Premiere: All Talk | upstairs/downstairs EP

While still a young project, All Talk has already shown an impressive ability to navigate transition. Following the release of 2015's Juno -- which principles Tim Mensel and Cole Maxwell consider the band's true starting point -- and an attendant tour, the Boston indie concern's first drummer Tim Carman decamped for the west coast. Undaunted, Messrs. Mensel and Maxwell rigged an Ableton Live setup to anchor the rhythm and then plotted out new songs. The digitally augmented duo self-recorded its newest EP upstairs/downstairs, but has since incorporated childhood friend Dan Shapiro to helm the drum kit. The proverbial shoe fits.

"I felt like it took a couple shows for... the beats to sound right," said Mensel. "I had a MIDI controller and I would try and trigger them with my feet, but we were singing and playing, too, so it was tough at first to do it at spots like the ER without a stage monitor."

Needless to say the addition of Mr. Shapiro has proven beneficial. Both Maxwell and Mensel credit rehearsing with a live drummer, and at Shapiro's spacious Brookline basement no less, with giving new life to All Talk's music; even arrangements have shifted. And while he doesn't play on the new record, Shapiro has clearly played a crucial role in the band's (re-)development as a live act, too.

"[T]he songs have changed a lot, going from the Ableton versions to recording, and then to us playing them as a trio -- especially the drums," said Maxwell. "Part of that had to do with my limitations as a drummer, or what I thought sounded good, but I think Dan's influence changed things a lot, too."

Shapiro's fluid integration into the unit is unsurprising, given there is meaningful shared history among the players. All three grew up together in suburb Needham, Mass., often taking to Shapiro's basement to work out Beatles tunes. To up his game, Shapiro has in recent months -- even before joining All Talk -- taken a more studious approach to drumming, going so far as to take lessons from Mr. Carman's former teacher at Berklee.

"It just happened to be good timing, 'cause we had jammed a few times while they were doing the shows with the beats, and it seemed to go pretty well," said Shapiro. "They saw that I was starting to get serious about drumming and asked me if I wanted to play a show with them. We basically just went from there."

While keen to mention the influence of classic acts like The Beatles, Radiohead, and Wilco, All Talk has been sopping up more proximal influences as well, largely by virtue of attending more shows. More actively participating in the scene has, somewhat counter-intuitively, helped All Talk shape its own identity.

"I definitely don't think we go out of our way to write songs that sound like the bands that we go see or the sort of Boston scene in general," Maxwell observes. "But when I do go out to shows and stuff, I definitely pay attention to arrangements and sounds and try and add some of those things to what we do."

Perhaps the biggest influence on the writing and creation of the new EP upstairs/downstairs was the actual process that birthed it. The collection was mostly recorded in the confines of Mensel and Maxwell's Brighton, Mass. apartment, and the pair passed numerous days clearing and bleaching the floors of their basement, and wiring cables and plugs throughout the space, before rehearsing and recording everything themselves. The DIY approach created a sense of comfort that carried over into the production.

"Being able to work at our own pace, without worrying about time constraints, was definitely a benefit," said Mensel. "It was nice to be able to go back and work on things after playing back certain things immediately."

upstairs/downstairs finds the band doubling down on the sturdily melodic and folk-tinged power-pop that characterized Juno's strongest moments. Mensel and Maxwell have distinctive (although not entirely dissimilar) voices and writing styles, and the songwriters' give-and-take across the EP is among its charms. Mensel-penned tunes including opener "Misled" are often appointed with modest, yearning vocals and sprightly jangle-guitar leads that lead to big distorted riffs, a neat reflex that engenders emotional heft. Maxwell's numbers tend to rely less on dynamics and instead dig in to establish memorable grooves. The upstroked and tremoloed guitars on his "Pay No Mind," for example, play into a sturdy and insistent backbeat that pushes the song ahead.

All Talk is prepping for a month-long tour that will take it as far Texas and Oklahoma with rehearsals in Shapiro's basement, last-minute DIY flyer production and gear purchases, but it is also looking ahead to its next move.

