La Sera - Break My Heart

#awesome

Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls fame goes all Best Coast on us...but much cuter..enjoy



Get the mp3 from the excellent Gorilla vs Bear blog

Albums of the Year - Pop Edition - Final

And so there goes another year, billions of albums released, far too many ignored or at least neglected, and yet some really great albums have surfaced over the past twelve months.

The last three months in particular has seen me finally click with Dubstep and even House to some extent, a genre I never thought i'd get into.

Here we start with the most essential pop albums of the last year. i've narrowed it down to 18, if I was less tired I probably would've rounded it up to 20 and included Sleigh Bells Treats and the eighties-tastic That We Can Play by Games.

The majority of pop that i've fallen for this year has been deeply influenced by the sixties, girl groups especially, not a bad thing considering this was the golden decade for pop.

Hopefully you'll find something new and enjoyable. Enjoy 2011.

Click the reviews link for soundclips and the normal reviews, generally my own comments along with Boomkats plus tracks to stream.

	Artist	Album
1	Best Coast	Crazy For You	Buy	Review + Soundclips
2	Rangers	Suburban Tours	Buy	Review + Soundclips
3	Allo, Darlin'	Allo, Darlin'	Buy	Review + Soundclips
4	Anika	Anika	Buy	Review + Soundclips
5	Big Blood	Dead Songs	Buy	Review + Soundclips
6	The Like	The Like	Buy	Review + Soundclips
7	Magic Kids	Memphis	Buy	Review + Soundclips
8	Tennis	Baltimore - EP / South Carolina	Buy	Review + Soundclips
9	Beach House	Teen Dream	Buy	Review + Soundclips
10	Gigi	Maintenant	Buy	Review + Soundclips
11	Belle & Sebastian	Belle & Sebastian Write About Love	Buy	Review + Soundclips
12	The School	Loveless Unbeliever	Buy	Review + Soundclips
13	Chain and the Gang	(I've Got) Privilege 7"	Buy	Review + Soundclips
14	Cults	Adult Swim Singles Program	Buy	Review + Soundclips
15	CocoRosie	Grey Oceans	Buy	Review + Soundclips
16	Amiina	Over & Again	Buy	Review + Soundclips
17	Gonjasufi	Kowboyz&Indians / My Only Friend	Buy	Review + Soundclips
18	Scout Niblett	Calcination of Scout Niblett	Buy	Review + Soundclips

8. Tennis - Baltimore/ South Carolina EP's (Underwater Peoples)

Tennis showed fantastic potential, you may argue that something in lost in the poor production of these tracks, i'd rather dwell on what they might be capable of next year if there given even something close to the opportunity Best Coast had and took, brilliant lo-fi girl fronted pop. Cape Dory is just wonderful.

Find more artists like Tennis at Myspace Music

Spoiler : What Boomkat Said:

Loverly yellow 7" from husband/wife duo, Patrick and Alaina, aka Tennis, featuring three tracks apparently recorded over the last year on their sailboat, while touring the ocean (the Atlantic, presumably). The two A-side tracks are pretty raw bits of bubblegum summer pop, and we really like the B-side 'Marathon' with Alaina's super cute vocals. Don't sleep on this!

1. Best Coast - Crazy For You (Witchita)

A total surprise, I'd heard a few songs and been horribly disappointed by the poor quality. The 13 tracks here are nothing but fantastic. It sums up the confusion and complications of growing up, love and obsession, all in shiny catchy pop songs with great great choruses and a little lo-fi twist. An album to be played over and over again. Believe the hype!!

