MP3: || Landlady ||

Here’s the newest music from Texas garage-kids Young Mammals, with the first taste since their fantastic 2010 album Carrots. The great production along with their almost signature jangle-tones make for a great A-side on their first vinyl release, which will be out on Bombs By Mail sometime soon, hopefully on radical colored vinyl like their first release.

Cleveland pop group Clovers, changed to Future Days, not only made big steps in their hometown, but were on the verge of becoming the next big thing in the national indie-pop/garage scene. The band had done tours with rad-rockers Free Energy and Secretly Canadian’s Foreign Born, and rumors were swirling that they were working with big labels. Then the group went down to Nashville to record with the Black Keys’ Pat Carney, recording what would be their official debut album, The Breezer. Weeks after getting back, Future Days threw up a couple tracks from the new album on SoundCloud, played a few local shows, and rumors swirled that the band had been signed to Fat Possum. Sometime near the end of last summer, I found out that the band had disbanded, killing all of the rumors and album releases they had planned. The band sent me The Breezer sometime before they told me about the breakup, and the album quickly became one of my favorites, especially the ultra-jangly second track “Carry Me Away.”  It was sad to me that nobody was going to here these fantastic pop songs, so the band allowed me to show their album that never happened.  Here are a couple tracks from the unreleased, unmastered album, The Breezer, and a link to download the entire album. Once you give it a couple listens, you’ll realize why it was such a bummer that Future Days didn’t became a bigger thing, cause the talent, songwriting, and spark were definitely there.

MP3: || Carry Me Away ||

MP3: || Sun Drops ||

Bears’ fantastic third album, Greater Lakes, is on the verge of its wide release. The Greater Lakes release show will be at the Grog Shop tomorrow, along with great local pop band Afternoon Naps and the Lighthouse & the Whaler. And before that show, Bears will be playing a special acoustic show at Music Saves at 6. Here’s the Facebook events for the release show and Music Saves in-store. Also, they just released a new track from the album, “The City Still,” along with a remix by Low In The Sky.

MP3: || The City Still ||

MP3: || The City Still (Low in the Sky Remix) ||

MP3: || I Would Be A Great Lover For You ||

Well here’s another shameless plugs of one of my own bands! High School Girls is a love-pop duo from Lafayette, IN, and we just released our first EP, Breakfast Years, last week after recording a few tracks in the studio. Head over to our Bandcamp to listen and download the EP for free. We are also doing a Kickstarter right now to try to finish recording an album in the same studio where we did the tracks for the EP. Any help is greatly appreciated!

And it looks like Pitchfork has treated our hometown boys well.

Cloud Nothings’ third album Attack On Memory drops a week from today, but you can hear the entire album right now via Complex. Preorder for the album is up on Insound.

MP3: || Consistency ||

One of Indiana’s biggest up-and-comers Stagnant Pools just released the first taste of their upcoming 2012 record, release TBA. “Consistency” is a massive slice of punked-out sky-high shoegaze from the Bloomington brothers, and it definitely gives indications of a fantastic record from these two. Below is a video of the duo playing “Consistency” at my now-defunct basement venue Jurassic Park, and the song sounds just as huge.

MP3: || Eleven A.M. ||

Let’s start 2012 on a great note! Cleveland pop heroes Bears released their highly anticipated third album, Greater Lakes, last week after their successful Kickstarter. Here’s the first track on the album, “Eleven A.M.,” a nice and dreamy pop doodle with Bears’ signature twee tones. I don’t think I’m alone in saying this it’s fantastic to have new Bears music, and they prove exactly why they’re still one of the best pop bands in Ohio. The album is officially out on Misra Records this February, and preorder for the clear vinyl and CD is up on Bears’ site or Misra’s shop.

