Happy Holidays everyone! To download my Best of 2011 Mix, click here.

Tracklist:

1. Atlas Sound- Te Amo
2. Generationals- You Say It Too
3. Widowspeak- Puritan
4. 1,2,3- Work
5. The Do- Too Insistant
6. Wavves- I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl
7. tUnE-yArDs- Gangsta
8. PJ Harvey- The Last Living Rose
9. Black Lips- Bone Marrow
10. The Cave Singers- Swim Club
11. Wild Flag- Future Crimes
12. Slow Club- Two Cousins
13. Tapes ‘n Tapes- Badaboom
14. Dum Dum Girls- Bedroom Eyes
15. Mister Heavenly- Hold My Hand
16. Girls- Honey Bunny
17. The Dodos- Black Night
18. Grimes- Oblivion
19. Ty Segall- You Make The Sun Fry
20. Smith Westerns- Imagine Pt. 3
21. Bleached- Searching Through The Past
22. Jeff The Brotherhood- Diamond Way
23. Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx- Nightcall
24. Crystal Stilts- Dark Eyes

Dec
12/31 O’Death @ Spike Hill

Jan
1/23 Chairlift, Violins @ Bowery
1/27 Bear In Heaven @ Glasslands
1/28 Japanther @ Shea Stadium
1/31 The Smith Westerns @ Webster Hall

Feb
Feb 1-4 FORMS Fest (Pitchfork/Bowery Presents festival) lineup tk
2/09 Jeff The Brotherhood @ Maxwells
2/16 Slow Club @ The Bell House
2/28 School of Seven Bells @ Mercury

March
3/03 Tennis @ Bowery
3/10 Four tet @ Le Poisson Rouge
3/13 New Build (Members of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem) @ Mercury
3/23 Bowerbirds @ Bowery
*3/23 Grimes @ Mercury
3/24 Grimes @ Glasslands
3/28 First Aid Kit @ Webster Hall

April
4/01 Wild Flag @ Webster Hall

I’m sure many of you have heard about the growing list of sexual assaults in Park Slope. In an attempt to help provide the women in the neighborhood with the tools to protect themselves, several Council Members are sponsoring FREE self-defense classes next week. Sadly, I am going to be out of town, but I would love to spread the word. Such a great opportunity. Pass it on!

Ok, I am officially obsessed with the visuals from this film. Note to self: This WILL be inspiration for a future project. File under: 1900′s horror movie victorian picnic awesome

AUGUST

8/08 The Kills @ Terminal 5

8/10 Bon Iver @ Prospect Park

8/10 Boy & Bear @ Knitting Factory

8/11 Deer Tick, DOM @ Pier 54 FREE

8/12 Sonic Youth, Wild Flag @ Williamsburg Waterfront

8/18 Tokyo Police Club, Japanther @ House of Vans FREE

8/20 The Rapture @ MHW

8/21 JEFF The Brotherhood @ Le Poisson Rouge

8/22- 8/23 Deerhunter @ Webster Hall

8/24 Peelander Z @ Death By Audio

SEPTEMBER

9/10 Japanther @ Shea Stadium

9/19-9/20 tUnE-YaRds @ le Poisson Rouge

9/19 Eternal Summers, Reading rainbow @ Glasslands

9/22-9/23 Girls @ Bowery Ballroom

OCTOBER

10/08 O’Death @ The Bell House

10/15 Wild Flag @ The Bell House?

10/18 Wild Flag @ Bowery?

*still obsessing over Margaret Durow, whose photo is above, btw…

I know its been ages since I’ve posted, but thought I should mention these guys (1,2,3) even if no one’s reading this blog anymore. A friend put their song “Work” onto a  mix that I got a few months back, and their album New Heaven, which came out in June has since become my favorite of the summer.

The tracks are a bit inconsistent (It’s the Pittsburgh duo’s first album, so to be expected) but I kind of don’t mind because the good stuff is really good. Best tracks in my opinion: Work, Confetti, Wave Pool, Just Like Heaven, Mr. Officer.

