From M.I.A's "Kala" to Radiohead's "In Rainbows" and every musical tidbit in between, XL Recordings has released a cavalcade of music in the last year or so. Obviously, they're real darn excited over at XL, because they've put out a compilation, "08/09", of tracks they've been tinkering with and some they are prepping for release later this year.

Highlights include the oft-overplayed (hello KEXP) Peter Gabriel/Hot Chip collab, who render Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" into a much more enjoyable form than it's original, and the surprising soulfulness of the Raconteurs "Many Shades of Black" with Adele at the vocal helm. Damon Albarn's new endeavour with Jamie Hewlett, Monkey, also has a track on this comp. "Heavenly Peach Banquet" is surprisingly delicate and enchanting, like an emotionally stable Coco Rosie or a more youthful, playful Air.

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know we just got done with the 2008 lists, but this one's clamoring for my top compilation spot for '09 already!

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It has now been 2.5 years since I moved out of Seattle for the Golden State. I've slowly drifted out of the NW music culture, so sometimes I wonder if I know what to say on TIG these days.

Combine that with the fact that I was so distracted from music for a lot of 2008, this year's "best of" lists were especially difficult. Heck, I don't even think I can make a Best of NW music list this year, not because there was insufficient music, but because I just missed so many of those important-but-not-well-known releases that make these lists. I did enjoy Fleet Foxes, Common Market, Colin Meloy live, Malkmus and the like, but really, that isn't a "Best of the NW" list but rather a list of albums I liked that happened to be from the NW.

That being said, I did get a last minute music revival for the year. Maybe it was the election being over (and the good guys winning), maybe it was finally getting a faculty position after many years of trying (lets just say Erik will be moving east in 2009), maybe 2008 just didn't mesh with me musically. Who knows? However, there was a lot of great music anyway, and here are my top 20 (for your praise or fist shaking). Feel free to read the full commentary. 

 

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Hot Chip at the Showbox, photo by locash and taken from our TIG Sparkly Indie-Pop Photos pool...

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New Releases From Easy Street

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Hot Chip might just be the vanguard of modern British dance-rock, the true heirs to the New Order, Pet Shop Boys or Depeche Mode throne.

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After months of searching for the NME top 10, I did finally find it on the MTV2 website, or at least what it claims is the NME/MTV2 Top 10.

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Although I don't fully understand the "Shortlist" awards, they have announced their, ahem, shortlist for the 2006 award. The Shortlist award is "a peer-selected award that recognizes the most creative and adventurous albums of the year" (um okay) and made their 10 album nomination list. The winner will be announced "in May". I get the impression it is an attempt to be an American version of the "Mercury Prize" in the UK but maybe I'm just not a big fan of extraneous awards anyway.

The nominees are Band of Horses, Beirut, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Cat Power, Girl Talk, Hot Chip, Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, Spank Rock, & Tom Waits.

Indeed, a motley crew.

at Webster Hall

t was like the end of the world, and we’d all die dancing together.

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I think my life lacks folktronica. What can I do? Includes reviews of the Concretes, Hot Chip, James Figurine, Blood Meridian, Black Fiction, Secret Machines, and French Kicks.

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