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Staff Picks: Our Favorite Records of 2010
We asked everyone who works at Crooked Beat for their Top 10 releases of the year.
1. Soft Pack - S/T
2. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
3. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
4. Title Tracks - It Was Easy
5. Gil Scott Heron - I'm New Here
6. Grinderman - 2
7. Best Coast - Crazy For You
8. Thee Oh Sees - Warm Slime
9. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
10. National - High Violet
Staff Picks: Our Favorite Records of the 2000s!
I'll give you a hint: we really love us some Yo La Tengo.
Read it here: Staff Favorites of the Decade
Staff Picks: Our Favorite Records of 2009
We asked everyone who works at Crooked Beat for their Top 10-ish releases of the year.
1. Sonic Youth - The Eternal
2. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - S/T
3. Bats - The Guilty Office
4. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
5. Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
6. King Khan and BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
7. Flaming Lips - Embryonic
8. Thee Oh Sees - Help
9. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
10. Clean- Mister Pop
Breakdown By Employee
Are you wondering which records your favorite Crooked Beat staffers liked? Satisfy your curiosity below!
Angie
1. Sonic Youth - The Eternal
2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
3. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
4. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
6. St. Vincent - Actor
7. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
8. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - S/T
9. Coconut Records - Davy
Bill
1. Bats-Guilty Office
2. Vic Chesnutt- At The Cut
3. Jay Reatard- Watch Me Fall
4. The Clean- Mister Pop
5. Jonsi & Alex- ( Sigur Ros)- Riceboy Sleeps
6. Yo La Tengo- Popular Songs
7. Tom Waits- Glitter & Doom Live
8. Sonic Youth- The Eternal
9. New Model Army- Today Is A Good Day
10. Madness- The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
Clare
1. merriweather post pavilion - animal collective
2. hospice - the antlers
3. childish prodigy - kurt vile
4. s/t - the pains of being pure at heart
5. the knot - wye oak
6. guilty office - the bats
7. the eternal - sonic youth
8. outside love - pink mountaintops
9. it's blitz! - yeah yeah yeahs
10. the crying light - antony and the johnsons
Gareth
1: Pet Shop Boys, Yes
2: The Bats, The Guilty Office
3: 50 Foot Wave, Power + Light
4: The xx, s/t
5: the Clean, Mister Pop
6: Luke Haines, 21st Century Man / Actung Mutha
7: Sparks, The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
8: the Horrors, Primary Colors
9: Dinosaur Jr., Farm
10: Art Brut, Art Brut vs. Satan
Helen
1. Flaming Lips- Embryonic
2. Yo La Tengo- Popular Songs
3. Echo & Bunnymen- The Fountain
4. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
5. Feelies- The Good Life (reissue)
6. Sonic Youth- The Eternal
7. Jonsi & Alex- (Sigur Ros)- Riceboy Sleeps
8. Built To Spill- There Is No Enemy
9. Madness- The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
10. Dinosaur Jr- Farm
Holly
1. Soft Pack - The Muslims
2. Thee Oh Sees - Help
3. Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
4. King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
5. Telekinesis! - S/T
6. Howlies - Trippin' With Howlies
7. Micachu & The Shapes - Jewellery
8. Wavves - Wavvves
9. Girls - Album
10. Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Jenn
9. Pains of Being Pure at Heart: S/T
8. Fever Ray: S/T
7. Crocodiles: Summer of Hate
6. King Khan and BBQ Show: Invisible Girl
5. Bats: Guilty Office
4. Telepathe: Dance Mother
3. Fuck Buttons: Tarot Spirit
2. Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career
1. MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
Matt
1. Flaming Lips- Embryonic
2. Thee Oh Sees - Help
3. Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come
4. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights
5. Jay Reatard- Watch Me Fall
6. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
7. King Khan and BBQ Show:Invisible Girl
8. Vic Chesnutt- At The Cut
9. Baroness - Blue Album
Staff Picks: Best of 2008
This year the list includes new releases that came out in 2008, but we've added a separate list for our favorite reissues. See how things turned out:
1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!!!
2. Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 2008
3. Deerhunter - Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont
4. Magnetic Fields – Distortion
5. Sigur Ros - Međ Suđ I Eyrum Viđ Spilum Endalaust
6. Okkervil River – The Stand-Ins
7. Street Dogs - State of Grace
7. Stereolab - Chemical Chords
8. R.E.M. – Accelerate
9. Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night
10. Vampire Weekend – S/T
Our Favorite Reissues
1. Pogues - Just Look Them Straight in the Eye Boxset
2. Belle & Sebastian – BBC Sessions
3. Smiths – Sound of the Smiths
4. Yazoo - In Your Room
5. Final Solution - Brotherman Soundtrack
6. Nerves - S/T
Best of 2008: Breakdown by Employee
Are you wondering which records your favorite Crooked Beat staffers liked? Satisfy your curiosity below!
Bill
1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!!!
2. Sigur Ros - Međ Suđ I Eyrum Viđ Spilum Endalaust
3. Dirtbombs – We Have You Surrounded
4. Magnetic Fields – Distortion
5. Jay Reatard - Matador Singles 2008
6. Street Dogs – State of Grace
7. Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night
8. Okkervil River – The Stand-Ins
9. King Khan – Supreme Genius
10. (Th’ Sounds of) Kaleidoscope
Top Reissues 2008
1. Pogues – Just Look Them Straight in the Eye Boxset
2. Springsteen/Suicide – Dream Baby Dream
3. Replacements – Tim
4. Clash – At Shea Stadium
5. Brotherman - Sdtrk
Helen
1. Magnetic Fields - Distortion
2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig
3. Sigur Ros - Međ Suđ I Eyrum Viđ Spilum Endalaust
4. National – A Skin, a Night
5. Street Dogs – State of Grace
6. Cure – 4:13 Dream
7. Fleet Foxes – S/T
8. Deerhunter - Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont.
9. Vampire Weekend – S/T
10. R.E.M. – Accelerate
Top Reissues 2008
1. Smiths – Sound of the Smiths
2. New Order – Movement
3. U2 – War
4. Belle & Sebastian – BBC Sessions
5. Pogues - Just Look Them Straight in the Eye Boxset
Ari
1. Deerhunter - Microcastle/ Weird Era Cont.
2. Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common Life
3. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
4. No Age - Nouns
5. M83 - Saturdays = Youths
6. Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
7. Sigur Ros - Međ Suđ I Eyrum Viđ Spilum Endalaust
8. Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
9. Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
10. Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP
Top Reissues 2008
1. Final Solution - Brotherman Soundtrack
2. Nick Lowe - Jesus Of Cool
3. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
Angie
1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!!!
2. Jay Reatard - Matador Singles
3. R.E.M. - Accelerate
4. Deerhunter - Crystal Castles
5. Marnie Stern - This is It
6. Stereolab - Chemical Chords
7. Crystal Castles- Crystal Castles
8. Beach House - Devotion
9. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
10. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Top Reissues 2008
1. Belle & Sebastian -BBC
2. Magnetic Fields - Get Lost
Gareth
1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!!!
2. Ed Kuepper - Jean Lee & the Yellow Dog
3. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Assassination of Jesse James by the
Coward Robert Ford
4. Neon Neon - Stainless Style
5. Sparks - Exotic Creatures of the Deep
6. Barry Adamson - Back to the Cat
7. Magnetic Fields - Distortion
8. Portishead - Third
9. Kira - The Rail Train The Meadow The Freeway And The Shadows
10. Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
REISSUES
1. Yazoo - In Your Room
2. Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - Luminous Groove
3. Midnight Oil - Diesel & Dust: 20th Anniversary Legacy Edition
4. Sparks - Balls
Holly
1. Jay Reatard – Matador Singles 2008
2. Deerhunter – Microcastle
3. Beck – Modern Guilt
4. Ten Kens - S/T
5. Stereolab – Chemical Chords
6. Vampire Weekend – S/T
7. Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night
8. Vivian Girls – S/T
9. Raveonettes – Lust, Lust, Lust
10. Okkervil River – The Stand-Ins
Reissues
1. Belle & Sebastian – BBC Sessions
2. Liz Phair – Exile in Guyville
Matt
1. Jay Reatard – Matador Singles 2008
2. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
3. Suicide/Springsteen – Dream Baby Dream
4. Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
5. Nick Cave - Dig Lazarus Dig
6. Magnetic Fields – Distortion
7. Sigur Ros - Međ suđ í eyrum viđ spilum endalaust
8. 8. Silver Jews – Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea
Reissues
1. Nerves - S/T
2. Replacements - Let It Be
3. Neil Young - Sugar Mountain
Staff Picks: Best of
2007
The results are in! This year we
had a couple of ties- one for first and a
three-way tie for tenth. The list includes new
releases that came out in 2007 - no comps or
reissues. See how things turned out:
1. The
National - Boxer
Panda Bear
- Person Pitch
2. Joe Lally - Nothing Is
Underrated
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows
4. Big
Business - Here Comes The Waterworks
5.
