Panda Bear – Person Pitch (2007)
This album delicately led me by the arm towards Animal Collective, when I was confounded by how strange it was. 2007 saw me doing yoga to Person Pitch almost every day, allowing me to sink into what Panda Bear and, as a result, what the whole AC crew had to offer. Person Pitch is simultaneously poppy and abstract, winsome and deranging, creating elaborate and magnificent convoluted sonic collages.
mp3: Panda Bear – Comfy in Nautica
mp3: Panda Bear – Bros
mp3: Panda Bear – Good Girl/Carrots
Download Person Pitch
MySpace | Website

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2007)
This fearless and truthful release from British soul-singer Amy Winehouse startled listeners with its irresistible depth and retro sound. The gorgeously produced Back to Black is arguably one of the best soul albums of the decade and can withstand countless listens. This saucy siren won’t let you go.
mp3: Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good
mp3: Amy Winehouse – Wake Up Alone
mp3: Amy Winehouse – He Can Only Hold Her
Download Back To Black
MySpace | Website

Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
Radiohead reinvent themselves yet again. Accentuated electronics, Yorke’s urgent lyrics and haunting vocalizations, combined with the band’s peerless craftsmanship fill In Rainbows.
mp3: Radiohead – 15 Step
mp3: Radiohead – House Of Cards
mp3: Radiohead – Down is the New Up
Download In Rainbows
MySpace | Website

Sigur Ros – Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust (2008)
The Icelandic title translates to “With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly”. Med’s soothing and euphoric post-rock pop creates aural landscapes, bursting with swelling beauty, soaked in Jonsi’s majestic falsetto vocals.
mp3: Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
mp3: Sigur Ros – Inni mer syngur vitleysingur
mp3: Sigur Ros – Godan daginn
Download Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust
MySpace | Website

Lily Allen – Alright, Still (2007)
This album had me rocking out in my car during many of those 2007 summer months. Allen’s smart alec, sassy attitude is emphatic. Her explosion on the scene as one of Britain’s superstars might put off some, but it’s hard not fall for her well produced brand of bouncy, horn heavy, ska-inspired pop.
Check out “Smile”, “LDN”, “Nan You’re A Window Shopper” – explicit! (can’t post!)
Download Alright, Still
MySpace | Website

Brett Dennen – Hope for the Hopeless (2008)
Brett Dennen inspires me. His lyrics are entirely well considered and thought provoking, and his positive, dynamic melodies are hard to deny. “Make You Crazy”, featuring Femi Kuti, is the true gem here, gorgeous in it’s entirety, speaking about our untrustable government, prisons, child soldiers, and how people treat each other to get ahead. The songs soar, speaking of love, hope, home and peace. “San Francisco” is thoroughly nostalgic especially if you’ve taken any time to get to know Dennen’s amazing city.
mp3: Brett Dennen – Make You Crazy
mp3: Brett Dennen – Wrong About Me
mp3: Brett Dennen – San Francisco
Download Hope For The Hopeless
MySpace | Website

Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
This album is pure fun, filled with memorable hooks and cheer-inspiring melodies. Once you get past the hype and realize that the music is anything but pretentious, it’s hard not to get carried away by VW’s joyously infectious, savvy lyrics, and crisp pop sound.
mp3: Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
mp3: Vampire Weekend – M79
mp3: Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance
Download Vampire Weekend
MySpace | Website

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
By far my favorite release of the year. Since their inception, Animal Collective has wandered the territorial edges of music, seeking out boundaries previously erected and looking beyond them. They’ve imbued gorgeous indie songs with peculiar vocals and irritating noises, contrasted West African rhythms with British folk melodies, and have hung on a single chord for what seems like eternity. Merriweather feels like a culmination of all of these explorations, achieving a sound that is both accessible and thoroughly innovative. Finally an Animal Collective album that I’m moved to listen to all the way through -hooky and pop drenched in swirls of psychedelia, heavy with sonic texture.
mp3: Animal Collective – My Girls
mp3: Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
mp3: Animal Collective – Brothersport
Download Merriweather Post Pavilion
MySpace | Website

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
The danceable, catching indie rock of Phoenix is perfectly featured on their newest release. The tight grooves of the band’s electrifying synth pop flow loudly behind Thomas Mars’ smooth and all the while urgent vocals. Wolfgang is brilliantly sleek with sonic texture, putting the band on the map as one of the most exciting groups to blow up stateside this year.
mp3: Phoenix – Lisztomania
mp3: Phoenix – 1901
mp3: Phoenix – Lasso
Download Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
MySpace | Website

Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy (2009)
On There is No Enemy, Built to Spill investigates an aesthetic they’ve created and honed over the years, revolving around Doug Martsch’s soft, yet penetrating vocals swimming in a bath of refracting guitar tones. The band again finds a new and interesting way to approach their sound making this my favorite BTS album since 1999’s Keep It Like A Secret.
mp3: Built to Spill – Aisle 13
mp3: Built to Spill – Hindsight
mp3: Built to Spill – Nowhere Lullaby
Download There Is No Enemy
MySpace | Website

Good for staying warm and cozy on a snowy day or wherever you might be…

mp3: Death Cab For Cutie – Coney Island
mp3: Nathan Moore – Understand Under
mp3: Built to Spill – Liar
mp3: Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton – Our Hell
mp3: Radiohead – House Of Cards
mp3: The Miracle Orchestra – Half Asleep (featuring Leslie Helpert)
mp3: Rilo Kiley – It’s A Hit
mp3: Radiohead – Thinking About You (unplugged)
mp3: The Shins – New Slang (live with Iron & Wine)

Imagine seeing Thom Yorke (of Radiohead) play a small club. No momentous visual effects and light boards but instead you’ve got the sonic genius of Yorke up close and personal. A limited number of fans watched Yorke perform his solo album “The Eraser” in its entirety last Friday at the Echoplex in L.A. (660 capacity) and at the Orpheum Theatre (1970 capacity) on Sunday and Monday. Other songs included several new and/or previously unperformed songs plus the Radiohead B-side, “Paperbag Writer,” from 2004’s ‘COM LAG’ EP. The star-filled band featured Beck’s Joey Waronker on drums, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea on bass, Mauro Refosco of David Byrne and Bebel Gilberto on percussion, and longtime Radiohead/Yorke producer Nigel Godrich on guitar/synths/laptop. The “public rehearsal” at the Echoplex was announced on Friday at 8:30am and tickets sold out within the hour once released at noon. Madonna, Prince, Sting, Slash, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Daft Punk, Zack De La Rocha, Spike Jonze, Rick Rubin, and Barbra Streisand were all there.

If you didn’t make it in, check out some the videos taken over the 3 nights. Yorke’s humor comes out in these clips plus his righteous dance moves. The magic of these evenings is felt.

10.02.09 Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
The Eraser, Analyse, The Clock, Black Swan, Skip Divided, Atoms for Peace, And It Rained All Night, Harrowdown Hill, Cymbal Rush
Encore I (Thom solo): Open the Floodgates, Lotus Flower, Skirting on the Surface, Judge, Jury, Executioner
Encore II (full band): Paperbag Writer, The Hollow Earth, Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses

10.04.09 Orpheum Theater – Los Angeles, CA
The Eraser, Analyse, The Clock, Black Swan, Skip Divided, Atoms For Peace, And It Rained All Night, Harrowdown Hill, Cymbal Rush
Encore I (Thom solo): Lotus Flower (Moon Upon A Stick), Open The Floodgates, Super Collider
Encore II (full band): Paperbag Writer, Judge, Jury & Executioner, The Hollow Earth, Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

10.05.09 Orpheum Theater – Los Angeles, CA
The Eraser, Analyse, The Clock, Black Swan, Skip Divided, Atoms For Peace, And It Rained All Night, Harrowdown Hill, Cymbal Rush
Encore I (Thom solo): Lotus Flower (Moon Upon A Stick), Skirting on the Surface, Super Collider
Encore II (full band): Paperbag Writer, Judge, Jury & Executioner, The Hollow Earth, Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

mp3: Radiohead – Open The Flood Gates – Live at the Echoplex 10/2/09

“Harrowdown Hill” – Live at the Echoplex 10/2

“Open the Floodgates” – Live at the Echoplex 10/2

“Paperbag Writer” – Live at the Echoplex 10/2

“Black Swan” – Live at the Orpheum Theatre 10/4

“Atoms for Peace” – Lieve at the Orpheum Theatre 10/4

“The Clock” – Live at the Orpheum Theatre 10/5

“Supercollider” – Live at the Orpheum Theatre 10/5

Radiohead | MySpace

Radiohead just released their new single, “These Are My Twisted Words,” Aug 17. Pulsating and dark, the track embodies the band’s reoccurring hypnotic essence. “We’ve been recording for a while, and this was one of the first we finished. We’re pretty proud of it. There’s other stuff in various states of completion, but this is one we’ve been practicing, and which we’ll probably play at this summer’s concerts. Hope you like it.” Johnny Greenwood

Greenwood has posted the track on Radiohead’s site with accompanying artwork for free download.

mp3: Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words

Watch the first live performance of “These Are My Twisted Words” at Australia’s Frequency Festival on August 21st, 2009.

These are my twisted words
When I feel you still walking
I know I should not look down
But I’m so sick of just talking
When are you coming back?
I just can’t handle it
When are you coming back?
I just can’t handle it
When are you coming back?
I just can’t stand it
I just can’t handle it

Radiohead | MySpace