Friends With Both Arms: Best of 2010
So I put together a little list, and
I’m exhausted. Why did I do this to myself? I get caught up in these lists and a ton of artists come to mind, each of them so deserving of their own place immortalized in the archives of friends’ but I could only give them a few lines each. Instead of putting together a year-end ‘best of’ list, not necessarily albums, not necessarily current artists- simply artists that I discovered this year, in 2010. These artists made an impact on me in some way, whether it was just one of those lucky bandcamp finds, or if they were contributors to my mixtape series or I might’ve just loved on one their tracks enough to want to revisit it at the end of the year. I’ve been keeping up with all of the best of lists (so conveniently ) and I’ve noticed all the expected regulars: Arcade Fire, Deerhunter, Kanye West, The National. And while they’re all stellar records, I wanted to offer something more personal. So here it is- the however-many-artists-off-the-top-of-my-head list of favorite moments and discoveries of 2010. It’s been one of the most fulfilling years as a musical purveyor, consumer and lover, to date. I’m so honored to be apart of this community, and to get to celebrate all of the incredibly talented artists below.
Todd Goldstein writes the kind of thoughtful, imaginative prose that don’t often find themselves outside poetry books, or children’s novels. Jarring and direct, but soft and lovely he sings”rip the meat from your back when we’re sleeping warm and close” With a distinctively deep and articulate voice he sings about love, eyeballs and shitty little discos. He’s also made FWBA a mixtape- grab it here.
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I first heard about Baths when my friend Cecil (GOBBLE GOBBLE) said hey, I think you might like my friend, he plays under “Baths”. Normally, electronic beats aren’t my jam- I’m more inclined to listen to soft folk for the rest of eternity, but there’s something about Baths that gets me so pumped. “Lovely Bloodflow” is one of my favorite tracks of this year.
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Blake Mills came into my life through a beloved friend named Taylor, who works with bands like Delta Spirit, Dawes and Miike Snow. He knows his shit when it comes to music, so when he told me to check out Blake I had in good faith that it’d be something I was into. He was right. He’s got a sense of soul and wisdom in his lyrics that most musicians his age don’t occupy. Break Mirrors was a phenomenal record- with songs like ‘Hey Lover’ and ‘It’ll All Work Out’ He’ll be playing at our benefit show this year and I’ll be watching, intently, and adoringly.
Blake Mills- History of My Life
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Braids. Wow. They take the cake for putting on the best house show of my life this summer. I’m sure I’ve talked about it to death but never have I been so enthralled with a band in a small space with a few sweaty bodies in a basement that was about to cave in on itself, back up in Toronto. And thinking, if this is the way I have to go- if we all collide into the rubble of the fall, I don’t even mind. Their performance was ethereal, sparkling, creating a fusion that could light a spark between members. Not to mention, I have a girl crush on the singer.
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I remember hearing “Even If It Worked Out” earlier this year and catching myself tapping my feet, trying to find out who made that lo fi pop music that I’d been hooked on earlier this year. Sure enough it was a ninteen-something-year old from somewhere under the name Cloud Nothings. (I’m really good at researching) I loved their video for ‘
Cloud Nothings- Even If It Worked Out
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I mixed these dudes up with Cast Spells. Craft Spells is a Nor-Cal based duo that makes that kind of magical bedroom pop that sound a little like The Cure. I loved the track “Party Talk”.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr
I first heard them in the backseat of my friends’ car driving through La Jolla [see: swanky part of San Diego] searching for places to film a car commercial. Long story. The windows were down and the bass was up and I immediately fell in love. There is no way these guys are from Detroit. With songs like “Nothing But Our Love” they seem like the most laid back, mellow dudes in the world. Did you all know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a NASCAR driver? Me neither.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr- God Only Knows
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These guys are from Toronto. Think, Miike Snow- but better.
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I love Glass Cake. Michelle Shofet records charming lo-fi bedroom tracks out of Berkeley, CA. I could listen to her all day. The sincerity and simplicity of her songwriting makes my heart swell.
Glass Cake- Superior to the Sea
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I’m so grateful to know that Cecil Frena is alive and well in this world. That we exist on the same planet. At this moment in history. He plays eccentric electronic music that is more of a spiritual experience than anything. I had the pleasure of becoming friends with Cecil earlier this year, but he still won’t tell me what his mysterious day job is. If you find out, let me know.
GOBBLE GOBBLE- I Am Not The Dream
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Homemade loops, reverb-drenched pop, unusual track names. This is everything that Green Gerry is. He is entirely original. I remember listening to Oh Freedom and feeling the heavy weight of some dormant emotion, a redemptive moment in a movie. Something lonely.
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Brooklyn-based Holy Spirits take the cake for sweetest, most polite band I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with. Not to mention their (quite literally) holy songs that are transcendent and pure. Their music has been a total joy to listen to, as were all of our interactions throughout the year. They’ve also contributed to my Mixtape Series.
Holy Spirits- The Afternoon’s Blood
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He reminds me of a modern day Holden Caufield, a little wounded, a little bruised. Cited as dreamy freak-folk, with an expansive, adventurous sound. His Despistado EP ruined me this year. He reminds me of all the good parts about Jeff Buckley and Devendra Banhardt.
