Good year-end stuff

Just in time for Christmas, Paper Thin Walls recently posted their Tiny Mixtapes available on their site for download.  It's a great mix of songs, and features some fine music writing as well. So, if you're anything like me, and love to discover new bands on other peoples year-end lists, this is a good place to start.

Also, Sean at Said the Gramophone posted his top 50 tracks today.  On first listen, nothing's really jumped out at me yet (unlike previous years ... hello Fionn Regan), although it's good to see him show some love for Ola Podrida, and The Luyas.  I'm still not getting what the big deal about Basia Bulat is yet  (Please persuade me Michael!)

Elsewhere, XLR8R does their year-end rundown, with a great top ten, chalk-full of some of the danciest beats of the year.  Mark K-Punk, does a year-end piece for Fact Magazine, and Idolator has a Worst Album Covers of the Year tournament going on.  I'm hoping for a big showdown between Ted Nugent's Love Grenade and his Love Grenade (Special Edition).  Easily the two worst album covers of the year in my opinion.

Finally, UMFM is about to post the top 20s from their DJ's.  It's a great insight into what music lovers in Winnipeg are listening to.  For the record, my list for the station went like this;

1.) Burial - Untrue

2.) Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian

3.) Sandro Perri - Tiny Mirrors

4.) Christine Fellows - Nevertheless

5.) Panda Bear - Person Pitch

6.) Himalayan Bear - ... Attacks the Brilliant Air

7.) Ghostface Killah - Big Doe Rehab

8.) The Good, The Bad and the Queen - S/T

9.) Deerhunter - Cryptograms

10.) Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum

11.) Justice - t

12.) Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala

13.) Beirut - Flying Club Cup

14.) Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up

15.) Ola Podrida - S/T

16.) M.I.A. - Kala

17.) Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

18.) The Luyas - Faker Death

19.) Ghislain Poirier - No Ground Under

20.) Picastro - Whore Luck

Really, everything after the top 6 could be reorganized on a daily basis.  Those top 6 though are a step above everything else.  

By the way, I just finished listening to Wolves in the Throne Room's Two Hunters for the first time, and it's FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC.  Sooooo much metal goodness.

Anyways, that's enough for now.

Announcements!http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Here's a couple of things worth checking out.

First of all, Saturday December 15th at the Mondragon sees Evening Hymns hitting our fair city for the first time ever. He's playing alongside Winnipeg's very own Old Folks Home, (whose new album We are the Fitting Lines is quite enjoyable), and a new band by the name Country.

Also, those wonderful folks have put my article on Himalayan Bear up on their website. My year end picks for them are on the website as well. I wrote that year-end thing almost a month ago, and it would probably look significantly different if I did it today (ie. Christine Fellows' Nevertheless would probably be my favorite local record). Anyways, enjoy the links!

Until next time...