I’m on the road for the next week, so the remaining posts will be short and sweet.  My goal was to have these all done way in advance and just set up auto-post, but procrastination got the better of me…but be sure to check out 35mmBeats for even more GOOD.

Japandroids is a two piece band from Vancouver, BC.  Tired of being forced to pick a label for their music, Brian King (guitar) and Dave Prowse (drums) decided that their sound was simply “post-nothing”.

2010 saw the re-release Japandroids’ two-pre-Post-Nothing EPs — LullabyDeath Jams and All Lies — compliled together as No Singles.  The EPs have been out of print ever since the original pressings (500 copies each on CD-R) quickly sold out.

Polyvinyl Records has a free sampler, which includes Younger Us, and a whole lot more.  Download the sampler here.

The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed back in 1997.  The band released their fifth album, Together, back in May, and features guest appearances by musicians such as Zach Condon of Beirut, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), Will Sheff of Okkervil River, and the horn players from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.  I thouroughly enjoyed this record and it barely missed being in my top 10 albums of 2010.

 New Pornographers – A Bite Out of My Bed by rslblog.com   The New Pornographers “Your Hands (Together)” by Frontside

This Rockin’ Ramrods cover by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti is a bit of pop justice.  The original should have been a hit, so consider this a second chance for a first-rate song.

 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Bright Lit Blue Skies by Concrete Opinions

More Ariel Pink here.

Purchase on iTunes.

The Black Keys are an American blues-rock music duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney.  The duo’s sixth album, Brothers, was released this year and is all over year end lists.

 The Black Keys – Tighten Up by musicmule

More Black Keys here.

What started as an impromptu get-together with friends —Jack White, Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita, and Jack Lawrence — has blossomed into a full-blown alt-rock supergroup for their generation.  Sea of Cowards continues the momentum captured on Horehound, plunging deeper into its electric blue and sleazy rock foundations and exploding in different, surpising directions. (courtesy of iTunes)

 The Dead Weather – Hustle And Cuss by amelbret

More Dead Weather here.

Crystal Castles is an experimental electronic music band from Toronto, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. Known for their chaotic live shows and their melancholic lo-fi home productions, they have been a favorite of mine since the release of their first full-length, Crystal Castles, back in 2008.

The band’s second album, also titled Crystal Castles but known as Crystal Castles II, was released this year and was one of my favorites of 2010. This is another one where it’s hard for me to pick just one. I really love Violent Dreams and Celestica, but I can’t resist the single version of Not in Love, for which Robert Smith lends his one-of-kind vocals.

Crystal Castles – Not In Love (ft. Robert Smith)

More Crystal Castles here.

Purchase on iTunes.

I stumbled upon this next pick very recently, thanks to the oh so great Hype Machine.

Amos the Transparent is a Canadien rock band from Ottawa and the brainchild of songwriter Jonathan Chandler. The band just released the Children’s EP, A is For Amos, which includes a fantastic, Fisher-Price meets Playskool instrumentation, version one of my favorites, Lemons (aka BigFishLittlePond).

Amos the Transparent – Lemons (aka BigFishLittlePond)

More Amos the Transparent here.

Purchase on iTunes.

The album features guest appearances by Feist, Emily Haines (Metric), Spiral Stairs (Pavement), and Sebastien Grainger (Death from Above 1979), and also marks the first time Amy Shaw, Haines, and Feist have been recorded on the same song (Sentimental X’s). My favorite track from the record (right now) is All to All, which iTunes describes as a weightless female vocal and synth dancetrip.

Broken Social Scene – All to All

More Broken Social Scene here.