This one–rife with debuts and hot comebacks–takes a detour through weirdsville about halfway through, but stick with it.  We wind up at a sweet party.
[192kpbs mp3 | 73:23 | 101.7 MB]
1. The xx “Crystalised” (Young Turks/XL)
2. Sade “Soldier of Love” (Sony)
3. Alicia Keys “Sleeping With A Broken Heart” (J/Sony)
4. Maxwell “Help Somebody” (Columbia)
5. [...]

Looking upon the completed version of this “best of” list, I realized that I’ve moved on.  Already ready to proclaim the Beach House, Lindstrøm & Christabelle, Charlotte Gainsbourg, King Midas Sound, and Tracey Thorn (revisit) that I’m listening to right now to be my “favorites” of the moment.
But I guess that is the point: media [...]

Bertrand Burgalat issued his second proper full-length Portrait-Robot, in 2005, and as could be expected, it was full of analog electronics and silky atmospherics that could have provided the music for an extended hallucinatory dance-club scene in Godard’s Alphaville. It was a solid album, but Burgalat’s best known for tweaking the music of others, and [...]

After a week-long respite in the Florida sun, I’m back, with a list inspired by my pal Irving of the 10 best singles so far this year. As I compiled it, I noticed that my ideal top ten is replete with up-tempo, danceable numbers–my ideal, parallel-universe Billboard chart.
1. The Decemberists “16 Military Wives“–At a typically [...]