smarter

More fireworks

The Roots, undun
The Gorrilaz, The Singles Collection 2001-2011
Why?, Eskimo Snow
Eleanor Friedberger, Last Summer
William Brittelle, Television Landscape
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Advance Base Battery Life
Todd Reynolds, Outerborough

• My favorite non-profit label New Amsterdam is having a fundraiser where each day they are allowing temporary free downloads of selected releases. Today's is two discs by the hyper-post-culture-processor William Brittelle who you should get to know. Brittelle's music is made out of all the music you like except this time it's smarter
  
  
  William Brittelle, "Halcyon Days"
  
  Give 'til it hurts, people.
   
• The new Roots album is sorta kinda about Sufjan Stevens. I'm a fan of both, and it's a good moody record regardless of how you feel about either.
    
• I'm kicking around the idea of a best of 2011 list even though I really didn't exactly review a lot of music this year, but when/if I do, the Eleanor Friedberger record will be on it.
  
  
  Eleanor Friedberger, "Inn of the Seventh Ray"
     
• As will be at least one thing from New Amsterdam, who by the way did not in any way solicit this announcement by doing anything but putting out cool music. I just really like what they do and how they do it.
  
  
  Todd Reynolds performs "Outerborough" live at the Metro Gallery on the Contemporary Museum's Mobtown Modern Music Series. September 16, 2009. Video by Guy Werner.