New Release Day :: Go Buy Vinyl

A handful of the strongest records of 2011 were all released simultaneously this morning, including Neon Indian's staggering synth opus Era Extraña, St. Vincent's dark masterpiece Strange Mercy, and Girls' highly touted and ambitious Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Along with that holy Trinity, we've got promising new LPs by The Drums, Blitzen Trapper, Mates of State, Holiday Shores, Wild Flag, and an EP by Toro Y Moi. If you collect vinyl, please head out to and support your local record shop today (our favorite DC stores: Crooked Beat, Red Onion Records, and Som Records). If you aren't in the vinyl game, digital retailers like iTunes and Amazon have you covered, the latter of which has Strange Mercy for only $3.99.

After the jump, watch the two best music videos of the year courtesy of the wildly creative minds of Neon Indian and St. Vincent.

Stream: Girls - "Honey Bunny"

Girls' frontman Christopher Owens wrote "Honey Bunny" on his birthday back in 2008. According to NPR, it was the 19th song he'd ever written—and it's a pretty damn good one. The track features two contrasting sections and themes: an uptempo surf riff infused main section, where Owens laments about his girl trouble:

I’ve been messing with so many girls / Who could give a damn about who I am / They don’t like my boney body / They don’t like my dirty hair / Or the stuff that I say / Or the stuff that I’m on.

Then the tempo slows and the slide guitar is brought out for a bridge of sorts at 1:30, where Owens changes the topic to his mother:

Mamma / She really loved me / Even when I was bad / She'd hold my little hand / And kiss me on the cheek. / And when I cried she would hold me closer / And tell me everything will be alright. / That woman loved me.

It's a sincere and sweet sentiment—never once feeling contrived—with Owens concluding that he needs "a woman who loves me," much like his mother. How often do we hear rock songs where narrators conclude that rather than sleep around with pretty girls, they need to find a woman like their mother? It's not easy to pull a topic like that off in a rock song—nor is it necessarily hip—but Owens and company absolutely nail "Honey Bunny." Maybe next time, Girls will record a track about how kids need to stop messing around with fried food, and eat their vegetables. I'd buy it.

Girls - "Honey Bunny" (from Father, Son, Holy Ghost)

Girls - "Vomit"

"Looking for love," sings Girls' frontman Christopher Owens over a soaring vocal harmony and heavy crunches of guitar fuzz. If Girls were once the little band you kept in your back pocket, the brand-spanking new "Vomit" suggests a stadium might make a more appropriately-sized fit for the San Franciscan's forthcoming second full-length together, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. From the organ play to the spectacular lead guitar and gospel-tinged backup vocals, "Vomit" is an epic track in just about every way. Who would have ever thought the band that wrote "Lust For Life" would one day generate comparisons to the likes of Pink Floyd? Well, it's happening.

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is out September 13th. Pre-order it here.

Girls - "Vomit" (from Father, Son, Holy Ghost)

Girls :: Record 3 :: Father, Son, Holy Ghost

San Francisco’s Girls are set to release their third record together and second full-length on September 13th, titled Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Girls' core of Christopher Owens and Chet White recorded the album together in a San Francisco office building along with drummer Darren Weiss, guitarist John Anderson, a roomful of amplifiers, and a stack of transistor-based recording equipment. Since dropping their debut Album in 2009, Owens and company have quickly become one of independent pop music's most potent voices with a perfectly balanced arsenal of classic and contemporary rock sounds. File this release under "can't fucking wait."

Girls - "Broken Dreams Club" (Live at KDHX)
Girls - "Lovelife" (Live at KDHX)

Checkout the LP's track list after the jump.

Another Stupid List: Best EPs of 2010

Harlowe and The Great North Woods - Harlowe and The Great North Woods 
Recorded in a Portland apartmment, Los Angeles home, and a woodshed studio amongst the orchards of Northern California, this debut's soaring vocal harmonies all drip with the resonance and reverberations of their recording spaces. It's a sound both intimate and wide open.
Sample: "Roses"

Twin Sister - Colour Your Life 
Buzz is the word and its in large part to the wholly unique voice of singer Andrea Estella whose husky whisper lends an otherworldly charm to the psychedelic funk and haze of songs like "Lady Daydream" and "All Around And Away We Go."
Sample: "All Around And Away We Go"

New Girls - "Heartbreaker"

San Francisco's Girls will whet whistles again on November 22nd with the release of the Broken Dreams Club EP, which you can preorder here and grab a free track from ("Heartbreaker"). Considering how widely lauded Christopher Owens and company's debut Album was, it's safe to file this under one highly anticipated. (via)

Mates of State - "Laura" (Girls cover)

Irresistible husband/wife pop duo Mates of State have offered up a free download from their upcoming covers collection, Crushes (The Covers Mixtape). The song is "Laura" from San Francisco's Girls, released on last year's lauded debut Album. Other notable sources include Tom Waits, Daniel Johnston, Nick Cave and Belle and Sebastian. You can check out the whole track list at the duo's web site, but for now dig into this morsel of delectable pop music.

