I have been sitting on my best-of list for too long so I decided to just get it up before it got buried in the my pile of unpublished posts. Better late than never, I suppose. Here’s what got the most play on my iPod last year:

Best Alubums of 2010
1. The Suburbs, by Arcade Fire
I was one of the few people who wasn’t blown away by Arcade Fire’s first two albums. But this one really blew me away. The suburb theme really resonated with me. Worth the hype and recognition they got this year.

2. Before Today, by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
More than any other album, this one felt really original as if it could have been released ten years ago or ten years in the future and it would still be great.

3. Brothers, by The Black Keys
There best album since Rubber Factory.

4. High Violet, by The National
I like this band more with every release. At this rate they will be my favorite band by 2013.

5. Broken Bells
The closest thing to a Shins album in 2010.

6. Contra, by Vampire Weekend
Probably my most anticipated album of the year and it didn’t disappoint.

7. Congratulations, by MGMT
Hands down the worst album art of the year. Luckily the music is really good.

8. Catching a Tiger, by Lissie
I can’t remember another vocalist that has captivated my the way Lissie has. She just goes for it. Beautiful. I was going to embed a video here, but I couldn’t pick one. Jump over to YouTube and watch her perform.

9. Tron Soundtrack, by Daft Punk
Don’t go into this one expecting a typical Daft Punk album, but it is some great music.

10. Big Echo, by Morning Benders
Watch this video and you will be hooked on this band.

Honorable Mention:
Quit Music, by Meeting of Important People
Courage of Others, by Midlake
Sigh No More, by Mumford & Sons
Astro Coast, by Surfer Blood
Transference, by Spoon
Write about Love, by Belle and Sebastian

Biggest dissappointments of the year:
These last 5 albums suffered from my expectations being too high. They are all good and worth listening to, but they can’t compare to the greatness of past efforts.
Tomorrow Morning and End Times, by Eels
Realism, by Magnetic Fields
Age of Adz, by Sufjan Stevens
Lonely Avenue, by Ben Folds
Hurley, by Weezer

Every December I take a look back at the music I have enjoyed throughout the year and make a best of list. (For previous years you can visit: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004). This year I think I consumed more music than ever before and hopefully this list reflects a “deeper” selection than normal. Here it goes…

The Top Ten Albums of 2009

1. Manners, by Passion Pit
MP3: Sleepyhead

2. Song Up In Her Head, by Sarah Jarosz
MP3: Shankill Butchers

3. Around the Well, Iron and Wine
MP3: Belated Promise Ring

4. Merriweather Post Pavilion, by Animal Collective
MP3: My Girls

5. The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, by Steve Martin
MP3: Pitkin County Turnaround

6. Hombre Lobo, by Eels
MP3: In My Dreams

7. Troubadour, by K’Naan
MP3: Bang Bang

8. Doves, Kingdom of Rust
MP3: Kingdom Of Rust

9. Fantasies, by Metric
MP3: Help I’m Alive

10. What Will Be, by Devendra Banhart
MP3: Angelika

Download zip file of all 10 songs.

Honorable Mention:
11. Keep It Hid, by Dan Auerbach
12. Grizzly Bear, by Veckatimest
13. Monsters of Folk, by Monsters of Folk
14. My Maudlin Career, by Camera Obscura
15. Sea Sew, by Lisa Hannigan
16. Divided by Night, by Crystal Method
17. Reservoir, by Fanfarlo
18. Veckatimest, by Grizzly Bear
19. God Help the Girl, by God Help the Girl
20. 11:11, by Rodrigo y Gabriela
21. Actor, by St. Vincent
22. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, by Phoenix
23. It’s Blitz!, by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
24. Middle Cyclone, by Neko Case
25. Dark Night of the Soul, by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

Albums On My List to Listen to:
White Water, White Bloom, by Sea Wolf
Mumford & Sons, by Mumford & Sons
Phrazes for the Young, Julian Casablancas
Ambivalence Avenue, by Bibio
Post Nothing, by Japandroids
Technicolor Health, by Harlem Shakes
Family, by Le Loup
Psychic Chasms, by Neon Indian
Time to Die, by The Dodos

For my money, there isn’t a better sound in the world than James Mercer and The Shins. Their music resonates with me unlike any other band and I am always on the lookout for bands that make music that will become a part of me the way The Shins have. Have you ever loaded your favorite band into a search engine hoping to find something comparable? If you have, you have probably been disappointed. Despite advances in recommendation engines like the ones used by Amazon and iTunes, it is still really hard to find great music.

