Top 50 Albums of the Year Part 5 of 5: The Top 15 Albums of All Year

Welcome to the final installment and last post of the year. This year has been a treat, there has been so many great albums, it was hard to choose what was the best of the best. Even though I have listened to a lot of albums this year, I know I have missed out on some good stuff. So if you think that there should be a record on any of these lists then please leave a courteous comment on my posts. In the end it's really not the number that counts, it's how the music makes you feel, and that's how I base this list off of. So as I sign off for the rest of the year I would like thank everyone who reads this and I hope that you are sharing all this great music that I am sharing with you. Happy Holidays to you all and I hope to see you all next year.

15. Cults - Cults

Cults - You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults

14. Sleep ∞ Over - Forever

Casual Diamond by Sleep ∞ Over

13. Neon Indian - Era Extrana

Hex Girlfriend by MGMTNeonIndian

12. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Trembling Hands by Explosions in the Sky

11. Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair

Gauntlet Hair "Keep Time" by DOJAGSC

10. White Denim - D

White Denim - Bess St by ProspectPark

9. Panda Bear - Tomboy

Panda Bear: Slow Motion by -gaga

8. Starfawn - Starfawn EP

12,000 B.C. by Starfawn

7. Real Estate - Days

Real Estate - Municipality by DominoRecordCo

6. Delicate Steve - Wondervisions

Delicate Steve- Don't Get Stuck (Proud Elephants) by The FADER

5. Starfucker - Reptilians

Starfucker - "Millions" by terrorbird

4. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - An Echo From The Hosts That Profess Infinitum by subpop

3. Pure X - Pleasure

Dry Ice by PURE X

2. Peaking Lights - 936

Hey Sparrow by Peaking Lights

1. Washed Out - Within and Without

Washed out - You and I by iroel

So there you have it. It is ok if you disagree, let me know what your favorites are in the comments box.
Honorable mention to the incredibly talented Purity Ring for their 7" release this year.
Killing Sasquatch will be back next year to bring you even more music so stay tuned. Thanks again.

Top Albums of the Year Part 2 of 5: Electronic

Electronic music is largely represented as the music of the future. But when bands or artists start making this kind of music it's hard not to say we live in the future. This year's electro music is equipped with gravity defying synthesizers, high flying keyboards, layering like something that's super layered, drum beats that make you feel like the final boss, and majestically swirling vocals. Here are my top Electronic albums of the year (alphabetically).

Balam Acab - Wander/Wonder

Oh, Why by BALAM ACAB

Chrome Sparks - My <3

All There Is (Feat. Steffaloo) by chrome sparks

Neon Indian - Era Extrana

fallout // neon indian by sexmusic

Panda Bear - Tomboy

Surfer's Hymn / Panda Bear by ohtaffeta

Pictureplane - Thee Physical

Real is a Feeling by PICTUREPLANE

Sleep ∞ Over - Forever

Romantic Streams by Sleep ∞ Over

Washed Out - Within And Without

Washed Out - Far Away by haibee_mirage

Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting

Young Galaxy 'Peripheral Visionaries' by paperbagrecords

The Era of Extraordinary

So this last weekend was MusicFest NW and it was a huge success. There were a lot of great acts from openers to headliners. Bands of note include The Joy Formidable, The Corin Tucker Band, Eleanor Friedberger, and The Olivia Tremor Control. Those were the bands I did not know of before seeing them live and they rocked so hard, my ears are still ringing from them.

                                         (I suggest watching the whole 9 mins)

I also picked up the brand new Neon Indian album Era Extrana, and I must say that it is incredible. I highly recommend that you purchase it, but you can also stream it for free here. It's everything you could ask for in a second album, a little of the old sound with a lot of new sounds and more mature lyrics. So stop reading and go listen to it.

The Man of Portugal

Portugal. The Man's newest album In The Mountain In The Cloud came out a week ago, and I can't stop listening to it. It is really good, very indie pop-rock with high swooning vocals. Not only are the singles, "So American" and "Got It All (This Can't Be Living," really good, but the album as a whole has a great vibe to it. Stream it for free here.

Another band that I came across is The Front Bottoms. They remind me of Jared Mees & The Grown Children. With that whimsical summer indie-rock sound. Check them out here.

Lastly, check out GorillavsBear for a free download of the newest Neon Indian track from their upcoming album Era Extrana due out September 13th.