20 Favourite Albums of 2010: Part I

Now, here's the list of my 20 favourite albums for this year in 2 parts.


Twin Sister "Color Your Life"


Fear of Tigers "Cossus Snufsigalonica"


Beach House "Teen Dream"


Crystal Castles "Crystal Castles"


Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"


Local Natives "Gorilla Manor"


LCD Soundsystem "This Is Happening"


Röyksopp "Senior"


Warpaint "The Fool"


Tame Impala "Innerspeaker"

100 Favourite Tracks of 2010: Part IX

He has too much good sense to be affronted at insults, he is too well employed to remember injuries, and too indolent to bear malice. He is patient, forbearing, and resigned, on philosophical principles; he submits to pain, because it is inevitable, to bereavement, because it is irreparable, and to death, because it is his destiny. If he engages in controversy of any kind, his disciplined intellect preserves him from the blunder.

- John Henry Newman on The Definition of a Gentleman, by Xu Ci En in AugustMAN


Merry Christmas to all readers!


Crystal Castles - Baptism
Wicked 8-bit beat with really warped vocals (or maybe a spoilt microphone, haha) and crazy electronics. Revel and dance away.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

The Morning Benders - Promises (mp3)
The Morning Benders have been quite the revelation this year, and Promises is another stand out track from "Big Echo". A light and wistful number that oozes nostalgia, its sing-along feel could be attributed to Chris Chu's pop sensibilities or Chris Taylor's touch (credited as a co-producer). Either way, it's fabulous.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Broken Social Scene - World Sick
This is like the opus of "Forgiveness Rock Record". It takes a good intro to get things rolling, and a sweet folksy tune seems pretty damn right for this one. Then it rolls right into a good ol' BSS song. The song seems like it's about being gay and standing up for it, especially in the context of religion. Insights anyone?
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Chief - Night & Day
That's a lot of hair guys and 100 marks for trying to look like vagrants. Traces of Fanfarlo in them? Somehow, the lyrics have an uncanny resemblance to the happenings in Vladimir Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark. The mellow sound and slight folksy lilt to the song makes this a delightful listen. Check out this more stripped down version here.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

of Montreal - Coquet Coquette
Smooth vocals and fun lyrics contribute to a rollickin' good time with this track by of Montreal. Don't forget the pacey drum beats and deep bass.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait
Petulant and urgent, the song opens with a piano led intro that progresses into a similar anthemic style Arcade Fire are known for. Win Butler's vocals shine through in particular, as he intones about how they used to have to wait for letters from their loved ones and is liberal with his falsetto. Just as how the song starts, the song ends similarly in a staccato of piano played keys.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

She & Him - In The Sun
Vocally led by everybody's favourite indie pop darling, Ms Deschanel and accompanied with a jaunty swagger provided by Mr Ward, this is one breezy tune.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Wild Nothing - Chinatown
I'm really a sucker for such foggy dreamy music. Maybe it's a throwback to the past of sorts, where everybody wants to hold on to something from yesteryears. Like analog cameras.
[myspace] [last.fm]

The Black Keys - Howlin' For You
Don't normally listen to blues-rock, but chanced upon this via Chuck and it is way too awesome. The fuzzywuzzy guitaring with that constant pounding beat gives you a silent adrenaline rush, to the ears.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait (feat. Beck)
At 0:50, where the dude bats an incoming orange totally reminds me of years back, we had a friendly match with out seniors, they pitched a coconut and my friend smashed it clean. HAHAHA, what memories. I totally love this song just for that. Ok, that's not just all about it. There's definitely a kooky vibe, as if something is gonna spring from nowhere. I like the contrast between Beck and her vocals.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

100 Favourite Tracks of 2010: Part III

Ray: You wanna get deep on this shit? All them Catholic scholars say, Everything that we do depends on the free choice. But at the same time, they say we need the grace of God to do what's right and follow that Jeannie. If I do something wrong, it's because God didn't gave me the grace to do what's right. If this world stinks, it's His fault. I am only working with what I've been given.

Jean: So, that way, the people they found with bullet holes in their skulls, they're God's fault? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

Ray: I'm ashamed of nothin'. I didn't make the world.

Jean: But you aren't doing anything to make it better.

Ray: Yeah, then I'll roast in hell

- vocal sample from The Funeral, (1996) between Ray (Christopher Walken) and Jean (his wife), in No Good Deed Goes Unpunished


ceo - Come With Me
Delightful uplifting synthy bliss. Mama-mia indeed.
[official] [last.fm]

Gayngs - The Gaudy Side of Town (mp3)
Amayzing. Supergroup Gayngs released this as the first single from the album "Relayted". This supergroup started by Ryan Olson features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame (he seems to be everywhere these days), members from Megafaun and Solid Gold, as well as psych-rockers Leisure Birds. See the entire roster here. Delicious music and it is incredible how all 23 people can coalesce into such a wall of sound - beautifully layered, resulting in a melting pot of rap-inspiration, falsetto highs, breathy ethereal vocals (seems to be a mainstay these days too) and R&B influences.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Crystal Castles - Vietnam
Needs no introduction. It's Crystal Castles, what more can I say?
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Delorean - Real Love
Balearic dance beats provided by Catalans Delorean, so awash in the bright rays of the sun it might make the sun retreat in favour of letting this song shine.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Sufjan Stevens - I Walked
What is Sufjan Stevens not capable of, one might wonder? I have no answer to that. Even more variety added to his increasing repetoire. A brooding electronic beat with reverby vocals.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

