Look for some actual 2010 content coming soon (so many new albums to talk about!), and enjoy the excellent and long-awaited conclusion:

15. Owl City – “Fireflies”
Favorite radio song of the year

14. Discovery – “Orange Shirt”
Ra Ra Riot + Vampire Weekend =

13. Julian Casablancas – “11th Dimension”
Makes me look forward to anything and everything by The Strokes

12. Chiddy Bang – “The Opposite Of Adults (KIDS)”
Best sample of another song this year

11. Animal Collective – “My Girls”
An almost 6 minute sprawling epic. Like the Return of the King (of songs)

10. Owl City – “Hello Seattle”
Postal Service ripoff? Maybe. Excellent song? Definitely

9. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – “Home”
Out of nowhere band/song that resonates with me for whatever reason and shot up the list

8. Swimming With Dolphins – “Everything’s A Miracle”
The type of song I would make if I had any talent

7. Kid Cudi – “Pursuit Of Happiness”
Best collaboration of the year with MGMT and Ratatat

6. Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”
Song I’ve listened to the most this year…not surprising

5. Matt And Kim – “Daylight”
So infectious and catchy – even more so in person

4. Phoenix – “Lisztomania”
Best French import since the Statue of Liberty; Phoenix is legit

3. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks”
About as perfect a song as can be written

2. fun. – “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)”
Best played live song I saw this year; fantastically sung by Nate

1. Passion Pit – “The Reeling”
Not the best song I’ve seen live or the best sung or the best from a purely musical standpoint. Feel like it has a little bit of everything making it stand out as my favorite song of the year

Enjoy the rest of the Top 115 list/playlist, and now you have more new stuff to listen to at work!

55. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – “Around The Bend”
Best song used in an Apple commercial

54. Regina Spektor – “The Calculation”
Distinct voice makes for refreshingly good songs

53. Karen O And The Kids – “All Is Love”
Sweetest song of the year

52. Kid Cudi – “Dat New New (Viking Remix)”
Random song not on the album, but found it on Hypem.com

51. Swimming With Dolphins – “Sunset, 1989”
Synthesizer? Check. Autotune? Check. Still awesome.

50. The Very Best – “Warm Heart Of Africa”
Basically a Vampire Weekend song on someone else’s album

49. Thao And The Get Down Stay Down – “Cool Yourself”
High school friend continues blow up – great live show

48. Miley Cyrus – “Party In The USA”
Guilty pleasure of the year. Don’t hate.

47. Cobra Starship – “Good Girls Go Bad”
Soft spot for both Gabe and Leighton

46. Chiddy Bang – “Truth”
Anything featuring Passion Pit is bound to be catchy

45. La Roux – “Bulletproof (Redial Remix)”
Excellent beat somehow improved by the remix makes this a fun listen

44. Camera Obscura – “French Navy”
Late on the bandwagon, but recently shot up my list. Lead singer’s voice reminds me of Zooey D.

43. Discovery – “Osaka Loop Line”
Best duo side project song of the year

42. Flight Of The Conchords – “Hurt Feelings”
Funny, yet sad…hence, sad clown song of the year

41. The Lonely Island – “Motherlovers”
Could not get enough of this song – Justin and Andy need their own album.

And the incredible video, via hulu (you have to have a [free] account to see the uncensored version btw):
Saturday Night Live: Digital Short: Motherlover (Uncensored)

40. The Hood Internet – “Good Ol Fashion Rump Shaker”
Favorite mashup of the year….and I like my mashups

39. Florence And The Machine – “Kiss With A Fist”
Shortest song on the list, but sure does pack a punch (haha…get it?)

38. Ingrid Michaelson – “Everybody”
With respect to Karen O, Regina, and others – Ingrid is my indie sweetheart of the year