The idea of recommendation engines is a wonderful concept. Netflix used to do a pretty descent job of recommending movies for me based on my rankings of past rentals. Unfortunately, after a couple years of Netflix it has gotten to the point where all the obvious recommendations have been exhausted. All that remains are the 3.5 star options. A recommendation of 3.5 stars is pretty much saying, “you might like this one, but don’t blame me if you give it 2 stars.” Thanks, for nothing Netflix. So I watch these 3.5 star movies hoping to find the gems and occasionally I find one.

A similar thing happens with music recommendation engines like Amazon and iTunes. Since I have a pretty large music library I am not interested in recommendations that are more mainstream, I am looking for the rare gems that I have never heard of before. If you tell Amazon that you like The Shins it will give you suggestions that point you in two dead end directions: either deeper into The Shins discography (which I already own), or toward more successful better selling musicians. Since I already own (or don’t care for) the albums they suggest, Amazon can’t make a single good recommendation for me. For example, Amazon will suggest Arcade Fire, The Postal Service, and maybe Death Cab for Cutie. Good bands to be sure, but you could get this same advice by consulting the top sellers at Target. Amazon’s goal is clear and the strategy is surely effective: the purpose of their recommendations is to sell as much as possible. They point consumers at the most popular options because they know they can sell more of those products more easily. This is bad news for a serious music treasure hunter.

So after you have exhausted the surface level recommendations of Netflix/iTunes/Amazon, how do you uncover great new music or movies? The only place to turn is to the people with similar tastes as you who also have a much deeper catalog of experience. If you are lucky enough to know someone like this, they might recommend lesser known artists like Great Lake Swimmers, Rogue Wave, or Nada Surf if you tell him/her that you love the Shins. And because this recommendation come from a trusted source you are more likely to take a risk on these “unknown” options because you respect this person’s opinion. Unfortunately, we don’t all have a friend like that.

The next best source is to go is online. There are so many music blogs out there that you should be able to find someone out there that shares your tastes. This person’s passionate praise and revelatory rants will be an amazingly more accurate recommendation engine than any automated system in existence. But how do you find the right music blog? That’s a tough question.

The best advice I can give you is to plug a band that you really like into Hype Machine. This will generate a list of music blogs that have posted music by this artist. Follow the links one at a time and spend some time surfing the various sites you land on. Chances are you will stumble upon some blogs with similar taste to you. Add these sites to your RSS reader and start following them. After you have followed the blogs for a while you can keep the good one’s and weed out the rest. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

With the end of the decade in sight I have enjoyed browsing the best-of-the-decade lists that are starting to circulate. I love discovering a new album that sends me down a new vein of musical exploration. Unfortunately, most of the lists contain largely the same albums, just with the rankings slightly jockeyed around. The exception came earlier this week when I stumbled upon a really great list from a music blog called RawkBlog. David Greenward ranks the top 100 albums of the 2000s and the list is amazing not because of the order, but because he has the guts to pick the albums that meant the most to him. There are so many albums on his list that I haven’t heard of that I feel like I have discovered a goldmine. Unlike Amazon where you get pushed to the bestsellers, a great music blog takes you deep down the rabbit hole.

I suppose the magic of RawkBlog’s list comes from the fact that he has similar taste as me. He describes his tastes like this: “I like acoustic guitars, scrawny dudes and odd voices; songs about girls; songs; girls; cymbal-heavy percussion; major 7th chords; harmonies; emotions; dynamic range; the production style of Jim O’Rourke; the early 1970s; the late 1990s.” I think I may have found my musical soul mate.

Perhaps someday the automated recommendation engines will improve to the point that they can make deep suggestions as well as the obvious, but for now, the blogs are the best place to discover new music. Even if the computers advance to that point, the blog will still win out because it is personal. And that’s really where the joy of music comes from – sharing the experience with people like us.

The end of the year means lots of “best of 08″ lists. I wanted to get my music list up a little early this year in case you need some ideas for stocking stuffers for the music lover on your list. You can’t go wrong with these albums. (All links take you to Amazon, by the way.)

Top Ten Albums of 2008
1. The Shepherd’s Dog, by Iron and Wine
2. Orakular Spectacular, by MGMT
3. Lose Big, By Eef Barzelay
4. In Ghost Colours, by Cut Copy
5. Fleet Foxes, by Fleet Foxes
6. Silent Movie, by Quiet Village
7. Fate, by Dr. Dog
8. Carried to Dust, by Calexico
9. Dead Calm Horizon, by Ketch Harbour Wolves
10. Modern Guilt, by Beck

Older music, but new to me in 2008
This year I was introduced to some great older music. Here are the bands that just recently appeared on my radar:

Avalanches
Grin
Incredible String Band
Fairport Convention
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Heatmiser
Nada Surf

New Music From Great Bands
Some of my favorite artists released new music this year. These didn’t make my top ten list, but they are good albums from my favorite bands.

