The 11 Best Songs By Burial

It's been a fun roller coaster ride with our new book, The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s. We've had a lot of good feedback from all our readers.  We've had a lot of attention on Twitter from some of the bands featured in the book including Tom Shear of Assemblage 23, Alison Mosshart of the Kills and Dead Weather, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Erik Arnesen of the Great Lakes Swimmers, The Kings of Leon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand.  I could not be more thrilled.

One of the last big releases of 2013 comes from Burial who is featured in our book for the album Untrue which makes our list of the 111 Best Albums of the decade.

Here are the 11 Best songs by Burial:

1. Archangel (Untrue)
2. Distant Lights (Burial)
3. Unite (Box of Dub)
4. Kindred (Kindred EP)
5. Raver (Untrue)
6. Loner (Kindred EP)
7. Etched Headplate (Untrue)
8. Ashtray Wasp (Kindred EP)
9. Untrue (Untrue)
10. Ghost Hardware (Untrue)
11. Wounder (Burial)

Buy Burial's new album, River Dealer...now!

The 11 Best Bands Who Have Never Played Coachella

There's something sadly thrilling about getting to sit in front of my computer and watch Coachells unfold before me without paying hundreds of dollars, enduring crazy temperatures, dust, dirt, and douche bags.  Right now I'm flipping back and forth between New Order and Phoenix.  I couldn't do that at the festival...I would have to choose...currently, I'm winning.  Because at home, I get both.

While enjoying Coachella from the comfort of my home, I started to realize how many bands have never played the festival...some that I'm actually shocked.  Some I thought for sure had played only to find out they had never made the journey to Indio. (Journey being one of them)  Below is a list of the best bands that have never played Coachella.  I have only chosen bands that are still together.  Reunions...well, that's really for another list...so, check in tomorrow for that list.

Who Am I missing?

Here are the 11 Best Bands Who Have Never Played Coachella & Should (that are still together):

1. U2
2. Pearl Jam
3. Ryan Adams
4. Fiona Apple
5. Tori Amos
6. Royksopp
7. Iron & Wine
8. Burial
9. Morcheeba
10. Sufjan Stevens
11. Garbage

Watch Coachella now!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (34-44):

If you haven't voted for the best album of the year...do it now!  Right now.

Put your twenty favorite albums in the comment section.

I've been playing around with the new Myspace this week.  I'm making some playlists so when all my readers join, you can link to me and I'll have my daily lists available to listen.  Could be very exciting.  More to come on that.  right now...it's time to vote.

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (34-44):

34.  Action Bronson - Blue Chips (download for free)
35.  Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
36.  Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
37.  Burial - Kindred/One Two
38.  Ben Gibbard - Former Lives
39.  The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
40.  Joey Bada$$ - 1999 (download for free)
41.  Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames - New Multitudes (Bonus Track)
42.  Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
43.  Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
44.  Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory

Buy these albums and more!

The 11 Best Albums of 2012 So Far

I've never figured out the way critics decide which aging rock stars to skewer and which ones to reward.  There were a lot of big releases last year from bands making comebacks.  There were many of them I was very impressed with...only to read the reviews later and find out I must be sorely mistaken.  I thought the new album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was their best since Blood Sugar Sex Magic, but when I read the reviews they told me it might be "their worst effort"...and "a sign of the apocalypse of alternative music."  I was pleasantly surprised by the new Janes Addiction.  But the reviewers called it "musical retardation," "F-minus," and "dead baby dumpster drivel."  Meanwhile, I thought the new Bush and Beastie Boys were huge disappointments to only learn that they were some of the best comebacks of the year.  I know music is arbitrary...but sometimes it seems like a band's hip factor has more to say about whether their album will be well-received or not.

This year...I at least seem to be somewhat inline with the critics.  I doubt VH will stay atop the list for the whole year...but it's nice to a familiar face leading the pack out of the gates.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2012 so far:

1.       Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth 

2.       Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames - New Multitudes 

3.       The Big Pink - Future This (Lose Your Mind)

4.       Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes

5.       Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror

6.       Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory (Stay Useless)

7.       WZRD - WZRD

8.       Anais Mitchell - Young Man in America

9.       Grimes - Visions

10.   Chiddy Bang - Breakfast

11.   Burial - Kindred EP

The 11 Best Songs By Burial

Back in the 60s, we knew nothing about the musicians except for the music that came out of speakers, the cardboard jacket of a record, or the rare picture in a magazine.  Musicians were a mystery.  Like the wizard behind the curtain.  We care more about what they created and not about who they really were.  With that mystery came obsession.  The less we knew, the bigger fans we became, all because of this musical foreplay they teased us with.  I don't want to know what my favorite lead singer is doing at a hot dog stand in Encino or seeing pictures of them out for a jog in Costa Mesa.  It humanizes them.  And that's the last thing I want from my rock n roll gods...to be human.  I want them to stay these untouchable gods.  I want to believe that an artist like Burial is actually from an alien planet who has come to Earth to re-educate us with his magical beats, have sex with all our women, then return to his planet for a few year hiatus.  I don't want to know that he's some stay-at-home dad, who likes to watch golf on the weekends while he works on his culinary skills.  We already have a doorway into the lives and personalities of our musical icons...it's their music!  When you add in all these paparazzi bullshit photos and articles, you take power away from the only that matters.

Thankfully, no one know too much about Burial.  And I hope they keep it that way.  It just makes hearing new music from him (or her) all that more exciting.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Burial:

1. Archangel (Untrue)
2. Raver (Untrue)
3. Distant Lights (Burial)
4. Unite (Box of Dub)
5. Untrue (Untrue)
6. Etched Headplate (Untrue)
7. In McDonald’s (Untrue)
8. Shell of Light (Untrue)
9. Night Bus (Burial)
10. Southern Comfort (Burial)
11. Fostercare (Single)

Buy Burial's new EP now...Street HALO.