Spoiler : What Boomkat Said:

One of the most excitedly anticipated and talked about rock albums of 2010 arrives after a snowballing of blog attention, and great lead-up singles. The buzz around Best Coast was to some extent inherited from frontwoman Bethany Cosentino's previous band, Pocahaunted, but this current project provides a very different outlet for her talents. After early ultra lo-fi bedroom recordings - with the help of cohort Bobb Bruno - Cosentino has nurtured Best Coast into a fully fledged alt. pop forced to be reckoned with, prompting parallels to be drawn with '90s American lo-fi, grunge and like-minded West Coasters like Wavves (who similarly litter recordings with references to beaches, the summer and weed). Naivety and songwriting simplicity seeps through every pore of Crazy For You, but what Bethany Cosentino lacks in musicianship and innovation she effortlessly makes up for thanks to an understanding of classic pop music and her innate ability to write great songs out of two-and-a-half chords at a time. Lyrically these pieces don't stray too far beyond the realm of heartache cliche, and yet as with the join-the-dots chord wrangling every passing moment is underscored by a palpable sense of honesty and sincerity. Cuts like the heavenly 'Our Deal' or opener 'Boyfriend' could hardly be more perfectly formed, despite their primal, ostensibly hackneyed assemblage; lines like "I wish he was my boyfriend/I'd love him to the very end/But instead he is just a friend" don't look great on paper, and yet on record there's some real pop alchemy afoot here.

Find more artists like Best Coast at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Best Coast at Myspace Music

Best Coast - Crazy For You

The early Best Coast seven inches were somewhat lo-fi, that being an underexaggeration and although i'm all for the bedroom musician, they lacked a ceratin something, whilst at the same time having a glint of greatness, just a glint mind. I was a little unsure as to whether or not to bother with the full length but found myself curious of the hype, also a little worried to find that NME named Best Coast as most exciting new act of 2010, since when did I agree with the NME!!??

Anyways, it would appear that Miss Bethany Cosentino (previously of weirdy noise types Pocahaunted, though you'd never think that possible) has got the Mr Sheen out and given her little pop ditties a shiny finish.


It's safe to say that anyone with even the least bit of musical sense will be completely won over by this album, from the very start when she sings "I wish he was my boyfriend" you're without doubt already wishing she was your girlfriend. The album continues at this same high quality throughout , each song littered in affection, the confusion of love and all those sings that go through your mind at that time in life.

At times i think of bands like All Girl Summer Fun Band less a certain percentage of the fun factor, less giddy head over heels in love, more besotted and confused but adorable all the same.

This is gonna be one my albums of the year for sure.

mp3 source: Unpiano

Best Coast - Crazy for You mp3
Best Coast - Goodbye mp3
Best Coast - Boyfriend mp3

Spoiler : What Boomkat Said :

One of the most excitedly anticipated and talked about rock albums of 2010 arrives after a snowballing of blog attention, and great lead-up singles. The buzz around Best Coast was to some extent inherited from frontwoman Bethany Cosentino's previous band, Pocahaunted, but this current project provides a very different outlet for her talents. After early ultra lo-fi bedroom recordings - with the help of cohort Bobb Bruno - Cosentino has nurtured Best Coast into a fully fledged alt. pop forced to be reckoned with, prompting parallels to be drawn with '90s American lo-fi, grunge and like-minded West Coasters like Wavves (who similarly litter recordings with references to beaches, the summer and weed). Naivety and songwriting simplicity seeps through every pore of Crazy For You, but what Bethany Cosentino lacks in musicianship and innovation she effortlessly makes up for thanks to an understanding of classic pop music and her innate ability to write great songs out of two-and-a-half chords at a time. Lyrically these pieces don't stray too far beyond the realm of heartache cliche, and yet as with the join-the-dots chord wrangling every passing moment is underscored by a palpable sense of honesty and sincerity. Cuts like the heavenly 'Our Deal' or opener 'Boyfriend' could hardly be more perfectly formed, despite their primal, ostensibly hackneyed assemblage; lines like "I wish he was my boyfriend/I'd love him to the very end/But instead he is just a friend" don't look great on paper, and yet on record there's some real pop alchemy afoot here.

Read full review of Crazy For You - BEST COAST on Boomkat.com ©