Top Albums of the Year

In no order but these are my favorites this year. They may not have been released this year but that's when I heard them.

Memory Tapes: Seek Magic

Broken Bells

Miike Snow: another end of year 2009 release.

Temper Trap: Conditions. June 0f 2009? Man, I was behind on this one.

Real Estate

Freedy Johnston: Rain on the City

The Black Keys: Brothers

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes: From Below

Mother Falcon: Still Life

Junip: Fields

Honorable mentions to Deer Tick, Gayngs, Arcade Fire, Caribou, and Surfer Blood. Foals is also up there and will probably move up after more listenings.

I'm sure I missed some from this year. I'll put them on next year's list if so.

Mother Falcon

Local Austin band getting lots of buzz. They are playing the Blanton tonight. Their CD comes out in February. Reminds me a little of Andrew Bird. Should be a good show.

Marigold

Limited Time Offer

By special request. I'm pulling this shortly so get it quickly.

Use Me

Junip

Playing Thursday at Mohawk. Jose' Gonzalez has played ACL before but now he's touring with his side project. I'm liking their new album and really like this song. Should be a good show.

Without You

Dandy Warhols

Another bucket list item to mark off. Wow. I so love this band. The only downside from last night is that they didn't play this song so I'll post it here. Yes, it's 16 minutes long. I happen to think it's not long enough, though.

It's a Fast Driving Rave up With the Dandy Warhols 16 Minutes

Freelance Whales

Playing tonight at the ND. Young kids playing lots of instruments. Should be mellow but nice.

Generator First Floor

Small Black

Hey, it's a band from Brooklyn. There are probably 5 charter flights scheduled just to carry bands from Brooklyn to SXSW.

This is a good Friday song. I'm sure their show will be dance worthy.

Photojournalist

Cloud Nothings

Another SXSW 2011 entry. Not sure how to categorize their sound. It's not garage rock. It reminds me a little of REM during their Dead Letter Office days of covering Velvet Underground. This is a good song:

Hey Cool Kid

Lia Ices

The first round of bands were just announced for SXSW 2011. Already? I see 3 bands on the list that were the buzz at CMJ. I'll post their songs. They're all pretty good. Here's the first: Lia Ices. I have a feeling she's going to be big.

Grown Unknown

Jenny and Johnny

Tonight at Emo's. Sure wish weeknight shows at Emo's ended early. Going to be a late night. Totally worth it for Jenny Lewis, though.

Little Fly

Deer Tick

Though still exhausted from ACL, the shows must go on. Tomorrow night at Emo's is one of my favorites: Deer Tick. I can't wait. Their new album is mellower than their older stuff but the 2nd half picks up quite a bit. This song kicks off the 2nd half and should be great live. Love the riff.

Mange

ACL recap

More for my recollection later than any de-facto review. My brief take on the bands I saw:

Friday:
Soft Pack: indie pop w/nice guitar licks. Decent.
Mountain Goats: just listened briefly. Decemberists.
Chief: Eagles-ish. Harmonies w/soft rock sound. I liked it. Need to pick up their album.
Miike Snow: Not as wild live as I expected. Still enjoyable.
Black Keys: tore it up. Holy shit.
Spoon: always good.
The Strokes: great songs. Marked off my bucket list.

Saturday:
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Patrice Pike and Sister 7.
Bear in Heaven: very enjoyable. Hope to see more of them.
Lucero: whiskey and cigarettes. not your father's honky-tonk band, though. damn good.
Mayer Hawthorne: I'll stick with the original Motown songs.
Broken Bells: great songs, great weather, good crowd.
Temper Trap: given my high expectations a little bit of a letdown.
Monsters of Folk: One of the highlights of the weekend. Absolutely magnificent.
Muse: meh. I'll stick with Rush.

Sunday:
Warpaint: not as great as the SXSW show but still good.
White Rabbits: they put on a good show.
Foals: a complete surprise. Another highlight. Can't wait to see them again.
Dawes: another Eagles-esque soft rock band w/harmonies. Some good songs.
Gayngs: "they rocked, man. Delivered as promised" (Overheard later from oblivious fest-goer). Disappointment of the weekend. I hope they reschedule and make up the cancellation.
Edward Sharpe: perfect festival band. A real crowd-pleaser. People went nuts.
Richard Thompson: played almost exclusively new stuff. Surprisingly good new stuff. Incredible musician/s. Another highlight.
The Eagles: ACL knows what they're doing. Great bonding moment for the 40-50K fans singing and dancing along to every song.

