Don’t miss out on all the 2011 “BEST OF” lists!

Songs Vol. 1 / Vol. 2 | Remixes Vol. 1 / Vol. 2 | Albums | EPs Music Videos | Cover Songs | Party Songs

The Solid Albums of 2009

09.30.2009

FREELANCE WHALES are a GENERATOR that outputs jams. Jams stacked to the ^ 2ND FLOOR.

don’t fix my smile, life is long enough

♫ Frelance Whales – Generator ^ 2nd Floor

I struggle with finding music to accompany my mellower times. Whitest Boy Alive is one of my top artists on Last.fm, not because they are one of my all-time favorites, but as a band with 2 solid chill-out albums, they are my frequent go-to for those moods. Freelance Whales ave just stepped into the ring with their debut, Weathervanes, and it sounds like the … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on September 30, 2009.

continue reading →

08.26.2009

The Very Best bring us Yalira from The Warm Heart Of Africa

well we all need someone to tell us when to go

♫ The Very Best – Warm Heart Of Africa (Ft. Ezra Koenig)

Since The Very Best have been well blogged about (including their mention here at TBE) I’ll skip the back story and get into the music. The first public taste of their upcoming album, it’s title track “The Warm Heart Of Africa,” has been out and about for a while now but I never fell in love with … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on August 26, 2009.

continue reading →

08.24.2009

Dinosaur Pile Up warn of an impending Cat Attack. With balls.

i try my best to bust a kick but hurt my back

♫ Dinosaur Pile-Up – Cat Attack

Dinosaur Pile-Up sound like the 90s. Or at least they sound like my 90s. Listening to these guys makes me feel like I’m sitting in my old bedroom doing math homework as crunchy guitar sounds escape from my old-school radio. The guitars shred. The drums pound. The vocals are rough and urgent. It’s music you want to see live so you can … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on August 24, 2009.

continue reading →

08.05.2009

Generationals’ debut ‘Con Law’ is a Wildlife infused Sculpture of a perfect album

know that your old friends overestimate your demise

♫ Generationals – Wildlife Sculpture

Oh boy! Finally! Generationals debut album Con Law (which I wrote about back in April) is out and those of you who streamed it back then know it is fantastic. Don’t let the terrible album art fool you, Con Law is a varied and addictive album that wont be leaving my regular rotation anytime soon. The 10 tracks span all different styles and no two songs sound … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on August 5, 2009.

continue reading →

07.24.2009

Hockey frightens me, but maybe I just need to Learn To Lose(en) up

don’t know which came first the promise or it’s reverse

Hockey – Learn to Lose

Hockey the band, dummy! Yeah it’s a weird name for a band but after you listen to their jams you wont mind. I certainly don’t. Heck, for the first time ever I have been able to utter the phrase “I like Hockey.” The rollicking quartet hail from the unlikely city of Portland but fortunately left the Northwestern tradition of gloomy-skied navel-gazing at the door and … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on July 24, 2009.

continue reading →

07.21.2009

The Checks can rock my Ballroom anytime, Baby

whatchoo want from me baby?

The Checks – Ballroom Baby

After yesterday’s artwork fiasco I felt I had to hit you all with some mind bending awesomeness. Well, here it is, the cover for the new album by New Zealand’s The Checks and how about some mind bendingly awesome music to go along with it? Hmmm? How’s that treat you? The Checks were introduced to me by TBE reader Jared and after finally getting around to tracking down their sophomore … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on July 21, 2009.

continue reading →

07.04.2009

La Roux’s debut is like some combination of ferocious feline and beautiful flower. Like a Tigerliliy, or something.

in the crush of the dark i’ll be your light in the mist

La Roux – Tigerlily

Things I know about La Roux:

– La Roux is actually two people, not just young singer Elly Jackson. This is misleading because “la roux” means “red one” in French and well, Elly fits that description. Although maybe so does producer Ben Langmaid but nobody has every seen him. Ever.

– They came to my attention with the video for “Quicksand“. Lot’s of … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on July 4, 2009.

continue reading →

07.03.2009

Jack Peñate’s advises Let’s All Die, but read this first

out of the womb and into the tomb

Jack Peñate – Let’s All Die

Jack Peñate’s sophomore album dropped recently and although I had heard lead single “Tonight’s Today” (and seen the crazo video) I was not that psyched for it. For me his debut LP Matinee was fun but forgettable. I guess it’s not a big surprise that on an album titled Everything Is New he flipped the script on us. Gone was the perky and snarky ska pop … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on July 3, 2009.

continue reading →

06.30.2009

Fanfarlo are cheaper/better than a Luna bar, can also be enjoyed by men

and if we’re kicking up a fuss, it’s only cause we must

Fanfarlo – Luna

Don’t look at the album cover (or think of Luna Bars) when you start listening to “Luna” because your expectations will explode. This is not music for downer teens in 1800s, nor music I would describe as “sepia tinted.” Not really sure what Fanfarlo were thinking with this album cover but then again who really cares ’cause it’s the music what we are here for. … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on June 30, 2009.

continue reading →

06.04.2009

The Rural Alberta Advantage: Interview/live show at The Bell House, Brooklyn, 5/29/09

This is a post where I recap a lot of exciting things so prepare yourself accordingly.

The Rural Alberta Advantage is Nils, Paul, and Amy. They self-released a record called Hometowns which was one of my favorites of 2008. Having just signed to Saddle Creek they will be re-releasing that record on July 7th. This is exciting for many reasons, not the least of which is that it makes Hometowns can be on my favorite albums of 2009 list (which … continue reading

Written by: Brandon on June 4, 2009.

continue reading →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →