An unnatural phenomenon went down when I made this list.
For one, there’s 2 hardcore albums (Fucked Up and Iceage), there’s a hip-hop album and an r&b album. If we were to rewind a year or two, you would not see a single rap, hardcore or r&b album on this list.
The craziest thing is that the hip hop album is #2 and the r&b is #1. My tastes have obviously evolved into a more encompassing view.
If one says that I could not possibly enjoy all of this music, well then you are mistaken, friend.
Have a look around, take a listen to some tracks, they’re all very good I guarantee it. I’ll update this by the end of the year! Good fun time, huh?
Cool Stuff! So I just thought that I’d inform my 10 or so readers of how my Top 25 songs of this year is filling out. It really has been a great year in terms of music and it’s so different from last year! Let’s dive right in, shall we?
One of the most badass songs by one of the more known badasses, Kanye West. The fact that this song is so confident (like Kanye) and ridiculous (like Kanye) make it perfect in that sense. It’s a song that Kanye uses to model his life after. Or maybe the song is modeled after him. Probably the latter. Also, the music video is incredible.
2. Fireworks – Animal Collective
I associate most of my favorite songs to the moment I listened to them, so it’s no mystery why I like Fireworks so much. Not only is it a great song, makes you sit and think. Another reminiscing song, my favorite. Well, the memory I pair it with is a great bike-ride I had around my suburban/rural community and the sun was setting. It was my first bike ride in about 4 years! Just flying around on the bike, sun setting, warm weather, this song playing in the headphones. Makes me really appreciate life and how we have it.
3. Buddy Holly – Weezer
“What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl? Why do they gotta front?” This song has 90’s written all over it and that’s a good thing. If Weezer hadn’t formed, we would have been deprived of some amazing alternative rock! I don’t know what is so good about this song, but the first time I heard it, I knew I loved it right away. Also, the video is incredible: Spike Jonze put Weezer into a Happy Days episode. Awesome
4. Born Under Punches – Talking Heads
Freaky, visionary, insane, creative, nuts: Talking Heads. If this band didn’t happen, so many other bands wouldn’t have been created. Their influence reaches on all realms of music, not just rock. This bridged all genres of music, creating one homogeneous mixture of jazz, rock, and all sorts of future technologies from another time period. This song is out of sight and really makes you marvel at the creativity of some people when they create music. Now think about music now. Kinda sad, isn’t it?
5. If Looks Could Kill – Camera Obscura
Feel-good song of the decade, this song brings out the happiness in all who listen. The bubbly twee of the Scottish group cannot be beat when it comes to sunny, summery pop. That didn’t make sense. It doesn’t have to. It’s a good song. LISTEN
I’m le tired, I’m not going to write large reviews for these.
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) – Arcade Fire
This was the first Arcade Fire song that I listened to on the entire bus ride home from school my freshman year. The song mystified me from the start; I didn’t know music could sound like that.
Loser – Beck
Another Beck song, only not remixed this time. Probably the most well-known Beck song, this is where he got his start in the 90’s. A slacker/stoner rock gem. Beck isn’t feeling that vibe in his music any more, but he did sure attract some attention after he released this lo-fi masterpiece!
One Armed Scissor – At the Drive-In
This is the first song I’ve featured on here that is pretty HARD rock. This is a pretty kickass song right here, it’ll rip you out of your chair and make you want to kick stuff over. Don’t do that, but think about yourself doing it. Still kinda satisfying, right? Nonetheless, this is a crazy song that energizes even the most down-in-the-dumps sadsack.
Search & Destroy – The Stooges
This is raw, powerful, rebellious music. All teenagers need this song, cause this is freaking electrifying. You think this crappy rock coming out now is helping you rebel against society? Iggy was doing it right back in the 70’s. It’s funny, I was at a tailgate for my school’s female lacrosse team and this came on one of the stereos. I pictured my dad doing the same thing, back when he was my age, chilling out with friends within a circle of cars in a parking lot, grilling hotdogs, being rebellious… That’s a kind of reality I want to happen.
Helicopter – Deerhunter
One of my favorite songs from last year, Deerhunter bring out the chills of a dark winter day, sitting at home with a fire in the fireplace. Only it’s not really happy but not sad. More like melancholy; reminiscent. More nostalgia. Woah. This song is definitely modeled after a slow, dark day; but that doesn’t mean you can only listen to it in that climate. Listen to it all the time. I do.
This is my favorite Rush song, which is a feat since there are SO MANY RUSH SONGS and a ton of them are really good! Don’t worry, there will be more Rush songs on these lists, but for now it turns out I showcase my favorite first. The draw to this song: the title, why wouldn’t you listen to a song called Red Sector A? I think that’s such a cool title! Also, this was the first time I heard 80’s synth pulled off in a song I liked (it was freshman year, I was uneducated), and that really drew me in. Then after listening to the lyrics, you can tell it’s a reference to the Holocaust or some sort of imprisonment. Apparently Geddy Lee’s mother was in a concentration camp at one time, so it is mostly about the Holocaust. Heavy lyrics aside, this is a kickin’ song that people need to get on.
