A few months I introduced one of my favorite acts in the evergrowing poppunk youth movement. The band just dropped a brand new acoustic EP over at their bandcamp which includes this awesome cover of the Brand New classic “Mixtape”. Grab it below.

MP3 // MIXTAPE

Sticking to their usual ban fraternizing with the US Press, Brand New did an interview during their UK dates saying they have booked studio time in April and tenatively would like to have new material out by the end of the year (not holding my breath). Read the excerpt below:

So you started writing new material about a year ago?
Well we probably started writing new material as soon as we were done with the last record, it’s just lately we’ve all been exploring our peripheral projects outside of ‘Brand New’. It’s been nice to get back together again, because you’ll hear something that Brian’s done, or Vinni’s done, you almost get jealous of it, because you wish you had been part of that, so we’re definitely excited to get back in the studio together. We have studio time in April but we’re not really sure how that will turn out, unfortunately for our fans, it’s really ‘see how it goes’ for now. But we are intent on getting music out, we’d like to do it before the end of the year.

via//

Check out this insanely well done cover from Tigers Jaw of the mythical Brand New track “Moshi Moshi”. So good, I even ripped the audio to MP3 for you. Thanks, Nervous Energies!

MP3 // TIGERS JAW “MOSHI MOSHI” (BRAND NEW COVER)

This is also probably appropriate: the original.
MP3 // MOSHI MOSHI (ACOUSTIC)

Here’s some HQ footage of Brand New playing “Untitled 5″ (setlisted as “Nobody Moves”) from last nights New Years Eve show…An extremely rare occurence. Legendary.

They also did “Flying At Tree Level” !!

Set list
Set One: Acoustic

The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Bought A Bride
At The Bottom
The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades
Play Crack The Sky

Set Two: “Your Favorite Weapon” Album

Set Three: All Requests

Welcome To Bangkok
Nobody Moves
Guernica
Jesus Christ
Flying At Tree Level
Moshi Moshi
Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t
Degausser
You Won’t Know

Edit: just gonna go ahead and up all the videos here

Edit: Download audio of whole night’s set here

Tautou

Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades

I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light

Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t

The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

Me Vs Maradona Vs Elvis

Sowing Season (Yeah)

Millstone

Seventy Times 7

At The Bottom [acoustic]

Bought a Bride

Luca

Gasoline

Degausser

You Won’t Know

Jesus

Play Crack The Sky

MP3 // JUDE LAW AND A SEMESTER ABROAD (2000 DEMO)

I could care less what they decide to write about. At this point, it’s just good to have these guys back.

Tracklist
angus and julia stone – walk it off
freelance whales – enzymes
summer people – glossy eyed
crystal castles vs CBF – cry babies
letlive. – enemigos/enemies
trophy scars – trazodone
via audio – developing active people
brand new – untitled 08
bad books – holding down the laughter
underoath – driftwood
hellogoodbye – betrayed by bones
kanye west – lost in the world (ft. bon iver)
right away, great captain! – best ever metal band out of denton (mountain goats cover)
coma cinema – her sinking sun
blossom dearie – tout doucement
now, now every children – jesus camp
lupe fiasco – the show goes on

ZIP // The World That I Wanted (October 2010 Mix)

01 // Small Black – Search Party
02 // Willy Mason – The World That I Wanted
03 // Andy Hull – Fresh Start Booze
04 // Azure Ray – Displaced
05 // The Gay Blades – Wasted On The Youth
06 // Elliott Smith – Happiness
07 // Thrice – Open Water
08 // You Me And Everyone We Know – Bootstraps
09 // Grizzly Bear and Feist – Service Bell
10 // La Dispute – Why It Scares Me
11 // The Good Life – October Leaves
12 // Sufjan Stevens – Vesuvius
13 // Brand New – Flying At Tree Level (Version 1.0)
14 // WHY? – Crushed Bones
15 // Sunset Rubdown – Us Ones In Between
16 // PMtoday – I Am Wrong
17 // Emily Haines – Bottom Of The World
18 // Deerhunter – He Would Have Laughed

So without further ado, here are the 10 albums that made my year. These are the top 10 reasons I keep doing this. Let me know what you think!

