Black Keys to follow-up ‘Brothers’ with uptempo, brash record

The Black Keys are planning to release their untitled seventh studio album later this year and in an interview with Spin.com, lead guitarist Dan Auerbach said its sound to be much different from their R&B infused 2010 mega record “Brothers.”

“The new album doesn’t sound like ‘Brothers,’” Auerbach said. “It doesn’t have that open soul feel to it. It’s way more driving and the tempos are really fast.”

The dynamic duo’s upcoming record is still untitled and will be their ninth record overall (The Black Keys recorded “Chulahoma,” a cover album of classic bluesman Junior Kimbrough, in 2006 and their rap-rock mash-up “Blakroc” in 2009). Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) teamed up with the band as producer for the third time, after producing “Attack & Release” (2008) and helping with songs on “Brothers” (2010).

The record’s tracklisting is currently unavailable, but a few song titles – “Lonely Boy” and “Little Black Submarine” – have been mentioned by the band in interviews.

For more info, check out Spin.com’s article here.

Strokes go for rotations…literally…on new ‘Taken for a Fool’ video

New York indie trendsetters The Strokes have made a fantastic return in 2011.  Starting with their first single in years (the awesome, nostalgic “Under Cover of Darkness”) to their progressive new record “Angles,” the band has made sure this will be a year to remember. Murmurs about progress on the Strokes’ next record have been reported and it’s welcome news given that the band took a five-year hiatus between “First Impressions of Earth” and “Angles.”

For now, enjoy the band’s newest music video of arguably the best track on this year’s record, “Taken for a Fool.”

Grohl, Foo Fighters revel in darkness on ‘Wasting Light’

"Wasting Light" by Foo Fighters | Grade: A | Best tracks: "White Limo," "Rope," "Dear Rosemary" & "Walk"

On the surface, Dave Grohl’s pretty careless.

Look no further than any one of the hilarious Foo Fighters’ music videos for “Low,” “Learn to Fly,” “Long Road to Ruin” or even the new “White Limo,”  and it’s more than apparent that Grohl has fun with his goofball antics.

But no matter how funny Grohl can be, murmurs always surface around the time of a new Foo Fighters’ record.

The inescapable shadow of Kurt Cobain’s death and Nirvana over Grohl has become as predictable as Nickelback.

Unfair as it may be, Grohl’s performance on the Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” reveals that he’s thriving in the darkness.

The band’s first album since 2007’s “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” puts a premium on heavy rock hooks, delivering a blistering 48-minute set where the Foo Fighters pull out all the stops on arguably their best record yet.

For the new record, the band recruited famed rock producer and former Garbage drummer Butch Vig to produce the record, and former guitarist Pat Smear returned to give the band a third strummer.

The album was recorded in Grohl’s own garage on analog, and due to the unforgiving nature of analog recording (there’s little or no digital editing involved when the album is mixed), “Wasting Light” is that much more impressive.

The dark shroud that has surrounded Grohl’s songwriting spills over into the music itself, and during many of the song intros, the Foo Fighters morph into an edgy, thrash-based metal band.

“White Limo” is the heaviest song ever in the entire Foo canon, and the shredding triumvirate of guitars pair well with Grohl’s most fearsome howl yet.

The hook-heavy tendencies in the songwriting are darkly satisfying—the lead single “Rope” is integrates the hard rock lead-in with the alt-rock sensibility Grohl and Co. are known for.

Tracks like “Arlandria” and “Dear Rosemary” (featuring former Hüsker Du member Bob Mould) are reminiscent of the band’s lighter times on “In Your Honor” and “There Is Nothing Left to Lose.”  But even on the album’s pop leanings, Grohl still lets the black seep out—on “Back & Forth” he’s unapologetic (Now you’re on your own, one for the pages / Over the hill and through the ages / Does my heaven burn like hell on you?).

Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic stars on “I Should Have Known,” a reunion that brings Grohl, his former bandmate and Vig back together for the first time since the three were recording Nirvana’s “Nevermind” in 1991.  And serendipitously, the song seemingly strives for closure as Grohl sings Lay your hands in mine /  Heal me one last time  / Though I cannot forgive you yet / No I cannot forgive you yet / To leave my heart in debt. 