2. Bit Rate Variations in B Flat (Girl Remix) – Beck
I love Beck. He’s probably my favorite musician due to his spontaneous sounds his albums embody. He then made an EP with some electronic producers with remixed variations of his most popular songs from his album “Guero” called “Gameboy Variations.” It’s called Gameboy Variations, due to the fact that it sounds like it came right out of a Gameboy or NES game. This is fantastic for kids like me, who grew up listening to songs like this, with the bleeps and bloops of 8-bit games. This song takes on the appearance of a Beck song while being coated in a Nintendo-style sauce. Sounds good to me! Sounds good to you.
3. See the Leaves – The Flaming Lips
Hardhitting, this groove will stay in your head through and through. Did that make sense? Doesn’t have to. This song is nuts; all of the percussion, twinkling synth notes and the relentless guitars smashing into your brain like a freight train. This band definitely leaves their past few releases on the road on this song; ditching their wonderful song-writing and sentimental melodies for crazy, psych-rock blast chaos. Crazy alcohol rainbow pig.
4. B.O.B. – Outkast
HURR DURR PITCHFORK
What was that? I don’t know. Oh well, this song is my favorite from Outkast, not just because it was featured on Pitchfork. This song cohesively evolves so many times you’d think that it would be separate songs. BUT IT AIN’T! Andre 3000 and Big Boi come in their prime with their speed rapping over booming percussion, chorus, a freaky guitar solo, and insane DJ scratching skills. This song is like a sonic buffet, so much to offer and you WANT IT ALL.
5. Gold Soundz – Pavement
HERP DERP ANOTHER PITCHFORK, YOU PITCHFORK WORSHIPER
It isn’t wrong to like music that Pitchfork posts. Doesn’t mean I’m a worshiper. ANYWAYS. This song is pretty much perfect, I think. When I saw them live at Pitchfork Music Festival last year, I’m pretty sure they ended with this in their set and it was bliss. All of the days events culminated into one euphoric moment that was spent with dear friends in the presence of thousands of music lovers and one of the greatest bands of the 90’s. Nostalgia is one of the greatest things and one of the worst things. In this case, it’s one of the best.Also, the video is awesome. For once.
This is a new feature I thought up, while taking inspiration from Pretty Much Amazing’s “Daily 5 Free Mp3s. That idea is better than mine, considering it supplies you with not only new music, but FREE new music. SCOTCH-FREE FREE NEW MUSIC. I suggest you check that out, so I don’t have to post it all myself. (You’re welcome, PMA, you just got approximately 5 new viewers)
This came about when I was scrolling through the ole’ DerpPad and saw songs that I could not have handled musicland without. Such great tracks should not be ignored in this day and age, where music is so sacred. Okay, that was a little BS, but whatever. It feels important to me.
SO if you have some dusty iTunes giftcards lying around and you don’t know what to spend them on, look no further than my DAILY 5! These are in no order of preference, just shuffled.
1. Working for the Weekend – Loverboy
Starting off with a winner, this track is essential for any montage cleaning or working scene, no matter how cheesy it may sound. This song gets you flipping PUMPED for whatever task is at hand, which in turn raises your efficiency while also raises your happiness. Who could not be happy to this song? I mean, come on! Also it was in Regular Show, one of my favorites.
2. Marrow – St. Vincent
The song starts innocently enough with Disney Movie type winds and Clark’s siren vocals, then explodes into splintering guitars and sax with a freaky bass line to boot. The song’s first listen really is surprising, due to its Christopher Nolan twist in the middle of the song. With a song so creative, it’s really a wonder how Annie Clark slipped beneath most of the radar in 2009.
3. Breadcrumb Trail – Slint
Off their incredible “Spiderland” LP, this is the first song on the album, so it’s meant to make an impression on you. This definitely did. I was not impressed with the song for the first minute, then at 1:23, my life changed a bit. Slint’s famous dynamic shifts then carved it’s place into my favorite things in music. All of the other songs on this record are fantastic, but this first song left the largest impression on me out of all of them; it did its job well.
4. Da Funk/Daftendirekt (Live) – Daft Punk
My favorite song from the legendary duo’s live album, “Alive 2007”, this track combines my favorite Daft Punk track with some crazy jamming with Daftendirekt, which results in crazy, groovetastic lines that are so simple, but so effective. Seriously, there aren’t any crazy tricks on this piece, just pure great song making… and some crazy HATERS GONNA HATE grooves.