Pluses:
Free water stations
Food selection/prices
Organization/logistics
Band selection

Negatives:
Beer prices/selection
Sangria/wine shortages
Mellow Johnny's closed before Sunday ACL ended. Nice that they are there but shouldn't they be available when people are leaving in the event of a flat tire?

Did I leave anything out?

Richard Thompson

I finish off the ACL previews with the original Monster of Folk. 7pm gives us the National and Norah Jones as well as Richard Thompson. The National is great but I've never seen Richard Thompson and who knows if I'll ever have a chance again. Originally recognized for his incredible guitar playing, he is now more well known as a great songwriter. Probably half the acts at ACL have covered his songs. My favorite cover is REMs "Wall of Death", which I'm sure he'll play. He's known for his folk but I'm going to share one of his rock songs. Next week I may do a summary or a run-down of other acts. One week away!

Shoot out the Lights

Michael Franti and Spearhead

We interrupt the ACL previews for a long-distance dedication. To that special girl dancing at the Michael Franti show last night. Have a great day!

Sound of Sunshine

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Sunday at 5pm. Another overnight success. These guys sold out LZR with just one album released. They don't get much love from the blogs, which call them gimmicky and derivative. Oh, and sellouts: a couple of their songs are being used for commercials. Oh well. Much like Polyphonic Spree, people focus on everything but the music. I guess I'm easily sold because I like these guys. I really enjoyed their show and I like their album. "Home" is a great song, even more so live. You can find that everywhere so I chose another song from their album. The end reminds me of a tent revival where the evangelist/mystic/yogi is calling on you to rejoice. I can see people "cross the line" after getting inspired by this one.

Come in Please

Yeasayer

Sunday at 4pm will be packed. Robert Earl Keen and Trombone Shorty are the other choices and I don't see all the kids at those shows. Yeasayer is one of those bands that is extremely popular for some reason. They sold out consecutive nights at La Zona Rosa. We went and it seemed the crowd was there for the scene and not the music. They didn't seem to know any of the songs except "Ambling Alp", but they did go crazy for that one. I like some of their music but don't love it. The show was pretty good I guess. Not 2 sold-out LZR shows good, though. I guess I'm missing something. Anyway, I do like this song and any band that can get Veronica Mars in their video must be doing something right.



Madder Red

Gayngs

Sunday at 3pm is another toss-up. The Morning Benders were the buzz at SXSW and are probably destined to be headliners soon. They have 2 great songs in "Excuses" and "Promises" that are all over the blogs. However, I'm not too impressed with the rest of their album. Gayngs is another "super-group" comprised of members of Bon Iver, Rosebuds, Solid Gold, etc. I think there are 23 members. I imagine it was a one-off lark that turned out pretty good much to the surprise of all involved. Who knows if they'll put out another album. This should be a fun show. They have no buzz so I'm sure all the crowds will be at Morning Benders. I think I'll stick with Gayngs for this one.

I'll post one from each so you can decide.

Excuses

The Gaudy Side of Town

Dawes

Sunday at 2:20 on the Austin Ventures Stage. I've wanted to see these guys for awhile but keep missing them. They were supposed to play the Saturday SXSW showcase at Auditorium Shores but the freeze kept me away. Looking forward to this one.

Love is All I Am

Blind Pilot/Foals

Sunday at 1:15 is another uncertainty. Blind Pilot is pretty mellow in the Fleet Foxes mold but I haven't been interested in many of their songs other than the one here. I dont' know much about Foals but this song is pretty good. Their album was nominated for the Mercury Prize so maybe I need to check it out. I guess they get my vote.

Go On Say It

Olympic Airways

White Rabbits

I'm not too impressed with the bands in the Sunday 12:30-2:30 slots. With all the overlapping on Saturday you'd think they should have moved some good bands into Sunday. Maybe they'll be better live.