On the album closer, “Walk,” the band comes together to find the light at the end of the tunnel.  Out of the shadowy edge present throughout “Wasting Light,” the record’s final song is a ray of sunshine that is both powerful and fitting—the band takes flight in an alt-rock frenzy and Grohl hollers with bona fide conviction that he’s happy and he’s here to stay (I never wanna die / I’m dancing on my grave / I’m running through the fire / Forever, whenever).

Grohl has made a name for himself and while Cobain remains an enigma in his past, the former has surpassed the latter.  Burdensome as it may be to have a grunge legend’s death looming over him, the Foo’s leading man copes with it in an outstanding, dialed-up performance on “Wasting Light.”

CD Review: indie collective Middle Brother puts together hot mess on debut

John McCauley, Taylor Goldsmith and Matt Vasquez are all successful and talented in their own right.

Each of them double as guitarists and lead singers for their own indie bands—McCauley for Deer Tick, Goldsmith for Dawes and Vasquez for Delta Spirit.

But as Middle Brother, the three come together to form an indie collective with a self-titled, hot mess album.

There’s a no democracy when it comes to vocals; of the 12 songs, McCauley has the lead for five, Goldsmith for four and Vasquez has three.  Each of them rotate between electric, acoustic and bass guitar, but the song styles depend on whoever is singing the lyrics.

With the most songs, McCauley gets to showcase his versatility.  On rockabilly upstarts “Middle Brother” and “Me, Me, Me,” the Deer Tick front man showcases his tendency for boozy rockabilly, and on the standout soft rocker “Portland” his gravelly voice is the only thing that keeps it from being a James Taylor doppelganger.

The wistful, finger-picked alt-country cut “Daydreaming” leads into the album with McCauley’s most gentle lyrics:

Can’t I dream another dream,

Can’t I close my eyes and wander back to sleep

But I’m daydreaming about you

I’ve been daydreaming for so long

Goldsmith, the least known of the three, shows his comparable chops, earning some serious indie cred on the six-minute “Blood and Guts.” He replaces his usual soft croon with some earnest and volatile choruses, but he’s at his personal best on “Thanks for Nothing,” a dismal but tender kiss-off.

Vasquez makes the most of his lead chances on the record.  On Delta Spirit’s latest record “History From Below,” his songwriting gravitated toward earthy, ramshackle blues.  His rustic blues stomp “Blue Eyes” showcases his clever one-eye-winking lines (I’ve been looking for some time/in a room full of pennies for my dime) and on “Someday” he retrofits his blues with a fifties cadence for a fuzzy lo-fi sound.  His only other song, “Theater,” reveals him as the most talented vocalist of the bunch—soulful and honest.

On Middle Brother’s debut, the album’s best feature is that it’s not like an album at all.  It unwinds like a playlist of Deer Tick, Dawes and Delta Spirit on shuffle. Each of the band mates have identifiable styles but their affinity for earnest Americana rock makes it a well-woven if random effort.

It may be a crapshoot, but McCauley, Goldsmith and Vasquez make it a fun one.

 

TV on the Radio return with awesome new track, album art

In 2008, “Dear Science” brought art rockers TV on the Radio some much deserved and well-earned attention.  And with their first single “Will Do” off of the upcoming “Nine Types of Light” (April 12), the band has done it again.

The new track has a glimmering toy piano-synth intro, before lead singer Tunde Adebimpe’s starry-eyed vocals comes in:

It might be impractical to seek out a new romance

We won’t know the actual if we never take the chance

I’d like to collapse with you and ease you against this song

I think we’re compatible, I see that you think I’m wrong

“Will Do” is a decidedly slower song than the big hits of “Dear Science”–”Halfway Home,” “Golden Age” and “Dancing Choose”–but the darting bridge provides a sharp edge to the song’s smooth croon.

Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only one thinking things are about to heat up…

Although America’s favorite groundhog and his shadow are calling for a winter thaw, there are a few more harbingers that are signaling for this year to heat up.

Musically, of course.

This spring, two big-name artists will return with new albums after hibernating for a few years while a super group newbie enters the fold. The first signs of life off their new albums foretell good things to come,too.

 

"Angles" - The Strokes (release date: March 22)

The Strokes

Easily the most anticipated album of the year, The Strokes’ “Angles” is the band’s fourth album but first in over five years.  Since the New York City band released “First Impressions of Earth” in January 2006, four of the five band members have released at least one record as part of a side project (guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. was able to squeeze in two).

