Plastic Beach.

Dinosaur ballet.

Cyrus

Giant headphones!

Walter Van Beirendonck's collection for the fall of 2010 is supercool, I saw it on tv and I immediatly said I wanted some of them sweaters, look at them, they're sweet! I don't like most of the pants, but the vests and stuff are awesome. Plus he's Belgian and has a beard, everything he does, is cool!

Her Morning Elegance

One Life Stand

NEW LOGO!

CHECK IT!

Nostalgia?

WAT IS POLITIEK?

Een zoon vraagt aan zijn vader : “Pap wat is eigenlijk POLITIEK?”
De vader antwoordt : “Jongen, dat is heel eenvoudig. Ik zal het je uitleggen aan de hand van een voorbeeld...
Neem nu ons gezin: Ik breng het geld in huis, dus ik ben het KAPITALISME.
Je moeder beheert het geld, dus zij is de REGERING.
Opa ziet erop toe dat alles hier een beetje ordelijk verloopt, hij is de OVERHEID.
Het dienstmeisje is de ARBEIDSKLASSE. Wij hebben allen maar een doel voor ogen, namelijk jouw welzijn. Jij bent dus het VOLK. Je kleine broertje loopt nog in de luiers en is de TOEKOMST. Begrijp je het nu beter mijn zoon ?” vraagt de vader.
De zoon plukt nadenkend aan zijn haar en antwoordt : “Mag ik er een nachtje over slapen ?”
‘s Nachts wordt hij wakker van zijn kleine broertje die in zijn luier heeft gepoept en vreselijk schreeuwt. Omdat hij niet weet wat te doen gaat hij naar de slaapkamer van zijn ouders. Daar ligt alleen moeder die zo vast slaapt dat hij haar niet wakker krijgt. Daarom gaat hij maar naar de kamer van de dienstmeid, waar hij vader aantreft die samen met haar vreemde dingen doet in bed. Hij ziet dat opa ongeïnteresseerd door het raam toekijkt. Iedereen is zo druk bezig dat niemand hem opmerkt en hij daarom besluit maar terug te gaan slapen.
De volgende ochtend vraagt vader : “Zoon kan je me nu met eigen woorden uitleggen wat POLITIEK is ?”
“Ja” zegt de jongen.
"Het KAPITALISME misbruikt de ARBEIDSKLASSE terwijl de OVERHEID toekijkt en de REGERING slaapt. Het VOLK wordt totaal genegeerd en de TOEKOMST ligt in de stront!"

Mutually Assured Destruction

...Thanks to Je Grootmoeder.

Exit through the gift shop

Logica

Je zou denken dat bovenstaande prent een belachelijkmaking is van logica, niets is minder waar, net als de Engelstalige student die dit voorgeschoteld kreeg, kreeg ik een gelijkaardige oefening.
Voor zij die het niet kunnen lezen omdat de scanner een kutapparaat is, de conclusie is:

Wanneer zal men geluk hebben? Wanneer men niet studeert!

Jaja, dames en heren, dat is het idiote gebrabbel dat ik vandaag leer en waarvan ik morgen een examen krijg! Logica! Het is verdomd leuk! Ik denk dat ik de logische keuze maak wanneer ik het dan ook niet studeer...

PANORMX PARTY!

No distance left to run

Filmed throughout the band's 2009 rehearsals and acclaimed summer tour, No Distance Left To Run finds all four members of Blur together for the first time in nine years. With previously unseen archive material alongside new interviews and reportage, the film recounts the highs and lows of a very British band from the late 80's to their headline return at Glastonbury and Hyde Park. The result is a musing on Englishness and identity and a portrait of friendship and resolution.

Super Mario Jezus!

Cat Fit Fury!

The Van Jets are about to release their second album, I loved their first. And they're giving away a free song, so click HERE and download it!

The Van Jets - Matador

1 in 60 men = rapist!

