TOP 2010 SONGS: Emily Littler, STREET CHANT

Street Chant are great! They're one of our favourite bands, and this year they've released their debut album, Means, and played shows in three different countries (at least), including the unofficial CMJ showcase we put on with MME in Brooklyn in October. It was pretty amazing to go to the other side of the world and see literally THOUSANDS of good bands and have these three still be THE BEST, as usual. Anyway. We're real proud of them, and we decided to test their patience one more time and get frontlady Emily Littler to tell us what her ten favourite songs of the year were. Which she did!

10. Kanye West - Runaway
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy out through Roc-A-Fella Records // myspace

I used to be on Taylor's side, but now I'm not.

9. Hussies - Miss Anthropy
Grey Headed Ghosts out through MUZAI // facebook

Great song and great video.

8. Ty Segall - Girlfriend
Melted out through Goner // myspace

This song makes me happy, especially the bit about how she said he can use her new car.

7. Lady Gaga - Telephone
The Fame Monster out through Interscope // myspace

I enjoyed this song as soon is it came out 'cause I was into the cultural phenom that was the video but didn't realise how awesome it was until I listened to the whole thing without the video gaps. I love listening to ultra modern pop on headphones and buzzing out and this song/lyrics/production (and video) are sooo 2k10.

6. FATANGRYMAN - Wrapped in Plastic
FATANGRYMAN out through MUZAI // myspace

One of my favourite new bands of this year. Ary and Jess' vocals on this track reminds me of the twins out of The Shining.

5. Transistors - Flux Pentaphile
Flux Pentaphile EP out through Bandcamp // myspace

Rad song, rad lyrics, rad band. Remember when music had energy and not just reveeeeeeeeeeeeerrrbbbbbbbbbbbb?

4. Sharpie Crows - Trackpants and a Mitsubishi Galant
Mass Grave/Golf Course out through Bandcamp // myspace

Seemed appropriate for this list that I choose this song from Sharpie Crows. I first heard it when we played with them at a warehouse on a stormy Melbourne night at a New Years party '09-'10 and it kinda just stuck with me. I only just reheard it on their bandcamp a few weeks ago and it's amazing.

3. Surf City - Teacher
Kudos out through Popfrenzy/Fire // myspace

My favourite song from their album which I was looking forward to for years. Really dig the chorus and how huge and groove-y the whole thing sounds.

2. Rihanna - Rude Boy
Rated R out through Def Jam // myspace

Probs my favourite commercial pop track of 2010. Such a good groove and I luv the Caribbean buzz she's on. Sick drum fill too.

1. JEFF the Brotherhood - Diamond Way
We Are The Champions out soon through RCRD LBL // myspace

Such a cool sounding song, especially how dreamy it is at the beginning, and then it kicks in and gets rockin! One of my favourite bands that I discovered in 2010. This is the first single off their new album which is out next year. The Transistors went on tour with them in NZ a few weeks ago. I am jealous. Badass outro: wahh wahhh wahhhhh.

ROSE QUARTZ TOP 2010 ALBUMS

20. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
MP3: Round And Round // out through 4AD // myspace



19. Oneohtrix Point Never – Returnal
MP3: Ouroborous // out through Editions Mego // myspace



18. Pac Div - Don't Mention It
MP3: Broccoli // out through itspacdiv.com // myspace



17. Straight Arrows – It’s Happening
MP3: Bad Temper // out through Rice Is Nice // myspace



16. Teengirl Fantasy – 7am
MP3: In An Arena // out through True Panther // myspace



15. Matthew Dear – Black City
MP3: Slowdance // out through Ghostly International // myspace



14. Speculator - Lifestyle
MP3: No Future // out through Leaving Records // myspace

13. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
MP3: Monster feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver // out through Roc-A-Fella Records // myspace



12. Monopoly Child Star Searchers - Bamboo For Two
MP3: A2 (Excerpt) // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // last.fm