So far the band has hinted that “Angles” will be more like their landmark debut “Is This  It,” an album widely hailed as one of the best albums of the new century.

And if their lead single “Under Cover of Darkness” is any indication, this could be their best album since.

It’s something old and something new.  Featuring the youthful garage rock bounce of “Is This It” and nimble guitars of “First Impressions of Earth,” the new single is the best of both worlds.

"Wasting Light" - Foo Fighters (release date: April 12)

Foo Fighters

If The Strokes own the title of “most anticipated album,” than the Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” would own “most intriguing.”

The new album was recorded entirely on analog tape in front man/rock god Dave Grohl’s garage for a rawer, grating sound, and “White Limo” is a perfect example of the new sound.

From the get go, the Foo Fighters’ new song (premiered in a hilarious music video) is a gut-punch of looping metal-shred guitar and shows Grohl’s voice is as visceral as ever—he’s howl has been heard sparingly in the band’s six studio album canon.

The band recruited legendary producer Butch Vig for “Wasting Light” and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic plays bass and accordion on one of the new tracks.  For Grohl, Vig and Novoselic, the recording sessions were the first time the three had all been together since the producer and helped the two and Kurt Cobain make Nirvana’s “Nevermind” in 1991.

"Middle Brother" - Middle Brother (release date: March 1)

Middle Brother

Indie rock stalwarts Deer Tick, Delta Spirit and Dawes have much in common.  Besides the obvious fact that all three can be found in the “D” category at your local record store, they share a nostalgic Americana sound steeped in folk.

Better yet, each of their lead singers have come together to form Middle Brother, a collaboration that, based solely on their individual achievements, has the potential to be one of the best albums of 2011.  When their eponymous record drops on Tuesday, Middle Brother’s brilliant three-part vocal harmonies and guitar parts are sure to make a splash.

John McCauley (Deer Tick), Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) all lend their vocals on their first single “Me Me Me,” but the gravelly-yell of McCauley takes the lead over rockabilly guitar and piano.  The trio manifests enough energy to keep their jangly racket loose while their voices complement each other tightly.

Other hot spring releases:

“Endgame” – Rise Against (March 15)

“Helplessness Blues” – Fleet Foxes (May 3)

“Codes and Keys” – Death Cab for Cutie (May 31)

What other spring releases have got you a little hot and bothered (and you like it…)?

CD Review: ‘Mine Is Yours’ shows growing pains for Cold War Kids

"Mine Is Yours" by Cold War Kids (2011) Grade B - Best tracks: "Finally Begin," 'Louder Than Ever," "Royal Blue," "Skip the Charades" and "Bulldozer"

By the time the first chorus drops on “Mine Is Yours,” it’s easy to tell why Cold War Kids’ third full-length is a departure from the band’s former work.

The lead and title track starts with a steady crescendo before giving way to a gush of billowy arena rock where front man Nate Willett’s croon rises to lead the first of the album’s many sing-alongs.

The difference here doesn’t make the band completely unrecognizable, but it’s certainly a big step in a different direction.

And whether that shoe fits is another question.

The four-piece SoCal crew made their name in 2006 with the rickety indie soul-blues racket of “Robbers and Cowards,” a phenomenal album brimming with drama.  Genuine and realistic character sketches of drunkards, and (fittingly) robbers and cowards were meticulously crafted through careful wording, coarse performances and visceral energy.  Their 2008 effort “Loyalty to Loyalty” pushed them gradually further, similar in content but with varied instrumentation.

This time around, however, the group isn’t interested in modest gains.  On “Mine Is Yours,” they take a leap.

The sound on “Mine Is Yours” is more polished thanks in part to Jacquire King, whose production skills rocketed Kings of Leon to mega stardom at the center of the rock universe.  With King twisting dials and pushing knobs, Cold War Kids’ new sound is more radio-friendly but takes them into uncharted territory and comes out with mixed results.

The band’s experiment with a bigger sound reveals that they can operate at a louder level.  Guitarist Jonnie Russell dots the record with some admirable performances, stepping forward on the grandiose opuses of “Finally Begin” and “Bulldozer,” and the rhythm section (drummer Matt Aveiro and bassist Matt Maust) is propulsive as usual.  Just having the capacity to play big is half the battle, and it’s the other half of that struggle they’ve yet to surmount.