10
As Cities Burn // Hell or High Water
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.0 of 5 // review
The last album in the short-lived legacy of As Cities Burn, Hell or High Water hinted at the same brooding and dissonant songwriting of it’s predecessor featuring vocalist Cody Bonnette shining in some of his brightest moments. Although Hell or High Water will not go down as their best release, it’s an applauded effort by a band that went away all too soon.
mp3// pirate blues

****

09
Monsters of Folk // Monsters of Folk
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.0 of 5
The collaboration between M. Ward, Jim James and Conor Oberst birthed an album that was diversified enough to keep everybody happy, while staying true to each artists character. The hype that surrounded Monsters of Folk at it’s announcement usually stunts such supergroups, but Monsters of Folk lived up to the hype, creating an album that is impossible to find something that you don’t like.
mp3// say please

****

08
Freelance Whales // Weathervanes
Bedwetters Rating //4.0 of 5 // full review
The thing that makes Weathervanes so good is it’s unexplainable ability to combine the immediacy of it’s songs with a depth of songwriting that is unmatched by too many. The first week after being introduced to Weathervanes, it was the only thing I listened to. I took it with me wherever I went, all the while waiting for the eventual crash that accompanies a record that favors instant appeal instead of good songwriting. I thought this was THAT record, but I was wrong. Weathervanes is the best of both worlds; instantly addicting and positively refreshing with each listen.
mp3// starring

****

07
Atlas Sound // Logos
Bedwetter’s Rating //4.0 of 5 // full review
It seems that with Logo’s, Bradford Cox has finally left the confines of his bedroom to give his work the cliche’d “breath of fresh air”. The sound heard throughout Logos is both consistent and addicting, compounding soaring soundscapes with conservative whispers making Logos not only one of the shining moments of 2009, but arguably Cox’s best work to date.
mp3// shelia

****

06
Brand New // Daisy
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.0 of 5 // full review
From the opening wounded shrieking to the delirious and maniacal chanting of it’s imploding end, Daisy instantly became the most polarizing album in Brand New’s prolific catalog. While naysayers cite sloppy songwriting and questionable quality behind Daisy’s lyricism, Jesse Lacey and Co. still pushed the boundaries into depths few, if any knew they were capable of.
mp3// gasoline

****

05
Thrice // Beggars
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
Beggars is not the most intricate record, nor the most experimental release in Thrice’s impressive discography. However, the solidified composition and reserved greatness in every song on the album makes it easy to listen to and nearly impossible to forget. The masterful musicianship displayed by guitarist Teppei Teranishi is perfectly balanced in every aspect, lending way for the Breckenridge brother’s flawless percussion section. Combined with Dustin Kensrue’s career defining performance both lyrically and vocally, it’s hard to think of a time when the songwriting prowess of Thrice was more evident than now.
mp3// doublespeak

****

04
Rx Bandits // Mandala
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
While Mandala might not take the giant leap of progression found on …And The Battle Begun, it still finds the band in a place of steady contentment. The energy and the flow is all we have come to expect from a band of such stature, and it does well serving as the next chapter in Rx Bandit’s already impressive story.

mp3// bring our children home or everything is nothing

****

03
mewithoutYou // it’s all crazy! it’s all false! it’s all a dream! it’s alright
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
Although it may be mewithoutYou’s worst acclaimed release, I can’t fault them for making an album that they wanted to make. Gone is everything that made this band recognizable, but they still made it work. From the opening happy keys of “every thought a thought of You” to the campfire acoustics of “Allah, Allah, Allah” Aaron Weiss cements himself among the greatest lyricists of my time. If you don’t get this album, keep listening. It will come
mp3// cattail down

****

02
Grizzly Bear // Veckatimest
Bedwetter’s Rating // 4.5 of 5 // full review
Capitalizing on everything that makes Grizzly Bear such a widely admired band, Veckatimest is a true rarity. Gushing to the brim with dazzling and addicting psychedelia tinged chamber pop and methodically sparse folk, these four men from Brooklyn have made a masterpiece that is both insatiably deep as it is instantly gratifying.
mp3// ready, able

****

01
Manchester Orchestra // Mean Everything To Nothing
Bedwetter’s Rating // 5 of 5 //full review
It is apparent that when Manchester Orchestra set out to write this album, they went with clear intentions to make a masterpiece, and a masterpiece is exactly what they have delivered. In an industry where we are constantly being subjected to bands intent on selling us an image rather than a song, it’s refreshing to see a band come along and create something so naturally beautiful and unforced. And for that, Manchester Orchestra deserve all the acclaim in the world.
mp3// everything to nothing