

We want that x-factor, the edge with random stuff that isn’t necessarily an instrument someone would recognize. How else to describe it? I don’t even know. We want to be more electronic than we are. Some of the stuff we have right now is pretty straight alternative. I hate that word though – it’s so vague; I don’t even know what it stands for anymore.

CA: You did covers of Grateful Dead, where did the Kid Cudi come from the other night?

JD: Yeah, and some of those rap songs at the end. We were playing in Chicago a lot for a while, and I just hate when I go to a concert, and I see the same band and they play the same thing. So we were trying to reinvent ourselves. Because these mash-up songs with Girl Talk are so popular, we decided to our own mash-up and play it live. We chose 20 rap songs that were really popular when we were growing up like Jay-Z or some Biggie song. We just took 30 seconds of the most popular part of the song and strung it together…

One of the biggest insults I thought people would say about an artist is that their songs all sound the same. We’re not trying to change a certain genre. I think we have our sound within all these different songs although they don’t necessarily sound alike….

We’re never sitting around and trying to write a hit. It’s a step forward when we write a hit. We write what we really enjoy, which makes it really fun.

CA: Do you guys have a motto as a band?

JD: We make music. We love it. We want to share it.

Finley Knight put out an EP in October called Undivided Time, and they hope to record soon now that the tour is over.

Be sure to keep your eyes and ears out for updates with Finley Knight, they’re going places so hop on board with them now!

Good news, fellow Oberst worshipers!

NPR is streaming Bright Eyes’ new album The People’s Key, a month prior to its debut in March. Take a listen now, that’s what I’m doing this very moment!

I’m only one track in, so far it’s somber and a militant. The religious tones are so Conor, it makes me smile.

Tell us what you think!

I’m back with my absolute favorite songs of this year!

I was not in America for half the year, so I’ll admit that I wasn’t on my A game with respects to the latest and greatest on the airwaves… feel free to argue with me (although praise would be nice, too).

Charts, reviews, and Pitchfork aside, this is what I was listening to on repeat in 2010…

25. Throwing Shade – Abe Vigoda
I like how chaotic this feels, it sort of had to grow on me to be honest. I threw it on a playlist and noticed that every time it cycled back to this song, it stood out in a great way. I don’t think it’s catchy, which is more than half the reason why I listen to it.

24. Get Some – Lykke Li (Beck Remix)
This little Swedish lark is adorable and equally fierce. Beck’s remix of ‘Get Some’ hits and bounces and hits again. At first I didn’t love ‘Get Some,’ released as the first sneak peak from her anticipated Wounded Rhymes (due in March, along with new Bright Eyes and the Strokes, what a beautiful month it will be), but the remix really brings out the best of it. And those provocative lyrics… Lykke Li, as if you didn’t have the male race wrapped around your finger tightly enough.

23. Don’t Leave My Mind – Azure Ray
Azure Ray is a pair soft-singing, glowing girls who’ve made appearances on a good handful of Bright Eyes albums. This song off of Drawing Down the Moon is slow-moving and romantic, but sad, too.

22. Stranded – The Walkmen
The Walkmen’s Bows + Arrows has been a top album in my life, and while I’m loyal to their sort of crashing-sounds-meets-ragtime, I really like the pace of this song. The horns compliment Hamilton Leithauser’s dipping and pulling vocals.

21. Used to Be – Beach House
It was hard to chose between this song and Norway, but ultimately, the subtle bounciness of ‘Used to Be’ tends to conduct the rhythmic patterns of my heart beat, and that’s pretty awesome. If there ever were to be a ghost that haunts my house, I’d let it stay if it howls about like the hyaline voice of Victoria Legrand.

20. Solitude is Bliss- Tame Impala
The beginning of this song reminds me of a car commercial, and that just ties into the band’s name so well – what’s not to love? It’s a nice and upbeat display of their psychedelic rock, something that moves enough to keep it from becoming stale.