I'm prolly not a rapist, you can never be sure, and I prolly don't come over as a rapist, I hope. But that doesn't really matter in this case 'cuz I'm not the greatest at striking op conversation with strange women, I'm always thinkin' that they might be serial killing psychos or rapists, and actually I'm too bored when other people talk, so I can only listen to people I already know as they're kinda interesting.. In most cases I just want people to listen to me, and in first time convos that is just not often the case! Anyway here's a woman's view on the whole approached by a strange man thing, it's funny and insightful, full of great tips! (for my friends who are hoping on a train romance ;) )

Phaedra Starling is the pen name of a romance novelist and licensed private investigator living in small New York City apartment with two large dogs. She practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu and makes world-class apricot muffins.

Gentlemen. Thank you for reading.

Let me start out by assuring you that I understand you are a good sort of person. You are kind to children and animals. You respect the elderly. You donate to charity. You tell jokes without laughing at your own punchlines. You respect women. You like women. In fact, you would really like to have a mutually respectful and loving sexual relationship with a woman. Unfortunately, you don’t yet know that woman—she isn’t working with you, nor have you been introduced through mutual friends or drawn to the same activities. So you must look further afield to encounter her.

So far, so good. Miss LonelyHearts, your humble instructor, approves. Human connection, love, romance: there is nothing wrong with these yearnings.

Now, you want to become acquainted with a woman you see in public. The first thing you need to understand is that women are dealing with a set of challenges and concerns that are strange to you, a man. To begin with, we would rather not be killed or otherwise violently assaulted.

“But wait! I don’t want that, either!”

Well, no. But do you think about it all the time? Is preventing violent assault or murder part of your daily routine, rather than merely something you do when you venture into war zones? Because, for women, it is. When I go on a date, I always leave the man’s full name and contact information written next to my computer monitor. This is so the cops can find my body if I go missing. My best friend will call or e-mail me the next morning, and I must answer that call or e-mail before noon-ish, or she begins to worry. If she doesn’t hear from me by three or so, she’ll call the police. My activities after dark are curtailed. Unless I am in a densely-occupied, well-lit space, I won’t go out alone. Even then, I prefer to have a friend or two, or my dogs, with me. Do you follow rules like these?

So when you, a stranger, approach me, I have to ask myself: Will this man rape me?

Do you think I’m overreacting? One in every six American women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. I bet you don’t think you know any rapists, but consider the sheer number of rapes that must occur. These rapes are not all committed by Phillip Garrido, Brian David Mitchell, or other members of the Brotherhood of Scary Hair and Homemade Religion. While you may assume that none of the men you know are rapists, I can assure you that at least one is. Consider: if every rapist commits an average of ten rapes (a horrifying number, isn’t it?) then the concentration of rapists in the population is still a little over one in sixty. That means four in my graduating class in high school. One among my coworkers. One in the subway car at rush hour. Eleven who work out at my gym. How do I know that you, the nice guy who wants nothing more than companionship and True Love, are not this rapist?

I don’t.

When you approach me in public, you are Schrödinger’s Rapist. You may or may not be a man who would commit rape. I won’t know for sure unless you start sexually assaulting me. I can’t see inside your head, and I don’t know your intentions. If you expect me to trust you—to accept you at face value as a nice sort of guy—you are not only failing to respect my reasonable caution, you are being cavalier about my personal safety.

Fortunately, you’re a good guy. We’ve already established that. Now that you’re aware that there’s a problem, you are going to go out of your way to fix it, and to make the women with whom you interact feel as safe as possible.

To begin with, you must accept that I set my own risk tolerance. When you approach me, I will begin to evaluate the possibility you will do me harm. That possibility is never 0%. For some women, particularly women who have been victims of violent assaults, any level of risk is unacceptable. Those women do not want to be approached, no matter how nice you are or how much you’d like to date them. Okay? That’s their right. Don’t get pissy about it. Women are under no obligation to hear the sales pitch before deciding they are not in the market to buy.

The second important point: you must be aware of what signals you are sending by your appearance and the environment. We are going to be paying close attention to your appearance and behavior and matching those signs to our idea of a threat.

This means that some men should never approach strange women in public. Specifically, if you have truly unusual standards of personal cleanliness, if you are the prophet of your own religion, or if you have tattoos of gang symbols or Technicolor cockroaches all over your face and neck, you are just never going to get a good response approaching a woman cold. That doesn’t mean you’re doomed to a life of solitude, but I suggest you start with internet dating, where you can put your unusual traits out there and find a woman who will appreciate them.

