Honorable Mentions of 2010

Here's the albums that we felt were worthy of recognition but just didn't quite make our Best Albums. Stay tuned tomorrow for our Artist to Watch in 2011 list!

note: mp3s are no longer available as of 1/20, but you can still listen to them on our hype page.

Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
Lise was enthralled the first time she heard Irish-bred Conor O'Brien aka Villagers in June of last year, calling this debut album comprised "enriched numbers filled with instrumentation, wind-whipped into guitar-strafed sensations that are remarkably expansive yet intimate." Still, this album doesn't mount as high in style as others, but lays enough to reason that Villagers is well on its way to great albums to come.
Becoming a Jackal [mp3] (Amazon / iTunes)

Ellie Goulding - Lights
Although Ellie Goulding's Lights album has yet to officially hit the US, we state-side have gotten a good glimpse via An Introduction to Ellie Goulding. As one of our Artists to watch for in 2010, Ellie has done quite well for herself this year, topping the BBC Sound of 2010 poll,winning the Critics Choice Award at the 2010 BRIT Awards, landing no. 1 on the UK albums chart and having her lovely cover of Elton John's "Your Song" place as the 30th best selling single of the year. With trembling vocals that seem delicate but are surprisingly elastic, shiny Starsmith pop production, catchy hooks and the power of the UK's adoration, this album is worth the notice.
Under the Sheets[mp3] (Amazon / iTunes)

Sleigh Bells - Treats
No one can deny this album's infectious loudness by the grungy noise pop duo of Sleigh Bells, however, it is often over-fuzzed to the point of wondering why they even bother to use lyrics instead of meaningless babble ("Crown On The Ground," "Infinity Guitars"). Few stellar and clearer pop tracks such as "Rill Rill" and "Kids" and the superb infusion of hip hop beats (thanks, M.I.A.) give it enough oompf to place on our lists, with "Rill Rill" being one of our favorite singles of the year.
Rill Rill [mp3] (Amazon / iTunes)

James Yuill - Movement in a Storm
Some have said he's a genius, others have said he's inspired the folktronica generation, whatever that means. Keith just says he's amazing. His debut Turning Water For Air was a massively under-appreciated electro folk gem and he managed to follow it with a more accomplished album this year (although the US has yet to acquire it). Just amazing.
On Your Own [mp3] (Amazon)

Marina & the Diamonds - The Family Jewels
Marina is a New Wave Indie Pop diva who sings with the confidence of Kate Bush and the vigor of Florence and the Machine. Also listed as one of our Artists to Watch in 2010, Marina was runner-up in BBC Sound of 2010, won Best UK and Irish Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards and was featured on Vogue UK.com throughout November as their famous blogging fashionista. Although her albums has clear standout tracks such as "Mowgli's Road," "Oh No!," and the introduction-friendly "I Am Not A Robot," some find the mesh of 80's "Rio"-esque groove in "The Outsider" to be oddly placed and the overall album lacking total cohesiveness and strength. Still, it's clear that Marina and the Diamonds aren't going anywhere and have set their place amongst the new up and coming sensations of the decade.
I Am Not A Robot [mp3] (Amazon / iTunes)

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire broke down imaginative barriers this year with the release of their revolutionary interactive music video (best used on Google Chrome) for their song "We Used To Wait." Although none of the tracks reach the epic dramatic levels of 2004 Funerals' "Wake Up," it is still a wondrous compilation of well-constructed melodies, spacious-feeling guitars and anthem-laden lyrics.
We Used To Wait [mp3] (Amazon / iTunes)

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
As expected, the Gorillaz released another solid album of future-pop marked by an even more illustrious group of collaborators (this time around: Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, and members of the Clash, among others). Although this one's foregone the marquee superstar producer-of-the-moment, as head Gorilla Damon Albarn's produced much of the album himself. As the title suggests, things have gotten a bit more synthetic, but the electronics are deftly juxtaposed with the soul of Bobby Womack and the string of sinfonia ViVA. The result is dark and melancholy with a glittery sheen. And quite good, even if, as usual, it runs a bit long. (And now, as a holiday treat, Gorillaz have gone and released another album, The Fall, recorded entirely on the iPad. Enjoy that as well.)
Rhinestone Eyes [mp3] (Amazon / iTunes)