11. Surf City – Kudos
MP3: Crazy Rulers Of The World // out through Popfrenzy/Fire // myspace

10. Big Troubles – Worry
MP3: Bite Yr Tongue // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace

9. DJ Nate – Da Trak Genious
MP3: 3 Peat // out through Planet Mu // myspace

8. Autre Ne Veut – Autre Ne Veut
MP3: Demoneyez // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace



7. Bathcrones – Psychorama
MP3: False Teeth // out through No Pain In Pop // myspace



6. Beach House – Teen Dream
MP3: Silver Soul // out through Sub Pop // myspace



5. Sun Araw – On Patrol
MP3: Deep Cover // out through Not Not Fun // myspace




4. Wild Nothing - Gemini
MP3: Live In Dreams // out through Captured Tracks // myspace



3. The-Dream – Love King
out through Def Jam // myspace




2. Rangers – Suburban Tours
MP3: Zombies // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace



1. James Ferraro - Night Dolls With Hairspray

Stream: Leather High School // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // last.fm

TOP 2010 SONGS: Max

2010: it was pretty great! I saw Inception like three times and listened to all the best music I've ever heard. Plus, Rose Quartz went to New York (SEE ABOVE) and hung out with all our new best friends. We also got to witness some of our favourite labels and bands just kill it this year: Olde English Spelling Bee, R.I.P. Society and Chapter put out a billion great records which everyone loved and bands like Street Chant, Big Troubles and way too many others did massive stadium tours of Brazil. Holla! Anyway, here's my top 10 songs of this year:

10. Wild Nothing - Live In Dreams
Gemini out through Captured Tracks // myspace

Love how relaxing this whole album is; that's not a popular adjective but it's true about Wild Nothing, all smooth and subdued like it's been lifted from the saddest '80s teen movie of all time.

9. Air Waves - Knock Out
Dungeon Dots out through Underwater Peoples // myspace

I'm a total sucker for this kind of sweetly shambolic alt-country w/ '70s Cali pop sensibility (clean bass, jangly guitars etc).

8. Royal Headache - Splash
7" out through R.I.P. Society // myspace

Frenetic, fuzzed-out pop-punk thrashers like this are what Royal Headache do best; just total odes to shit like swimming pools that feel kinda profound cos you get bamboozled by all the hooks and then you're like wha?

7. Danger Beach - Apache
Milky Way out through Dream Damage // myspace

Real "tender" instrumental surf-pop from inland Australia: maybe that's why the rolling guitars sound melancholic and the reverb'd out, faraway drums are ever so slightly askew.

6. Straight Arrows - Bad Temper
It's Happening out through Rice Is Nice // myspace

After literally years of teasing us with sporadic 7" releases, these power popsters finally dropped a (terrific) full-length record. This is my favourite from it: lo-fi but technicolour with vocal harmonies I still can't figure out after dozens of listens.

5. Deerhunter - Helicopter
Halcyon Digest out through 4AD // myspace

Maybe you didn't know, but Deerhunter put out another album this year!

4. Surf City - Crazy Rulers Of The World
Kudos out through Popfrenzy/Fire // myspace

Warm, fuzzy, completely enjoyable "surfgaze" beamed to you directly from the teenage summer you discovered Daydream Nation.

3. Hammocks and Honey - Undone
Spellbinder out through Special Award // myspace

Find of the year, for sure: this jam from Melbourne's Hammocks and Honey is beautifully, wistfully hypnotic; months after I first heard it I still can't stop listening to it.

2. Nobunny - Live It Up
First Blood out through Goner // myspace

I listened to this song exclusively for about two weeks after I first got this album, which might be because it sounds like the Ramones covering the Cars but whatever. It's totally jaunty, totally catchy, with a philosophy you can live by; winner, right?

