ScatterPoints: Late January/Early February

Welcome back to ScatterPoints! Here's some cool stuff I've found in the world of music over the past few weeks.

DOWNLOADS:

Peter Gabriel - Flume (Bon Iver Cover)

Also, check out the Peter Gabriel cover of Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage here.

VIDEOS:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Skeletons"

Crazy orchestral trailer for the Gorillaz forthcoming Plastic Beach:

Crazy orchestral trailer for the Gorillaz forthcoming Plastic Beach.

ONE-SENTENCE REVIEWS:

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

Rating: 82/100

Although it lacks the some of the layered complexity present on Animal Collective's last few releases, the mostly acoustic Sung Tongs is a strange and enjoyable journey through the softer side of AC.

High Points Tracks: "Winters Love", "Who Could Win A Rabbit", "Sweet Road"

Beach House - Teen Dream

Rating: 88/100

Teen Dream is a beautiful, haunting, and flawlessly crafted indie pop album that is definitely an early contender for album of the year.

High Point Tracks: "Silver Soul", "Used To Be", "Real Love"

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP

Rating: 83/100

This companion piece to Merriweather Post Pavilion, is yet another catchy, weird, and impressive release from the ol' Animal Collective.

High Point Tracks: "What Would I Want? Sky!", "I Think I Can"

Discovery - LP

Rating: 85/100

Comprised of members of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend, Discovery offers up a brief but impressive debut with more infectious hooks and synth riffs than you can shake stick at.

High Point Tracks: "Can You Discover", "So Insane", "I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)"

The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir

Rating: 25/100

I like the Fiery Furnaces well enough, but bizarre music and painfully boring spoken word narratives make this album almost entirely unlistenable

High Point Tracks: N/A (It was really that bad)

Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals

Rating 79/100

Its a very top-heavy record beginning with a slew of wild and memorable tracks and ending without much of a bang but this unique debut certainly hints at some greatness to come.

High Point Tracks: "Sunrise", "No Need To Worry", "2080"

Lil Wayne - Rebirth

Rating: 50/100

Oh god, I love me some Lil Wayne but this monstrosity is baaaaaaad and it is only redeemed by that fact that Weezy is a genius, albiet a terribly terribly misguided genius but hey, at least its not Tha Carter IV.

High Point Tracks: "Prom Queen", "Drop the World"

MidPoints Year-End/Decade-End Recap

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ITS 2010!!

So in 2009 the economy was crap, the environment melted, the Phoenix Suns didn't make the playoffs, and half of all celebrities died. But musically speaking, it was a pretty rockin turn through the ol' calendar. Heres my favorite music from the past year:

TOP ALBUMS of 2009

15. Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Pains of Being Pure at Heart

14. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms

13. Eminem - Relapse

12. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

11. Morrissey - Years of Refusal

10. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

9. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

8. The Decemberists - Hazards of Love

7. Drake - So Far Gone

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Its Blitz!

5. The xx - xx

4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

3. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

1. Passion Pit - Manners

Honorable Mentions:

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of the Day

U2 - No Line On The Horizon

Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Gru Grux King

Flaming Lips - Embryonic

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

TOP SONGS of 2009

25. "I'm On A Boat" - The Lonely Island

24. "Tik Tok" -Ke$ha

23. "Telephone" - Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce

22. "Forever"Drake ft. Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Eminem -

21. "Rome" - Phoenix

20. "Alive (Nightmare)" - Kid Cudi ft. Ratatat

19. "Zero" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

18. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z ft. Kanye West & Rihanna

17. "Heart Skipped A Beat" - The xx

16. "City Lights" - Method Man and Red Man ft. Bun B

15. "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" - Jay-Z

14. "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga

13. "Moth's Wings" - Passion Pit

12. "Magnificent" - U2

11. "Blood Bank" - Bon Iver

10. "Its Not Your Birthday Anymore" - Morrissey

9. "Uptown" - Drake ft. Lil Wayne & Bun B

8. "Daniel" - Bat For Lashes

7. "Audacity of Huge" - Simian Mobile Disco ft. Chis Keating

6. "Heads Will Roll" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

5. "Evacuate The Dancefloor" - Cascada

4. "Little Secrets" - Passion Pit

3. "1901" - Phoenix

2. "My Girls" - Animal Collective

1. "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z

LAST.FM MOST PLAYED ARTIST of 2009

10. Eminem

9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs

8. Lil Wayne

7. Drake

6. Fleet Foxes

5. U2

4. Animal Collective

3. Kid Cudi

2. Radiohead

1. Jay-Z

In related news, we just ended a decade so here is my favorite music from the past decade:

TOP ALBUMS of the 2000s:

15. Kanye West - The College Dropout

14. Justice - Cross

13. Jay-Z - The Blueprint

12. Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

11. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism

10. Passion Pit - Manners

9. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illionoise!

8. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People

7. The National - Boxer

6. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake Its Morning

5. Radiohead - Kid A

4. The Postal Service - Give Up

3. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America

2. Radiohead - In Rainbows

1. Arcade Fire - Funeral

Honorable Mentions:

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

The White Stripes - Elephant

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Girl Talk - Night Ripper

TOP SONGS of the 2000s:

25. "Apartment Story" - The National

24. "Live Your Life" - T.I. ft. Rihanna

23. "Does He Love You" - Rilo Kiley

22. "When You Were Young" - The Killers

21. "Beautiful Day" - U2

20. "Sleepyhead" - Passion Pit

19. "Do You Realize??" - The Flaming Lips

18. "Wolf Like Me" - TV On The Radio

17. "Come Pick Me Up" - Ryan Adams

16. "Atlas" - Battles

15. "Fell In Love With A Girl" - The White Stripes

14. "99 Problems" - Jay-Z

13. "My Girls" - Animal Collective

12. "Kids" - MGMT

11. "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

10. "The Funeral" - Band of Horses

9. "All My Friends" - LCD Soundsystem

8. "Stronger" - Kanye West

7. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley

6. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A.

5. "Digital Love" - Daft Punk

4. "Maps" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3. "Rebellion (Lies)" - Arcade Fire

2. "Such Great Heights" - The Postal Service

1. "Reckoner" - Radiohead

TOP ARTISTS of 2000s:

10. Jack White (The White Stripes/The Raconteurs/The Dead Weather)

9. Wilco

8. Death Cab For Cutie

7. Daft Punk

6. The National

5. The Hold Steady

4. Arcade Fire

3. Jay-Z

2. Kanye West

1. Radiohead

Its been a hell of a decade, but now its on to the next one...

WTF

I really don't know what to say.

I really like Animal Collective despite/because of this video. I can't decide which. They are sooooooo weird. But sooooooo goood. That is all. I could describe this video, but that wouldn't get me anywhere.

Animal Collective's "Summertime Clothes" on Letterman

The Midpoints Summer Blog-O-Thon continues! Check out this great performance from one of the weirdest, most enjoyably bands out there: Animal Collective. During this performance of Merriweather Post Pavilion's "Summertime Clothes" they are able to utilize bright flashing tables of music and glow in the dark back up dancers better then I've ever seen and trust me, that's saying something. Its a fun song, I thought you folks might dig it. Enjoy!