Brooklyn slacker pop outfit Darlings have been a long-time favorite. Darlings from 2009 was a top LP for that year, and their Warma EP follow-up in 2010 followed suit for EPs. Then they went silent for a year or so before giving us a 7″ single with Pet The Ghost in 2012 with the promise of a new LP on the way in 2013. Well the time has come and the new LP, Perfect Trip, is less than one month from its release date. Read More »Darlings: Nothing I Don’t Care For
Finally, I present to you my top 10 records of 2012. Once again, we begin with a pair of honorary mentions — the recent single that’s leading into my most anticipated album of 2013, and an album I know would have made the top 50 had I checked it out in advance of compiling and publishing the first half of this list.
Read More »The Best LPs of 2012 Countdown: 10 to 1
Continuing the countdown to my favorite record of 2012, today I present numbers 11 through 20.
Read More »The Best LPs of 2012 Countdown: 20 to 11
It’s day three of my top 50 countdown, meaning we’re in the middle and doing #30 down to #21. Par with how the previous two have gone, we begin with a pair of honorary mentions.
Read More »The Best LPs of 2012 Countdown: 30 to 21 
Yesterday we saw my list from 50 to 41. Today, the countdown to my number one album of 2012 continues with Deer Creek Canyon by Sera Cahoone at number 40… but first, a few honorary mentions. Read More »The Best LPs of 2012 Countdown: 40 to 31
Today I present to you the first in a series of posts covering our top 50 albums of 2012. These lists take a long time to compile, so, to save my sanity, I’ve split it into a five-part countdown, beginning with 50 through 41. As these things go, it’s all subjective — best-of lists are compiled based on what we feel at this particular moment in time.
Case in point: At this time last year, my top three albums were: 3. Dream Diary by Jeremy Jay, 2. Music Sounds Better With You by Acid House Kings, and 1. Apocalypse by Bill Callahan. Given a year to mull these over, within the top twenty I’d have to also consider placements for Wooden Shjips, Youth Lagoon and Craft Spells. Not to mention A Classic Education.
Read More »The Best LPs of 2012 Countdown: 50 to 41
Each year I shun Christmas music like it’s the plague. It begins too early, is far too repetitive, and, quite frankly, is a bit boring. That is, until this year. It began with “The Week Between”, a new track off One Christmas at a Time, an LP that finds Jonathan Coulton and John Roderick (The Long Winters) collaborating for a full album of original Christmas music.
Read More »Fense’s Radio Show: It’s An Indie Christmas 
New Zealand pop band The Eversons have given us a fitting (for today) rendition of the Skeeter Davis classic “The End of The World”. Featuring co-front-man Chris Young on vocals and a softly finger-plucked acoustic guitar, along with a chorus of back-up singers, The Eversons’ version may be among the better covers of this song out there. Read More »The Eversons: The End Of The World
From Suburban Kids with Biblical Names member Johan Hedberg comes a fun new Christmas song “Some Kind of Christmas”. True to SKWBN heritage, the song is a bit quirky in Hedberg’s vocal display as well as thematically and lyrically. The song, per Labrador Records, is about spending the Christmas alone, chasing open bars and someone to count the snowflakes with. Read More »Johan Hedberg: Some Kind of Christmas
I just got my copy of Kishi Bashi‘s Christmas Flexi for “It’s Christmas But It’s Not White Here In Our Town” in the mail. Offered up as a limited edition (only 1000 were pressed, and it’s now sold out) 7-inch single from Joyful Noise Recordings, all proceeds benefit charity while the buyer gets a pretty sweet and exclusive Christmas track to enjoy on vinyl in the shape of a snowflake. Pretty cool if you ask me. Read More »Kishi Bashi: It’s Christmas But It’s Not White Here In Our Town