Are you wearing a tee-shirt making a rape joke? NOT A GOOD CHOICE—not in general, and definitely not when approaching a strange woman.

Pay attention to the environment. Look around. Are you in a dark alley? Then probably you ought not approach a woman and try to strike up a conversation. The same applies if you are alone with a woman in most public places. If the public place is a closed area (a subway car, an elevator, a bus), even a crowded one, you may not realize that the woman’s ability to flee in case of threat is limited. Ask yourself, “If I were dangerous, would this woman be safe in this space with me?” If the answer is no, then it isn’t appropriate to approach her.

On the other hand, if you are both at church accompanied by your mothers, who are lifelong best friends, the woman is as close as it comes to safe. That is to say, still not 100% safe. But the odds are pretty good.

The third point: Women are communicating all the time. Learn to understand and respect women’s communication to you.

You want to say Hi to the cute girl on the subway. How will she react? Fortunately, I can tell you with some certainty, because she’s already sending messages to you. Looking out the window, reading a book, working on a computer, arms folded across chest, body away from you = do not disturb. So, y’know, don’t disturb her. Really. Even to say that you like her hair, shoes, or book. A compliment is not always a reason for women to smile and say thank you. You are a threat, remember? You are Schrödinger’s Rapist. Don’t assume that whatever you have to say will win her over with charm or flattery. Believe what she’s signaling, and back off.

If you speak, and she responds in a monosyllabic way without looking at you, she’s saying, “I don’t want to be rude, but please leave me alone.” You don’t know why. It could be “Please leave me alone because I am trying to memorize Beowulf.” It could be “Please leave me alone because you are a scary, scary man with breath like a water buffalo.” It could be “Please leave me alone because I am planning my assassination of a major geopolitical figure and I will have to kill you if you are able to recognize me and blow my cover.”

On the other hand, if she is turned towards you, making eye contact, and she responds in a friendly and talkative manner when you speak to her, you are getting a green light. You can continue the conversation until you start getting signals to back off.

The fourth point: If you fail to respect what women say, you label yourself a problem.

There’s a man with whom I went out on a single date—afternoon coffee, for one hour by the clock—on July 25th. In the two days after the date, he sent me about fifteen e-mails, scolding me for non-responsiveness. I e-mailed him back, saying, “Look, this is a disproportionate response to a single date. You are making me uncomfortable. Do not contact me again.” It is now October 7th. Does he still e-mail?

Yeah. He does. About every two weeks.

This man scores higher on the threat level scale than Man with the Cockroach Tattoos. (Who, after all, is guilty of nothing more than terrifying bad taste.) You see, Mr. E-mail has made it clear that he ignores what I say when he wants something from me. Now, I don’t know if he is an actual rapist, and I sincerely hope he’s not. But he is certainly Schrödinger’s Rapist, and this particular Schrödinger’s Rapist has a probability ratio greater than one in sixty. Because a man who ignores a woman’s NO in a non-sexual setting is more likely to ignore NO in a sexual setting, as well.

So if you speak to a woman who is otherwise occupied, you’re sending a subtle message. It is that your desire to interact trumps her right to be left alone. If you pursue a conversation when she’s tried to cut it off, you send a message. It is that your desire to speak trumps her right to be left alone. And each of those messages indicates that you believe your desires are a legitimate reason to override her rights.

For women, who are watching you very closely to determine how much of a threat you are, this is an important piece of data.

The fifth and last point: Don’t rape. Nor should you commit these similar but less severe offenses: don’t assault. Don’t grope. Don’t constrain. Don’t brandish. Don’t expose yourself. Don’t threaten with physical violence. Don’t threaten with sexual violence.

Shouldn’t this go without saying? Of course it should. Sadly, that’s not the world I live in. You may be beginning to realize that it’s not the world you live in, either.

Miss LonelyHearts wishes you happiness and success in your search for romantic companionship.