Andrew Belle - The Ladder

This simultaneously melancholy yet plucky debut album quickly set Andrew Belle apart from other male singer-songwriters with his well-written, thoughtful songs, warm voice and rich orchestration. Overall, a beautiful album.
Static Waves ft. Katie Herzig [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

Emanuel and the Fear - Listen
While a little heavy-handed at times (there's something a little hypocritical-sounding about a white guy who went to NYU, one of the most expensive schools in the country, singing lyrics like "but the gringo concerned only if the boy has washed his hands"), but his attempt to get people to really think about the world we live in and provoke social change is admirable, and the music that Emanuel and his 11-piece orchestra make is catchy, rockin' and highly enjoyable. And, in their defense, some of the lyrics are actually quite insightful.
Dear Friend [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

Fredrik - Trilogi
This album twists and turns with layers upon layers of haunting instrumentation that builds and subsides like waves, as seems to be Fredrik's style. This album was actually a trilogy of EPs that Fredrik created long ago, and it is certainly a bit darker than their previous album, but, as is always the case with Fredrik, the magnificent layers of each song reward multiple listens and makes the album grow on you with every play. They also came out with a vinyl-only 3-song EP this year that is quite wonderful.
Locked in the Basement [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

Glasser - Ring
This album is epically spacious in sound, swirling with slightly revered vocals on top of exotic instruments and infused with a swish of electronica. The result is something tribal, dream pop and quenching, seemingly taking you away to a different world. It twinkles in a way that never gets tiring or old, yet due to its dreamy nature, there are few tracks that immediately grab, meaning that this may go under-appreciated by the main masses.
Home [mp3] ( Amazon / iTunes )


Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This
This is party rock at it's best - almost every song at a frenzied tempo with epic vocals, screaming guitars and thumping bass lines that you can't help but jump up and down to. Their single, Light it Up, is particularly catchy and fun to yell along with. All in all, a really fun album.
Light it Up [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

Emanuel & the Fear's album release show

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending Emanuel & the Fear's album release show at the Gramercy theater.

Opening for them was Elizabeth Ziman (of Elizabeth & the Catapult) and Jeff Taylor. At every one of Elizabeth's shows that I've seen, Jeff has come up and performed a song or two with her, but it was cool to see them perform a whole set together. In fact, no offense to Elizabeth's band but I think I liked it better just the two of them. They're both immensely talented songwriters with incredibly nice, very natural voices that complement each other very well and they seem to energize each other and play off of each other in a really great way. Plus I think the combination of Elizabeth's playfulness and Jeff's folkiness makes for a really great pairing. They just light up when playing with each other and it looked like they were having so much fun the whole time. I highly enjoyed their set, although I will say that I thought it was cut quite short (they had to skip something like four or five new songs and I think they only played for about half an hour), and that made me sad.

Emanuel and the Fear, already a huge 12-piece band as it is, took the stage with the NYU symphony orchestra behind them (or at least part of it - there were maybe 25ish or so additional musicians. I tried counting but I couldn't see them all, there were so many people). It was quite the sight and I'm surprised they managed to fit so many people on that stage. It was to celebrate the release of their debut full-length album, Listen. Emanuel came out dressed in a red suit (according to him, Ru Paul owns the same one) and had everything a frontman should - high energy, memorable hair (oh that hair) and clothing, a unique voice, an eccentric poet MC to introduce him, plenty of rockness, and lots and lots of talent. He's a multi-instrumentalist whose songs seem to be influenced by so many genres that it's easy to lose count and his in-between song banter was simultaneously self-assured and self-deprecating, so it was a great show all around.

Of course, the whole band (and the back up orchestra) were all quite good, but there's so many of them that I don't really have time to comment on each of their individual performances. They played a nice long set, about an hour and a half including the encore (which they couldn't get off stage for and back on so Emanuel pretended to walk away for a second and then came right back. It was awkward but funny). All in all a very strong set and a solid album.

