2011 Review: Top 50 Songs (40-31)

Yesterday marked the beginning of a 5 day quest to reveal the top 50 songs of 2011. If you missed it follow the link to check out numbers 50 -41. Today, I will be revealing the next 10 (40-31) and from the look of it we have a very eclectic mix of songs ahead. Enjoy!

Beirut - The Rip Tide

Beirut's new album, The Rip Tide, which was released digitally on August 2nd and will be released physically on August 30th is available for streaming over at NPR. So before you splash any cash for the album, head over to NPR's First Listen to preview the album.

After the first few listens, I get the feeling that Zach Condon and Co. have gone and done it again!

Weekly Top 5: Most Anticipated Albums of 2011

2011 has been an incredible year of music thus far and we haven't even reached August. There's still a slew of albums set to be released and these are the one's I'm most excited about (only albums with set release dates were included).

Honorable Mention:
J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story (due out September 27th)
A.A. Bondy - Believers (due out September 13th)

New Music from Beirut

Beirut is set to release their new album, The Rip Tide on August 30th. The first single off of that album, "East Harlem", has been streaming for a while now but now you can get the mp3 thanks to KEXP radio. Click here to download the excellent new song from the gypsy-folk outfit.

Northside Music Festival: Review Part 1

Photos: Courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan

My own personal Northside Music Festival was kicked off by Atlas Sound at St. Cecila's church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The venue, as you can see above, is an absolutely gorgeous chapel where the pews acts as the seating. The chapel provided the perfect space for Bradford Cox's beautifully, haunting drone. The set was almost exclusively new songs as Cox told the crowd he had forgotten how the old ones go. There were still some old songs sprinkled in like "Sheila" and a folked out version of "Walkabout" featuring some excellent harmonica. Throughout the set, I felt like I was in a trance as Cox layered each different part of the song on top of one another creating a dense and enveloping combination of vocals, guitars and ambient noise. Jessica Amaya of Brooklyn Vegan took some really beautiful photos of the show. Check them out.

Northside Music Festival: Friday Preview

Friday at the L Magazine's Northside Music Festival is jampacked with shows aplenty. The live music starts around 6 o'clock in Williamsburg and in most venues it won't be stopping until well after midnight (late night DJ sets until 4 in the morning at Cameo Gallery and Public Assembly!) The day kicks off with Worcester based electo-rockers DOM at Brooklyn Bowl. Their EP Sun Bronzed Greek Gods was a highly touted release and I anticipate an awesome show. Check out their song "Burn Bridges" after the jump as well as all the rest of Friday's fun!