Sunday, January 2, 2011

Prime Time: Choice Cuts from 2010


Dear All,


2010 was perhaps the most important year of my young life. I wrapped up my rowing career, finished grad school, moved back home to my girlfriend after three years of long-distance, and following months of searching, found a job. Needless to say, it was an incredibly busy time for me, and yet, I had more free time than ever. I read books, saw countless movies, and predictably, listened to a ton of music.


Lucky for me, 2010 was the best year for music in recent memory. Whether you're a fan of indie-rock, electronic, pop, hip hop, rock, country, folk, or, like me, all of the above, there were a number of phenomenal albums released this year. The aim of these mixtapes is to summarize those records. It is my hope that whether you're a diehard music fan or just someone who listens to the radio, you'll be able to find something new to love on these discs.


Like usual, I've sorted the mixes by genre. Please be aware that I heard considerably more good "indie" this year than "rock," so the ROCK mix has quite a few bands that'd I'd normally throw on the INDIE mix (i.e. if you like DISC I, you should probably grab DISC V too). Also: in my opinion, the ELECTRONIC mix is one of the best this series of mixtapes has ever produced.


I truly believe that each and every song on here is worth hearing. More importantly, I believe these artists, bands, and musicians are worth supporting. If you like a song, please consider visiting the artist's website, going to shows, and buying their records (next to each song below, you'll find the name of the album and the record label from which the song originates).


Special thanks to my sister for naming the mix and to my brother for allowing me to use his picture for the cover (see here for more). Lastly, I always love getting feedback, particularly from people I haven't talked to in years, so please don't be shy. Happy New Year, everybody.


Adam


DISC I : INDIE-ROCK -- 1:19:46 -- 138.7MB

1. "Dance Yrself Clean" -- LCD Soundsystem (from This is Happening) [DFA]

2. "Heaven's on Fire" -- The Radio Dept. (from Clinging to a Scheme) [Labrador]

3. "Home" -- Glasser (from Ring) [True Panther Sounds]

4. "Norway" -- Beach House (from Teen Dream) [Sub Pop]

5. "Kiss Your Lips" -- Allo Darlin' (from Allo Darlin') [Fortuna Pop!]

6. "Round and Round" -- Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (from Before Today) [4AD]

7. "I Want the World to Stop" -- Belle & Sebastian (from Belle & Sebastian Write

About Love) [Rough Trade]

8. "Blood Red Youth" -- California Wives (from the Affair EP) [Self-Released]

9. "Giving Up the Gun" -- Vampire Weekend (from Contra) [XL]

10. "O.N.E." -- Yeasayer (from Odd Blood) [Secretly Canadian]

11. "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" -- Owen Pallett (from Heartland) [Domino]

12. "Give It Up" -- Diamond Rings (from Special Affections) [Secret City]

13. "Go Outside" -- Cults (from the Cults Single) [Forest Family]

14. "Helicopter" -- Deerhunter (from Halcyon Digest) [4AD]

15. "Throwing Shade" -- Abe Vigoda (from Crush) [PostPresentMedium]

16. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" -- Arcade Fire (from The Suburbs)

[Merge]

17. "Me and the Devil" -- Gil Scott-Heron (from I'm New Here) [XL]


DISC II : ELECTRONICA / DANCE -- 1:19:23 -- 154.1MB

1. "Angel Echoes" -- Four Tet (from There is Love in You) [Domino]

2. "Celestica" -- Crystal Castles (from Crystal Castles) [Universal Motown]

3. "One Life Stand" -- Hot Chip (from One Life Stand) [EMI]

4. "You Put a Smell on Me" -- Matthew Dear (from Black City) [Ghostly International]

5. "King Night" -- Salem (from King Night) [IAMSOUND]

6. "On Melancholy Hill" -- Gorillaz (from Plastic Beach) [Virgin]

7. "Real Life" -- Tanlines (from the Settings EP) [True Panther Sounds]

8. "Lovesick" -- Lindstrøm & Christabelle (from Real Life is No Cool) [Feedelity]

9. "Wut" -- Girl Unit (from the Night Slugs Allstars Volume 1 Compilation) [Night Slugs]

10. "CMYK" -- James Blake (from the CMYK EP) [R&S]

11. "Maze" -- Actress (from Splazsh) [Honest Jon's]

12. "Derezzed" -- Daft Punk (from the Tron: Legacy Soundtrack) [Walt Disney]

13. "Computer Face//Pure Being" -- Flying Lotus (from Cosmogramma) [Warp]

14. "In Heat (Javelin Remix)" -- HEALTH (from DISCO2) [Lovepump United]

15. "Coma Cat" -- Tensnake (from the Permanent Vacation: Selected Label Works 2

Compilation) [Permanent Vacation]

16. "Tron" -- Joker (from the Tron Single) [Kapsize]

17. "Animals" -- Baths (from Cerulean) [Anticon]

18. "Ouroboros" -- Oneohtrix Point Never (from Returnal) [Editions Mego]

19. "Candy Shoppe" -- Emeralds (from Does It Look Like I'm Here?) [Editions Mego]


DISC III : POP / HIP HOP / R&B -- 1:18:07 -- 140.4MB

1. "Teenage Dream" -- Katy Perry (from Teenage Dream) [Capitol]

2. "Call Your Girlfriend" -- Robyn (from Body Talk) [Konichiwa]

3. "Shutterbugg" (feat. Cutty) -- Big Boi (from Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico

Dusty) [Def Jam]

4. "All of the Lights" -- Kanye West (from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)

[Roc-A-Fella]

5. "Fuck You!" -- Cee-Lo Green (from The Lady Killer) [Elektra]

6. "Man of the House" -- Fantasia (from Back to Me) [J]

7. "Your Love is My Drug" -- Kesha (from Animal) [RCA]

8. "4th of July (Fireworks) / Segue 2" -- Kelis (from Flesh Tone) [Interscope]

9. "Ice Cream on Blast" -- A-Trak (from Dirty South Dance 2) [Self-Released]

10. "Just a Dream" -- Nelly (from 5.0) [Derrty Ent.]