Adidarth Vader

Damn! Adidas is always been cool, but a collaboration with Star Wars just made them my favo-brand! Watch the cool vid and check out the collection here (or here), I want those Skywalker shoes! (The Forum Mid AT-AT shoes are sweet too.)

How can a 10 go for a 5?

8-PUNK

My friend made some 8bit music, 'cuz I got really into it sometime ago so I said let's make some, but of course I suck, so he was the only one making something good. And here after a few months out of boredom I made a cool cover for it in retro NES style. The song itself is a cover of A PUNK by Vampire Weekend. Enjoy!

LENNERT DE WEERDT - 8-PUNK

Magic Perfume!

You know those kind of love movies that make you queasy? 'Cuz it's not like two Hollywoodian beauties falling in love in some dreamy way, but just two people like you. Well, 'Paper Heart' is just like that, it'll warm your heart and then you'll feel depressed. (This is for single people, people in a relationship will only think suddenly that their relationship is boring and that they don't actually like their partner, so yeah depressed too prolly) But anyway this movie is really great you should watch it, it shows them in a real natural way, it's lovely.
Michael Cera contributes to the accesability of the whole project, I mean it's Mike Cera, a normal dude, scoring with kinda hot girls in other movies but still in a reasonable, acceptable way, and just falling in love with a normal girl in this one. Hipsterrunoff wrote an article on the movie and said this about Michael Cera, which is prolly a good observation:

Feel like Michael Cera represents a woman’s desire to ’settle’ for a guy who isn’t handsome, but might be quirky, and allegedly ‘funnie’. He will do things for you like ‘make you a mix tape on an actual tape’ even though you don’t have a cassette player, and ‘bring u shitty gifts’ that u are able to consider ‘meaningful.’ Guess that might be why general bros h8 him–general bros are not willing to ‘be comfortable with who they are’ enough to find some sort of happiness with a girl who is clearly ’settling for u.’ Both parties in the relationship share mutually resentful feelings towards one another because they both feel like they are ’settling.’ Seems ‘very hard’ 2 be happie.

I think that about sums it up, and that's why I like Mike Cera even more!

Oh, and the soundtrack to the movie is also quite wonderful, Charlyne and Mike made it themselves and it's kinda lo-fi, which gives the whole movie a Wes Anderson-vibe.

Charlyne Yi - Magic Perfume
(=suuuuuuuperpretty)

It's all explained in this cartoon actually...

Skins is back!

Mos Eisley Cantina fun!

Ya know what's always a good combo? Star Wars and boobies! (Well, everything is good with boobies, but Star Wars is especially good) Nerds and geeks everywhere love Star Wars, but one thing is for sure, there weren't enough tits in that movie! Luckily some people are trying to get that corrected to this day. Club Bordello, a burlesque house, is doing a great job! They put on a show with ladies dressed as Star Wars characters, now we've all seen a sexy stormtrooper, but I ain't ever seen a sexy C3PO or Jabba the Hutt! (TITS OR GTFO!)

Check the whole show here and describtion plus photos here.
(+ extra they also put a cool show using gamecharacters, check it here)

Nothing suits me like a suit.

I'm not a big fan of HIMYM (yet), but I love Neil Patrick Harris(, nooo not in that way!). And Barney Stinson is an example for men everywhere, and when I grow up I'll never be like him, but one thing I hope to accomplish and that is to wear a lot of suits! (I bet you were thinking something else..)

Edward Gorey

It's been a while since I discoverd Gorey's drawings, I was attracted to them because I loved Tim Burton creepy drawing style, and Gorey was a big influence for him. Yet I found much more joy in the drawings of Gorey, the macabre is as lovely as it is funny as it is creepy. I used one for my myspace, back in the day were myspace was still alive and kicking. And I rediscovered him today, so I'd thought I'd share!

