Dear 2010, You've Been Smanged. Best Of:

As the sun begins to set on 2010, I can't help but look back on the incredible year. In the last 12 months, I was in The United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and The Czech Republic. I've finished my second to last semester of college. I've aquired an addiction to Sriracha. And to The Wire. I ran a half marathon, went dog sledding, shot guns in a soviet bunker, turned 21 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and sang the National Anthem at an Eagles game. I bought some awesome Norwegian sweaters, brewed beer in my closet, and listened to some great music. Thus, the top albums, songs, and discoveries of 2010:

Top Albums of 2010:
Note: * Links to an earlier album review. Click to read it!

1. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (*)
2. Beach House - Teen Dream (*)
3. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
4. The Black Keys - Brothers
5. Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame
6. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
7. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
8. Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore - Dear Companion (*)
9. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
10. Sleigh Bells - Treats

Honorable Mentions:
Major Lazer & La Roux - Lazerproof
Gayngs - Relayted
Cold War Kids - Behave Yourself EP
The Walkmen - Lisbon

Top Songs of 2010:
1. Beach House - "Walk in the Park"
2. Gayngs - "By Your Side" (Daytrotter Session)
3. Local Natives - "Who Knows Who Cares"
4. Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore - "Try"
5. Freelance Whales - "Generator 1st Floor"
6. Sufjan Stevens - "All Delighted People"
7. Cold War Kids - "Audience"
8. The Black Keys - "Everlasting Light"
9. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "Mama Don't Like My Man"
10. Casiokids - "Fot i Hose"

Top Discoveries of 2010:

1. DeYarmond Edison - Silent Signs
- Old Justin Vernon. Speaks for itself.
2. Dawes - Dawes
- Really great album by the LA-based band. Fantastic live.
3. Caravan Palace
- Definition of Electro-Swing
4. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
- Just a great album. Unique and fun.
5. Koop
- Compiled of all jazz samples. Really easy-listening.
6. Eric Bibb - Booker's Guitar
- I can thank my jazz PR internship to this. A great blues feel.
7. Bad Veins
- A raw and emotional album by a Cincy-based duo. You can check out my review here.
8. "Lemme Smang It" / "Lemme Smell Yo Dick"
- Both YouTube sensations. When you are in times of trouble...
9. Fat Freddy's Drop
- New Zealand-based Dub/Reggae.
10. El Ten Eleven
- The self-titled album is great. Also the soundtrack for the incredibly dull movie Helvetica.

Daytrotter Sessions

My recent obsessions: Sufjan Stevens, The Black Keys, The Arcade Fire, Wild Beasts, and everything Justin Vernon's ever done. While I plan on reviewing a few of them in the future (though with my new job demanding 3 hrs/week, I may have a tough time), I wanted to draw some attention to something else that is absolutely fantastic. Maybe you have heard of it, maybe you haven't. But you should definitely check out Daytrotter. Based in Rock Island, Illinois, the folks at Daytrotter have artists come record original, exclusive, and unreleased tracks in their studio, and release 95% of it. For free. Download the Daytrotter Download Manager, and you'll get your songs quickly and automatically updated to your iTunes library.

But enough of logistics. The music is why I really wanted to write about it. I love the sound of the Daytrotter sessions. In general, they sound less 'produced' and more like a live show. But they're not. They have their own feel that just has that exclusive sound to it. Each session ranges from 2-10 songs, but most are about 4 songs, like mini EPs. Some of my favorite

sessions are Dr. Dog (they have 2), GAYNGS (a new one), Local Natives, and Wild Beasts. But there are literally hundreds of sessions. I have forty sessions in my itunes library including Margot and the Nuclear So & So's, Beach House, Bad Veins, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Yoni Wolf, Pomegranates, Bon Iver, Dawes, and The Temper Trap. The list goes on.

I talk to too many people who have never heard of Daytrotter. Take advantage of this awesome, free, and unique group. They record an artist every day of the week. Plus they have awesome artwork. Sick.

And be sure to keep an ear out for the Welcome to Daytrotter Movie in the next few months.

Margot and the Nuclear So & So's

Other Pictures:

Daytrotter Logo (Top Center)

GAYNGS (Left)

Local Natives (Right)

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Welp, it's another Frenchkiss Records love affair. The Dodos, The Antlers, Passion Pit, and now Local Natives. I'm not quite sure what they're doing right, but they keep releasing refined, thorough albums with unique sounds - an excellent recipe for music love-affairs.

Gorilla Manor, the new album from Los Angeles-based Local Natives, is fantastically catchy and emotional. The lyrics, sometimes vague, sometimes incredibly blunt, always flow incredibly well. To describe their sound, think something like an upbeat, drum-driven band (kind of like The Dodos in that sense) with the occasional vocal Fleet Foxes Effect. Throw in some Dirty Projectors-like harmonies, a little Grizzly Bear-like ambiance, and a bit of older Say Anything roughness (…Is a Real Boy), and you've got something close.

As far as the album itself, I absolutely love the feel of it. A fantastic mix of upbeat, raw emotion along with that touch of realism that makes listening to it more of an experience than just picking out a song or two. The flow is easy to fall into, and turning it off halfway through leaves you missing it immediately.

My favorite songs on the album are the opening track, "Wide Eyes", "Airplanes", "Wold News", "Who Knows Who Cares", and "Cubism Dream". But like I said before, the album doesn't feel like single songs - the songs just fit so damn well together. Bits and pieces of everything blend shockingly well, creating that unique sound that makes you know Gorilla Manor is something special. Check out their myspace here, and the music video for "Airplanes" below.