10. Kreayshawn – “Gucci Gucci”

9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Heart In Your Heartbreak”

8. Real Estate – “It’s Real”

7. Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers”

6. Vivian Girls – “Take It As It Comes”

5. Big Troubles – “Sad Girls”

4. Jacuzzi Boys – “Glazin’”
Go here for uncensored video: http://jacuzzigals.com/
Here’s the censored one:

3. Sleeping Bag – “Slime”

2. Titus Andronicus – “No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future”

1. Youth Lagoon – “Montana”

A Lull – “Some Love” MP3
Apache Dropout – “Teenager” VIDEO
Arches – “This Isn’t A Good Night For Walking” MP3
Arctic Monkeys – “Reckless Serenade” LIVE VIDEO
Beach Fossils – “What A Pleasure” VIDEO
BIGCOLOUR – “playing puzzles” MP3
Bon Iver – “Beth/Rest” VIDEO
Cloud Nothings – “Understand At All” MP3
Coasting – “Portland” MP3
Coldplay – “Hurts Like Heaven”

Cults – “Abducted” VIDEO
Cut Copy – “Take Me Over” STREAM
Cymbals Eat Guitars – “Definite Darkness” MP3
Deerhoof – “Behold a Marvel in the Darkness” VIDEO
Delicate Steve – “Sugar Splash” STREAM
Diarrhea Planet – “Ice Age” LIVE VIDEO
Dream Diary – “Paper Flowers’ VIDEO
Dum Dum Girls – “Bedroom Eyes” MP3
Fleet Foxes – “Battery Kinzie” VIDEO
Ford and Lopatin – “Channel Pressure” VIDEO

Forma – “FORMA 237A” MP3
Fucked Up – “Queen of Hearts” MP3
Future Days – “Carry Me Away” MP3
Gauntlet Hair – “Keep Time” MP3
Girls Names – “I Could Die” VIDEO
Gold-Bears – “Record Store” MP3
Heidecker & Wood – “Cross Country Skiing” VIDEO
Hooray For Earth – “Last Minute” VIDEO
Iceage – “Collapse” MP3

Jacuzzi Boys – “Vizcaya” MP3
James Blake – “Unluck”
Jeff The Brotherhood – “Diamond Way” MP3
John Maus – “Quantum Leap” MP3
Kids On A Crime Spree – “I Don’t Want To Call You Baby, Baby” VIDEO
Kvelertak – “Fossegrim” VIDEO
La Sera – “Never Come Around” MP3
Let’s Wrestle – “In Dreams, Part II” MP3
M83 – “Reunion” VIDEO
Male Bonding – “Tame The Sun” STREAM

Megachurch – “Receive It” STREAM
Mist – “Twin Lanes” MP3
Mr. C – “Murderous” MP3
Papercuts – “Do You Really Want To Know” STREAM
Puro Instinct – “Everybody’s Sick” VIDEO
Radio People – “A Vague Year” STREAM
Reading Rainbow – “Dead End” MP3
Real Estate – “It’s Real” MP3
Seapony – “Blue Star” MP3
Shoreway – “Daylight Dream” MP3

Sleeping Bag – “Ben” LIVE VIDEO
Smith Westerns – “Weekend” MP3
Stagnant Pools – “Dead Sailor” MP3
Swimsuit – “Sunlight” MP3
Tammar – “Heavy Tonight”
Tennis – “Long Boat Pass” VIDEO
The Babies – “Meet Me In The City” MP3
The Beets – “Doing As I Do” MP3
The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling” VIDEO
The Happy Thoughts – “Indiana Girls” VIDEO

The Modern Electric – “Northcoast Christmas” MP3
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now” VIDEO
The Strokes – “Under Cover Of Darkness” VIDEO
Thundercat – “Fleer Ultra” VIDEO
Total Babes – “Don’t Have To Run” STREAM
Triptides – “Going Under” MP3
Troubles Books and Mark McGuire – “Floating Through Summer” STREAM
tUnE-yArDs – “Gangsta” VIDEO
TV Ghost – “Sleep Composite” VIDEO
Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers” VIDEO

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Nerve Damage” STREAM
Veronica Falls – “Bad Feeling” STREAM
Vivian Girls – “Take It As It Comes” VIDEO
Washed Out – “Eyes Be Closed” MP3
White Denim – “It’s Him!” LIVE VIDEO
Why I Like Robins – “LR” MP3
Wild Beasts – “Bed of Nails” VIDEO
WU LYF – “L Y F” VIDEO
Youth Lagoon – “July” MP3
Yuck – “Get Away” VIDEO

Here’s a couple links with all of the above MP3s in zip files:
Favorite Songs of 2011 Pt. 1
Favorite Songs of 2011 Pt. 2