Butch Beat

COLORS

Now let me tell you the story about the bra colors.
Yesterday men everywhere were astonished by women posting colors on facebook, soon we all realised they were just being weird and that they were posting their bra colors because it was a secret "girl thing". None of us had a clue of the origin.
Until now, one brave guy discovered where all those stupid stupid girls got the idea from.
It were swedish girls who started it, well not exactly, it weren't some dumb broads trying to be funny. It was an organisation against breast cancer trying to raise awareness, a good cause of some kind. Yet because of the low intelligence of 90% of all women this cause was soon forgotten and all the dumb bitches just annoyed us guys. The rest is history.
THE END

(man, am I glad no girls read this blog, because I'm a sexist asshole!)
(Women, stop posting colours as your statuses and get back in the kitchen)

Striptease'd

I KNEW IT!

...or maybe I will, I'm ready to take this relationship to the next level!
There's something so deeply wrong and disturbing about these crazy Americans, first of all, a homosexual invention? Really? I didn't even know objects had a sexual orientation.
Second, I love the fact that the sign says "Who cares if we won WWII thanks to Turing?", yeah, right, who care? Winning a war, let alone a world war, is such a silly and unimportant thing to do. We could have just as well waited another 3 or 4 years, and let another 5 or 6 million people die, or why stop there? Who cares if there were no jews left, as long as everyone who helped us win that war was a heterosexual!
Did I mention I love these crazy Americans, they're loads of fun on the internet, but to me they're like unimaginable, they don't really exist, but they do! And that's why I'm glad, I'm a European, a Belgian! (+ they have a black guy as president! Crazies...)

(Btw, I don't know why I went all political and shit on this shit, 'cuz I just thought the picture was really funny.)

N for noisy.

Tell it to the fishes.

Top Albums 2009

So this is 2010, and with a new year also comes a brief review of the past year, so first up is which albums were good in 2009? I gotta say I had difficulty making this list, last year it was a breeze, this year a chore. I managed to make it longer than last year just because the last 10 were all kinda equal, so I had to mention them but I couldn't really make a ranking in them. I was most disappointed by mainstream artist. Sure we had Lady Gaga, Them Crooked Vultures and the second Lilly Allen album, all were ok, not really list-material.. Where last year Hip-hop artists were heavily represented, this year they are nowhere to be seen. Also electro did not impress me this year. So you might already guessed it, this year was an indie-year, so I've found a lot of non-mainstream fun bands, yet there are some more known artists and a few genrebreakers. Give it a look!

#25: Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do!
This was the kind of album you just have to mention when you're into "partymusic". It wasn't really anything I had heard before, Reggae Fusion. But it caught my eye because of a contribution by Santigold, and later on you couldn't go to a party without hearing 'Pod De Floor'. Which was later on subject of a Dutch Acapella group, and gained quick popularity. It opened doors for before less accesible genres, I even think the (coming) explosion of Dubstep kinda owes this album. Furthermore I gotta say I didn't like the whole album, but it was worth a mention.

Major Lazer - Pod De Floor

#24: Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
The third album by those guys who became famous grace à Myspace. I really liked their first album, it was so real, it felt like something we all could have written + it was fun! Now the second album wasn't bad, but it was not remarkable. You could say that this album did not do anything more, still the nostalgia drenching this album and gives it an extra dimension. There's again some feeling I can't describe but they got me. So this is why it's up here. Certainly not as good as their first, but still a really great album.

Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone

#23: HairGlow - HairGlow
I'm hating myself for putting this up here, just as I hated myself when I bought this album, because Alex Callier is a twat. But the single 'Let It Go' did it for me, what can I say, I'm in love with 80s! The single overpowered me and so I bought the album, the rest of the songs were nowhere near as good as the single, but the whole album was this perfect 80s album, he stayed true to the concept, if it was putten out back then, this album would have stood next to Rick Astleys and it would have gone into history like that. Now it will just be forgotten really quickly, but it was a nice try by Dickhead Alex Callier.

HairGlow - Let It Go

#22: Girls - Album
I liked this album, it's got this unfinished sound to it. Which means that these guys know what they're doing, they wanted a sound and went after it. They know their stuff, in Ghost Mouth they wink at Sinead O'Connors Nothing Compares 2U. I was reminded of Elvis Costello by their sound, and since I decided not long ago that I like Elvis Costello, I can only be happy with that. Funny thing is I liked Girls before my decision to like Costello. This album has been high ranked on a lot of sites, I can understand that, yet I will not do the same.

