2010 First Quarter Review

With 25 percent of the year come and gone, I've listened to some pretty solid music (even stuff I haven't taken the time to memorialize on here, which I should do, because it helps keep me sharp on the writing and gives you all something to mock me over).

So in no particular order, here's a list (with some minor commentary) of some of the better music I've picked up from January 1 to March 31, 2010. For the most part, these are new releases. But I'll denote those that aren't (not that it matters, but it does for EoY lists and things like that).

• Surfer Blood's Astro Coast - I'm still not sold that this album is the second coming of whatever. It's good, and the more I listen to it the more I like it. But it kinda grinds on me afterwhile. But it's happy and poppy enough, so that's worth something.


• Ted Leo and The Pharmacists' The Brutalists Bricks - Anthems and energy galore. Start your day here


• Young Mothers Come On, The Cross 7"


• Vampire Weekend's Contra - I'm officially a full on lover of this album. And I've also started dropping the redic term Contra into conversation to describe a hottie.


• The Rosebuds' Daytrotter Session


• Shearwater's The Golden Archipelago


• The Bird and The Bee's Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1 (A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates)


• Aziz Ansari's Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening - A comedy album shouldn't count. But geez, if he isn't HYSTERICAL.


• The Soft Pack's s/t album - Of all the shitty surf music that seems to be leaking onto the indie scene right now, I'm in love with this band. Punk, not too aggressive, fun.


• Spoon's Transference - I was lukewarm to this album, but it's definitely hooked me. A sparse classic as always.


• Shout Out Louds' Work - This will come up and I'll go, who is that? And I'm always surprised at how good it is.

And here are the previous releases:

• Asobi Seksu's Citrus


• Spoon's Girls Can Tell


• Kid Sister's Super High Shine EP


• Various Artists' Sub Pop Cybersex Digital Sampler v. 2.10