So what’s all this work for? As nice as the sounds are, the lyrics and song structures are just…bland. Like they were tailor-made for a Gap store. Make that an elevator in a brightly lit Gap store. It’s music for the waiting room for the elevator in the Gap store. More plainly, it’s anesthetized studio-nerd work. Putting any soul or feeling into this music didn’t seem to be a consideration for Mercer or Burton. There’s absolutely nothing to hook me here. Nothing makes me perk up and take notice. It makes me wonder if this was just a studio vanity project all along. On All Songs Considered last March, a chat with Broken Bells revealed that the duo recorded its self-titled and the source material for the Meyrin Fields EP in those clinical surroundings…literally. Their recording studio was surrounded by doctors’ and lawyers’ offices. If this doesn’t contribute to the subdued, fluorescent sound of the recordings, I don’t know what does. It makes me wonder, then, if Burton and Mercer’s intent really was to do something different, something more engaging. I’m tempted to conclude that they were victims of their surroundings. After all, an album, while easy to incorporate into the listener’s own life, is a capturing of a time and place for the performers as well. It must have been a time of bland yuppieness for Broken Bells then, because this sounds eerily like “indie music,” whatever that is anymore, sanding itself down and selling itself out.

And you know what? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a sedate, chill, semi-funky record seemingly trained towards appealing to the masses or its auxiliary EP. But a record from two talented guys who are known for their uptempo music should be at least a little invigorating and moving. It should make you restless. Not because we have to pigeonhole these guys or because we’re entitled to have them do what we want, but because it simply plays to their strengths, and I’d like to hear Broken Bells at its strongest, not nestled into mediocrity.

Broken Bells‘ forthcoming EP, Meyrin Fields, includes two previously unreleased songs, and below, courtesy of NPR, you can stream the one entitled, “Windows”. Clocking in at 3:13, the tracks blends subterranean bass grooves, plucking guitar lines, and James Mercer’s best Damon Albarn/Anthony Kiedis impression, giving way to something that’s both psychedelic and wandering. You can’t help but imagine deserts on Mars, desolate terrain, or apocalyptic surrealism. It’s stark yet also delectably lush in areas. Whatever the case, it peaks our interest for the EP, nonetheless.

Meyrin Fields is available March 22nd (via Columbia). Choose your favorite configuration over at the band’s online store.

Exactly one year after The Shins’ James Mercer and super producer Danger Mouse unveiled the debut full length from their Broken Bells collaboration, the duo returns for a second go-around with the release of a four-track EP. Available March 29th (via Columbia Records), Meyrin Fields will feature two previously unreleased tracks — “Windows” and “Heartless Empire” — as well as “An Easy Life” and the title track, both of which are currently available in digital formats.

The EP will be issued in vinyl, CD, softpack, and digital formats and pre-orders are now ongoing via the band’s website.

This just happened: Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs won Album of the Year at the 53rd Annual Grammys.

We’re still in shock, mostly because Lady Antebellum won everything else and Win Butler’s crew were denied the more minor, Alternative Album of the Year. But yeah, it did happen, and well, sometimes you just have to let Kanye do the talking: “#Arcade fire!!!!!!!!!! There is hope!!! I feel like we all won when something like this happens! FUCKING AWESOME!”

Other notable winners included The Black Keys, who beat out Arcade Fire for both Alternative Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. The White Stripes (R.I.P.) were denied Best Long Form Music Video, but their Under Great White Northern Lights documentary did take home Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package. Also, Neil Young won his second-ever Grammy for “Best Rock Song”, Them Crooked Vultures scored “Best Hard Rock Performance”, and Danger Mouse earned Best Producer.

Below, you can find all the noteworthy winners (they’re in bold).

Record of the Year

Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”

B.o.B. ft. Bruno Mars – “Nothin’ On You”

Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love The Way You Lie”

Cee-Lo Green – “Fuck You”

Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys – “Empire State Of Mind”

Album of the Year

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Eminem – Recovery

Lady Antebellum – Need You Now

Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster

Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

Song of the Year

Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”

Ray Lamontagne – “Beg Steal Or Borrow”

Cee-Lo Green – “Fuck You”

Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love The Way You Lie”

Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”

Best New Artist

Esperanza Spalding

Justin Bieber

Drake

Florence and the Machine

Mumford & Sons

Best Electronic/Dance Album

La Roux – La Roux

BT – These Hopeful Machines

The Chemical Brothers – Further

Goldfrapp – Head First

Groove Armada – Black Light

Best Rock Song

Neil Young – “Angry World”

Mumford & Sons – “Little Lion Man”

Kings of Leon – “Radioactive”

Muse – “Resistance”

The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”

Best Hard Rock Performance

Them Crooked Vultures – “New Fang”

Alice in Chains – “A Looking In View”

Ozzy Osbourne – “Let Me Hear You Scream”

Soundgarden – “Black Rain”

Stone Temple Pilots – “Between The Lines”

Best Alternative Album

The Black Keys – Brothers

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Band of Horses – Infinite Arms

Broken Bells – Broken Bells

Vampire Weekend – Contra

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”

Arcade Fire – “Ready to Start”

Jeff Beck & Joss Stone – “I Put a Spell on You”

Kings Of Leon – “Radioactive”

Muse – “Resistance”

Best Rock Album

Muse – The Resistance

Jeff Beck – Emotion & Commotion

Pearl Jam – Backspacer

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Mojo

Neil Young – Le Noise

Best R&B Album

John Legend & The Roots – Wake Up!

Raheem DeVaughn – The Love & War Masterpeace

Fantasia – Back to Me

Jaheim – Another Round

Monica – Still Standing

Best Rap Song

Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys – “Empire State Of Mind”

Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love The Way You Lie”

Eminem – “Not Afraid”

B.o.B. ft. Bruno Mars – “Nothin’ On You”

Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz – “On To The Next One”

Best Rap Album

Eminem – Recovery

B.o.B. – The Adventures Of Bobby Ray

Drake – Thank Me Later

Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

The Roots – How I Got Over

Best Spoken Word Album

Jon Stewart - The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth

Craig Ferguson – American On Purpose

Sarah Silverman – The Bedwetter

Michael J. Fox – A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To The Future…

Carol Burnett – This Time Together: Laughter And Reflection

Best Comedy Album

Lewis Black – Stark Raving Black

Margaret Cho – Cho Dependent

Flight Of The Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky

Kathy Griffin – Kathy Griffin Does The Bible Belt

Robin Williams – Weapons Of Self Destruction

Best Recording Package

The Black Keys – Brothers

Oh No Ono – Eggs

Anaïs Mitchell – Hadestown

Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be

Chip Taylor – Yonkers NY

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights

Pixies – Minotaur

Various Artists – Story Island

Various Artists – Light: On The South Side

Voormann & Friends – A Sideman’s Journey

Producer of the Year

Danger Mouse (Broken Bells, (The Black Keys)

Rob Cavallo (Paramore)

Dr. Luke (Ke$ha)

RedOne (Lady Gaga)

The Smeezingtons (Cee-Lo, Bruno Mars)

Best Short Form Music Video

Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”

The Johnny Cash Project – “Ain’t No Grave”

Gorillaz – “Stylo”

Cee-Lo – “Fuck You”

Eminem & Rihanna – “Love The Way You Lie”

Best Long Form Music Video

The Doors – When You’re Strange

Blur – No Distance Left To Run

Rush – Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage

Arif Mardin – The Greatest Ears In Town: The Arif Mardin Story

The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights

Along with being super talented, Cee-Lo Green is actually a funny guy (how else do you explain his duet with Gwyneth Paltrow? Zing!) If you needed more proof of the size of his funny bone, then check out the track “The Ol’ Sauseej”, a send-up of Broken Bells‘ “The Ghost Inside” the Lady Killer dropped last night on Twitter (via Some Kind Of Awesome). Green, who is also in a little band called Gnarls Barkley with Broken Bells’ Danger Mouse, clealry loves parody… not to mention copious amounts of sausage. If Green’s sausage has gotten inside of you (wait a second…), then check it out below or download the track here.

Unless you were sitting by your computer for the entire day, you missed something. It’s just fact. We would equate today’s barrage of music news headlines as similar to when Bonnaroo decided to unveil one act off its 2010 lineup… every…. five…. minutes… via…. MySpace. One after another, today’s news stories rolled in, and for as much as they totaled in quantity they were also equally thrilling in quality. New music from R.E.M., Kanye West, and The Decemberists? A Bruce Springsteen webcast? Lineup news for the Ultra and Coachella music festivals? Our minds are blown just as much as Bono’s. Needless to say, a recap is in order.

– R.E.M. shared Collapse Into Now’s release date (3/8/11), album artwork, and lead track, “Discoverer”, which you can download for the price of an email address.

– On the same day in which he was named our Artist of the Year, Kanye West released a Christmas song. Even better, the finished product is still to come.

– For the first time ever, Daft Punk have a Top 10 album. Too bad it’s for Tron: Legacy (jkkkk).

– Bruce Springsteen is streaming a 30-minute mini concert online. As you’d expect, it’s a must-watch.

– The Decemberists’ cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Row Jimmy” has hit the web.

– Damon Albarn revealed the title of the Gorillaz‘s new album. You know, the one made on an iPad that’s being released for free on Christmas.

– Ultra Music Festival released phase 1 of its 2011 lineup and it’s pretty impressive. Among those confirmed include The Chemical Brothers, Tiësto, deadmau5, Chromeo, Empire of the Sun, Klaxons, and Erasure!

– Ireland’s Oxegen festival also released a portion of its 2011 lineup. Foo Fighters, Blink-182, and Arctic Monkeys are headlining.

– Beck will produce and play on Thurston Moore‘s forthcoming solo album. We’re guessing Rosie O’Donnell is happy.

– Mexico City rock band Caifanes is reuniting for Coachella 2011. In related news, the Coachella rumor mill is in full swing.

– Gossip’s Beth Ditto and Simian Mobile Disco are teaming up for an EP.

– Trent Reznor sat down with PBS’ Tavis Smiley to discuss his Golden Globe-nominated score for the Social Network.

– Joanna Newsom played “On a Good Day” for Letterman, while Broken Bells offered “The Ghost Inside” on Conan.

They’ve got to earn those Grammy votes somehow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t with our 38th favorite song of 2010.

Who can’t relate to a line like that? It exudes confidence, makes you feel good. In fact, you won’t find many disagreeing that “Like a G6″ was the feel good hit of the summer. If Far East Movement isn’t on your iPod, you’re lying to yourself, because it may be silly, but heck if it isn’t irresistible. Don’t get us wrong; we acknowledge that whatever hit blew up on radio in a given year isn’t necessarily among the best songs in that year. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be.

Putting together a list of the year’s best songs isn’t exactly a science. With an album list, it’s easier to quantify exactly why one is better than the other — of course Merriweather Post Pavilion is better than Lungs, but it’s not as obvious why “My Girls” is a better song than “Dog Days Are Over”. It’s apples and oranges, and truly, 50 different writers could pick 50 different songs as their number one. Still, just because it’s hard to quantify something doesn’t mean it can’t be done, and we’ve done it, dammit.

As long as 50 songs were released this year, it must be possible to rank the top 50 in descending order. It may seem a little strange to drop a bubblegum pop smash next to a sad indie anthem, or to juxtapose a film score cue with a rap song about drug recovery, but that’s the beauty of it! One of those works of art is superior to the other, and we’ve taken a position on which is which.

Still, look at the big picture here: The 50th-best song is 50th out of what, 3,298 new ones that our staff has collectively heard this year? Any way you slice it, that’s one of this year’s best tracks. So scroll through this list, shake your head in anger or disbelief a few times, but know that — no matter where it appears on the list — if you haven’t heard any of these, you have some iPod homework to get to.

