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Chris now going to be writing for Girl Attorneys due to the fact that nobody else is contributing to this blog. Please read the reviews there, and continue to support artists.

Lambchop - OH [Ohio]

I have this album on heavy rotation right now. It's the sort of alt-country/americana/folk stuff I usually listen to, but there is really something special about Lambchop, hailing from Nashville, it is mostly centered around Kurt Wagner, and his band has been as large as 18 players at some points. Check it out.

check it out. or not. whatever.

La Dispute - Here, Hear. III

This is a great EP just out from a great band, La Dispute. It's hard to describe them without having to resort to genres that don't really exist (although I guess I will through post-hardcoreish in there), so just check it out yourself.

Kaz - Top 10 Albums of '09

I am fairly green at this blogging stuff, and so I apologize in advance for my "greenness". Confining myself to a list is something that I also had difficulty with in this process. The truth is that there were many great releases this year, yet I am unable to conjure them when forced to list them out. Here's what I can remember, and here's what I love. Here's what I found interesting. We don't have to agree - what fun would that be?

1) Passion Pit - Manners

- I love me my synth pop something awful!

Highlight(s): Little Secrets

2) Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

- This album could've easily come off as pretentious, but thankfully it does not. Instead, the tracks are simple but wonderfully energetic!

Highlight(s): Lisztomania (my summer jam), and the inclusion of Love like a Sunset, which creates a fresh contrast with the rest of the album.

3) Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

- Electronic bliss and glorious harmonies!

Highlight(s): No Intention, Remade Horizon

4) Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence

- My music library includes quite the eclectic mix of artists, and I happened to stumble upon this group a couple years ago because of their collaborations with Feist. I enjoy the subtlety and calm nature of this album.

Highlight(s): Me in You

5) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

- An album that is both explosive and silent in a truly magical way.

Highlight(s): Two Weeks, Cheerleader

6) The xx - xx

- A favourite new discovery of mine. Good for chillin'.

Highlight(s): VCR, Crystalised

7) Real Estate - s/t

- It makes me think of the beach and those individually packaged dixie ice cream cups.

Highlight(s): Suburban Dogs, Green River, Fake Blues

8) Ohbijou - Beacons

- A very underrated group with a unique style! This album is pretty sweet, though not quite as fantastic as Swift Feet for Troubling Times (2006) in my opinion. Not everyone loves her voice, as I have recently heard it described as a "loud whisper" from a peer. I am a fan nonetheless.

Highlight(s): Thunderlove, New Years, Cliff Jumps

9) Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

- Creepy in a good way. Not quite as good as Close to Paradise, which I enjoyed immensely. Still, a very percussive and entertaining listen.

Highlight(s): Tracy's Waters, Big Bird in a Small Cage, Where the wild things are

10) Washed Out - Life of Leisure EP

- Groovy and chill!

Highlight(s): Get Up, Feel it All Around

* Also: Sleigh Bells - Sleigh Bells (demo)

- Definitely one of my favourites from this year. Sleigh Bells sounds like M.I.A. plus Santigold but with more grit and edge.

Highlight(s): Ring ring, Crown on the Ground, A/B Machines

I am also anxiously awaiting the new Vampire Weekend release in the forthcoming year. If California English Pt. 2 is any indication their new album is going to be one for the ages.

- 2009 also saw the release of several good soundtracks including, (500) Days of Summer, and Where the Wild Things Are. I personally enjoyed the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack much more than the latest Yeah Yeah Yeahs album It's Blitz!. Then again, it's recently been nominated for the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, so what do I know?

The Wonder Years - The Upsides

Great band, they are. Please buy their album. If you like the pop-punk stuff, I would recommend this (think Set Your Goals).

Los Campesinos!

Punk meets Twee with Wale's Los Campesinos! and their new album Romance is Boring. Although technically set to release in 2010, you can pick up the leak pretty much anywhere. Lately I've been in the mood for optimistic and playful albums, and this satisfies that need (this and OD'ing on God Help the Girl).

The Roots - Sandwitches EP

[farnsworth]Good news everyone![/farnsworth] They have compiled a collection of "sandwitches" which are defined as the short groovy jams that the Roots record in between Fallon sessions and are (sometime) going to release them as an EP. You can pick up a free copy from here and hopefully a hardcopy will be available sometime soon. I'm looking forward to many more of these, and hoping one of these would be released way back when they teamed up with Erykah Badu to do the MJ tribute of "I Wanna Be Where You Are".

As for a release date on How I Got Over...*sigh* we still don't really know. ?uestlove said via the tweety bird and an okayplayer interview that he went back into the studio sometime in late October and should be completed at least by the end of February. Well, let's hope for the best.