Tag Archives: Born With Stripes

Editor Picks Top 10 Gems (Albums and Tracks) of 2011 and Final Wrap

31 Dec

Editor's Gems of 2011 - Top 10 Tracks and Albums

Editors Picks Top 10 Gems Albums and Tracks of 2011

So that’s it. One more year down the drain. Good, I love moving forward. This has been one of those odd years where the new bands were good, the sophomore albums were unusually FANTASTIC. Really, I had a hard time clearing our albums from Girls, Toro Y Moi, Cults, White Denim, etc. These albums are so great that I truly believe we are at a water shed moment in the music industry. Where the social connected world has created ARTIST, who can create and share. We listen, we judge, they create more and boom, we have great records. I hope the Apple created .99 cent song world is over and that we’re headed back to an age of records. Oh well. We’re not there yet, so I’ll share my final lists for 2011. It was a great year for the Muse, Turk and me. We have new little Hummingbirds fluttering around our homes, even more inspiration to weed out the Top 40 drivel and put on some quality music for our little ones to dance to.

EDITORS PICKS Top 10 Albums of 2011
10. CultsCults
9. White DenimD
8. Young GalaxyShapeshifting
7. The VaccinesWhat Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
6. EMA Past Life Martyred Saints
5. YuckYuck
4. James Vincent McMorrowEarly In The Morning
3. DonkeysBorn With Stripes
2. Other LivesTamer Animals
1. GirlsFather, Son, Holy Ghost
If want to grab these and our Hummingbird winners on vinyl just grab them here

EDITORS PICKS Top 10 TRACKS of 2011

10. Nurses – “Fever Dreams”

9. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”

8. Sun Airway – “Waiting on You”

7. Dirty Beaches – “True Blue”

6. Cults – “Oh My God”

5. Yuck – “Georgia”

4. James Vincent McMorrow – “If I Had A Boat”

3. Girls – “VomitGirls – Vomit

2. Other Lives – “Tamer Animals”

1. White Denim – “Street Joy”

HEAR THE ENTIRE LIST ON SPOTIFY RIGHT NOW

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE BANDS. I read a post from the lead singer of Pepper Rabbit last night and he stated “It’s very hard to be an “indie band” these days. You spend 100% of your time trying to get the band to another level, 75% of the time on tour losing money, and the rest of your time in either complete elation, or complete doubt.” So support them, love them, show them how much you care. Share them in this new socially connected world and claim them as yours. Claim them like a lover because they work their asses off to do it for you. I love new bands and I will spend every hour of my life finding something new for you.

Follow our favorites — all the Hummingbirds

Signing off
RE NBD

STAFF PICKS: Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10’s of 2011

30 Dec

The Arizona Turk's Gems of 2011 - Top 10 Tracks, Albums and Bands

Now that the Hummingbirds are distributed to the fine bands of 2011, it’s time for us to celebrate our Excavator Picks for 2011. The Excavator is a specialist only employed by NBD. They dig and dig and dig for the best tracks and bands.

Arizona Turk is the king of excavating, going to shows, buying records, digging the blogs and he finds some dandy gems. Here are his picks for the 2011 Top Tracks. Who better than the best gem of them all Arizona Turk.

Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10 Tracks of 2011
10. The Men “Bataille”
9. Trophy Wife “Canopy Shade”
8. Tribes “We Were Children”
7. Para Siempre “No Way Out”
6. Summer Camp “I Want You”
5. Sports Bar “Anisa, Nah She Don’t Live Here No More”
4. S.C.U.M. “Amber Hands”
3. Tours “Tough Lately”
2. Acid Kicks “Life Dreams”
1. I Heart Sharks “Summer”

LISTEN TO ALL OF THE TURK’s PICKS ON SPOTIFY

Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10 ALBUMS of 2011
10. Vaccines What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
9. Youth Lagoon The Year OF Hibernation
8. EMA Past Life Martyred Saints
7.
Little Girls Cults
6. James Vincent McMorrow Early In The Morning
5. Slowness Hopeless But Otherwise
4. True Widow As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center Of The Circumference Of The Earth
3. Washed Out Within And Without
2. I Heart Sharks Summer
1. Donkeys Born With Stripes

Just missed:
Miles Kane Colour Of The Trap
Chapel Club Palace
Metromony The English Riviera…I know they have been around forever
The Antlers Burst Apart …couldn’t leave it off
The Men Leave Home
Sports Bar Demo
Cinemascopes Cinemascopes EP

My favorite album of the year:
The Horrors Skying

Welcome Back:
Death in Vegas Trans-Love-Energies

Best Reissues:
1. Talk Talk Laughing Stock (VINYL)
2. Ride Nowhere – 2 disc Rhino set
3. Archers Of Loaf Icky Mettle
4. Disco Inferno The 5 EPs
5. This Mortal Coil

AND HE EVEN GAVE US HIS TOP 10 BANDS OF 2011 (Though most of these will be on our 2012 list)
Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10 BANDS of 2011

10. Little Girls
9. Dirty Beaches
8. Belong
7. Cinemascopes
6. Blouse
6. Slowness
5. True Widow
4. I Break Horses
3. Swimming
2. James Vincent McMorrow
1. I Heart Sharks

THE 2011 AWARD LINKS:
ALL THE 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD WINNERS
LISTEN TO ALL 13 HUMMINGBIRDS PLAYLIST HERE
BUY ALL THE HUMMINGBIRD ALBUMS HERE

Band of the Day (5.16.11) The Donkeys…are RAWSOME!

16 May

San Diego is not a whale's vagina it's home to The Donkeys


Band of the Day (5.16.11) The Donkeys

The Turk was on fire last week, sending me some true gems. He’s a sucker for being the guy that finds the Gem of the year. He almost did in 2010, but The Radio Dept. was my find. Haha, all said and done, he’s a master of the dig and finds some amazing bands. The next several weeks will be peppered with his new favorites. Check out The Donkeys today. These boys from San Diego, Timothy DeNardo, Anthony Lukens, and Sam Sprague first played together as teenagers, and Jessie Gulati joined later in a band named the Moon and Sixpence soon after graduation. They have three albums under their belts, full of tunes sparkled with “Dad listened to this when he was in college” sound. It’s raga mixed with garage guitars and a Doors keyboard underpinning that makes me wonder whether these guys are 24 or 64. Born With Stripes which is a marvelous collection of tunes or an album of psych-rocking Sixties style geared most for the Indian in the desert exploration. Buy it on LP here. There is a track on this record that is probably my favorite of 2011, and the record is skyrocketing up our list at the NBD office. Listen to “I Like The Way You Walk” and tell me you love it! Hell they actually are self described as “Rad and Awesome had a baby.” or as we call them RAWSOME. Love the San Diego vibe and the psych-rock groove. 1111 Facebook fans so the band is gaining traction.

Vitals:
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Members: Timothy DeNardo, Anthony Lukens, Sam Sprague and Jessie Gulati
Sonic Soulmates: Pavement, Wilco, The Thrills
Trackables:
“I Like The Way You Walk” – Might be my favorite track of the year. DOWNLOAD IT HERE

“Born With Stripes” – Retro-psych rock —- Title track.

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