Check out Work  below, and if you dig em, pick up the album here.

MAY

5/17 Vivian Girls @ 285 Kent

5/20 Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Glasslands

5/20 Go Sailor! @ Cameo Gallery

5/21 tUne-YaRds @ MHW

5/22 “Our Band Could Be Your Life”: Dirty Projectors, Dan Deacon, St. Vincent, Titus Andronicus, Tune-Yards, Wye Oak @ Bowery

5/23  tUne-YaRds @ The Greene Space

5/27 Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles @ Glasslands

5/31 Man Man @ MHW

JUNE

6/09 The Dodos @ Bowery

6/09 Cults @ MHW

6/10 The Dodos @ MHW

6/10 Andrew Bird @ Prospect Park  FREE

6/14 The Decemberists, Best Coast @ Prospect Park

6/14 Japanther @ MHW

6/18 Twin Sister @ MHW

6/19 Deer Tick (performing as Deervana) @ Brooklyn Bowl

6/19 Diamond Rings @ Europa

6/25 JEFF The Brotherhood @ 285 Kent

JULY

7/01 Lower Dens @ South Street Seaport FREE

7/07 My Brightest Diamond @ Castle Clinton FREE

7/13-7/14 Wild Beasts @ Le Poisson Rouge

7/14 tUnE YaRds @ Pier 54 FREE

7/14 Patti Smith @ Castle Clinton FREE

AUGUST

8/02 Sufjan Stevens @ Prospect Park

8/05 Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve @ Prospect Park FREE

8/08 The Kills @ Terminal 5

8/10 Bon Iver @ Prospect Park

8/11 Deer Tick @ Pier 54 FREE

*photo by Margaret Durow

Hey y’all, pre-sale for the Decemberists/ Best Coast Prospect Park show this summer (June 14th) just went on-sale. Best part- you don’t need an AMEX card. Sign up on the band’s fan-site, and voila- You just booked your first show of the summer!

FEBRUARY

2/04 Tapes ‘n Tapes @MHW

2/04 Cults @ Pianos

2/05 Monotonix @ 285 Kent

2/08 …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Takka Takka @Littlefield

2/11 Colour Revolt @ Knitting Factory

2/12 Baths @ Knitting factory

2/16 Baths @ Mercury

2/18 Crystal Stilts, Beach Fossils @ 285 Kent

2/24 Brahms, Acrylics, New Moods, Tanlines (DJ Set) @ Glasslands

2/25 Lower Dens, Ducktails @MHW

2/26 White Rabbits @ Bowery

MARCH

3/02 Tennis @ Bowery

3/03 The Smith Westerns @ Mercury

3/03 Tennis @ The Bell House

3/04 Julia Kent (ex-Rasputina, Antony & The Johnsons), Nat Baldwin @ Littlefield

3/05 The Smith Westerns @ Knitting Factory

3/05 Deer Tick @ MHW

3/06 Deer Tick @ Bowery

3/23 & 3/24 Devotchka, Mariachi El Bronx @ Highline Ballroom

3/26 Datarock @ Santos Party House

3/30 Warpaint @ Brooklyn Bowl

3/30 Diamond Rings @ Mercury Lounge

3/30 Cults @ Knitting Factory

3/31 Diamond Rings @ Glasslands

3/31 Cults @ Mercury

3/31 Cave SIngers @ MHW

APRIL

4/09 The Black Angels @ MHW

4/10 Toro Y Moi @ MHW

4/11 Toro Y Moi @ Bowery

4/15 O’Death @ Knitting Factory

4/20 DOM @ Bowery

MAY

5/01 Lower Dens @ Mercury

5/12 CSS, Sleigh Bells @ MHW

JUNE

6/10 Andrew Bird @ Prospect Park  FREE

6/14 The Decemberists, Best Coast @ Prospect Park

6/18 Twin Sister @ MHW

Hey everyone- Sorry for the inactivity of the tiny accordion this past semester, but I have been working pretty darn hard on this playlist that I’m about to share, and I hope y’all enjoy it. Here we go, in no particular order (except in that I hope you listen to the mix in this order of course OR ELSE)…