-Harry Painter
Associate Editor

50. Far East Movement – “Like a G6″

Really good pop music is like a virus: You have no defense from its lightning-quick assault, and it takes over your entire system. No track of 2010 was more disgustingly efficient in this respect than “Like a G6”. Thanks to an onslaught of synth, a particularly pounding 808 beat, and a chorus overflowing with sex appeal and the ecstasy of a good time, this beast came out of nowhere to trample our tastes and make its presence known. This might be from the fever, but this completely insubstantial little ditty made our year. -Chris Coplan

49. The Dead Weather – “I’m Mad”

Served with a mixture of lo-fi aesthetics and quality sound from the Jack White camp, The Dead Weather is definitely a dark horse in our favorite vinyl proponent’s arsenal. “I’m Mad” feels like two songs in one — the first half a slow strut in shadow, while the second gets all T. Rex on you. As awesome as The Dead Weather is, “I’m Mad” is only a fraction of that wide palette, and I’m betting it would sound stellar on Third Man Records’ custom headphones. -David Buchanan

48. Band of Horses – “On My Way Back Home”

This may become the defining song in the Band of Horses catalogue. The soft, acoustic trip of “On My Way Back Home” is a reminder that sometimes a song is good for no apparent reason. A listener does not always have to dissect every lyric or every note to understand a song. Infinite Arms was a release on which the band achieved a new level of maturity, and this track is the epitome of the plateau they were able to reach. No matter where you get on, this song makes for an enjoyable ride all the way back home. -Kevin Barber

47. The Thermals – “Not Like Any Other Feeling”

This is tried and true Thermals here: the hooky guitar riff, the thoughtful lyrics, and the head-bobbing rhythm. Hutch Harris’s twanging guitar flies over Kathy Foster’s thumping, charging bass and drummer Westin Glass’s loose, fun time-keeping. But even standard Thermals is good enough to crack a Best of the Year list, so there you have it. -Adam Kivel

46. Diddy-Dirty Money – “Coming Home”

Maybe Jay-Z and J. Cole deserve to have their names in bold above instead, but Diddy and his new crew helm the tune handily. We’re not sure how necessary it is for him to have a new album, but as long as he puts out tracks of this quality and Detox is still unfinished, we’ll forgive him. -Harry Painter

Diddy-Dirty Money - "Coming Home"

Buy: “Coming Home”

45. Delta Spirit – “St. Francis”

Showcasing frontman Matt Vasquez’s emotional, craggy voice over southwestern strums and horns, “St. Francis” is Delta Spirit at their best. The song blends various American styles with the kind of dirty paintbrush that the band wields so well. Themes rooted in the beliefs of the title’s namesake remind us to look for what’s really important in life, and that it’s often closer and simpler than we think. Small pleasures, like this track, are what make living so good. -Ben Kaye

44. Lupe Fiasco – “The Show Goes On”

Horns and a Modest Mouse-esque guitar line buoy the lead single from Lupe Fiasco’s forthcoming LP, Lasers, but the most amazing thing about the song is how catchy it is. While Atlantic Records was reportedly upset about Lasers’ lack of “radio hits,” this four-minute cut boasts one of the most instantly memorable hooks of 2010, and the song’s message about perseverance makes it play like the ultimate “never give up” anthem. -Ray Roa

Lupe Fiasco - "The Show Goes On"

Buy: “The Show Goes On”

43. Eminem – “Not Afraid”

“Not Afraid”, the lead single off Recovery, did a lot of good for Slim Shady’s career and his own sense of well-being. He dropped a lot of the characters and voices he had held on to for so long, found a place of peace, and decided to bury a lot of his demons. It’s an anthem for those ready to move on and start anew, where the good of the world is a lot better than all those oh-so tempting vices, and where a little change is nothing to be afraid of. -Chris Coplan

42. Hans Zimmer & Johnny Marr – “Time”

Some moments in film beg for your flesh and blood. It’s not always the directing, though. Sometimes (actually, most of the time), it’s strictly the score. When Hans Zimmer tagged Johnny Marr to join him in scoring Christopher Nolan’s latest brainbuster – this past summer’s Inception – the indie online community reached for its box of Kleenex. While the film dusts off the eyes, the score tackles the ear, only to dig far down and clench your heart with a cold, icy fist. The perfect moment arrives at the film’s rousing finale, right when “Time” chimes in. With soft piano keys and minimal guitar work, the two musicians – Zimmer and Marr, to be exact – dance together in what may be the most hard-hitting theme to a motion picture in years. On its own, however, let’s just say…you wouldn’t argue having it played at your funeral. -Michael Roffman

41. Miniature Tigers – “Bullfighter Jacket”

As Coasts, Beaches, and Wavves are scarce in the Midwest, this summer single provided a surf-less gem for those without an ocean view. The opening “yah yahs” trump any indie hook of the year, and its breezy diffidence and matador metaphors create a perfect love song that is the concise sum of the last decade of indie music. Summer feelings last forever in this brief three-minute tune. –Jeremy Larson

40. Deftones – “Rocket Skates”

Catchy, driving, and powerful, “Rocket Skates” from Deftones‘ Diamond Eyes is a song that sums up everything the Deftones are. The crunchy, grinding guitar riffs at the beginning are the perfect setup for Chino Moreno’s vocal journey, which encompasses melodic wails and eye-watering shrieks. During the climax, when he screams, “Guns, razors, knives!” and follows with a playful vocal fill of “whooo!”, you buckle up and hold on tight. -Karina Halle

39. Devo – “Don’t Shoot (I’m A Man)”

Devo’s return has been nothing short of amazing. Something For Everybody rocked our year, and “Don’t Shoot (I’m A Man)” is right there at the top of the track stack. It’s a high-energy, electronic joyride through Devo’s hall of modern peril – delightfully dancey, outstandingly cynical, and easily the most fun song of the year. Plus, it gets a million bonus points for working “don’t tase me, bro” into a dance song – pop art brilliance! -Cap Blackard

38. Broken Bells – “The High Road”

“Cause they know/and so do I/The high road/is hard to find,” sings James Mercer on the first single off of Broken Bells. The catchy indie hit put this odd yet delightful pairing of Mercer and Danger Mouse on the map. Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) not only lends his production skills but also plays drums. Mercer’s subtle sound is perfect vocally on this track, as he dabbles in a variety of ranges and lets us know something most of us already know about trying to find the high road. -Kevin Barber

37. Chromeo – “Don’t Turn the Lights On”

Chromeo‘s Business Casual left something to be desired, but that doesn’t mean the guys didn’t put out an irresistible jam. “Don’t Turn the Lights On” is a simple groove, but it builds at the right moments, and how can you not love the message? -Harry Painter

36. Surfer Blood – “Swim”

In a year when Weezer can’t figure out who the hell they are, Surfer Blood seem to have a pretty solid stance of their own: “Swim” is the year’s most infectious indie rock track, hearkening back to a simpler time of old-fashioned fuzz riffs and shouted hooks. Swim on, gents. -Ryan Reed

35. B.o.B. – “Don’t Let Me Fall”

With a dreamy piano intro, “Don’t Let Me Fall” – the opener of B.o.B.’s stellar debut – is one of the strongest tracks of the year. Throughout, he talks of his dreams and whether they will be fulfilled, so it is fitting that the first lyrics on the disc are “Well it was just a dream/just a moment ago/I was up so high, looking down at the sky/don’t let me fall.” These confident yet vulnerable lyrics continue as he reaches new heights, but there always exists a fear that he may eventually come crashing down. What goes up always comes down, but “Don’t Let Me Fall” may continue to rise for years to come. -Kevin Barber

34. No Age – “Glitter”

With their second album titled Everything in Between, No Age are clearly striking for an LP that accurately portrays the ins and outs of growing up; “Glitter” is the song that does that best. It’s a lot of junk noise and beats and effects coupled together with a steady rhythm and a flourish of guitar. It’s a hybrid of their sensibilities and styles, all held together by the glue of a couple guys looking to finally get a much needed win. Isn’t that something we can all get behind? -Chris Coplan

33. Menomena – “TAOS”

Densely layered with loops of piano, hellacious saxophone riffs, Pet Sounds harmonies, dirty, fuzzy garage rock riffs, and unrelenting percussion, the two-act “TAOS” is the perfect introduction to the world of Menomena. Although the tune is the Portland trio at their most explosively chaotic, it’s also accessible. -Frank Mojica

32. The Soft Pack – “Answer to Yourself”

As one of the least complicated surf-rock anthems of 2010, “Answer to Yourself” has a guitar line that saws its way into your head. It’s a slice of rock individualism, an ode to the perpetual losers of the world, and a reminder that no man is an island. The hopeful tones and nihilistic tinge make it all the more alluring, crushing the competition in a blast of surf-rock angst. Cowa-fucking-bunga. -Chris Coplan

31. Japandroids – “Younger Us”

Cleaning up their characteristic fuzz and indulging in an emotional, nostalgic plea for better times, Japandroids vocalist Brian King cries “Give me younger us”, while he and drummer David Prowse show their older selves. With their trademark spastic enthusiasm, we’re inclined to oblige. -Caitlin Meyer

30. Local Natives – “Sun Hands”

“Sun Hands” exemplifies everything that was wonderful about Local Natives‘ debut. Snappy at times and downright rocking at others, every band member shines through. Dissonant tones and plucks chug along under shimmering layers of vocals, giving you the perfect embodiment of the breed of indie rock these L.A. boys serve up. What’s more, the lyrics are just as strong as the music. Poetic without neglecting crowd-pleasing chants, the words are imbued with creativity both in design and implication. Is it about a quest for some ideal, natural beauty, or about watching a perfect woman walk away, wondering if you’ll ever hold her again? Either way, it’s as stunning as it is chill, chill as it is rocking. -Ben Kaye

29. Deerhunter – “Desire Lines”

On the whole, Halcyon Digest is a blissfully atmospheric re-examination of drugged out 60′s psychedelic-rock that breezes between ethereal dream-pop textures and hard-hitting rock. But perhaps it is guitarist Lockett Pundt’s “Desire Lines” that best encapsulates the record’s greatest strengths. Structurally exhilarating, it rides in slowly on spacious, pounding drums before turning into a steadily shuffling rocker. Steeped in lyrical nostalgia, Pundt’s pseudo-lackadaisical delivery solidifies over the rest of the song’s ghostly haze, bellowing about the merits of youth-bound naiveté. Regular frontman Bradford Cox wordlessly wails away behind a veil of reverb alongside bright, echoed fingerpicking and snare-heavy hallway drums. Then the song wanders into a dreamy shoegaze soundscape of glowing whirs and bright guitar tones before ultimately fading out. -Drew Litowitz

28. Hot Chip – “I Feel Better”

Hot Chip has never been a one-trick pony. Ever. Looking at their back catalog, they touch down just about everywhere: the guitar-pop of “One Pure Thought”, the balladry of “Made In The Dark”, and the club-heaviness of “And I Was A Boy From School”, to name a few. Hot Chip can roughly be defined as electropop, but to box them in like that is criminal. The musical capabilities of the English five-piece are far-reaching and flirting with being limitless. So, it should come as no surprise that “I Feel Better” was dissimilar to every Hot Chip song that came before it. Filled to the brim with frantic strings, a whole lot of Auto-Tune, and Alexis Taylor’s signature tenor, this was the most memorable track from One Life Stand. Oh, and staying true to form, it was accompanied by a very innovative/hilarious video. -Winston Robbins

27. Jónsi – “Grow till Tall”

Go, Jónsi‘s debut solo album, is cinematic and epic in the most fanciful sense, breaking away from the oft-somber ruminations of his main gig, Sigur Ros. “Grow till Tall”, the album’s penultimate track, is an exception to that rule of immediacy. It would have fit perfectly on either of Sigur Ros’ last two releases, working its way around a precious, instantly recognizable Jónsi vocal melody, swirling in a light bath of electronic twinkles and reverb. It serves as a much-needed comedown on Go, balancing the sweetest of the album’s many sugar highs, proving that it’s nice to branch out and all, but you shouldn’t forget about your bread and butter. -Ryan Reed

26. Against Me! – “I Was a Teenage Anarchist”

Is it punk? Is it an example of Against Me! watering down their sound for the mainstream? Let’s be honest: Who cares? “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” will get your pulse racing with its simple but aggressive guitar riff. The moment everyone will remember most of all is the chorus that slams into your body and rattles your ribcage. “Do you remember when you were young/And you wanted to set the world on fire?” Tom Gabel screams out, making you want to return to days of teenage rebellion where it’s you against the world, the days when a song could lead to a revolution. -Joe Marvilli

25. Sufjan Stevens – “All Delighted People”

“All delighted people, raise their hands,” the enigmatic Sufjan Stevens cheers over a massive heap of instrumentation. Lushly honking horns, screeching electronic swells, melancholic strings, and, of course, a gorgeous chorus of female voices all build together under Stevens’ direction. The Suf’s delicate vocals are more precise than ever, more full-bodied and wavering. Stevens returns with a sprawling epic that works as a simultaneous ode to “The Sounds of Silence” and a contemplation of human nature’s dark desire for external validation. At nearly 12 minutes, it breezes in atop deeply warm and ominous choral vocals, crashes with heavy guitar and regal brass, burns into chaos, smooths out again, and gets lost in a sea of entangled strings. It’s the sort of song you can’t really criticize for being anything but over-ambitious. This guy has an intense sonic vision and seemingly effortlessly brings it into fruition without an ounce of fear. All delighted people, raise your hands. -Drew Litowitz

24. Joanna Newsom – “Baby Birch”

Of all the depth on Have One On Me, Joanna Newsom remains at her best through her labyrinthine compositions that can infinitely unfold into a detailed and surrealist canvas full of mysterious parables, wounded love, and of course, her impeccable harp-work. Fragility is an emotion curiously absent from many artists’ work these days, but Newsom traffics in it with powerful results on “Baby Birch”. The song marries the simplistic structure of her earlier work to the dense and prolific lyricism of her Ys material and adds to both a masterful, instrumental arrangement full of delicate crescendos and diminuendos. In the final verse – the climax – her vocal melody finally falls in sync with the harp’s off-beat time-keeping in a whirl of lyrical gymnastics that could easily serve Newsom’s bid as the foremost singer-songwriter of this generation. –Jeremy Larson

