[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Julia Stone - “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (The National cover) //
One of my favorite singers takes on one of my favorite songs by The National.
-MW
The National feat. Justin Vernon - “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” //
Leave it to Canada’s CBC Radio to bring together The National and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon for a beautiful version of one of High Violet
-MW
The National - “Conversation 16” (music video) //
It’s a mini Mad Men pilot reunion in the new video for The National’s “Conversation 16,” with Kristen Schaal as the President and John Slattery as secret service.
-MW
MV’s Top Albums of 2010 // #10-1
We’re done, yipppiiieee! Thanks for sticking with us while we counted down our favorite 50 albums of this year. It was a taxing, but enjoyable feat and we hope you had as much fun reading about the albums and watching the accompanying videos as we did writing about them and putting together our list. PEACEOUT 2010!! Looking forward to another awesome year of music in 2011.
10. David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love
Another concept album, yippie! Sharon Jones teams up with David Byrne and Fatboy Slim to tell the story ofImelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines. The disco-y interpretation of her life is set to take to the theatrical stage in the future, but for now we can picture what it would have been like to live in Imelda’s shoes throughTori Amos, Cyndi Lauper, Sia, Florence Welsh (of Florence and the Machine) and Santigold.
9. The National - High Violet
Most of us love The National some of us don’t. If you’re an fan you are sure to love this album filled with sad songs, that deep unforgettable voice and the memorable brass and strings section to accompany it all.
8. Jonsi - Go
the lead singer of Sigur Rós first solo effort with moving lyrics and a voice that could move angels to tears.
7. Here we go magic - Pigeons
The expanded line-up has been described as “psychedelic electro-folk” and walking “the line between ambient hypnotica and melodic indie rock” Whatever way you want to categorize it is up to you, no matter what it’s all good.
6. Robyn - Body Talk
Cooper says, “I like pop music. Even kind of dance-y top-40-y pop, when it’s done so so right. In this case, it’s the mix of personality (confidence and vulnerability in the right places), song writing and top-notch production.”
5. Earl Sweatshirt - Earl
The first thing that people fixate on is that Earl Sweatshirt put this album together at 16 years of age. The more important thing is that he is a lyrical phenom, with the casual, slant-rhyming swagger that sets the most talented rappers (Eminem and Lil Wayne apply here) apart from the herd. Earl raps like he was born to do it — he’s the breakout star in hiding from the rising LA-based rap clique OFWGKTA. And yeah, he’s 16.
4. Harlem - Hippies
This is their second album. They are a scuzzy sounding 3-peice garage band that sounds like Nirvana and a little Clap Your Hands Say yeah, and probably some other stuff. The songs are about 3 minutes a piece, and they all rock and jam and shamble along from hook to chorus sounding often poppy but never neat. The lyrics are dopey, the album title is dopey, but it’s not asking to be taken seriously; just to be played loud and often.
3. Phosphorescent - Here’s to Taking It Easy
Popular interpretation attributes some of this artist’s musical direction on this album to his prior album of Willie Nelson covers. These songs are lovelorn and folky and remind me of Steve Earl and John Prine. There’s humble and swagger; some songs jam and others take a melancholy trip. It sounds like beer and weed and country and a little rock’n roll
2. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor (TIE)
These guys followed up a brilliant and rough freshman release with an even sharper, more cohesive album. All the rough and tumble grit remains — all the vocal-chord-shredding screams, the punk rock sensibility, the incredible song-writing, the chugging Springsteen tempos and structures, the whiskey, the soaring, the tumbling, the awesome
2. Cee-Lo Green - Lady Killer (TIE)
So suave and so much swagger. Who’s more of a lady killer then Cee-Lo? Not you, so fuck you and fuck you too!
1. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
This album saw the young aussies break in to the US. MV got to witness they’re intimate gig at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn earlier this year, definitely a musical highlight of 2010.
The Antlers - Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover) //
I’ll be at Radio City Music Hall tonight to see The National and fellow Brooklyn natives The Antlers will be opening. I’ve never seen them before so looking forward to seeing what they have to offer live. Here’s their entry in the A/V Club’s Undercover series. Maybe they’ll bust this one out tonight?
-MW
The National - Afraid of Everyone (live on Letterman) //
Sufjan Stevens joined The National to sing back-up on “Afraid of Everyone” last night on Letterman. I vote for Sufjan becoming a full-time member.
-MW