11. "Cold War" -- Janelle Monáe (from The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)) [Bad Boy]

12. "Ghetto" -- Ghostface Killah (from Apollo Kids) [Def Jam]

13. "Window Seat" -- Erykah Badu (from New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh))

[Universal Motown]

14. "On and On" -- Girl Talk (from All Day) [Illegal Art]

15. "Yamaha" -- The-Dream (from Love King) [Def Jam]

16. "Club Can't Handle Me" (feat. David Guetta) -- Flo Rida (from Only One Flo:

Part 1) [Atlantic]

17. "What's My Name?" (feat. Drake) -- Rihanna (from Loud) [Def Jam]

18. "King of Anything" -- Sara Bareilles (from Kaleidoscope Heart) [Epic]

19. "Love Is" (with K. Michelle) -- R. Kelly (from Love Letter) [Jive]

20. "Bed Intruder Song (Original)" -- The Gregory Brothers (from YouTube)

[Gregory Residence]


DISC IV : (ALT-) COUNTRY / FOLK -- 1:18:39 -- 132.4MB

1. "Harlem River Blues" -- Justin Townes Earle (from Harlem River Blues) [Bloodshot]

2. "Burden of Tomorrow" -- The Tallest Man on Earth (from The Wild Hunt)

[Dead Oceans]

3. "Harm's Swift Way" -- Robert Plant (from Band of Joy) [Rounder]

4. "Set 'Em Up Joe" -- Jamey Johnson (from The Guitar Song) [Mercury Nashville]

5. "Giddy on Up" -- Laura Bell Bundy (from Achin' and Shakin') [Mercury Nashville]

6. "Mean" -- Taylor Swift (from Speak Now) [Big Machine]

7. "Need You Now" -- Lady Antebellum (from Need You Now) [Capitol Nashville]

8. "Where Are You Driving?" -- Laura Veirs (from July Flame) [Raven Marching Band]

9. "Peace Sign" -- Sharon Van Etten (from Epic) [Ba Da Bing]

10. "From a Table Away" -- Sunny Sweeney (from the From a Table Away Single)

[Republic Nashville]

11. "Bite the Dust" -- State Champion (from Stale Champagne) [Sophomore Lounge]

12. "Birthday Boy" -- Drive-By Truckers (from The Big To-Do) [ATO]

13. "Draggin' the River" (with Miranda Lambert) -- Blake Shelton (from the All

About Tonight EP) [Reprise Nashville]

14. "That'll Make You Wanna Drink" -- Easton Corbin (from Easton Corbin)

[Mercury Nashville]

15. "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" -- Alan Jackson & Martina McBride

(from the Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn Compilation) [Sony]

16. "Hey Little Darlin'" -- Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers (from Zoe Muth and

The Lost High Rollers) [Self-Released]

17. "Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries" -- Kurt Wagner and Cortney Tidwell

Present KORT (from Invariable Heartache) [City Slang]

18. "Little White Church" -- Little Big Town (from The Reason Why) [Capitol Nashville]

19. "Climbing High Mountains" -- Sam Amidon (from I See the Sign)

[Bedroom Community]

20. "'81" -- Joanna Newsom (from Have One on Me) [Drag City]

21. "Coming Home to Me" (with Julie Miller) -- Patty Griffin (from Downtown

Church) [Credential]

22. "Infra 5" -- Max Richter (from Infra) [Fat Cat]


DISC V : ROCK -- 1:19:05 -- 161MB

1. "Tell 'Em" -- Sleigh Bells (from Treats) [Mom + Pop]

2. "Blow Dumb" -- Nobunny (from First Blood) [Goner]

3. "Pobody's Nerfect" -- Wolf Parade (from Expo 86) [Sub Pop]

4. "I Get Nervous" -- Lower Dens (from Twin-Hand Movement) [Gnomonsong]

5. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" -- The National (from High Violet) [4AD]

6. "Albatross" -- The Besnard Lakes (from The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night)

[Jagjaguwar]

7. "Facelove" -- PS I Love You (from Meet Me at the Muster Station) [Paper Bag]

8. "Waterfall" -- The Fresh & Onlys (from Play It Strange) [In the Red]

9. "Come on Baby Grace" -- Boston Spaceships (from Our Cubehouse Still Rocks)

[Rockathon]

10. "A More Perfect Union" -- Titus Andronicus (from The Monitor) [XL]

11. "Meet Me in the Basement" -- Broken Social Scene (from Forgiveness Rock

Record) [Arts & Crafts]

12. "Written in Reverse" -- Spoon (from Transference) [Merge]

13. "Attack Music" -- These New Puritans (from Hidden) [Angular]

14. "My Neighbor" -- Wye Oak (from the My Neighbor / My Creator EP) [Merge]

15. "Post Acid" -- Wavves (from King of the Beach) [Fat Possum]

16. "Rebel Horns" -- Frog Eyes (from Paul's Tomb: A Triumph) [Dead Oceans]

17. "Intuition" -- Lonelady (from Nerve Up) [Warp]

18. "11 of Diamonds" -- Grass Widow (from Past Time) [Kill Rock Stars]

19. "Reeling the Liars In" -- Swans (from My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky)

[Young God]

20. "Heathen Child" -- Grinderman (from Grinderman 2) [ANTI-]

21. "Chem Trails" -- No Age (from Everything in Between) [Sub Pop]