Happy April Fool’s Day.

Eric Clapton

Donovan

David Crosby

Richie Havens

Frank Zappa

Joe Cocker

Grace Slick

Source: Reddit

29. MØ – No Mythologies to Follow
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s pretty crucial that you watch the Nardwuar interview with MØ.

28. FKA Twigs – LP1
Everyone lost their shit when this record came out. It took me three listens to decide that it wasn’t the most boring record of the year. Now I think it’s pretty alright.

27. Banks – Goddess
Great record. Tons of promise. One to watch in 2015.

26. Clean Bandit – New Eyes
“Rather Be” has around half a billion plays between all the major sources, and while that might be the best song on the album, there’s a lot of good stuff here.

25. Caribou – Our Love
I love the sound coming out of Ottawa right now, especially Jessy Lanza. I’m still not in love with Dan Snaith’s catalog as a whole, but the production on this record is enough to get a place on my list.

24. Broods – Evergreen
When you’re walking through the airport all alone, thinking about someone that’s far, far away, and your plane takes off at sunset, and you look out across a sky of big puffy pink and blue clouds, it’s Broods.

23. Odesza – In Return
Unquestionably some of the best songs of the year are on this record. It was completely unexpected, and if you’d asked me a year ago to go to an Odesza show, I’d probably have turned you down. Not anymore.

22. Jamaica – Ventura
It’s no secret that I love French music, and this record is no different. Wake up America. The Frenchies are coming for our pop music.

21. Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World
Yep. It’s Death From Above. Yep. It’s amazing. Yep. Your face will melt.

20. Wye Oak – Shriek
This is my Poliça of 2014. Beautiful, sexy, cool.

19. White Lung – Deep Fantasy
This is how I want my rock & roll to sound.

18. Kitten – Kitten
I saw them a couple years ago with Paramore and Chloe Chaidez was more entertaining than a box full of kittens and a laser pointer. Not only is she a beautiful style icon, she’s a force on the mic. Watch out, pop music. Ms. Chaidez has arrived.

17. Glass Animals – Zaba
Glass Animals is single handedly responsible for the forthcoming baby boom. You know what’s gooey? The people listening to this album.

16. Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
It’s a beautiful record from pop culture’s next Adele. Watch out for him to clean up at the grammies.

15. Pharrell – G I R L
This is how partying sounds without the crying, bad decisions, and regret-filled mornings. He’s got more hooks than a fishing hat.

14. Jungle – Jungle
Where did you come from, Jungle? Did TV on the Radio have a love child with Klaxons? According to wikipedia, they formed in 2013, which is enough to send the self-conscious under achiever in me spiraling with despair. Yeah, well I started a blog. Take your perfect record and go back to England.

13. Dum Dum Girls – Too True
Certainly their most complete record, Too True will make you want to wear all black, start a band, get famous, and headline a music festival just for the remote chance at a date with one of the Dum Dum Girls.

12. SOHN – Tremors
This is a record for the heartbroken, full of lonely lyrics and heartfelt hooks. It takes a special state of mind to appreciate the beauty of this record.

11. Tensnake – Glow
This was another surprise. I wouldn’t even be disappointed if a DJ just played this record straight through instead of mixing a set. It’s that good.

10. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
This record will likely be the one that most withstands the test of time for me. Ryan is really in his prime at his new PaxAm studio in LA, considering two of the records in my top 10 were made there. This is the culmination of the Ryan Adams project, his finest work, without question. He really seems happier, and it’s finally coming through in his music.

9. Chromeo – White Women
This is another band finally achieving what they’ve been promising for nearly a decade. It’s fun, smart, catchy without being kitschy — everything a good record should be. I want to see a Chromeo show every day.

8. Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
Oh hello, North Carolina. Sometimes I think this band is completely carried by Amelia Meath’s incredible vocal work, but then the production — in particular the restraint that Nick Sanborn shows — reminds me that it truly is a collaboration. It’s an incredible debut record.

7. Jenny Lewis – The Voyager
“This might be the best Ryan Adams album since Love is Hell,” my buddy Kyle said. I can say without fail, that this certainly is the best Jenny Lewis album of all time.

6. Mr. Little Jeans – Pocketknife
If you like pop music, you have to listen to this record. One gets the sense that it’s a true reflection of Monica Berkenes — fun, happy, but deeply emotional. In that way, it’s kind of a reflection of every Norwegian I’ve ever met. It’s a perfect album.

5. RAC – Strangers
The featured artists list on this record reads like a music festival green room artist list. With that much talent and a producer that seems to have an ear for pop the way Picasso had an eye for rectangles makes for one excellent piece of music. The live shows are fantastic, too.

4. Kishi Bashi – Lighght
I have a tendency to love records that are deceptively simple — layers of clever melodies, lyrics that hinge more on rhythm and rhyme than depth and meaning. This album is a major exception. Exceptionally smart, masterfully executed, and thoughtfully written, this is a record for musicians as well as music lovers.

3. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
I can’t believe I’m putting Lana Del Rey this high on my list, but I think I finally get it. She’s telling a story with her entire life. She’s a character in her own world, and this record is as beautiful as her reflection. Dan Auerbach’s contributions no doubt played a role in my opinion of this album, but goddamn is it something special.

2. Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow
Flawless. Exceptional. Beautiful. So deserving of the number one spot, and only my personal prejudices kept it out. It’s an amazing piece of work. Don’t read. Listen.

1. Phantogram – Voices
Beauty like this doesn’t come along every day. No, I’m not talking about singer Sarah Barthel (but I’m also not not talking about her either). They’ve been telling this story for a long time: the only thing that’s important is who and what you love, and one day you’ll die alone in a see of black emptiness. It’s a fairy tale for the fucked up, those of us in love with the miserable honesty of the world, and finally Phantogram has developed that message to it’s penultimate climax. This is the kind of sadness that makes life worth living.

They don’t make dance music. They don’t sing in English. They don’t wear helmets.

What parisian rockers La Femme do is make a brand of rock and roll that’s genuinely interesting and raw, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Velvet Underground.

I think it’s easier to talk about where one expects to hear this band:

• At parties with Andy Warhol, while trying to convince Clyfford Still to come back to exhibiting
• In French mansions, surrounded by foreign movie stars, smoking Gauloise, talking to a super model
• At invitation-only openings at the MOMA, making fun of Anna Wintour, sitting next to a Delaunay and forgetting which one painted it
• In French New Wave cinema, just as the action gets started and some beautiful woman steps into the shot for the first time

It could be said that the French invented cool. It could be said that many of the coolest things in the world still originate there to this day. This band goes beyond that, reminding of us that truly cool things never go out of style, and always continue to evolve.

Last year’s debut release, Psychotropic Berlin, not only topped my 10 best albums of the year, it served as the basis for their most recent US tour.

Monster Children Magazine recently released a video that includes some behind the scenes footage from one of those tour stops, crafted in classic French New Wave style.

In Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins writes something along the lines of, “Just look at the world, think of something you’ve never seen before, and make it. That’s art.”

La Femme is living that, breathing that ethos. They’re making something so familiar, something we all knew was there, lurking in the shadows. It’s a sound we all know, but can’t place. It’s the dream of another generation finally being realized.

The video that follows is brief, and in some ways, expected. It’s how I would hope La Femme would appear, going through their ritual before a show.

But one thing I do know: They can’t come back soon enough.

Update: Congratulations to winner Christopher Robinson!

From the weird…

To the wild…

White people just wanna get their groove on with a bunch of other white people.

Some like to take it slow…

Some like to get a little freaky…

Some are just a bit confused.

And let’s not forget this guy.

They definitely want to dance when they’re drunk…

Or at least, they’ll try to dance.

But if there’s one festival…

where you’ll find…

more white people dancing…

than any other…

it’s at Coachella.

But Arya Stark, you’re cool.

Lollapalooza is once again descending on Grant Park in Chicago, and for those of us that can’t be there, at least we can be there in spirit.

Watch the webcast here

Lollapalooza Drinking Game Rules:
Drink if:

• They show the fountain in Grant Park. Finish your drink if someone is swimming in it
• Lorde talks about how lucky she is to be here
• Anytime someone says this is the best show they’ve ever played
• They show Perry Farrell
• Someone says “exclusive,” “facebook,” or “twitter”
• Arctic Monkeys says something no one can understand
• You see an obvious corporate sponsorship (I’m looking at you, Red Bull)
• They show a girl in a bikini top
• Any time a DJ speaks
• Chromeo has a robot voice solo
• Someone promotes their new album
• Someone you’re with is surprised by how deep Mark Foster’s voice is when he speaks
• Jenny Lewis. Just all of Jenny Lewis.
• They show anyone drunkenly dancing. Drink until you want to dance with them.
• They show the big metal jelly bean
• Someone you’re with thinks Jungle is TV on the Radio
• If you willingly watch Krewella, just do us all a favor drink yourself to death
• Childish Gambino says the phrase “Asian girls“
• Cut Copy’s instruments come unplugged, but the music doesn’t stop playing
• Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon drinks on stage
• Skrillex jumps on top of his DJ booth

Andre from RAC released an audio guide to creating a summer jam on Soundcloud this week to accompany the launch of his summer playlist on spotify (look on the sidebar to play it).

“One of the very first things you want to do is pick a major key,” he says at the start of the track.

From there, the guide goes on to explain how to add drums and pad the track to fill it out.

It’s by no means comprehensive, but it’s a nice look at his approach to making music. Chords + bass + drums + pads = feel good music. It’s a simple recipe, but one that he’s mastered.

You can catch RAC at a few festivals this summer and fall.

Summer’s here and festival season is in full swing. Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, EDC – some créme de la cremé of music festivals come about during the long days and blistering temperatures of the summer months.

But some of the country’s best festivals are held each fall and have even more to offer. Here’s four of the best festivals held after summer ends.

6. TBD Fest
Sacramento, Oct. 3-5 2014

These guys are new to the party, but goddamn what a lineup.

Blondie. They have Blondie. And Justice. And Empire of the Sun. And at $160, you can’t beat the price for a three day festival.