After the first two records, Cold War Kids developed their brand—an abrasive, raw edge that wore well in intimate settings.  King’s glossy touches give their music a sound unbecoming of their niche and it changes the complexion and identity of their sound.

Willett has the toughest time adapting.  While he unleashes his strong pipes and steers the band through sweeping choruses, he only taps the surface of his lyrical talent.  Anecdotal details have always been a particular strength in his writing, and even though he continues that trend on “Mine Is Yours,” Willett takes some cheeky stretches and oversteps his bounds with some forgettable lines:

Weigh the pros but cons come first,

I’ve got a black belt in doubt

Luckily, Willett can never be accused of half-assing it–he puts on a performance where the best moments (his ardent fervor on the chorus of “Skip the Charades” is captivating) outshine the less-than-stellar.

Through and through, honesty has always been Cold War Kids’ best trait.  Willett leads a group that, if for nothing else, is sure of itself and fully invested in its music, and if his songwriting can catch up with their new sound, they may grow into their new shoes.

British Invasion Part Two: The Beatles now on iTunes

 

With their entire catalog available on iTunes, new Beatles listeners may have a hard time finding where to start.

 

 

The Beatles catalog is finally on iTunes.  The new offering is more than just having digital access to purchase their music—it means that music from the biggest and best of all of rock’s transcendent bands is finally mainstream for this generation.

And apparently the world’s biggest digital music store has picked up on this fact.

The front page of this week’s updated storefront is flooded with everything Beatles: albums, videos and even the all-inclusive box set.

It’s a beautiful thing to see the rock gods’ music available but the opening of this door is a bit dizzying for newcomers.  The Beatles have an enormous body of work, one that is hard to navigate and starting at the beginning may not do the Fab Four justice since they grew and became a better band by the time they recorded their final album, “Abbey Road.”

This is your roadmap to the band’s “gateway” albums, showing you the best way to get into the Beatles’ vast discography.

 

"Revolver" was arguably the Beatles' best album and a definite departure from their tried-and-true pop methodology.

 

 

“Revolver” – 1966

This album was a landmark for numerous reasons.

It’s the halfway point (album number six) in the band’s career but more importantly the album where the mop-tops making a candid transition to their psychedelic phase.

There are still pop stylings akin to their former albums (“Dr. Robert,” “She Said She Said” and “Here There Everywhere”) but also breathtaking psychedelic compositions.  The awe-inspiring “Tomorrow Never Knows” along with “Love You To,” “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Taxman” were all written during the infancy of the Beatles’ trippy stage but in hindsight stand among their best.

The new recording methods were innovative for their time and it made the Beatles’ take a step forward in their songwriting.  They had always been masterful with pop hooks, but now they incorporated eccentric recording techniques that put an avant-garde twist on the music and pushed them even farther beyond the pack.

 

The Beatles were bickering when they made "Abbey Road" but even that couldn't stop them from making their cleanest work yet.

 

 

“Abbey Road” – 1969

The most mature of The Beatles albums.

It was the second-to-last record released but the last set they recorded.  Even with the all the swirling turmoil (management disputes, the record label and fizzling relationships in the band), “Abbey Road” still manages to be a great final hurrah.

Even The Beatles’ internal quarreling could not stifle their talents.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison all made an indelible impact on the album—Lennon with his vocals on “I Want You She’s Heavy” and “Come Together”; McCartney wrote a couple of his best tracks (“Oh! Darling” and “You Never Give Me Your Money”); and Harrison finally earned his due credit with arguably the three best songs on the album (“Something,” “Because” and “Here Comes the Sun”).

Lest we forget Ringo Starr—“Abbey Road” is a great display of his drumming skills (he finally got a solo on the fittingly titled “The End”) and he does his last cameo as lead vocalist on the quirky “Octopus’s Garden.”

The serendipitous bliss of the album’s Side B medley song suite ties together the Beatles’ tremendous swan song.

 

 

The best of their pop albums, "A Hard Day's Night" came out during the Beatlesmania frenzy in 1964.

 

 

“A Hard Day’s Night” – 1964

In full Beatlesmania force, the Fab Four released a frenzy of their hallmark pop rock on “A Hard Day’s Night.”  It was at the pinnacle of the band’s American popularity and proved to be a solid album.

