Mixtape: The Best of the First Quarter January -> March

I believe I located the DMCA problem - It seems the Arctic Monkeys track is only available from their website. Anyways - I strongly encourage you to support the artists and buy their albums!

The first quarter of the year is over and it has been a good year in music so far. There have a been a few standout albums that I really go back to again and again:
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
James Blake - James Blake
P.J. Harvey - Let England Shake
Destroyer - Kaputt
Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
Bright Eyes - The People's Key
Still absorbing the Generationals and Wye Oak and looking forward to TV On Radio, The Vaccines, Raveonettes, and Low. Radiohead was a little disappointing (by that I mean it didn't change my life), but with every listen I like it more, same with the Yuck album. So below is a great mix of early favorites for the year, although I picked some tracks simply because they were available. I personally like Dear Avery best off The Decemberists album and can't pick a favorite on P.J. Harvey or Destroyer. Please tell me what I left off or screwed up below in the comments section and while you are at it, sign up and follow me.

My top 28 in no particular order, just how I thought they sounded nice:
1.Juliana Barwick - Prizewinning (Alias Pail Remix) from the album The Magic Place
2. P.J. Harvey - Last Living Rose from the album Let England Shake
3. Bright Eyes - Shell Game from the album The People's Key
4. TV On the Radio - Caffeinated Consciousness from soon to be released album Nine Types of Light
5. Cloud Nothings - Understand At All from the album Cloud Nothings
6. Say Hi - Dots On a Map from the album Um, Uh Oh
7. The Decemberists - Calamity Song from the album The King Is Dead
8. Akron/Family - So It Goes from the album S/T II:The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
9. Radiohead - Codex from the album The King of Limbs
10. Daughter - Run from Demo album
11. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream from the album James Blake
12. Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers from album of same name
13. Cults - Go Outside from soon to be released album
14. Smith Westerns - All Die Young from Dye It Blonde
15. Generationals - Ten-Twenty-Ten from Actor-Castor
16. Broken Bells - Meyrin Fields from Meyrin Fields EP
17. Cut Copy - Take Me Over from Zonoscope
18. Tennis - Take Me Somewhere from the album Cape Dory
19. Braids - Lemonade from the album Native Speaker
20. Wye Oak - Civilian from the album Civilian
21. Destroyer - Song For America from the album Kaputt
22. Bill Callahan - Baby's Breath from soon to be released album Apocalypse
23. Ducktails - Killin The Vibe from the album Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics
24. Tapes 'n Tapes - Badaboom from Outside
25. Arctic Monkeys - Brick By Brick from soon top be released album
26. Yuck - Rubber from the album Yuck
27. Okkervil River - The Mermaid from soon to be released album
28. James Vincent McMorrow - If I Had  A Boat from the album Early In the Morning

Well enjoy the tunes - keep coming back and don't forget to watch LCD Soundsystem on Pitchfork this Saturday!

Must Read Article: LCD Soundsystem

Pitchfork has run an article on the history of LCD Soundsystem covering every track ever released. It is a long awesome read - check it out here. It is a must read for an LCD fan or any music fan. Sometimes Pitchfork is pretentious and over the top - but to me they nailed this one wrapping up the end of the band and as a huge bonus they will be web-casting the LCD show this Saturday.

Cheat Sheet #10 2011

Time is of the essence and I don't have any. Busy with lacrosse last week even though we had two games rained out. This week I got two more coming up, but if time allows and I can get them posted I have a bunch of great tracks to bring in spring. Anybody have any suggestions for music that reminds them of spring and the changing weather? Enjoy this week - the only bands posted that I know anything about are Bill Calahan former Smog man and Yacht. The rest of it is brand new to me, so lets see what sticks. If you got the time, become a member and follow me and tell your friends

Bill Callahan - Baby's Breath from Everybody Taste  
His voice and simple accompaniment is so effecting. This is the type of music I now obsess over. A Must buy!!!!!
New album Apocalypse comes out April 19
Band Website

Acid House Kings - Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends from Indie Rock Cafe
A throw off track really. I like to include 5 bands every week so these guys are number five. Swedish pop which that country knows how to do well. Perfect for fans of Peter Bjorn and John or Belle and Sebastian.
Album Music Sounds Better With You out now
Band Website




Typhoon - The Honest Truth from The Kitchen Turntable
A large band with a dynamic sound. These guys follow the credo of making a joyful noise. A discovery through NPR's coverage of SXSW.
EP A New Kind of House out now
Band Website

tUnE-yArDs - Bizness from Oh My Rock
I avoided this when I first saw it posted on blogs because I didn't like the band name with the lower and upper case mix. Just didn't look like a band that takes them seriously. I was wrong - the music is the brain child of Merrill Garbus. She is weird and wacky but serious about making good music. It was the video below from NPR - All Songs Considered that sold me on the music
Album WHOKILL is out April 19
Band Website

Yacht - Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire) from Everybody Taste
Hot off the blog presses, this track is a great play on the "The Roof Is On Fire" by Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three and signals that Yacht will still be around the blogosphere for another 6 months. Another sign they will be around is they are on the DFA label. Only listened to this once, but it sure is catchy.
New album Shangri-La out this summer
Band website

Bonus Video: The Roof Is On Fire by Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three

Bonus Video: Fire Water Burn - Bloodhound Gang

Video: !!! Chk Chk Chk live at SXSW

I really wish I could go to SXSW some year and I wish I could see these guys in concert:



Go to the SXSW Lawn Party channel on youtube for more great performances from this year

Video: TV On the Radio - Will Do

Great song with a video that is clearly commenting on how disconnected we are from one another and how linked in we are - I say this as I post another blog.



Awesome