DIGI DREAMS' BEST ALBUMS OF 2009: PART TWO

Our list for the top 10 albums of 2009 was carefully constructed and negotiated by myself and Tony. We were blown away by the incredible work of these albums from the first track to the last - not one note lazy or misused. It was incredibly difficult to decide a good working order. And this time we'll give you some reasons as to WHY we chose what we chose. Be sure to check out our own personal lists in the comments section after this post and feel free to give us your own opinions on what you thought was your fave album of 09.

TOP 20-11

Honorable Mentions:
Here We Go Magic - S/T
Cage - Depart From Me
Florence + The Machine - Lungs
Coalesce - OX
Rain Machine - S/T
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Mos Def - The Ecstatic

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10. jj - jj n° 2 [7/1 - Sincerely Yours]

jj captured my interest earlier this summer while the pavement was just starting to build up some steam. Their debut lp was like a Supersoaker 50 for the ears. - Evan

fave track :: from africa to málaga

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9. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - S/T [2/3 - Slumberland]

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart own a small piece of my soul, and this record is exactly why. -Tony

fave track :: Young Adult Friction

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8. The Love Language - S/T [2/10 - Bladen County]

I found The Love Language while spending a cold night in November of 2008 searching for new music to feed on. Their music carried this fresh and vibrant aura of not-so-lo-fi love. - Evan

fave track :: Sparxxx

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7. Do Make Say Think - Other Truths [10/21 - Constellation Records]

Four songs. Forty minutes. Each song feels like a new season and without any singer or lyrics, this record made me feel something new as each song built and progressed into their beautiful endings. -Tony

fave track :: Do

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6. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns [6/4 - Astralwerks]

Natasha Khan's sophmore effort opens with her soft voice caressing the morning dew of a subway until you're taken away from the busy bustle by tribal drums from a far away land. A gorgeous album overall. - Evan

fave track :: Glass

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5. Beirut/Realpeople - March Of The Zapotec/Holland EP [2/17 - Ba Da Bing Records]

Two EPs with two completely different feels. Zach Condon topped himself with this collection of songs. He has a 19 piece band (The Jiminez Band) backing him throughout March Of The Zapotec, and Holland is credited to Realpeople, his early musical moniker. Such a diverse and carefully crafted sound...it's amazing that he is only 23 years old. -Tony

fave track :: Beirut - The Shrew
fave track :: Real People - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille

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4. Why? - Eskimo Snow [9/22 - Anticon]

Always very lyrically entertaining, Why? really went out on a limb with Eskimo Snow, as it is his least hip-hop oriented work to date...and he somehow perfectly brought it all together and still maintained his personality throughout the record. -Tony

fave track :: Berkeley By Hearseback

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3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest [5/26 - Warp]

Easily one of the most anticipated albums of 2009, Veckatimest stands out with it's flawless tracklist and it's impeccable knack for capturing every mood. - Evan

fave track :: Ready, Able

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2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [5/26 - V2/Loyauté]
When they wrote this record, do you think they knew that they annihilated (almost) everything else that would be released in 2009? Such a pristine collection of songs. If you don't own this record, you need to buy it. Now. -Tony

fave track :: Lisztomania

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1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion [1/20 - Domino]

I totally called it. 2009 would be Animal Collective's year with the anticipated and loved Merriweather Post Pavilion. The first time I listened to this album, my heart was pounding with excitement while the first track ["In The Flowers"] made MPP bloom into a colorful and perfect welcome to this year. -Evan

fave tracks :: My Girls , Brothersport

[video] Beirut/Realpeople - The Concubine

Zach Condon, Oaxaca, Mexico, Beirut, Realpeople - I'm sure you've heard it all before. Check out the new video for "The Concubine" from Realpeople's Holland EP where Zach wanders around Brooklyn while his other half [maybe?] enjoys some desert scenery.



MP3 :: Realpeople - The Concubine

Cinco de Playlist

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I gathered a few songs for your enjoyment that either come from country of origin or have been influenced by their music.

Los Dynamite are an indie-rock band based out of Mexico City who write songs in english - very well I should say. Their last album Greatest Hits was released back in 2006. Peter Hook of New Order says "Sounds like Mark E. Smith on ecstasy!" I think it's worth a listen:
Los Dynamite - Ready Ready

I seem to post about Beirut a lot, but whatever. Earlier this year he released an EP called March of the Zapotec with the help and influence of Oaxacan musicians Banda Jimenez. At first listen I was a little disappointed. Then I saw him perform these songs live with the Vassar Orkestar and I was blown away.
Beirut - The Shrew

A few days ago my friend Becky did an excellent post about how Mexican Institute of Sound is greater than the swine flu. Simply scroll down to see it.
Mexican Institute of Sound - Cumbia

Rodrigo Y Gabriela have been in my iTunes for quite a while. A good friend of mine used to work for their distribution and gave me a copy of their s/t debut album. I've been hooked ever since.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Tamacun

Now go drink some tequila and enjoy your 5th day of May!