“Can’t Buy Me Love” and “A Hard Day’s Night” were the two biggest tracks on the record and a pair of their best from their early career.  Both became number one hits and were featured as part of their live act at the famous Shea Stadium concert in 1965.

Other strong moments were the cowbell-driven “You Can’t Do That,” the strummy “Things We Said Today” and the lighthearted “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You.”

Not many bands can claim that some of their best work was singles that never made it onto an album.

But then again there’s never been another band like The Beatles.

Here’s the can’t-miss songs you won’t find on their albums:

1.       “Hey Jude”

2.       “I Feel Fine”

3.       “I Want to Hold Your Hand”

4.       “Don’t Let Me Down”

5.       “She Loves You”

6.       “Day Tripper”

7.       “Paperback Writer”

8.        “Revolution”

9.       “We Can Work It Out”

10.   “Rain”

11.   “Lady Madonna”

12.   “The Ballad of John and Yoko”

13.   “From Me to You”

14.   “Love Me Do”

15.   “Long Tall Sally”

Know ‘em!: Dead Confederate

Athens, Ga. rockers Dead Confederate are part of a grunge resurgence.

Take either of Dead Confederate’s records for a spin and there’s sure to be a feeling of nostalgia among the 1990s kids.

With roots seeped in grunge, these rockers from Athens, Ga. draw comparisons to the noble likes of the genre’s founding fathers Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden.  Lead singer Hardy Morris could even be called “Cobain-esque,” and Dead Confederate puts their own brand on the genre by infusing alt-rock flourishes and dabbling in southern rock.

Athens is a hot spot for alternative music.  From the city’s music scene, many popular bands (R.E.M., The B-52s, Drive-By Truckers, Neutral Milk Hotel) have gone on to see mainstream success.  Along with The Whigs and Of Montreal, Dead Confederate is at the forefront of what is still a major hub for rock bands.

Their debut album, “Wrecking Ball,” bears its title for a reason.  It has its graceful moments (atmospheric guitar parts accompanied by keyboards) before it makes its impact (massive guitar wave choruses, screeching vocals and loads of crashing cymbals).  Such is the case on cuts like “Yer Circus,” “It Was a Rose” and “Heavy Petting,” but never are they more potent then on “The Rat.”  The biggest hit in their catalog, Morris lays down anguishing lyrics over searing guitar and the two detonate for an explosive chorus (Draw tiny pictures round all the dead leaves / Float your judgments across the breeze / Watch them float off to never be seen / You live inside your Jesus dream).

Dead Confederate’s 2010 record, “Sugar,” shows the band opening up and writing in some different styles, but their southern grunge remains the essence of their sound.

The album opener, “In the Dark,” comes in with an organ that plugs along under guitar drones.  Its style is similar to fellow Athens natives The Whigs (whose last record, surprisingly, was titled “In the Dark”).  The album’s second track, “Run from the Gun,” is twang-y guitar pop with a banjo-like sound.  The next three, “Father Figure,” “Quiet Kid” and “By Design,” sound like lost Smashing Pumpkins B-sides, especially since Morris voice comes off as a Billy Corgan doppelganger.  Morris switches back to Cobain mode on the title track, a blast of edgy alt-rock that recalls the best moments of “Wrecking Ball.”

The lead single from the record, “Giving It All Away ,” is an awesome arena rock jam featuring Dinosaur Jr. front man J Mascis.  The track inflates itself into a momentous swell of guitar layers and has such a strong ending that it’s sure to become a set-closer or encore sing-a-long.

Dead Confederate’s awesome blend of 1990s grunge, slow-burning head-bangers and southern rock gives them credence as songsmiths.  The revival of Soundgarden (along with their new release “Telephantasm”) shows that grunge may be on the rise and if so, Dead Confederate will be a player in that renaissance.

2010′s top music…so far (Part Two)

A good album shines because it’s quality through and through–each song is as pivotal as the next, exhibiting tight, thought-out construction.  And while that craftsmanship from track one to track 12 is important, a record is  nothing without individual highlights.  So here’s to those moments in 2010.

