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

Movember Mania!

In honour of Movember, I present Andrew Wyatt's scraggly handlebar mustache. Delightful, although not necessarily philanthropic, since this video for Miike Snow's Animal was released in August. Plus this dude is always sporting some form of face fur, no? Regardless, everybody cares about men's health, especially BTA's own Brad, whose campaign (and mustache) is going strong.

Prostates and patchy facial hair aside, this ridiculously catchy song is now paired with an equally entertaining video. Not that the first effort wasn't good - this one is just better suited to the tune. Plus who doesn't applaud a band who creates two different videos for one single?

This fidgety eighties-style animation is the work of photographer and videographer Anthony Dickenson, who also created this great Groove Armada video . Enjoy!

MIIKE SNOW

Gotta say this is my new favorite video. Hands down. Having been to Varanasi in April, there are so many snapshots in this clip that are unmistakable. The old radio repair joints, STD/ISD call shops, guesthouse and bakery signs painted on walls of the labyrinthine alleyways, kids, motorcycles, holy men, and especially the sunrise on the ghats as morning boatmen row back and forth on the Ganges. There were plenty of Swedish travellers in India, I'll have to find out more about the connection, if any, but the band clearly have some affection for the subcontinent. Go if you can, it's a one of a kind place.

Stockholm's Miike Snow has been making tons of noise with the brilliant pop songs on their self-titled Downtown Records debut. Chances are you've heard a single floating around online already. Much thanks to BTA scoopmaster a.m.p.m. for getting me to listen to the DJ Mehdi remix of "Burial" a while back. Check out some more goodness, "Silvia" especially with its piano intro and builds:

Miike Snow - Burial (DJ Mehdi Remix)
Miike Snow - Animal
Miike Snow - Silvia