Dauthan

mightyflynn:

James Dean, ca. 1948 [detail]

Fairmount (Indiana) American Legion baseball team

(photo by Michael Ochs/Getty Images)

I initially felt let down by Best Coast’s Crazy For You, because it wasn’t an album’s worth of “Something in the Way” and/or “When I’m With You.” I still love those songs, but man, Crazy For You is really, really great in its own right.

The higher fidelity recording on the LP does wonders for the hooks, subtlety, and detail present in songs like “Boyfriend”, “Goodbye”, “Bratty B”, and “Our Deal”. I’m hopeful that working with Jon Brion on their record due this year will only highlight those things even more.

There are probably some records slipping my mind right now, but the next Best Coast record joins the High Highs LP (which I’m guessing might come out this year), Sleigh Bells’ Reign of Terror, and the forthcoming The xx record as my most eagerly anticipated 2012 releases.

Edited to add that I somehow forgot to put Purity Ring’s debut LP, assuming it happens, on this list.

I could not possibly like Every Hall of Famer more.

Judging by the twitter and tumblr and music blog reaction to the new Cloud Nothings record, Attack on Memory, this is a minority opinion, but I still think the best Cloud Nothings song is the first one I heard.

mp3 - Cloud Nothings :: Hey Cool Kid

Maybe I’m too young (although I’m a year or two older than primary CN guy Dylan Baldi), or too poorly versed in the touch-points on the new record, but I think I really just prefer a song with a catchy pop-punk hook to the direction the band has gone in since. I didn’t care for the first widely available Cloud Nothings full-length much, either.

I should probably add that, somewhat unsurprisingly, the one song I do like quite a bit on the new record is “Stay Useless”, what with its Strokes-y riffs and snide verses.

songsyoumightstilllove:

MGMT - Electric Feel

The best MGMT song, I think.

pitchfork:

“Comeback Kid” is the latest riff-hungry track from Sleigh Bells’ forthcoming album Reign of Terror.

At some point, this ceases to be believable.

Reblogging because I’ve edited this list to add a couple of things, one of which I overlooked previously and the other which was just received belatedly.

High Highs :: Ivy

imathers:

teenageart:

marathonpacks:

Pay it forward!

Nicola Roberts “Gladiator” n/a (probably around 60 times)

Johnny Boy - “You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve (Crews Against Consumismo Extended Mix)”

Which makes sense, because it’s awesome. The remix doesn’t seem to be on YouTube, but the almost-as-good album version is here.

Last.fm says Purity Ring’s “Ungirthed”, but if it could count vinyl spins, Smith Westerns’s “Weekend” would gain the seven required to pass it. However, I definitely listened to Beyonce’s “Countdown” more than either of those - on multiple occasions Amanda and I would put it on repeat while driving.

Vampire Weekend :: I Think Ur a Contra

At some point, I want to write about this song. Not today.

teendaze:

TEEN DAZE - LET’S GROOVE (FREE DOWNLOAD!)

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!  HAVE THE BEST NIGHT/YEAR OF YOUR LIFE!

Late pass - this is fun!

thekittencovers:

The Kars

This is the first record The Kitten Covers has done that I own on vinyl!

• Small Plates Records’ Crack Friday pack - this is the first six releases from the label run by the guys from yvynyl and I Guess I’m Floating. The releases are: 
  Guards Resolution of One 7” on mixed color vinyl (it’s bluish) - “Resolution of One” b/w “Crystal Truth” and “Long Time”
  Campfires Dusty Mansions 7” on red vinyl - “Dusty Mansions” b/w “Time Flying By” and “Chasing Planets”
  Idiot Glee Don’t Go Out Tonight 7” on white vinyl - “Don’t Go Out Tonight” b/w “That’s All For Everyone” (Fleetwood Mac cover) and “Don’t Drink the Water” featuring Women
  Supreme Cuts Trouble EP 10” on black vinyl - “Amnesia” and “Months” b/w “Fools” and “Issues”
  TV Girl Girls Like Me 7” on black vinyl - “Girls Like Me” b/w “Sarah (Meet Me In the Sauna)”
  High Highs High Highs EP on marble charcoal gray vinyl - “Open Season” and “Flowers Bloom” b/w “Ivy” and “Horses”
• Male Bonding Endless Now
• Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (2x LP)
• Bon Iver Bon Iver, Bon Iver
• To My: Long Lost Love
• [edited to add] St. Vincent, Marry Me
• [edited again to add] Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials (180 gram 2x LP as a gift to both Amanda and I)

This feels a little like one corner of my interests; my lists are probably a more complete picture (songs | records, 2011). Among the Small Plates records, I’m most excited about Guards and High Highs releases.

marathonpacks:

(This is totally awesome. Click through and listen. Love, Eric)

matthewmcvickar:

I tend to fixate on sounds and tones in songs and records. These are my favorite sounds from this year.

rawkblog:

morerobots:

morerobots:

zomg

i just reblogged myself. 

This has all but come to pass, though, right?

Forgot to ask for a Sufjan Beat subscription for Christmas =/

Wild Flag :: Romance (Live on Letterman, 12.13.11)

I was somewhat disappointed with the Wild Flag record, but this performance makes me want to revisit it. This is just outstandingly sharp, exactly the way to nail a tv show performance in a no-frills way.

All that said, the things I disliked on the Wild Flag record were largely production choices, if I recall, so I’m not sure if a reappraisal will change how I feel about it. Regardless: great performance!