1. Way to Normal, by Ben Folds
2. Distortion, by Magnetic Fields
3. Acid Tongue, by Jenny Lewis
4. Ode to J. Smith, By Travis
5. Attack and Release, by The Black Keys
6. A Mad and Faithful Telling, by Devotchka

Best of the Past
If you are interested in my “Best Of” lists from other years, check out these links:

Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004

I haven’t made a music post in a while and being that is is about the middle of 2008 I thought I would give you some tracks from my favorite albums of the year so far. Here is a 12 track mix tape that is pretty darn good, if I don’t say so myself…

1. Lose Big, by Eef Barzelay
Mp3: The Girls Don’t Care

2. Fleet Foxes, by Fleet Foxes
Mp3: White Winter Hymnal

3. Vampire Weekend, By Vampire Weekend
Mp3: M79

4. LP3, by Ratatat
Mp3: Schiller

5. In Ghost Colours, by Cut Copy
Mp3: Strangers In the Wind

6. Smilers, by Aimee Mann
Mp3: Freeway

7. Pork and Beans, By Weezer
Mp3: The Greatest man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)

8. Lucky, by Nada Surf
Mp3: Weightless

9. Narrow Doors, by Death Cab for Cutie
Mp3: I Will Possess Your Heart

10. Distortion, by The Magnetic Fields
Mp3: California Girls (Alternate Version)

Bonus Tracks:
Fate, by Dr. Dog
Mp3: The Old Days
(This is a track from their upcoming album that I am really looking forward to.)

Spoon’s Daytrotter Session
Mp3: Peace Like A River (Paul Simon cover)

I keep coming across a bunch of live recordings from Iron and Wine and I wanted to share some of them with you in case you are as big of a Sam Beam fan as I am. Here are some live Iron and Wine mp3s for your listenting enjoyment:

House by the Sea
Live at Paradiso, January 27, 2008 (ripped from the FabChannel video)

He Lays In The Reins
This is from a “Mornings Become Eclectic” show on KEXP from November 29, 2007.

Resurrection Fern
This one was broadcast on NPR but I am unsure of the date or location.

Someday the Waves
This was broadcast on KEXP, but I don’t have any more info on it.

Upward Over The Mountain
Live at Messiah College, February 10, 2007

And if you just can’t get enough live Iron and Wine, then you might want to check out PlayedLastNight.com where there are a ton of Iron and Wine concerts that you can purchase. Last but not least is a video from FabChannel that can be viewed after the break.
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The end of the year means it is time for the annual “Best Of” lists. It was a good year in music with some of my favorite bands releasing new albums (The Shins, Iron and Wine, Rogue Wave), some new groups (Maps, St Vincent, Patrick Watson, Yeasayer), and some bands that are just new to me (The National, Great Lake Swimmers, Rilo Kiley). If some of these are new to you, take a listen to the sample mp3 I link to. The titles link to Amazon and purchasing the music helps support this site.

1. The Shepherd’s Dog, by Iron & Wine
Mp3: House by the Sea

2. Wincing the Night Away, by the Shins
Mp3: Girl Sailor

3. Ongiara, by Great Lake Swimmers
Mp3: Your Rocky Spine

4. Boxer, by The National
Mp3: Fake Empire

5. Close to Paradise, by Patrick Watson
Mp3: Close to Paradise

6. All Hour Cymbals, by Yeasayer
Mp3: 2080 (also my vote for best song of the year)

7. Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, by Rogue Wave
Mp3: Fantasies

8. We Can Create, by Maps
Mp3: Lost My Soul

9. Under the Blacklight, By Rilo Kiley
Mp3: Close Call

10. Marry Me, by St. Vincent
Mp3: Now. Now.

Honorable Mention:
In Rainbows, by Radiohead
Mp3: Bodysnatchers

Icky Thump, by The White Stripes
Mp3: Icky Thump

Neon Bible, by Arcade Fire
Mp3: Black Mirror

I’m Not There (Soundtrack)
Mp3: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink, by Bodies of Water
Mp3: I Guess We’ll Forget the Sound, I Guess, I guess

Juiced, by The Cansecos
Mp3: Free download from website

Hopefully 2008 will be just as good as 2007. If you want to take a look back, here are my lists from former years: 2006, 2005 2004

