The Monthly Music Wrap-Up

2011 was an amazing year for music. I thought it only fitting -- given I'd wrapped-up all the music releases for each month of the year -- that I also put together something for the entire year. Not necessarily the "best" music of the year, but this podcast is a collection of favorite releases of the year. Not just my favorites; I also invited on plenty of special guests. Cerebral Pop staffers Chris Whitehead, Alex Martin, Matt Giguere, Cameron Pershall, Roberto Flores, Luis Alvarez, and Tom Heistuman all shared their favorites, as well as fellow podcaster Tyler Abstract, past Shuffled guest Brian Shirk, and one of my "in real life" friends Josh Meyers. Oh, and listener Suriel Vazquez emailed in his pick -- All amongst my own choices. Yes, it's a music-packed podcast to celebrate a music-packed year. Wave goodbye to 2011 along with us.

Track List

1. M83 - New Map (From: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming)

2. Yellowbirds - Beneath the Reach of Light (From: The Color)

3. Lowkey - Soundtrack to the Struggle (From: Soundtrack to the Struggle)

4. Battles - Inchworm (From: Gloss Drop)

5. The World/Inferno Friendship Society - The Disarming Smile (From: The Anarchy and the Ecstasy)

6. Thrice - Promises (From: Major/Minor)

7. James Blake - I Mind (From: Self-Titled)

8. Psychic Babble - Five Fold Kiss (Don't Sleep) (From: My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes)

9. Animals As Leaders - Weightless (From: Weightless)

10. Destroyer - Chinatown (From: Kaputt)

11. The Dwarves - 15 Minutes (From: ...Are Born Again)

12. The Dwarves - Stop Me (From: ...Are Born Again)

13. AM and Shawn Lee - Jackie Blue (From: Celestial Electric)

14. Bjork - Mutual Core (From: Biophilia)

15. Hauschka - Subconscious (From: Salon Des Amateurs)

16. Shabazz Palaces - Free Press and Curl (From: Black Up)

17. Das Racist - Shut Up, Man (From: Relax)

18. Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out (From: Ceremonials)

19. The Dodos - Hunting Season (From: No Color)

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The December drought is over, and all of the amazing music of 2012 is just over the horizon, but first, we've gotta dig back through the past month and take a look at the few morsels of sustenance that helped us survive. There may not have been a lot of them, but they were some damn good morsels. That means this is a short episode, but worry not; I'm already hard at work on a 2011: Year in Review type of episode for release soon. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode, or read the blurb at the bottom of this post for details on how you can be included. But first, let's take a listen to December's haul.

Track List

1. The Black Keys - Run Right Back (From: El Camino)

2. The Dead Milkmen - Caitlin Childs (From: The King in Yellow)

3. Toh Kay - The Big Sleep (From: Streetlight Lullabies)

4. Amy Winehouse - Our Day Will Come (From: Lioness: Hidden Treasures)

5. The Dead Milkmen - Commodify Your Dissent (From: The King in Yellow)

6. The Roots - The Other Side (From: Undun)

7. The Black Keys - Dead and Gone (From: El Camino)

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November is over and the end of the year is fast approaching. Which pretty much means all of the best music of the year has been released (very little gets released in December). But don't worry, this is about November still. There were plenty of great releases for me to feature. Sure, a lot of them were EPs, but just because they're shorter than a full-length doesn't diminish their quality any bit. Plus, there are still great full-lengths from the likes of Animals As Leaders, Childish Gambino, Florence and the Machine, Quilt, Steel Panther, and Jonathan Coulton. So let's dig in to all the November has to offer, shall we?

Track List

1. The Decemberists - Burying Davy (From: Long Live the King EP)

2. Death Cab for Cutie - Some Boys (RAC Maury Remix) (From: Keys and Codes Remix EP)

3. The Antlers - Parentheses (PVT Remix) (From: Together EP)

4. Brian Eno and the words of Rick Holland - In the Future (From: The Panic of Looking EP)

5. Animals As Leaders - Weightless (From: Weightless)

6. James Blake - Fall Creek Boys Choir (Feat. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver) (From: Enough Thunder EP)

7. Screeching Weasel - The Parasite Murders (From: Carnival of Schadenfreude EP)

8. Screeching Weasel - No Reason to Lie (From: Carnival of Schadenfreude EP)

9. Jonathan Coulton - Dissolve (From: Artificial Heart)

10. Florence and the Machine - Lover to Lover (From: Ceremonials)

11. Childish Gambino - Bonfire (From: Camp)

12. Crystal Stilts - Radiant Door (From: Radiant Door EP)

13. Sick Of It All - Relentless (From: Nonstop)

14. H2O - Attitude (Bad Brains Cover) (From: Don't Forget Your Roots)

15. Quilt - Penobska Oakwalk (From: Quilt)

16. Steel Panther - Supersonic Sex Machine (From: Balls Out)

17. They Might Be Giants - Marty Beller Mask (From: Album Raises New and Troubling Questions)

18. She & Him - Sleigh Ride (From: A Very She & Him Christmas)

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With the end of Halloween comes the end of October, and that means it's time for us to look at all the great music that was released over the last month. There may not have been as much as September, but the quality was still there. There was the always-beautiful sounding Feist, the sloppy, garage-rock sound of The Spits, releases from indie darlings Surfer Blood and M83, promising newcomers like Gospel Music and PUJOL, and some heavy hitters like Coldplay and Justice. Plus, Lance Darnell joins me to talk about Pearl Jam's 20th Anniversary and why we should care. Oh, and more. There's always more.