37. Metric – “Sick Muse”
Sound a little like Stars. They more than hold their own, however.

36. Passion Pit – “Little Secrets”
Could have put the entire Manners album on here (and I almost do – keep reading)

35. Snob Scrilla – “Chasing Ghosts”
Sweet drums, good rapping in this random one

34. Weezer – “I Want You To”
While Weezer has gone downhill, they’re still catchy and I still like this song

33. Matt And Kim – “Good Ol Fashion Nightmare”
Biggest, Longest Continuous Smile Award goes to…Kim

32. fun. – “All The Pretty Girls”
Ex-Format member, Nate Ruess, excels with his new band

31. Vampire Weekend – “Horchata”
If the new songs are any indication their sophomore effort coming out in January that came out in January will live up to the large expectations

30. Passion Pit – “Moth’s Wings”
Hello again Passion Pit. Sit down, stay awhile.

29. Chromeo – “Night By Night”
More Canadians on the list make some electrofunk magic with this one

28. Kid Cudi – “Day N Nite”
My most played rap song this year

27. Empire Of The Sun – “Standing On The Shore (Dirty Disco Youth Remix)”
Favorite remix of the year – which is saying something

26. Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”
Second best song on the album still beats most everything else

25. Phoenix – “1901”
Ditto

24. Thao And The Get Down Stay Down – “Know Better Learn Faster”
Maybe I’m biased, but song is undeniably good. Expect big things.

23. The Lonely Island – “I’m On A Boat”
Funniest song of the year. Hands down. Previously never thought I would want to own a nautical themed pashmina afghan

And another awesome uncensored video via hulu:
Saturday Night Live: Digital Short: I’m On A Boat (Uncensored)

22. The Thermals – “Now We Can See”
So simple, but so good. Evidence of what an amazing chorus can do for a song.

21. Metric – “Help I’m Alive”
Again from our friends to the north…best Canadian song of the year

20. The Temper Trap – “Sweet Disposition”
Perfectly matched for my favorite movie of the year, (500) Days of Summer.

19. Death Cab For Cutie – “Little Bribes”
Better than “Meet Me On The Equinox” – and not just because of my Twilight bias

18. Yeasayer – “Ambling Alp”
Weird song with an even weirder video (look it up), but I dig it

17. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll”
Karen O rocks this like no one else can

16. Miike Snow – “Animal”
Best song use in a Gossip Girl episode this year

I first met Phil very randomly – through a mutual friend, all playing some music together at a retirement home during a volunteering event back in college.  His musical talent was able to turn the rest of our mediocre performances into something really special.

And now, all these years later, he comes out with his debut mixtape…and it’s pretty hot.  We’ve been talking a bit more frequently since last year when he was really heads down getting this together, and I’m excited to finally be able to share his finished product here with everyone.

First, a short bio:

Well, my name is Phil Augusta Jackson. I’ve been living in New York City since 2006, and I’m originally from a small town just north of Philadelphia. Musically, I’d say that I’m a child of pop and hip-hop. I write songs about my life…the things I see and experience.

I have an ear for melody – I think that’s partly because I’ve been playing the piano and saxophone for several years. My overall sound weaves in and out of hip-hop, house, and even rock based sounds and themes. Sometimes I rap, sometimes I sing, and sometimes I pepper tracks with spoken word – whatever feels best. And I write and produce all of my own music.

I’ve been experimenting with sounds since middle school, and in high school I created a record label called Oluponya Records – basically selling tapes and then cds out of my locker and backback.

I then went to the University of Virginia where I launched Oluponya on university grounds – had the opportunity to write and produce for a lot of great talent. I’ve since graduated, but the label still exists down there.

Sometimes I listen to Michael McDonald’s “What a Fool Believes” while I’m walking through the streets of New York and also on the subway. You should try it – it feels like you’re living in the midst of a film – a romantic comedy of sorts.

It was after my time at UVa that I was formally introduced to Jim’s awesomely eclectic music blog. As a fellow UVa graduate, we were fortunately reconnected through a mutual friend who accurately forecasted that our passions for music were aligned.