23. Arcade Fire – “We Used to Wait”

After decades of apprehension, the “future” has arrived. It’s 2010. It’s not what we expected, but it’s here, and the world has dramatically changed. With “We Used to Wait”, Arcade Fire channels the loss of the world as we understood it, reminding us of the human tradition of waiting for letters and the romance and tragedy in that act. It’s a simple but profound observation that perfectly characterizes this transitory space we now exist in – right as humanity steps into a new age. It’s 2010, and many of us will keep on marching into the world of tomorrow, but some of us can’t bear to forget the analogue age. “We Used to Wait” is a fitting elegy for that simpler time and a beautiful way to remember the year that we looked out across the valley to see one day end and another begin. -Cap Blackard

22. LCD Soundsystem – “Home”

It’s nearly 2011, but looking back, James Murphy and his band – you know, LCD Soundsystem - just finished what could arguably be their career peak. With great shows and a fantastic record, the group entertained millions with an equally impressive arsenal of new songs, one of them being the closer to this year’s remarkable, This Is Happening. More recently, “Home” has become a live staple, and it’s easy to see why. With one of the most pleasant and upbeat hooks, accompanied by unique choices in percussion, Murphy’s singing and instrumentation tickle the heart and the mind with a dazzling gallery of images, all stemming from some whiskey-embraced nostalgia to a newfound respect for commonality. Chilling, but in the best way possible.  -Ted Maider

21. Janelle Monae – “Tightrope”

For a genre that largely prides itself on recreating the traditions of the past, Janelle Monáe goes against that truth, reinventing R&B to fit her own unique thematic vision. While “Tightrope” remains nestled in the middle of The ArchAndroid’s futuristic statement, the song showcases Monáe’s versatility as she busts out this irresistible number. While this budding star shines at the front and center of this funky five-minute strut, it’s her supporting cast that takes her to the top. Between arguably the best bass line of year and an equally dynamic drumbeat, Monáe’s rhythm section provides her with the tightrope that she balances upon. Add in a verse by Sir Lucious Left Foot (Big Boi) himself and some classy brass, and “Tightrope” is a no-brainer. -Max Blau

20. The Tallest Man on Earth – “King of Spain”

Kristian Matsson may not be the tallest man you know. In fact, he comes in at a few inches under six feet, but listening to the triumphant “King of Spain”, you’d never know that.

Matsson jokingly toys with his status as a songwriter, claiming to “Settle in Pamplona” and “Provoke the bulls with words.” He even shouts out to Dylan with his “Boots of Spanish leather.” Jokes aside, the song is about love and transformation and is, frankly, irresistible. With his characteristic rapid guitar strumming in top form and raspy, passionate vocals paired alongside an exuberant love for love, the Tallest Man is in top form with this revival tune. -Caitlin Meyer

19. Robyn – “Dancing on My Own”

Robyn‘s “Dancing On My Own” is the kind of pop song an indie rocker can get behind: incredibly catchy (but not annoyingly so), lyrically detached and melancholy, and dominated sonically by chilly, dense, synthesizers. Kanye might be the pop star of 2010 in terms of sheer “can’t ignore me if you try” hooks, but with this masterful comeback single, Robyn gracefully and subtly dominated the dance floor. -Ryan Reed

18. Wavves – “King of the Beach”

Kicking off one helluva fun album is this super-charged, rollicking beach jam. Nathan Williams and Co. set the tone with an anthemic shout-along about his sand dominance. The thrashing chords and rapidly rolling drums provide a pretty standard (yet great) power-pop gem before a wide-open, whammy-bar bridge and chord change crash in to keep things fresh. -Adam Kivel

17. Sleigh Bells – “Tell ‘Em”

“Tell ‘Em” is Sleigh Bells. There’s no other track on Treats that better does what “Tell ‘Em” does, because the opening riff – the one that sounds like a Jock Jam shredded out on cocaine – is definitive. Derick Miller’s instrumentation attacks your every pressure point, from the EQ’d guitar sound that is sorely missed in most indie music, to the industrial spine supporting the track, to the hand-claps and snaps replacing the snare and hi-hat. Over each meticulous element, Alexis Krauss speeds through her thoughts on youth, suggesting insignificance in both style and substance, a timely quality that couples well with the substance of Miller’s guitar. The definitiveness of “Tell ‘Em” goes beyond the album, too. Sleigh Bells’ sound might be the most exciting debut of 2010, sounding like everything and nothing, full of fluff and substance, and this song is their battle cry. –Jeremy Larson

16. Broken Social Scene – “World Sick”

Broken Social Scene is a band that’s always done drama: strained inter-band relationships, a rotating cast of musicians, and a discography of melodramatic soundscapes. But “World Sick” tops them all. The song is the perfect slice of Broken Social Scene melodrama. It builds slowly with a gorgeous riff and mounts into an anthem. It’s the sort of song that begs for you to have an embarrassing fist-in-the-air-at-a-concert moment, and really, with lyrics like “I get world sick every time I take a stand,” it’s easy to imagine the song being a sappy train-wreck. But Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, and Co. instead take that sentiment to a beautiful, epic place. -Evan Minsker

15. Yeasayer – “Ambling Alp”

When “Ambling Alp” first came out during the latter portions of 2009 (technically), it not only stood as the first glimpse of Yeasayer’s 2010 sophomore record, Odd Blood, but it also laid to rest any concerns about the Brooklyn trio falling short of expectations set by 2007’s All Hour Cymbals. Earlier tracks like “Sunrise” and “2080” may have brought the psych-pop trio to our attention, but “Ambling Alp” convinces listeners of Yeasayer’s staying power. From its onset, “Ambling Alp” memorably lifts through the song’s upbeat harmonies, determined lyrical optimism, and poly-rhythmic percussion. In a year’s time, Yeasayer has transformed from a nice, intriguing blend of worldly fusion and indie rock to a band that seems determined to stick around for a while. And if they continue to write tracks as compelling as “Ambling Alp”, that’s something we can all live with. -Max Blau

14. Big Boi – “Shutterbugg”

It’s been a bleak period in popular hip-hop, and half of that dry spell has to be because Outkast hasn’t released a single in quite a few years. This year, though, marked the release of Big Boi’s solo effort, Sir Luscious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, and along with it came “Shutterbugg”. Big Boi’s rhymes are as crisp as ever, referencing Wu-Tang, comparing himself to a beehive, and “twisting his A-cap.” Not to mention the fact that the production was fantastic, with a bizarre rhythm section, including a vocal instrument track, one of the catchiest hooks of the year, and proof that Outkast truly is everlasting. -Ted Maider

13. Cee-Lo – “Fuck You”

Singing in public is always a fun activity. Singing “Fuck You” in public is doubly so. Sure, you may get some weird stares, but the catchiness of the song is undeniable. With a strong Motown feel that brings you back to the ’60s, somehow the cursing that you might think would detract from such a song manages to slip right in perfectly. Combined with a catchy piano line and an amazingly artistic music video, Cee-Lo Green definitely scored a hit with this. -Dana Grossman

12. Best Coast – “Our Deal”

Let’s be honest. This past summer belonged to Best Coast‘s Bethany Cosentino. Sure, her earlier EPs peaked online around January or February, but by the time she issued her LP debut, Crazy for You, everyone was running around in boardshorts and Wayfarers. Some might argue that her simplistic lyrics sound downright juvenile; however, they’d be missing the perspective she’s coming from… and they’d just be flat-out wrong. On “Our Deal”, Cosentino croons, “I wish you would tell me/how you really feel/But you’ll never tell me/Because that’s not our deal” over an afternoon melody, the sort that’s reserved for exclusive private beach picnics or icy piña colada dates out by an apartment complex’s pool. It’s melancholy but sunny. Lyrically, it is simplistic, but the images open up to something so much deeper. She probably sounds best here, too. But that’s a whole other deal. -Michael Roffman

11. Gorillaz – “Stylo”

Catchy bass lines aren’t anything new to the Gorillaz; just try and tell us that you got songs like “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.” out of your head quickly. “Stylo” is another such earworm, the bass taking the spotlight…instrument-wise, anyway. Bobby Womack’s impassioned vocals (with completely improvised words, at that!) are what really are most notable about the song. Finally, there’s the music video. Bruce Willis is in it. I need not say more. -Dana Grossman

10. Titus Andronicus – “The Battle of Hampton Roads”

For the better part of an hour, with gut-wrenching fury, Patrick Stickles’ quivering yelps denounce “the enemy”–whoever or whatever its form. To the angsty poet, “the enemy is everywhere,” polluting our sense of self-worth with nasty remarks and backwards pathology. But there are few moments in rock as heartbreaking, truly revelatory, or thematically beautiful as when the apprehensive frontman pleads, begs, and reasons with the very source of all his woes, the enemy he rails against so vehemently. At the record’s culmination, Stickles realizes something profound: With nobody to set yourself against, you really are nothing much at all. “I’d be nothing without you, my darling, please don’t ever leave,” he cries repeatedly over fumbling, swelling chords and funereal horns. In doing so, Stickles defends “the enemy’s” requisite, harks back to all of The Monitor‘s complex war-torn themes, and expresses the feeling that we, as listeners, experience as the record concludes. Please, don’t ever leave. -Drew Litowitz

09. Beach House – “Zebra”

Somewhat rarely is the opening track to an album far and away the best of the album. But I think Beach House did it on purpose. The leap from their previous album, Devotion, into the mainstream with Teen Dream was one of massive proportions. Gone are the days of their signature minimalism; a wonderful, expanded sound has gladly replaced it. Beach House instantly went from underground dream-pop darlings to full-fledged indie stars. The success of Devotion, the BFF affiliation with Grizzly Bear, and the expansion into a deeper, broader sound made way for a very successful follow-up album.

There is no doubt that the band picked this track to lead their listeners into their new, more perfected sound. Victoria Legrand’s brooding, husky vocals had a new quality to them, something more confident. The backing musicianship had obviously been expanded upon; especially noticeable were the live drums that replaced the old drum tracks they had set a foundation on. No longer tentative, Alex Scally had taken absolute control of the melody with his slow and steady guitar riffs. And with those expansions, we have ourselves a Beach House that has come into their own. We watched as they made their way through the stages of indie infancy with their self-titled album. We watched as they conquered the world with the obvious, yet inhibited talent of Devotion. And we watched as they released Teen Dream - the album that solidifies their position as a dominating force in the indie music scene. -Winston Robbins

08. Kanye West – “Runaway”

Just one note on the piano. In its simplicity, it’s one of the best moments of any song this year. One note repeated over and over without any clue as to when the song is going to begin. The strength and foundation of Kanye West‘s biggest statement lies on one note. And the rest of “Runaway” is given a pretty straightforward presentation; the lyrics spill it all on the table. He always finds something wrong. He was never much of a romantic. He showed this bitch a picture of his dick (or, if you prefer, his “HEY!”). Top all that off with Pusha T, who shows up on the track, vicious with language.

After its debut at the VMAs, a lot of people tagged the song as an apology to Taylor Swift, but it’s nothing so juvenile. It’s not even a tongue-in-cheek toast for all the douchebags/assholes/scumbags/jerk-offs. It’s a self-reflection of how he treated another woman (presumably the one on the other end of 808s & Heartbreak). It’s a song that’s got Kanye singing with desperation at the climax and closing with an Auto-Tuned mumble of the song’s central lyrics. It’s perhaps the most vulnerable you’ll hear the man, which is saying something for a guy who has spent hours on Twitter and his blog talking about his feelings. “Power” let Kanye pound his chest again. “Runaway” is on the other side of the spectrum — his catharsis. Damn if it isn’t one of hip-hop’s greatest self-reflections. -Evan Minsker

Kanye West - "Runaway" (feat. Pusha T)

Buy: “Runaway”

07. Arcade Fire – “The Suburbs”

There’s a lot that comes to mind during “The Suburbs”. The title track to Arcade Fire‘s recent third entry in their highly celebrated discography merits some deep, deep analysis. Is it about lost youth? Reckless abandonment? A quarter-life crisis? The end of the world? So many broad descriptions that produce so much angst. So much. Songwriter Win Butler orchestrates this haunting introduction that reads like a lost Hemingway passage, only it sounds like a rusty Neil Young ballad gone awry.

Whereas Young keeps things fairly grounded, Butler tends to a scatterbrained painting here, recalling how “the first bombs fell” and the (possibly) murky desire to “want a daughter while [he's] still young.” It’s all very vague. What’s arresting, however, is how easily you can identify with this song. On paper, the song feels distant, as if Butler’s writing post-modern science fiction, all sewed up with literary themes stripped from ancient Americana. But, in its brute form, as a song that is, “The Suburbs” creepily unravels the threads to your heart, one by one, and even if you might not understand exactly what’s going on, you’ll feel it. Sometimes that’s all that matters. Sometimes that matters even more. -Michael Roffman

06. The National – “Terrible Love” (Alternate Version)

When The National debuted “Terrible Love” on Jimmy Fallon in March, my initial reaction was “Wow, that’s good. Like, ‘Mr. November’ good.” That perception was reaffirmed 24 hours later when the band chose to close their set at The Bell House in Brooklyn with this new track, thus bumping longtime set closer “Mr. November” to second-to-last song. It’s easy to understand why the Brooklyn band made that decision and have continued to do so with every performance that has followed. “Terrible Love” features 2010′s best musical climax, transitioning from a slow and atmospheric beginning to a pulsating, guitar- and drum-driven peak. Yet when fans first spun High Violet, the opening track that previously heard intensity was noticeably lacking.

