Eagle Scout - New Hands (2010)

"The band considers themselves both Indie and Post-Punk, which is a very good distinction between the standard indie band and Eagle Scout. There are far too much extra things going on with this band that make them shine brighter than the average, people should take notice. You don’t need big label money, or back breaking experimentation — you instead can speak truthfully and clearly, use your natural talents, and make a captivating record filled with evocative guitars, striking lyrics, head-bopping catchiness, and a few keys to mix it up a bit. “New Hands” is definitely one of my favorite records so far this year."  ~bringonmixedreviews.com
Score: 4.5/5

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Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life (2008)

Pitchfork 8.8

"Whether it's their second release or their 60th (no one's even pretending to be sure), Fucked Up's The Chemistry of Common Life is really easy to get excited about. A lot's been made about how it could possibly revitalize hardcore, although framing it within genre terms tends to lead to the wrong questions: Is it too melodic and instrumentally diverse to qualify as hardcore? Maybe. Is it heavy and chaotic enough to satisfy fans of the debut, even while it dramatically broadens their fanbase? Possibly. Can a band as destructive as Fucked Up really carry an entire scene on their sweaty, unshaven backs? Stranger things have happened."

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Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band - Kollaps Tradixionales (2010)

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Gil Scott-Heron I'm New Here (2010)

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Pitchfork 8.5

"For an album that comes so far after its creator's last trip to the studio, it's a bit of a relief that the only cause for disappointment is its brief length. I'm New Here is less than half an hour, though in that short span it does the impressive job of reviving an artist that's been out of the spotlight far too long and setting him up for a new incarnation as an elder statesman of modern roots music. Comparisons have been made to what Rick Rubin did for Johnny Cash in the 90s, and the parallels are there: I'm New Here and American Recordings are both cover-heavy, starkly-produced releases where rebellious icons become reflective as they hit their sixties. If Gil Scott-Heron's creative resurgence continues after this reintroduction to his poignantly aging voice, we could be looking at one of the most memorably resurrected careers of our time-- a man renewed."

Foxy Shazam - Au Contraire (2010)

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Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (2010)

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Get Well Soon - Vexations (2010)

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The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack (2010)

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Good Shoes - Under Control [Single] (2010)

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Liar's - Sisterworld (2010)

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Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth (2009)

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Beast Rest Forth Mouth, received the "Best New Music" award from Pitchfork Media, with the reviewer stating: "Beast Rest Forth Mouth is as familiar-feeling as it is difficult to pinpoint. Mostly made up of textural, spacious three- to four-minute pop anthems with towering choruses, BRFM is a welcome reminder that an album doesn't have to be bombastic to feel huge and important. Take out the earbuds and let it fill a space: This is music that's bigger than your iPod—music you'll want to feel all around you. Though not quite coming out of nowhere, BRFM seems like a surprise gift—a striking consolidation of the spiky psych-prog tendencies of their debut into a pop framework."

Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi from Go; out 03/23/10

Free download at http://jonsi.com/

Pitchfork 8
"The first track to be heard from Sigur Rós leader Jónsi Birgisson's debut solo LP is the soundtrack to animated glory; its overflowing strings, flutes, guitars, background vocals, drums, and more provide the perfect puffy clouds, Jónsi's voice colors the scene."

Tubelord - Our First American Friends (2009)

Tubelord-Propeller Music Video from Nicos Livesey on Vimeo.
Tubelord's sound has been described as “Pop song for Rock Kids”, and is characterized by their carefully balanced mixture of heavy abrasive instrumentation and Significant Melodic Pop sensibilities which are brought together in simple but constantly progressing song structure which incorporates very raw, at times dissonant, rock instrumentation and odd time signatures.
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Julian Plenti - Is... Skyscraper (2009)

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Mysterious NYC singer-songwriter Paul Banks of Interpol returns from several years of hibernation with his debut album. Featuring Mike Stroud of Ratatat, Sam Fogarino of Interpol, Charles Burst of the Occasion and Striker Manley of Stiff Jesus, this incredibly varied album runs the gamut from gorgeous folk-tinged acoustic songs to huge, orchestral guitar anthems.