Now onto the mixtape:

Phil Augusta Jackson - The Workman

The Workman is hosted by DJ Benzi, and the sound of the project is pop and hip-hop – often vocally driven, with a lot of influences like rock, house, and spoken word evident in the arrangements. I also produce all of my own work. It’s a look into my life, thoughts, and experiences over the past several years.  It’s good music that is an honest reflection of the things I’ve experienced while pursuing goals and finding purpose. The result is a project that I think many can relate to.

I have listened to this album several times since I first downloaded it yesterday, and it’s pretty awesome.  It’s definitely mostly rap (which is not usually my forte), but it’s very pop-influenced, very approachable and enjoyable, and is spot-on with the current trends in music.

Out of 13 songs on the mixtape (can we just call it a debut album yet?), I pretty much love half of them, but I certainly wouldn’t push next track on the others.  I think you’ll all really like this.

I love the beat that comes in around 1:45:
Phil Augusta Jackson – “Put In Work”

You all know by now that I’m a sucker for upbeat, house-y songs like this:
Phil Augusta Jackson – “Stratosphere”

This is just so catchy, and it features J. Ivy, from Kanye West’s song “Never Let Me Down”:
Phil Augusta Jackson – “Glory Fall (ft. J. Ivy)”

I have literally had the chorus of this song stuck in my head all day long, and I can relate (all too well!) to the many awesomely old-school references:
Phil Augusta Jackson – “Hotwheels”

If you liked those samples, then head over to
http://TheWorkmanMixtape.com
to download the whole album for free (and stream more of the album!)

You can read more about and follow Phil at:
http://PhilAugustaJ.com
http://Facebook.com/PhilAugustaJackson
http://twitter.com/PhilAugustaJ

And follow Phil’s sponsors at:
Harboring Hearts @ http://HarboringHearts.com
The Fojo @http://Twitter.com/TheFojo
DJ Benzi @ http://DJBenzi.com

To anyone who’s ever lost.
To anyone who’s ever been doubted.
To anyone trying to be better than they were the day before.
To anyone working to navigate her or his own course.
This is your story too.

– The Workman, Phil Augusta Jackson

85. Eminem – “We Made You”
Much anticipated comeback was good, not great. Good to see he still likes to make fun of people though.

84. The National – “So Far Around The Bend”
On the Dark Was The Night compilation – check it out, seriously

83. Manchester Orchestra – “I’ve Got Friends”
Band that you can distinctly hear maturing over their last 3 albums

82. Muse – “Undisclosed Desires”
Need to see these guys in concert. Will be epic.

81. Say Anything – “Hate Everyone”
One of my favorite bands, but didn’t connect with the new album like previous ones

80. Paramore – “Ignorance”
Hayley Williams is adorable. That is all.

79. Anderson – “Trevor On The Dancefloor”
Fun electronic dance-y song you’ve never heard of from a band you don’t know. It’s my list.

78. Yes Giantess – “Can’t Help It”
Michael Jackson-like sounding lead singer makes me miss MJ…the non-crazy, black version

77. Pony Pony Run Run – “Walking On A Line”
Don’t care for the band name, good thing they make catchy music

76. Classified – “Choose Your Own Adventure 3”
White Canadien rapper, eh? I’m as surprised as you are. Also known as the Steve Nash of rap (may or may not have made that last part up)

75. Jay-Z – “Run This Town”
Excellent chorus by Rihanna along with Kanye kept in check made this a winner

74. Peter Bjorn And John – “Nothing To Worry About”
Including singing kids generally makes things better

73. Shakira – “She Wolf (Villians Remix)”
Heavy breathing also makes things better

72. Taking Back Sunday – “Sink Into Me”
A favorite band from high school still has something left in the tank

71. Flight Of The Conchords – “Carol Brown”
“…hoping that you’ll stick around” – would have enjoyed another season of FOTC

70. Harlem Shakes – “Strictly Game”
Good band that unfortunately broke up…luckily it was after I got to see them live

69. Neon Indian – “Deadbeat Summer”
Trippy.

68. The Sounds – “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake (Viking Remix)”
An already good song, but the additions in the remix put it over the top