Sunday Shake Up

My Sundays nights are usually always the same. Come home from work, make some Sencha, create a playlist and hit the books [aka study]. It never occurred to me that maybe I should post my playlist. Well, here it is.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
Veckatimest [2009]
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
100 Days, 100 Nights [2007]
Faded Paper Figures - North By North
Dynamo [2008]
Camera Obscura - French Navy
My Maudlin Career [2009]
Peter Broderick - Below It
Home [2008]
Beirut - Scenic World
Gulag Orkestar [2006]
Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
Walking On A Dream [2008]
Hella - Biblical Violence
Hold Your Horse Is [2002]

Should I make this a weekly thing??
Suggest a good name and maybe you'll win something

Heavy Rotations

So, I wanted to start this last month but by the time I thought of it, it was too late. 

Every month [starting with January] I will post a new installment of a thing called "Heavy Rotation." What is this Heavy Rotation junk? Well...we all have a select few albums that we are currently spinning on our record players or cd players or iPods. Every month myself and the rest of the crew will pick our 6 fave records for the past month and post them here and keep them on the side bar under "Heavy Rotation." 

So keep checking back on the first of every month to see what's been spinning the previous month.

Here's what I've been listening to:

Why? and Animal Collective have been in the Heavy Rotation for a while. I still cannot stop listening to either of them. Perfect for the mood and atmosphere of which I am in. 

The Appleseed Cast are old school emo fave who will be releasing a NEW album on February 17th entitled Sagamartha. If you want to hear a few streaming songs from the upcoming album, check out their Myspace page. If you have never heard of The Appleseed cast, I highly recommend Two Conversations [pictured above]

I know you're all looking at the Beirut CD thinking, how the fuck can you be listening to that when it doesn't come out for a few weeks? Answer: I got my sources. The new double EP from Zach Condon's Beirut and his former moniker RealPeople are fantastic. March Of The Zapotec [under his Beirut name] is full of droney horns, pounding drums and swooning vocals that convey a depressing mexican funeral but at the same time can trigger you to dance a waltz. His RealPeople EP, Holland, is a continuation of his former music taste which is more electronic than Beirut has been. Image Zach writing songs like Scenic World [from Gulag Orkestar] and making them about 3 minutes longer. Here they are. And they're beautiful. 

I just started listening to Vampire Weekend again since the summer. So I've been Vampire Weekend-less for a while now. I'm kind of glad I did that, too. Because now it reminds me of summer and how I can not wait for it. If you need to get out of these winter blues clues...Spin this album.

I posted about The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart not too long ago. I really like them.

Ok. Gotta do some homework now

video - NEW Beirut [La Llorona]

Sorry if I've been jockin' on Beirut lately. January has been a slow month for new band discoveries for me. Anyway, here's new video featuring a song from Beirut's upcoming EP March Of The Zapotec [out on Pompeii Records Feb 17th] called La Llorona. Directed by Owen Cook.



Look for live concert pictures to come sometime in February.
Pre-Order your copy of Beirut/Realpeople March Of The Zapotec/Holland EP's: here

Thoughts on this new song anybody? Hit the comment button

Beirut In Brooklyn

Earlier this month I posted about Beirut's Zach Condon returning to the music scene with the release of his newly mexican influenced EP entitled March Of The Zapotec and another EP entitled Holland under his former moniker, Realpeople [both to be released Feb 17th, 2009]. Well, in support of those fresh tunes he'll be playing a few shows around Brooklyn.

Check out Brooklyn Vegan for more info.
Or go to the BAM website to get tickets
See you there!

MP3: Beirut - A Sunday Smile
MP3: Beirut - Nantes

[Purchase Beirut @ Amazon]

'My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille'

[via Beirutband.com]

New Beirut Double EP!
Yes, you read that correctly... Beirut is back, with a double dose of EP goodness for your listening pleasure!

Entitled March of the Zapotec, the first EP consists of songs written by Beirut and recorded in Mexico with the help of Oaxacan march masters The Jimenez Band. The second EP, Holland, showcases Zach's latest bedroom-style recordings under his former moniker Realpeople, including the previously released "Venice" (in the 2007 Believer music issue), and "My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille" (on the Natalie Portman curated Big Change charity album). Taken together, the two EPs proudly display the scope of Beirut's work over the last year.

But don't take my word for it... check out Zach's recent interview with indie-overlord Pitchfork:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/146890-beiruts-zach-condon-discusses-new-eps-time-off

Keep an eye out for a February release on Zach's own Pompeii Records, distributed by Revolver in the U.S. (http://www.midheaven.com/) and Forte in Europe (http://www.fortedistribution.co.uk/).

Realpeople - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille

Kocani Beirut

Beautiful



The first song they play is Beirut's "Sunday Smile" off of his record, The Flying Club Cup. Followed by Kocani Orkestar's "Siki Siki Baba" which blows Zach Condon out of the water. Oh, how I wish I were there right now.