When I asked guitarist Aaron Dessner about the differences, he explained that the band “loved the murky and kind of ugly Velvet Underground aesthetic of the album version of the song,” but after performing it live for the first time, “We realized it would be a really big song live. We also realized our fans might be a little disappointed that the album version doesn’t kick in as forcefully in the drumming as it does live.” So, six months later, The National unveiled a new, alternate version of “Terrible Love”, and as Dessner admitted, “In some ways it’s a more effective or forceful realization of the song.” Either way, we’re left with two versions of one brilliant song. -Alex Young

05. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”

When Katy Perry first entered our shared musical consciousness, it was in the role of free-wheeling wild child, the omni-sexual beast who kissed girls and accused her boyfriend of being gay. There was an energy to her that put her in a class above the prissy, faux sexual pop divas she shared the charts with. Then, perhaps as a means to avoid the sophomore slump and pump her position up a few notches, she returned as a stifled version of her former self on tracks like “California Gurls”, where that sharp wit was replaced with a bizarre sexbot who had stopped winking to indicate a sense of humor and had completely given herself to the machine of uninspired pop music. Also, she started shooting whipped cream from her boobs.

If Teenage Dream (the album) had any redeeming qualities, something to remind us there still existed a shred of the Perry of old, it lived in the title track. While the more popular “California Gurls” showed a total obedience to air-headed inhibitions, “Teenage Dream” is romantic, a recalling of the highlights of a relationship and a plea to never let the fire die. It’s complete rubbish in comparison to some of the more mature tracks from her first offering, but “Teenage Dream” is what we think the formula of Katy Perry is really about: There’s a bit of sentimentality we can all latch onto, an inoffensive and wholly appealing musical arrangement, and a slight glimmer of humor while still being an actual dedication of genuine love and devotion, one that probably actually happened. It’s hard to accept this new Katy Perry for everything she gave up, not to mention the kinds of tactics she decided to utilize, but “Teenage Dream” gives us hope that young love can make it and that we can still adore Ms. Perry despite all her flaws. -Chris Coplan

04. Vampire Weekend – “Cousins”

At this point, it’s fair to say that Vampire Weekend have a trademark “sound”: bouncy rhythms, that infamous African sheen, and lyrics about high class and low expectations. The best thing about “Cousins”, the standout track from their sophomore slump-slaying Contra, is that it throws the trademark out the window.

Opening with a punky, almost discordant electric guitar riff, the song blooms into a weird, ever-shifting diagonal somersault, Chris Tomson’s crackling snare furiously marching against Chris Baio’s fuzzy bass, Rostam Batmanglij’s giddy, rapid-fire descending guitar figures, and Ezra Koenig’s surreal lyrics about sweaters on ocean floors and turning your back on the bitter world, delivered in a tricky rhythmic free association. Once you think you’ve finally grasped the structure of the complicated verses, the chorus hits like a sing-along brick. It’s the musical equivalent of a simultaneous handshake/bitchslap. And it’s one of the most singular, unforgettable songs of the year. -Ryan Reed

03. The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”

This moment was eight years in the making for the Akron, OH duo. With Danger Mouse at the helm again, “Tighten Up” broke The Black Keys out of the college radio circuit and got them as close to the mainstream as it gets, Grammy nominations and all. It’s a well-deserved accolade for the band, one that started with Attack and Release and ended with one of the most enjoyable unions in music. “Tighten Up” is the culmination of that journey, and arguably the best song to come from the band to date. The stage is now set, The Black Keys have crossed over, and the world just got a little bluesier.

Three years ago, The Black Keys were the unlikeliest of bands to score a mainstream hit. “Tighten Up” was their first real stab at a pop song, though their intention was nothing more than to continue in a direction to see where it went next. The combination of roots rock revival and Danger Mouse’s presence went straight back to the Motown formula for success: just add R&B. Dan Auerbach’s vocal chops are as smooth as his guitar work. Patrick Carney carries his weight, offering up some of his best drum work during the verse. Hooks lay all over the track, from the opening whistle to the guitar lick that makes up the chorus. The tempo change part way through for the breakdown takes The Keys from Motown back to the Delta for a heavy blues finish. As a single, it was the perfect way for The Black Keys to be introduced to the mainstream — catchy but never compromising. They wear their sharpened sound quite naturally, making music this cool look easy. And with a boost from Danger Mouse, they gave us another stellar song that ranks high not only for The Black Keys, but for all of 2010. -E.N. May

02. LCD Soundsystem – “Dance Yrself Clean”

It’s not about dancing your cares away, like so many pop singles. It’s about the exact opposite, stasis and seizure. In “Dance Yrself Clean”, Murphy’s pointed lyrics fall right into his wheelhouse: How come the modern age, love, and partying never get along? His pop-sociological rants on 21st century culture underpinning the song run parallel to an always phenomenal DFA production (including one of the best beat drops of 2010), and Murphy’s vocal performance may be the most notable component.

For nine minutes, there’s hardly a pause in Murphy’s performance. His voice feels like another instrument painstakingly produced in this mix, not just like a DJ over a dance beat. If he’s not resignedly calling someone a jerk, he’s wailing at that same someone to “put their little feet down and hang out.” He’s got “ahhs” like a choir and “ohhhs” like a wounded man. His fury waxes and wanes like an epic argument. The vitriol hurts, but the calm after the storm is somehow more poignant and cutting. Murphy’s acerbity has never had this much heart and soul, but, as corroborated by his live shows, this song incites dance riots in audiences unaware of the intrinsic irony happening as they put their little feet down and hang out. Perhaps we’re the punch line of Murphy’s joke, and we’re all too distracted to notice the horrors of age, love, and partying. Ah, fuck it. Just dance. -Jeremy Larson

01. Kanye West – “Power”

Between the releases of Graduation and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West’s public perception nosedived from an enigmatic hip-hop visionary to public enemy number one. During the past three years, West’s legacy has been largely defined by his schizophrenic tweets, fish sticks, paparazzi confrontations, Taylor-gate, and last-minute tour cancellations. No matter how scrutinized and criticized West remained over this period, what became increasingly overlooked was the fact that he was a grieving man, coping with the sudden, traumatic loss of his mother. After all these trials and tribulations, West is finally learning to come to terms with his own demons. After three years, he has re-emerged from the depths of his self-pity and heartache with resolve. “Power” represents West’s evocative gaze into the rearview mirror of his recent past.

So what does West see? He sees himself—way too much of the man in the mirror. West assertively questions the amount of attention the world has bestowed upon his life and how it subsequently affected him (“Got treasures in my mind, but couldn’t open up my own vault/My childlike creativity, purity and honesty/Is honestly being prodded by these grown thoughts”). But on “Power”, West has retained custody of his creativity in formidable fashion. While his selection of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” rests as his most ingenious sampling since Daft Punk on “Stronger”, he juxtaposes it with an equally compelling use of Continent Number 6’s “Afromerica”. The cohesive mixing of genres as distinct as prog-rock and worldbeat into a hip-hop track is difficult enough, but it’s the prominent arrangement of these songs that makes his sampling so masterful. As “Power” concludes, West simply states, “You got the power to let power go.” Those eight words say it all for Kanye. Rather than playing the role of creative genius, he’s back to letting his work speak for itself. That’s always what he’s done best, and this time is no exception. Welcome back, Mr. West. -Max Blau

Kanye West - "Power"

Buy: “Power”

The Christmas season might not seem conducive to music festivals, but don’t tell KROQ that. The 2011 edition of the LA radio station’s annual Almost Acoustic Christmas features The Smashing Pumpkins, Social Distortion, My Chemical Romance, Bad Religion, and Jimmy Eat World on day one (Dec. 11th) and Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Brandon Flowers, The Black Keys, Broken Bells, Florence and the Machine, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes on day two (Dec. 12th).

Single day tickets are priced at $75 and will be available starting Thursday, November 18th at 12:00 PM CST. Click here for all the necessary details.

When director Matt McCormick was listening to Broken Bells‘ “The Ghost Inside” for inspiration for a new official video, a most wonderful thought struck him. “(I) looked up the ‘Private Eyes’ video on YouTube,” he told Vulture in an interview (via TwentyFourBit), “and realized that song structure and tempo was pretty darn close to that of ‘Ghost Inside’. Thanks to that brilliant line of thinking, we now can see, in all its glorious glory, Hall & Oates (with James Mercer’s mouth synched in for Daryl Hall’s, of course) singing “The Ghost Inside” all the way back in 1981. Because even if you don’t have Christina Hendricks anymore, your dreams can still come true.

From Bob Dylan rapping with Kurtis Blow, to Ozzy Osbourn and Miss Piggy covering Steppenwolf, and last year’s WTF winner Grizzly Bear and Michael McDonald, seemingly incongruous musicians have always shacked up with one another for some reason or another. Sometimes it’s been for a quick cash grab, or a peace offering, or in memorium, and often it can be cringe-worthy. With the bad ones, either you can smell the falsehood, or you just left wondering “why?” or worse, “who cares?”

But something seems to be in the air in 2010, and diametrical opposites are joining forces to create works that are interesting, challenging, engaging, original, and overall successes. It’s like wrapping chocolate in bacon: you wouldn’t think they’d go together, but — tried and tested — they do. Sure, there have been some clunkers this year (imagine drinking orange juice after you brush your teeth), but here we take a look at some of the chocolate bacon delights that have come out in 2010.

Jeff Tweedy + Mavis Staples

Two weeks ago on 30 Rock, Queen Latifa’s character quipped that NBC was “more white than a Wilco concert.” I watch a lot of NBC and have been to three Wilco concerts and you can’t really argue with her. The Godmother of Soul and Stax Records legend Mavis Staples has a musical disposition that might be classified as “way more black” than Wilco, But both embody slices of good ol’ American pie, and Jeff Tweedy‘s production on Staples’ latest You Are Not Alone is a great example of two artists who share a similar vision from different backgrounds.

Wilco is roots rock, but Staples brings offers us some different roots that we indie kids may too often ignore. CoS’s Evan Minsker accurately summed up the album by saying “It’s warm. It’s hopeful. It’s American.” Finally, a good kind of perfect harmony.

Broken Bells

I wonder what Zach Braff and Natalie Portman’s characters from Garden State are doing right now. My guess is riding around in that broke-ass motorcycle and listening to Broken Bells. In fact, if you could dilute that soundtrack down to its essence, it would be an electronic Shins, which is exactly what James Mercer and Danger Mouse produced with their collaboration. Danger Mouse (born Brian Burton) mostly works within the hip hop genre, producing most notably the underground hit The Grey Album, Demon Days, or as a member of Gnarls Barkley. But his work with The Shins’ front man James Mercer represents a shift in his focus and together they produced an absolutely serviceable album with just the right amount of groove mixed in with Mercer’s melancholic indie sound.

I don’t believe it was the revelatory album that they (we (I?)) were hoping for, but it’s a nice bon mot that sees two heavyweights from indie and hip hop come together and simply work well. Favoring ease over complexity, Broken Bells feels like an album of solid remixes, though hopefully the collaboration inspires more hip hop producers to work with indie darlings. DJ Shadow/Ezra Koenig anyone?

Kanye West + Justin Vernon

So Kanye West is no stranger to odd collaborations. From Jamie Foxx to Justin Beiber to samples from the most cobwebbed corners of music, the man works like a genius movie director by culling the most out of the tools he has.

But when news came that Yeezy flew Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon to Hawaii to lay down some vocals, that about sealed the deal as the oddest cross-pollinating collaboration for Ye. The Wisconsin-bred folk singer laid down some distorted vocals that bookended the Kanye/Jay-Z/Niki Minaj banger “Monster” and he will also appear on Ye’s forthcoming My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in some form or another. Now if Vernon can get Kanye to produce the next Bon Iver album, that’s when things are really going to fly off the handle.

“Monster” (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, & Bon Iver)

Neil Young + Daniel Lanois

As we get older, we have to see the doctor more often. Gums recede, all that benzedrine abuse finally catches up with you, and turns out those freckles aren’t just “kisses from God.” The one doctor aging folk artists seem to turn to is Daniel Lanois – Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Emmy, Lou Harris, and now Neil Young stepped into Lanois’ office. Where once there were 8 tracks, now there are 128 and super digitalized.

It’s not like this is Young’s first step into electric land, but Lanois’ aura of reverb and gloss don’t seem congruent to Young’s barren blues. But one listen to Le Noise and you hear a match in these two. It’s like Crazy Horse meets U2 — there’s distortion and noise, there’s Young’s stark voice with reverb, and it works so well. Some may say that Lanois is just smoke and mirrors hiding Young’s age, but one listen and you’ll see that Young’s songwriting is still spot on. “Hitchhiker” is one hell of a song.

Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach

Collaborations can create some rough stuff, we know, but sometimes it’s the single key to success. If your song is labeled as a crossover hit, then you can just ride that song all the way to Top 40 Radio/The Grammys/college dorms/casual conversations with your mother. Remember when you first heard “Clint Eastwood” almost 10 years ago? That song had crossover written all over it. Deltron, Blur, those four low-Hz bass hits, and something about some cartoons.

Now, Gorillaz have transmogrified from cartoons to something quite real in Plastic Beach, one of 2010′s most versatile and promising albums. At the group’s creative core is still Damon Albarn, but a buck-shot of guests appear on the record, each one expanding on already diverse universe the album creates. From more obvious collaborations like De La Soul and Gruff Rhys to, well, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Snoop Dogg, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones, Bobby Womack, etc… You’d think it was some benefit for some impoverished country, but no, it’s just consortium of legends contributing the The World of Plastic Beach. And when the majority of them show up and play it live? It’s unbelievable.

Runners Up:

Ben Folds + Nick Hornby

Ben Folds has got his fans, and he ain’t losing them. I’m not sure if he’s gaining new ones at this point, but we all have a little place in our hearts for him somewhere, I’m sure. His collaboration with author/screenwriter Nick Hornby on his Lonely Avenue is confusing, since at this point in Folds’ career, I am more interested in watching him try to grow as a songwriter. But his nerdiness and lightheartedness may never leave him, and that’s wonderful, so why not get the guy that wrote High Fedilety to write the lyrics for your album. For a Ben Folds jam, it feels off-kilter, but there are some nice moments. Folds’ knack for a quick and catchy melody married with Honrby’s wry humor is just innocuous enough to listen to once or twice.

Thom Yorke + Flying Lotus

When you think about it, this isn’t strange one bit. But then when you think about it a little more, you wonder: why Thom Yorke? Who called who? Getting Yorke on your album is like getting Kanye: guarnteed hype and buzz. Of course, when you listen to the Flying Lotus track “…And The World Laughs With You”, Yorke’s processed voice loops around à la “Kid A” and before you know it, the song is over. Cool, I guess, but for Cosmogramma and its density, that one floats right on the surface. I mean, Ravi Coltrane is on the album, wouldn’t you rather listen to him? No? Ok, I understand.

Bethany Cosentino + Weezer

Details are scarce, but Paste tells a tale of twitter flirting turned collaboration between Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino and Weezer linchpin Rivers Cuomo. The song is “kind of a duet” — apparently “duet” now a subjective term — and Cosentino offered this quote about the team-up: “When we were writing lyrics, he didn’t look at me like, ’That’s really cheesy,’ like some people might. He was like, ‘Oh that’s cool.’ I was like, ‘Finally, somebody gets it.’ It took Rivers Cuomo to make me feel confident that someone else understands.” No details on when we’ll hear this, but my bets that it’s going to be worthwhile. Trust me, it beats Weezer’s collaboration with Hurley.

The track initially appeared back in April and was stuck with the title “Float” by fans. No longer shrouded in mystery, the newly-titled song will be released today as a digital 45 on iTunes as the b-side to “The Ghost Inside”. A lot catchier than some of the offerings from their self-titled debut, “Meyrin Fields” sits on the border between frantic pop-rock and haunting electro burner. It’s a huge roundhouse kick of life and head-nod-ability from a band that a lot of people thought were kinda bland.  Well, shove this in your pipe and smoke it.

You can currently stream the track on the band’s MySpace. While 2011 may leave you begging for more BB, you can also finish out this year with a few tour dates in Ohio, Minnesota, and Oregon. As always, stay tuned for more news as it’s announced.

Broken Bells 2010 Tour Dates:
12/03 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
12/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
12/09 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom (KNRK show)

In all seriousness, though, Austin stayed true to both its claims to fame; it maintained its DIY aesthetic and its no BS policy. The combination of these two ideals created the glorious Austin City Limits Music Festival. Considered one of the four biggest music festivals in the country (Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo being the other three), it played house to seven stages, over 130 bands, and somewhere around 70,000 people. Needless to say, it was an event that needs some serious re-capping.

This festival is unique in its nature because it’s such a united front. Everyone is completely in agreement when it comes to the importance of this festival. Entering Austin, there are signs everywhere you turn in support of the festival. Businesses change their marquees to support the onslaught of people, people set up shops all up and down the ways in an out of the festival, and even the airport was nice enough to welcome all foreign ACL-goers with a pleasant sign as soon as we stepped off our respective planes. The city genuinely wants this event to happen, and they genuinely go all out. Even within the festival, things are different. People are more pleasant, more accommodating (not like Coachella, where I felt like I might get cut at any second for accidentally stepping on someone’s toes). This festival truly belongs to the city, which makes it truly special.

It wasn’t all fun and games, however. The logistics were unbelievably bad. The festival layout was straight out of an M. Night Shyamalan film – that is to say it was big, bizzare, and full of holes (ba-zing!). We may as well have all been blindfolded and left to the sense of feel to find our way anywhere. The lines in and out were misleading and literally miles long. The stages were far too close together, which made for frequent sound-bleeds, which is a big no-no at any reputable festival. And worst of all, they allow (take a deep breath) chairs. This was my first ACL, but it was not my first festival rodeo. Sweeping in and out of massive gangs of camping chairs reduces mobility to about a half of what it usually is at festivals. Getting from stage to stage was an absolute cluster-cuss. The set times were way too long for some bands and way too short for others, and the placement of hype bands on adjoining stages made for some confusing and maddening situations.

But we’re above logistics here at CoS, because at the end of the day, it’s still about the music. And that’s one thing this festival couldn’t have done more right.

Friday, October 8th

Miike Snow
Honda, 3:00 p.m.

The sun was relentlessly blaring down upon Miike Snow and their abnormally large crowd. The combination of the innate drawing power of heavy electronic beats and the close proximity of the Honda Stage to the AMD stage made for an absurdly large crowd at Miike Snow. Dressed in all black, with a black banner behind them, the six man electro-pop crew was sweating bullets in the Texas heat. Multiply the heat and their costumes by their intense sound and that makes for one supremely blazing performance. I mean that past sentence literally and figuratively, but mostly literally. Miike Snow only had a decent debut album, and performed slightly above par at ACL. Maybe it was the heat, but the show seemed to slump a bit after they inched a few songs into the set.

Girls
ZYNC Card, 3:00 p.m.

An unreasonably small crowd (considering the 70,000 people at ACL) gathered to hear one of the best acts to come out of 2009. Sporting a new haircut, Girls‘ Chris Owens was almost too calm as he and his band ran through their fairly small catalog. I’m sure that touring the same material for two years would be taxing on anyone, but they seemed downright bored. Don’t get me wrong, it sounded spot on, and I always love seeing Girls live, but I think the rumors of disharmony that surfaced at Matador at 21 might hold some water. They need to get off the road and into the studio soon. “Hellhole Ratrace”, “Laura”, and “Lust For Life” all got the crowd pumped, but it was only an intro to the great day that was to come.

The Black Keys
AMD, 4:00 p.m.

One of the more prominent victims of the strange scheduling was The Black Keys. They did get the amount of standing space to accommodate the massive hoard that came to listen to their unique style Blues-Rock, but the early slot was perplexing to me. Why book such a large act so early in the day?  No sense in playing the blame game, though, especially because The Black Keys took it in stride and rocked Austin to its knees. With hits from all over their vast back catalog, the Akron duo wowed everybody at the festival. “Your Touch”, “I Got Mine”, and newbie “Everlasting Light” all saw plenty of applause, and rightfully so. The Black Keys were one of the best acts booked at this year’s ACL, hands down.

Beach House
Honda, 5:00 p.m.

Photo by Paul Woodruff

In theory, Victoria LeGrand and Alex Scally’s dreamy pop tunes should not have fit in well with the blistering heat of Texas. It’s a bit more suited for a mirthless trip to the moon. But for whatever reason, the sights and sounds of Beach House went down blissfully smooth despite the dusty Texas heat. LeGrand’s never sounded better, and when the band arrived at their climactic version of “Norway”, the crowd couldn’t help but be sucked in by the stark musicianship and the star-show being put on as a background. The biggest cheers, surprisingly, were for their older songs “Gila” and “Heart of Chambers”.

Spoon
AMD, 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Paul Woodruff

Local Austin heroes Spoon took the stage to what was easily the biggest crowd at the AMD stage all weekend. But 16 years and counting behind the plate has given Britt Daniel time to polish his poise game. Completely at ease onstage, the natural-born frontman led the crowd through a set fraught with hit after hit. The hour long set played like a greatest hits album with the exception of when he invited The Fiery Furnaces’ Eleanor Friedberger for a duet version of “Someone Something”. That song was not only poorly delivered, but it received noticeably less fanfare. Every single other song, however, riled up the crowd. “I Turn My Camera On”, “The Ghost of You Lingers”, “Don’t You Evah”, “I Summon You”, “Don’t Make Me A Target”, and countless others made everyone remember why Spoon remains such a constant presence in independent music. They announced that this would be their last tour date for some time, and what better way to celebrate a wonderful album and ensuing tour than at one of the biggest festivals on earth which just so happens to be in their hometown.

Amos Lee
Austin Ventures, 6:00 p.m.

Mr. Amos Lee also fell victim to scheduling, easily out shined by Spoon, but that’s to be expected for an act as small as his. That’s not to say his performance was anything short of masterful, though. His particular brand of music is something of a dying breed, and the fact that he’s even keeping his head above water, let alone drawing a sizable crowd during one of ACL’s premiere acts, speaks volumes about this man’s talents. After he closed with “Seen It All Before”,  he thanked everyone for sticking with him, and you could tell he meant every word he said.

Photo by Paul Woodruff

Vampire Weekend
ZYNC Card, 7:00 p.m.

Poor Sonic Youth. Their entire crowd wasn’t even half of Vampire Weekend’s. I’m not a huge Sonic Youth fan or anything, but they are pioneers and deserve their fair amount of respect. But, in reality, Vampire Weekend deserves their fair share of props as well. They beat the hell out of the concept of having a sophomore slump by releasing an album twice as good as its already incredible predecessor. Contra remains one of the best albums of the year, however many times we have to hear the songs. This was my fourth encounter with VW this year alone, and I was still impressed with how tight their sound is these days. Contra tracks “White Sky”, “Cousins”, and “Giving Up The Gun”, when performed live, will never cease to impress me.

Sonic Youth
Honda, 7:00 p.m.

Photo by Jac Malloy

As mentioned, the majority of the people who could have been at Sonic Youth were at Vampy Weeks, for better or worse. Didn’t phase Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, and friends, however. They played through a fairly solid set that was unfortunately a bit Eternal-happy. “The Sprawl” and “’Cross The Breeze” represented the old days pretty well, but had there been any actual teenagers in the audience, I think a teenage riot would’ve occurred at the fact that they didn’t play, well, “Teenage Riot”.

The Strokes
AMD, 8:00 p.m.

Fifty-five minute set, and still they were the best of the fest. In true Strokes fashion, the boys swaggered onstage nearly 15 minutes late, and proceeded to jump into an insane set that had people going bananas. Much different than their previous reunited tour dates of 2010, the band seemed to act as one cohesive machine. Nostalgia ensued as Julian Casablancas, clad in a leather jacket with a hoodie underneath, took the mic stand and made love to it during opener “Is This It”. He seemed to regain a bit of that lost youth that everybody’s been yearning to see, and so did the other members of the band. Back to sporting Chuck Taylors and frayed jeans (except for Albert Hammond, Jr., in his signature white three piece), the boys were back.

Casablancas acknowledged their youth by introducing “Someday” as a song they used to play in empty bars. Throughout the show, they were pitch-perfect on every classic hit and had only one awkward moment, when everyone went off for an encore, except Casablancas who wasn’t helping anything by his awkward rant about how cool The Thundercats theme song was (although his argument does hold water). They even played songs that they hadn’t played since touring in 2006 – “Evening Sun”, “Between Love And Hate”, and “Trying Your Luck”. It was a sizzling performance. Which is why I, along with the 10s of thousands of other fans, was perplexed when Casablancas announced 20 minutes ahead of schedule that this would be their last song and jumped into “Take It Or Leave It”.

On paper, they were allotted 90 minutes to do with what they pleased, yet they only used 55 of them total. Frustrating, sure, but it was still hands down the best set of the entire festival. Quality over quantity, I suppose. At the very least, it was a glimpse into the past that made me (a cynical a-hole) hopeful for the future of The Strokes.

Photo by Paul Woodruff.

Saturday, October 9th

First Aid Kit
Honda, 12:00 p.m.

Rabid Records label members, and sister duo First Aid Kit made a nice name for themselves on what would turn out to be a massively talent-filled day. The very first act of Day 2, they came on towing some unexpected confidence, especially for an act with as little experience as them. It actually reminded me of the first time I saw Fleet Foxes way back when. Strong, confident harmonies all following a confident melody. They played their still most popular song to date, “Tangerine”, with expertise, and debuted an ornate new song called “Lion’s Roar”, indicating that the follow-up to their debut, which dropped in January of this year, is close at hand. Best part of the show came when they covered labelmate (and technically label owner) Fever Ray’s “When I Grow Up” with a folk twist.

