Some bloggers work very hard to compile a unique year end list that doesn’t match the hundreds of others out there.  They’ll scratch every musical surface and leave no stone unturned.  They’ll abandon the surefire indie hits for the pursuit of their own personalized favorites.  They’ll go to the World section of their local cd store and write down names of African tribal artists and then go home and download those albums off bittorent.

Luckily for me, I don’t really have to put much effort into this thing at all.  Naturally and easily, my list will always be pretty different from everything else out there in music blog internet land.  For starters, I don’t get nearly as many promos as other blogs, which means there are dozens of great albums I’ll never have to worry about avoiding due to ‘Best Of’ over-saturation (ignorance is bliss!).  I can just post the 5, 6 or 9 albums that I really enjoyed that year and move on.

The other reason why this list will be a little varied from what one might see on other blogs is that I am a unique, insightful, enlightened music listener.

So with that, let’s dive in!

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Jessica Lea Mayfield - ‘With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt’

Every dreamy, reverb-drenched moment of Jessica Lea Mayfield’s debut full length is a revelation.  With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt is an album with surprisingly dark tones and bittersweet lyrics, however, they work beautifully with Mayfield’s accessible country/bluegrass sound and serve as exciting proof of the big game potential stored inside this Ohioan’s petite outer frame.  The 19 year old singer-songwriter has big things ahead of her- this solid 12 song collection not only hints at it but it shows us first hand.  The goods are here and ready to be heard.

Jessica Lea Mayfield - Kiss Me Again

Purchase Jessica Lea Mayfield’s ‘With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt’ on Amazon.com

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Nada Surf - ‘Lucky’

There isn’t much I can say about Nada Surf other than that they are just a solid band.  The Proximity Effect, solid.  Let Go, super solid.  The Weight is a Gift, some pretty solid songs on there.  Lucky, solid.  So much solid going on here.  ‘See These Bones’ probably has the most awesome harmonies I’ve heard this year (for real, the song has about 4 awesome chorus melodies in it).  If you still haven’t gotten into these dudes do it now!  You’re only looking dumber by every minute you resist!

Nada Surf - See These Bones

Purchase Nada Surf’s ‘Lucky’ on Amazon.com

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Mount Eerie featuring Julie Doiron and Fred Squire - ‘Lost Wisdom’

As a huge Mount Eerie/Microphones/Phil Elverum fan, it pains me to admit that on occasion the wiley Mr. Elverum lives up to his reputation and enters that dangerous “difficult listening” territory.   I’m referring of course to the moments when his prolific output and re-recording and tinkering of old songs lead to one-off EPs and mini-albums of sprawling, unfocused genius ramblings (I’d include his Old/New Songs of Mount Eerie and Dawn records on that list).  Then there are the brilliant, more centered releases like the Singers EP and No Flashlight which rank at the top of my favorite Mount Eerie/Microphones albums list.  I guess what this introductory paragraph is trying to say is that Elverum’s latest release, Lost Wisdom, is my new favorite Mount Eerie record.

With the help of Eric’s Trip alum Julie Doiron and guitarist Fred Squire, Elverum puts the evil inner-genius aside for 23 minutes and lets the songs stretch their joints and breathe a little more.  What we get is sparse arrangement, beautiful male-female vocal harmonies and a slow, revealing documentary-like view into a unique collaboration of musical talents.  Doiron’s voice and Phil’s blend seamlessly, so well that I am almost sad she can’t be on every Mount Eerie album following Lost Wisdom.  And Squire’s guitar playing adds a nice subtle layer to the session.  Regardless if you are a fan of difficult genius Phil Elverum or friendly accessible Phil Elverum, this record is a must.  Go out and regain this wisdom.

Mount Eerie - Voice in Headphones

Purchase Mount Eerie’s ‘Lost Wisdom’ on Amazon.com

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Honorable Mentions:

Here is a quick list of albums that rocked almost as hard as the ones above.  Almost.

M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Hey!  What happened to all that slow-building, atmospheric electronic stuff?!  Oh, you replaced it with awesome 80’s style pop?  Nice!

Here is the video for the record’s first single ‘Kim & Jessie’.

Purchase M83’s ‘Saturdays = Youth’ on Amazon.com

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Bon Iver - ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’
Ok so when I said this list would be different, I lied.  Here is one album that is on everyone else’s list and deservedly so.  The only reason Bon Iver’s high falsetto and dirty guitar strumming get an honorable mention rather than an official bonafide spot on my year end list is because I wish every song on the album was as great as ‘Skinny Love’.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love

Purchase Bon Iver’s ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ on Amazon.com

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Wolf Parade - ‘At Mount Zoomer’

Everyone went crazy over Apologies to the Queen Mary but Wolf Parade’s follow up At Mount Zoomer seemed to slip through the cracks a bit.  IMO, it’s every bit as good if not better (did I just type ‘IMO’?).

Wolf Parade - Language City

Purchase Wolf Parade’s At Mount Zoomer at Amazon.com

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More honorable mentions:

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

The National - The Virginia EP

Mock Orange - Captain Love

Jennifer O’Connor - Here With Me

Horse Feathers - House With No Home