Tops of 09, Props to 0-10

Well, it's officially 2010. This past year has been pretty fantastic musically. I grew a lot personally in my own musicality while some really awesome were albums released. I also ate a lot of egg drop soup, discovered thai food, spent a summer in LA, found love, embraced twitter, and was up 33% on my investments. I saw some unbelievable live shows - White Rabbits, Monsters of Folk, The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, and The Antlers were especially fantastic. I fell in love with Jazz vinyl, especially with the late Art Tatum. And Dave Brubeck. I also ate a lot of bagels. And without further ado, a few lists of what I enjoyed from 2009.

Top 15 albums of 2009:

1. The Antlers - Hospice
2. Grizzly Bear - Vecktimest
3. The xx - The xx
4. Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers - Songs in the Night
5. Dark Was The Night Compilation
6. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
7. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
8. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
9. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
10. White Rabbits - Its Frightening
11. Vetiver - Tight Knit
12. Pomegranates - Everybody Come Outside
13. Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP
14. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
15. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain

Top 4 movies of 2009:

1. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Up
4. The Hangover

Favorite 6 Singles of 2009:

1. "Home" - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
2. "Two Weeks" - Grizzly Bear
3. "Percussion Gun" - White Rabbits
4. "The Train Song" - Feist and Ben Gibbard
5. "Kettering" - The Antlers
6. "The Blackest Purse" - Why?

Top TV Moment:

1. Dexter Season 4 Finale. OMG!

The Antlers w/ Holly Miranda @ UPenn Rotunda 10/2

Peak. Peak. Peak. Peak. End. The sense of longing. You can feel it in your chest. Right where the crashing cymbals and haunting vocals used to be. And it spreads. Down to your gut. Up to your shoulders. And extends to the tips of your body. The Antlers have invaded your soul.

Last night, I finished up my classes, grabbed my girlfriend, and hurried to see the band I've been obsessed with since the beginning of the summer. The Antlers delivered a passionate, intimate show unlike any I've seen recently. The show started with "Bear" - destroying all qualms I had about a 'lost in translation' transition from album to live show. And after an excellent opening act by Holly Miranda (think My Brightest Diamond meets Heartless Bastards vocals on top of Au Revoir Simone type ambient guitar riffs), I knew my date was going to be a great one.

As the show progressed, I could feel the mesmerized crowd experience every note, every crash, every moog-induced wave. "Kettering", "Two", and "Epilogue" (the set-ender) were absolutely unbelievable. The Antlers captured every awesome aspect of their album and added a brilliant projection of reality. I was in awe.

The Antlers have gained so much hype lately, I feel like I've watched them explode. But following their tours and twitpics was nothing compared to experiencing their live show. Go. See them live. And buy their album, Hospice. For an album review, check out my previous post. On Frenchkiss Records (along with some great up and coming bands: Passion Pit, The Dodos, The Hold Steady), The Antlers truly made for a fantastic night.


Check out their myspace, or follow them on twitter to listen for yourself.

Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light

Try to imagine an almost Romeo and Juliet drugged-out scene in a late-80's high school dance. Put on some ambient, electro-pop with a soothing, fleeting mix of female vocals. Throw in a little The Bird & The Bee, and you've got Au Revoir Simone's newest album, Still Night, Still Light.

As a fan of female indie vocals, I really enjoy the relaxing sound. The power beats mixed with haunting melodies make for great music to go on a mental hiatus to. Albeit repetitive, and lacking a sort of peak-age that would make it truly great, Au Revoir Simone's album is weirdly addictive. Beautifully simplistic and gorgeous in many ways, Still Night, Still Light is a great album to check out. Listen to the track, "Knights of Wand". Do it. No joke.

Here's a link to their official website and myspace. Or follow 'em on Twitter.

Random tidbit: Apparently Au Revoir Simone just did some touring with The Antlers (I reviewed Hospice a few weeks ago. Crazy good. And, you can now pre-order Hospice on vinyl at InSound here).

The Antlers - Hospice

Okay. If I tell you the concept of this awesome, awesome album, you may end up missing the point that, Jesus, this album is fantastic. Definitely one of my top 5 of the year. And it's by a band that, unless you've followed my obsessed-laced Facebook statuses or Twitter updates, you probably have never heard of. The Antlers, headed by Peter Silberman, have released a lovely tragedy entitled Hospice. At times depressing, at times fleeting, at times surreal, at times a weird mix of The Arcade Fire meets Radiohead. But always an aura of completion, beauty, and humanity. My favorite tracks, "Kettering", "Bears", and "Two" have been sent to every friend I've ever talked music with. The vocals are haunting, the journey is necessary, the concept, I'm keeping to myself. Do yourself a favor. Keep an eye out for these guys.

And be sure to hit up their myspace, or last.fm for free downloads. Or follow them on Twitter.