The Very Best
Budweiser, 12:30 p.m.

My favorite kind of performer is one that is having more fun than the audience. The Very Best‘s Esau Mwamwaya is exactly that kind of performer. He was all smiles in his 50 minute performance that was largely made up of Warm Heart of Africa tracks and samples of other popular tunes that he’d sing over. He did a rendition of “Paper Planes” that ended up being better than M.I.A.’s. He also sampled Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp” and the late Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There”. I was hoping Ezra Koenig would show up to do “Warm Heart of Africa” with him, but he didn’t. All the same, that song got the party jumping and the crowd ready for the great things to come.

NINJASONIK
Austin Ventures, 1:20 p.m.

The Brooklyn natives went on to a fairly large crowd on the second smallest stage at ACL. NINJASONIK was a fantastic breath of fresh air because there was very little hip hop happening at this festival. They came out with their crazy eccentric (and often hilariously obscene) rhymes and moved the crowd to a chant of “We are Ninja f***ing Sonik, we are Sonik f***ing Ninjas”, which they repeated over and over. They apologized for their explicit lyrics (somewhat unapologetically), saying “I know there’s kids in the audience, but we’re straightforward people.” Indeed they were. Other memorable chorus chants from their electric performance: “Somebody gon’ get pregnant!” and “We don’t do bars/We don’t do clubs/We drink PBRs/And we do drugs.” Gotta love it when a little known hip hop duo completely wins over a crowd they probably shouldn’t have.

Bear In Heaven
ZYNC Card, 1:30 p.m.

Photo by Paul Woodruff

Whoever delivered all the acclaim for Bear in Heaven’s debut album stands as one the most generous men or women on Earth. On a good day, I only kind of like hearing this band. The sound acts as regurgitated noise rock over a shaky vocalist. Not much to it. They aren’t great showmen, either – barely saying the obligatory, “How you guys doin’ out there?” The hipsters made a full-fledged showing though, always keen on whatever the next buzz blog’s buzzin’ about. However, they didn’t seem happy to be hearing the music. Instead, they sort of just stood around with their hands in their pockets and looked at each other. Then again, maybe that’s just how hipsters celebrate good music. Regardless of the energy, the music stayed true to the dingy studio recorded versions, and “Lovesick Teenagers” won over the crowd; that is, if getting kids to shove their hands in their pockets and eye one another can be considered winning.

Pete Yorn
Honda, 1:30 p.m.

Ah, the sultry vocals of Pete Yorn. Somehow, his music just felt right in Texas, even though the majority of it’s about Jersey, where he grew up. The audience just reveled in his easy on the ears music, many taking the opportunity to sit down and slow the day down a little bit. Yorn put on quite a show, playing many tracks off his latest record, the eponymous Pete Yorn. But he didn’t forget to pay tribute to the tracks that made him who he is, playing “On Your Side” and “Lose You” from his acclaimed Musicforthemorningafter.

Broken Bells
AMD, 4:30 p.m.

Unfortunately, I wish I could say better things about this once in a lifetime show. But there isn’t much to be said about Broken Bells. It may have simply been that they kind of got the short end of the stick on stage choice and time of day, but I think it had more to do with being a boring live band. Obviously, it was fun to see Danger Mouse, and it was instant Garden State nostalgia every time James Mercer opened his mouth, but this was a lackluster performance on the whole. The good news – “The High Road” sounds awesome live, and they even debuted new material indicating that the alleged new album may be closer than we thought. If that weren’t enough, they played an awesome cover of The Black Keys’ “Everlasting Light”.

Local Natives
Austin Ventures, 4:45 p.m.

Does it seem like Local Natives have been on tour since the day their album came out like 10 months ago? I swear they’ve been at every festival I’ve been at, and come through my local venues twice this year. Regardless, I had to see what kind of game they’d bring to this huge festival, and it was exactly what I expected tit for tat. They played their regular set, did it just like it sounded on the record, and had pretty minimal crowd interaction. The more I see this band, listen to their album, and really think about it, I think they’re another band who really didn’t deserve all the hype. (That is, if you buy into that sort of media hoopla.) Solid album, solid performance, but nothing special here, which is an act murderer when you’re directly up against artists who excrete creativity (i.e. LCD Soundsystem, Monsters of Folk – individually, of course, and  The xx).

The xx
ZYNC Card, 5:30 p.m.

Man, The xx have the music world by the balls right now. They have such a unique sound that everyone seems to love, and that point made itself very clear by the unthinkable amount of people that showed up to hear their sultry tunes. I will admit that I did get pretty excited when I heard the first notes of “Intro”, even though I’ve seen them twice in the past six months. Their debut was just so enthralling that it struck a chord with me. And by the showing of people at their ACL performance, I’m not the only fan of the album. The living statues of indie rock and roll got particular love from the crowd for the tracks “Crystalised”, “Heart Skipped A Beat”, and “Basic Space”. But their performance was the first domino to fall in a series of dominoes that turned out to be the biggest logistical screw-up done by the festival.

Photo by Jac Malloy.

Monsters of Folk
Austin Ventures, 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Jac Malloy

Right next door, some of the most creative men of our generation came together to jam – or in other words, they put on a Monsters of Folk show. Donning their Sunday best, M. Ward and Mike Mogis looked right at home in their smartly chosen suits, as well as Conor Oberst, who sported a brown three-piece, the jacket of which he quickly disposed of to reveal that rustic vest look. The only one who looked like he’d been forced by his girlfriend to dress up was Jim James, who seemed a little out of place without his magic cape and moon boots. Attire and pretentious name aside, these truly are some of the best independent folk minds of our generation, and to see them collaborate live was a thing of beauty, although I was only able to stay for the first three songs (if I ever miss an LCD show it’ll be because I’m dead). They came out guns blazing with arguably the best track they created together, “Say Please”. Following this, they took turns at the helm, Ward playing “Slow Down Jo”, James fronting “In The Right Place”, and Oberst showcasing a bit of his solo work with an awesome re-worked version of Cassadaga cut “Soul Singer In A Session Band”. It was truly a spectacle for the brief time I was there. But reluctantly I slide away to join my new best friend, James Murphy.

LCD Soundsystem
Budweiser, 6:30 p.m.

Photo by Paul Woodruff

Why was this set not at night? Why was it right next to The xx? Logistical nightmare part three. Bad move, C3. LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy acknowledged the terrible conditions himself by saying “I apologize for the asshole behavior of wearing sunglasses onstage, but if you could see what I see… Just forgive me.” The sun hit directly on the Budweiser stage, where all the hipsters from The xx had migrated, creating an unreal amount of human flesh. Not one to let his own fans down, Murphy and co. (joined by part time LCD part time Hot Chip man Al Doyle!) made up for the bad conditions, jumping right into “Dance Yrself Clean”, arguably the best singular track of 2010. However, ACL screwed up yet again, this time not getting the sound levels right, making Murphy’s vocals too loud and the synth (which is the most important component of the song) not nearly loud enough. It was no matter, however, and we all danced ourselves clean right there in the sweltering heat anyway.

The setlist continued with surprisingly few Sound of Silver tracks, or track, I should say. After giving his shout out to the “Drunk Girls” and proclaiming “I Can Change”, Murphy jumped into the always emotional “All My Friends” just as the sun set. From there it was an all out dance party with a seamless “You Wanted A Hit”/”Tribulations” medley followed by “Movement”, “Yeah” and finally “Home”. As far as top to bottom setlists go, this one wins best of fest.

Deadmau5
ZYNC Card, 7:30 p.m.

Commence logistical nightmare part three. So, highly the infectiously danceable LCD Soundystem has just finished playing their 11 minute beat-building track “Yeah” and called it a night, so of course, everybody’s pumped to go see Deadmau5 and continue their dancing. Only problem: people coming in early to line up for Muse (oh, and crossing the sea of chairs). It was like a mass emigration of dancers with a small, very enthusiastic immigration of Muse-heads. It was utter chaos. Deadmau5 should have been on any stage but the ZYNC stage, which faced the Budweiser mainstage, but logistics aside, this is when things got real. Deadmau5 put on his usual dazzling display of lights and colors multiplied by a cube stage multiplied by an unbelievable mouse head multiplied by grade A house music. When he put on a ghost costume to usher in “Ghosts n’ Stuff” (and a little bit of “Moar Ghosts n’ Stuff”), the crowd went berserk. He maintained this same energy throughout the remainder of his show with tracks like “I Remember”, “FML”, and “Faxing Berlin”.

Photo by Paul Woodruff

M.I.A.
AMD, 8:30 p.m.

I know it’s, like, the cool thing to hate on M.I.A. right now, but she makes it nearly impossible not to. In 2008 when I saw her at Sasquatch! Music Festival, I was blown away by her natural swagger and obvious knack to work a crowd. She took the stage at that festival with all the confidence in the world. The music scene was truly at her fingertips and the world was her oyster. But somewhere between that day and October 9, 2010, something changed in Maya Arulpragasam.

Her album was tangibly less authentic than its predecessors (although it was better than everyone made it out to be), and her image was rapidly depleting. A big spat with the press, and she was sort of on the outs with everyone. I gave her the benefit of the doubt through this time, but I now see that I was wrong to do that.

She’s gone Lady Gaga on us, I’m afraid, her live show filled with overly elaborate pyrotechnics, unnecessary costuming, and minimal focus on the task at hand: the music. It was fun to hear classic M.I.A. tracks like “Boyz”, “Bamboo Banga”, and “Galang”, but her new material just doesn’t pop live. I gave it three chances. I was able to hear “Lovalot” (my favorite track from MAYA), “Teqkilla”, and “Born Free”, but I was unimpressed. Even hearing “Paper Planes” was sort of depressing. Especially because The Very Best did it better earlier in the day. Let’s hope she can pull herself out of this slump because she’s been a solid musician over the years.

Muse
Budweiser, 8:30 p.m.

Part four of the logistical nightmare. After Deadmau5, the hoards of people headed directly towards the Budweiser stage, creating further confusion in the mishmash of human beings and chairs (damn those chairs). It took quite an effort for me to swim upstream to catch a bit of M.I.A. so I could finish up with Muse. But I should have just stuck with M.I.A. the whole time.

Photo by Jac Malloy

Three times have I seen Muse this year, and three times have I left feeling like I just saw an old friend who used to be really cool that is no longer very cool. At all. The Resistance easily makes my top five list for biggest let down albums of the past decade, and for some reason everyone seems to get that except for Muse themselves and girls in junior high. And for some other reason, I decided that I’d give Muse one more shot at redemption, which they blew.

When they opened with “Uprising”, I knew I was in trouble. But then they pulled “Supermassive Blackhole” out of their arsenal and I was pleased. Things improved when they unveiled “New Born”, but it was a slippery slope from there on out. It’s a dangerous territory to be in when you’re touring an album that’s downright awful and you have a pretty impressive back catalogue. Song placements can make or break you. And I’m afraid that in the end, it broke Muse. “MK Ultra”, “Undisclosed Desires”, and “United States of Eurasia” were the straws that broke the camel’s back.

Photo by Jac Malloy

Placed far too close to one another and next to outright blasphemous covers of Hendrix’s versions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”, the setlist proved to be an epic failure. One which could not be saved, even by at three hit combo of “Time Is Running Out”, “Stockholm Syndrome”, and “Starlight”.

Sunday, October 10th

Warpaint
ZYNC Card, 11:45 a.m.

Photo by Jac Malloy

L.A. art-rock up and comers Warpaint gave a dazzling early day performance. Despite not having much experience or even a debut album to speak of (it’s slated for release later this month on October 25^th), the all-female band played a solid set to fair share of folks. Logistically, they lucked out because Ted Leo and the Pharmacists were on an adjacent stage immediately following their set, which brought many onlookers unfamiliar with Warpaint’s small body of work. The incredible harmonies on the track “Bees” was especially moving.

Blind Pilot
ZYNC Card, 1:15 p.m.

Literally the only act that dropped my jaw early Sunday afternoon. Compared to day one and day two, day three was simply average. The allocation of talent over the three days was not proportionate in any way, but that’s not any of the bands’ faults, it’s the festival’s. So day three was a bit of a bummer comparatively. But a bummer at a music festival beats even the best day in the real world. Anyway, I digress. I’m surprised and disappointed that Blind Pilot hasn’t caught on with a larger audience yet. The audience at Zilker’s was pretty small, which is a shame because the Seattle folksters played some beautiful tunes as a cool breeze swept in to soften the rays of the blaring sun. “Oviedo”, “The Story I Heard”, and “Go On, Say It” were all received to big fanfare.

Photo by Paul Woodruff.

Portugal. The Man
Budweiser, 2:00 p.m.

This was a toss-up. On opposite ends of the park, Portugal.The Man and Devendra Banhart were playing. I’d tried my hand at experimental folk twice already at Warpaint and Blind Pilot, so I figured I’d go to see Portugal one more time before festival season was over. And I was greatly rewarded for doing so. They put on such an explosive live show. And they have such a devout following, who may have been the most impressive thing about the whole set. The 87 degree weather and the scorching sun did nothing to throw a monkey wrench in the sizable crowd that assembled to see The Man. Barnburners: “All My People”, “The Dead Dog”, and a sweet extended version of “My Mind”.

