In honor of the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind, SPIN convinced some bands to cover each track from the album for a tribute record: Newermind. You can see the full tracklist and download it for the price of your email address and a “Like” at SPIN‘s Facebook page.

As far as the most interesting part of this project, I’m in agreement with SPIN editor Steve Kandell, as told to NPR: “The most intriguing angle was getting bands like the Meat Puppets and the Vaselines, who were famously covered by Nirvana, to finally repay the favor, and with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lithium,” respectively, Nevermind’s two best-known songs, at that.”

MP3: Skull Eyes

True Widow hits The Basement stage at 8pm on Thursday night opening for Surfer Blood and … And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead.

But in terms of new stuff, here’s what I liked this year, starting with national releases and ending with Cowtown LPs.

1. Strand of Oaks – Pope Killdragon
I didn’t immediately hit repeat when I heard this album, but once I came back to it, I never stopped. Who knew a record with songs about John Belushi (from the perspective of Dan Akroyd), a 12-foot man and JFK could be so engrossing. Devastating, too. If you think Tim Showalter is just another pretty-voiced folkie, the layers of synth and Sabbath-like riffs on “Giant’s Despair” prove otherwise. The best way to get Killdragon digitally or on vinyl is through Strand of Oaks’ Kickstarter page.

2. The Black Keys – Brothers
Ditto Duffy.


3. Anais Mitchell – Hadestown
A folk-rock opera about Orpheus sounds like a terrible idea. Thanks to Mitchell’s clever arrangements & talents like Greg Brown, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Low Anthem’s Ben Knox Miller, it’s a tour de force.

4. Sam Amidon – I See the Sign
Sam Amidon takes old songs and makes them new. Oh, and R. Kelly songs, too. Fans of Nick Drake and Sufjan will dig this. Feb. 18 show at the Wex with Brian Harnetty is icing.

5. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
No new ground broken, but I’ll take these songs any day over a lot of the big-name, anthemic indies who released albums this year.

6. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
People seem to either love or discard Bradford Cox. I love him. Album cover disturbs me.

7. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz
I went from disappointed to intrigued to enraptured with this album.

8. Spoon – Transference
I’m still waiting for Spoon to release a bad album.

9. Lost in the Trees – All Alone in an Empty House
Prediction: By this time next year many more people will know the name Ari Picker. He can strip a song down to its bones on one song, then compose a rich orchestral piece the next. Wex show Jan. 30 (more icing).

10. Patty Griffin – Downtown Church
I don’t imagine many Donewaiting readers are into country gospel. (I’ll echo Duffy’s preamble about what makes DW great.) When it’s done this well, I’m a fan. Guests include Buddy Miller and Emmylou Harris.

Mention-worthy:
Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues (underrated b/c of daddy)
Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (kids are all right)
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago (Meiburg the magnificent)
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More (It’s in my most-played, so I must like it)
Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises (underrated guitarist)
Love Language – Libraries (underrated b/c of …)
Vampire Weekend – Contra (Better than the first)
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (“That’s why your Winslow”)
Mavis Staples – You are Not Alone (Legend made even better by Tweedy)
Lower Dens – Twin-Hand Movement (Jana Hunter > Devendra Banhart. Much greater.)
Mountain Man – Made the Harbor (Who needs instruments?)

Columbus albums
Like I said, Gibson Bros., but I’d remiss not to mention Columbus Discount Records‘ two other reissues I loved: Ron House’s Blind Boy in the Back Seat and Nudge Squidfish’s 20,000 Leagues Under Nashville. I liked some EPs, too (Way Yes, Spruce Campbells’ 1st) and a 7″ (TNV’s “No Room to Live”) or two, but I’m sticking with albums here. As usual, I’ll also clarify that I’m not separating these lists because these are somehow inferior or can’t compete with national releases. I just like doing it this way.

1. Super Desserts – Twee as Folk
Can’t say much more about this band and album that I haven’t already said. This is the Desserts at the top of their game.

2. The Black Swans – Words are Stupid
One way the Black Swans have honored the memory of violinist Noel Sayre is to still include him on this album, a meditation of sorts on how language fails us. It’s light, it’s dark, it’s great.

3. Time and Temperature – Cream of the Low Tide
I don’t know if this is an EP or an album, so I’ll say it’s an album. At long last. More from Val Glenn, please.

4. Ghost Shirt – Daniel
I don’t think you want to hear me talk about this band anymore, either. This record was a pleasant, late-fall surprise.

5. Micah Schnabel – When the Stage Lights Go Dim
It makes sense that the songs of the Two Cow Garage front man hold up with just an acoustic guitar.

6. Andrew Graham & Swarming Branch – Andrew Graham’s Good Word
I’m still surprised by how little press this Mexican Summer release got. “Take it Easy on Kathy, at Least she Can Dance” is one of my favorite Columbus songs released this year.

7. Nick Tolford & Company – Extraordinary Love
Soul! At least go download “End of the Night.”

8. The Kyle Sowashes – Nobody
“I threw up at Tee-Jaye’s on Wednesday night/ Pale-faced and clammy I was something of a sight/ We played a show at some basement bar/ And while they couldn’t pay us/ They gave us PBR/ So I took it as a challenge/ I tried to drink them all/ Each one went down better than the last as I recall/ And I’d forgotten to eat dinner/ I realized too late/ I got double dragon before the waitress brought my plate.” Long live Kyle Sowash.

9. Deathly Fighter – Completely Dusted
I remember seeing Deathly Fighter awhile back and being bored. It’s not usually my thing. But this album keeps me coming back. I think I like it for the same reasons I like the XX and Burial. Not that DF sounds anything like those two, but there’s something about a record that’s simultaneously chill and pulsing…

10. Earwig – Gibson Under Mountain
Didn’t get to this one for awhile, but now find myself humming these songs all the time.