Dear Friend [mp3] - (iTunes)

More pictures here:

Emanuel & the Fear Album Release Show

Emanuel and the Fear To Release Debut Full-Length!

I loved the debut EP last year, so it is with great joy that I announce that the 11-piece orchestral band Emanuel and the Fear is releasing their debut full-length Listen on March 9th, with spring and summer tours planned both domestic and abroad. The album will contain 18 tracks, with only one, the acoustic-guitar-superjam-electro-build-up "Jimme's Song," making its way over from the EP. If the full-length is anything like the EP I listened to a year ago, it's going to be a melange of song styles with something to offer to everyone. The first single from the album is "Dear Friend," an upbeat pop number comparable to the likes of Ben Folds with a spin or two for added intrigue.

Dear Friend [mp3]

Album Review: Emanuel and the Fear

Emanuel and the Fear is a 11-piece Orchestral Dance-Rock band fronted by Emanuel Ayvas and in February their self-titled debut EP was released. Since then, they’ve been labeled Deli Magazine’s artist of the month, played to sold-out shows, toured with the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Spoon and the National, and are playing at SXSW next week. Their 5-song EP is an eclectic piece of work that is impressive on all musical levels, which is not as surprising once you find out that Emanuel and the Fear list a large range of musical influences, from Beethoven and Rachmaninoff to Arcade Fire and Daft Punk.

I got hold of the EP and consequently wrote the following as I listened to it for the first time. Instead of doing a re-write of my take of the album in a more professional tone, I decided just to post the initial thoughts I had, because each song is so distinctly different there's no way to comprehensively evaluate the EP as a whole unless each song is described. Once again, this is raw, first impressions, but now that I’ve listened to it all, I gotta say, if there was any reason to advocate for a return of the entire album listening experience that has been damaged by the downloading of a single here or there by today’s technology (I mean really, people don’t appreciate albums the same way anymore), this would be it. This thing is beautiful to listen to in its entirety.


The Rain Becomes the Clouds [mp3] – The first selected track for release. We start off with drums, then synth, and then soon a muted electric piano arpeggios in juxtaposition to the beat of the drums as the warmth of trombones and strings emerge alongside both male and female vocals in this multi-layered song. Certainly not a bad way to begin, but I’m hoping for something a bit more to come along.

Comfortable Prison- A simple calm acoustic guitar with an echo-y sliding guitar is not what was expected after the previous instrument-rich track, but the ballad is well produced and constructed, perfect for those moments when you just need to chill, and finishes nicely when the drum kicks in and the female/male harmonies really start belting at the climax of the piece.

Jimme’s Song- After listening to the last two songs, if I didn’t know that this was by the same people, I wouldn’t have suspected it. *That’s* the range on this EP. A beautiful whistle opens an odd combination of electronica and beats before an acoustic guitar comes in. The song starts out a bit sparse but builds energy to the chorus when it seems to lift up from the air and stomp along with an added flanged synth, making my toes tap. This 8-minute songs ends with an electronica breakdown.

We’re All Alright Tonight – I’ve never listened to an EP like this. I don’t even know how to classify this anymore. Dare I say this song has a hint of Devo? Omg, is that autotune? And now a flute is playing alongside a soft synth that sounds stolen from an old 8-bit Nintendo game. At the same time, this song is so orchestral, my brain really doesn’t know what to make of it.

Two – Annnnd we close with a soft piano playing a classical piece. I thought it was merely a sample of a classical song at first being used as an intro, but oh no. This track is purely piano, and purely a beautiful way to pay homage to the classical side of the musical world. Nicely done.


Conclusion: This is a fantastic debut EP that takes all sorts of unexpected twists and turns down all different kinds of genres, constantly converging the new with the old. Sophisticated orchestral rock/pop indie is the only way to begin a description of this diverse album and makes one very excited for the upcoming full length album. If you like your music to sparkle, pick apart your mind and throw you up in the air only to catch you and set you gently back down on the ground again - don't just grab one song, get the entire EP.

Get the EP on iTunes

Also, don't forget that we still got a giveaway contest going on! For more info, click here.