Tiny Accordion Top 25 Songs of 2K10

1. Belle & Sebastian- I Want The World To Stop
2. Harlem- Gay Human Bones
3. Deerhunter- Coronado
4. Cults- Most Wanted
5. Baths- Hall
6. Girls- Thee Oh So Protective One
7. Toro Y Moi- Blessa
8. Arcade Fire- We Used To Wait
9. Sleigh Bells- Infinity Guitars
10. Sufjan Stevens- Vesuvius
11. Reading rainbow- Always On My Mind
12. Cave Singers- Swim Club
13. Generationals- Trust
14. Tennis- Marathon
15. Deerhunter- Revival
16. Warpaint- Undertow
17. Black Keys- Everlasting Light
18. Cults- The Curse
19. Washed Out- Untitled (from 2010 Tour CD)
20. Japanther- Spread So Thin
21. Surfer Blood- Take It Easy
22. Tapes N’ Tapes- Freak Out
23. Local Natives- Airplanes
24. White Hinterland- My Love
25. LCD Soundsystem- Dance Yrself Clean

Download the full playlist here

*Inspiration image by Hollis Brown Thornton

Maybe its the season turning, or the fact that I just watched the season finale of Mad Men last night and am feeling nostalgic for an era not my own. Or perhaps it’s simply because The Pins are a refreshingly talented group of girls who make songs that feel like they were already 1950′s AM radio classics. Either way, I’ve got this song on repeat today.

This trio of lovely ladies hail from the UK, and have just released their first EP “Introducing…The Pins”, available now via Music Glue.

Also, they are supporting Laura Marling on her upcoming UK tour, starting next month, so anyone in the area, check ‘em out!

Stevens’ new full-length album “The Age of Adz”, is streaming on NPR in its entirety. I urge you to check it out. This record is groundbreaking and affecting on several levels. First off, it’s a huge (and in my opinion, beautifully advanced) departure from Sufjan’s earlier odes to Illinois and Michigan. The album is a soaring orchestral maze with twists of unexpected rough blips and frenzied turns that throw your emotional state through the wringer. All in the most artful, deliberate manner.

The most impressive aspect of this project for me, however, is that the artist whom Sufjan was inspired by, and whose artwork graces the cover, so accurately shines through this poignant journey. Self-declared “Prophet’” Royal Robertson (1930-1997) was one of the most intriguing and phenomenal artists of our time. I have been collecting his art for several years now, after exposure through my dear friend Scott Ogden’s amazing documentary, entitled “MAKE“.

Royal suffered from undiagnosed schizophrenia, which manifested itself through visions of time travel, aliens, and extreme paranoia. A trained sign painter, Robertson covered every inch of his trailer home with artwork and signage, often quoting biblical references, many times addressing his ex-wife, Adele whom he believed had cheated on him, and whose departure after 19 years of marriage he would never fully recover from.

Sufjan accurately represents the chaos, delusion, heartbreak and isolation that Robertson was surely plagued with his entire life. And the beauty of it all: Sufjan, like Royal, managed to transform this intensity into a body of art.

*You can pre-order The Age of ADZ through Asthmatic Kittty now and receive MP3s of the album prior to the release date.

*To learn more about Royal Robertson, or for information on how to purchase a work of art, contact The Webb Gallery or MAKE Skateboards

Two original photographs of Robertson’s home 35mm c. 1990 collection Jim Linderman

Front and back sides of one of Robertson’s paintings, from my own collection

I was lucky enough to catch Basia Bulat this Friday evening at Littlefield. The set of pipes and enthusiasm that this woman brings to the table make not falling in love with her an impossible task. The first time I saw Ms. Bulat perform was at this year’s SXSW, and have been a fan ever since. Friday’s performance was even more impressive, however, with the accompaniment of a full stage of talented musicians that really boosted her soulful folk arrangements to their full potential while allowing the true star (that voice of hers) to shine through.  It is lovely to see someone with such raw talent excelling at her craft, and I hope it won’t be the last time I catch her in NY.