"The next release is gonna be a lot different, for sure," Mensel offers.

All Talk's record release/tour kickoff extravaganza is set for this very Saturday at Cambridge's living room, the great Lilypad. Dreamy folk strummer (and recent Captured Track signee) Lina Tullgren and Erica from surfy indie poppers Littlefoot also perform. Stream upstairs/downstairs via the embed below, check out the complete tour dates at upper right, and order a limited-edition cassette right here. -- Dillon Riley

All Talk: Bandcamp | Facebook

Review: Horse Jumper Of Love | Horse Jumper Of Love

The rise of Boston slowcore trio Horse Jumper Of Love has perhaps surprised extra-scene observers whose attention was trained so firmly on luminaries such as Speedy Ortiz and Krill that they could not perceive the threesome at the fore of the inevitable, inexorable next wave swelling in the distance. But now that the trio's transcendent, self-titled debut long-player is here, Horse Jumper Of Love's preeminence is undeniable, no matter the vantage point. Its Horse Jumper Of Love is among the enigmatic band's first forays into full-band recordings, yet it shines brightly as both a statement of purpose and resolute expression of a startlingly whole and uncompromising aesthetic.

Horse Jumper's roots date to at least 2013, when principal songwriter Dimitri Giannopoulos' skeletal demos began cropping up on the Internet. Not long after the threesome gelled, it developed a reputation for delivering expansive, cathartic live sets. It is little surprise each member of the trio has a role in producing the new record’s mysterious, off-kilter sound. Jamie Vadala-Doran's beguiling and restrained drum work stops, starts and stutters without ever truly derailing, while John Margaris' minimal, haunting bass playing and backing vocals provide crucial ambiance; together, the rhythm section lends Horse Jumper's compositions a tangible -- if incalculable -- sense of danger. At the center of all this rests Mr. Giannopoulous' cryptic and often elliptical songcraft and playing. A deft guitarist, his short ringing leads pendulate between delicately understated and furiously heavy, often within the same song. Giannopoulous’ iterates and reiterates sonic and lyrical motifs, imbuing his plainspoken but philosophical musings on existence and the space we occupy with substantial weight.

Take for example the early preview track "Spaceman," a buoyant, crawling number presumably about existing separate and apart from public convention. Giannopolous sings of his America towel -- a reference to the tune "July 5th" -- and wields it as much as a literary device as a lyric. While we won't presume to speculate on its true meaning within the Horse Jumper narrative, its repetition suggests the towel carries some deeper importance. Horse Jumper Of Love's closing track "I Love You Very Much Forever" -- which again echoes "July 5th" – is actually a substantially slowed reformulation of the early Horse Jumper demo "Heathen." In addition to these internal references, certain songs point to the world outside the instant record as well. The short, instrumental interlude "I Want To Paint Horses... And To Have A Horse" recalls the ambient aspects of the 2015 demo collection Ur Real Life Dress. Horse Jumper Of Love’s "Bagel Breath" and "DIRT," arguably the set's two strongest tunes, are also culled from previously released demos; here they are given graceful full-band reworkings that thrum with copious distortion.

The record's peculiar cover art -- a scrawl that recalls the visuals for UK fuzz-rock troupe Yuck's early (and far superior) releases -- and accompanying vivid narrative feel of a piece with Horse Jumper Of Love. It also underscores the band's singular personality, a trait mostly ignored by appraisals of the record thus far; indeed, Horse Jumper Of Love has drawn quizzical comparisons to acts as divergent as Alex G and Radiohead. In our estimation, Horse Jumper Of Love is doing something that, while not entirely new, certainly distinguishes the act from its peers. The band's determination to plot its own course is far more praiseworthy than which indie rock critical touchstone a particular journalist feels they most closely approximate. Horse Jumper Of Love is out now on cassette via Disposable America and Gawk Records and can be purchased right here or here. Sources tell us that the tape is already on its second pressing. Stream three songs below, and peruse the band's pending tour dates with Soft Fangs, virtually pasted below. -- Dillon Riley

