A Fresh Heirs Christmas

Fresh Heirs with some of their top albums of the year:

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas or holiday of your choice! We still have some stuff left for 2010 so stay tuned. Then on to 2011!

Lowden’s Top 10 Albums of 2010

Here it is, my list of my favorite albums. These are all really solid records, so check them out if you haven’t listened! Or if you have forgotten them, give them another spin. List after the jump!

Lowden’s Top 10 Songs of 2010

I fell in love with singles this year, more so then most full-lengths. These are all incredible songs that I hope you will love as much as I do.

10. Daniel Pujol – Too Safe
I fell in love with the B-side of Daniel’s single from Third Man Records. A mainstay in the Nashville music scene, he continues the garage punk void that Jay Reatard left behind. Look for him to get more attention next year.

9. Ghost Solo – Screaming Females

Screaming Females saved the best track on their album for last with this incredible track of their album Castle Talk. With the thumping beat of the rhythm section over the sick guitar lines of Marissa Paternoster, they write a song that not only is catchy, but still punk-as-fuck.

8. Belinda – Ben Folds and Nick Hornby

I love the concept and destruction behind this song. As I wrote in a previous post, Ben had to write two songs in order to get this track done: A “classic” sounding song, and then a second-bastardized version to tie it all together. I also can’t help but laugh when Ben sings about her physical attributes so matter of factly.

7. Learned To Surf – Superchunk

How the hell have I gone though life without listening to Superchunk until this year? Better late than never, as they released an incredible comeback(?) record towards the end of this year. Pure pop-punk bliss, and perfect for radio as I played it nearly every show this semester on WONY. Stop sinking and listen to Superchunk.

6. Claws Off – Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s

Certain songs get you through tough times in your life, and this one did that at the beginning of the fall semester. It nearly became my theme song for a few weeks. But as life moves on, this song remains in my life, as I look at it as something that helped me through a rough patch.

5. Girls FM – Happy Birthday

Ever since this record came out, I have loved this song by newcomers, Happy Birthday. I always thought that they were a forgotten band from this year, but after seeing their underwhelming live set, I can understand why they faded away. Still, they wrote one of the year’s catchiest, and strangest tunes of the year. I wonder if Girls FM streams online too?

4. Fuck You! – Cee-Lo

My sister said something very interesting to me over break when I overheard her listening to this song. I walked in and declared my love for this great tune, and she reacted saying “But you hate everything everyone else likes!” Granted, I don’t care for any of the songs that are popular on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, but it makes me happy that the same people who love those songs, also think that this song is a great track. Who couldn’t love this incredible pop song? Classic soul hooks, great lyrics, fantastic videos, and Cee-Lo effing Green! In a world where crossover appeal is rare, I’m glad we can all agree on this song.

3. Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem

I don’t think there was a better opening track on any other album that came out this year. Like the best LCD songs, the track takes a little bit to build up, but when it finally pulls out of the driveway, your life pauses for 5 minutes, and you dance until you collapse.  One cool experience I had with this song was DJ’ing Oneonta’s biggest street fair with some great friends, and playing this song. Over 50 people from all over took over our corner of Main Street with a large dance party. Surreal.

2. Younger Us – Japandroids

This was easily my song of the summer. It was perfect for rolling down the windows and blasting it as I escaped/survived another day of my summer job. Even though I think it was intended as a summer jam, it made miss the reckless abandon I had during the colder months. I know, it was sad to have it backwards. It also helps that this arguably the best song Japandroids has ever recorded.

1. Bottled In Cork – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

This is seriously one of the best songs in Ted’s extensive catalog. Not only does it keep the punk vibe that he is known for, but it is probably the catchiest tune he has written. It’s featured on arguably one of his finest albums, and has unfortunately been ignored the attention that it deserves from the record-buying public. Let 2010 be remembered as the year that “Tell the bartender/I think I’m falling in love” wouldn’t leave my skull. Props, Pharmacists.

-A. Lowden

Video: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists “Bottled In Cork”

I forgot about Ted Leo’s sick sense of humor at the end of last week. After tweeting and writing previous blog posts about how his career path is going to have to make a change, he tugged on my heart-strings and posted a very long essay on Friday about how it is difficult to have a stable income, yet remain punk. He stated that his new career path would involve a musical theater project, and how he would reveal Monday. He peaked my curiosity to be very honest. Yet, I had a tough time picturing a chorus line singing “Ballad of a Sin Eater”. Turns out he was fucking with us the whole time! Below is the mock-musical theater project from the best tune off this year’s great record, “The Brutalist Bricks”. The video for “Bottled In Cork” features cameos from John Hodgeman, and a brief moment of camera time for Patrick Stickles, lead singer of Titus Andronicus! Enjoy the band’s new calling, The Brutalist Bricks: The Musical!

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists – “Bottled In Cork” (Official Video) from John Hodgman

Andrew’s Welcome Post!

Hello, my name is Andrew Lowden (you can call me Lowden), and I am the Indie music director at the college radio station WONY in Oneonta, NY. I am truly humbled to be apart of Fresh Heirs, and I look forward to being a regular contributor to the blog! Look to me for concert snapshots, new album reviews, as well as some other specialty pieces. I will also post some of the content I produce at WONY. If you want to write me hate mail, my personal e-mail is located on my profile page.

Meet Andrew. Cheers! (photo by Anna)

One hobby of mine is concert photography, so here are some pictures from some crazy shows I was lucky enough to catch this year so far!

2010 Recap: Marc’s View

With Fresh Heirs starting halfway through the year, recapping everything that has happened so far in 2010 would be a little unreasonable and a little tedious. So instead, we’re bringing you recaps from the staff that show what caught each writer’s eye so far in 2010, providing a little snapshot as we move into the future. Here’s Marc’s view: