Friday, January 5, 2001

McQ's Best of 2009 - Recommended Mixes Volume 2 - Dark Was The Night

Whether it be murky, menacing 80s-styled fare (The Horrors, Fever Ray, Wild Beasts), after hours romanticism (The Walkmen, The Xx), stirring representations of isolation (Soulsavers, Mount Eerie), or gutwrenching narratives (The Antlers), artists in 2009 and late 2008 produced an number of excellent works that felt best listened to late at night.

Though not exactly an upbeat ditty, this mix, along with Volume 8 Dream Pop, is the freshest feeling of this year's recommended mixes, and my personal favorite in this year's collection. Listen On Spotify!

Includes Selects From:
Highest Recommend: The Xx

Strong Recommends: Hospice - The Antlers, Two Dancers - Wild Beasts

Solid Recommends: Broken - Soulsavers, Fever Ray, Primary Colours - The Horrors, You & Me - The Walkmen

Not Recommended: Wind's Poem - Mount Eerie

Recommended Track List:
1. Mirror's Image - The Horrors
2. Donde Esta La Playa - The Walkmen
3. Death Bells - Soulsavers
4. If I Had A Heart - Fever Ray
5. Hooting And Howling - Wild Beasts
6. Islands - The Xx
7. Postcards From Tiny Islands - The Walkmen
8. Kettering - The Antlers
9. Between Two Mysteries - Mount Eerie
10. Crystalized - The Xx
11. You Will Miss Me When I Burn - Soulsavers
12. We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues - Wild Beasts
13. Scarlet Fields - The Horrors
14. Infinity - The Xx
15. In The New Year - The Walkmen
16. Epilogue - The Antlers

ABOUT THE ALBUMS:

The Xx: Oh, I pity this one time quartert, now trio of British art-school twenty year olds. I don't see how they'll ever top this one. It's absolutely unique, and nearly flawless. Taking the minimalist, negative space aesthetic of say Spoon or the Police and giving it a whispery, preturnaturely mature, after-midnight 80s sheen, it's the best front-to-back listen of the year...a Roxy Music Avalon for today's generation. Don't be tempted to buy individual tracks on this one...buy it whole.

To Listen to or Download Tracks from this Mix
Click on the Widget Below
(sorry no Soulsavers - Amazon only offers that CD in full)


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