• 

  Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror

  The first time I heard Sleigh Bells’ debut album Treats, I thought it was complete garbage. To this day I amazed by how much it’s grown on me. It’s loud, energetic, and insanely catchy. Reign of Terror, their sophomore album, promises more of the same. Stream three tracks here, or grab the entire album for only $5 at 7digital.

• 

  Damien Jurado – Maraqopa

  Maraqopa is Damien Jurado’s tenth studio album in the span of 15 years. The dude is one of the most prolific singer-songwriters out there, spitting out Americana records like they’re iPads rolling off an assembly line in China. Maybe not the best analogy, but you get the point. I highly recommended checking him out, especially if you like the next artist.

• 

  Josh Ritter – Bringing In the Darlings

  I’m extremely happy Josh Ritter’s latest EP didn’t slip under my radar (though it came dangerously close). I’ve been itching to hear new music ever since 2010′s So Runs the World Away, which I found a little disappointing. Bringing In the Darlings sounds like a return to his earlier material. Check out the impressive video for “Love Is Making Its Way Back Home” here.

• 

  Shearwater – Animal Joy

  Don’t let its truly awful cover art fool you: Shearwater’s Animal Joy sounds nothing like early 90′s grunge music (think Alice In Chains). Over the course of a half dozen albums, Shearwater has put together an impressive catalog of sublimely haunting indie rock. Animal Joy makes a fine addition to this collection. Stream the entire album over at NPR.

• 

  Tennis – Yound & Old

  Tennis’ sophomore album Young & Old sounds more old than young: the album has a distinctly nostalgic feel to it. On first listen, I found it more enjoyable and engaging than their debut Cape Dory. Stream the entire record over at Spinner. If you like what you hear, grab it for only $3.99 at Amazon.

• 

  Islands – A Sleep & A Forgetting

  As a casual admirer of Nick Thorburn’s music, it seems as though he’s got a new album out every few months. Probably because he’s involved in a large number of bands, including Islands, Unicorns, Nick Diamonds, and Mister Heavenly. His latest, A Sleep & A Forgetting, is with Islands. Stream it in its entirety over at Spinner. I especially like “This Is Not a Song.”

• 

  Heartless Bastards – Arrow

  I’ve always thought the Heartless Bastards had an unfortunate name. It conjures up images of corny heavy metal hair bands (at least to me). So when I first heard “Marathon,” the slow-burning opener from Arrow, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt ode to life’s unpredictable journey. Listen to it (and the rest of Arrow) over at Spinner.

• 

  Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

  Sharon Van Etten has quickly become one of my favorite new artists. Her sound has evolved quite a bit since her debut Because I Was In Love, which is lovely but also incredibly mopey. In contrast, Tramp is louder and richer. Normally I’d complain about this but I think it suits Van Etten rather well. Stream the entire album over at Spinner.

• 

  The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

  Since its release in 2009, I’ve come to love The Twilight Sad’s Forget the Night Ahead, but it took a while. It’s a dark, frightening record – I don’t recommend listening to it alone at night. On their latest album, No One Can Ever Know, the band expands its use of synthesizers, resulting in a somewhat less intimidating experience. Listen to it here.

• 

  Of Montreal – Paralytic Stalks

  I’m not quite sure what to say about Paralytic Stalks. Probably because I’ve only listened to it once (stream the entire album over at Spinner). However, I don’t think subsequent listens will change my initial opinion: that it’s off-putting and overwhelming. If you’re new to Of Montreal, I recommend starting with Hissing Fauna, which is indie pop at its finest.

• 

  Lana Del Rey – Born to Die

  The backlash against Lana Del Rey started even before her debut album saw the light of day. Now that Born to Die has finally arrived, I doubt it’ll silence her detractors. Lead single “Video Games” is, after all, a pretty tough act to follow. In spite of all of this, I’m still excited to hear the album in its entirety and judge for myself. Grab it for only $5 at 7digital.

After over two dozen Mike Mixes, I figured it was about time I dedicate one of them entirely to hip hop. It’s a substantial part of my music collection and so far has been grossly underrepresented in my mixes. I had some reservations about whether I could pull it off, but in the end I’m pretty happy with the results.