Horse Jumper Of Love: Bandcamp | Facebook | Soundcloud

Review: Ceremony | The L-Shaped Man

In the beginning, "Ceremony" was a song. In fact, as this reviewer is wont to say, it was the best song. At least, it is the greatest of the original post-punk era. Written in the blinking twilight of the '70s or first glimmer of the '80s by the legendary Joy Division, the tune survived the tragic and infamous death of the band's fronter Ian Curtis and was eventually recorded by New Order; it became a live set and compilation staple for the remainder of that band's long-running career (not to mention bassist Peter Hook's present-day, competing enterprise). "Ceremony" has been reverently covered by countless acts including Galaxie 500, Xiu Xiu, The Chromatics and even Radiohead. It was used in an iconic scene of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film "Marie Antoinette" and has been extensively analyzed by critical rags including The Onion AV Club. And so "Ceremony" has become a populist anthem of sorts for a certain alternative set. Using just minimal rock elements, the song unlocks a mystical alchemy that transcends a somewhat awkward performance and elevates the recording to something epic and monumental – a magnificent Doric marble column, wearily standing in the name of both the disappointment and optimism of youth.

Since then -- and underscoring the aforementioned song's alterna-populist appeal -- Ceremony has become the name of a bunch of bands, and likely the most punk among these operates out of Rohnert Park, Calif. The outfit emerged as a "brutal" hardcore unit that released three albums and several EPs on Bridge 9 Records. It began incorporating subtle garage and indie rock influences into its sound by the time of their 2012 Matador Records debut Zoo, and its latest and fifth album The L-Shaped Man continues to cleverly subvert Ceremony's punk foundation –- likely to the chagrin of some longtime fans -– while at the same time offering a fresh leaf and the fulfillment of a prophecy. Over the course of its 11 tracks, the band explores and inhabits the intricacies of its namesake and celebrates that tune's heavy emotional and historical grandeur. The music on The L-Shaped Man also deftly integrates elements of style from acts including Section 25, The Names and Siouxsie and The Banshees), while never seeming to directly rip off specific compositional touches.

Ceremony's approach -- clean and spindly guitar notes, thick and simple bass, steady, martial drums -- is tried and true within post-punk, but the group's economical, punk chops empower it to forge a collection of uncharacteristically honest songs. Brief opener "Hibernation" holds a steady pattern of four piano notes, which create an icy, barren atmosphere from which the ensuing, uptempo numbers are launched. The tune is a bold declaration that this is not the same band of even Zoo. Fourth track "Your Life In France" is the album's first true stunner; its back-and-forth guitar lines echo New Order guitarist Bernard Sumner's beautiful six-string showcase in the middle of "Ceremony," all quick simplicity and the occasional sour note that dance around the bass guitar.

More importantly, Ceremony wisely puts its best song square in the middle of the half-hour record, creating a wonderful centerpiece that ties myriad subtle ideas together. "The Separation" weds the catchy, double-tracked guitar lines of "Your Life In France" to anthemic piano and the band's best chorus -- bringing to mind that narrow, magical window where punk first transitioned into romantic New Wave melodicism. "Can you measure it? / Can you measure the loss?," fronter Ross Farrar -- whose desperate monotone sounds very much like that of Ian Curtis -- pleads again and again as the slow-burning intensity of the instruments figuratively huddle around him. Perhaps some credit should go to John Reis (of Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes), whose production lends the collection a very present, live and upfront feel, in part through emphasis on the rougher edges of the vocals, which reveal the album as something a little more lived in. The L-Shaped Man arrived last week on CD, seafoam green vinyl and as a digital download courtesy of Matador, and you can order the striking set right here. Ceremony will be on the road for much of the summer, and the tour dates as we presently understand them are listed below the unnecessarily long Spotify embed below. -- Edward Charlton