As The Stars Fall - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I love the sample used in this song, probably the inspiration for the title as well. Well used vocal samples are always appreciated by me. Evocative instrumental piece that conveys the sadness of the entire situation they are in, the sadness of Ray's and his family's warped view of Catholic grace (Waddell, 2003).
[official] [bandcamp] [last.fm]

Broken Bells - The High Road
Calm and collected guitar strumming that belies the seeming urgency as Mercer urges "Come on and get the minimum, before you open up your eyes." Danger Mouse aka Brian Burton makes up the other half of this illustrious duo.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

The Drums - Best Friend
Quirky indie pop.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
Count on Kitsuné to identify an awesome band when they see one. Super catchy synthpop with upbeat hooks and rapidfire vocals.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Inch Chua - Hurt
Local dynamo gives us a treat with her first full length release "Wallflower" which you can get for free at her bandcamp site. Her heart on her sleeve, right there for all to see once again as she sings with such panache and as if she's trying to prevent all her emotions from spilling out of her diminutive body.
[official] [bandcamp] [last.fm]

don't i know you better than the rest

Simian Mobile Disco - Nerve Salad
A sobering beat that conceals a certain frothing excitement that slowly spills over. SMD are back with a purely electronic piece devoid of vocals; some might say back to their roots as DJs. A delectable delight of snazzy synths and increasingly urgent beats, they suddenly revert back to spacious sounds that fill the space, and then back to those pacey doowops. It's nice to see some action from SMD after their last release, "Temporary Pleasure".

Crystal Castles - Knights
Set to Japanese teens imbibing alcohol and taking drugs, it's pretty much a neat metaphor for this spell-binding song by CC. This would definitely rock the dance floor with its bouncy synths and undulating beats that wouldn't seem out of place amongst a host of grinding bodies.

Beach House - Zebra
Significantly deviating from their dreampop signature as they lean towards a regular indie sound, they nevertheless can depend on Alex Scaly's drawn out mellifluous vocals to give that tinge of haziness I so desire. Again, I like this stripped down version of their usual stuff, banking on the drawing power of Scaly's vocals and thoughtful arrangements that never fail to charm.

The Saturday Mix #45

I've decided to give LightsoverLA a little love for this issue of The Saturday Mix. The first of their remixes I heard was Crystal Castles' Vietnam and I thought it was mind blowing. So I checked out their youtube page and here we are.

Crystal Castles - Suffocation (Memory Tapes Remix)
Haunting.

Wave Machines - Keep The Lights On (Artwork Remix)
Sublimal.

Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know (LightsoverLA Remix)
Thumping!

Crystal Castles - Vietnam (LightsoverLA Remix)
Wickeddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd.

Miike Snow - Billie Holiday (LightsoverLA Remix)
Magnificent.

Local Natives - Wide Eyes (Suckers Remix)
Subdued.

Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy (Danger Remix)
Over-revved.

it's the start of the end

Cullen - Easily Impressed
Mr Cullen here, who hails from Melbourne, cites Phoenix, Daft Punk, The Beatles and Weezer amongst others as his influences. Debut single Easily Impressed has an intro with Daft Punk-ish synths for a solid backing rhythm. His sweet boppy voice fits the confession of a song to a T, especially in the repeated chorus. A sweet package all in all, his off kilter pop sensibilities in the vein of Phoenix would definitely appeal to the masses.

Grizzly Bear - Foreground (Phoenix Remix)
This has got to be either the smartest or the laziest idea Phoenix has come up with. I think I'd go with the former. Just follow the instructions as said. Personally, I liked what I tried on my first try. I started Foreground when Canon in D Major reached 1:00. Canon in D Major is a slow and classical piece which totally melds into the piano backed masterpiece, where Daniel Rossen holds fort. Brilliant idea, really.

Crystal Castles - Baptism
Permission to go ape over this song please. Been quite a while since we've heard from CC. It's mind blowingly catchy with 8bit synths, warpy vocals that can't be deciphered, deep bass beat that goes thump thump in your head. Delish.

Kinema - My Girls (Animal Collective Cover)
I'm loving this cover by Kinema, and according to themselves, they sound like "really good". I've got to agree with them, though it seems to have polarised opinion on youtube. Uber dancey rendition of AC favourite, My Girls.

Kinema - Let's Get To It
Groovy downtempo electronica (of sorts), this trio quote Giorgio Moroder, Aeroplane, Erlend Oye as influences. Also imbued are certain poppy hooks that are so damn infectious, they seem to be destined for bigger things.

good out of evil. LONG WEEKEND YALL!

This has been a pretty awful week for me, and what better way to celebrate the start of the weekend and the end of a lousy week but a playlist. Here's a massive playlist, by my standards so far. Got a little lazy at the end, adding remixes only, but I realised the mixes were pretty dope too. So here's the massive 15 songs. Yowza.

Peaches - Mommy Complex

Doves - Kingdom of Rust

Kings of Leon - Closer

CSS - Music is My Hot, Hot Sex

Crystal Castles - Vanished

Pictureplane - Goth Star

Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool

Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool (Thin White Duke Remix)

Röyksopp - What Else Is There?

Röyksopp - What Else Is There? (Thin White Duke Remix)

Röyksopp - What Else Is There? (Trentemoller Remix)

Great Northern - Houses

Magic Wands - Black Magic

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up

Anberlin - Miserable Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)