Ra Ra Riot "The Orchard"

Ra Ra Riot's sophomore release takes the mid-tempo, baroque pop they introduced on their debut and expand it into something more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, The Rhumb Line had its moments but it's mostly downtrodden.

The Orchard opens up with the strings-heavy title track, the lead single, and a possible future single. The middle third loses focus and is uninteresting until the tail end of "You And I Know", which really sets up the rest of the album to go out in a blaze.

Now anyone who discusses Ra Ra Riot is contractually obligated to mention Vampire Weekend so I will make this my final point. I think Contra is one of the best albums this year and was a huge step forward for VW. I am willing to put The Orchard right up there as a gem of 2010 and the most complete album RRR have made.

Must hear: Boy

(Release Date: 8/24/10)

Beach House "Zebra EP"

Beach House's Teen Dream is still in the lead for my year-end rankings, so when I heard they had put out an additional EP, I had to take a listen. It consists of 4 tracks: a radio edit of "Zebra" (from Teen Dream), a remix of "10 Mile Stereo" (also from Teen Dream), and 2 new songs.

"Zebra" was one of my favorite songs off their full-length release but I am not a fan of this radio edit. It is probably fine if you have never heard the original, but they cut out a full minute and it loses a lot of ambiance. I also didn't care for the "10 Mile Stereo" remix. They totally lost the original song in there.

The real treat for me was one of the new songs, "The Arrangement". It is just as good as anything on Teen Dream and would have fit in nicely on that album. Either way, it's a treasure as a B-side.

Must hear: The Arrangement

(Release Date: 4/17/10)

Sufjan Stevens "All Delighted People EP"

While people have been debating which state was getting the Sufjan-treatment next, after the huge success of Illinois and Michigan, Stevens has kept busy. In 2009 he wrote a symphony about New York's Brooklyn-Queens Expressway entitled The BQE and performed it at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House. Later in 2009 he released a new version of his Enjoy Your Rabbit record rearranged for strings and re-titled Run Rabbit Run.

So it should be of some surprise that Stevens had time to create, and that no one was even expecting, a brand new album. All Delighted People was released on his website just yesterday; completely out of the blue and with no marketing buzz. Yet by late afternoon he was the #1 trending topic on Twitter. It's really an amazing story and we don't need to wait for the sales numbers to say that it was a success.

The real gem on this release is the title track. It's an 11 minute epic that culminates in a rising fury of strings. The other songs are classic Sufjan: folk, storytelling style, religious allusions, etc. A must for any music fan.

Must hear: All Delighted People (Original)

(Release Date: 8/20/10)

Best Coast "Crazy for You"

Best Coast is a special brand of lo-fi surf pop; and on this, their debut release, they lay the groundwork for something special. It's funny, I remember having a similar sentiment to last year's Girls' album.

Depending on your generation, the term surf pop either makes you think of the Beach Boys or Jack Johnson. But JJ is a bit mellower than Best Coast and early Beach Boys consisted mostly of pop anthems. This album made me think of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys. I know, I know - blasphemy. What I mean is it's more based in reality. It's not bubblegum pop. It's "Wouldn't It Be Nice" yearnings to be with someone. It's "Sloop John B" yearnings for the comforts of home. Serious matters presented in an easily identifiable package of pop music.

I think the lo-fi aspect of the recording is what really sets it apart. If it was just another clean cut, perfectly produced, shiny ribbon on top assortment of pop songs then it wouldn't have the impact that this collection does.

Must hear: Boyfriend

(Release Date: 7/27/10)