I either buy music on iTunes or at independently owned record stores. If I am in Denver I visit Twist and Shout. If I am in visiting Lincoln, Nebraska I stop at Recycled Sounds. Here in Greeley I enjoy The Finest. You probably have a pretty good idea of what these stores are like. The walls are covered in concert posters. The walls are lined with old vinyl stuffed into cardboard boxes. An eclectic blend of music plays over the sound system. There is an intimidating alternative-looking guy at the counter. They all seem to have that smell of incense. I could probably buy most of the same music anywhere else: Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target or even the grocery store. It just wouln’t be the same. It would feel cheap. It wouldn’t be any fun. Buying music is fun when it is tied to a memorable experience. Searching through a stack of LPs feels like a treasure hunt. It is fun to take a risk and take the recommendation of that intimidating chick behind the counter. It is nice to have the memory of hearing a song for the first time in a dusty old record shop. You don’t get that fuzzy feeling from dropping $17.00 at a Circuit City.

The funny thing is that the record store is my second choice for where to buy music. The majority of my music purchases happen on iTunes. It is convenient. It is automatically synced with my iPod. I can “discover” a band through an mp3 blog and instantly sample and purchase some songs. I can buy single songs or a whole album. It is still an experience even if it is nothing like the record store.

Since I am on the topic of music, maybe you would like to know what I have been listening to over the past couple weeks. Here are some bands that have been getting repeat listenings with links to The Hype Machine where you can download some mp3′s

Yeasayer – Check out “2080″ if you haven’t heard it.
Phoenix – I started listening to them based on a recommendation from Wes Anderson.
Sea Wolf – “Black Dirt” is a great track.

I had a lot of fun this weekend browsing through the massive collection of Live music on Archive.org. There is so much free music available there that it is a daunting task to sort the treasures from the trash. For your convenience I have made a list of some of the really good performances that I have been enjoying. In case you were wondering, this is legal and all the bands have given permission for these bootlegs to be distributed. I can’t really say this is “the best of Archive.org” because I know there must be a ton of other amazing recordings there, but you can’t go wrong with the following concerts. The following are some of my favorite artists and the performances and sound quality is nearly album worthy.

Calexico
Live at the Rialto Theatre in Tucsan, Arizona, December 2nd, 2006
Sample MP3: Cruel

If I could only recommend one band for you to check out on Archive.org it would be Calexico. The recordings I sampled were really impressive both in there sound quality and musicianship. Their performance at the China Theater in Sweden in 2003 was another one that you might want to check out.

Elliott Smith
Live at the Black Cat, Washington DC, April 17th, 1998
Sample MP3: Between the Bars

When an artist dies in their prime recordings of them playing live take on a new meaning. This acoustic set sounds great and catches Elliott early in his indie career.

Waterdeep
Live at the Venue, Olatthe Kansas, April 14, 2000
Sample MP3: Sweet River Roll

I have been a Waterdeep fan for years and was really happy to find so many of their concerts available on Archive.org. They are one of the few Christian bands that I really like. They seem to only tour in the midwest so I may have to make a trip to Kansas if I ever want to catch one of their shows.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Live at the Singletary Center for the Arts, April 6th, 2004
Sample MP3: Something

If you have never heard of Bela Fleck, he is a banjo player. If that sounds lame you should give it a chance. It changed the way I thought about the banjo.

Rogue Wave
Live at Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco, CA, March 30th, 2006
Sample MP3: Falcon Settles Me

This probably isn’t the cleanest recording or performance on Archive.org, but Rogue Wave is one of my favorite bands and this one is definitely worth a listen if you haven’t heard them.

Here is a list of well known bands that you may want to check out that have free recordings available on Archive.org:
Jack Johnson
My Morning Jacket
Jason Mraz
Tenacious D
Ryan Adams
Grateful Dead
Smashing Pumpkins
Ween
John Butler Trio
Keller Williams
String Cheese Incident
Yonder Mountain String Band
Moe
Andrew Bird
The Decemberists
Drive-By Truckers

The only downside to Archive.org is that many of the concerts are only available in .flac or .shn format so it can be a little tricky to get them into iTunes. (If you are on a Mac and need a way to decode .flac or .shn files to .aiff so you can open them in iTunes an from there convert them to mp3′s you can download Xact for free here.) It can also be cumbersome to re-label poorly named and tagged files but you can’t complain when the music is free. Enjoy, and let me know if you find any other treasures on Archive.org that you would recommend.

Introducing a new feature to my blog where I post 3 mp3′s. Here is the first batch from a few albums I have been enjoying lately…

Silver Lining, by Rilo Kiley
From their album, Under the Blacklight

Melody Day, by Caribou
From their album, Andorra

Small Town Crew, by The Brunettes
From their album, Structure & Cosmetics