Top Ten EPs of 2009

10. Meursault - Nothing Broke EP

The follow up to one of my favourite albums of 2008 Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing with Tongues, the March-released Song, By Toad records Nothing Broke EP is a calm and collected 4-track reminder that Meursault haven't disappeared off the folk radar entirely. They've just released William Henry Miller singles, with a couple of re-recorded versions on a see-through vinyl, which you can purchase straight from Edinburgh through the Song, By Toad store. This is an EP filled with lush folk melodies and one of the most unusual voices (supplied by Neil Pennycook) you'll ever hear - check out the original review from July here.

Meursault - Nothing Broke (MP3)

9. Boys Noize - Starter EP

Boys Noize has been relentlessly touring and remixing since 2008's Oi Oi Oi, and the Starter EP, containing two tracks Starter and Jeffer, is a not very polite reminder that he is still recording fresh material and developing as an artist. The new tracks have the signature Boys Noize sound to them - with all the adrenaline that he's always given us. Starter and Jeffer are easily two of the best dance tracks of 2009 and despite forming only a two-track, the latest from Alex Ridha definitely deserves a mention on this list.

Boys Noize - Starter (MP3)

8. Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind EP

It's been a huge year for Animal Collective, Spring saw the release of their most successful release yet - Merriweather Post Pavilion, which saw them alienate some of their more long term fans, and gain some equally enthusiastic new ones. The fact is, that even if you call that album their most mainstream yet - it's still not even close to radio-friendly. All of this year's releases are catchy in a very revolutionary kind of way - and the Fall Be Kind EP is no different; it's already being championed all across the internet music media. Bleed takes the more ambient sections of Merriweather and expands them beautifully into this Autumn's haziest psychedelic track.

Animal Collective - Bleed (MP3)

7. Burial & Four Tet - Wolf Cub & Moth

Burial & Four Tet was always going to be one of the most hyped releases of the year, and with the characters of the two artists, particularly Burial, it was always going to be one of the most secretive. There was word of this two-track release for a while beforehand, but this was only finalised and formally announced a matter of days before. It ran a very limited vinyl/mp3 only print which quickly sold out, with the vinyl's matt black finish encased within a blank black sleeve, bearing only the words Burial & Four Tet. The two tracks run at around 9 minutes each, and range from ambient dubstep to underground dance. There are clear elements of both artists in this groundbreaking collaboration - you can read my original post on this link.

Burial & Four Tet - Moth (MP3)

6. Beirut - March of the Zapotec/Holland EP

I've always been a fan of Zach Condon's work with Beirut ever since I first heard Gulag Orkestar, but to hear such an extreme change of sound from side one to side two of an EP for me cemented Beirut's place on the end of year list. Condon has moved from Balkan Orchestral music into the realms of synthpop - in one of the most innovative and bold musical steps of this year. Side one of the double EP (March of the Zapotec) contains backing by The Jiminez Band, and features a collection of recordings inspired by his recent trip to Mexico. Side two, Holland, contains dance/electronica accredited mainly to Condon's pre-Beirut project Realpeople. Together, this makes for an incredible EP recording easily ecletic enough to warrant a mention in the best of 2009 list.

Beirut - My Wife (MP3) (March of the Zapotec)
Beirut - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille (MP3) (Holland)

5. The Drums - Summertime EP

I introduced The Drums on the blog a couple of weeks ago as 'a rather erratic indie dance band' - and I stick by that statement. They combine indietronica of the Ra Ra Riot/Friendly Fires variety with the sounds of Beach Boys influenced surfer pop to create a highly original sounding creation - the Summertime EP. It's laid back and summery and danceable, and ultimately fashionable of next year's developing musical tastes. NME have just confirmed them on their UK Tour next year alongside The Big Pink, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees on the strength of this EP their recent US popularity. The EP is definitely not one to miss - and next year we should all be seeing a lot more of this band.

The Drums - Don't Be A Jerk, Jonny (MP3)

4. No Age - Losing Feeling EP

No Age's latest installment is even louder than last year's - the main track on the follow up to Nouns, You're A Target, is a soaring punk anthem, and just about sums up the No Age duo inside 4 minutes of recording. Their verging on a-tonal punk sensibility comes from just two members, who built up a massive following from the L.A underground in these last few years by touring relentlessly and releasing some of the most infectious guitar music in the area via FatCat and Sub Pop. The Losing Feeling EP is a little mid-summer treat from No Age which also happens to contain some of their strongest material yet.

