As we approached the mid-point of 2010, we paused to reflect back on the great records we’ve heard.  Too often, we hear people complain that there aren’t any great new records coming out.  Our complaint, is that there are so many great records that people aren’t paying attention to.  For all the hype behind the great records by Sleigh Bells and Foals, there are so many unsigned bands deserving of your attention.  With that in mind, we’ve brought you the ten albums that we’ve enjoyed the most this year.

Rather than bias you with the typical pigeon-holed descriptions of each band, we’ve presented them without comment, merely adding one track that we think best exemplifies the music on each record.  We’ve also provided you with links, so that you can pick up a copy of each of these records, some of which are available for free (gasp).

#1– Sleigh Bells- Treats

Riot Rhythm by Sleigh Bells
Purchase it via iTunes: Treats – Sleigh Bells or Amazon: Treats

#2- Foals- Total Life Forever

Blue Blood by Foals
Purchase it via iTunes: Total Life Forever – Foals or Amazon: Total Life Forever

#3- The Prids- Chronosynclastic

Hide Your Thoughts by The Prids
TDOA interview here
Purchase it via iTunes: Chronosynclastic – The Prids or Amazon: Chronosynciastic

#4- Serena Maneesh-No. 2 Abyss in B Minor

I Just Want To See Your Face by Serena Maneesh
TDOA interview here
Purchase it via iTunes: S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor – Serena-Maneesh or Amazon: No 2: Abyss in B Minor

#5- Stripmall Architecture- Feathersongs For Factory Girls

Radium Girls by Stripmall Architecture
Purchase it via BandCamp.

#6- Whirl- Whirl

Meaningless by Whirl
TDOA interview here
Download for free via BandCamp!

#7- For a Minor Reflection- Höldum í átt að óreiðu

Kastljós by For A Minor Reflection
Album available in Iceland only. Contact the band here.

#8- Surfer Blood- Astro Coast

Swim by Surfer Blood
TDOA interview here
Purchase it via iTunes: Astro Coast – Surfer Blood or Amazon: Astro Coast

#9- Admiral Radley- I Heart California

I Heart California by Admiral Radley
TDOA interview here
Purchase it via iTunes (available July 1): Admiral Radley or Amazon: I Heart California (Dig)

#10- The Soft Pack- The Soft Pack

Answer To Yourself by The Soft Pack
TDOA interview here
Purchase it via iTunes: The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack or Amazon: The Soft Pack

Over the course of the last three weeks, we’ve given you an A to Z preview of the best of SXSW. Our ears are still numb, after listening to mp3′s of every single band playing the festival. With SXSW finally here, we thought we’d give you a round-up of the ten bands we deem to be “the best”. Whether you’re coming down to Austin or sitting at home in….London, Paris or Beijing, we suggest you check out these bands. Click on the band name to find out more about the band. In our opinion, these are the bands that combine great music with great live reputations. These are the bands that will leave a lasting impression on SXSW and the music industry for years to come.

#1- Warpaint

#2- Surfer Blood

#3- The Boxer Rebellion

#4- The Soft Pack

#5- Lovvers

#6- Band of Horses

#7- The Ganjas

#8- Avi Buffalo

#9- Grand Analog

#10- Kilians

Here’s the first video from the debut album by TDOA faves, The Soft Pack. You can read the interview we did with them last year, here.

Charlotte Hatherley (Bats For Lashes, Ash, solo)
1. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
3. Squarepusher – Just A Souvenir
4. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
5. Fever Ray – Fever Ray

Petter Ericson Stakee (Alberta Cross)
Phosphorescent – To Willie
PJ Harvey and John Parish – A Woman a Man Walked By
Dead Confederate ‘Wrecking Ball’ (We are aware it’s from last year but still think it should be on there as it didn’t receive enough credit in 2008.)
John Alexander Ericson- Songs from the White sea
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears- Tell Em What Your Name Is
Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid

Darker My Love
1. Thee Oh Sees- HELP
2. Cass McCombs- Catacombs
3. King Tuff- Was Dead
4. Strange Boys- …and Girls Club
5. A Place To Bury Strangers- Exploding Head
6. Tim Hecker- An Imaginary Country
7. Kurt Vile- Childish Prodigy
8. Pearl Harbor- Something About Chaparrals
9. Mocky- Saskamodie
10. Girls / Album