Antelope - Reflector
6. Pissed Jeans - Hope For
Men
7. Georgie James - Places
8. Black Lips
- Good Bad Not Evil
9. Blonde Redhead -
23
10. Jens Lekman - Night Falls over
Kortedala
Sinead
O'Connor - Theology
Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 (previously
unreleased)
Best of 2007: Breakdown
by Employee
Just a little while
ago, we posted the tally of staff favorites.
Here's the breakdown by staff
member:
Ian
1.
Radiohead - In Rainbows
2. Ampere/Daďtro -
Split
3. Kidcrash - Jokes
4. Daniel Striped
Tiger - Capital Cities
5. Circa Survive - On
Letting Go
Erin
1. Big
Business - Here Come The Waterworks
2. Aesop
Rock - None Shall Pass
3. Haram- Drescher
4.
Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in
Rust
Basla
1. Antelope
- Reflector
2. Battles - Mirrored
3. Des_Ark
(split with Ben Davis) - Battle of the
Beards
4. The Eternals - Heavy
International
5. Joe Lally - Nothing is
Underrated
6. Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water is
Life7. Mary Timony - The Shapes We Make
8.
Bright Eyes -
Cassadaga
Tariq
1.
pissed jeans - hope for men
2. lullabye
arkestra - ampgrave3. pink reason - cleaning the
mirror
4. warhammer 48k - an etheral oracle5. a
hawk and a hacksaw - the way the wind blows
6.
sj esau - wrong-faced cat feed collapse
7.
times new viking - ...present the paisley
reich
8. big business - here comes the
waterworks
9. pre - epic fits
10. shellac -
excellent istalian
greyhound
Holly
1. jens
lekman - night falls over kortedala
2.
electrelane - no shouts, no calls
3. panda bear
- person pitch
4. radiohead - in rainbows
5.
shout out louds - our ill wills
6. black lips -
good bad not evil
7. national - the boxer
8.
georgie james - places
9. blonde redhead -
23
10. pelle carlberg - in a
nutshell
Matt
1. neil
young - live at massey hall 1971
2. national -
boxer
3. panda bear - person pitch
4.
thurston moore - trees outside the academy
5.
baroness - red album
6. elliott smith - new
moon
Bill
1. Joe Lally-
Nothing Is Underrated
2. National- Boxer
3.
Panda Bear- Person Pitch
4. Grinderman-
S/T
5. Ian Hunter- Shrunken Heads
6. A Place
To Bury Strangers- S/T
7. Shocking Pinks-
S/T
8. Les Savy Favy- Let's Stay Friends
9.
Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
10. Blonde
Redhead- 23
Helen
1.
Sinead O' Connor - Theology
2. Arcade Fire -
Neon Bible
3. Bjork - Volta
4. Joe Lally -
Nothing Is Underrated
5. Ted Leo - Living With
the Living
6.Georgie James - Places
7.
Blonde Redhead - 23
8. National - Boxer
9.
Antelope - Reflector
10. Panda Bear - Person
Pitch
Staff Picks: Best of
2006
We tallied up all the
votes on everyone's Top Ten lists & have the
results!