No Age - You're A Target (MP3)

3. Saintseneca - Saintseneca EP

Saintseneca are a folk band I can safely assume that, unless you are a reader of this blog, you probably haven't heard of. They are a small band from the Columbus, Ohio music scene who released their 4-track EP on Paper Brigade on September 1st of this year. Its an album filled with stomping ukulele tunes and huge rhythms, accompanied by the frail but beautifully constructed vocals of every member. God Bones is the single from the EP and I can confidently say is one of the best songs of this year. Please, read my original post on this band, and grab the mp3 below.

Saintseneca - God Bones (MP3)

Saintseneca EP on Amazon

2. Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars EP

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are without a doubt one of my favourite discoveries of this year - they released their self-titled debut album on Slumberland in February, and following a whirlwind of hype, they more than lived up to the expectation. Their early 90s inspired take on shoegaze pop won them countless new fans, and their autumn EP release saw a slight development in sound away from the guitar heavy tones of the February release. Higher Than The Stars features far more electronic experimentation, but keeps their simple, and very catchy shoegaze formula intact. Read my original posts, and pick up the mp3 below.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher Than The Stars (MP3)

Higher Than the Stars EP on Amazon


1. Bon Iver - Blood Bank EP

Justin Vernon never ceases to amaze me, and his Blood Bank EP is no different. Released on January 20th of 2009, I have no shame in calling it my EP of the year. Vernon's beautiful mellowed out folk music transcends anything else out there at the moment, and probably ever - there is no-one i've ever come across who puts so much feeling, yet at the same time so much reflection into his music. Blood Bank sees pianos and voice layering to the same extent as Volcano Choir - and certainly exposes a more experimental side to this man, which is increasingly making its way into his releases. Blood Bank was as strong a follow up as anyone could have wished for to For Emma, Forever Ago.

Bon Iver - Blood Bank (MP3)

Blood Bank EP on Amazon

Yeah Yeah Yeahs w/ Duchess Says @ Bournemouth O2 Academy 10/12/2009

Its not often that support bands actually manage to come even close to getting the crowd going before the headline act, but Duchess Says (original post), even with a Bournemouth crowd, managed it without the slightest problem. Their extremely loud brand of electro-punk went down extremely well amongst Yeah Yeah Yeah's fans, and Karen O herself was perfectly visible up on the balcony throughout the set. Duchess Says probably wasted their strongest song 'Black Flag' too early on, but this didn't stop the lead singer (who is getting a reputation for this) spending the latter part of the set in and amongst the crowd. She went up and over twice, and screaming down the mic and gesturing to onlookers - bringing their final set of the tour to a convincing end.


I've seen Yeah Yeah Yeah's twice already this year and both times I've been let down, maybe it was the festival sound, at both Glastonbury and Reading the guitar was turned so low you could barely hear it - not a good deal for a garage rock band. This time however they impressed just about everyone, the sound was spot on, and the Bournemouth O2 Academy is a beautiful, intimate venue. Karen O was at her finest, and although we saw none of her festival lunges, she spent a large part of her performance (though still, nowhere near as much as Duchess Says) dancing in and amongst the crowd. Opening with fan favourite Gold Lion, they played a fantastic set of perfect length - heading off for encore with Maps and finishing with Date With The Night. They played songs spread from all their albums, but recent favourites Dull Life and Heads Will Roll went down extremely well.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs gave a chaotic performance to an extremely welcoming crowd. They are definitely not the most famous band in the UK (indeed nothing close to their US/Canada popularity) but they clearly have a bit of a local cult following judging by the turnout to the O2 Academy. The tour finale show sold out quickly, and the reaction was as big as i've seen to any band in the growing music scene of Bournemouth in recent years.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Man (MP3)
Duchess Says - Black Flag (MP3)

Two New Meursault Singles

picture by Dylan of Blueback Hotrod.

Word just reached me that Meursault (a Scottish favourite of mine) have released two new singles from their long-time home label Song, By Toad records. The electro-folk band from Edinburgh have recruited two new members since i last posted, Pete Harvey (cello) and Phil Quilie (electric guitar) and collaborated with the guest vocals of Dan Willson (of Withered Hand) and Bart Owl from local band eagleowl on the new singles. You can find the original versions on 2008's Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing with Tongues and March's Nothing Broke EP (review).