19. We No Speak Americano – Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP
I first heard this song at Otto Zutz, a club in Barcelona that hosted Loco Lunes (‘Crazy Mondays’). It’s a night of dancing to either really old American Music or new-enough hits. I thought this was some random Italian swing music, which is true to an extent, but it actually blew up in every European club. It’s bass-catchy and fun, and it reminds me of being out at 6 a.m. in the streets of Barcelona.

18. The Other Side of Your Face – Twin Sister
The build-up in this song is near perfect. Then the voice comes in, a sort of nasally and intimate female vocal, and I’m instantly sold. Can you really go wrong with pretty harmonies and reverb-y noise? Well, yeah, of course you can, but this song nails it.

17. Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National
The sadness of these lyrics are put on a really triumphant backdrop, a paradoxical tactic I tend to fall for in songs. I love the deepness of Matt Berninger’s voice, always have and always will.

16. Art House Director – Broken Social Scene
Choosing from this album was difficult, runners-up include: Texico Bitches, All to All, Meet Me in the Basement, and Sentimental X’s. This song is genious from beginning to end – the wobbly beginning, the overall liveliness (I’m a sucker for brass, what can I say), and the signature BSS random-sounds exit.

15. Tighten Up – Black Keys
I plain and simply love the Black Keys. I love them even more when their edgy rock flirts with blues (also applicable when their rock makes love with blues, listen to ‘Stack Shot Billy’ from Rubber Factory). It’s a love-at-first-listen song, but again, it was hard to choose from this album. Listen to all of Brothers if you haven’t already.

14. Tell ‘Em – Sleigh Bells
So energetic! A few bangs, a lot of synth, and a strange echo of Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock version of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ (listen for it, you’ll hear it). Sleigh Bells produces such an impressive amount of sound for just two people. Fun facts: Derek Miller used to be the guitarist of Poison the Well and Alexis Krauss was on a Nickelodeon Magazine commercial as a kid.

13. Despicable Dogs – Small Black
“Do it without me, do it when I’m gone,” that’s what singer/innovator Josh Kolenick is droning in the chorus; even if you don’t quite remember the order of the words, with one listen to ‘Despicable Dogs,’ you’ll be singing this line over and over again… kind of like how moms improvise trigger words from the radio. It’s dull and static, with that submarine-ding guitar in the background… things I simply love.

12. Bang Bang Bang – Mark Ronson (feat. MNDR & Q-Tip)
MNDR has come to play with the big boys, and Amanda Warren has shown she can play tough.  This song is a single off of Mark Ronson’s third album Record Collection. The feature artists are the ones that really got me to press play, so it was surprising to hear this isn’t Mark Ronson’s typical work. Sometimes change is good, even great, and this is true for ‘Bang Bang Bang,’ a hard-hitting, gyrating-your-hips, in-your-face rock out of a song.

11. We Ah Wi – Javelin
This song would come on and I’d forget what it was. Then about 15-seconds later the little beat would march its way in, and I’d be so happy that ‘We Ah Wi’ found its way to my ears again. Maybe I was sucker to the surf rock sound that captivated the alt rock world this summer, but I think this song is sort of beautiful in its own electric wave way.

10. World News – Local Natives
Sometimes you all you need is a little folky song featuring do-do-dos and oh-oh-ohs to brighten your day. Of course it’s sentimental, of course it’s about a girl, and of cocurse it has gang vocals. What’s great is how tall it stands above all those other indie archetypes.

9. Binge – Gorillaz (feat. Little Dragon)
I have a sick obsession with sad love songs, and this one may take the cake. Little Dragon’s breathy Yukimi Nagano (Swedish-Japanese, even the most somber indie flicks couldn’t cast a girl so cool) has such a heavy effect against the desperate voice of 2D, which is impressive because his vocals are about as stiff as a brick. What’s more is the perfect fit of the song’s drowsy optimism, it somehow so easily supports all this weight.

8. Marathon – Tennis
Past the second verse I have not a clue as to what she’s saying, but this song is so charming and appropriately dated-sounding. Tennis is a married couple – Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley  (dear Lord, how adorable, right?), and I remember hearing something about them sailing the seas making music out of simplistic instruments and love. Melt my heart, soul, and entire being. Then kindly put me in a bucket so I can still listen to this song and believe in true love.

