15.Tillmanns
A Careless Lifestyle
[Fraction Discs] [MP3]: Heavy Rotation
If there's one band out there right now absolutely nailing that 1980s Factory Records sound it's Göteborg's own Tillmanns. The Tillmanns lie somewhere between The Stockholm Monsters and The Wake, specifically around the Here Comes Everybody era.
14.A Smile and A Ribbon
The Boy I Wish I Never Met
[Shelflife] [MP3]: The Boy I Wish I Never Met
The Boy I Wish I Never Met is as cute, concise, and charming as indiepop pop can get, blending the beautiful sounds of 50s and 60s girl groups with the carefree naivete of 90s twee. The record's title track "The Boy I Wish I Never Met" is one of the best pop songs of the year, I think.
13.The Lodger
Grown-Ups
[Slumberland] [MP3]: Watching
The release of The Lodger's LP Grown-Ups not only marked the full-lenth debut from Leeds-based, The Lodger, but it was also the first full-length record Slumberland put out since 2003! Grown-Ups is a super-solid Wedding Present influenced indiepop gem, through and through.
12.The Honeydrips
Here Comes The Future
[Sincerely Yours] [MP3]: (Lack of) Love Will Tear Us Apart
I first heard The Honeydrips at the very beginning of this year, and the single "Lack of) Love Will Tear us Apart" grew on me like moss on a rock(?). I finally heard the LP, Here Comes The Future, a few months later and it's the best baby that Saint Etienne and Felt could've created.
11.The Royal We
The Royal We
[Geographic] [MP3]: All The Rage
Glasgow's The Royal We are a funny case. They release their debut record, a stunning non-stop indiepop dance party of a record – I might add, and then what do they do? They split up! What the HECK. Lots of winners on here, my personal favorites being "All The Rage" and "Willy."
10.The Bridal Shop
From Seas
[Self-Released] [MP3]: From Seas
The Bridal Shop's calypso-flavored, dreamy indiepop was almost a weekly staple for me this year. Complete with breathy male and female vocals, jangly guitars, breezy synths, and the always reliable drum machine, From Seas recalled Sarah Records veterans Blueboy and Brighter – as well as the less-old Radio Dept. and Boat Club.
09.Cats On Fire
The Province Complains
[Marsh-Marigold] [MP3]: The Smell Of An Artist
I don't think I ever mentioned Cats On Fire on the blog at all this year. I really should have. The Province Complains featured a lot of new songs paired with new versions of some tracks from last year's Drawn In The Reins EP, including a superior version of "The Smell of an Artist."
08.Saturday Looks Good To Me
Fill Up The Room
[K Records] [MP3]: Make A Plan
I've been a huge fan of everything Saturday Looks Good To Me has ever done, and that includes their newest record, Fill Up The Room. Being the obsesser that I am, I would've liked to see more of Betty Barnes on the record, but Fred's the man and I'll love anything he does, period.
07.Celestial
Dream On
[Skipping Stones] [MP3]: Dream On
Celestial's debut LP Dream On is a lazy, hazy pop record with the perfect balance of jangle and, of course, shoegazey guitar atmospheres. I ended up putting almost half of the tracks from this record on various mixes I've made throughout the year. It's a damn fine record.
06.Club 8
The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming
[Labrador] [MP3]: Leave The North
"Whatever You Want," the first single from The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming, was the first to grab me, back in May. Then I the LP came and songs like "Heaven" and the incredibly beautiful "Leave The North" snuggled up in my head and stayed there for the rest of the year.
05.Trembling Blue Stars
The Last Holy Writer
[Elefant Records] [MP3]: Idyllwild
I could say amazing things about this record all day long, but I feel like the stunning mysterious beauty of The Last Holy Writer can be best summed up by these lines from the incredible song, "Idyllwild": "Life was so open then, now it’s closing in / Life was wide open then, now it’s closing in / One by one, we’ve watched our dreams disappearing."
04.Lacrosse
This New Year Will Be For You And Me
[Tapete Records] [MP3]: Sunshiner
Lacrosse is another band I didn't mention much on the blog this year, except for a quick video post the other day. This New Year Will Be For You And Me is basically a flawless indiepop record. It's instantly catchy and you end up knowing the words and singing along after one listen!
03.Tullycraft
Every Scene Needs A Center
[Magic Marker] [MP3]: The Neutron
Tullycraft's new harmony-soaked, behemoth of an indiepop record, Every Scene Needs A Center, lived up to every expectation I could have had for it. Love em or hate em, Tullycraft are indiepop heroes and everyone should know it. I just hope they've got a few more records left in them!
02.Pants Yell!
Alison Statton
[Soft Abuse] [MP3]: Tried To Be Good
Since hearing becoming addicted to Pants Yell's Recent Drama for the majority of last year, and consequently telling everyone I knew how it was the best record of the year, I had been dying for a new record, a new something, a new anything. Like I've mentioned previously, when I first heard news of original drummer Carly leaving the band, I was genuinely worried; you could even say crushed. They seemed to work together as such a cohesive unit, and I felt like a change could kill the charm forever. Well, upon nervously hearing the new record, Alison Statton, it became pretty evident that they had, infact, NOT lost that charm. It turns out these new sounds on the record like horn solos, waves of strings, and noticeably punchier drumming only add to the charm of a band that has never ever let me down – not even once.
01.Love Dance
Result
[Marsh-Marigold] [MP3]: Losing Faith
For a band that I knew, seriously, nothing about, Love Dance surprisingly released what has ended up being my number one favorite record of the year. Result, released by the consistantly awesome Marsh-Marigold label in Germany, sounds like it should have been released at least ten years ago. It's easy to say that a record is great from beginning to end right when you hear it, but I've been playing Result for the past six or seven months or so and not only am I not even close to being tired of it, but it seems like the songs keep getting better. From the addictively catchy jangly guitar melodies and handclaps to the glowing synths, and even the occasional dabble in poppy shoegaze, it's just fantastic, period
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