Mates of State - "Laura" (from Crushes: The Covers Mixtape)

Best of 2009: The Albums

Any single list is insignificant—it's one person or group's opinions. But aggregated together over time, lists have a way of signifying and reminding us of the important works of artists over a period of time. Without further adieu, here are the ten records—from front to back, no song excluded—that I can't stop playing.

1) Forest Fire - Survival: Survival is a sonic masterpiece—a magnum opus of ear-crushing folk music. Originally released in 2008 by Catbird Records and later rereleased in 2009 by Infinite Best, it's an album recorded in a delightfully raw fashion with space and texture hovering around every instrument and voice. Led by Mark Thresher, the piece-by-piece 8-month-long recording process finds its success in beautifully fuzzy acoustic gems like "Slow Motion," "I Make Windows" and "Fortune Teller" (mp3).

2) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest: Often times the search for contemporary music ends in unsatisfying and polarizing memes: pretentious, hip, noisy. With Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear have made in many ways what is a perfect compromise: an art-centered, genre-bending and practically unclassifiable record that still manages sharp pop hooks ("Two Weeks") and remains relatable, as with the near tear-inducing "Foreground" (mp3). It's a perfect compromise, because in the end, nothing was sacrificed. Thoroughly enriched by thought, hard work, and a self-evident evolution, the quartet deliver the classiest performance of the year.

3) Girls - Album: Christopher Owens' voice can be like a jolt of hot or cold coffee (depending on the song) to an unexpected listener, but with his Girls he's created a wholly unique musical persona that's brimful of witty and insightful lyricism, irresistible hooks, and California sunshine. With the strong influence of smart pop artists like Elvis Costello permeating throughout, songs like "Lust For Life" (mp3) and "Hellhole Ratrace" come out like pre-fitted classics ready for heavy rotation.

4) Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Elvis Perkins In Dearland: If there was one true poet in this bunch, it would be Elvis Perkins—just see the metaphor and color-filled "Shampoo" (mp3). The songsmith, twisted by grief from the loss of his parents, corralled every last emotion and ounce of talent into this whirlwind of gospel-inspired and folk-driven music that soothes and inspires like a potion for the soul. To say the record is simply cathartic would be a grave understatement: it's a testament to life.

5) Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid: It's hard to separate singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach from the success of his garage-rock and blues duo the Black Keys, but with his solo debut, Auerbach does just that. Breaking from the confines of the duo format, the gristly and honey-voiced singer uses his free reign to create some of his softest and most soulful ("Trouble Weighs A Ton" and "When The Night Comes"), bone-crushingly loud ("I Want Some More"), and free formed songs, such as "Whispered Words (Pretty Lies)" (mp3).

6) Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day: In no way a game changer, Born On Flag Day is instead a perfect example of an artist reflecting his influences and sense of history while simultaneously breathing life into a tired genre. It's a 30 minute romp of steaming rhythm and sturdy craftsmanship, where instrumentally, John McCauley finally gets a full band to put an exclamation point at the end of his every scraggily whiskey-soaked sentence. For Chuck Berry, see "Straight Into The Storm." For Pete Seeger and the Boss, try "Song About A Man" (mp3).

7) Flaming Lips - Embryonic: In the digital age, it's often easy to separate the parts from its sum, but with the Flaming Lips 12th LP, that's a near impossible feat (unless you want a really unsettling and possibly disturbing playlist). Embryonic's cohesive nature is arguably its greatest benefit: the 18-track psychedelic odyssey is a collection of movements rather than songs—chapters in a work inseparable from its parts.

8) Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca: Probably the most creative and original work of 2009, Bitte Orca is a record that requires the listener's full attention at just about every moment. From the subtly orchestrated acoustic number "Two Doves" (mp3) to the genre-crushing, R&B-laced, guitar shredding single "Stillness Is The Move," it's a complex album that takes time to grow and then sticks like your favorite book—one that's worth rereading a dozen times.

9) Antlers - Hospice: While Hospice—an end-of-life concept record—may not be the first choice for a merry get-together, the subject tackled is in many ways a perfect introduction to songwriter Peter Silberman: an other-worldy angel-voiced singer whose confidence and color-outside-the-lines home recording style lend itself to far-out ethereal textures that all the while remain whole-heartedly sincere and intimate. The mandolin-strummed "Two" (mp3) is simply put, a heartbreaker.

10) Vetiver - Tight Knit: I've listened to Tight Knit more times than any other record this year. It's simple and largely acoustic music, but frontman Andy Cabic has a soft and effortless way with words that proves to be an irresistible and timeless combination when paired with a hopping bass line and hip-shaking rhythm ("More of This") or drifting 60s and 70s era west coast pop. Just try not to like "Everyday" (mp3). Seriously. Try.

Best of 2009: The Songs

Girls - "Laura"

The critically acclaimed and much-adored Girls debut Album has earned comparisons from Elvis Costello to Roy Orbison. But another apt influence is Gordon Gano, the great former lead singer of the Violent Femmes. Like the often frenzied and self-aware Gano, Girls frontman Christopher Owens wields an expert voice comprised of a perfected slop and slur technique with which, in his narrative as an eccentric and outsider, he uses to speak to and for the kids.

Girls - "Laura" (from Album)