The Solid Albums of 2010

02.04.2011

[LP] WILDLIFE STAND apart IN THE world of indie bands full of WATER. They are full of MATCHES.

i can be a good friend and i can be a good lover but i can’t do both of them

♫ Wildlife – Stand in the Water

It happens every year. Just as you are wrapping up your Best Albums list you stumble on that album that flew under your radar and is suddenly now blanket bombing your ears with explosive jams that you can’t stop listening to. This year’s assault comes courtesy of Wildlife and their debut LP Strike Hard, Young continue reading

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01.18.2011

[LP] ALLO DARLIN has me DREAMING with THE texture of a POLAROID when i hear this SONG

i was surprised by how happy i was, don’t ask why, it’s just because

♫ Allo Darlin’ – Dreaming

Elizabeth Morris moved from Australia to London in 2005 and started making music under the name The Darlins. One name change, a couple new members, and over 5 years later and I finally stumble across Allo Darlin’ self-titled debut. The LP came out last summer and that certainly would have been a perfect time to soak in these sunny and sweet … continue reading

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01.08.2011

[LP] BEAR HANDS finally understad that it’s HIGH time that SOCIETY got an album from them

and i said no no no, i’m engaged to be alone

♫ Bear Hands – High Society

Bear Hands have been foating around the blogosphere for a few years now, even gracing our ears some 9 months ago. Early hit “What A Drag” seemed to imply a band content with goofball indie-pop but dig into their debut LP, Burning Bush Supper Club, and it’s immediately clear that they are operating a little left of center. Why they waited so long … continue reading

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01.06.2011

[LP] BRUNO MARS is not JUST THE guy with WAY too much radio play who YOU ARE sick of

and when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile

♫ Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are

Look, I get it. You hear a song too much on the radio and it’s ruined. You hate it. I get that. But the thing is that while overplay of “Just The Way You Are” may have you hating Bruno Mars, there are others of us out there. Others like me who had never heard the song until 2 … continue reading

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01.05.2011

[EP] BRONZE are like HORSES tearing through the DEEP forrest and may FREEZE you in your tracks

rejuvenate from time to time, remove the age, outlive the crime

♫ BRONZE – Horses

BRONZE are from Brooklyn and have just dropped the most exciting EP I have heard in a veeery long time. I’m so pumped on this release that I’m putting up two tracks here in an effort to shine a broader light on their talents and make sure that all of you grab this free EP here. The great part? These two are the first two … continue reading

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01.04.2011

[LP] WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE have an album YOU need to hear OR THE GANG of great songs will go sadly unloved

dark of night keep out, stay in at all cost, turn your lights out

♫ When Saints Go Machine – You Or The Gang

After falling hard for When Saints Go Machine’s “Fail Forever” just a few weeks ago I found out that they had a full album out and immediately tracked down a copy. Ten Makes A Face seems to have come out back in 2009 but never found widespread release, nor much blog traction. I am absolutely puzzled by … continue reading

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12.18.2010

[EP] MUSCLES on a GIRL is a CRAZY thing to GO for. Kinda.

take two steps back, cause you know me, these girls go crazy

♫ Muscles – Girl Crazy Go

So I was only a few years late to the Muscles train but now I’m riding it with my head out the window and enjoying myself immensely. In my better-late-than-never coverage of Guns, Babes, Lemonade I included the epic video for Muscles new single “Girl Crazy Go” but didn’t yet have an mp3 for it. Well, thanks to an awesome TBE reader … continue reading

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12.13.2010

[LP] KANYE WEST unleashed a MONSTER that should be maxing ALL OF THE LIGHTS on everybody’s equalizer

i did that time and spent that bread, i’m heading home, i’m almost there

♫ Kanye West – Monster (Ft. JAY-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)

I’ve never really liked Kanye West. By that I mean both his music and him as a person. Neither really appealed to me and all his stunts from ’09 only confirmed the feeling. There were certainly a lot of laughs had at his expense. Then something very interesting happened. He disappeared. No new … continue reading

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12.03.2010

[LP] FUTURE ISLANDS have grooves much bigger than a VIREO’S EYE

a loose, and hazy time, when you were not my clementine and i was not your diamond’s eye

♫ Future Islands – Vireo’s Eye

Future Islands are a band I had stumbled across years ago with their fantastically frenetic “Old Friend” (below) but I never got around to digging deeper until Todd from Sensual Harassment recommended them and I got on the ball. Their 2010 album In Evening Air is my forst full-length exposure to them and it’s a strangely great pice of … continue reading

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11.30.2010

[LP] HURTS mix BLOOD and TEARS & come up with GOLD

cause I could never be your lover i found another girl to mess me around

♫ Hurts – Blood, Tears & Gold

UK kings of stark melodrama, Hurts, initially underwhelmed me with their first 2 singles, “Wonderful Life” and “Better Than Love” so I didn’t exactly rush to grab their debut LP Happiness when it dropped in September. However, seeing that they were coming to Warsaw next year I got curious real quick and have since been quite surprised at how … continue reading

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