Brad Laner (Medicine/Solo)
1. Beatles Remasters / Beatles Rock Band
2. Neil Young – Archive Vol. 1
3. Baby Champ – Faya/Maya
4. Shits and Giggles – Trick or Treat
5. Helado Negro – Awe Owe
6. Where The Action Is! (Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968)
7. Bell Gardens – A Series Of Farewells
8. Slaraffenland – We’re on Your Side
9. Baths – http://www.myspace.com/bathsmusic
10. The Silent League -But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker

Milo (The Big Pink)
1. Comanechi – Crime of Love
2. A Grave With No Name – Mountain Debris
3. Pre – Hope Freaks
4. Cold Cave – Love Comes Close
5. The Horrors – Primary Colours
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Its Blitz

Max Tannone (Jaydiohead)
1. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
2. Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon
3. Peter Bjorn and John – Living Thing
4. La Roux – La Roux
5. Boys Noize – Power

Aurelio Valle (Calla)
1. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s-It’s Blitz
2. Fever Ray-S/T
3. Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon:End of the Day
4. Flaming Lips-Embryonic
5. Animal Collective-Merriweather Post Pavilion
6. Raekwon-Only Built for Cuban Linx pt.2
7. Antony and the Johnsons-The Crying Light
8. Jay-Z-The Blueprint
9. U2-The Unforgettable Fire Re-issue
10. Bat for Lashes-Two Suns

Simon Reynolds (author/music critic)
1. Micachu and the Shapes, Jewellry (Rough Trade)
2. The Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca (Domino)
3. Moon Wiring Club — Striped Paint for the Last Post (Gecophonic)
4. Dolphins Into The Future, On Sea Faring Isolation (No Not Fun)
5. Oneohtrix Point Never, Rifts (No Fun)
6. Belbury Poly, From An Ancient Star (Ghost Box)
7. Roj, The Transactional Dharma of Roj (Ghost Box)
8. Broadcast & The Focus Group, Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (Warp)
9. Woebot, East Central One (Hollow Earth)
10. Mordant Music, SyMptoMs (Mordant Music)

Matty (The Soft Pack)
Kurt Vile- Constant Hitmaker
Women- Self Titled
Cold Cave- Love Comes Close
Pearl Harbor- Something about the Chapparals EP
So Cow- So Cow
Obits- I Blame You
Bill Callahan- Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Abe Vigoda- Reviver EP
Friendly Fires- Self Titled
Micachu and the Shapes- Jewellery

Adam (Apteka)
1. The Horrors-Primary Colours
2. Nirvana-Live at Redding
3. Girls-Album
4. Washed Out-Life of Leisure
5. Sonic Youth-The Eternal
6. The Warlocks-The Mirror Explodes
7. Wooden Shjips-Dos
8. The Big Pink-A Brief History of Love
9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
10. A Place to Bury Strangers-Exploding Head

Home Video
1. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
2. School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. The Horrors – Primary Colours
6. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
7. Wave Machines – Wave If You’re Really There
8. Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper
9. JJ- no 2
10. Silk Lung – Just a Thread

Living Things
(in no particular order)
Jay Z- Blueprint 3
The XX – The XX
Girls – Album
Crocodiles – Summer of Hate
Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Phoenix – 1901
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
The Big Pink – A Breif History of Love
Living Things – Habeas Corpus !!!!

LR Rockets
Golden Silvers- True Romance
The Horrors- Primary Colours
The Maccabees- Wall of Arms
Florence and the Machine- Lungs
Julian Plenti- Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper

Odario Williams (Grand Analog)
1. Mos Def- The Ecstatic
2. Jay-Z- Blueprint 3
3. Little Dragon- Machine Dreams
4. Blakroc- Blakroc
5. Maiko Watson- Sweet Vibration
6. Raekwon- Only Built For Cuban Linx II
7. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus
8. Maxwell- Blacksummer’s Night
9. Nestor Wynrush- Trinnipeg!78
10. Easy Star All-Stars- Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band

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Our criteria:  1) Not a one-hit wonder.  They’ve got a 30 to 45 minute set at their disposal that’ll blow you away.

2) Great live band.  Either we’ve seen them personally or the weight of public opinion merits seeing this band live.  Their show at SXSW is going to be an “event”.

3) They’re on the cusp of something bigger.  This may be the last time you can see them in a smaller venue.

In no particular order:

An Horse

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Duke Spirit

White Lies

The Soft Pack

Minipop

Longview

Ida Maria

The Living Things

Division of Laura Lee

No videos this time.  We’ve done oodles of videos on each of these bands.  Time to get out there and see ‘em folks!