Stereogum's 25 Most Aniticipated Albums of 2010

Yeasayer - Odd Blood -February 9th

Vampire Weekend - Contra- January 12th

The Avalanches - TBA
Hot Chip - One Life Stand - February 9th

Magnetic Fields - Realism - January 26th
Beach House - Teen Dream - January 26th

Spoon - Transference - January 19th
The National - TBA
Liars - Sisterworld - March 8th
Ted Leo - The Brutalist Bricks - Spring
Toro y moi - Causers Of This - February 23rd

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck - IRM - January 26th
Four Tet - There Is Love In You - January 26th
MGMT - Congratulations - Spring
Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring - January 26th
LCD Soundsystem - TBA - March
Panda Bear - TBA
Interpol - early 2010
Midlake - The Courage of Others - February 1st
The Hold Steady - TBA
Final Fantasy - Heartland - January 12th
Joanna Newsom - TBA
Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks - March 1st

Massive Attack - Heligoland - February 9th
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast - January 19th

Thom York - Latitude Festival (July 19, 2009)

Set List:
01 - The Eraser
02 - Arpeggi
03 - Atoms for Peace
04 - Harrowdown Hill
05 - Follow Me Around
06 - Everything in its Right Place
07 - The Present Tense
08 - Cymbal Rush
09 - Black Swan
10 - Videotape
11 - There There
12 - True Love Waits

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The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometown (2009)

 
 Pitchfork: 8

"Over the course of the past 10 or so years-- from Neutral Milk Hotel to Arcade Fire to Bright Eyes-- winking detachment has ceded an increasing amount of indie rock ground to unmockable earnestness. Next in that line of serious, and seriously emotive, songwriters are the Rural Alberta Advantage. The Toronto-based trio, led by born-and-bred Albertan Nils Edenloff, has created an affecting debut that's full of nostalgic songs about hometowns (hence its title) and heartbreaks, marrying salt-of-the-earth acoustic rock to energetic rhythms and grand orchestral arrangements. Even Edenloff's nasal, impassioned singing and lyricism are practically naked in their straightforward sincerity. "

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Ramona Falls - Intuit (2009)

Ramona Falls is Brent Knopf's first solo venture, but he has an extensive musical resume as part of trio Menomena. His debut release, Intuit, was written and performed by Brent, with guest appearances by 35 friends (including members of The Helio Sequence, Mirah, Loch Lomond, 31 Knots, Talkdemonic, Nice Nice, Tracker, Dat'r, Dear Reader, 3 Leg Torso, and Matt Sheehy).


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The Sunshine Underground - Everything, Right Now EP (2009)

Four likely lads from Shrewsbury who came together in Leeds. Together, they form the rhythm colossus known as The Sunshine Underground.

The Sunshine Underground - Coming To Save You from dave Aspinall on Vimeo.

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Cold Cave – Love Comes Close (2009)

Wesley Eisold, the man at the center of dark synth band Cold Cave said this is his attempt to “make a beautiful album to balance all the ugliness I’ve put into the world.”



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Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures (2009)

Them Crooked Vultures is the new Dave Grohl/Josh Homme/John Paul Jones super-group.



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The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (2009)

 Pitchfork + 9
"There's a raw directness to Embryonic that's been largely absent from Lips records since the mid-90s. For the first time in years, they've made an album that actually sounds like a band playing live together in a small room. In light of Mystics' overly processed, grab-bag quality, the holistic, audio-vérité approach on display here is remarkable-- the record is extremely dense, initially overwhelming, but unusually rewarding upon repeat listens. Like the double-disc, high-concept rock epics of yore (think Physical Graffiti or Bitches Brew), it captures them at their most sprawling and ambitious, boldly pushing themselves towards more adventurous horizons."

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We are the Storm - We are the Storm EP (2009)

I don't know anything about We are the Storm, but they're from Uppsala, Sweden and I like their sound.



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Carsick Cars - You Can Listen, You Can Talk (2009)

One of the most widely admired bands in Beijing's underground, Carsick Cars have played major festivals and concerts in China and abroad with the likes of Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Ex Models and These Are Powers. Carsick Cars, whose "Zhong nan hai" is considered the anthem of Chinese countercultural youth,  released their second CD this year, which was produced by Wharton Tiers, who also produced CDs for Sonic Youth, Glenn Branca, and Dinosaur Jr.

CARSICK CARS - 蘑菇 蘑菇 MOGU MOGU (Music Video) from Maybe Mars / 兵马司 on Vimeo.

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BBC - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose (2009)

Bombay Bicycle Club are a North London teenage foursome creating fierce catchy indie rock. Their new album has been a massive success. Receiving warm reviews it delighted fans, with some of the material on the record being written when the group were just fifteen.



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The xx -The xx (2009)

The xx are four 20-year-olds from South London who make predominantly slow, furtive pop music, mostly about sex. Their popularity over the past month has skyrocketed.

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