Dawes
Austin Ventures, 2:20 p.m.

The smooth harmonies sifted through the sweltering heat to match the mood perfectly. Now I know that Dawes are from L.A., but the music fit the outdoor Texas setting like a glove. Lead singer Taylor Goldsmith announced (after a spot-on performance of “When You Call My Name”) that this was their first show in about a month. He explained that their absence from touring was due to recording a new album. They promptly went into a new song entitled “Far Away” to close the set.

The Morning Benders
Honda, 3:00 p.m.

Well, I had no choice at this point. Well, technically, I did have a choice. Either I had to listen to the crap band that had to fill in for GAYNGS after the tragic theft of their equipment, or go see The Morning Benders. Either way, I’d be wishing I was seeing GAYNGS. But after seeing (and hearing) that the filler band used a mini-supercross motorcycle as one of their go-to instruments (sounds cooler than it was), I bounced. At least The Morning Benders wouldn’t make me feel like I was at a monster truck rally. Everyone who was hoping to see Justin Vernon’s side project decided to do what I did, so The MB’s was doubly packed. But they stepped up to the plate and didn’t hit quite a home run, but I’d say got at least a ground rule double with the spotless version of their acclaimed Big Echo track “Wet Cement”.

Yeasayer
AMD, 4:00 p.m.

Admonishing us with “Wait For The Summer” seemed like a cruel thing for Yeasayer to do, as there are like another nine months of chills ahead of us, but that’s what they opened with anyway. From there it was a thunderstorm of blissful power-pop that really picked the mood up for the day. Up until this point, there was not a whole lot of good that could be said about the day on the whole, due to a variety of reasons (mostly an unbalanced schedule that lacked anything entertaining). Yeasayer played a key part in lifting everyone’s spirits and getting us back into the jive. They stuck to their guts, playing some hits off Odd Blood “Ambling Alp”, “O.N.E.”, etc., but playing largely the good old tracks off All Hour Cymbals. Setlist aside, I couldn’t imagine a better primer for The Flaming Lips, who went on shortly thereafter.

The Flaming Lips
AMD, 6:00 p.m.

If you haven’t been to see The Flaming Lips, do so immediately. It’s not just a show, it’s an experience. The climax of the festival hit during the Lips incendiary performance, and it’s not mere happenstance. Wayne Coyne will take you on a zany ride you’ll never forget. He’ll preach to you (about how it’s important that we love each other and stay safe). He’ll make you laugh. He’ll get emotional with you (tears literally came to his eyes hearing the cheers from his adoring Austin fans during “Do You Realize??”).

Photo by Jac Malloy

This was my second Flaming Lips experience, and the Oklahoma natives have a knack for working a crowd, no doubt about it. First, can I say how impressive it is to me that they drop the whole “I’m better than you, I’m a Rock Star” bull? Each of the members of the band, including Coyne, came out and set up their own equipment, with the help of an experienced team of roadies (there’s a lot of equipment involved in these shows). Next, I’d like to openly criticize the festival for not only putting The Flaming Lips while the sun was still out, but only giving them one hour. Wayne Coyne was even irked by this, saying, “Honestly, from the bottom of our hearts, we would stay here and play all night for you guys. But the festival’s giving us one hour, which we thank them for, and we’re going to make it the very best experience possible for everyone involved.” He then went on to say, “This is a beautiful night in a beautiful city. You’re all beautiful and we’re at a festival where the point is we all get to do whatever the fuck we want, and we get to do it together.” His preach was powerful, but not nearly as powerful as the ensuing music and visuals.

Although it was a largely un-danceable Embryonic-heavy set, the crowd was kept incredibly involved. This was partly due to Wayne’s signature bubble ride, the band’s entrance through a large vagina, and about thousand pounds of confetti. The only tracks that were non-Embryonic were “She Don’t Use Jelly” and “Do You Realize??”, which were both sung along to with unshakable gusto from the Austin audience. Too short, sure, but man what a show.

The National
Honka, 7:00 p.m.

Coming directly off the highest of highs from Flaming Lips closer “Do You Realize??” and coming into The National’s earthy, ominous tones is like going from an especially nostalgic acid trip to a high you get from some skank weed. Maybe that’s too harsh. But truly, how could anything The National had to offer compare to what the crowd had just experienced together? Once the initial shock of the brutal comedown wore off, people were able to enjoy The National’s show. Matt Berninger and friends played solidly (are they capable of anything less than great?) through a setlist that incorporated songs from their last three (incredible) albums. Obviously, there were some higher points (“Abel”, “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, and “Mistaken For Strangers” come to mind quickly), but on the whole, they played a standard National show: packed with talent and flawless.

The Eagles
Budweiser, 8:00 p.m.

This was about the point in the night/three day experience that all the college age kids who had been partying way too hard threw in the towel. What was left was still enormous, from the entrance of Zilker Park all the way to the Budweiser stage, but it was mainly made up of people over the age of 30 and their children. I’ll give generation LOL their due credit, however. Peppered in the sea of graying faces were young music enthusiasts who wanted to see one of the most talented and influential acts of the 70’s play their relentlessly catchy folk-rock. And that’s exactly what they got. Kind of.

Photo by Jac Malloy

The Eagles took the stage with an impressive dive into their beloved cover of “Seven Bridges Road” before pulling out the more recent songs, which were highly less regarded by the crowd, even though lead single “How Long” is a pretty solid track top to bottom. Then they did something that I still don’t understand.

They jumped into a six song course that basically used up a great deal of their best material. Back to back to back (x6), they played “Take It To The Limit”, a trumpet intro-ed “Hotel California”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, “I Can’t Tell You Why”, “Witchy Woman”, and “Lyin’ Eyes”. It’s like they used all their magic early on, and then left the crowd bored for a long, long time. After two or three more new songs, people began to shuffle out of the park by the multitudes. Why they would play all the songs everyone wanted to hear so early in the set is perplexing. It was like an invite to leave early and beat the inevitable downtown Austin post-show madness.

Photo by Jac Malloy

For those who stayed and braved the not-so-good Long Road Out Of Eden material, though, they had a couple more tricks up their legendary sleeves. The band rolled out with closers “Heartache Tonight” and “Life In The Fast Lane” before coming back to a blistering encore of “Take It Easy” and “Desperado”. The legends finished out in style, rounding out what will certainly go down in the history books as one of the most incredible Austin City Limits festivals in years.

Among the tickets on sale Friday include !!!, Blonde Redhead, Brandon Flowers, Broken Bells, Pennywise, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, The Dandy Warhols, The Gaslight Anthem, and Thirty Seconds to Mars. American Carnage tickets are also available to the general public.

Editors Note: Ticketmaster efficiently killed its Affiliate Program this week, putting a halt on all commissions from concert tickets sold within the first 24 hours of their on-sale date. (90 – 95% of all commissions made come during this window.) As a result, this is the last week you can support CoS by purchasing tickets, so please buy while you can!

!!!:

What: North American tour

When: September – November

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

30 Seconds to Mars:

What: North American tour

When: September – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

American Carnage:

What: North American Tour featuring Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer

When: September – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Blonde Redhead:

What: North American tour

When: September – December

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Brandon Flowers (of The Killers):

What: North American warm-up tour

When: August

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Broken Bells:

What: Tour dates for Los Angeles and New York City

When: October 6th and 11th, respectively

Tixs: $27.50 – $32.50

Buy: Ticketmaster at 12:00 PM Local Time

The Dandy Warhols:

What: North American tour

When: November

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

The Gaslight Anthem:

What: North American tour

When: September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s:

What: North American tour

When: September – November

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Pennywise:

What: North American tour

When: September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Rodrigo Y Gabriela:

What: North American tour

When: August – October

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Are we missing anything? Let us know below! Also, if you’re looking for shows for an already sold-out show, try our partner site Seatgeek.com.

First, Mercer’s current outfit, Broken Bells, performed a live set and among the songs tackled was a rendition of the Sparklehorse-penned, Mercer-featuring Dark Night of the Soul track “Insane Lullaby”. The song has been performed live by the band of late, but, according to KCRW, it was the first time the group ever performed the track on the radio. So check out the high-res debut below.

And if that weren’t enough, Mercer also used the radio appearance to confirm he has not only been working on new Shins material between tours with Broken Bells, but that a studio is now being set up to record said material. The Shins frontman gave no indication as to when the record could be unveiled, but did note it will probably be his next release.

In the meantime, you can pick up a physical copy of Dark Night of the Soul when it sees release on July 13th.

In case you haven’t heard, Broken Bells is James Mercer’s (of The Shins fame) and production virtuoso Brian Burton’s (aka Danger Mouse) new project. Two very different artists that together have created a very original and appealing sound.

Monday night’s performance brought the studio production to the stage and to life. With dreamy abstract projections backdropping Burton and Mercer, along with a five-piece band, the live performance strongly reflected the unique appeal of their critically praised self-titled album, a combination of Burton’s powerful beats with Mercer’s swooning melodies. Highlights included “Ghost Inside”, which the crowd eagerly clapped and sang along to, and the radio friendly single “High Road”, a catchy ditty about taking it to the next (moral) level.

The set was short, running a little over an hour, and covered the complete album with two additional surprise covers, “Crimson and Clover” and “Hold On Me”. Hopefully, they have more in store, because the show felt like the beginning – fingers crossed – of a continuing collaboration from two very cool musicians.

Broken Bells setlist:
October
Your Head Is On Fire
The Ghost Inside
Sailing to Nowhere
Crimson and Clover (Cover)
Trap Doors
Citizen
The High Road
Vaporize
Lullaby

Encore:
Hold On Me (cover)
Mongrel Heart
The Mall and Misery
——

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Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock’s side-project Ugly Casanova contributed eight songs to the film’s soundtrack while Shins/Broken Bells leader James Mercer shares two, one of which is a cover of Neil Young’s “Journey Through the Past”. Jack Johnson!, Love as Laughter, and Mason Jennings will also be heard on the soundtrack when it sees release on June 22nd via Brushfire.

According to a press release (via P4k), 180° South “retraces Yvon Chouinard’s and Doug Tompkins’ epic 1968 journey to Patagonia through the eyes of adventurer Jeff Johnson.” In addition, the film also involves efforts to protect Patagonia from development.

You can watch the film’s trailer below. Screenings are scheduled to take place in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Austin, and Asheville between April and July.

180° South Tracklist:
01. Ugly Casanova – “Mountains of Storms”
02. Ugly Casanova – “Here’s to Now”
03. Mason Jennings – “Machines”
04. James Mercer – “Doug’s Theme”
05. Ugly Casanova – “Wave Goodbye”
06. Ugly Casanova – “Lonesome Blues”
07. James Mercer – “Journey Through the Past”
08. Ugly Casanova – “Hotcha Girls”
09. Jack Johnson – “Spring Wind”
10. Ugly Casanova – “Maybe We’re Lost”
11. Ugly Casanova- “Corcovado”
12. Love as Laughter – “Coconut Flakes”
13. Ugly Casanova – “The Geezer”
14. Ugly Casanova – “Lay Me Down”

Of course, the whole shindig was put together by the legendary Richard Thompson, who curated this year’s lineup. In addition to the McGarrigle tribute, which will see the likes of Thompson, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Beth Orton, and Linda Ronstadt come together to perform, the festival will also feature performances from the likes of Broken Bells, Elvis Costello, Field Music, Paolo Nutini, Villagers, and Seasick Steve. What’s more, also included will be he UK premiere of ‘Cabaret of Souls,’ an 80-minute song cycle composed by Thompson about a talent contest in hell that features a performance from Spinal Tap star Harry Shearer.

Meltdown Festival runs from June 11-21 at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tickets will go on sale starting Thursday, April 15th. For a complete scheduled and more information, click here.

Broken Bells:

What: North American tour

When: May – June

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Buzzcocks:

What: North American tour

When: May – June

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Delta Spirit:

What: North American tour

When: June – July

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Green Day:

What: Tour dates for Camden, NJ; Phoenix, AZ; Irvine, CA

When: August – September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

GWAR:

What: North American tour

When: June

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Phish:

What: North American tour

When: June – August

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

The Black Keys:

What: North American tour

When: June – July

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Broken Bells:

What: Tour date for Detroit, MI

When: June 1st

Tixs: $35.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 12:00 PM EST

Delta Spirit:

What: North American tour

When: June – July

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Damian Marley & Nas:

What: Tour date for Brooklyn, NY; Atlanta, GA; & Los Angeles, CA

When: June – July

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Green Day:

What: Tour dates for Hartford, CT; Dallas, TX; & Chula Vista, CA

When: August – September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Phish:

What: North American tour

When: June – August

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Robert Plant and the Band of Joy:

What: North American tour

When: July

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM Local Time

Them Crooked Vultures:

What: Tour date for Chicago, IL

When: May 18th

Tixs: $46.75

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM CST

Are we missing anything? Let us know in the comments below!