67. Norah Jones – “Chasing Pirates”
Classiest song of the year

66. Wale – “90210”
Disappointing live, but still one of the top rappers IMO

65. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Zero”
Spin’s song of the year – not mine, but still really good

64. Simian Mobile Disco – “Audacity Of Huge (Dada Life Guerilla Remix)”
The ones who usually do the remixing get remixed themselves – what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

63. The Big Pink – “Dominos”
Methodically paced and catchy song about girls falling like dominos

62. Glee Cast – “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Best song by a fake Glee club

61. The Bird And The Bee – “Love Letter To Japan”
I feel like The Bird and the Bee are a hidden gem – have always enjoyed their quirky songs.

60. Jay-Z – “DOA”
Electric guitar and soprano sax make this much more than your regular rap song

59. Owl City – “Cave In”
Called Owl City a year and a half ago…you’re welcome

58. Parachute – “Under Control”
Charlottesville/UVA band that is gaining popularity – this should have been a bigger hit

57. Florence And The Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”
Florence’s haunting yet fierce voice make the first track of the album stand out

56. The Drums – “Let’s Go Surfing”
Old school sounding song of the year…think a modern indie Beach Boys

So I’m going to publish this list as a four-part piece over the next few weeks, and I’ll be putting every song on here for you to listen to.  Great work Galkin, so everyone reading, enjoy:

Here are my top 115 songs of the year. Why 115 you ask? Well mainly because I just listened to way too much music this year and there were bands/songs that I felt deserved some recognition that I couldn’t bear to cut. So instead of cheating and having 15 ties to include them all, I just expanded the list.

There are a couple more things to keep in mind. First, I only included songs that appeared on albums that were released in 2009 or songs that were singles from upcoming albums being rereleased in 2010. As such, there are things you won’t see on the list even though they were prominent in 2009 (Kings of Leon for example; Only By The Night was released November 2008).  Second this was really hard. Not so much to simply choose all the songs I liked from the year (although that took plenty of time itself), but more so to figure out some way to put them in any meaningful order. I did my best and finally settled on an order I can live with.

If I were to do it again in a week I’m sure I would go back and move things around.

115. Black Eyed Peas – “I Got A Feeling (Mr Vega Dirty NY And Chi-Town House Remix)”
I got a feeling the songs on the list will get much better – I promise…but heard it enough this year during fun times that it stuck.

114. Asher Roth – “I Love College”
Ok, I lied. Not a good song, but who didn’t find themselves singing it in the back of their heads?

113. The Swell Season – “In These Arms”
Real list starts now…Once stars started a band in real life too with positive results

112. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Young Adult Friction”
One of the best song titles of the year

111. Neko Case – “People Got A Lotta Nerve”
New Pornographers singer knows how to do it solo too

110. Girls – “Lust For Life”
“Hell Hole Ratrace” got more end-of-year critical praise, but I enjoyed this one more

109. M. Ward – “Never Had Nobody Like You”
List had to have something with Zooey Deschanel in it. C’mon now, you know me better than that.

108. YACHT – “Psychic City”
Really long, really slow song with almost as much speaking as singing. Somehow it works.

107. Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”
She just keeps on producing radio hits – pretty impressive

106. Boys Like Girls – “She’s Got A Boyfriend Now”
Pop punk is still very much in the repertoire

105. Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”
Found the Dirty Projectors a little overhyped, but they do have a cool sound

104. Cartel – “Let’s Go”
This is the Cartel I’m used to. Let’s just forget the previous album ever existed.

103. Silversun Pickups – “Panic Switch”
Solid first single from their follow-up album – songs are too long though

102. Jay-Z – “Empire State Of Mind”
Got tired of it, but still a very good song…any and all knockoffs for other cities are lame

101. Dashboard Confessional – “Belle Of The Boulevard”
Chris Carraba – still plugging away with his Emo rock that knows how to cut to the core of me