7. VCR – The xx (Matthew Dear Remix)
AS IF THIS SONG COULD GET ANY BETTER? IT DID! What a beautiful thing – a remix so masterful that it could be the original. It doesn’t rob the original of its slow intimacy, instead it dons it with a pair of lacy black underwear and calls it a night. Seductive meets tasteful, like Zooey Deschanel.

6. For Ash – Marnie Stern
I’ve never heard of Marnie Stern before, and oddly I never really looked into more of Marnie Stern after falling in love with ‘For Ash,’ maybe for fear I wouldn’t like the other songs as much. It’s like tribal Animal Collective, or picture the little choir chaps in Lord of the Flies collaborating on some island-chaos genre. I’m unsure of how to describe this song without literary references, maybe that means I shouldn’t blog about music anymore; let me know if you can do any better.

5. Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
I hope people are smiling and nodding at this pick due to its undebatable delightfulness. Unless you’re thinking, “Yeah, but what about ‘Home’?” That’s 100% valid, it was hard to chose between the two. ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ is a group activity – you’re with some friends in the car listening to this song, all waiting for the wild breakdown part so you can go berserk, and then post-car ride, you all falsetto scream, “So go and dance yourself cleeeeaaan, aaaahhhhh” like some odd twitch.

4. Ambling Alp – Yeasayer
Yeasayer got my attention at Bonnaroo before I even knew who they were. It’s nothing short of  impressive when a band can keep you dancing and bopping around regardless of prior exposure. Their poppy-polyphonic ridiculousness glitters all over this song like a big blanket of Yeasayer wrapped around your senses. Makes you feel like you can do anything, how encouraging! Thanks, guys!

3. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) – Arcade Fire
When this songs hits me at the right moment, I feel like could cry. Sometimes I do. This album was perfection in its own right, and ‘Sprawl II’ wavers in all of its sounds and rhythms, but ultimately comes out solid and powerful. Regine Chassagne (another band with a married duo!) has a voice like an angel, but in this song it’s so uncompromising and graceful, it’s hard to justly compare it to anything.

2. Mouthful of Diamonds – Phantogram
Every single moment is my favorite part. It’s wonderfully intimate and sincere; Sarah Barthel’s voice softly rides the surface of the lush waves and undertows of this song. The layered blips and beats pull you around until you’re a mess, then you find some sanctuary in the purring calm that exists in it all. Get invested in this, it’s a beautiful thing.

1. Goldskull – Miniature Tigers
And an underdog wins again! First deemed my summer jam, it crept its way into all my subsequent playlists and mixed CDs for friends. I wanted to wake up to its sunshine every morning and fall asleep to its dreaminess every night, I wanted my friends to hear it so we could dance together. It’s poppy and catchy, flashy yet dynamic; everything I’ve ever wanted in a song (marry me?)!

Miniature Tigers has been around for some time now, but finally grabbed some eyes and ears when Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo (currently in Helsinki working away on a new LP) helped to produce this song. An all night session and out came this sparkling gem. Put it on loud, dance around, sing a little and shake away the December blues. This song is the remedy to all things bad!

That’s a wrap! Hope you revisited some old favorites or can make room for some last minute loves before the year ends. So what did I miss??

See you next year with another  25 songs!

After another dreadfully monotonous day of assembling glasses for 8 hours, I routinely flipped on XMU channel 26 on Sirius Satellite Radio to hear the groggy and pleasingly apathetic voices of Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National.

For this week only, these guys will be hosting an hour-long show at 5 p.m. with replays at 11 p.m. everyday. They hand pick tracks off of their latest album High Violet as well as goodies from older stuff. Digging a little deeper, Berninger and Dessner also rotate some music that influenced their slowly but surely rise to indie rock fame.

It’s an intimate little program, like a high-tech version of MTV Unplugged. My favorite part of today’s show was the history behind ‘Abel’ off of their 2005 album Alligator. Berninger explained the band’s frustration after three album releases and still no attention from the masses.

