1) For All You Know - Burn To Shine - Portland - The Ready

Move over Smoosh. Someone jacked your gimmick.

2) St Rosa and the Swallows - The Body The Blood The Machine - Thermals

With each album the Thermals get a little bit better recording equipment, but they somehow remain one of the most addictively simple bands around. They had the awful job of opening for Sleater-Kinney during the farewell shows in Portland and were so damn fun anyway.

3) Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) - The Crane Wife - Decemberists

Laura Veirs vocal on the new Decemberist record is definitely my favorite guest spot on a record this year. Arguably the best new Decemberist song too.

4) Just Got To Be - Magic Potion - Black Keys

That riff is filthy.

5) Bicycle, Bicyle, You Are My Bicycle - Be Your Own Pet - Be Your Own Pet

When I saw them sing this live, there was a small contingent of kids that really loved yelling the “NO FEAR NO BRAKES” part in the bridge. Couldn’t blame them one bit.

6) Judy - We Are The Pipettes - The Pipettes

When nobody’s looking I make up little coordinated dance moves that go along with the lyrics to all the Pipettes songs. I’m not the only one, right?

7) TransCanada - B-Sides and Rarities - A.C. Newman

Newman made a small EP for a movie soundtrack which is deceptively labeled an AC Newman release in ITunes. It’s mostly instrumental except for this song, which features his niece and fellow New Pornographer Kathryn Calder on vocals.

8) Kubrick Eyes - Hello Stranger - Hello Stranger

KEYTAR BALLAD

9) Maybe Sprout Wings - Get Lonely - Mountain Goats

This is … apropos of nothing, really, but Mountains Goats is listed as my 3rd most played band on Last.FM. This confused the shit out of me until I remembered the time I put all their albums on shuffle and fell asleep… running a mindbogglingly huge playcount in the process.

10) Diamond Sea - iTunes Session EP - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs do an acoustic cover of Sonic Youth’s Diamond Sea. That sorta speaks for itself.

11) One More Hour - Dig Me Out - Sleater-Kinney

The very last song at the very last show of Sleater-Kinney’s career was “One More Hour,” a breakup song written originally about Corin and Carrie’s breakup way back in the day. It was heady and the band and audience were in tears alike but we all sang anyway. I still well up a little when I hear it.

12) Cubs in Five - Cover Of The Week - eric Metronome

I’m totally in love with this Mountain Goats cover, which is so earnest that it captures perfectly the hopeless romanticism that can only exist in the heart of an unloved sports fan. The fact that the original is an ultimate kiss-off really don’t matter that much to me.

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