Hailing from Los Angeles, The Little Ones produced some of the most enjoyable indie pop this year. The six piece really has a sound all their own, but you can compare it to the sounds of The Beach Boys, Tokyo Police Club, Tilly and the Wall, and The Elephant Six collective. “Argonauts” was actually the first track I added to this year’s 31 days playlist and I never got tired of listening to it. It really is indie pop at its best.
When news broke that San Francisco’s Girls were no more, the blogosphere was quite devistated, myself included. Here I am, still trying to come to terms with the loss of LCD Soundsystem, and now a band I feel like I just met are a thing of the past. Alas, Christopher Owens rose from the ashes with his solo debut Lysandre, packed to the brim with the indie pop goodness Girls fans will come to love.
If you wish The Beatles were still making music (who wouldn’t?!), look no further than Sir Paul McCartney’s lead single from his latest solo offering – New. The combination of McCartney’s incredible song writing skills and pop musicality and the production of Marc Ronsen makes this track so much fun. It’s already a favorite of my son and he’s not even a month old.
These are simply in alphabetical order. It’s hard enough to rank my top 10, i don’t want to do it more than once a year. Enjoy all of these on Spotify, which i’ll continue to update throughout the rest of 2013. And with some highly anticipated releases still on the horizon, including new albums from Porcelain Raft, Smith Westerns, and Elton John, i’m sure this list will evolve.
But enough babbling, enjoy my favorite albums of 2013 (so far) and please check back in December to see which (if any) make the cut for my top 10 of the year.
Following stunning performances of Lysandre in San Francisco and New York City, Owens and his 7-piece band is taking the live show on the road. He will play Lisbon, Paris and London in December and stop in several US cities following the January release of his debut solo album, including two nights at Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom.
December 7th Vodafone Mexefest in Lisbon, Portugal Tickets here
December 8th Gaite Lyrique, Paris, France Tickets here
December 10th St Giles, London – SOLD OUT
December 11th St Giles, London, UK Tickets here
January 15th Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall Tickets here
January 16th Ferndale, MI Magic Bag Tickets here
January 18th Toronto, ON The Mod Club Tickets here
January 19th Montreal, QC Cabaret Du Mile-End Tickets here
January 21st New York, NY Bowery Ballroom Tickets here
January 22nd New York, NY Bowery Ballroom Tickets here
January 25th Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club Tickets here
January 26th Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer Tickets here
January 27th Washington, DC 9:30 Club Tickets here
Listen to ‘Here We Go’ taken from Lysandrehere Lysandre will be available Jan 15th on Fat Possum Records.
Back in July, I was quite sad to hear that Christopher Owens was leaving San Francisco indie outfit Girls. Though I wish Girls was simply on a break, I’m very much looking forward to Owens’ debut solo album, Lysandre. Described by Owens as “a coming of age story, a road trip story, a love story,” the record was was written, recorded, and sequenced as a complete narrative, inspired by the events of Girls’ first ever tour in the summer of 2008. Below, you can stream the album’s first two tracks — “Lysandre’s Theme” and “Here We Go”. Lysandre will be available Jan 15th on Fat Possum Records.
Tracklist:
1. Lysandre’s Theme
2. Here We Go
3. New York City
4. A Broken Heart
5. Here We Go Again
6. Riviera Rock
7. Love Is In The Ear Of The Listener
8. Lysandre
9. Everywhere You Knew
10. Closing Theme
11. Part Of Me (Lysandre’s Epilogue)
Hailing from Los Angeles, The Little Ones produced some of the most enjoyable indie pop this year. The six piece really has a sound all their own, but you can compare it to the sounds of The Beach Boys, Tokyo Police Club, Tilly and the Wall, and The Elephant Six collective. “Argonauts” was actually the first track I added to this year’s 31 days playlist and I never got tired of listening to it. It really is indie pop at its best.