Girls - Hellhole Ratrace

#21: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
I liked the Metronomy-vibe this album had from time to time, as Metronomy is still one of my favorite bands. It's experimental pop indie with touches of folk. Although less poppy then Metronomy and a little more hard sometimes. This is a lovely album, the female vocals are amazing. It doesn't ever really bore, but I don't think it's memorable. I could listen to it now, but It'll leave my mind quickly.

Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move

#20: Soap&Skin - Lovetune For Vacuum
What can I say about Soap&Skin? Well, she looks like a witch and her music is often really creepy, but her concert was one of the best I had ever been to. Her music isn't fun, it's just beautiful. Wiki describes it as Neoclassical, I think that's a good way to call it, I could see musicsnobs putting on a record of her in the future. She scares me, but I love her.

Soap&Skin - Thanatos


#19: The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love
"These girls fall like dominos, dominos,...", catchy right? That's how The Big Pink wheels you in. They got this high ranking just because of that song. The rest of the album doesn't really deserves this spot, but there's no doubt they should have been in the list. It's really dark in my opinion, even the 'happy'songs sound dark to me, I don't know why. It's got this New Wave vibe, but it brought it to the next level. It's a good album.

The Big Pink - Domino's

#18: The XX - XX
I had some songs of this band from their myspace before the whole hype began, I liked them but I wasn't impressed. (Yeah, I'm just saying this so you know I'm not a follower!) Then the hype began and I did not jump on the bandwagon, they exploded on the web, still I did not feel the need to check them out again. It's but two months after their album came out and I heard Islands bizillion times that I checked out the album, and I liked it, it was enjoyable, still not worth the fuzz, but a great listen.

The XX - Crystalized

#17: Customs - Enter The Characters
Here they are, you've been waiting, some Belgians! Indeed, Customs made a mentionable album this year, their two singles, Rex and Justine, were awesome. They are kinda late with their style of indie, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate them, it's a nice album.

Customs - Justine



#16: Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
This album is kinda 'black'. (I really hope saying this doesn't make me a racist!) Mayer Hawthorne, a white dude, brings us Soul music that can easily be compared to the works of Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes, black dudes, and that's probably the reason he got to work for Stone Throw Records, a known hip hop record label. The whole album is Motown-y, it's retro and it's magnificent. The fact that the amazing single 'Just Ain't Gonna Work Out' was printed on a red heart-shaped vinyl just makes Mayer a bunch cooler. This album is great, it's so great I'm wondering why it isn't higher ranked, oh well!

Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out

#15: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I always loved Phoenix, but I was never crazy about them so I never really told anyone about them, and I think that is what defines Phoenix. It's music everybody likes, just not enough to talk about, also the reason why they'll probably wait forever for their big break, always floating on the edge of fame and known. That doesn't change the fact that this album is awesome. Philippe Zdar, from Cassius, is back to help, like with their debut album, so you know this is something great. Their two singles, Lisztomania and 1901, take up the front seats of this album, and that's a good start, these are two very strong singles. As always Phoenix delivered a quality album, maybe the most accesible so far, and certainly one of their best.

Phoenix - 1901

#14: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Karen O's beautiful voice is what makes this third album again a homerun. I don't know what to say about this album, if you know you like Yeah Yeah Yeahs you'll love this album just as much as their previous ones, if you don't know them, definitely give them a try, if you don't like them, well fuck off! Zero was/is an amazing single that got my head turned for this album, and Heads Will Roll is perfect for dancefloors, even without the amazing remix by A-Trak. Whereas Skeletons gives you a softer view of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

#13: Röyksopp - Junior
Röyksopp, the band that won our hearts with Eple, is back and they brought a bunch of girls. We were all still wondering 'What Else Is There?', but we're happy they brought us some new stuff. With the help from Robyn, Lykke Li and Karin Dreijer this makes for one unforgettable album, with the exception of Lykke Li the two other females just empower the feeling of this special brand, Scandinavian Electro. You can't deny that they're doing something special up there, in the cold north! I think it's the constant darkness that brings these happy bubbly synths in their songs. The Girl and The Robot is an amazing song, even if you hate Robyn you can't deny that. And Röyksopp is happy up there, I can't wait for their next album 'Senior'.

