Wherein I make my play for a programming slot on NPR’s All Songs Considered.
[192kpbs mp3 | 75:37 | 105.1 MB]
1. DM Stith “Creekmouth” (Asthmatic Kitty)
2. Here We Go Magic “Fangela” (Western Vinyl)
3. The Books & Jose Gonzales “Cello Song” (4AD/Red Hot)
4. Bat for Lashes “Daniel” (Astralwerks)
5. St. Vincent “Laughing With A Mouth Full of Blood” [...]

Here’s Volume 2, chock full of 09’s monster pop/rock grooves.  Fashionable Kelis bookends, a couple songs about dying and murder.  Expect to see Royksopp, St. Vincent, AnCo and ASDiG again later.
[192kpbs mp3 | 74:33 | 103.4 MB]

1. Basement Jaxx “Scars f. Kelis” (XL)
2. Phoenix “1901″ (Loyauté/V2)
3. Yeasayer “Ambling Alp” (Secretly Canadian)
4. Memory Tapes “Bicycle” (Sincerely [...]

Bat For Lashes Two Suns (Astralwerks/Parlophone) Sounds like a modern British and/or old American western version of the best Tori Amos album that never happened.
Bear In Heaven Beast Rest Forth Mouth (Hometapes) Post-wave-psych-pop-rock-tronica?  This album is great.  And I’m quite pleased the @marathonpacks review pointed it out to me.
Beirut March of the Zapotec/Holland EP (Ba [...]

It would be easy for me to tell you that I loved Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone or that I think The Empyrean was one of the most overlooked albums of the year….and I just did. There is something to be said for a beautifully executed, thoughtful year-end best/worst albums list. However, I’m really not the [...]