Ceremony: Facebook | Internerds



06.12 -- Cellar Door -- Visalia, CA
06.13 -- Legend Records -- San Diego, CA
06.14 -- The Rebel Lounge -- Phoenix, AZ
06.15 -- Club Congress -- Tucson, AZ
06.16 -- Tricky Falls -- El Paso, TX
06.17 -- Red 7 -- Austin, TX
06.18 -- Sons of Hermann -- Dallas, TX
06.19 -- Walters -- Houston, TX
06.20 -- One Eyed Jacks -- New Orleans, LA
06.21 -- The Atlantic -- Gainsville, FL
06.22 -- Epic Problem -- Tampa, FL
06.23 -- The Social -- Orlando, FL
06.24 -- Drunken Unicorn -- Atlanta, GA
06.25 -- Kings -- Raleigh, NC
06.26 -- Rock & Roll Hotel -- Washington, D.C.
06.27 -- Union Transfer -- Philadelphia, PA
06.28 -- Cuisine en Locale -- Somerville, MA
06.29 -- The Space -- Hamden, CT
07.01 -- Bowery Ballroom -- New York, NY
07.03 -- La Sala Rossa -- Montreal QC, Canada
07.04 -- The Garrison -- Toronto ON, Canada
07.05 -- Mohawk Place -- Buffalo, NY
07.06 -- Now That's Class -- Cleveland, OH
07.07 -- Marble -- Detroit, MI
07.08 -- Lincoln Hall -- Chicago, IL
07.09 -- The Frequency -- Madison, WI
07.10 -- 7th Street Entry -- Minneapolis, MN
07.11 -- Sweatshop Gallery -- Omaha, NE
07.12 -- Moon Room -- Denver, CO
07.13 -- Kilby Court -- Salt Lake City, UT
07.14 -- The Shredder -- Boise, ID
07.15 -- Neumo's -- Seattle, WA
07.16 -- Analog Café -- Portland, OR
08.08 -- Visions Festival -- London, UK

Review: Colleen | The Weighing Of The Heart

The Weighing Of The Heart is a rippling mirage, a quest for a personal peace, a map with vectors pointing both outward and inward, a shifting destination that finally stopped slipping away when former French schoolteacher, now resident Spaniard, Cecille Schott delivered her new, fourth full-length. The set arrives six years in the wake of her 2007 collection, Les Ondes Silencieuses. During her silent span of time, Ms. Schott, the sole member of Colleen, struggled with doubt, writer's block and the development of certain technical skills in order to realize The Weighing Of The Heart. The record takes its title from The Egyptian Book Of The Dead, but in a general sense the name is almost startlingly fitting, as it suggests a testing of mettle that recent press about Schott confirms. And while The Weighing Of The Heart (again, generally) suggests a process, the record itself represents a destination for both Colleen and her fans, a destination that would seem to possess its own singular collection of secrets.

The record is a cool dreamscape of electro acoustic sounds, more often than not neatly arranged across an expanse of aural space like complete skeletons of fantastic birds surfacing under brushes from strata. Although The Weighing Of The Heart is characteristically dreamy and mesmerizing, and is in that sense definitely a "Colleen record," there are significant new elements brought to bear. The other-worldly character of Colleen's music is enhanced by the newest and perhaps most potent tool in Schott's sonic arsenal: her voice. While Colleen's prior records are instrumental affairs (and indeed, here widely heralded debut Everyone Alive Wants Answers was all instrumental samples), on The Weighing Of The Heart she almost exudes beautiful vocals, diaphanous, breathy, so intimate that even when double-tracked it is like she is whispering secrets in your ear, close enough that the hair stands up on the back of your neck. Schott's voice and chiaroscuro lyrical imagery recall that of Juana Molina. And whether it was something suggested by the cadence of the newly developed vocals, is the result of increased technical skill, or is the result of yet some other impulse, the 11 songs of The Weighing Of The Heart percolate with pronounced rhythms, sometimes gently swaying like a boat on the ocean, and at other times crackling and popping like an ancient, dusty automaton. There is even a head-bobbing percussion bridge in the almost-groovy "Going Forth By Day," and "Humming Fields," a bewitching composition whose beautiful chorus chants "in lonely fields I've been humming / only the grass overhearing / cat woke me up with his dreaming," burbles and twinkles across pretty layers of chimes, tambourine and drum.