100. Lily Allen – “The Fear”
Definitely keeps it real – that’s why I like her…and she’s cute

99. Just Jack – “Embers”
One of the many songs discovered through Gossip Girl

98. Jason Derulo – “Watcha Say”
Blatant use of another song, but at least he picked a good one

97. Bon Iver – “Blood Bank”
Looking forward to a new album next year

96. Imogen Heap – “First Train Home”
Not as catchy as “Hide and Seek” as featured on “Watcha Say”, but nice little song off the new album

95. Two Tongues – “Wowee Zowee”
Second best duo side project song of the year

94. Miley Vs Notorious – “Party And Bullshit (In The USA) (Hathbanger Mix)”
Opposite ends of the spectrum come together for pure delightfulness

93. Tommy Sparks – “She’s Got Me Dancing”
Second best song used in an Apple commercial

92. The XX – “Shelter (Them Jeans Drum Edit)”
Remix makes a good song better by making it a little faster

91. Tim And Jean – “Come Around”
Passion Pit knockoff which means they’re the next big thing. And they’re only 15 and 18 yeas old, respectively.

90. 3OH!3 – “Don’t Trust Me”
Don’t trust a ho. Never trust a ho.

89. Franz Ferdinand – “No You Girls”
Familiar sound, but nothing wrong with that

88. John Mayer – “Heartbreak Warfare”
Nobody has more “heartbreak” songs for someone who gets so many girls

87. Cage The Elephant – “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”
Will be seeing them in 5 years on VH1′s One Hit Wonder show of the 2000s

86. White Lies – “Farewell To The Fairground”
Just a solid rock song – not much else to say about this one

That’s it for now.  Enjoy these songs, and check back for more soon!

Below is Tripp’s Top 10 Albums of 2009. We have some obvious overlap here, but there’s also some really great stuff here that I didn’t list…and he wrote a lot more than I did haha.

Note: I didn’t link to songs directly this time, but a quick search for any of these artists on hypem.com will lead you to what you’re looking for.

Enjoy:

10) jj – jj n° 2

Light, breezy, and intoxicatingly beautiful, jj have created an album that brings to mind a warm, sunlit spring day where the listener has no cares in the world. Yet throughout the nine short songs of Swedish band jj’s first full-length release, a feeling emerges that there is a weight, a gravity to this album that is not reflected by a quick glance or a brief snippet of vocals and instrumentation. Listening to the album in its entirety, focusing on the lyrics (especially in lead songs “things will never be the same again” and “from africa to malaga”) and the technical proficiency (with the Lil Wayne-inspired “ecstasy” leading the way) gives one the full view of an astonishingly complex, brilliant, and simply beautiful work of art.

9) Drummer – Feel Good Together

The most consistent album on this list also doubles as the album least likely to appear on most end-of-year lists. A collection of drummers from other bands (led by Patrick Carney from The Black Keys), Drummer was formed in early 2009 and put out this collection of rock songs which ironically focuses very little on the drums. Instead, guitar hooks and synth backing lead to a set of songs which powers through from start to finish, at no point holding back or letting up. “Mature Fantasy,” the best song on the album, showcases how the drummers-turned-band can change tempo, volume, and emotion on the fly without losing a beat, something they do on every song with remarkable skill.

8 ) Matt & Kim – Grand

The high energy. The slightly off-kilter drumming. The staccato pacing. While not the best album of the year, Grand stands out as the defining sound of 2009. The album that produced the song that produced the Bacardi ad that introduced the world to Matt & Kim goes down as one of the best albums of the year thanks to its recognizable yet entirely unique sound.

7) Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

The hipster band of the year put out the hipster song of the year (“Stillness is the Move”), and as a result I’ve never wanted to be a hipster more. The sound of this album is unlike anything I’ve heard before, and is fairly well indescribable for someone so new to the hipster scene, so I’ll just say that I love it and leave it at that.

6) fun. – Aim and Ignite

A sweeping, epic pop album that features two of the best songs of the year (“Barlights” and “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)”). The first of four straight albums I saw performed live this year; this concert was the most fun of the four. Something about fun.’s music just makes the listener smile; the band’s music lives up to the band’s name.

5) Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Home to two of the most popular songs of the year (“1901” and “Lisztomania”), Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix may be the surprise hit album of the year. Perhaps more than any other indie album, this album crossed over into the popular consciousness and got the buzz it deserved among mainstream listeners and critics. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is full of powerful songs that, upon hearing them, won’t be leaving your head anytime soon.

4) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

Of all the albums on this list, It’s Blitz contains the most songs that could easily be seen as radio singles. Led by Karen O’s amazing voice (which, if you’ve seen her live, is but a part of her awesome stage presence), the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have crafted an album that, pure and simple, rocks from start to finish. While “Zero” was the lead single and has been named the Song of the Year by multiple sources, there are nine other songs which could be considered the album’s best (Hint: there are only nine other songs on the album).

3) Passion Pit – Manners

The most anticipated album of the year for the list-makers here at WJM, and it certainly did not disappoint. Just as good live as it is on your iPod (based on the two times I saw them this year, at least), Manners places the most tracks of any album in my Top 40 Song list with three (“Little Secrets”, “Moth’s Wings”, and “Sleepyhead,” which was accidentally left off the list submitted to WJ). It could easily have been more.

2) Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer

Dragonslayer is an album not likely to be seen on many end-of-year lists, but this album was above all others for me this summer. Over a short 9-track playlist, haunting piano play combines with beautiful drumming and lyrics to make an absolutely astonishing album. There can be no doubt, though, that my love for this album is based mostly on my love of one song: “Dragon’s Lair”, the ten-plus minute long, somewhat-titular track that ends the album. While it’s not the most beautiful song of the year (“Stillness is the Move”) or the most impressive (“My Girls”), “Dragon’s Lair” is the song I most want to introduce to the public consciousness. It reads like a novel in the way it builds to a climax, and is a perfect capper to an album that tells an amazing story. Give the lyrics a listen and be inspired.

1) Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Obviously. On January 5^th, less than a week into 2009, Stereogum asked if MPP was the best album of 2009. 51 weeks later, there can be no doubt that the answer is still yes. The most technically proficient, yet beautiful and moving album of the year, MPP redefined music and its possibilities in the future. The construct of “My Girls” is an absolutely amazing feat: a few basic lines, and a few basic hooks, layered on top of each other at different points in the song, shows exactly what music can and should be, from the lyrics to the instrumentation. MPP is clearly the album of the year.

Additionally, keep an eye out over the next few weeks for some more top 2009 (and 2010!) lists from Galkin and Tripp, as well as some increased activity in 2010 as they help me keep WJM a little more active!  Now without further adieu:

10) White Lies – To Lose My Life

Heard about these guys in a 2009 albums to watch, and they are awesome.  They talk about death and emo-y stuff like that a little too much for my taste, but they usually keep it upbeat and fun – so it’s acceptable, right?

White Lies – To Lose My Life

9) Miike Snow – Miike Snow

Heard “Burial,” loved the song.  Heard “Animal,” convinced of his talent.  Great album – can’t wait until he comes to DC.

Miike Snow – Animal

8 ) Harlem Shakes – Technicolor Health

The upbeat and uplifting song “Strictly Game” got me through some tough times (at work haha) earlier in the year, and I’m so glad I got to see them live before they broke up…

Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game

7) Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

One of his best albums ever (that’s right, I said it), although sometimes gets a bit heavy on the electronic guitar for me.  I tend to love Dave for the jazziness of the group, especially his live stuff, but this album is still just really great.

Dave Matthews Band – Shake Me Like a Monkey

6) Matt and Kim – Grand

The most exciting music I’ve ever heard made by just two people on a keyboard and drum set.  Amazing.  Seeing them live from 10 feet away was one of the most fun concerts I’ve been too.  Julie, if you’re reading this, I still need those damn pictures.