Appearances include a run through California — San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — a couple of stops in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver), and what appears to be a finale in Georgia. Don’t expect the super duo at any festivals, either. They could possibly be at Austin City Limits, if folks down there didn’t get there fix after four or five shows two weeks back, but as for Lollapalooza or Outside Lands, the possibility seems close to nil. That’s okay. Judging from SXSW and their debut in NYC, the group’s sound was made for intimate clubs.

Better see ‘em while you can.

Broken Bells 2010 Tour Dates
05/18 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
05/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
05/21 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
05/24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
05/25 -  Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
05/26 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
05/29 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
05/31 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater
06/01 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
06/02 – Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
06/04 – Boston, MA @ Royale NightClub
06/05 – New York, NY @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
06/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
06/07 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
06/10 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
06/11 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club

Our travels took us to a slew of different showcases and parties with lineups featuring heavy hitters, old favorites, up-and-comers, and relative unknowns. We traveled to Stubbs on Wednesday to watch Sharon Jones bring the funk, Broken Bells make its SXSW debut, and Spoon deliver a hometown show. We checked out acts like Titus Andronicus, We Are Scientists, and Local Natives on Thursday. We ate cookies, played video games, jammed to The Protomen, and hung out with Rock It Out! Blog on Friday, all before stumbling into The Parish and watching Broken Social Scene deliver a two-and-a-half hour set of the week.

Please find the end results below, courtesy of Mr. Alex Young and Mr. Cap Blackard. Until next year Austin, good riddance/we’ll miss you.

Free Energy:
Paste Party, March 17th

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Freelance Whales
Paste Party, March 17th

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Here We Go Magic
Little Radio Presents, March 17th

[nggallery id=11]

Born Ruffians
Canadian Blast, March 17th

[nggallery id=12]

Jason Collett
Body Parts, March 17th

[nggallery id=4]

The Walkmen
Stubbs, March 17th

[nggallery id=5]

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Stubbs, March 17th

[nggallery id=6]

Broken Bells
Stubbs, March 17th

[nggallery id=7]

Spoon
Stubbs, March 17th

[nggallery id=8]

Shout Out Out Out Out
CoS + Sled Island, March 18th

[nggallery id=14]

Titus Andronicus
CoS + Sled Island, March 18th

[nggallery id=13]

Elevator Fight
Phoenix, March 18th

[nggallery id=17]

The Champman Family
Phoenix, March 18th

[nggallery id=18]

We Are Scientists
Phoenix, March 18th

[nggallery id=16]

Local Natives
Emos, March 18th

[nggallery id=19]

Light Pollution
CoS + Rock It Out! Blog, March 19th

[nggallery id=24]

Surf City
CoS + Rock It Out! Blog, March 19th

[nggallery id=20]

Look Mexico
CoS + Rock It Out! Blog, March 19th

[nggallery id=21]

Sweet Apple
CoS + Rock It Out! Blog, March 19th

[nggallery id=22]

The Protomen
CoS + Rock It Out! Blog, March 19th

[nggallery id=23]

Billy Bragg
Mess With Texas, March 19th

[nggallery id=1]

Zeus
The Parish, March 19th

[nggallery id=9]

Broken Social Scene
The Parish, March 19th

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We should also note that if you’d like to check out South by Southwest from the perspective of a video blogger, you might want to check out the Rock It Out! Blog.

Considering that Broken Bells’ debut only dropped this past week, and this being their first show in the city, it was hard to gauge exactly how the band was going to translate in a live setting. Opening act Plants and Animals played for a short amount of time. The trio from Canada wailed through a decent set, however, something seemed to be lacking. They sound like a band that hasn’t figured out exactly what kind of music they want to play. With long jams and high pitched harmonies, they showed potential, but moreover presented themselves with an overarching lack of confidence.

Broken Bells’ set up was intense. A myriad of keyboards spread sporadically across the stageleaving the crowd to speculate just how many people were actually in this band. Once Mercer hit the stage around 9:40, with Danger Mouse in tow, six others joined them and answered the aforementioned question. Boy, were they tight. They had the stage presence of a band that has been playing for years. Everything was flawless. I don’t say that lightly, either. And moreover, they were really into it.

There were smiles from the backing band when they closed their eyes and belted out the haunting harmonies of album opener, “The High Road”. During a cut of “ The Ghost Inside”, one of the album’s stellar highlights, Mercer’s falsetto was unexpected but appreciated. Much like The Shins, Mercer’s work here is downright catchy, too. “The Mall and the Misery” has been stuck in my head  for days. (You know it’s good when you wake up in the morning and your first thought is still a ringing of a song from the night before.) In hindsight, it’s odd because you hear influences of the Shins mashed up with the never predictable Danger Mouse, who seems to bleed of electronic grooves. The man does it all. Throughout the night, he switched up instruments, everywhere from the drumset to the piano, and even behind the guitar. He was just everywhere. You could tell he cared about being there, too, and that he was having fun. Mercer and Danger Mouse are quite the team, and together they blasted through the entire album, recreating every sound with practically no effort. What’s more, it all came off more natural than you would imagine.

There were no Shins songs to be heard tonight, because this was not a Shins show. This was Mercer showcasing something brand new. The only way you could tell that this was their first show was the fact that Mercer would often look to the other members to offer cues on when to start and stop. This just proves how meticulous he is about how he presents his music. The encore did include one surprise, a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells’ classic “Crimson and Clover”. The whole audience was won over by a song that everyone knew the words to. It is hard to play a show only a day after your album drops — especially when the audience doesn’t know every word — and when you come from a band that has a lot of credibility (at least from Zach Braff!). However, Broken Bells demands your attention, and as my friend put it after the show: “Mercer’s fingers fly like airplanes through music.” While it might have been stolen from Almost Famous, it seemed all too appropriate.

In addition to the free advertising, Broken Bells also used the performance to deliver a jaw-droppingly good rendition of “Higher Ground” “The High Road”. Crisp and clear, the vocals of Mercer and the sounds of the band gelled perfectly, coming together for a version that sounded nothing less than it did when we originally heard it way back when.

So guys, yes, to another album, and yes! please! to the forthcoming tour. Either of the two items couldn’t come soon enough.

Hat tip to The Audio Perv for video support.

In a statement to the BBC, the record label confirmed that the record will finally receive an official release later this year. EMI also noted that they are “working with Brian Burton AKA Danger Mouse again, and are delighted to be doing so.”

Last May, following news of the legal dispute and the lack of a physical release, Danger Mouse leaked Dark Night of the Soul onto the Internet. The super producer also released blank recordable CD-R, which featured a label reading, “For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.” Neither Danger Mouse nor EMI have disclosed the reasoning for the dispute.

In other Danger Mouse news, BBC also reports that Broken Bells, his new collaboration with The Shins’ James Mercer, will soon finalize a full tour and festival dates. So, good news all around.

You might be surprised that Broken Bells’ self-titled debut is actually a worthwhile listen. Forget any expectations you have. You probably expect a brilliant collaboration or a devastating failure, and neither is true. What you have here is a very, very good debut that is self-confident without being in love with itself.

The most notable quality of Broken Bells is Burton’s production style. The penchant for familiar sounds tweaked just enough to sound fresh keeps the songs moving, even when the lyrics are so-so. “Your Head Is On Fire” opens up with a mix of outer-space noises and California-rock harmonies before becoming a Beatles homage. Mercer’s voice gets just enough reverb to blend with the whispering background vocals and lethargic percussion to become the soundtrack for a summer stroll. Album highlight “The Ghost Inside” is the best Gnarls Barkley track the duo never recorded. From the “Crazy”-esque rhythm to falsetto vocals, it’s damn catchy. Mercer sounds surprisingly in his element working a tune that is a brief remix away from danceable. You might feel guilty grooving to the bittersweet refrain “For that daughter she’s a star tonight, without warning she gave up the ghost inside”, but you won’t be able to help it.

Form the harmonies to the orchestration, “Citizen” could have been lifted straight from the Beck’s Modern Guilt. In fact, much of Broken Bells reminds you of Burton and Mercer’s past work, and with rare exception you won’t mind. The songs don’t sound like complete retreads or like clumsy collaborations but rather like two artists who are playing up their strengths. Mercer delivers straightforward vocals that convey a surprising amount of emotion with little inflection and the result is more effective than much of what he’s done with the Shins. Like last year’s debut from The xx and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Broken Bells doesn’t sound like a complicated album on its first few listens but eventually reveals itself to be an exercise in precision. In its brief 30 minutes you think, “That was fun…but is that it?” And by the fourth or fifth listen you’ll realize no minute is wasted and no sound extraneous. The album doesn’t have any samples and the use of live instrumentation comes through in the arrangements.

Even “Trap Doors”, which might be a bit softer than necessary, ends up working better than you’d expect. In the first minute, the Top 40 sound feels out of place, but by the end the monotonous, glum melody becomes a fitting contrast to the more upbeat rhythm of “Citizen”, which follows. Sequencing helps the LP move swiftly. Group deceptively simple pop songs incorrectly and you make listeners shrug and hit Stop before the album’s over.

Hopefully this isn’t the only release we’ll get from the duo, but even if it is, I suspect we’ll detect this focus in the artists’ work from here on out, and that’s a very, very good thing. Broken Bells hits its mark track after track, yielding an impressive debut from a collaboration that could have flopped.

30 Seconds to Mars w/ Mute Math & Neon Trees:

What: Dates for North American tour

When: April – May

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Broken Bells:

What: Date for New York, NY

When: March 10th

Tixs: $25.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 12:00 PM EST

Dave Matthews Band:

What: Dates for North American tour

When: May – September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Echo & the Bunnymen:

What: Dates for North American tour

When: April – May

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Lupe Fiasco w/ B.o.B.:

What: Dates for North American tour

When: April – May

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Stone Temple Pilots:

What: Dates for North American tour

When: March

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

T in the Park Festival:

What: Four day festival in Kinross, Scotland featuring Eminem, Jay-Z, Muse, Vampire Weekend, and more

When: July 9-11

Tixs: £150

Buy: Ticketmaster.co.uk at 09:00 AM GMT

Vampire Weekend:

What: Date for New York, NY

When: September 15th

Tixs: $39.50

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 12:00 PM EST

By the way, this is almost sold out. So, hurry!

Sasquatch! Music Festival:

What: Three-day festival in George, WA featuring Pavement, Massive Attack, My Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend, and more

When: May 29-31

Tixs: $70.00 (single day); $170.00 (three day)

Buy: Ticketmaster.com

Are we missing anything? Let us know below!

The performance that followed was reportedly quite good. “Ad four- and five-part harmonies and some ace songwriting by Mercer and the live experience had a wall of sound, Floydian feel, melodies grinding through spiral video projected on the stage,” Sternberg wrote, going to note that “after each song everybody seemed to turn and look at each other with eyebrows raised as if to say, ‘wow, that actually sounded really good.’” In all, Broken Bells performed the 10 tracks from their forthcoming self-titled debut, as well as — and this will get you super jealous — covers of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” and Tommy James and the Shondell’s “Crimson and Clover”. Yeah, seriously.

Incredibly enough, an unbelievably awesome YouTube user by the name Foundtrack recorded and upload a quality recording of the entire performance. Check the videos out here; watch selected highlights, including “The High Road” “Vaporize”, and “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, below! This stuff is unreal.

As it stands now, Broken Bells have three more live appearances on their upcoming itinerary — two in Europe and one at South by Southwest, opening for Spoon!!!, next month. Broken Bells, the album, is due out on March 2nd via Sony.

Broken Bells 2010 Tour Dates:
03/01 – Paris, FR @ Nouveau Casino
03/03 – London, UK @ ICA
03/17 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs (SXSW) *

* = w/ Spoon, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, & The Walkmen

The duo has a few other upcoming tour dates set for the coming weeks, including an appearance at next month’s South by Southwest opening for Spoon. Show of the year!?

Hat tip to Zach J for the tip…

Broken Bells 2010 Tour Dates:
02/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fold in Bootleg Theater
03/01 – Paris, FR @ Nouveau Casino
03/03 – London, UK @ ICA
03/17 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs (SXSW) *

* = w/ Spoon, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, & The Walkmen

“As things started to wind down for me I wanted to try something totally different,” Mercer explained. “It’d had started to feel heavy [in The Shins]. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, maybe a solo thing or a new band. And Brian [Dangermouse] happened to be having the same kind of ideas.”

Some — namely those uber pessimists! — took these comments to signal the end of the Portland indie outfit as we know it. However, in another recent interview, this time with MTV, Mercer sought to clear up any confusion.

“There’s some truth [to the NME quote], but I don’t want it to be exaggerated,” Mercer said. “[I was asked about] the idea right now of going back in and starting with those blank pages and working hard on a fourth [Shins] record. [Broken Bells] was just, like, something fun. So fun to do and so different that it was just so fresh and new, and also the fact that it was going to challenge me vocally, sort of having to come up with different approaches to my singing — I couldn’t resist it.”

Mercer went on to note that he plans to release a new Shins album in the not too distant future, possibly by 2011. But even then, he intends to release the followup to the still forthcoming Broken Bells first: “This is the project right now. We’re already working on another album… I’m really interested in this.”