White Rabbits is one of those cases. Their album is okay. Nothing really stands out for me. Their "hit" is "Percussion Gun" but it kind of annoys me. Saying that, we saw them at the Independent (now the ND) and I had a good time. They use lots of percussion and are quite enthusiastic on stage. Worth checking out a little of them.

Also maybe worth checking out: SPEAK on the BMI stage at 12:40. Local Austin band that recently won "Best New Artist" in the Austin Chronicle. Extremely peppy synth pop so could be too saccharine for me.

Here's a song from White Rabbits that I think is the best on their album:

They Done Wrong, We Done Wrong

Warpaint

Sunday previews now. First up is the early show. Once again ACL puts one of my must-see bands early on Sunday. Last year it was Alberta Cross. This year is Warpaint. Nothing like empty festival grounds to showcase one of the hot new bands out there. We saw them at an early show at Emo's during SXSW and they were pretty tired/hungover but they still put on a hell of a show. I'm sure this will be great, too.

(By the way, I envy the Dallas people who get to see Warpaint open for The XX at the Granada Theater on Friday the 8th. What a double bill. At the Granada, too!)

Stars

Monsters of Folk

Last post for Saturday's preview. The 6-8pm shows are widely divergent. On the sides you've got wild dance parties with Gogol Bordello and LCD Soundsystem, Matt&Kim, Deadmau5, and Ozomatli. My personal favorite is LCD and they claim this is their last tour so if you believe that it's a show not to be missed.

I'll focus on the 2-hour set on the Austin Ventures Stage. The folk supergroup is the antithesis of the competing shows. This is a show that will appeal to the die-hard fans of My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes, and She&Him, as well as the hippies and folkies loyal the the ACL TV show. The rest of the crowd won't have a clue and probably won't stop for long to give them a chance. It's slow and mellow. There are no hit songs. We saw them at Stubb's and they played for over 2 hours. It was excellent. I think the best way to enjoy this show is to find a place to sit and just savor the music. If you try to jump between shows and come back to this you won't enjoy it.

Since it's 2 hours I'll put up 2 songs. One reminds me of the Traveling Wilburys and the other Gram Parsons.

The Right Place

Whole Lotta Losin'

The Temper Trap

Ok, now we get to the hard part. Saturday at 5:30 is probably the peak attendance for ACL. To solve the crowding problem they've put two great bands against each other to split things up. So, who to see? The XX put out probably my favorite album last year. Luckily, we got to see them at Mohawk (opening for Friendly Fires. How quickly things change.) I don't think anything is going to top that show. Plus, their music is not suited for a Saturday 5:30 slot. The spectators will get bored and start talking, etc.

I'm really liking The Temper Trap. Their whole album is great. Plus, it should be a great festival show. I'm not in the minority as this show will be packed but it will be worth it. Their "hits" are "Sweet Disposition" and "Fader" so google them if you want to listen. I'm posting this because it has a great build-up and is a hell of a song.

Resurrection

Broken Bells

Three weeks left so it looks like I need to pick up the pace. My choice for Saturday at 4:30 is Broken Bells. Their album is one of my favorites this year. If you don't have it go get it. It should be in everyone's collection. Unfortunately, the music doesn't translate as well live. Most people will probably wander off to check out Local Natives since their sound will probably be better in a live setting. I just can't get into Local Natives, though. Silversun Pickups is the other choice. I'll get my fill of alternative rock at Sonic Youth.

Honorable mention is Beats Antique at 4pm. They have a middle-eastern/electronica sound similar to Thievery Corporation.

Trap Doors

Chief

Just read about this band in a post on Austin360. Worth reading the article here.

These guys play Friday at 2:20pm. With Blues Traveler and Mountain Goats as their competition it's not much of a conflict. Carolyn Wonderland is great but we see her all the time.

So my vote is for Chief.

Night and Day

Mayer Hawthorne

Saturday at 3:30 pits Indie Rock (Manchester Orchestra) vs. Garage Rock (Black Lips). I'm going for the third choice: Detroit soul. Mayer Hawthorne is a dorky white kid singing old-school Motown soul. I've liked the songs I've heard and he will have the crowd dancing and swaying. I bet this will be one of those shows where the crowd gets bigger as the show goes on.