Despite the contemplative and personal tone of Colleen's music, especially on this new collection, certain of her influences shine through, from Arthur Russell to Laurie Anderson (fans would be wise to stream the amazing "influences mix" Colleen curated to help promote her new record; it is available to stream via Soundcloud right here). The Weighing Of The Heart's "Ursa Major Find" commences with soft salvo of oooohs, but the creaking intrumental bed that takes shape thereafter echoes the melodic texture underlying Radiohead's "Weird Fishes." All that said, it is Schott's own ear for beautiful timbre and her melodic sense -- not her ability to synthesize recognizable sonic referents -- that makes her the dramatically intriguing and wholly arresting artist that she is.

The best news of all for Colleen fans came in recent blog posts by Schott, when she remarked that she has already been playing new songs (and covers) live. Further, after her three shows in Italy this week (including a set of improvised music Friday), she intends to return home to Spain to work on new music: hopefully fans won't have to wait quite as long to hear what incredible music Colleen creates next. In the meantime, stream all of The Weighing Of The Heart -- which was released May 13 by Second Language in the UK -- via the YouTube embed below, and purchase the record here. Colleen's three prior albums and EP are also presently being sold in a special, four-CD bundle for 20 pounds, which is a great deal even when factoring in the exchange rate (although we haven't looked at what shipping would be). Fans looking for the three Leaf-released full-lengths on vinyl are encouraged to check in with Beat Delete, a new-to-us concern that attempts to crowdfund vinyl releases of selected LPs.

Colleen: Internerds | Soundcloud | YouTube

Muxtape No. 13: Make Those Horses Jump Through Hoops Aflame

First things first: with this 13th :: clicky clicky :: Muxtape, we have decided to now create new mixes monthly instead of weekly. This is partly because we feel like we've been reviewing fewer records because of the process of putting the mix together over coffee on weekends. It is also because come this fall we'll be lucky if we can get a monthly mix up let alone a weekly one. We may or may not have mentioned this, but much like it was last fall, :: clicky clicky :: will be largely dormant in September and October because of a very intense work project that will stretch from mid-September until around Thanksgiving. Unless we find someone we trust to steer the blog during that time, there likely won't be much to look at here (although we're hopeful we'll be able to keep our Twitter feed fairly lively).

Anyway, Muxtape No. 13. We're not sure if there is a theme, but there are a few tracks from the excellent Lounge Ax Defense & Relocation Compact Disc compilation from 1996. It includes a number of hot numbers including Guided By Voices' "Under A Festering Moon" and Seam's "The Prizefighters," both of which you can stream along with the rest of the Muxtape at this link. The playlist and more exposition about the various tracks below.

1. The Feelies -- "It's Only Life" -- Only Life
(We were gripped with a mild case of Feelies reunion-a-mania of late, although not so gripped that we made the trip to New York to see a show. But we took the reunion as an opportunity to re-rip our Feelies discs and revisit them in turn. We turned on to the band when Only Life was released in 1988 based on a review in Spin. An odd place to start with the band, but we were 14 at the time and therefore not really musically aware during the band's earlier (non-)heyday. This is the opening track, and it is fair to say it drew us in immediately. The rest of the record took a bit longer to grow on us, but it became a favorite. We remember re-discovering it during a drive through western Carolina sometime in the last decade.)

2. Palace Brothers -- "Horses" -- Lost Blues And Other Songs
(This track has one of the most unabashedly awesome guitar solos in recorded music. Which is strange, because Will Oldham's music typically never stresses guitar pyrotechnics. But after the p'ar-fully mournful verses the solo is especially transforming. Wait for it, and then turn it up loud. And during the solo the sound of the guitar pick strumming the acoustic playing rhythm starts to sound a little like buried hand-claps. Weird.)

