Song of the Year: Hooray For Earth “Never”

Hooray For Earth snagged my ears with the release of True Loves last year. Now they are set to introduce some new music on Dovecote Records. The label will release “Never” b/w “Figure” August 21 as “twin singles” according to the label’s website. I think this song is great as it continues the band’s juxtaposition of lofty, pop vocals over lo-fi production. I’ll be lined up to pick this one up next week.

(h/t Pitchfork)

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Pitchfork Top 100 Tracks of 2010

100. These New Puritans “We Want War”
99. Gayngs “The Gaudy Side of Town”
98. Male Bonding “Year’s Not Long”
97. Ramadanman “Don’t Change for Me”
96. Diplomats “Salute”
95. Ty Segall “Girlfriend”
94. Kelis “Acapella”
93. Freddie Gibbs “National Anthem (Fuck You World)”
92. Matthew Dear “You Put a Smell on Me”
91. Liars “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant”
90. Abe Vigoda “Crush”
89. Usher “Lil Freak” f. Nicki Minaj
88. DOM “Burn Bridges”
87. Perfume Genius “Mr. Peterson”
86. Glasser “Apply”
85. Wavves “Post Acid”
84. Gil Scott-Heron “New York Is Killing Me”
83. Surfer Blood “Floating Vibes”
82. Spoon “Written in Reverse”
81. Forest Swords “Rattling Cage”
80. The Radio Dept. “Heaven’s on Fire”
79. Delorean “Real Love”
78. Die Antwoord “Enter the Ninja”
77. Rihanna “What’s My Name?” f. Drake
76. Here We Go Magic “Collector”
75. Toro Y Moi “Blessa”
74. Sade “Soldier of Love”
73. Wild Nothing “Chinatown”
72. No Age “Glitter”
71. Salem “King Night”
70. NDF “Since We Last Met”
69. Woods “Suffering Season”
68. Kingdom “Mind Reader” f. Shyvonne
67. Drake “Over”
66. The National “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
65. Dum Dum Girls “Jail La La”
64. Alicia Keys “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”
63. Broken Social Scene “World Sick”
62. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists “Bottled in Cork”
61. Tyler the Creator “French” f. Hodgy Beats
60. Panda Bear “Slow Motion”
59. Twin Sister “All Around and Away We Go”
58. Oneohtrix Point Never “Returnal” f. Antony
57. The Fresh & Onlys “Waterfall”
56. Joker “Tron”
55. Lady Gaga “Telephone” f. Beyoncé
54. Vampire Weekend “White Sky”
53. Kendal Johansson “Blue Moon”
52. Lindstrøm & Christabelle “Lovesick”
51. Smith Westerns “Weekend”

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Kanye Makes Another G.O.O.D. Friday [Download]

This one really should be called a G.O.O.D. Saturday track as it was released early this morning rather than on Friday, but we won’t hold that against Kanye West and his cohorts.

The latest in Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Fridays “leaks” is an epic seven and half minute opus titled “Lord Lord Lord.” Featuring Mr. West along side Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon and Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band it features each rapper letting us know just how awesome they are.

Here’s what Pitchfork had to say about it:

Over seven and a half minutes, all these guys get arrogant over a mellow and contemplative track, and Kanye gives us this classic Kanye-ism: “If I’m a douche, then put me in your coochie.” Also: A rare opportunity to hear Swizz delivering a straight-up rap verse, rather than just playing hypeman on his own hyperactive beats.

Download the song here.

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Arcade Fire Release Video For “Ready To Start”

I have made no secret of my love for the new Arcade Fire album The Suburbs on my Facebook page and Twitter feed. I have also made no secret that “Ready To Start” is my favorite song on the album. Now there’s a fittingly cinematic video for this amazing song.

Pitchfork posted the video with a very pitchforkian post that included words like massive, artful, rampaging and other such superlatives.

I just want to use “amazing”. Because that’s what this band is. They are amazing on stage, as you’ll see from watching this video, assuming you’ve never had the pleasure to see them live yourself. And they are amazing in the studio, as evidenced yet again with their third album which still sits near the top of the sales charts (#2 this week).

Hit the jump and watch the video. You won’t be disappointed.

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Vampire Weekend Are Gangster As Fuck

“Vampire Weekend are ganster as fuck,” emotes a recent post on Pitchfork.com.

Can’t say that I disagree after seeing the video for “Holiday.” Apparently the video was debuted late last night on MTV. (They play videos?) In it, the band pokes fun at their detractors who say they are just preppy wannabes by dressing as 18th century noblemen. Complete with powdered wigs. They also beat up a couple of surfers at the end of the clip.

Check it for yourself after the jump.

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Today’s Music News: April 8th

Former Sex Pistols Manager Dies

Malcolm McLaren, the former Sex Pistols manager who is credited with helping form the legendary U.K. punk band, has died at the age of 64 after a battle with cancer. “He had been suffering from cancer for some time, but recently had been full of health, which then rapidly deteriorated,” McLaren’s spokesman Les Molloy told The Independent. Molloy confirmed McLaren died in New York this morning; his body will be moved to London for burial in Highgate Cemetery. John Lydon said in a statement, “For me Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you.” (Rolling Stone)

For the full story, visit RollingStone.com.

Re-release Of Nine Inch Nails’ Debut?

Billboard.Biz reports that Bicycle Music has gotten 700 masters from TVT Records, including Nine Inch Nails’ classic 1989 album Pretty Hate Machine. According to reports, the company is planning on re-releasing the album in the near future. As for Trent Reznor, he recently tweeted saying, “Something very cool is coming out of the speakers! Had to tell somebody.” Always mysterious! (MTV News)

More news on Travis Barker, Thom Yorke and Everclear.

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SPIN’s Top 40 Albums Of 2009

I’m much less upset about this list than Rolling Stone‘s Top Albums Of the Decade. This top 10 makes eminently more sense. Not that I personally agree with it. SPIN‘s top 10 is full of pretentious albums from artists that you’ll never hear on the radio and won’t ever play an arena (in the States, at least). However, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t include some good albums, as it most certainly does.

Here’s the Top 10:

1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!
3. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
4. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
5. Girls – Album
6. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
7. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
8. Florence + the Machine – Lungs
9. Drake – So Far Gone
10. The Dead Weather – Horehound

Unlike the Rolling Stone end-of-decade list, this one at least makes sense to me. While I wouldn’t include many of these albums in my own list, I get why SPIN would. And that’s the biggest grievance I had with the RS decade list, that I didn’t understand it. Thank you, SPIN, for being understandable. Even if you are mad pretentious (but not as much as Pitchfork.)

See the full list at spin.com.

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White Rabbits “Percussion Gun” [video]

White Rabbits burst into my consciousness back in 2007 with their debut album Fort Nightly. That album went on to be included in my year-end Top 10 list (which was lost in the Great Google Gaffe of ’08). Since then, I’ve been wanting to see them live (they cancelled their Salt Lake show last year), and anticipating their next album. I anticipate no more!

This weekend I downloaded their latest effort, It’s Frightening, and have only been able to listen to it once, but early indications are that it is a great album. Perhaps less accessible and immediately catchy than their previous, but no less enjoyable for my ears. This morning, Pitchfork posted on their Twitter a link to the Rabbits’ new video for “Percussion Gun.” I’ve posted it here.

Check it out after the jump.

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