TOP SONGS (Title-Artist (Album))

1 ) Twenty Miles – Deer Tick (The Black Dirt Sessions) – Thanks to John McCauley’s gruff vocals, Deer Tick’s earthy neo-country rock comes with a rough edge. Channel that through a love song, and you get heartbreak on the rocks.  This track from one of 2010’s best under-the-radar records will make you shiver from the first line (Rain drops like bullets on my fragile skin). Brrr.

2 ) Flash Delirium – MGMT (Congratulations) – A bazaar of the bizarre. The acid-trip surf rock from MGMT’s “Flash Delirium” has a British Invasion-era intro, freaky chant swirls, nonsensical lines and a garage punk outro. Hold on to your brain!

3 ) We Can Get Together – The Hold Steady (Heaven Is Whenever) – Craig Finn gets emotional about his love affair with music and though no one saw this soft side coming, it feels genuine.

4 ) Written In Reverse – Spoon (Transference) – The best song from the best record of the year so far.  Britt Daniel has his way, plugging along with guitar crashes and bouncing from gravelly yells to tight-pants falsetto.  It all adds up to be one of Spoon’s best moments in a long line of ‘em.

5 ) A More Perfect Union – Titus Andronicus (The Monitor) – This New Jersey punk band has a flair for the dramatic, but have the balls to back it up.  On just their second album, Titus Andronicus wrote a concept album loosely based on the Civil War and showed their mettle with this seven-minute war cry.

The best of the rest:

6 ) The Ghost Inside – Broken Bells (Broken Bells)

7 ) Too Afraid to Love You – The Black Keys (Brothers)

8 ) Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons (Sigh No More)

9 ) The Weekenders – The Hold Steady (Heaven Is Whenever)

10 ) Drunk Girls – LCD Soundsystem (This Is Happening)

11 ) Next Girl – The Black Keys (Brothers)

12 ) Anyone’s Ghost – The National (High Violet)

13 ) Mange – Deer Tick (The Black Dirt Sessions)

14 ) Bad Blood – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Beat the Devil’s Tattoo)

15 ) Audience – Cold War Kids (Behave Yourself EP)

16 ) Silver Soul – Beach House (Teen Dream)

17 ) Hundred/Million – The Whigs (In the Dark)

18 ) Red River – Rocky Votolato (True Devotion)

19 ) Cousins – Vampire Weekend (Contra)

20 ) American Slang – The Gaslight Anthem (American Slang)

21 ) Blue Blood Blues – The Dead Weather (Sea of Cowards)

22 ) The Wild Hunt – The Tallest Man on Earth (The Wild Hunt)

23 ) Stylo – Gorillaz (Plastic Beach)

24 ) Dying – The Whigs (In the Dark)

25 ) What Part of Forever – Cee Lo Green (Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack)

26 ) Airplanes – Local Natives (Gorilla Manor)

27 ) Ghost Pressure – Wolf Parade (Expo 86)

28 ) Tighten Up – The Black Keys (Brothers)

29 ) Sailing to Nowhere – Broken Bells (Broken Bells)

30 ) Ativan Eyes – Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (The Brutalist Bricks)

31 ) Laughing Lover – Blitzen Trapper (Destroyer of the Void)

32 ) White Crosses – Against Me! (White Crosses)

33 ) Harmonix – Surfer Blood (Astro Coast)

34 ) You and Your Heart – Jack Johnson (To the Sea)

35 ) Terrible Love – The National (High Violet)

36 ) Tenderoni – Kele (The Boxer)

37 ) Everlasting Light – The Black Keys (Brothers)

38 ) Laredo – Band of Horses (Infinite Arms)

39 ) Little Girl – Julian Casablancas (Dark Night of the Soul)

40 ) The Sweet Part of the City – The Hold Steady (Heaven Is Whenever)

41 )You’re My Girl – Hacienda (Big Red & Barbacoa)

42 ) Heaven and Earth – Blitzen Trapper (Destroyer of the Void)

43 ) Dear God 2.0 – The Roots and Monsters of Folk (How I Got Over)

44 ) The Cave – Mumford & Sons (Sigh No More)

45 ) Something, Somewhere, Sometime –Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore (Dear Companion)

46 ) Shine – Black Gold (Rush)

47 ) Little Secrets – Passion Pit (Manners)

48 ) This F*****g Job – Drive-By Truckers (The Big To-Do)

49 ) Swim – Surfer Blood (Astro Coast)

50 ) What’s In It For? – Avi Buffalo (Avi Buffalo)