We joke about this song being the point when we were sort of knocking on the door…

‘Abel’ echos the quiet-noisiness that The Pixies so well engineered, and this is entirely intentional. Berninger and Dessner admitted they tried to emulate The Pixies with this one with the chorus kick off and that simultaneously low and loud sound.

Good job, boys… I think it worked.

Right when Cleveland thought there was no hope left, these Brooklyn boys are here to represent Ohio where The National got its start. They’ve got heart, a lot of talent, and a great taste in music.

Listen for yourself this week on XMU, but for now check out these tracks from the National:

Ben & Jerry’s has yet again succeeded in combining two of my most favorite things: ice-cream and music.

Bonnaroo Buzz is, and I quote, “Light coffee and malt ice creams with whiskey caramel swirls and english toffee pieces.”
Seriously? This is beyond delicious.

This collaboration allows more cash flow to the Bonnaroo Works Fund, in which they promote, initiate and fund philanthropic undertakings.

If you’re headed to Bon Bon 2010 (you lucky duck), grab a taste at the festival! If not, get yourself to a Scoop Shop on May 4th to attend the Flavor Release party from 5 to 7 pm where there will be music from ‘Roo artists, prize giveaways, and free samples of the new flavor. If you refrain from showering a few days before hand, wear close to nothing and get your hands on some molly, it’ll almost be like the real thing.

Haven’t seen the Bonnaroo lineup yet? Check it out here!

Nothing says summer like good music and good ice cream (unless your lactose intolerant, in which case Ben & Jerry’s has your back with the sorbet)!

Look what the cat dragged in.

I was delighted to see an unfamiliar track by MGMT on the front page of The Hype Machine today only to find out it was one of TWO leaked tracks from MGMT’s newest creation Congratulations.

Congratulations drops April 8th, but these tracks make for a satisfactory preview. Now that everyone in their mothers know the first nine or ten do-do-dos of ‘Kids,’ it’s time to hear a new sound from these boys. And I have to say I like what I hear.

‘Flash Delirium’ has a nice, matured sound that is reminiscent of Of Montreal and Hot Chip. It seems they’ve taken more driving elements from Oracular Spectacular (i.e. ’4th Dimension Transition’ and ‘Of Moons, Birds & Monsters’) and refined them a bit with this breezy, mystical feel.

‘Congratulations’ is a little slower, a ballad if you will, but there’s something simultaneously soothing and psychedelic about it.

I dig, how about you?

André Obin performs at the Middle East Upstairs

A few months ago, I did a concert review of Stars and Track of Field when they played at Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA. I really dug the opening act, who I referred to as “mystery noise man.” Well, good news, we tracked him down to see what he’s all about.

His real name is André Obin, and after a somewhat lengthy conversation, it’s altogether too ironic that a true-to-life enigma was already a mystery from the start.

It’s hard to pin down a person like Obin, an out-and-out music genius hailing from Cambridge, MA whose year abroad at Oxford birthed a passion for electronic music. Obin describes his experiences in London during the lat 90s:

On the weekends I was basically going to London and checking out DJs and live bands, and I just realized electronic music does something different for me because of the way it’s gridded, how sequencing can be attractive. I like robot sounds, is what I’m trying to say.

Twelve years ago, Obin and his best friend Thomas Gallagher started Matters and Dunaway, but in late 2008 they took a break to work independently. His new collaboration Endless Wave just debuted at the start of the new year, and it has already merited a spot on Boston Herald‘s list of 10 Boston bands to look out for in 2010.

Colorwheel, Obin's two-track release

But despite his involvement in multiple projects, a big focus for Obin is his solo music. His agenda seems clear:

I love techno. The predominate amount of music I listen to is electronic music. I love shoegaze bands and indie rock, but around the turn of the decade when I was living in England, I was really into drum ‘n’ bass. At the time, it was the first straight, electronic form of music that I was crazy about. But over the past few years, it’s become more and more floor-to-the-floor techno affinity.

