2010 has been a pretty fun year for music. Every year, I discover more music, better music, and sometimes it cracks me up to see how my music taste grows and differs as the years go by, but I think 2010 has been a great year for new bands and kickass albums. I’ve compiled my list of 10 albums that I really loved, 5 EPs that just got to me, and then 30 songs that I’ve called Top Songs, but they’re just 30 songs that I liked a hell of a lot and came to me as I thought about it and scanned carelessly through iTunes. It’s interesting to note that half of my favorite albums are from California bands.

Top 10 Albums of 2010

10 Ty Segall | Melted | Goner

mp3 :: Ty Segall - Melted

09 Woven Bones | In & Out & Back Again | Hozac

mp3 :: Woven Bones - I\'ve Gotta Get

08 Dead Ghosts | S/T | Florida’s Dying

mp3 :: Dead Ghosts - When It Comes To You

07 Heavy Hawaii | HH | Artfag Records

mp3 :: Heavy Hawaii - Teen Angel

06 The Strange Boys | Be Brave | In The Red

mp3 :: The Strange Boys - Be Brave

05 Fool’s Gold | Fool’s Gold | IAMSOUND Records

mp3 :: Fool\'s Gold - Surprise Hotel

04 Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo | Subpop

mp3 :: Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?

03 The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack | Mexican Summer

mp3 :: The Soft Pack - C\'Mon

02 Harlem | Hippies | Matador

mp3 :: Harlem - Friendly Ghost

01 Happy Birthday | Happy Birthday | Subpop

mp3 :: Happy Birthday - Girls FM

________________________________________________________________

Top 5 EPs of 2010

05 Monster Rally | Monster Rally EP | Self Released

mp3 :: Monster Rally - Maori Mai

04 Unouomedude | Marsh EP | Self Released

mp3 :: Unouomedude - Buildings

03 Caitlin Rose | Dead Flowers EP | Names Records

mp3 :: Caitlin Rose - Docket

02 Sex Beet | EP | TBA

mp3 :: Sex Beet - Sugar Water

(note: this is totally not the artwork, as this isn’t released yet, but the EP is too good to not be included on this list.)

01 The Growlers | Hot Tropics EP | Everloving

mp3 :: The Growlers - Graveyard\'s Full

________________________________________________________________

Top 30 Songs of 2010:

01 The Babies | Meet Me In The City | Listen

02 Happy Birthday | Perverted Girl | Listen

03 Sex Beet | Stay

04 Friends | Make It Better

05 The Meanest Boys | Strangest Things

06 Tennis | South Carolina | Listen

07 Spectrals | Leave Me Be | Listen

08 Family Trees | Dream Talkin’ | Listen

09 Cee Lo Green | Fuck You | Listen

10 Sonny & The Sunsets | Too Young To Burn | Listen

11 Beach Fossils| Sometimes | Listen

12 Woven Bones | Wanna Tell Ya | Listen

13 Ty Segall | Bullet Proof Nothing

14 Surfer Blood | Take It Easy | Listen

15 School Knights | Lunch Money

16 Happy Birthday | Subliminal Message | Listen

17 The Growlers | Sea Lion Goth Blues | Listen

18 Unouomedude | Buildings | Listen

19 The Strange Boys | Laugh At Sex (Not At Her) | Listen

20 Mind Spiders | World’s Destroyed

21 Fair Ohs | Hey Lizzy | Listen

22 Fergus & Geronimo | Girls With English Accents

23 French Kissing | You Just Don’t Know What Love Is For

24 Sweaters | Fruit On The Vine

25 Demon’s Claws | Fucked on K | Listen

26 Swampmeat | Brand New Cadillac

27 Gaoler’s Daughter | Meet You On The Other Side of the World

28 Shimmering Stars | I’m Gonna Try | Listen

29 My Pet Saddle | Il Fait Beau | Listen

30 Cults | Go Outside | Listen

Don’t forget to catch the new incarnation of Avi Buffalo on Friday, November 19th at the Echoplex. Joining Avi are the super-buzzy Lord Huron, which makes it a ‘get there early, and don’t fucking miss’ kind of gig. If you haven’t gotten your tix for the ultra-low price of $10, pick them up right here

mp3 | Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?

Los Angeles’ own wunderkind, Avi Buffalo, is finally pulling back into the station with their first headlining show since May. Still riding high on the ultra-success of their Sub Pop debut, Avi Buffalo, the band will be taking a mini-break after their November show at the Echoplex — perhaps to find a replacement for Rebecca Coleman who left the group to persue her own musical projects. Either way, this is definitely not a show to be missed and will sell out in advance.



Avi Buffalo | @ The Echoplex
November 19th, 2010
$10 advanced, $15 day of show

Or, if you’re not in LA, you can catch Avi on their current US tour below..
Wed Oct 6 Nashville, TN Exit/In
Thu Oct 7 Birmingham, AL Bottletree
Fri Oct 8 Orlando, FL The Social w/ Blitzen Trapper
Sat Oct 9 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder w/ Blitzen Trapper
Mon Oct 11 Washington DC Rock and Roll Hotel
Wed Oct 13 New York, NY Mercury Lounge w/ The Wailing Wall
Fri Oct 15 Boston, MA Middle East Upstairs
Sat Oct 16 Montreal, CAN Il Motore
Mon Oct 18 Toronto, CAN Horseshoe
Tue Oct 19 Detroit, MI Majestic
Wed Oct 20 Chicago, IL Schubas
Thu Oct 21 Minneapolis, MN 7th Entry
Sat Oct 23 Omaha, NE Slowdown
Mon Oct 25 Denver, CO Hi Dive
Tue Oct 26 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
Fri Oct 29 Vancouver BC The Biltimore
Sat Oct 30 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Tue Nov 2 Seattle, WA Neumo’s
Thu Nov 4 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill w/ A B And The Sea, Colleen Green
Sun Nov 7 San Diego, CA Sushi Art

mp3 | Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?