3. Seam -- "The Prizefighters" -- The Lounge Ax Defense & Relocation Compact Disc
(Typically exemplary and quiet seething from Soo Young Park and Seam with a verse that alternately waltzes and inevitably builds. Never quite explodes, but it is still very satisfying. The second guitar in the second verse does something unusual and we don't know what the effect is. This track is so good we're going to post the MP3 as well right here: Seam -- "The Prizefighters" -- Lounge Ax Comp. Right click and save as.)

4. The Magnetic Fields -- "Too Drunk To Dream" -- Distortion
(A drinking anthem from the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side. After having this title written in our little spiral notebook of records to buy (yes, we've got one) for months, we finally remembered to pick it up at Newbury Comics last week after popping in for the Liz Phair reissue. We had high hopes, as one reviewer at the time of Distortion's release made the blasphemous assessment that the set was better than The Jesus And Mary Chain's Psychocandy. Well, it most certainly is not. That said, it is an interesting experiment for Stephin Merrit and there are several tracks that are very good, including this one.)

5. Meneguar -- "Freshman Thoughts" -- Strangers In Our House
(At home the press gets hold of freshman thoughts, they give your sad life away. We realized recently that we'd made little comment about the Meneguar vinyl-only release The In Hour which was released this year. That's primarily because we rarely listen to it. The production is a bit frustrating, and of course we don't have it digitized, so we usually just reach for Strangers, which you will recall was our favorite record of 2007. "Freshman Thoughts" is still ace, and will always be ace. Whoa -- we just got a MySpace bulletin from Meneguar and apparently The In Hour is now available as a CD. Guess we'll have to buy it so we can rock out to it properly.)

6. Paul Westerberg -- "Something Is Me" -- 14 Songs
(We love this song exclusively for the lyric "Something went wrong, my name is Paul." Blitzed genius from the former fronter of The Replacements.)

7. Psapp -- "Tricycle (Live)" -- Morning Becomes Electric Radio Session, June 14, 2006
(Kind of a jarring gear change from the Westerberg cut, but there you go. Galia Durant's voice is so pretty it hurts. This one has a great lyric as well: "I drag my feet and drag us down, you don't want me around..." As the title suggests this is from a radio session which is surprisingly solid considering the band has taken tunes composed electronically and rendered them very nicely with acoustic instruments.)

8. Shannon McArdle -- "Poison My Cup" -- Summer Of The Whore
(We mentioned this track within last week's Muxtape. We love the increasingly dense production here: big toms, big guitar reverb, lurking distorted guitar. And then the airy, buried backing vocals. And then the brief teases of bass guitar. McArdle's vocal is one of her most fetching. Very much looking forward to this record.)

9. Preston School Of Industry -- "The Spaces In Between" -- Goodbye To The Edge City EP
(Quirky space pop from Pavement's Spiral Stairs. This is his best track from any of his bands, in our opinion. Just one hook that spills everywhere with vim and vigor. We wish this song was about 30 minutes long, and maybe had a remix by KLF. That'd be hot.)

10. The Raveonettes -- "Blush" -- Lust, Lust, Lust
(Frightened Rabbit's Imeem guest list contained a Raveonettes track and reminded us of how taken we were with the record earlier this year, when it had almost exclusive ownership of our car CD player. Wall of sound. Distortion. Perhaps this should have been sequenced next to the McArdle track. Oh well.)

11. Guided By Voices -- "Under A Festering Moon" -- The Lounge Ax Defense & Relocation CD
(At first we were enamored of this track during our college radio years because of the sound of an amp -- and its reverb chamber -- being dropped on the ground in the chorus. Which is what we presume makes the repeated crash in this excellent track. But the tune is more than its window dressing. It's a solid Pollard composition. It sounds like cold beer in a can, and then it wanders off like a purposeful drunk at the end.)

12. Radiohead -- "Last Flowers To The Hospital" -- In Rainbows Disc 2
(Thom Yorke does sad as well as anybody. Probably should have sequenced this next to the Palace track, but there you go.)