I also love pop music, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to my solo stuff. I feel like the voice makes an extremely strong instrument.

The more I picked at Obin’s brain, the more I realized that he was a musician with unique perspectives. It was a well-blended combo of fearless sincerity and downright dedication.

I asked about Obin about his experiences on stage and what he strives for while performing. While some musicians necessitate an energy feed from their audiences, Obin implements his own methods. He claims that in Boston, the people seem to be more intelligent. So if the crowd isn’t dancing, the listeners still perceive the performance as a “cerebral experience.” Admitting that it may be a bit egocentric, in the grand scheme of things, Obin doesn’t need even need an audience at all.

I perform the best if I can give it my all when I’m up there. On stage, there’s a fine line between operating my gear and losing myself.

He’s into music, undoubtedly, but you won’t find Obin behind any remixes. With popular puzzle-masters like Girl Talk surfacing on the mainstream airwaves, it seems like an area of interest for those well-versed in mixing. For Obin, he comments:

I’ve done just a couple of remixes, and I’ve found that I much rather create something; I much rather be the genesis of music, not part of editing. Mixing and DJ-ing are two things I try to keep separate only because I don’t want to spread myself too thin. I’d rather play an instrument or sing or produce something of my own than spend time on other people’s music. It’s very self-centered that way.

Obin has just released a video for his track “Cinnamon,” a noire visual of sensuality that mixes stop-and-go with fluidity just as well as the song does.

This over-the-phone interview with Obin quickly coursed into a conversation about music rather than a rigid serious of questions and answers. Obin is a walking contradiction in the best sense – pointed and narrow with his personal ambition as both an artist and performer yet also dynamic in his interests and talents.

He’s not all serious, either. At the end of our conversation, Obin talked about where his future is taking him:

Music is my whole life; there’s a fine line between a starving artist and a homeless artist.

Be sure to keep an eye on what André Obin is up to – he will be playing at Great Scott on February 9th. And if you have the chance, also make the effort to see Endless Wave play at TT the Bear’s Place on February 17th.

Photo credit: grahamrb8

I’m no expert here. I’m simply and honestly telling you the songs that I loved this past year – polls, charts, blogs, magazines aside. I avoided adding/removing songs just to reach some practical number, so there are only 24.

Here we go with the very subjective and biased Top 24 Songs of 2009!

24. ‘This God Damn House’ – The Low Anthem
Ok, so yes this is a 2007 song, but this version is from the August HearYa Live Sessions. I watched Ben Knox Miller perform this live at Bonnaroo, and it involved whistling and two cell phones for some funky reverb and overall amazement. Slow, endearing, and heartbreaking.

23. ‘Devout’ – Islands
To some, Islands’ third album Vapours was disappointing, but this song is a sure highlight. Yes there’s a bit more pop than usual, but that’s not such a bad thing after all.

22. ‘Boys Boys Boys’ – Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga

I had a love hate relationship with this chick for a while, but we’ve finally come around, she and I.

After incessant demands to play this song from my roommate and best friend Kristen, it dawned on me that this song, in all its clichés and questionable claims about boys and girls, is absolutely fantastic. She’s turned out as many hits as Talyor Swift, if not more. But I can’t really stand Swift’s music, so I say, Lady Gaga for the win.

The Lady’s got talent, there is no denying it – drink a little, dance a lot, listen to this song.

21. ‘Wet Hair’ – Japandroids
Newly discovered by a playlist given to me by a good friend. It’s been a while since I’ve come across a good punk band since… I don’t know, Brand New’s Your Favorite Weapon (yeah, I went there). So, so simple but full enough for me. Plus you got those cutesy lyrics that work so well with gang vocals and angular guitars. “Let’s get to France so we can french kiss some French girls!”

20. ‘Daylight’ – Matt & Kim
I met this couple two years ago at ‘Cuse, and I saw why they have so much fun. Couldn’t have be more enthusiastic to play a show with a 20-person crowd. Doesn’t it sound like Matt is smiling when he sings? It’s because he is. Their sound has certainly matured since then their self-titled, and I love this track off of Grand.