The Ills

Lucero/Gaslight Anthem

Saturday at 2:30 is a tough choice. Lucero is a band I've wanted to see for awhile. Gaslight Anthem should be a great festival band to see. Both bands should be rockin' so it's tough to decide. Lucero is for the Uncle Tupelo fans and Gaslight Anthem for the Bruce Springsteen fans. Of course, Two Door Cinema Club is also playing at 2:20 which is a complete departure. I posted one of their songs awhile back.

Here's one each from Lucero:

Can't Feel a Thing

Now Gaslight Anthem:

The 59 Sound

Bear in Heaven

Saturday's 1:30 show to see. Tried to see them at SXSW and I think we caught the end of their set at Mohawk. Here is a song for one of this blog's most ardent fans.

You do you

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

12:30 Saturday. Rumor is they put on a wild show. A good way to start the day and to kick off the weekend.

Paris

First Aid Kit

Saturday previews now. At 12:15 is First Aid Kit. Swedish sisters. They're compared to Neko Case and Fleet Foxes. This song sounds like Indigo Girls.

I Met up with the King

Sonic Youth

Friday at 7 is a tough one. Robert Randolph puts on a great show that's perfect for ACL. Ryan Bingham should also be a great show. Vampire Weekend didn't impress last time I saw them. I'm leaning towards Sonic Youth at first. We'll see depending on the mood.

Teen Age Riot

Girls

Playing opposite Miike Snow Friday so not on my list but still a good band. His voice reminds me of Elvis Costello. The rest of the album is a little 60s Beach Boys throwback sound.

Laura

Beach House

Not sure how these guys are going to go over with the crowd after the Black Keys and before Spoon. Extremely mellow dream pop. Band of Heathens are playing next to them at the Austin Ventures Stage. We'll see how they do.

Apple Orchard

The Black Keys

Friday at 4pm. True rock-n-roll to kick off the evening. Should be packed. The whole album is good so I'll choose this song for Leana (because she likes it):

Next Girl

Sleep Over

This is a new local band playing tonight at Emo's. Kind of a Twin Peaks feel. Mellow. Pretty cool

Sleep Over

Angus and Julia Stone

A band near and dear to Leana and me. We saw them 2 years ago at SXSW and they put on a great show. Unfortunately they are against Miike Snow and the Black Keys but I still plan on catching some of their set. Great brother-sister act from Australia.

The Beast

Miike Snow (again)

Friday at 3pm is my most anticipated show. I already posted Sylvia so here's a new one. Great album and should be a fun show.

Animal

The Mountain Goats

ACL Friday at 2pm after Hockey. This is for "those who wear aspirations of worldliness on their sleeves" to paraphrase the NYT. The hipster band for hipster bands.

No Children

The Soft Pack

Continuing the ACL preview. Playing opposite Hockey on Friday is The Soft Pack. Guitar rock. This song is pretty good.

Answer to Yourself

Beach Fossils

These guys opened for Here We Go Magic last night. A little too much reverb on the vocals but I like the guitar sound. Reminds me of old New Order, or Real Estate.

Daydream

Hockey

Here's my stab at an ACL preview by timeslot. First up on Friday at 1 is Hockey. They opened for Phoenix in December and put on a really good show. Very spirited stuff. A good way to start the festival.

Too Fake

The Roots/Monsters of Folk

Monsters of Folk will be at ACL. I'll probably throw up more of them soon since they're playing 2 hours. The Roots do a great version of one of their songs. Check it out:

Dear God 2.0

Gorillaz

Two posts in 1 day. A record. A band the kids are into these days. I like this song. Doubt I'll brave the Erwin Center to go see them, though.

On Melancholy Hill

Caribou

Here it is:

Sun

Two Door Cinema Club

A Friday dance choice. Another ACL band. Pretty good. Worth checking out.

What You Know

I See Hawks in LA

Just heard this and liked it. Don't know much about the band. Have to keep an eye out to see if they come to town.

Shoulda Been Gold

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

Seeing them tomorrow at La Zona Rosa. Also going to be at ACL. This is their popular song. The album is pretty good, too.

Home

Miike Snow

In the running for one of my favorite albums of the year. Here's a song that has received a lot of exposure. They'll be at ACL.

Sylvia