Clicky Clicky's 2007 Regrets: Caribou, Maritime, People Press Play...

2007 was a very busy year for both :: clicky clicky :: and our non-blog-related doings, and truth be told 2008 is expected to be worse as far as overwhelming day-job commitments are concerned. If current schedules hold, your :: clicky clicky :: service will be largely dark in September and October, unless we line up some fill-in writers. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Today we'd like to acknowledge at least briefly records that we would have liked to have listened to more and reviewed during the year. We'll give them all a sentence or two in the next paragraphs, but if you are impatient, the list is at the bottom along with whatever promo MP3s we could dig up. You know the drill: right click and save as.

Rising Philadelphia quintet The A-Sides, after a long wait, expanded on the sophisticated harmonies and jaunty rock of the band's excellent 2005 debut and delivered the lush, atmospheric and detailed collection Silver Storms with memorable tracks including "We're The Trees" and "Sinking With The Ship." Dan Snaith's transformation from Manitoba to Caribou is nowhere near as remarkable as his music's evolution from kaleidoscopic electronic grooves to stunning and organic '60s psych-influenced nuggets including the phenomenal tune "Eli;" Caribou's Andorra was a huge sleeper record for us in 2007. We were skeptical of The Forms' mathpop because of the hype surrounding its self-titled release -- particularly a widely recycled message board endorsement from engineer Steve Albini. However, the easy tempos, big melodies and Mr. Albini's superlative drum production made for a clever and immensely listenable concoction, so hats off to The Forms. Les Savy Fav's brawling return via Let's Stay Friends provided one of the most potent spine-tinglers of the year -- the shouted, mildly uncomfortable extended amorous metaphor "The Equestrian" -- as part of a bracing collection that brought the semi-legendary live act back to the fore of indiedom; if we weren't old and crotchety we would go see these guys play New Year's Eve in Manhattan.

Former Promise Ring fronter Davey Von Bohlen extended his winning streak of excellent indie pop records on the strength of endlessly hummable songs like "Guns Of Navarone," "Hours That You Keep" and "Pearl" released on the very under-rated Maritime set Heresy And The Hotel Choir. The Morr Music release of the year was definitely Danish dreamers People Press Play's self-titled collection, whose songs precipitated our glancing at our IPod to see who was so awesome every time they came up on shuffle; we felt like we did a particularly bad job of covering Morr in 2007, and we are reminded of this whenever we hear the blissed-out "Stop" or the wholly arresting vocals of the New Order-ish cut "Always Wrong" from People Press Play. Do we really need to say anything about Radiohead's In Rainbows? We usually don't take the time to note what bands at the top of the music ecosystem are doing, but we were astonished at how gorgeous the In Rainbows discbox was when we received it, and that astonishment was only heightened by our growing belief that the collection's best music -- "Last Flowers To The Hospital" and "Down Is The New Up" specifically -- mostly resides on the bonus disc. Finally: broken-hearted ex-pat Josh Rouse, whose 2006 set Subtitulo firmly took us in despite our general disdain for folksy singer-songwriter work. Mr. Rouse's latest release Country Mouse, City House may be even better and includes yearning songs with undeniable choruses such as "Sweetie" and the upbeat "Nice To Fit In."

The A-Sides -- Silver Storms -- Vagrant [BUY / Download "We're The Trees"]
Caribou -- Andorra -- Merge [BUY / Download "Melody Day"]
The Forms -- The Forms -- Self-released [BUY]
Les Savy Fav -- Let's Stay Friends -- French Kiss [BUY / Download "The Equestrian"]
Maritime -- Heresy And The Hotel Choir -- Flameshovel [BUY / Download "Guns Of Navarone"]
People Press Play -- People Press Play -- Morr Music [BUY]
Radiohead -- In Rainbows, Disc Two -- Self-Released [BUY]
Josh Rouse -- Country Mouse, City House -- Nettwerk [BUY]