Bonus: Be sure to check out the Troublemaker remix of ‘Daylight’ featuring De La Soul

19. ‘Lust for Life’ – Girls

Christopher Owens and JR White of Girls

Need a little light in your life? Give this song a play, and you feel like you’re in a soft glow photo with a Free People model in the summertime… in the 1920s. Did I mention Jay Gatsby’s there, too? Bottom line: this song is euphoric.

18. ‘My Girls’ – Animal Collective
They’ve finally broken into the realm of mainstream. Did all the acid-dropping hipsters die? No! It pleases the masses: AC’s trademark repetition, a handful of appeal, and free flowing transitions that make me want to do drugs. Just kidding. Fun fact: I once compared this song to Marxism in a philosophy paper and got an A.

17. ‘Stuntin’ Like My Daddy’ – Lil Wayne & Birdman ft. Okkervil River by Team Teamwork
Whew! That’s a mouthful. Team Teamwork’s Good-ass Remixes took the best of hip hop and combined them with the best of indie rock. The result? A whole lotta wonderful.

16. ‘Heartbreaker’ – John Legend feat. MSTRKRFT
Poppy, a little jazzy and a good beat. In other words, it’s catchy as all hell. John Legend’s voice is like butter.

15.  ’Goji Berries’ – Rubik
These Swedish rockers took my heart when I discovered this song. Talk about great transitions. From beginning to end, I think this song is masterful – demanding and noisy to cotton candy sweet then a little rag time followed by some intense horn work.

14. ‘Temazcal’ – Monsters of Folk
The beast breathes sweetly and sadly with this ballad. My favorite track of the highly anticipated debut album, and it’s nothing short of beautiful in a heavy sort of way.

13. ‘Gifted’ – N.A.S.A. feat. Kanye West, Santigold, and Lykke Li
The favorite track of beat bumpers in outer space. Fast paced and sparkling with the fluidity of boom-pow songbird Lykke Li.

12. ‘Hoochie Coo’ – Black Keys feat. Mos Def and Jim Jones

Blakroc's Mos Def

Can you say, power trio? I’ve been a long time fan of Black Keys, and this collaboration (along with the many collaborations on Blakroc) makes for a great song. Bluesy pulsing with the oh-so-cool vocals of Dan Auerbach and Jim Jones coupled with none other than Mos Def.

11. ‘Make Her Say’ – KiD CuDi feat. Kanye West, Common, and Lady Gaga
A little raciness is best justified with cleverness. This song is quiet and slow but gives us all a big boom. It’s a little amazing in that nature. The sample of Lady Gaga is taken from her acoustic version of ‘Poker Face,’ which is one fierce display of her musicianship.

10. ‘Knotty Pine’ – Dirty Projectors feat. David Bryne
Short, sweet, and upbeat. Angel Deradoorian’s voice is phenomenal. Not the best example of their usual amazing harmonizing skills, but still lovable.

9. ‘Best I Ever Had’ – Drake

Jimmy? Last time I knew you were in a wheelchair! It’s hard to drop your child star rep, but Drake has earned himself respect in the realm of music. Sometimes I get Degrassi flashbacks when I listen to him, but that’s going away. Fan favorite, also my favorite.

8. ‘So Insane’ – Discovery

Rostam Batmanglij (from Vampire Weekend) and Wes Miles (from Ra Ra Riot) make up Discovery

Who knew that the synthesis of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend would actually involve synths? Well, it’s love for me, and this song particularly is a sort of anthem for the spirited youth with big hearts. Uplifting and fun, not too fast but quick enough… like a college hookup.

7. ‘So Far Around the Bend’ – The National
Yes, another one from Dark Was The Night. Nostalgic meets a folky march to make for one hell of a song. I like how he seems to really have the girl pegged in this song. It’s personal, but thankfully not too delicate.