Matt and Kim – Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare

5) Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

First album was good, second album is freaking great.  Unfortunately missed seeing them when they came to DC, but apparently it was pretty awesome.  I love this album, and I love how they’re on a Cadillac (I think that’s the right ad?) commercial now.

Phoenix – 1901

4) Discovery – LP

I routinely go to this album immediately upon turning on my iPod.  Usually (as it’s an unfortunately-short 30 minutes long) I listen to the whole thing before finding something else.  I especially love how their cover of Jackson 5 came out nearly-instantly after MJ died.  Loved seeing this LP for sale at the Ra Ra Riot concert.

Discovery – Swing Tree

3) Passion Pit – Manners

If I don’t go to Discovery upon turning on my iPod, I usually end up on Passion Pit‘s Manners.  Almost every song on this album is amazing, and like Harlem Shakes they got me through some tough times earlier this year.  And some tough commutes nowadays!  Love how they’re now on a Palm ad.  And I know that I’m sounding like a broken record at this point, but seeing them in DC from 20 feet away was simply incredible.  Tripp saw them at ACL, but I’m sure it just didn’t compare to The Black Cat.

Passion Pit – Little Secrets

2) Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca

I’m not bitter that Tripp bailed on our seeing the Dirty Projectors in DC.  No really, I’m not, I promise.  Even though we had tickets to the sold out show and everything.  The music on this album is just incredible.  The girls’ singing is amazing, the songs are new and different, and I can’t get enough.

Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move

1) Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

This album came out a year ago (literally), and it was sort of the beginning of a musically-experimental trend for me.  I listened to MPP, and I liked a couple of songs.  After 5 or 10 more listens though, I was in love with this album.  And that was in January 2009.  Every time I put this on, I get giddy haha.

All that, and the amount of times I’ve listened to this…and I just noticed a few days ago that the album cover is an optical illusion.  Fitting…I think every time I listen to this album I hear something new, and that’s why this is easily my album of the year.

Animal Collective – My Girls

Happy New Year everyone.  Hopefully everyone had a great 2009, fun holidays, and here’s to a sweet 2010.

And while we’re talking about 2009 listening habits, take a look at this simply amazing document/analysis from Last.fm.  You’ll see some familiar names Enjoy

So we miiiiight have started the day off by getting a KegBus to take us from Arlington to Merriweather Post Pavilion.  We miiiight have spent the entire day at the 2nd stage, not the main stage.  We also miiiight have been front row for Girl Talk. Who knows?!

See the online album for more pictures from the day.

The Hold Steady
Approachability: High

Now I obviously knew of The Hold Steady and had heard their album a few times.  Never totally did it for me, but I stayed and listened…and obviously they put on a really great show.  The keyboard player was particularly hilarious.  I mean come on, look at him!  I’ll probably be listening to them more now after seeing them live.

For more info, go to their MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/theholdsteady

Public Enemy
Approachability: meh, umm, medium?

Umm, obviously not really my jam.  After watching The Hold Steady we sort of stumbled back over the main stage.  It was completely packed.  The group kinda split up.  We found the food and beer stands.  Then we somehow made it back to the best stage the side stage and were able to catch a few songs from Public Enemy.  It was pretty hilarious to watch.  Flava Flav totally stole the show:

The National
Approachability: Medium/High

Very similarly for me to The Hold Steady, The National is a group that I’ve heard many times, but I just never got that into them.  I think RP3 knew every word to every song, and they definitely put on a good show.  I’ll probably also listen to them more now that I’ve seen them live.

For more info, go to their MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/thenational

Girl Talk
Approachability: Medium/Low

Girl Talk was easily the primary reason that I purchased acquired a ticket for this day of great music.  I’ve listened to his album so many times, and I’ve heard from several of my friends’ first hand accounts that he puts on an amazing show.  I can definitely corroborate their stories.