Mike Mix 31 features some of my all-time favorite hip hop tracks, including Nas’ anthemic “N.Y. State of Mind,” Black Star’s epic “Twice In a Lifetime,” and Goodie Mob’s soulful “The Day After.” Mixed among these classics are some of my more recent favorites, including Kanye West’s surprisingly heartfelt “Runaway,” Big Boi’s gritty “Hustle Blood,” and Lil’ Wayne’s egomaniacal “You Ain’t Got Nuthin.”

I should probably attach a huge parental advisory to Mike Mix 31. It definitely isn’t for the faint of heart (or those who offend easily). Fear not, my next Mike Mix will return to more familiar territory – you know, sad bastard indie rock. With that said, I strongly recommend listening to Mike Mix 31 in the order presented below. Stream or download the entire mix using the links below. Enjoy!

• 1. Kanye West – Runaway
• 2. Big Boi – Hustle Blood
• 3. Lupe Fiasco – The Instrumental
• 4. Clipse – Hello New World
• 5. Nas – N.Y. State of Mind
• 6. Black Milk – Hell Yeah
• 7. El-P – The Overly Dramatic Truth
• 8. Das Racist – Sit Down, Man
• 9. Lil’ Wayne – You Ain’t Got Nuthin
• 10. The Roots – Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New
• 11. Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek – Eternalists
• 12. Black Star – Twice Inna Lifetime
• 13. Goodie Mob – The Day After
• Download entire mix

• 

  Laura Gibson – La Grande

  2011 was the year I finally came to appreciate Laura Gibson. If you haven’t read the feature I recently wrote about her, check it out here. Gibson’s latest album, La Grande, might be her best yet, though in the interest of full disclosure I’ve only heard a few (amazing) snippets so far. Stream the entire album over at Paste Magazine.

• 

  Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory

  I’ve listened to Cloud Nothings’ Attack On Memory only a few times but I can see why Pitchfork bestowed a Best New Music tag on it. The album, which is only 8 tracks long, packs quite a punch. It’s loud, energetic, and extremely melodic. I can’t wait to listen to it more – the album’s got a ton of potential. Preview a few tracks here.

• 

  Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur

  Kathleen Edwards’ latest album Voyageur is, in a word, gorgeous. I enjoyed her previous albums enough to write about her a few years ago but since then I’d kinda forgotten about her. Voyageur has made me fall in love with her all over again. Highly recommended if you like alt-country acts like Sera Cahoone or Jill Andrews. Stream the entire album over at Spinner.

• 

  The Big Pink – Future This

  It seems like an eternity since The Big Pink’s debut A Brief History of Love. I wasn’t a huge fan of the album but did develop a rather large crush on “Velvet,” which was one of my favorite songs of 2009. Their sophomore album Future This has received mixed reviews but I figured I’d mention it in case you enjoyed A Brief History of Love. Grab it for $5 at 7digital.

Happy New Year everybody! It’s hard to believe 2011 is already over. I could use another six months to fully digest all the music the year had to offer. I’ll try my best to post my favorite albums and tracks much sooner than that – hopefully by late January. In the meantime, I’ve decided to kick off my year-end coverage with a list that has nothing to do with music released in 2011.

Back in 2006, I decided to post an article about my favorite musical discoveries from the past year regardless of whether the artist had released a new album that year. I called it the “New to Me” list. It gave me a chance to write about those artists that would’ve otherwise been neglected, most likely due to my habitual laziness. I’ve decided to resurrect the “New to Me” list this year to make up for only posting one Artist Spotlight in 2011. Enjoy!

CHAD VANGAALEN

After browsing a fair number of year-end lists, I’m convinced Chad VanGaalen is one of the most underrated musicians today. I discovered him back in May when he released Diaper Island, his fourth studio album. It didn’t take long for his nasally warble and off-kilter melodies to hook me. Yet for some reason Diaper Island has graced very few “Best of” lists this year.

