Webcuts Music

With our review dispensing superlatives like “timeless” and “classic”, Beirut‘s The Rip Tide is one of the must-listen albums of 2011.

Canadian folk-sters Dark Mean deliver a “must-listen album with staying power, and one of the year’s best” on their self-released debut.

Putting aside Lightspeed Champion, the chameleon musician/producer known as Dev Hynes unveils his latest project Blood Orange.

Chicago’s Fruit Bats return to their familiar “effortless and sweet” indie folk ways on their fifth album, Tripper.

First solo release from Rogue Wave‘s Zach Rogue under his new moniker, Release The Sunbird. For those who like their rock wimpy.

Join Us finds They Might Be Giants at their “quirkiest, catchiest and most clever”, which is simply music to our old-school fan ears.

Louisiana’s Generationals Actor-Caster is a “treasure trove of indie pop rock songs”. That’s exactly the kind of booty we like around here.

Ex-New Zealander’s Unnecessarily Long Band Name evoke retro 60′s thrills on their self-titled debut.

Washed Out’s debut album couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time. The water’s just right for a little chillwave.

It hasn’t been an amazing year for music, but surely an entertaining one. Lots of new acts jockeying for position amongst the wily veterans, and plenty of debate even as early as June over love ‘em-or hate ‘em titles such as King of Limbs and James Blake’s eponymous debut and where they belong in the year’s final canonization of greats. Honestly, I can’t remember a year in recent memory when I’ve found so many hyped records I’ve disliked or been entirely disinterested in. Cults? Pass. Tyler, The Creator? Garbage. The saviors from musical banality have consistently been experienced groups who know what they’re doing and get praised for their music and not being arrested in LA and starting riots.