Röyksopp - Happy Up Here

#12: Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
"I should have taken acid with you...", that's how Neon Indian got to our ears, I had their EP by the same name and I already liked that, but I was kinda freaked out, it sounds weird doesn't it? Chillwave, it's called, I like the name of the genre, their song 'Terminally Chill' plays in on that I think, and it's an amazing song. Still you get the feeling that you should be completely drugged up to listen to this, but by listening you kinda get drugged. It's experimental and I absolutely love it!

Neon Indian - Terminally Chill

#11: Discovery - LP
Little sideproject of Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend. This album is amazing, it has such a happy feeling, I liked it more than Vampire Weekend, yet the one of the standout songs is 'Carby' which as vocals from Ezra Koenig(, singer VW). The Michael Jackson cover 'I Want You Back' is my absolute favorite! And 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' featuring Angel Deradoorian is another remarkable song of the album. I absolutely loved this album, and I want more of this!

Discovery - I Want You Back

#10: Severin - Cheesecake
Severin is like a French Mark Ronson, his music is nothing alike, but I mean he doesn't sing himself, he just invites other singers and plays some music. But another difference is that he doesn't invite (really) famous singers, just girls from all over the world to sing in their own language. So you've got Russian, French, German, Swedish, Brazilian,... Some you might know like Marina from Bondo Do Role, and Nadège Winter, Busy P's wife. All the songs are lovely, so poppy! Most of the time I have no idea what they're saying, or what language it is, but it's sounds nice, typically girl voices. 'Tu Peux Plus M'en Vouloir' by Gesa is my absolute favorite!

Severin - The Edge Of A Sunday (Nadège Winter)

#9: Matt & Kim - Grand
The first time I heard 'Daylight' by Matt & Kim I was in love! I kept putting on that song without any interest of searching if the band had an album, the song on its own was enough! Some time later I did search the album and I must say it's indie pop in its most purest form, it's this typically American indie pop. The whole experience reminded me of the first time I heard Man's Needs by The Cribs, the whole proces was the same, and The Cribs were typically British indie pop at that point. The funny thing is that both of this bands also coined indie nudeness, a weird side-effect some indie bands lash out in, because they wanna prove their youth, humor, hipness and just how special they are.
Nevertheless the album is a perfect example of it's genre, it's really good, and 'Daylight' is great, so that's why they're up here.

Matt & Kim - Lessons Learned

#8: Daan - Manhay
Aaah, Daan! I always loved him, I think after Soulwax he's my favorite Belgian performer. I've got every album of him, and not even copied! In his new album he left the synthesizers mostly out of the game which saddens me. Still 'Exes' and 'The Stealing Kind' make this album absolutely worthwile, Icon is kinda of a cheap Johnny Cash rip-off but it's still cool. Even though he said The Player was kind of a joke, I still liked it more than Manhay, but it's Daan and he's awesome, so is this album.

Daan - Exes

#7: Annie - Don't Stop
I've discovered this masterpiece just a week ago, I think. It's like perfect pop, and it's kinda mainstream, so I'm glad I found this. I'm serious this album is awesome, the first song I heard was 'The Breakfast song', it's really repetitive and has like those M.I.A.-vocals, and I was sold! Afterwards I discovered 'I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me' which is just such a fucking cool song. The whole album has this vibe that seems so familiar, she reminds me of someone, but I can't remember, maybe a way cooler Kylie Minogie (last album) or a more mainstream Roisin Murphy without crazy costumes? I don't know I just know that this album is amazing, plus Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand helped on two songs by playing guitar and Datarock also came for a duet.

