Jan 14 2011

Top 50 Albums of 2010 – The Top Ten

10. A-Trak – Dirty South Dance 2

A-Trak – We Don’t Want No Goblins

Dubstep and Southern rap were meant to be together, or at least they are when A-Trak’s behind the crossfader.  His second foray into mixing the two genres is a dance party like no other; stand by for the ending highlight, a mashup of Joker and Yung L.A.

9. Wavves – King of the Beach

Wavves – Post Acid

Nathan Williams’ 2009 and 2010 were completely different.  The previous year, he was an up-and-comer that crashed and burned publicly; now he is a renewed creative spirit with a diverse, improved sound.

8. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West – Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj)

Believe the hype – Yeezy’s fifth album is quite probably his finest work yet.  His rapping is smart and funny and his production is characteristically slick.  If he keeps making gold, we will continue to put up with his hi-jinks, Internet, interview, or otherwise.

7. One Wolf – One Wolf II: Secret of the Wolf

One Wolf – Backyard

Perhaps the doom and gloom from One Wolf’s self-titled effort has disappeared, but in its place is diverse instrumentation, inescapable pop hooks, and sharp optimism. A sonic collage of indie, Americana, and even metal, this is one that just grows and grows on you.

6. Thrift Store Cowboys – Light Fighter

Thrift Store Cowboys – Regardless

Lubbock’s elder statesmen etch their place in historic alt-country with this, their fourth and finest album.  Daniel Fluitt’s keen storytelling and unmistakable voice lead the listener on a gradual crescendo in under fifty minutes.  Give it one listen and observe the injustice – Deer Tick should be opening for these guys by now.

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Jan 7 2011

Top 200 Tracks of 2010 – The Top Twenty

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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Jan 5 2011

Top 200 Tracks of 2010 – 100-51

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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Jan 4 2011

Top 200 Tracks of 2010 – 150-101

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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Dec 15 2010

My Year In Live Music – 2010

This year I made the big move from Lubbock to Austin, and the transformation has done wonders for my live music fix.  I should have been writing down all the awesome bands I saw this year (and the years before, for that matter) but alas, hindsight, she is 20/20 once again.  I think this post covers the highlights more or less, however.  There’s plenty of great live music I saw this year that I’m leaving out, but after the jump, in no particular order, are twelve of the best shows I witnessed in 2010, eleven of them right here in the Live Music Capital of the World.

And for the record, I wanted to put the Sleigh Bells show on here, as fun as it was once they finally started playing, but everyone who attended knows Beauty Bar is at fault for that show’s omission.  What a disaster.

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Nov 30 2010

My Top 300 Songs of the 2000s – 100-91

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

100. Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks

From that catchy whistling to the shaking maracas, how could this song not have been a huge hit?  I knew it was gonna be everywhere the first time I heard it.  I’m a sucker for the boy-girl conversation songs (Johnny and June’s “Jackson” is probably my all-time favorite, and “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” is up there as well), and “Young Folks” is no exception.  It’s a percussive, melodic “I Got You Babe” for the iPod generation.

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Sep 7 2010

Five Upcoming Austin Shows I’m Super Pumped For

The title says it all, my autumn is getting sweeter all the time.

Pixies @Austin Music Hall 9/22

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Sep 5 2010

Sunday Night Videos


Deftones – “Sextape” (Official)

Deftones | MySpace Music Videos


Jul 9 2010

My Top 300 Songs of the 2000s – 220-211

Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.

220. Eisley – Marvelous Things

The Tyler, Texas quintet has remained active over the years, but it was this song, played late night on MTV2, that made me fall in love with their soft take on indie pop. It’s infectious, laid-back, and a perfect introduction to the band.

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Jul 1 2010

Quarterly Review: April-June 2010

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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