1. Yo La Tengo - I am Not Afraid
of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
2. Sonic Youth
- Rather Ripped
2. Evens - Get Evens
3.
Aquarium - S/T
4. Gothic Archies - Tragic
Treasury
5. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of
This Country
5. Belle & Sebastian - The
Life Pursuit
6. Bad Brains - Live at CBGB's
1982 DVD
7. Joe Strummer - Let's Rock
Again DVD
7. (Th' Sounds of) Kaleidoscope -
From Where You Were to How You Got There
7.
Tom Waits - Orphans
8. Joe Lally - There to
Here
9. Primal Scream - Riot City Blues
9.
Benjy Ferree - Leaving The Nest
9. Minutemen -
We Jam Econo DVD
10. The Black Angels -
Passover
Most voted
for:
1. Yo la Tengo - I am Not Afraid
of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
2. Sonic Youth
- Rather Ripped
Best of 2006:
Breakdown by Employee
We asked
everyone who works at Crooked Beat for their Top
Ten releases of the year.
Andy
In No Particular
Numerical Order:
Aquarium-S/T
Bad
Brains-Live At CBGB's (DVD)
DC Snipers-Missile
Sunset
Benjy Ferree-Leaving The Nest
Daniel
Higgs-Interdimensional Song Seamstress
Daniel
Johnston-The Devil and Daniel Johnston
(DVD)
Melvins-A Senile Animal
Minutemen-We
Jam Econo (DVD)
Sonic Youth-Rather
Ripped
Tom Waits-Orphans:Brawlers, Bawlers
& Bastards
Gareth
1: Luke
Haines, Off My Rocker At The Art School
Bop - The sound of T-Rex having sex with
Girls Aloud, the sound of Gary Glitter being
emasculated by his own band, the sound of the
Yorkshire Ripper and Jack the Stripper skipping in
the streets, the sound of the darkest moments in
British history turned into pop gems, all of this
is the sound of the best album of 2006 (and it's
all your fault that it's not sold here).
2:
Jarvis Cocker, Jarvis - Pulp
frontman returns with a piece as stark as This is
Hardcore, as enchanting as We Love Life, as
raucous as Different Class, but featuring the
beauty and heartache that has been missing in
modern music.
3: The Gothic Archies,
The Tragic Treasury - Not as evil as Luke
Haines, but where else will you find the lyric
"Even babies kill..."
4: Stephin
Merritt, Showtunes - There is no
instrument on Earth that Stephin Merritt can't use
to make a great song. Play In The Spring When I
Was Young and Eno's Here Come The Warm Jets
back-to-back, I think Merritt nicked Eno to
wonderful effect.
5: Scott Walker, The
Drift - Yes, this was terriffying to
listen to in the dark. Nevertheless, i've never
heard anything like it.
6: Decoration,
Don't Disappoint Me Now - John Peel
approved and the sons of the Wedding Present, this
group made a solid debut of guitar-pop with biting
lyrics and heart-bursting melodies. They also
borrowed from Bowie's Heroes to wonderful effect
on the opening track.
7: Howling Bells,
Howling Bells - Setting Sun and Blessed
Night are two of the best songs i've heard this
year.
8: Isobel Campbell & Mark
Lanegan, Ballad of the Broken Seas -
Since this is one of the best sellers for Crooked
Beat, I really don't have to say anything.
9:
Primal Scream, Riot City Blues -
Silly? Sure. As good as the last two LP's? No.
Ridiculously fun? God yes.
10:
Stereolab, Fab Four Suture - It
may not be as great as Margerine Eclipse, but this
was still pretty ace. Plus their live performace
of Excursions Into Oh-A-Oh was
epic.
Carmen
1.
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This
Country
2. Radio 4 - Enemies Like This
3.
Primal Scream- Riot City Blues
4. Yo la Tengo -
I am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your
Ass
5. Isobel Campbell- Milk White Sheets
6.
Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
7.