1. Outer Limits Recordings - $20 Dollar Bill
7" out through Olde English Spelling Bee // youtube

This total 2010 h-pop classic sounds like it was recorded to a tape that had been recorded to way too many times before, but that can't hide how goofy/hilarious/catchy it is. It's a sound that's been mined before, for sure, but never as consistently well as Sam Mehran and his various projects mine it: the run of singles from Outer Limits Recordings and The Sweethearts in 2010 has been absurdly high in quality. If this was recorded in pristine hi-fidelity it'd probably be a hit; too bad, pop fans.




OTHER FAVES:
The Sweethearts - Burning Through The Nite
Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue
MGMT - Flash Delirium

Ducktails - Hamilton Road

Street Chant - Yr Philosophy

Boomgates - Bright Idea

Matthew Dear - Slowdance

SHRED HEAVEN

Surf City - Crazy Rulers of the World

AT LAST: Auckland's Surf City, AKA our long-time "surfgaze" dreamcrushes commit to "going steady" with us, "going all the way" etc etc. It's three years since their ultra sweet debut EP won our hearts; since then, they've teased us with a slow stream of magnificent singles (Zombie, Autumn), with no album release date in sight. But now it's in sight! It's going to happen in November, it's called Kudos and that's the artwork up there. And this is the first single from it and... it's great. Rich on melodix and total half-remembered "cool", like the teenage summer you discovered Daydream Nation. This track sounds like it was recorded in some kind of fictional golden yesteryear; all warm tones reverberating off into the ether.

[Surf City MySpace / Facebook]

[Kudos is out November through Fire/Popfrenzy]

EARTH TONES

Earth Tones Mix

Hope y'all enjoy this mix which I put together in celebration of my two loves: loose, organic rock n' roll and homewares. Dig the classixxx from Wire and Blur; new jams from future heroes Surf City and Super Wild Horses; and forgotten brilliance from Angry Samoans and western Sydney originators The Numbers.

1. Surf City - Autumn
2. Super Wild Horses - Golden Town
3. Wire - Outdoor Miner
4. The Numbers - The Modern Song
5. Angry Samoans - Electrocution
6. Les Cox (Sportifs) - Reduction Strategies
7. Idiot Glee - All Packed Up
8. Rat Vs. Possum - Binti Jua
9. Blur - Tender
10. The Frightening Lights - Mr. Sun
11. Jonathan Michell - Tone Defeat
12. Sonny & The Sunsets - Too Young To Burn

Bonus: Earth Tones (unmixed)

VOICES CLOUD

Surf City - Autumn

Another new track from Auckland’s perennially brilliant Surf City. Autumn winds back the tropical vibe they experimented with on the previously-blogged Zombies in favour of a cavernous, blissed out sound that complements their casually shoegaze-y anthems so perfectly it’s pretty awe-inspiring. Seems like there’s so many bands these days that reference Flying Nun bands but so few actually get the Dunedin magic: the bored charisma, the DIY aesthetic, the hooks, but I guess it makes sense that it’s another New Zealand band who’ve picked up the crown, since New Zealanders are genetically inclined to have great hangoutability. Surf City’s debut full-length isn’t due until next year but apparently there’ll be a 7” soon with Autumn on it.

[via bread 'n' butter]



[Surf City MySpace]

GRASS HUGS

Surf City - Zombie

Don't really want to come down hard on the state of New Zealand music (cos there actually is some cool stuff happening here that I'm gonna try cover more of, promise!) but on the whole the good stuff has been pretty elusive to me lately. It's cool though cos I just got this new track from Auckland's Surf City who have been a local favourite of mine since seeing their totally slacked-out live set at this whack council-funded all ages venue back in 2006. On "Zombies" they're still channelling those classic Flying Nun/Jesus & Mary Chain mixtape reels and dubbing their own experiences of suburban Auckland glee/boredom over top in blasé Antipodean drawl. There's definitely a more exploratory direction in this and the other loop-harnessed tracks like Autumn taken from their forthcoming LP (out later this year) which you can stream on their Myspace page - gleeful vocal hooks, hypnotic MBV squalls and drum clatter.

[Surf City Myspace]