Category Archives: Album Reviews

For the first year ever, Seattle Peach is doing a best-of list. I even made a little mixtape to share with you all!

Soundtrack to Last Year by bksparkle

Here are the records that were the most dear to me this year. In no particular order:

1. M83 — Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

This two disc dreamscape is as close as it gets to being my favorite album of the year. I first heard “Midnight City” at Pinky’s Up on the HG Lodge rooftop when Eric Grandy dropped it during his guest DJ set. It was so good that I totally dorked out and Shazamed it on my phone. My anticipation for the album’s release sparked an outright obsession with M83′s entire catalog. Anthony Gonzalas nailed it with his 6th full length release. “Intro ft. Zola Jesus” will forever bring me back to hopping on the back of a motorcycle in front of the Black Lodge at 2AM, and cruising into the crisp coolness of the autumn night, and that show at Neumos was probably the best performance I heard all year.

2. BRAIDS — Native Speaker

This album may have single handledly carried me though the crippling darkness of the first few months of this year. The soaring roar of the vocals as they glissade over the twinkling texture of the music constantly inspired me to curl up on my comfy, overstuffed leather couch, heat on full blast, pen or pencil in hand, and create. The melancholic serenity of the album’s sprawling tracks seemed so poignant in Seattle’s lingering grey and seemingly everlasting drizzle. When I first saw them play at Chop Suey and discovered that they could immaculately recreate the choral vocals found on the album, I was floored. These guys are geniuses.

3. Starfucker — Reptilians

I heard this record for the first time on vinyl when a friend of mine got a copy of the limited edition release in the mail. We put it on the record player, and listened to it in the soft dimness of the camera obscura he’d built in his bedroom, watching the people outside hurry by on the ceiling. “Julius” sends this remarkable swelling sensation into my chest everytime I hear it, and seeing it live at the Crocodile was nearly orgasmic. I was devestated by the news that they’d lost Ryan Biornstad, but reports from recent shows have promised that the old songs still sound the same. Their show at the Crocodile with Champagne Champagne is all I want to do on New Years–it would totally be the perfect musical conclusion to this year.

4. Beat Connection — Surf Noir

The only Seattle band on this list, Beat Connection carved out a very special place in my heart with the release of Surf Noir. It is arguably the most critically brilliant album I’ve heard this year. I saw them for the first time when they performed at the Laser Dome with USF, and hearing “In the Water” at that show was like falling asleep and waking up in a fantastically wonderful film adaptation of your life. Dozing on an airplane headed to NYC with this record on repeat, I realized just how magnificent these guys are. The album became one of my go-tos over the summer and the living room dance party we had to it after their show at the Crocodile during Decible Festival was a glorious bookend before the coldness of fall settled in.

5. Neon Indian — Era Extraña

After being the last of my friends to get on board with Neon Indian fever and getting into Psychic Chasms late last year, I jonesed for this album like crazy when I heard it was slated for release. I needed something chipper, upbeat and feel good in my life, but it had to be intelligent at the same time. Seattle’s indian summer turned into a Neon Indian summer for this peach after Era Extraña finally came out. The cover art captures the sound so succinctly–the sun sets behind the lights of the city, setting the world on fire in a golden blaze.

6. Gang Gang Dance — Eye Contact

Before I caught wind of the new record, “House Jam” (a track off of the band’s 2008 release, Saint Dymphna), had made it onto my spring and summer playlists, so I was giddy with excitement when I found out they had put out a new album. Eye Contact rocked me way harder than Saint Dymphna–Gang Gang Dance goes so much harder flushing out their strengths. Pulling together an album that is not only strong cohesively, but contains a number of tracks that can stand on their own, the record displays some much welcomed growth and improvement from this group. Lizzi Bougatsos’ vocals are chilling and haunted, and when coupled with these bangin’ spaced out beats, the sonic alchemy is divine.

7. Yelle — Safari Disco Club

Yelle kept this peach fit this summer–I lost track of how many dance parties Safari Disco Club served as the soundtrack to. Pounding the pavement on the way to work, looking down the nose of a 10 hour Friday night shift never seemed quite as daunting with this record blaring in my ears. I have no idea what Julie Budet is singing about in a one of her songs, but whatever she’s saying sounds good to me. It’s brilliant feel-good pop music, and the most fun ever to practice your fake French to while singing along in the shower.

8. Toro y Moi — Underneath the Pine

My friends and I got our grubby little paws on this album so far in advance that I almost didn’t realize that it even qualified for this list (thank god for the internet!), but Underneath the Pine more than deserves its spot in my top ten. “New Beat” caught my attention immediately and totally changed the way that I was listening to music–it’s so grooving and laid back, but comes with a shoulder shaking beat at the same time. This record gave me something that I didn’t realize I had been looking for, and opened me up to what the kids these days are calling chillwave.

9. Apparat — The Devil’s Walk

This record soothed and relaxed me this fall when I travelled to Mexico to visit the home my father built on a beach somewhere in the jungles outside of Puerto Vallarta. Sullen and romantic, this album electrified all the right synapses as I lounged, alone and pensive in paradise. Something about about it captures sonically the way that transitional time between summer and winter (which always falls just after my birthday) felt emotionally. It quieted the chatter in my head and eased me into a space where I could just exist, enjoying the privilege of tropical heat on my skin.

10. Bon Iver — Bon Iver

Every time I hear Bon Iver, it just makes me wanna fucking cry. He turns me into such a girl, it’s stupid. His self-titled release reminds me of romantic movies, whispered intimacy, and desperate pleas in the rain. It reminds me of a star-crossed love affair that never quite happened. It reminds me of every beautiful moment you’ve ever had. The emotional swell is so intense. Perfect for late at night when taking a long hot bath or trying to get laid, this record can assist in the creation of new, everlasting memories, and help you remember old ones.

Honorable mentions:

Justice — Audio, Video, Disco

So Audio, Video, Disco isn’t quite as good as † was but, it is damn good. I admit I was hoping for more back to back bangers, but you know, as a very wise man once said, you can’t always get what you want. These guys did an amazing job marketing their album and building up the hype leading up to it’s release, but when the finished product finally came out, I was a slightly underwhelmed. After allowing my initial disappointment to subside, I was able to appreciate this record for what it is–a brilliantly executed dance album.

Salem — I’m Still in the Night

Fuck yeah, witch house! Amirite? I first googled Salem after I got an ecstatic recommendation from Bryce Brown, who plays an integral part in Crypts, a Seattle version of this emerging spooky electro phenomenon. I was henceforth introduced to witch house, which ever satisfies my craving for something dark and creeptastic, something weird and dreary. With grimy beats and lots of heavy distortion, I’m Still in the Night was the perfect little bite-sized snack I needed to tide me over while I wait for the next full length release.

Panda Bear — Tomboy

Tomboy is one of those albums that I didn’t really listen to that much over the last year, but when I revisited it in the fall, I wished that I had listened to it more in the early part of the year just as the frigid stillness of winter was beginning to thaw into the soggy mess that would be our never-ending spring. The record is uplifting and cheery without ever going over the top with the whole sunshine and rainbows bit. It has a driving energy to it that provokes a productive burst. I’ve been playing it around the house lately when I’m doing my chores–it’s meditative and motivating, and I love the lazy swagger on “Last Night at the Jetty.”

Be sure to fan Seattle Peach’s Soundcloud page, as there will be more mixes coming your way in the future. I can’t wait to hear all of the music the new year will bring–the interweb has been buzzing with rumors about some of my favorite bands and festival season is shaping up to look pretty good next summer. Keep your RSS feed tuned to Seattle Peach, as we keep you posted. Peach out!