Track List

1. M83 - Raconte-Moi Une Histoire (From: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming)

2. MUTEMATH - Prytania (From: Odd Soul)

3. Coldplay - Charlie Brown (From: Mylo Xyloto)

4. La Dispute - Safer in the Forest - Love Song for Poor Michigan (From: Wildlife)

5. Feist - A Commotion (From: Metals)

6. Jack's Mannequin - People, Running (From: People and Things)

7. Loney, Dear - My Heart (From: Hall Music)

8. Jane's Addiction - Underground (From: The Great Escape Artist)

9. Pearl Jam - Corduroy (From: Vitology)

10. Justice - On'n'On (From: Audio, Video, Disco)

11. Gospel Music - Let's Run (From: How to Get to Heaven from Jacksonville, FL)

12. Cancerslug - Throat Ripper (From: Unnameable EP)

13. Deer Tick - Funny Word (From: Divine Providence)

14. The Spits - Acid Rain (From: The Spits V)

15. Star Fucking Hipsters - Broken Branches (From: From the Dumpster to the Grave)

16. PUJOL - Mayday (From: Nasty, Brutish, and Short EP)

17. Real Estate - It's Real (From: Days)

18. Dead to Me - The Trials of Oscar Wilde (From: Moscow Penny Ante)

19. Surfer Blood - Miranda (From: Tarot Classics EP)

20. La Dispute - King Park (From: Wildlife)

Listen Now:

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I know, I'm late again, but can you blame me? There was a ton of new music released this September! I dug through 26 albums and picked out a sample track from each. You won't find any long diatribes on a particular artist. You won't find any guests discussing a new release. Instead, it's jam packed with music from start to finish. 110 minutes long and only about 7 of them have my voice. Pack yourself in and turn the volume up, because September had a lot to offer.

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I know that September is over halfway over with, but let's wrap-up August, shall we? There wasn't a whole ton of new releases this month -- It seems everyone is waiting for September -- but there are still great ones. We've got Her Space Holiday, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Psychic Babble, The Adolescents, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cerebral Ballzy, and more. Plenty of good tunes to enjoy.

Track List

1. The Adolescents - Orange Crush (From: The Fastest Kid Alive)

2. Beirut - Santa Fe (From: The Rip Tide)

3. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Senator (From: Mirror Traffic)

4. Psychic Babble - Nothing Familiar (From: My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes)

5. Nekromantix - Demon Speed (From: What Happens in Hell Stays in Hell)

6. Her Space Holiday - Anything for Progress (From: Her Space Holiday)

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie (From: I'm With You)

8. Barenaked Ladies - The Ninjas (From: Snacktime!)

9. Peelander-Z - Ninja-High Schooool (From: Super DX Hitz)

10. Peelander-Z - King Kong Gong (From: Super DX Hitz)

11. Cerebral Ballzy - On the Run (From: Cerebral Ballzy)

12. Cerebral Ballzy - Insufficient Fare (From: Cerebral Ballzy)

13. Hella - Headless (From: Tripper)

14. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Stick Figures in Love (From: Mirror Traffic)

15. Psychic Babble - Follow Your Bliss (From: My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes)

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The July Music Wrap-Up is finally here! I apologize for the delay, but this new job is taking up a lot of my time. Anyway, there was a lot of great music last month, but I spend the first part of the show playing catch up on albums a few months old that I somehow completely missed. That just makes for even more awesome music all in one nice little package, though. If you enjoy any of them, pick up the stinking albums! I'm certainly enjoying them.