Annie - I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me

#6: Das Pop - Das Pop
Postcards from Fuckland or the third album by Das Pop is one piece of art. I've always been a fan of Das Pop, but kinda same story as with Phoenix, you know them, but you forget them once in a record store. And they're also always floating between known and fame. Still this album is again so pretty, just as good as their previous two, Das Pop is a certitude for beauty and quality. Singles 'Fool For Love' and 'Never Get Enough' give you an idea of the brilliance, but songs like 'Try Again' and 'The Last Thing' could just as well been the singles, as they are just as awesome. And 'Let Me In', although not single material, is just a really cool song. (Btw. Bent is the coolest dresser in the history of man)

Das Pop - Underground

#5: Ex Norwegian - Standby
I just read on their wikipage that this band has borrowed their name from a Monty Python episode, which is in itself reason enough to be up here. Luckily they also make great music, Ex Norwegian is another one of these bands I immediatly fell in love with upon hearing them, and I searched for weeks for their album. They have this Weezer-vibe, a bit.

Ex Norwegian - Something Unreal


#4: Micachu - Jewellery
Micachu is this 22-year old girl, that looks like a 14-year old boy, and also sounds like that. Which gives her happy popsongs an extra cachet, plus her homemade instruments gives it all a special sound. It took me some time to realise it but I really love this album, I think I'll be listening to this for a long time. I also have good memories from the time I saw her live, yet I don't know if I was happy during the concert. Still Jewellery is a gem, and 'Sweetheart', 'Worst Bastard' and 'Guts' are pearls!

Micachu - Golden Phone

#3: Passion Pit - Manners
Passion Pit, our lovestory is a short but great one. Early 2009, the 'Chunk Of Change Ep' got me to hear 'Cuddle Fuddle' from that moment on I was sure that this was the new MGMT, Passion Pit had to be hyped. Sadly it didn't, and some crap bands (Empire Of The Sun) did. Still my interest in this band kept up, and I was happy with the release of their debut album, Manners was a big album. 'The Reeling' was an awesome single, and it did well, my expectations were met. Passion Pit, j'en veux plus!

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

#2: The Drums - Summertime / The Drums
Ok, I'm kinda cheating on this one, The Drums did not yet release a LP, but they did release two great EPs, although I can't find any prove of the existence of The Drums EP, which is my favorite, on Wiki.. Songs like 'I'll Never Drop My Sword', 'Me And The Moon', 'Don't Be A Jerk, Johnny', and 'Let's Go Surfing' were so fun to discover and to keep listening to, this is my 2009 discovery and I'm happy I found them. I can't wait untill they release a full album. The reason why I haven't described their sound yet is simple, I can't. When you love something so much they become a sound of their own, they sound like The Drums, you should fucking listen to them. (Ok, maybe Beach Boys, the cool songs at least..)

The Drums - Dancing

#1: Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another
I don't know if this is really the best album of 2009, probably it's not, but I love Future Of The Left so much! I saw them live some time ago and I was blown away, this band rules! And although their second album isn't as good as their first, it still made my summer, well especially the part where I was pissed because I had to work in a supermarket and my exames were fucked up again. They fueled my will to be a rockstar once more by their crazy lyrics. They sound happy while being mad and using big words not to sound smart but just because it's funny, how can you not love that? This album takes one more step away from mclusky which is sad, but it's also good, it allows Future Of The Left to further grow. 'You Need Satan More Than He Needs You' is a perfect example of their own style, and it's a cool song. 'Arming Eritrea' is a typical FOTL song, and 'Stand By Your Manatee' gives us a visionary quote "hidden in the mess of letters lies the awful truth...". To end I just wanna say Future Of The Left made a rocking album and that is more than you can say about all those big shots in Them Crooked Vultures.

Future Of The Left - The Hope That House Built

#EXTRA:
Metronomy - Not Made For Love EP
This is probably what I listened to most this year, the three song EP by Metronomy, it has gotten some bad reviews, but I think it's just awesome! From the title song, which is again a beautiful story to which everyone can relate even if you haven't been in that situation, just because you can feel the naivity of the storyteller, to 'What Do We Do Now?', which is incomprehensible, except in the end when they repeat the title, but the gloomy synths make this a really good song.
Rainbow Arabia - Kabukimono
Another release which I can't call a real album, because it's made out of 5 songs and two remixes, but I saw Rainbow Arabia live and they were really fun. The songs 'Holiday In Congo' and 'Harlem Sunrise' are quirky and I remember them well. It's a fun little EP, worth a listen.