5. All I Want – LCD Soundsystem
You’re going to see many songs from LCD Soundsystem on these daily lists, most probably being from their latest full-length, “This Is Happening”. That album was my favorite of last year for a reason: because of songs like these. Extremely creative lines that make you feel all nostalgic about your life, such a good feeling. Although the lyrics don’t really fit that. Oy. Then when the song is on the verge of collapse, Murphy and the gang pulls it off in an excellent manner.
Portland band Portgual. The Man continue their album-a-year streak with “In the Mountain, In the Cloud” (out 7/19). This is the first full song preview for the highly anticipated album and it’s a rocker for sure. This band could be interpreted as “quantity over quality” by looking at their discography, but they really prove that statement to be extremely false. Rippling with energy, you can tell that Portugal hasn’t lost any steam since their debut in 2006. This song is one of my favorites from them so far and one of my favorites from this year. Can’t wait for their new album to come out.
Drugs, women and depressed thoughts find a happy home with a nice ocean view.
The Weeknd literally burst onto the main music blogs and sites only a few weeks ago with its incredible song “What You Need.” About a week later they released the free “House of Balloons” mixtape that made the mysterious musicians blow up on all of sites, gaining universal praise for it’s unique sound in a world of 90’s throwback-lo fi / laptop electro pop.This definitely isn’t that. This is some extremely well-crafted pop music.
I gotta say when I first heard “What You Need”, I was not impressed. Maybe it was the mood I was in that day; I was a bit judgmental. But for some reason when I came back to it, it hit some sort of chord in my brain that set off an avalanche of neurotransmitters – a dopamine rush. I immediately downloaded the mixtape and began my journey through the nocturnal landscape of the House of Balloons. The reason I say nocturnal is because none of the music has a bit of daylight energy around it. It’s all dark, moody music. The vocals sound like the singer is in a dark room or in a dark club, with the beats coming from echoes on the insides of his brain and skull, backing up his thoughts like a hidden observer. He may just be talking to himself in some settings, trying to reassure himself on his current standings in his love life. It’s some seriously dark music, though – whatever he’s going through is some stuff that I would never want to go through. This is definitely some heavy stuff he’s dealing with inside of his head and he somehow turns it into some of the best beautiful and catchy music I’ve heard in a long time.
I may be looking into it too much and I may look like a freak for going into such detail over it, but how about you all listen to the mixtape at
and decide for yourself what it sounds like. What kind of images are drawn inside your head? I would love to know.
This album is fantastic, seriously. I know I keep saying that, but it really is. It’s free, I don’t know why you wouldn’t get it right now. I put the link right up there. Seriously, what are you doing? Do it now!
Key Tracks:
High For This, What You Need, House of Balloons, The Morning, Wicked Games, The Knowing
Score: 89
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong
This distortion tastes like donuts.
The Pains are back in the game with their sophomore album “Belong” that definitely sounds like a step towards more groomed sound compared to their self-titled debut album. Don’t get me wrong, I really like their debut album and I really like this album! I’m just pointing out a difference in sound between the two albums. That is all.
That being said, this album is a lot more groomed in terms of sound and song design. On their previous album there was more grungy-distortion filled moments with a tinge of darkness. This time around, there are more moments of light-hearted teenage fun time happenings. Again, on their past album there was that as well, but as seen through a lens with a film of vaseline on it to give it a more fuzzy feel. The reason this album is different is because the times have gotten a little less angsty, the kids have grown up and out of their aloof, drama-filled cells and blossomed into teenagers that just want to live it up before they’re shipped to colleges across the country, which leads into my next point.
This band definitely lives up to their name based on the kind of sound they put out- it definitely sounds like a perfect summer day spent by teenagers: lounging around on blankets under trees, walking around abandoned warehouses or old forests, driving down a suburban street in a packed car with the windows down with this blasting without any judgment from peers; just pure bliss.
That sounds like a great day to me We would all know, we’ve all been teenagers at some point. I’m still one! I should know!
Oh what am I saying? These two albums are great. This one is new, the other one came out in 2009. You should buy both of them. Yep. Simple as that.
You’ll see the key tracks below, if you’re a thrifty person that likes to base things off of only a few songs. Sure.
Key Tracks:
Belong, Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now, Heart in Your Heartbreak, The Body, Girl of 1000 Dreams, Strange
A stream of consciousness music blog, active since 2010. Established in Ann Arbor, MI, currently in NYC.
Send me music: warmsubmissions @ gmail
I hope you enjoy your time here.