Track List

1. The Horrors - I Can See Through You (From: Skying)

2. The Vines - Weird Animals (From: Future Primitive)

3. The Vines - All That You Do (From: Future Primitive)

4. Saul Williams - Explain My Heart (From: Volcanic Sunshine)

5. The Nighty Nite - Dimes in Their Dimples (From: Dimes in Their Dimples)

6. Portugal. The Man - Got it All (From: In the Mountain in the Cloud)

7. I Come to Shanghai - Love Shark/Trapped in a Dream/Stand By (From: Eternal Life Vol. 1)

8. They Might Be Giants - Cloisonne (From: Join Us)

9. They Might Be Giants - When Will You Die (From: Join Us)

10. Brian Eno with Rick Holland - Pour It Out (From: Drums Between the Bells)

11. Sublime With Rome - Murdera (From: Yours Truly)

12. Yes - Fly From Here, Part 1: We Can Fly (From: Fly From Here)

13. William Elliott Whitmore - Get There From Here (From: Field Songs)

14. Big D and the Kids Table - Brain's-A-Bomb (From: For The Damned, The Dumb, and The Delirious)

15. Big D and the Kids Table - Good Looking (From: For The Damned, The Dumb, and The Delirious)

16. Alkaline Trio - Every Thug Needs a Lady (From: Damnesia)

17. The Nighty Nite - In My Hospital Gown (From: Dimes in Their Dimples)

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This month has given us a pretty interesting mix of new releases. We've got lo-fi rock, a hardcore punk rock opera, "digital hardcore", country-tinged singer songwriters, psychedelic indie folk rock, power metal, bubbly pop, and plenty more. This is the reason I make this podcast. Because of all the other music podcasts I listen to, none feature all of these types of music. Hopefully you enjoy each one.

Track List

1. Woods - Wouldn't Waste (From: Sun and Shade)

2. Glasvegas - The World is Yours (From: Euphoric//Heartbreak)

3. Battles - Wall Street (From: Gloss Drop)

4. Battles - Ice Cream (From: Gloss Drop)

5. Black Lips - Modern Art (From: Arabia Mountain)

6. Symphony X - The End of Innocence (From: Iconoclast)

7. Fucked Up - A Slanted Tone (From: David Comes to Life)

8. Arctic Monkeys - Library Pictures (From: Suck it and See)

9. City and Colour - Natural Disaster (From: Little Hell)

10. Atari Teenage Riot - Rearrange Your Synapses (From: Is This Hyperreal?)

11. Atari Teenage Riot - Blood in my Eyes (From: Is This Hyperreal?)

12. Owl City - Galaxies (From: All Things Bright and Beautiful)

13. Tiger Army - Where The Moss Slowly Grows (From: Music From Regions Beyond)

14. Nick 13 - All Alone (From: Self-Titled)

15. Nick 13 - Someday (From: Self-Titled)

16. Bon Iver - Towers (From: Self-Titled)

17. Civil Civic - Airspray (From: Lamington Drive)

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This is easily the biggest Wrap-Up I've done since it became a podcast. This month's episode if stuffed full of great music from a lot of big names and several not-so-big names as well. Everything from big indie acts to often-thought-dead punk legends. Sit back and enjoy, it's the Monthly Music Wrap-Up.

Track List

1. Jesu - Sedatives (From: Ascension)

2. Fleet Foxes - Sim Sala Bim (From: Helplessness Blues)

3. The Antlers - Corsicana (From: Burst Apart)

4. The Dwarves - Are Still the Best Band Ever (From: Are Born Again)

5. Wild Beasts - Bed of Nails (From: Smother)

6. Okkervil River - Rider (From: I Am Very Far)

7. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Problem Queen (From: Rome)

8. The Sea and Cake - Covers (From: The Moonlight Butterfly)

9. Against Me - Miami (From: Total Clarity)

10. Against Me - Miami (From: Searching for a Former Clarity)

11. Against Me - How Low (From: Total Clarity)

12. Against Me - How Low (From: Searching for a Former Clarity)

13. Against Me - Exhaustion & Disgust (From: Total Clarity)

14. Death Cab for Cutie - Some Boys (From: Codes and Keys)

15. Friendly Fires - Blue Cassette (From: Pala)

16. My Morning Jacket - Outta My System (From: Circuital)

17. The Dwarves - You'll Never Take Us Alive (From: Are Born Again)

18. The Dwarves - Happy Birthday Suicide (From: Are Born Again)

19. Man Man - Haute Tropique (From: Life Fantastic)

20. Son Lux - All the Right Things (From: We Are Rising)

21. Childish Gambino - Lights Turned On (From: Self/Titled EP)

22. Flogging Molly - Revolution (From: Speed of Darkness)

23. Starscream - Space (From: Future Towards the End of Forever)

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As the weather gets warmer, the amount of album releases ramps up drastically. Spring time is the music world's holidays, and there were no shortage of great releases to accompany the sun last month. We've got music from long-running acts like Foo Fighters and Explosions in the Sky, some dance beats from brand new bands like Holy Ghost!, and plenty more. So sit back, hit play, and enjoy the longest edition of The Monthly Music Wrap-Up yet.

Track List

1. TV on the Radio - New Cannonball Blues (From: Nine Types of Light)

2. Hauschka - Two AM (From: Salon des Amateurs)

3. Elbow - Open Arms (From: Build A Rocket Boys!)

4. Foo Fighters - A Matter of Time (From: Wasting Light)

5. Thursday - Past and Future Ruins (From: No Devolucion)

6. Explosions in the Sky - Trembling Hands (From: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care)

7. I'm From Barcelona - Charlie Parker (From: Forever Today)

8. Poly Styrene - No Rockefeller (From: Generation Indigo)

9. Holy Ghost! - Hold My Breath (From: Holy Ghost!)

10. Panda Bear - Alsation Darn (From: Tomboy)

Listen Now:

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