Mention-worthy:
Phantods – Creature (need to spend more time with this)
Bookmobile – The New Patriot (bittersweet)
Two Cow Garage – Sweet Saint Me (consistency)

I still like this song, that album, this band.

Also, Surfer Blood just signed to Warner Bros. Weird. I remember Chip saying that the next time he tries to see them they’ll be playing the LC. Looks like he may be right.

Our Surfer Blood interview

This is from a show at Allegheny College last month, but the Florida kids played this new song as the encore last night at the Summit, and it was pretty great.

MP3: Swim

After stopping in Columbus in November, Surfer Blood returns Sunday night for a Benco Presents show with Turbo Fruits (ex-Be Your Own Pet) and locals Tin Armor at the Summit. Oddly, I spent all of last week in the West Palm Beach area, which is the Surfer dudes’ hometown. So instead of previewing the show by attempting to describe their debut using adjectives like “anthemic” (see “Swim,” above) and “youthful” (“Close contact on the couch was fine/Tell me where to draw the line”), I decided to ask singer JP Pitts a few ignorant questions about the Atlantic side of south Florida and what it’s like to play music down there:

Was it tough for a band like Surfer Blood to gig in the West Palm area? To completely stereotype after spending only a few weeks down here in the past three years, it seems like most of the bars are filled with Margaritaville bands, and the “arts and culture” spots are for upper-class, dress-up types?

A lot of the stereotypes associated with West Palm Beach are true. There is a lot of affluence and Jimmy Buffet pride and there are not a lot of young people in bands. However, like anywhere else there is a group of talented and creative young people that are doing cool stuff, you just have to look a little harder for them. Most bands down in South Florida end up playing a lot of house shows and DIY spaces because there is a serious lack of small venues for up and coming bands.

(More about Florida’s lame waves, Willem Dafoe, Robert Kennedy and the awesomeness of Columbus after the jump…)

Speaking of upper class, is there much of a middle class down here?

Absolutely. South Florida is one of the most sprawling bourgeoisie areas in the country; for the most part, it’s one giant suburb. However, West Palm Beach proper has its fair share of rough spots, it ranks in the top-ten highest crime cities in the United States every year. Kind of strange considering that the people living on Palm Beach island are some of the wealthiest people in the world. I used to work at a restaurant on Palm Beach and I saw Robert Kennedy and Mark Foley more than once.

Coolest celebrity spotting on the beach?

I’m not sure. I’m sure I’ve seen an actor or actress on Palm Beach at least once, but I honestly wouldn’t know, I’m not good at keeping up with celebrities. I saw Paris Hilton at Coachella in 2007 and I saw Willem Dafoe recently in an airport though.

It’s beautiful down here, but it seems like the waves are actually kinda lame for surfing. Are they bigger other times of the year?

South Florida is the worst for surfing: the beaches are soft pack and shore erosion is a big concern. North Florida on the other hand, isn’t bad. Daytona and Cocoa beach both have decent surfing. It’s definitely not like California or Hawaii, but there are waves for sure. I think Kelly Slater grew up on the east coast of Florida.

How sick are you of journalists and bloggers always talking about the beach, beach music, Florida, etc. when talking about Surfer Blood? If you could go back in time and name your band something that has nothing to do with the ocean, would you?

I wouldn’t change our name at all, I really like it and think it suits the music nicely. However, it does get tiresome to hear so many people trying to lump us into this sort of ‘surf revival’ category. The name wasn’t really meant to be taken so literally. It was more of an aesthetic choice, not anything for or against surfing or surfers as some people have tried to claim. We came up with the name Surfer Blood as a joke and it happened to embody the sense of youth and defiance that comes through in the music.

I missed you guys last time you came to town. What’d you think of Columbus? What should we look for this time around?

Columbus is a pretty awesome place. There are a lot of young people who are excited to come out and see bands almost any night of the week. I’ve only been there once and we got there kind of late, so we didn’t really have a chance to explore too much. I did drive to the Western Union while we were there though, and I remember being struck with how big the city was. I was expecting it to be smaller. …I think people who come to the show can expect to be entertained.

———
Things to know:
April 11, 9 pm
The Summit
2210 Summit St.
(614) 268-9377
$8 adv / $10 door
Or buy tickets online
ages 18+

…I think “Slow Jabroni” is my favorite song off Astro Coast:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nashville-based Turbo Fruits (led by ex-Be Your Own Pet member Jonas Stein) are currently cruising all over the country opening for Surfer Blood. Turbo Fruits will be playing a handful of times at SXSW, including the Panache Showcase.

You can download three songs here and follow their shenanigans on their Turbo Blog.

Yeah, it’s still months away, but someone has to kick SXSW season off, right? So it is with some pride and anticipation that we announce the Village Voice’s 2010 SXSW party, featuring the xx, Superchunk, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and our old friends Surfer Blood. Friday, March 19, La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX, 12pm – 5pm. These bands are alternately old friends and young heroes to us so it just didn’t seem worth keeping secret any longer. You will probably forget but we will definitely remind you.

You can find the same info on Surfer Blood’s MySpace page where you’ll also learn they’re playing a Filter event with She and Him

3.20 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk Bar [Panache Booking SXSW Showcase ] Past Lives, Surfer Blood, Dam-Funk, Oh Sees, The Intelligence, Turbo Fruits, Small Black

MP3: Surfer Blood – Swim

CMJ breakout band Surfer Blood will play the Summit on Wednesday night. It’s good timing — see ‘em before you’re sick of hearing about ‘em. The Florida band’s debut, Astro Coast, is out on Kanine January 19. It’s good.

Detroit’s Terrible Twos open. $5, 18+. Under 21 pay $2 surcharge at the door.