Join 67 other subscribers
Upcoming Releases:
March 6: Hater – Mosquito Natalie Jane Hill – Hopeful Woman Resavoir – Themes For Dreams Scout Gillett – Tough Touch Shabaka – Of The Earth Tomu DJ – Antagonist waterbaby – Memory Be a Blade
March 13: Alexis Taylor – Paris In The Spring Bill Orcutt – Music In Continuous Motion Crack Cloud – Peace and Purpose Cut Worms – Transmitter ELUCID – I Guess U Had To Be There James Blake – Trying Times Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds – Mutiny After Midnight Kim Gordon – PLAY ME The Notwist – News From Planet Zombie Ora Cogan – Hard Hearted Woman Tinariwen – Hoggar
March 20: Avalon Emerson & The Charm – Written Into Changes Chalk – Crystalpunk Colleen – Libres antes del final Grace Ives – Girlfriend Green-House – Hinterlands Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl & Macie Stewart – BODY SOUND
March 27: ADULT. – Kissing Luck Goodbye
Buzzy Lee – Shoulder to Shoulder
Fcukers – Ö Holy Fuck – Event Beat Irreversible Entanglements – Future Present Past José González – Against the Dying of the Light King Tuff – MOO Konradsen – Hunt, Gather Lauren Auder – Whole World As Vigil Lone – Hyperphantasia The New Pornographers – The Former Site Of Pan•American – Fly The Ocean In A Silver Plane Robyn – Sexistential Shinchi Atobe – Silent Way Snail Mail – Ricochet Tom Misch – Full Circle
April 3: Arlo Parks – Ambiguous Desire John Andrews & The Yawns – Streetsweeper Makthaverskan – Glass and Bones A Place To Bury Strangers – Rare and Deadly Sunn O))) – sunn O))) Thundercat – Distracted Wendy Eisenberg – Wendy Eisenberg
April 10: Alex Zhang Hungtai – Dras Cactus Lee – Lee’s Dream Flore Laurentienne – Volume III Jessie Ware – Superbloom My New Band Believe – My New Band Believe Squarepusher – Kammerkonzert WU LYF – A Wave That Will Never Break
April 17: Hollie Cook – Shy Girl In Dub!
Tiga – Hotlife Yaya Bey – Fidelity
April 24: Angelo De Augustine – Angel In Plainclothes Friko – Something Worth Waiting For Gia Margaret – Singing Hrishikesh Hirway – In The Last Hour of Light Miss Grit – Under My Umbrella Quiet Light – Blue Angel Sparkling Silver White Denim – 13 White Fence – Orange
May 1: American Football – American Football Ana Roxanne – Poem 1 The Boo Radleys – In Spite of Everything Calibre – Tricklemore Sea Cindy – Another Country Hiss Golden Messenger – I’m People Lip Critic – Theft World Seefeel – Sol.Hz Tori Amos – In Times of Dragons
May 8: Aldous Harding – Train on the Island Broken Social Scene – Remember the Humans Chinese American Bear – Dim Sum & Then Some Cola – Cost of Living Adjustment Fire-Toolz – Lavender Networks JWords – Sound Therapy Loraine James – Detached From The Rest Of You Lykke Li – The Afterparty Olof Dreijer – Loud Bloom Sadie – Better Angels
May 15: Active Child – Active Child Genesis Owusu – REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE Kevin Morby – Little Wide Open Telehealth – Green World Image
May 22: aja monet – the color of rain
Alela Diane – Who’s Keeping Time? Bill Orcutt & Mabe Fratti – Almost Waking Hyd – Hold Onto Me Infinity Marisa Anderson – The Anthology of Unamerican Folk Music Visible Cloaks – Paradessence
May 29: The Bug Club – Every Single Muscle Digitalism – Optimism Elder – Through Zero Greg Mendez – Beauty Land Iceage – For Love of Grace & The Hereafter KÁRYYN – PHYSICS UNIVERSAL LOVE LANGUAGE Kurt Vile – Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me Mad Iris – Mad Iris villagerrr – Carousel
June 5: Bedouine – Neon Summer Skin Converge – Hum of Hurt Death Cab for Cutie – I Built You a Tower DJ Seinfeld – If This Is It Fucked Up – Grass Can Move Stones Pt. 2 Year of the Monkey Lee “Scratch” Perry & Mouse on Mars – Spacial, No Problem. Midrift – Silhouette Slippers – Slippers 08 Sparklmami – in this body Tara Clerkin Trio – Somewhere Good Widowspeak – Roses
June 12: BIG | BRAVE – in grief or in hope CFCF – L.U.V. Horse Lords – Demand to Be Taken To Heaven Alive Jalen Ngonda – Doctrine of Love Kelsey Lu – So Help Me God La Sécurité – Bingo! Paycheque – Paycheque
June 19: Styrofoam Winos – Any River Warning – Rituals of Shame
June 26: Abul Mogard & Rafael Anton Irisarri – We Are Light Pauses In the Silence of the Sun Downtown Boys – Public Luxury
July 3: mary in the junkyard – Role Model Hermit
July 10: Parts & Labor – Set of All Sets Tracey Nelson – Hercules
Warm Visions 