It might not have the je ne sais quoi of some of the other more established festivals, but they’re going all out for this one.

With headliners like this, and an undercard that even Coachella could take some notes from, TBD Fest not only has my attention, I’m a lock for attendance.

More Information

5. Treasure Island
San Francisco, Oct. 18-19 2014

Courtesy of Another Planet

This is a smaller, two-day festival held on the tiny island that sits between San Francisco and Oakland. It’s great because they only have two stages, and they alternate which stage is in use. That means no hard decisions, and you can literally see every band on the bill if you so choose. And what a bill it is; This year’s headliners include festival regulars Outkast and Massive Attack, as well as Skrillex … The grounds are great, too, with a beautiful view of San Francisco, great food, art, and an awesome crowd.

The festival does have one major drawback: the weather. I’ve never been to a festival that goes from so beautiful to so. goddamn. cold. in such a short span of time. Bring layers, gloves, hats, socks — way more than you think you’ll need. When the sun drops and the wind whips across the bay, you’ll be glad you did.

More Information

4. Voodoo Festival
New Orleans, Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 2014

Photo courtesy of Blog4Dat

I’ve never been to this festival, but halloween + New Orleans + a great lineup is sure to equal a great time. All of the rich cultural heritage of New Orleans mixed with a swarm of slutty [fill-in-the-blank] costumes and Bud Light drunk southerners, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

In all seriousness, the food, the accommodations, and the weather are all going beat the pants off of any BFE summer festival you can get your hands on.

Remember, it only takes one drunken hobo to start a revolution.

More Information

3. Riot Fest
Chicago, Sept. 12-14 2014

Chicago isn’t exactly known for their punk rock scene, but the lineup at this festival makes my inner 15 year old want to ball fists and punch my way all the way to the windy city. It’s not all punk rock either, with bands like The Offspring and Slayer on the bill. And this year, eight of the biggest names on the undercard will be playing one of their most famous albums straight through. Weezer intends to play the Blue album cover to cover, and that alone is enough to catch my attention.

But maybe the biggest, and least publicized draw about this Warp Tour for grown ups is Russian rock goddesses and former political prisoners, Pussy Riot. This could be (but hopefully won’t be) the only show they play in the U.S., and it’s the only one they have booked at the moment. These three women are single handedly trying to move their racist, homophobic country of millions into the 21st century, and that, I think, is a big fucking deal.

More Information

2. Life is Beautiful
Las Vegas, Oct. 24-26 2014

This marks the second year of Downtown Las Vegas’ new music festival. In the last few years, the Downtown Project has revitalized the decaying area around Fremont street, in the oldest part of Las Vegas, and to celebrate, they shut down fifteen square blocks to hold a massive block party. Moreover, they draw some massive acts like Kanye West and Foo Fighters without the massive price tag of other festivals.

Another major draw is that even though it’s downtown, it’s still in Las Vegas. You can party all night, into the next morning and into the next night again, if that’s what you’re into. You can get a hotel room with a jacuzzi in it, an endless buffet, and three-foot-long margarita. As if you needed an excuse to go to Vegas, Life Is Beautiful has you covered.

More Information

1. Austin City Limits
Austin, Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-12

ACL belongs on the short-list of premiere American festivals, and the fact that it’s now two weekends (like Ultra and Coachella), speaks to this festival’s legendary status. Not only does it draw top-tier talent, but it’s located in one of the greatest live-music cities in the world. The after shows are matched only by Lollapalooza in Chicago. Whatever hard decisions you have to make due to scheduling conflicts can be rectified with smart after show scheduling.

Still, ACL is an expensive luxury. Accommodations are few and expensive, and you’re hard pressed to find a reservation if don’t already have one. And those after shows? You can quickly end up doubling your already pricey festival pass, depending on what you’re trying to see. But as I always tell people about Coachella: You get what you pay for.

More Information

Is EDC the best electronic music festival in the U.S.?  Vote below!

It’s that time of year again, when the girls dust off their neon spandex, the bros pull out their tanks, everyone loads up on beaded bracelets and ring pops and heads out to Las Vegas. For those of us who can’t be there, we can still be there in spirit with this EDC webcast drinking game. View the official webcast here.

The EDC Webcast Drinking Game Rules

Drink when:

-They show someone in the crowd wearing neon

-Borgore says the phrase “Borwhores”

-They show someone sucking on anything, finish your drink

-If anyone mentions or plays any song by Daft Punk, finish your drink

-Drink the whole time Steve Aoki crowd surfs

-Someone plays an actual instrument live

-A-Trak scratches records

-They show Las Vegas

-You see anyone take molly, finish your drink

-A DJ says anything into the mic. If he says, “Are you still with me?” finish your drink

-There’s pyrotechnics

-Diplo makes people take their shirts off

-They show a puppet during Mr. Oizo

-Anyone drops to half-tempo, in any song, ever.

-Someone you’re with mentions that A-Trak and Dave from Chromeo are brothers

-They show Madeon playing a launchpad

-They show a girl in giant fuzzy boots, finish your drink.

-They show a carnival ride.

-When the sun comes up, finish your drink