Joanna Newsom- Ys
8. Goldfrapp- We Are
Glitter
9. Sonic Youth- Rather Ripped
10. M
Ward- Post War
Jay
1.
the black angels "passover"
2. sonic youth
"rather ripped"
3. tom waits "orphans"
4.
radio birdman "zeno beach"
5. sareena maneesh
"s/t"
6. quasi "when the going gets dark"
7.
belle and sebastian "the life pursuit"
8.
sparklehorse "dreamt for lightyears in the belly
of a mountain
9. french toast "ingleside
terrace"
10. yo la tengo "i am not afraid of
you and i will beat your
ass"
Basla
The
Evens- Get Evens
The Aquarium- 11 Songs
Joe
Lally- There to Here
Soccer Team- "Volunteered"
Civility and Proffessionalism
Minutemen- We Jam
Econo DVD
Badbrains- Live at CBGB's DVD
Link
Wray- White Lightning: Lost Cadence Sessions
'58
M. Ward- Post
War
Holly
1.
Belle & Sebastian – The Life
Pursuit
Sing along to every song –
it's that consistently good. No draggy, mopey
parts – just a great, listen-the-whole-way-through
album.
2. Sonic Youth – Rather
Ripped
A return to their poppier, more
melodic roots (a la Dirty).
3. Mates of
State – Bring It Back
Boy/girl pop
harmonies make me smile. And want to buy an
electric piano.
4. Love is All – Nine
Times That Same Song
Frantic, noisy
Swedish pop. Tasty.
5. Peter Bjorn
& John - Writer's
Block
Tambourines + hand claps + a
Victoria Bergman guest spot= a lovely album of pop
gems.
6.Yo La Tengo – I am Not Afraid
of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
This
is all over the board, but in a good way.
7.
(Th' Sounds of) Kaleidoscope – From Where
You Were to How You Got There
Dreamy,
swirly garagepsych pop songs with crunchy/jangly
riffs and Zombies-esque vocals.
8.
Aquarium – S/T
Anthemic &
catchy retro-kitsch.
9. Soccer Team –
"Volunteered" Civility &
Professionalism
Lovely lo-fi guitar
pop.
10. Essex Green – Cannibal
Sea
I am a sucker for jangley pop. do
we see a pattern here?
Brendan
1.
(Th' Sounds Of) Kaleidescope - From Where
You Were To How You Got
There
OoooOOoooo...burrrpblatzrAmllloOoOOszzninkMUHmyeyeNDND
2.
OM - Conference of the
Birds
Can one ride cymbal shine a
light on truth? Maybe no, but this get close! Too
close for comfort! JIM J. BULLOCK'S BEST
WORK!
3. Archie Bronson Outfit - Der
Dang
As Scum Of The Earth put it so
plainly in their lyrics "Love is Murder/Murder is
Love/I'm a Rock and Roll Hoodlum/With a Black
Leather Glove" THE best release of the year.
4.
Television Personalities - My Dark
Places
The master returns from his
sleep in the lake of ire. Blessed are the pop
songs he's placed apon us.
5. Sonic
Youth - Rather Ripped
Gooey pop gems
from front to back. I like it best out of
everything they've ever done.
6. Flin
Flon - Dixie
Teenbeat fashion
consultant/graphic remixer Mark Robinson releases
his best work in years. Loose and rough where all
the Flin Flon records used to be tight and clean,
the result? Chewy.
7. Benjy Feree -
Leaving The Nest
Singer songwriters
can often spend far too much time being too
complicated, too clever, and too damn sweet. Benjy
does none of this, good songs, catchy songs, good
stories, great production from Dennis Kane and
Brendan Canty.
8. Shortstack - The
History Of Cut Nails In
America
Shortstack's second record
finds tehm exploring a darker territory from their
first full length. Having moved over to the Gypsy
Eyes label they've opened open their sound more,
while holding onto the strong rockabilly backbeat.
Dig.
9. Liars - Drums Not
Dead
Uhm, yeah, ya like it or ya
don't.n I du as you, we du, we du we
doobie-doobie-du.
10. Minutemen - We
Jam Econo DVD
My favorite stories
about my favorite band. Great live footage, and
oral tradition from Mike Watt. Realing out
tour-spiel after spiel. The real story of punk
rock...? Geeks with guitars...?
sorta!
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