top ten albums of 2009

i've been a little out of it with music this year. but i did manage to scrape together a top ten.

so here goes.

1. veckatimest - grizzly bear



--> two weeks <--

2. wolfgang amedeus phoenix - phoenix



--> girlfriend <--

3. grace/wastelands - peter doherty



--> new love grows on trees <--

4. adventureland ost - various artists



--> don't change - inxs <--

5. new moon ost - various artists



--> possibility - lykke li <--

6. american saturday night - brad paisley



--> american saturday night <--

7. further complications - jarvis cocker



--> caucasian blues <--

8. star trek ost / up ost - michael giacchino



--> labor of love <-- / --> married life <--

9. working on a dream - bruce springsteen



--> the wrestler <--

10. around the well - iron & wine



--> the trapeze swinger <--

i am a man whose dreams have all deserted

peter gabriel's 1986 album so is quite wonderful. my favorite song on it is a duet with kate bush called don't give up. the video for this song is probably one of the most romantic things i've ever seen.



absolutely perfect.



petergabriel.com
katebush.com

they say it's your birthday

hey guys so tomorrow is my birthday.

you know what i would like for my birthday? some fundraising help.

last year my mom, my uncle and i all walked in the San Francisco 60 mile, 3 day breast cancer walk. it was amazing. and we’re doing it AGAIN next year. i have to raise $2300 in order to participate.

my aunt Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. she beat it once. in 2007 it came back. she’s still fighting it. also in 2007 my cousin Christine, her daughter, was diagnosed. she’s still fighting. they recently discovered that my cousin Wendy has the gene. So she might get it as well. same with her daughter. and Christine’s two little girls. in fact, after Christine was diagnosed, her 10 year old daughter Samantha asked my uncle Mike if one day she’ll get breast cancer, since her mom and her grandma both have it. that nearly broke his heart

long story short, here’s the link to my donation page.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ps. i promise some posts about my trip to bonnaroo/epic 2-concert grizzly bear weekend soon.

you finally found all your courage to let it all go

i love the 80s. i love the music from the 80s. i recently posted a ton of music videos over on my tumblr go check those out.

now here are some of my favorite 80s guys.



robbie grey of modern english



robert smith of the cure


corey hart.

---> i melt with you - modern english <---
---> friday i'm in love - the cure <---
---> sunglasses at night - corey hart <---

space is just disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence

so i have seen the new star trek movie an inordinate amount of times *cough* five *cough* and i think it's about time i spread my love of that film to this blog.



the score is by michael giacchino and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

---> labor of love <---
---> enterprising young men <---
---> end credits <---

so if you haven't seen star trek yet get off your ass and gooooooo.

would you always maybe sometimes make it easy

grizzly bear released the video for two weeks today. SO GOOD.

Two Weeks


i can't wait to get my vinyl copy of veckatimest! it should be here any day now!

this is a crisis i knew had to come

ian curtis died 29 years ago today. this man has meant a lot to me for the last few years. joy division has meant a lot to me for the last few years. they are my favorite band. his lyrics are just so pure and so painfully powerful. i'm actually getting a tattoo on thursday with the following lyrics from isolation:

if you could just see the beauty
these things i could never describe

i find these lyrics incredibly moving.



so this post is dedicated to this beautiful man.

---> isolation <---
---> love will tear us apart (peel session) <---
---> atmosphere <---
---> transmission <---
---> passover <---

and i'll be anything you ask and more, going "hey hey hey hey hey"

one of my favorite new albums for the spring is wolfgang amadeus phoenix from the french band phoenix. it is beautiful and perfect spring time pop music.



my favorite song is definitely "girlfriend" but the whole album is basically perfect. i will be seeing them (along with THE BOSS, grizzly bear and several other bands) at bonnaroo next month. WOO.

---> girlfriend <---
---> lisztomania <---
---> lasso <---

you can pre-order the album here @ insound.

http://www.myspace.com/wearephoenix

pete doherty iluuuuu

tomorrow is pete's 30th birthday. later this month his new solo album grace/wastelands gets released in the us. it is pretty much amazing.



i was pretty excited when i saw 1939 returning on the tracklist because i have a version of that song i ripped off youtube. it is a lovely, lovely song and the album version is perfection.