As discussed in our preview of The Soft Pack hail from San Diego and have an incredible amount of buzz following them currently.  After appearing as The Muslims at the CMJ Showcase in 2008, labels were frothing at the mouth to sign the band.  They recently signed with Kemado Records and will release their first album as The Soft Pack in 2009.  They’ve opened for Franz Ferdinand, The Raveonettes, Darker My Love, The Breeders, White Lies and a host of bands who are helping to increase their exposure.  The Soft Pack is Matt Lamkin (vocals), Matty McLoughlin (guitars), Brian Hill (drums) and David Lantzman (bass).  Matty was kind enough to answer a few questions for TDOA:

TDOA:  In an interview I read recently, you were heading into the studio.  How’s it going thusfar?

Matty: Well, we were in the studio for like 4 days before we left for the UK. It went well, tracked about 5 songs. We are headed back into the studio when we get back and then again in June. We are recording in a studio in east Los Angeles. It’s a cool place, not a weird sterile environment.  Rockin’ sounding.

TDOA: You’ve said that you didn’t feel like The Muslim’s album captured your live sound very well.  How do you aim to change that on the new album?  Everything about the songs on The Muslim’s album was great, so are we talking about production and mixing concepts?  If so, can you geek out on us for a minute and talk about the technical side of what you’re doing?

Matty: On our first EP I feel like the production didn’t capture the more aggressive traits that come through live. We did the best we could with what we had.   We were trying to make it more “hi-fi”, but it came out lo-fi. I am proud of it because it captured what the band was at the time but I think we can do much better. Better tunes, more exciting sounding. Get weird maybe. Who knows. I have zero knowledge of anything technical. In any capacity. In life.

TDOA: 2009 seems destined to have you touring endlessly and hopefully with your popularity continuing to grow.  What do you guys do on the road to keep yourselves entertained during those long van rides?

TDOA: Can you talk about the songwriting process for The Soft Pack?  Do the songs usually build from guitar parts you’ve written?  What comes first, the lyrics or the music?

Matty: Someone normally comes to practice with a riff or a chord progression and then we kind of go from there. We always jam and screw around for the first 45 minutes or so at practice and stuff often comes out of that. Music comes first and then Matt comes up with lyrics.

TDOA: You’ve opened for some pretty big bands.  Do you guys ever solicit them for advice and if so, who’s given you the most help?

Matty: Opening for bands like the Breeders, Nightmarchers, Walkmen, etc has probably been the best part so far. I learn a ton by watching how those bands go about their business. Even really small details, like watching how they set up their amps, pedals, levels etc.  How they carry themselves as well. Being in a band for a small amount of time is easy, being in a band for the long haul is something entirely different. I try to soak up as much as I can…….And then I slam beers and watch them rip it up. Fun.

TDOA: You get an amazing guitar sound on stage.  Can you satisfy the guitar geeks out there by telling us about your setup?

Matty: Hahah, thanks. I am the furthest thing from a gearhead and my guitar sound is super basic. I use fender twin reverb amplifier (i turn it up loud) and have a Gibson Les Paul Special guitar. Like the Bob Marley guitar. That’s kind of it….Oh, and I play that guitar like a 13 year old boy masturbating 5 minutes before the school bus arrives.

TDOA: You changed the band name to avoid answering questions about the name.  So….let me ask a question about it.  Any interest in talking about what it says about American society that your name was such a big deal?  Has 9/11 bred a society who focuses their racist feelings on Arabs and Muslims?

Matty: Yeah, people can’t get over it. Also, I think the majority of people have no clue as to what the values and goals of the religion are, myself included. When the majority of people don’t understand what something is and rely on speculation to shape their views, stupidity ensues (sick rhyme). It was really just a band name for us that we thought was in the same vein as Frank Black and the Catholics, the Silver Jews, etc.

TDOA:  Fave albums of 2008?

Matty:  Women-  LP, Abe Vigoda- Skeleton, Kurt Vile- Constant Hitmaker Ep, The Breeders- Mountain Battles, Lil’ Wayne- Carter III

TDOA: If you could “eliminate” any current artist or band, who would it be?

Matty: Neil Sedaka (ed. note- Gadzooks! Is he still alive?!)

TDOA: You started generating a lot of interest after your appearance at CMJ.  What advice would you give to band’s playing SXSW who are still looking for their “break”?

Matty: Have fun, don’t take it seriously. It’s a joke. Eat barbeque.

TDOA: Any bands that you’re excited to see at SXSW?