One of our favorite acts to recently explode out of Los Angeles, Avi Buffalo, returns for a wonderful looking North American tour. If you haven’t listened to their debut, self-titled album (out now on SubPop!) you’re a fool. Catch them live:

Oct 6 Nashville Exit/In
Oct 7 Birmingham Bottletree
Oct 8 Orlando The Social
Oct 9 Tallahassee Club Downunder
Oct 11 DC Rock & Roll Hotel
Oct 13 New York Mercury Lounge
Oct 15 Boston Middle East Upstairs
Oct 16 Montreal Il Motore
Oct 18 Toronto Horseshoe
Oct 19 Detroit Majestic
Oct 20 Chicago Schubas
Oct 21 Minneapolis 7th Entry
Oct 23 Omaha Slowdown
Oct 25 Denver Hi Dive
Oct 26 Salt Lake City Kilby Court
Oct 29 Vancouver The Biltimore
Oct 30 Portland Mississippi Studios
Nov 2 Seattle Neumo’s
Nov 4 San Francisco Bottom Of The Hill

mp3 | Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?

One of my favorite LA exports, Avi Buffalo, has been gaining fans and momentum like never before since the release and critical adoration for their debut album, Avi Buffalo, on Sub Pop. We have always adored Avi, and have been so happy to see him doing so well in the UK, too. After a great show at Glastonbury, Avi’s back and added another show (his show Cargo on the 24th has completely sold out) at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. I really love that place, I used to work just down the street from it and liked to go there for coffee. I also once got a splinter there.

Avi Buffalo :: Live @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
August 28th, 2010
BUY TICKETS FROM FRIDAY 9AM BRITISH PERSON TIME

mp3 | Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?

Sub Pop’s 22nd Birthday from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

Kind of boring, but just wanted to say we <3 SubPop’s bands.

mp3 | Avi Buffalo - What\'s In It For?
mp3 | Happy Birthday - Subliminal Message

Harlem | Hippies
Happy Birthday | Happy Birthday
Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo
Monster Rally | Monster Rally
Woven Bones | In & Out & Back Again
Fionn Regan | The Shadow of an Empire
The Strange Boys | Be Brave
Best Coast | Sun Was High 7”
Caitlin Rose | Dead Flowers EP
Fool’s Gold | Fool’s Gold
The Soft Pack | The Soft Pack
The Growlers | Daytrotter Session
Gaoler’s Daughter | The Only Way To Travel
Surfer Blood | Astrocoast
Neverever | Angelic Swells

Avi Buffalo, in all likelihood is going to be the newest name for all these English people attending the Great Escape. However, I have been familiar with Avi for some time now and feel really comfortable to say that if there’s one band you see after me having recommended them, make it Avi Buffalo. Avi Buffalo is Avigdor Isner-Buffalo-something-or-other who is 18 (or is he 19 now?) and basically right out of highschool and his other similarly aged cohorts (including former girlfriend Rebecca) and they are amazing. I remember earlier than this month last year my friend Sam was raving about them and they’d been playing all over the Echo/Spaceland so I went to check them out and I was blown away by how talented they clearly were and really how fresh-sounding they were. I stand by those things for sure – but to have heard them develop so much by the time I saw them at this years SXSW (after signing to Sub Pop no less) has been such a pleasure. I’ve heard them be compared to Neil Young and be called alt-folk-country-pop. I don’t know how good I feel about labelling them in those terms. What I do know is they are fresh, breezy, a little dirty, a little awkward and they make a damn good, hook-laden, catchy fucking awesome pop songs. If that’s not the kind of recommendation that you can get behind, then you probably won’t like the rest of the shit on this blog. Avi Buffalo released their self-titled album in the US very recently and if you’re the kind of person who cares about this crap (you know who you are), Pitchfork gave it like an 8. So git on it.

Avi Buffalo will play:
Pavilion Theatre – Uncut Party 20:45 – 21:15

DOWNLOAD -> Avi Buffalo – Jessica

The Great Escape Festival runs in venues all over Brighton on May 13th, 14th, and 15th. Buy your tickets here.

NO-CHELLA 2010

UCK THAT: NO-CHELLA 2010

8 Real Life Bands picked up off the streets of Europe, New York, San Francisco, and our very own Los Angeles.

On the South Lawn at Pomona (the grass below SCC), melding from Lawn Sports to Live Music.

Burgers and veggie burgers (probably if i can figure out how to grill on south lawn) and other food and drinks.

100% Free for you.

1 day of rockin’ and rollin’ and surfin’ and punkin’ and folkin’ and bouncin’ and chowin’ and drinkin’ and dancin’ and sunnin’!

TUNE IN:
NO CHELLA 2010 PLAYLIST: http://nochella.tumblr.com/

DOWNLOAD THE PLAYLIST HERE (It’s great!): http://www.mediafire.com/?zwxo2nnym5j

SET TIMES:
5:00 pm – Avi Buffalo
6:00 – Pepper Rabbit
7:00 – The Moonhearts
8:00 – Tijuana Panthers
9:00 – Male Bonding
10:00 – Happy Hollows
11: 00 – Nobunny
12:00 – Ezra Furman & The Harpoons

SPONSORED BY CCLA LIVE ARTS, CCLA, KSPC