AUGUST

8/28 Dinosaur Feathers @ Littlefield

SEPTEMBER

9/07 The Do @ Mercury Lounge

9/07 Dinosaur Feathers @ Bruar Falls

9/08 The Do & Dinosaur Feathers @ The Bell House

9/09 School of Seven Bells @ Brooklyn Bowl

9/10 Beach Fossils @ Bowery

9/10 Colour Revolt, Turbo Fruits @ Mercury

9/11 Panda Bear @ Governors Island

9/11 Colour Revolt, Turbo Fruits @ Union Hall

9/13 Sherlock’s Daughter @ Bowery

9/14 Sherlock’s Daughter @ MHW

9/16 Jukebox The Ghost, Drink Up Buttercup @ MHW

9/19 Sea Wolf @ Mercury

9/21, 9/22,  Ra Ra Riot @ Bowery

9/23, 9/24 Ra Ra Riot @ MHW

9/23 Basia Bulat @ Mercury

9/24 Basia Bulat @ Littlefield

9/24 Japanther @ Shea Stadium

9/28 Black Heart Procession @ Le Poisson Rouge

9/29 Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos @ MHW

OCTOBER

10/12 Bowerbirds @ Bowery Ballroom

10/13 The Thermals, Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Irving Plaza

10/15 Casiotone for the Painfully Alone @ Monster Island

10/15 King Khan & The Shrines @ Santos Party House

10/16 Seabear @ Highline Ballroom

10/16 King Khan & The Shrines @ Bell House

*10/19-10/23 CMJ (tbd)

10/29 Local Natives @ Webster Hall

NOVEMBER

11/14, 11/15 Sufjan Stevens @ Beacon Theater

11/16 Mumford & Sons @ Terminal 5

11/27 FUN @ Webster Hall

DECEMBER

Stornoway @ Bowery Ballroom

I have a massive band-crush on Stornoway. Not just because they are Oxford grads (Two of the band members have PhDs). Not just because they are British (Sure doesn’t hurt). Perhaps partly because I detect a kazoo at the end of one of their songs. But mostly because they make refreshingly smart, yet quirky, folk-pop music. Also, they prompted me to google the word “Zorbing”. Check em out.

Download Zorbing here.

Have you listened to Sufjan Steven’s super-dense and beautiful new EP yet? If not, please do. Its 60 minutes of sprawling epic orchestral sounds that will make you daze off into an introspective blur. Lovely. And oh yea, its streaming on his Bandcamp site right now. So, no excuses.

Also, free ice cream to the person who can spot Leo Dicaprio on the album cover in 10 seconds or less. GO!

Hello to my loyal followers! If there are still any of you left out there after this month’s lapse you are surely loyal as golden retriever puppies and I love you for it. Its been quite a busy summer. From camping in Maine with no running water, to researching grad schools, designing for the ipad, blog-technical issues (Thanks Beecher!) and catching live shows such as Bear In Heaven, The National, Beach House, The Black Keys, Local Natives, and Wild Beasts, its enough to make a gal neglect her blog. And well, I just hope you don’t  hold these sometimes-lapses against me.

Its good to be back.

*Photo by Underwhelmer

Check out this B-side off the new Panda Bear single out now on vinyl. Will be avail on itunes July 20. This is the first in a series of singles (each put out on a different label) leading up to the release of the new Panda Bear album, due this Fall.

Please enjoy this endearing video presented by La Blogotheque. If you aren’t familiar with the French site of  unique, artfully recorded live music performances, than consider this my special gift to you. This “Take Away Show”, (or the French title Les Concerts à Emporter) features one of my favorite bands, Mumford & Sons. They perform two songs and the video also includes footage of the band translating (and successfully performing) their song “Awake My Soul” dans le français…