I literally didn’t move from the stage area after Public Enemy left, and by the time he came on, I was right up against the barriers at the front row.  After every band finished, people shifted around, and we threw some bo’s, and pretty soon we were right up front.  The place was packed:

He pulled like 50 audience members up on stage with him, and shit got pretty nuts pretty quickly:

They were shooting toilet paper ALL OVER the place (as you can see above) and they were throwing these big plastic beach-ball-esque things into the crowd.  So fun.  At the risk of sounding like a 12-year-old girl, we were so close that when he ran down off the stage and jumped around with the front of the crowd, we could touch him (OMG!!11 LOLZ!!).

Whenever he wasn’t in front of his laptop (and sometimes when he was!) he spent a lot of time on top of his table, jumping around with the crowd on stage, and then with the crowd on the ground.  It was such a crazy show.  I heard more than one person around me say it was the best show they’ve ever been to.  When the stage crew came on afterward, they literally squeegeed the stage off.

My favorite description of the set came from Stereogum: “the traveling hipster roadshow that is a Girl Talk set.”  Hilarious.

For more info, go to his MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/girltalk

This was one of the more fun posts I’ve done in a while.  Got to re-live the day a bit.  Super fun, great music, perfect weather.  Amazing day.

Again, see the album online for more pictures from the day.

Preview Of Things To Come
September is a busy month for me.  I’ve already been to VirginFest and seen Kings of Leon (post forthcoming).  I’m seeing Matt and Kim tonight, then seeing fun. this Friday, and finally seeing Ra Ra Riot in 2 weeks.  And let’s not even talk (yet!) about all the sweet music coming out/just released.

-WJ

• I’d first like to point out that fun.’s album, Aim and Ignite, which I’ve written about several times, is getting great reviews all over the place.  I’ve listened to it several times myself and can vouch – it’s fantastic.

  Additionally, I read at I Guess I’m Floating that fun. has a little concert/live webcast (starts around 2 min 30 sec) floating around.  I listened to part of it, and it’s pretty good stuff, but the video’s not great and I got annoyed with it haha.

• Kings of Leon (who I’m seeing at MPP next month!) is already talking about a new album – possibly an LP of remixes, or something of the like.  I saw this over at the ever-reliable stereogum.  Awesome, I can’t wait for more new KoL!

Finally, here are just a few random songs I found that needed to be shared.

• The first one is a song I found on some blog somewhere, and I just love it.  I tried some of The Very Best’s other stuff, and couldn’t get into it, but this one featuring Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig is just fantastic:

  The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (ft Ezra Koenig) (Approachability: Very High)
  

• I found this remix while reading about and listening to Yes Giantess.  Bo Flex is the producer/studio of Passion Pit…or something like that.  I don’t entirely understand the relationship, but Passion Pit, Yes Giantess, and Bo Flex are all very closely tied.  Whatever, the song is awesome:

  US Royalty – Keep it Cool (Bo Flex Remix) (App: High)
  

• Another random remix of Passion Pit that I found, and it certainly fits with the other stuff I’ve posted today.  Kind of a clubbed-up version of The Reeling:

  Passion Pit – The Reeling (Shuttles Super Club Mega Mix) (App: Medium/Low)
  

And that’s all I’ve got from this week – phew!  Hope you enjoyed all the different posts today, and have a great weekend.

-WJ

The Crêpes
Approachability: High

These guys came across my google reader the other day, and I immediately thought of that tiny little crêpe stand The Flat in Charlottesville by the downtown mall.  Of course I went to food immediately, right?  Anyway, this group consists of D.Lissvik (from Studio) and Fredrik Lindson (from The Embassy), both from Sweden.  They are on the inf000 label, where you can see their debut record, What Else?

I first heard The Crêpes on NIGHTMAGNETS and I Guess I’m Floating, and was able to locate a couple of mp3′s for your listening pleasure.  Their stuff is surprisingly hard to find, but I guess that’s because they only made 300 copies of What Else?, and even those are long since sold out.  Can’t wait for a digital release.  There’s a lot of potential here…

The Crêpes – Love You All The Same

Their MySpace (with more streaming tunes):
http://www.myspace.com/thecrepes

We’re almost done…
-WJ