--> 1939 returning <--

another rough song i had ripped off youtube was salome. and again the album version is too great.

--> salome <---

here's one more track for good measure. i hadn't heard this one before, but i absolutely adore this song. (it was co-written by carl barât, btw)

--> a little death around the eyes <---

also, he's looking way too adorable in the video for the first single off the album, last of the english roses.



you can pre-order the album here @ amazon.com

frenchdogblues
.myspace.com/gracewastelands

two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl

so basically watchmen kicked a bunch of ass. and the soundtrack did too.



i haven't loved a soundtrack this much in a lonnnnng time.

---> unforgettable - nat king cole <---
---> the times they are a-changin' - bob dylan <---
---> hallelujah - leonard cohen <---
---> all along the watchtower - jimi hendrix <---

you can buy it at amazon here.

watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/

i told you i would stay

i know that ed is a little upset about grizzly bear's new album veckatimest leaking so early. i debated blogging about it. but i love this album SO MUCH already i just have to. HAVE TO. it is absolutely perfect. but, seriously kids, go out and BUY IT when it's released. i know that i intend to get me some pretty pretty vinyl.



these are my two favorites. i had the live version of two weeks from letterman this summer and loved it. then i heard this version. and died a little from the pretty. i simply cannot WAIT to hear it on vinyl. i know this track alone will blow me away.

---> two weeks <---
---> i live with you <---

again, go to insound or somewhere in may and BUY IT.

grizzly-bear.net

sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my soul

i'm really obsessed with bruce springsteen's i'm on fire from the 1984 album born in the u.s.a.



i currently have it playing on repeat on my record player. and i by repeat i mean i have to physically put the needle back to the beginning after it ends. haha. but it just sounds so lovely on vinyl. i have several versions i'm going to share with you including a cover by kate tucker.



i'm on fire (from born in the u.s.a.)
i'm on fire (from the live 1975-1985 album, recorded august 19, 1985 at giants stadium)
i'm on fire (cousin cole's bad desire remix)
i'm on fire (kate tucker cover)

http://www.brucespringsteen.net
katetuckerandthesonsofsweden.com

i sit and wait for everything i can find

the morning benders have done a new daytrotter session (an encore to the one they did last summer).



---> worth the fight (2.24.09 daytrotter session) <---
---> nothin' in this world can stop me worryin' about that girl (2.24.09 daytrotter session) <---
---> why don't they let us fall in love (7.16.09 daytrotter session) <---

i love this band. it was started by fellow uc berkeley alum chris chu a few years ago (go bears!). i remember seeing them play in a tiny little art gallery or something in the mission in early 2006. i liked them right away. in early 2008 my friend (and another cal alum) tim or - aka timothy rabbit - joined the band playing bass.



also new from the morning benders is the recently released grain of salt ep



---> grain of salt <---
---> your dark side <---

here's an older version of grain of salt too.

---> grain of salt (from 3 songs ep) <---


i saw them play at the rickshaw stop in december. they were SO GOOD. they also happen to be playing a noise pop show at slim's on friday. sadly, i'm scheduled to work til late that night so i can't go :( if you're going let me know how it was!

themorningbenders.com

tell me you'll be my lonely valentine

last year i made two mixes for valentine's day. this year i made one.



sadly after i'd closed photoshop i noticed that there are two typos on this graphic. but i'm too lazy to fix it. haha. here's the download link.

here's one song off it in order for this post to get picked up by hypemachine. haha.

---> valentine's day - bruce springsteen <---

brucespringsteen.net

so here i am, are you ready?

BLINK-182 HAS REUNITED. FUCK YEAH.



i am SO EXCITED about this you have no idea.



---> always <---
---> i miss you <---
---> reckless abandon <---
---> adam's song <---
---> dammit <---

blink-182 official site

it's easy to let the best of yourself slip away

this is maybe one of the best covers ever. not to mention how amazing the intro to the track is. this is my favorite elvis song. sung by the boss. its his favorite elvis song too. i almost died when i first heard it.



---> bruce springsteen - can't help falling in love (elvis presley cover) <---

www.brucespringsteen.net/

at last

today's inauguration ceremonies were amazing. i love these people. and i'm so freaking happy i can call this man my president.



and what a perfect song for their first dance as the first couple of this nation.

---> etta james - at last <---