WARMER MIXTAPES #509 | by Javier Fuentes [Sacred Twin]
1. Deerhunter | Desire Lines
To me this is the quintessential Deerhunter song. I've always loved the way that Lockett sings, very simple but powerful, and this song is his best performance yet. I always play this song after school as it helps to distract me from what everybody else is doing. There's always a nice feeling when it gets to the second half of the songs with the cascading guitar and bass lines. Nothing else really matters when this song is playing.
2. Foxes In Fiction | 15 Ativan (Alternate Version)
This is the song with the most plays on my iPod by quite a big margin. There's something very soothing and uplifting in the song yet it still feels distant and fragile. It's pretty much the perfect song. Finding out about this band was also probably the highlight of a pretty low key year for me.
3. Atlas Sound | Parallax
Atlas Sound is one of my absolute favourite bands and the two previous releases are all time classics in my opinion but this new record really divided my opinion. At first I really didn't like it with the exception of a few songs but lately it has begun to grown on me like all good albums should. I really love how direct the title track is in both the lyrics and minimal instrumentation. Bradford Cox is the best songwriter right now in my opinion.
4. Beach Fossils | Daydream
It's currently winter and Beach Fossils aren't really considered a winter kind of band but I've been trying to listen to more positive music lately and this fits the bill. There's a certain effortlessness that I love about their music, it makes Life seem like it's not as bad as it actually is.
5. Real Estate | Green Aisles
I've been listening to this for a lot of the same reasons that I listen to Beach Fossils. It's feel good music that takes you away from your problems for a couple of minutes and lets you enjoy life for a change. There was a time earlier this year when I was really into Surf Rock and Guitar Music but I quickly found out how difficult it is to make this songs as good as this.
6. Privacy | Gone
This song is from one of my favourite records of all time and I listen to it as much as I can. I found out about Privacy from reading Bradford Cox's guest list for Pitchfork and it's definitely one of my best musical discoveries so far. If I could sing with the same kind of emotion and fragile beauty of her voice then I would probably spend all my time trying to replicate this song.
7. Oneohtrix Point Never | Replica
This is definitely one of the saddest songs that I've ever heard. It's really connected with me on a couple of occasions this year when things haven't been going so well. I shouldn't really be listening to the song so much because it's really depressing but the song is just so good that I can't really forget about it that quickly.
8. Toro Y Moi | Talamak
Sure Chillwave is getting old but I absolutely love this song. I play it a lot during school because it's not super emotional and I can just enjoy it for the music without having to think about any problems or feelings. I also find myself in awkward situations quite often and this kind of works as a musical Ativan.
9. Lotus Plaza | Where I'm Going (Cut Copy Cover)
Hands down the best cover recorded this year. The way he turned this from an Electronic Rock song into a Psychedelic Folk song is incredible. I can't wait for a new Lotus Plaza album to come out.
10. Panda Bear | Alsatian Darn
This is the best song of 2011 in my opinion. It's flawless and beautiful in ways that only Panda Bear could achieve. There were people who felt disappointed that Tomboy wasn't as crazy as Person Pitch but I thought Tomboy was the best album of the year. I desperately need to see this played live someday.