J Irvin Dally- The Little Ones
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I’ll be honest, the only track I’ve heard from Jai Paul is BTSTU- which was everywhere back in April. Those soft whispered vocals, “dont fuck with me” that led into a heavy bass and catchy beat was brilliant. Definitely one of my favorite tracks of 2010.
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Jesse Woods. I almost feel like I shouldn’t even mention it, because I talk about him way too much. I love Jesse Woods. I believe in him. That track, ‘Ugly Dress’ and his Neon Indian ‘Mind Drips’ cover are enough for me to fall in love with all the demos he sends me from here on out. There’s a warmth in him.
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I found out about Lord Huron through Rollo & Grady- since then I feel like I’ve read about him everywhere. With pristine textures and layers, his songs flow gracefully. He reminds me of Paul Simon meets Animal Collective- but also like I’m watching a Disney movie, something like The Jungle Book. I feel closer to the earth when I listen to him.
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Anders Carlson’s music just makes me happy. Whenever I listen to him I conjure up this image of a marching band and a sixties pop band. “Ghost” and “Curses” are two of my favorites. Bonus that he’s from Minneapolis. I’m almost certain that all good music comes from there.
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I put the track “Desert Island Feeling” on a mix for my boyfriend and we drove through the night listening to it- I remember listening to this track and feeling very peaceful and safe. This Austin band drifts and paces in slow motion. Fittingly, as their EP is called Drift. It’s the kind of dreamy stuff that reminds me of Willy Wonka.
Mutual Benefit- Desert Island Feeling
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I know Oberhofer was a favorite for a lot of bloggers this year. His song Away FRM U was one of my favorite tracks of this year. (Are you noticing a trend with these descriptions?) His recent Daytrotter session was fucking rad.
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Oh man, Seamonster. You are everything I could’ve ever wanted from Jeff Magnum- and more.
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My boyfriend taught me about the woman, the music, the great new love of my life called Sharon Van Etten. Any woman with that name has the heavy burden of living up to With her aptly titled “Epic” album, I was welcomed into a new realm of female singer songwriters. She is crushing. She’s also found her way onto every ‘best of’ list on the internet this year. Listen to ‘Don’t Do It’.
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I just recently found out about Sun Airway when I went to a show at the Casbah a couple of weeks ago. They caught my attention long enough for me to find and listen to their album the entire next day. In the track “Waiting on You” he sings, “reach for my, reach for my, reach for my hand” cascading downwards, beautiful melody.
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Sweet Lights is a pop bedroom project out of Philly that takes from The Beatles (or really, any band from the sixties) I love the build up on ‘Relate To You’ and another killer track is ‘Ballad of Kurt Vile’. He’s also got some pretty badass music videos that feature himself, breakdancing as a young boy. It’s pretty epic.
Baltimore’s Tennis had an intriguing story- a couple set out to sea for a year, returning with a batch of soft minimalist fifties pop to the tune of She & Him and Camera Obscura. You need to watch their Yours Truly video.
Tennis- Marathon
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unouomedude wins for best name. you-know-you-owe-me-dude. That song birthday party was the very best. It’s like the best kind of little-kid lyrics, “I see that smile on your face, we eat cake on your birthday” but in a super hip kind of way. He also did a mixtape for the series that I lost my mind to for a while there.
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Yellow Ostrich is like that boy in high school that would write you poems and you wouldn’t even know how cool he was until you grew up and realized that men don’t talk like that. He just recently played Invisible Children’s CMJ showcase with La Blogotheque (See a few posts down). Isn’t he a dream?
Yellow Ostrich- I Think U Are Great
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I’ll be honest, I literally just found out about Zeus this week from my friend Chris at Indie Music Filter. I love the song Kindergarten. They’re signed to Arts & Crafts and are homies with Jason Collett and Bahamas. New favorite band out of Toronto.
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RT @fwba: Friends With Both Arms: Best of 2010
I put together a "best of list 2010" list that doesn't inlcude Arcade Fire:
RT @fwba: I put together a "best of list 2010" list that doesn't inlcude Arcade Fire:
Now this, this is a great list RT @fwba: Friends With Both Arms: Best of 2010
RT @smokeDONTsmoke: Now this, this is a great list RT @fwba: Friends With Both Arms: Best of 2010
RT @fwba: Friends With Both ARMS: Best of 2010
RT @fwba: I put together a "best of list 2010" list that doesn't inlcude Arcade Fire:
I agree!! RT @smokeDONTsmoke: Now this, this is a great list RT @fwba: Friends With Both Arms: Best of 2010
@AtBatedBreath @fwba <3! Hope you'll like the new tunes we'll be releasing in the near future.
RT @fwba: I put together a "best of list 2010" list that doesn't inlcude Arcade Fire:
RT @fwba: I put together a "best of list 2010" list that doesn't inlcude Arcade Fire:
Not 10, but 22 of the best of the year from @fwba is today's best of list: Listen and enjoy!
ARMS tops Friends With Both Arms' (@fwba) 2010 discoveries list! Thanks, ladies.
I think you may appreciate some of these songs and new bands to discover @flamgirlant @heusar
seamonster made friends with both arms best of 2010 list!…