Brad's Best of '09

Here are my fav's for 2009, or at least my top 20, there were far too many songs that could've made this list. If I had to put an album at the top spot for the year it would be between Camera Obscura, Handsome Furs, Miike Snow, Andrew Bird, and Phoenix, all exceptional sorts of pop with very, very few boring bits.

(YSI) Brad's Best Of 2009

1. The Big Pink - Dominoes
2. Handsome Furs - All We Want, Baby, Is Everything
3. Favours for Sailors - I Dreamt That I Dreamt That You Loved Me
4. The Lovely Feathers - Lowiza
5. The Cribs - We Share The Same Skies
6. Camera Obscura - Honey In The Sun
7. Andrew Bird - Take Courage
8. Phoenix - Lasso
9. Black Lips feat. GZA - The Drop I Hold
10. Bombay Bicycle Club - Always Like This
11. Delphic - This Momentary
12. Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars
13. Miike Snow - Burial (DJ Mehdi Remix)
14. La Roux - In For The Kill
15. Ladyhawke - Back Of The Van (Fred Falke Ultimate Beverly Remix)
16. Vega - No Reasons
17. BURNS - First Move (Fred Falke Remix)
18. Deadmau5 - Ghosts N Stuff (Sub Focus Remix)
19. Miike Snow - Animal
20. Sub Focus - Follow The Light

Music for Distracted Drivers Everywhere

As seen in Poole Park, Dorset.

First post in a while, I've been globetrotting since mid January. Saw Handsome Furs in Frankfurt, Soulwax's 2 Many DJs in Manchester, dreadful Chicks on Speed set at Fabric in London, and some South Indian men playing traditional song to hippies and yuppies alike on the beaches of the Arabian Sea. Neato.

Here are some songs that have had more play riding the rails in India and Europe. They won't do shit for your parking ability.

Black Lips feat. GZA - The Drop I Hold
Glasser - Glad (Dolorean Remix)
Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars
Phosphorescent - Wolves
Damn Arms - Destination Pt. II
Lower Heaven - Knife
Simian Mobile Disco feat. Chris Keating (Yeasayer) - Audacity of Huge
(Amazingly random lyrics - Bill Murray and Peter Tosh namechecked??)

-brad

Friday Five

The Lovely Feathers - Lowiza
Montreal's The Lovely Feathers will offer up their third album, Fantasy of the Lot, in late May through Sparks Music. Their first LP My Best Friend Daniel was one of my favourite albums ever so I've got pretty high hopes for the new material. I've managed to get hold of this track from the new album and so far, so good.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Shampoo
Last week's stellar eponymous release from Elvis Perkins in Dearland has been making waves and 'Shampoo' is a testament to the quality of the Mr. Perkins' sophomore effort. Londoners can catch him at the ICA on April 6th.

Black Lips - Let It Grow
While lucky North Americans were able to get their greedy hands on the new Black Lips album last month, we lowly Europeans weren't able to pick up a copy of 200 Million Thousand until this past Monday. It was worth the wait - this shambolic, low-fi romp is one of my top albums of 2009.

Malajube - Ursuline
How did I miss the fact that the second album from Malajube (yet another fantastic Montreal group - this time francophone) has been available for over a month? Thankfully, a recent CBC Radio 3 podcast featuring interviews and live versions of the new material from Labyrinthes got me up to speed. Have a listen to opener 'Ursuline' and check out the aforementioned podcast here.

Bat For Lashes - Daniel
New Bat For Lashes drops on April 6th; this is a fresh cut from Two Suns.

Keep it to myself, no way.

No, it's not your speakers. That buzzing, lo-fi romp resonating from the speakers is meant to sound that way. Vivian Girls are a recent find for me, labelmates of Jay Reatard, Black Lips, King Khan and other In the Red bands I don't know but deserve mention for moniker alone: Lamps, Sonic Chicken 4, Pussy Galore.

These Brooklynite plain janes play quick, reverb-heavy rock with nods towards mod and shoegaze acts of the past. If you like The Raveonettes, Sonic Youth, Palomar, or anything similar, you'll enjoy the emotionally distant wall of sound. Their music skips along to foot tapping drums and layered vocals overlapping and decaying into one muddled mess. If that doesn't sound like an affectionate description, it's meant to be. "Tell the World" is a prime example:



Their Myspace says their album is sold out, but I'd venture a guess that it can be picked up on tour, so catch them at Pop Montreal on the 5th if you can. Mates overseas will have to wait until December 2nd when they begin their UK stint at Brixton Windmill in London.

Vivian Girls - Tell the World
Vivian Girls - I Believe in Nothing
Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To

Contest: Stag & Dagger, May 15 - London

Thanks to the kind folks at VICE Magazine UK, Bridging the Atlantic has 2 passes to Stag & Dagger to give away to a couple of lucky Londoners. The brand spanking new one day festival takes place in lovely Shoreditch next Thursday, May 15th, from 6pm to midnight and features over 100 acts including SebastiAn, Cadence Weapon, Times New Viking, 1990s, Black Lips, Jay Reatard, A-Trak, Slow Club, The Mae Shi, Diplo, Busy P, Operator Please, Atlas Sound, the debut performance of the new Hot Chip side project Booji Boy High, plus the Ed Banger Records crew. More info is available through the Stag & Dagger myspace page. The winner's passes will include free entry to all shows in each of the festival's 15 venues.

To enter, email us with the subject line "it's about damn time you jerks gave away festival tickets" before 3pm on May 12th.

SebastiAn - Dog
Atlas Sound - Recent Bedroom
Black Lips - O Katrina!
The Mae Shi - Run To Your Grave
Hot Chip vs Diplo - Shake A Fist
Booji Boy High - Doubleshaw

- a.m.p.m.