6. ‘Foreground’ – Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest took flight this year, and undoubtedly there were some gems on this baby like ‘Two Weeks’ and ‘While You Wait for the Others.’ But, this song is quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in some time. It’s a subdued side of the Griz, but still has a low growl that separates it from the saps.

5. ‘Soft Shock (Them Jeans Acoustic Remix)’ – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I do really love the original, but there’s something about this remix that has me 100 percent hooked. The timpani, the bongos, the strings. They soften the song, which sort of make the shock bigger. It tugs at my heart a bit, but keeps me smiling.

4. ‘Little Secrets’ – Passion Pit
This was my ringtone for the whole summer and then some… even my mom was dancing when I got a call. Falsettos and synth riffs reminiscent of an old Sega game, who knew it would sound so good? Passion Pit did.  Good job, fellas, Boston’s proud!

3. ’1901′ – Phoenix

Phoenix

From one of my favorite albums of the year! Yeah it’s in a car ad now, but what can you do? Kings of Leon’s ‘Molly’s Chambers’ was featured in a car commercial about 4 years ago, and they didn’t die and go to mainstream hell… just purgatory (we’re praying for you, Aha Shake Heartbreak was phenomenal!). It’s well composed, brilliantly repetitive, and with just enough pop to keep it up. Fun fact: when Phoenix performed on SNL this year, they were the only band to play three sets besides U2.

2. ‘What Would I Want? Sky’ – Animal Collective
This was a late comer in the running, so I apologize for the double Animal Collective, but they are my favorite. I was somewhat disappointed with Merriweather in its entirety, so this song was a great surprise off of their Fall Be Kind EP. I’m no Dead head, but it’s noteworthy to mention that this track is the first ever to have a licensed sample from the Grateful Dead (‘Unbroken Chain’). It’s dreamy, swirly and floaty, what else would you expect from these crazies?

… Drum roll (thanks for sticking with me)…

1. ‘Dominoes’ – The Big Pink
A bit of an underdog, but I couldn’t stop playing it since I first heard it. I would sing it around my apartment without knowing more words than, “These girls fall like dooominoooooess.” What is it about this song? I can’t really point it out, even though I feel like I should have more justification, being my favorite song of the entire year and all. It’s sort of like my girl crush on Zooey Deschannel. She’s above average but not drop dead anything, yet I love her more than a straight girl should ever love a girl celebrity. There’s my analogy, because I don’t have real words for this song.

OK, So there you have it. I’m sure you will disagree (and hopefully agree a little, too). Happy New Year!

I’ve been hearing a wide range of opinions about Animal Collective’s Fall Be Kind EP, which leaked last week before its December 15th debut.

For me, I give it an instant thumbs up.

It’s like a little treat, getting a five-song bundle from a these three crazies less than a year before their release of Merriweather Post Pavilion.

The opening track ‘Graze’ really does it for me – it contains one of the most beautifully strange transitions I’ve ever heard.  It’s a body high of a dream sequence lullaby that turns into a somewhat ridiculous use of pan flutes reminiscent of  an African safari.

My favorite by far is ‘What Would I want? Sky,’ which is characterized by their usual repetitive nature and witty uses of hallow, echoing voices both elevated and grounded by crashing and banging. I feel like whirling around or falling asleep… I can’t decide which, but both are good options.

My fellow forever fans of Animal Collective are not as impressed, but I don’t really see why. I think it’s creative, fun, and pretty.

To me, and I know this will be disputed and most likely criticized, Fall Be Kind EP is like Sung Tongs (my favorite AC album) hit puberty, partied hard, settled down with an artistic girlfriend and landed a respectable profession.

Take a listen!

Compliments of The Ridiculant

All Cheeming Boey needs is a Sharpie and your standard styrofoam cup to make absolutely spectacular pieces of art. Talk about using your resources.

According to the Metro‘s blog The Ridiculant, Boey started drawing on cups in 2006, and they’ve gained increasing popularity ever since. It seems like a simple concept, but the designs are nothing short of complex and complicated. Some even take months to complete and sell for hundreds of dollars.

I think these are amazing, take a peek:

You can view his entire collection here.