Culture Greyhound

20. A-Trak – Twerk That Driver

19. Small Black – Photojournalist (Star Slinger Remix)

18. Two Door Cinema Club – Undercover Martyn Flexin’ It (Passion Pit Remix)

17. The Hood Internet – Someday We’ll Find Your Love (Drake x Grum)

16. Neon Indian – Should Have Taken Acid With You (Future Rock Remix)

15. Coolrunnings – I Am You (Star Slinger Remix)

14. The-Dream – Nikki (Gobble Gobble Remix)

13. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (Le Chev Remix)

12. Deerhunter – Helicopter (Star Slinger Remix)

11. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round & Round (Little Loud Remix)

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20. The Hold Steady – Hurricane J

Craig Finn, while less belligerent, is still plenty drunk and emotional and frank on Heaven Is Whenever, and the group delivers one of their poppiest efforts thus far.  “Hurricane J” is a plea to a lost soul he may be care a little too much about, spoken plainly and perfectly alongside a perfect tropical storm metaphor.  We’ve all known someone like the person Finn describes, and we’ve all said the exact same things.

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50. LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean

49. Dom – Living In America

48. Arcade Fire – We Used To Wait

47. The Walkmen – Victory

46. Free Energy – Free Energy

45. Deerhunter – Desire Lines

44. Delorean – Simple Graces

43. Josh Ritter – Folk Bloodbath

42. Diamond Rings – Show Me Your Stuff

41. Janelle Monae – Tightrope (feat. Big Boi)

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100. Vampire Weekend – White Sky

99. The National – Lemonworld

98. Magic Kids – Superball

97. Drake – Up All Night (feat. Nicki Minaj)

96. Free Energy – Bang Pop

95. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

94. Evan Voytas – Our Thing

93. DOM – Burn Bridges

92. Games – Strawberry Skies

91. Dominique Young Unique – Show My Ass

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150. Toro y Moi – Causers Of This

149. Toadies – Pink

148. Surfer Blood – Take It Easy

147. Local Natives – Warning Sign

146. Dominque Young Unique – War Talk

145. Magic Kids – Good To Be

144. Rihanna – Cheers (Drink To That)

143. Deftones – Royal

142. Wavves – Super Soaker

141. Thrift Store Cowboys – One Gentle Inch To Nine Violent Miles

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200. The Golden Filter – Solid Gold

199. Delorean – Real Love

198. Band of Horses – On My Way Back Home

197. Games – Heartlands

196. Cults – Oh My God

195. El Guincho – Bombay

194. Marnie Stern – Nothing Left

193. Interpol – Barricade

192. Ke$ha – Your Love Is My Drug

191. Janelle Monae – Make the Bus (feat. of Montreal)

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Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.

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Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

44. Radiohead – In Rainbows

Released in October 2007 digitally (for a price of your choosing) and physically dropped on New Year’s Day 2008, In Rainbows was the end of the longest gap in between albums for Radiohead.  Whether you agree or not, the album is generally credited with establishing a new business model for a crippling music industry, offering a “pay what you want” scheme for the digital copy, exclusively from the band’s website.  It seems fitting that Radiohead would do this; they had just split with EMI, and In Rainbows was their first album not on a major label.  This idea has been adopted by many independent artists since the media storm surrounding the inventive self-leak.  But what In Rainbows is remembered for is not necessarily what makes it great – it is, for a group like Radiohead, quite shockingly amorous.

Thom Yorke once described the mood and lyrics of In Rainbows as “seduction songs,” and it’s hard to argue with that.  For the most part, the album is softer, more down-tempo, and, well, more romantic (in a weird Radiohead kind of way) than anything they’ve ever done.  Take the piano chords and easing texture of the sensual “All I Need,” or the creeping crescendo of “Videotape.”  Even songs that channel the 21st-century electronic-noodling side of the British group, such as “15 Step” and “Nude,” are less raw and foreboding than the highlights of Kid A and Hail to the Thief.  Meanwhile, the guitar-based Bends and OK Computer-era tracks, referring to “Weird Fishes” and “Reckoner,” show maturation, and, lyrically speaking, poetic contemplation.

With 2011 fast approaching, the talks from Johnny Greenwood are already aplenty regarding a follow-up to this fantastic disc, one of Radiohead’s best hands down.  And as their track record shows, in terms of ingenuous marketing as well as growth in musicianship, we can expect something completely different and amazing all at once.

Radiohead – 15 Step

Radiohead – All I Need

Radiohead – Reckoner

Neon Indian – Children of the Revolution (T. Rex Cover)

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Lykke Li – Get Some (Beck Remix)

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Amadou & Mariam – Sabali (Vitalic Remix Radio Edit)

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Toro y Moi – Still Sound

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Broken Social Scene – Texico Bitches (Star Slinger Remix)

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Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

45. The Thermals – Now We Can See

As far as concept albums go, Hutch Harris has nailed the formula.  There’s nothing vague or nebulous about the themes present in the lyrics of Thermals albums, whether it be the compelling tirade against politics and religion on The Body, The Blood, and the Machine or the analysis of love on the trio’s latest effort Personal Life.  As for Now We Can See, the first-person narrative is someone who has just recently died, and the observation is revelatory, unique, and brilliant.

Harris ponders how one would feel once dead through this narrative, and it makes complete sense.  The words reflect regret on things left unaccomplished, but overall, our protagonist is nonchalant and relieved, because, hey who cares, he’s already dead. Nothing to be done.  He’s free from the burden of life and the inevitable end.  The stark, subtle realization that there is nothing left to fear is prevalent throughout the album, and it conjures the brightest feeling of optimism ever felt on a post-punk collection of songs.

As for the music, well, the Portland trio has only gotten sharper and tighter in their feel-good power chord delivery and sing-along chants.  The title track is reminiscent of Baltimora’s “Tarzan Boy,” and Kathy Foster’s bass lines and percussion (when recording, the Thermals only had two members – drummer Westin Glass would join for the following tour) provide solid accompaniment for Harris’ declarative tenor and guitar solo.  While “Liquid In Liquid Out” gives a clever commentary on the wasteful routines of a life passed, “When We Were Alive” rocks harder than anything the band has churned out since Fuckin’ A.

In a solid half hour, the Thermals will win your heart and banging head with simply structured rock and roll and, in contrast, an uplifting approach to a usually fearful topic.  And after you’ve memorized every note and word, go see them live.  It all makes life worth living.

The Thermals – We Were Sick

The Thermals – Now We Can See

The Thermals – Liquid In, Liquid Out