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1. Close My Eyes - Arthur Russell
From the album Love is Overtaking Me
The rumor is that when Arthur Russell died in 1992, he left behind as many as 1,000 tapes of unreleased songs. His other posthumous albums draw more from his disco -- he was a bit of a star of the NYC disco scene in the 1970s and 80s. And then there is this collection of pop songs, with this stunning folk song as its zenith.
2. Mary - The Dutchess and The Duke
From the album She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke
Local lo-fi folk duo earns bonus points for making the weirdest video of the year:
3. So Everyone - Bonnie Prince Billy
From the album Lie Down in the Light
Has an appeal for public oral sex ever sounded so beautiful?
4. No One Does It - Department of Eagles
From the album In Ear Park
I think I like this album better than any of the proper Grizzly Bear releases. (Can I say that?)
5. Circus of Horror - Quiet Village
From the album Silent Movie
Yes, they took their name from the Martin Denny album -- they really are that awesome.
6. The Gardener - The Tallest Man on Earth
From the album Shallow Graves
One of my favorite albums of the year. Obligatory: Dylanesque
7. Upon Viewing Brueghel's 'Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus' - Titus Andronicus
From the album The Airing of Grievances
Yes, every song title on the album is at least this pretentious.
8. Black Rice - Women
From the album Women
Jangly psych rock from the Lou School.
9. Mismanaged Skies - Beatbeat Whisper
From the album Wonder Continental
It's cute. I like cute.
10. Mykonos - Fleet Foxes
From the album Sun Giant (EP)
Back before the two Sub Pop Records, before the Pitchfork reviews and the overnight indie stardom, I didn't walk a block and a half up the street after having drinks with my sister and cousin to go see the Fleet Foxes play at the now-closed (and legendary) Crocodile Cafe, so that I might never have to say, "I was there when."
(You guys know everyone in Seattle looks like this, right?)
11. Psychotic Girl - The Black Keys
From the album Attack & Release
Your producer is Danger Mouse (!)
12. Possible Grenade - Brendan Canning (Broken Social Scene)
From the album Something For All of Us
I preferred this one to last year's Kevin Drew.
13. In the New Year - The Walkmen
From the album You & Me
The album didn't really stay in my rotation very long, but this song is simply outstanding.
14. The Ballad of Redhook - Peter and the Wolf
From the album Mellow Owl
Red Hunter (alias Peter and the Wolf) is one of my favorite songwriters, and this is a picture of a man on a motorcycle.
11 comments:
As an aside, I spent hours last night trying to code into our template a way to make expandable posts with a "Read More" link, so that this wouldn't take up so much space on the main page.
I failed.
You'll never be Nate Silver.
Really, not a fan of the new TV on the Radio? I thought this was a pretty weak year for music overall, maybe I'm getting older or something, but last year seemed much better. To me Dear Science is a solid album the whole way through, which it seems was a long time coming for them.
Fleet Foxes on the other hand..saw them live, looking at beards and vests isn't enough to keep me entertained I guess. Their album was pretty solid though, especially if you're in an angelic "I'm gonna ignore my testicles and pay attention to my ironic mustache" kind of mood.
Oh Fleet Foxes are surely overrated, they're just my kind of overrated.
And last year -- between Animal Collective and Andrew Bird and Jens Lekman and Panda Bear and Iron & Wine and The Avett Brothers and Elvis Perkins -- was much stronger, I agree.
whisk and syco have an overlap song! party foul!
that strychnine track is pretty edgy! it is somewhere between a killer rock and roll song and an early eighties punk song
I'll probably have The Gardener on my mix too, because it's already been repeated anyhow and I cannot imagine making a mix of my favorite songs of the year without including my favorite song of the year.
So does this mean we can officially crown "The Gardener" as OGL song of the year? (Dibs on the post!)
I think it is inevitable, really. The Gardner is much loved in these parts.
TV on the Radio? Yes, that's nice. I haven't gotten my fill of meaningless drones of noise ever since the alternative movement took that headshot in the 90's. Bonus points for being impenetrably 'artistic'...
Hugs! for hating TV on the Radio with me, Aaron. We really are soul mates.
I will hold you as the winds of the apocalypse race over us, Tyler.
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