VanGaalen is pretty reclusive so perhaps he doesn’t mind. I, on the other hand, do. After falling in love with Diaper Island, I started exploring some of his older material. With each new album VanGaalen continues to evolve and grow. Soft Airplane, his third album, contains some of his catchiest songs. “Molten Light,” which tells the tale of two brothers haunted by a vengeful woman they tried to murder, is disturbingly infectious. Make sure you’re alone before belting out the song’s refrain (“I’ll find you and I’ll kill you“) or you might frighten those around you.

The two tracks below are pulled from the previously-mentioned albums. “Sara” is from Diaper Island while “Willow Tree” is the opener from Soft Airplane. Each offers a brief glimpse into VanGaalen’s strange little world. If you like what you hear, I recommend starting with Diaper Island and working backwards.

• Chad VanGaalen – Sara
• Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree

LAURA GIBSON

Technically I discovered Laura Gibson a few years ago. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that I finally came to fully appreciate her music. Let me explain.

One of my favorite things in life is listening to music as I fall asleep. It helps distract my mind from replaying all the embarrassing things I did earlier in the day. I started using music as a sleep aid sometime during high school, but only recently did I realize certain genres are more effective at inducing sleep than others. For example, you probably shouldn’t listen to Girl Talk if you want to fall asleep quickly, or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon if you want to avoid nightmares.

To help keep track of my favorite nighttime albums, I recently started a playlist in iTunes called “Sleepy.” It’s got Sharon Van Etten, Beach House, South San Gabriel, Sun Kil Moon, and Jason Molina, to name a few. But my all-time favorite has to be Laura Gibson: I put her music on and I’m asleep 10 minutes later.

I realize this might not sound like much of a compliment, but it’s reality. Prior to this year, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate her music because I slept through most of it. Not because it’s boring but because it’s unbelievably soothing. At the center is Laura Gibson’s effortless, beguiling voice. I struggle to find the right words to describe it, you should probably just experience it yourself.

I’ve posted two songs below for your listening pleasure. The first track, appropriately titled “Sleeper,” is from Beasts of Seasons, currently my favorite album and a great place to jump in if you like what you hear. The second song is the title track from her upcoming album La Grande, out on January 24. It’s one of her most upbeat tracks to date and could mark an exciting new direction for an incredibly talented musician.

• Laura Gibson – Sleeper
• Laura Gibson – La Grande

• 

  The Black Keys – El Camino

  This time of year is typically pretty quiet in terms of new releases – everyone is busy reviewing the year’s best albums and songs (which I will begin shortly). Apparently The Black Keys didn’t get the memo. I’m not the biggest fan, but the few tracks I’ve heard from El Camino have sounded good. Grab the album for only $6.99 over at 7digital.

Another month, another Mike Mix. There aren’t a whole lot of surprises on the latest installment, just another solid collection of songs by artists that should (hopefully) be familiar by now. Seriously, if you haven’t checked out Carissa’s Wierd, Meursault, or A Silver Mt. Zion yet, shame on you. They’re three of favorite bands as of late.

Mike Mix 30 does feature a couple new artists. The Morning Benders, a great band from the Bay Area, contribute one of the most upbeat songs on the mix (relatively speaking). Russian Circles, who are from Chicago, not from Russia, provide a beautiful instrumental track, the only one on the mix.

Mike Mix 30 picks up where Mike Mix 29 left off. In other words, it’s mostly sad but also incredibly gorgeous. I recommend listening to it in the order presented below. Stream or download the entire mix using the links below. Enjoy!

• 1. Jason Molina – It’s Easier Now
• 2. Cat Power – Maybe Not
• 3. Carissa’s Wierd – Phantom Fireworks
• 4. The Love Language – Stars
• 5. Meursault – Nothing Broke
• 6. The Morning Benders – Hand Me Downs
• 7. Yeasayer – I Remember
• 8. Joanna Newsom – Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie
• 9. Russian Circles – Hexed All
• 10. A Silver Mt. Zion – Ring Them Bells (Freedom Has Come and Gone)
• Download entire mix