Matty: I know we are playing a Gigotron mexican summer thing with Abe Vigoda, Crystal Antlers, and a bunch of bands. That should be cool. In terms of bands that I have not seen yet, I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. I am just going to cruise around and discover some new favorites. I think that’s what your supposed to do. Channel your drunk uncle and roam where you want to.

Keep your eye out for The Soft Pack at SXSW and on the NME Tour this summer.

St. Vincent- St. Vincent is Annie Clark.  Annie Clark is Portishead doing the soundtrack to The Wizard of Oz.  Annie uses unconventional instrumentation to create a soundscape that works in the background or with your undivided attention.  A rare qualtiy that only comes from an epic talent.  SXSW says she’s from Brooklyn.  Her MySpace page says she’s from Dallas.  I say she’s from outer space and she’s come to save us all.  Best served in a crowded, smoky bar with at least one martini in your belly.

Spinto Band- Delaware’s Spinto’s interlace beautiful guitars with an energy  only surpassed by their hype.  This is the real thing: great songwriting, excellent musicians, great melodies

The Soft Pack- Magazine meet Mission of Burma.  Not a reference you hear very often, but if you know you’re music, then you know this must be something special.  They’re an LA-based band who just signed with Kemado Records.  Used to be called The Muslims, but had to change their name because….Americans are dumb.  Sorry guys, I’ve been trying to warn people but to no avail.  In the meantime, all of you need to track down The Muslims record and wait patiently for a new TSP album that will surely be on my top ten list.  In our top 5 “Must see” bands for SXSW.

Skratch Bastid-  TDOA likes this kind of stuff?  I know it’s shocking, but I heard “Jugglin Justin” (which you need to go on his myspace page and listen to.  Immediately.  I’ll wait…..), saw him at SXSW two years ago and was blown away.  Has an amazing breadth of musical knowledge, so he mixes 50′s rock, 60′s soul, 70′s rock and contemporary music and makes it self-referential.  I don’t like this type of music, but this guy is brilliant.  Find a day show, drink 3 Red Bull’s and prepare to freak out.

Skibunny- Belfast electronic remixers turned…band!  I’m sure they’ll do some DJ sets and some live, band sets.  I’m recommending the latter.  Reminds me of Fujiya & Miyagi with female vocals.   Has a kind of cool swagger to it that grabs you and shakes you, then it backs off to caress you with some great melodies.

Silversun Pickups- Do we lose credibility for liking this band?  Look, “Lazy Eye” bored a hole in my skull, crawled inside and I’ve never been able to get it out.  Smashing Pumpkins?  Yup.  But they do it well and they emulate what we liked about the Pumpkins.  Deal with it.  UPDATE:  We’ve been blown away by the number of bands that have agreed to be interviewed prior to SXSW.  From bands that have made recent appearances on Letterman, Leno and their ilk to older, legendary bands.  Almost every band we’ve asked, has found a way for us to get an interview done.  Except Silversun Pickups.  Too busy riding on their major label purchased bus.  Wow, they really are like Billy Corgan!  Disappointing, but it doesn’t change how good the music is.
As Randy from No Age said in a soon to be published interview here: “Blogs are the way that bands gain their exposure now.”  Essemtially, he argued that radio is dead and the internet is one of the only ways for bands to reach out to current or potential fans.

School of Seven Bells- Brooklyn 3-piece with Ben from Secret Machines and the Deheza twins from On!Air!Library!.  Little shoegaze, Cocteau Twins, early MBV all mixed together with a 2000′s twist.  Epic.

I’ve stumbled onto a band called The Soft Pack.  I heard a song called Parasites and was scrambling for a piece of paper to write down their name.  (In fact I think I brilliantly misspelled their name when I sent an email to their publicist.  Yes, I misspelled the word Pack and I write a blog.  Yes, I’m walking around my house wearing a dunce cap).  TSP are a LA based band who just signed with Kemado Records according to Billboard (?! Obviously there’s more to this band.  Random bands don’t get written up in Billboard for signing to Kemado)  They used to be called The Muslims but changed their name (did Sean Hannity get to them?).

Here’s the most important part.  They’re amazing.  The rare references by other bloggers I found compared them to The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand.  Um, have you bought a record released before 1990 Stereogum?  There’s a lot of Magazine influence and Unknown Pleasures era Joy Division.   I’ll let you know when I know more, but for now, go to their Myspace page.  There’s nothing around to buy or download, so you’re going to just have to sit there next to me for a while.

Here’s a video from when they were The Muslims.  Doesn’t do them justice, but gives you another taste.