The two singles contain respective re-recorded versions of William Henry Miller pt.1 & 2 as well as two re-recorded album tracks 'Dirt & The Roots' and 'Few Kind Words' from the last full-length. At request, I've enclosed only A Few Kind Words as the promo mp3, although Dirt & The Roots is a personal favourite of mine by this band. If you haven't listened already, Meursault are one of the most unique folk bands around - I urge you to give them a chance. Download and enjoy, if you haven't already, and bear in mind that if you choose to buy these vinyls, you are purchasing far more than simply the songs - two totally see through, crystal clear vinyl records will arrive at your door. With that in mind, if that doesn't get you buying, i don't know what will.

Meursault - A Few Kind Words (MP3) (from the WHM pt.1 7" single)

Download 'Pissing On Bonfires..' via Amazon mp3
Download The 'Nothing Broke EP' via Amazon mp3
Buy any of the aforementioned albums in their transparent physical format from Song, By Toad records.

Introducing.. Margot and The Nuclear So & So's

Margot and The Nuclear So & So's are an Indianapolis based folk collective who have been playing on rotation on my itunes for long enough without me introducing them to someone. To be quite honest, they don't really need introducing - they are currently recording for their third album due for release in early 2010 and have already featured on Late Night with Conan O'Brian, One Tree Hill and Bones as well as recording a Daytrotter Session earlier this year. They lost members at the end of this Summer, but they have been replaced, and for that reason the new album may well mark a change in sound.

Margot & the Nukes combine folky, acoustic indie rock music, crisp vocals (supplied by Richard Edwards) and huge (literally, huge) percussion to make incredibly catchy, yet ultimately easy listening chamber pop tunes. They advise new listeners to start with their 2008 album 'Animal' as opposed to Epic Records altered version 'Not Animal' and my sample track 'As Tall As Cliffs', for that reason is from the former. 'As Tall As Cliffs' just about sums up what is a brilliant band we have on our hands here - without a doubt if they ever came to the UK i'd be more than up for seeing them live.

Whilst they may not be crossing the pond just yet, they have just completed a late summer mini US tour and are sure to be playing out some dates in support of their new full-length due early next year. They've been recording since mid-summer and have revealed the names of three new songs. They've also played and publicised a new track 'Tiny Vampire Robots' which you can see live below on Youtube.

Margot and The Nuclear So & So's - As Tall As Cliffs (MP3)
Margot and The Nuclear So & So's - Skeleton Key (MP3)

The Dust of Retreat on Amazon
Not Animal on Amazon

One To Watch in 2010 - Toro y Moi

Toro y Moi is a name that is increasingly being dropped around the music press, and not a lot is really known about it other than that it has taken 9 years to wield a full-length release. Toro y Moi is one man by name of Chaz Bundick - a 23 year old failed punk musician from Columbia who's innovative and extremely fuzzy take on electronica has been turning heads from coast to coast. He's had well-deserved features in NME and Pitchfork as well as from our friends over at indieshuffle, and will be releasing 2 albums next year. The first of these is called Causers of This, and comes out on Carpark records, February 23rd.

If his huge amounts of previous material are anything to go on, Causers is sure to be Laptop-crafted indie pop heavy on the synthesizers and light just about everything else. Toro y Moi makes lo-fi fuzz pop perfectly representative of 2009's latest craze, dreamwave. Jarring walls of synthesizers coat glitchy, dubbed down percussion in warming chord sequences - joined without fail by Bundick's softly sung vocals. The whole feel of Toro y Moi is very ethereal and shoegazey but at the same time clearcut pop music you can dance to. If my word wasn't enough, he's even covered Michael Jackson.

He will slot comfortably into your record collection next to contemporaries such as Small Black (introducing..), Washed Out, Gold Panda (original post) and Neon Indian - artists from all around the world who, intended or not, are coming out with markedly similar musical results.

Toro y Moi - Human Nature (Michael Jackson Cover) (MP3)
Toro y Moi - Talamak (MP3) (from 2010's Causers of This)
Toro y Moi - Bend Your Body (MP3)

Causers of This Tracklist:
01. Blessa
02. Minors
03. Imprint After
04. Lissoms
05. Fax Shadow
06. Thanks Vision
07. Freak Love
08. Talamak
09. You Hid
10. Low Shoulders
11. Causers Of This

Blessa 7" on Amazon
Pre-order the Causers of This LP via INSOUND.