TRK Best of 2k10

As we look forward into 2011, its important to reflect on what brought us here: 2010! The tenth year of the century was the canvas for some of our favorite music in the history of the world. Here's some highlights from the TRK crew.


Martin Anderson (Trekky Records)

Records
01. Megafaun- Heretofore
02. Sharon Van Etten- Epic
03. Tallest Man on Earth- The Wild Hunt
04. Lost in the Trees- All Alone in an Empty House
05. High Places- High Places vs. Mankind
06. The War On Drugs- Future Weather
07. Des Ark- WXDU vol. III
08. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me
09. Gayngs- Relayted
10. Butterflies- Residual Child
11. Veelee- Future Sight
12. Embarrassing Fruits- Frontier Justice
13. No Age- Everything in Between
14. William Tyler- Behold the Spirit
15. Menomena- Mines
16. Superchunk- Majesty Shredding
17. Jack Rose- Luck in the Valley
18. Breathe Owl Breathe- Magic Central
19. The Love Language- Libraries
20. Phosphorescent- Here's to Taking it Easy
21. Konono no. 1- Assume Crash Position
22. Sam Quinn- The Fake That Sank a Thousand Ships
23. Broken Social Scene- Forgiveness Rock Record
24. NAPS- Cassette
25. Oval- O

EPs/Singles/7"s
01. Mount Moriah- The Letting Go
02. High Places- Can't Feel Born
03. Wye Oak- My Neighbor/My Creator
04. Tallest Man On Earth- Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird
05. Sharon Van Etten- I'm Giving Up on You
06. Whatever Brains- Rappers Delight

Shows
Songs of the South - Hayti Heritage Center - Durham, NC
TRKfest 2010 - Piedmont Biofuels - Pittsboro, NC
Akron/Family - Pour House - Raleigh, NC
Lost in the Trees, Midtown Dickens, Sharon Van Etten, Embarrassing Fruits, Butterflies - Pour House - Raleigh, NC
GAYNGS - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Tallest Man On Earth - The Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
Lost in the Trees, Stuart McLamb, Midtown Dickens, Butterflies - The Layabout house - Durham, NC
Megafaun, Breathe Owl Breathe, Hi Ho Silver Oh - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
Bowerbirds, Sharon Van Etten - Iron Horse - Northampton, MA
Lost in the Trees, Veelee, Butterflies - Motorco - Durham, NC
Bowerbirds, Death Vessel, Des Ark - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Megafaun, The War On Drugs - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
Mountain Goats, Mount Moriah, Midtown Dickens - The Pinhook - Durham, NC
Phil Cook & his Feat, Catherine Edgerton - The Pinhook - Durham, NC
Driveby Truckers - Toronto, ON
Liars, Lost in the Trees - Antone's - Austin, TX

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Clare Connolly (Auxiliary House)

1. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

2. Josephine Foster - Graphic as a Star

3. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me

4. Sam Amidon - I See the Sign

5. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & the Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show of the World

6. Jack Rose - Luck in the Valley

7. Women - Public Strain

8. Richard Youngs - Beyond the Valley of the Ultrahits

9. Phosphorescent - Here's to Taking it Easy

10. Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself

11. Wild Nothing - Gemini

12. Mountain Man - Made the Harbor

13. Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin

Things I love far too much, in too many ways, to compare them with anything else I listened to this year:

Butterflies - Residual Child

Cassis Orange EP

Embarrassing Fruits - Frontier Justice

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Wil Donegan (Auxiliary House)

Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me

Bill Callahan- Rough Travel For A Rare Thing (live)

V/A Night Slugs All-Stars Volume 1

Blake Mills- Break Mirrors

Actress- Splazsh

V/A: Smoke That Cigarette: Pleasure To Burn

Gil-Scott Heron- I'm New Here
Vex'd- Cloud Seed

William Tyler- Behold The Spirit

Home Blitz- Out Of Phase

Best Thing I Bought That Is Not New: Nina Simone-Live ('61 & '62) (DVD)

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Will Hackney (Trekky Records)

Top 16 Albums of 2010
1. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
2. Des Ark - Live on WXDU Vol. 3
3. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4. Michael Hurley - Blue Hills
5. Joe Norkus - Soft Parenting EP
6. Sharon Van Etten - Epic
7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
8. Phil Cook and His Feat - s/t
9. Mount Moriah - The Letting Go
10. Drake - Thank Me Later
11. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty
12. Veelee - The Future Sight
13. Schooner - Duck Kee Sessions
14. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
15. Rick Ross - Teflon Don
16. Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself

Top 10 Shows I played in 2010
1. 03.12 Joanna Newsom + Bowerbirds @ Calvin College. Grand Rapids, MI.
Amazing show in a giant church opening for the genius Joanna.
2. 01.29 Bowerbirds + Julie Doiron @ Historic Brookdale Lodge. Brookdale, CA.
Somehow got booked to play in one of the most haunted buildings in America. Freaky ghost vibes. Look it up on Wikipedia!
3. 05.14 Lost in the Trees + Midtown Dickens + Stu McLamb + Butterflies @ The Layabout. Durham, NC.
Secret surprise show at Craig's was rowdy and electric. Can't believe we had so many people in such a small place.
4. 09.11 DAY-DREAM Hopscotch Day Party @ The Pour House. Raleigh, NC.
Our Hopscotch Day Party was surprisingly packed but unsurprisingly awesome, with all of our bands plus some dear friends.
5. 06.23 Bowerbirds @ Duke Gardens. Durham, NC.
We were hit with a brutal rain and wind storm about an hour before we played, soaked to the bone. But of course the sun came out and made it all better.
6. 10.14 Lost in the Trees + Midtown Dickens @ Legitimate Business. Greensboro, NC.
Incredible energy in one of my favorite venues. LITT Misfits cover and "Love On My Side" sing-along were crucial.
7. 01.19 Bowerbirds + Sharon Van Etten @ Varsity Theater. Minneapolis, MN.
Giant warehouse "theater" in Minneapolis with the most rockstar light show you've ever seen. Intense vibe after Sharon played, as always.
8. 06.26 TRKfest @ Piedmont Biofuels. Pittsboro, NC.
Blissfest.
9. 11.16 Amy Ray Band + Mount Moriah @ Lizard Lounge. Cambridge, MA.
Intimate storytellers simulation in the basement of a nice restaurant in Boston. People were sitting about 2 feet next to me. Close encounters.
10. 07.31 The Mountain Goats + Mount Moriah + Midtown Dickens @ The Pinhook. Durham, NC.
Group sing-along on "This Year". Perfect.

Top 3 Shows I Attended in 2010
1. 03.20 Broken Social Scene @ SXSW. Austin, TX.
Relentless 2.5 hour set in a small club. No cameras allowed. Amazing!
2. 09.11 Tortoise @ Lincoln Theater. Raleigh, NC.
My first Tortoise show. Tortoise transcends time and space.
3. 04.27 Gillian Welch @ Cat's Cradle. Carrboro, NC.
Gillian has one of the best voices I've heard and writes some of the best songs I've ever heard. This show was great despite drunk people whooping everytime Dave Rawlings played a solo.

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Daniel Hart (The Physics of Meaning)

Albums
Sufjan Stevens: "The Age of Adz" and "All Delighted People"
Beach House: "Teen Dream"
Efterklang: "Magic Chairs"
Queen Sea Big Shark: "Wave"
Owen Pallett: "Heartland"
Arcade Fire: "The Suburbs"
Toro y Moi: "Causers of This"
Konono No. 1: "Assume Crash Position"
Lost in the Trees: "All Alone in an Empty House"
Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World: "Soundtrack"

Shows
Sufjams at McFarlin Auditiorium (Dallas), October 20th
Dirty Projectors and Sharon Jones at Les Nuits Des Fourvieres, (Lyon, France), mid-July
TuNe-YaRdS at Central Park, August 1st
Vampire Weekend and Beach House at the Palladium Ballroom (Dallas), September-ish
Debashish Bhattacharya and Man Man and Konono No. 1 at Calgary Folk Festival, July 24-25

Videos
LCD Soundsystem: "Drunk Girls", dir. Spike Jonze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xT6cdfP_cM

FM Belfast: "Underwear", dir. The Daniels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUWVCEVv7oE

Big Boi: "Shutterbug", dir. Chris Robinson
http://www.outkast.com/news/big-boi-shutterbug-video

Here We Go Magic: "Fangela", dir. Snejina Latev
(yep, I know it's old but it's AMAZING and I slept on it until the '10)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpxZvQsQH8Y

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Patrick Jones (Butterflies)

1. Mice Parade - What It Means to Be Left-Handed
2. The Black Keys - Brothers
3. Zeus - Say Us
4.Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
5. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
6. Veelee - The Future Sight
7. Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
8. Stereolab - Not Music
9. Javelin - No Mas
10. Twin Shadow - Forget

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Josh Kimbrough (Butterflies)

01. Javelin- "No Mas"

02. Embarrassing Fruits- "Frontier Justice"

03. Lost in the Trees- "All Alone in an Empty House"

04. Phosphorescent- "Here's to Taking it Easy"

05. Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons- "S/T"

06. Cuddle Magic- "Picture"

07. Joanna Newsom- "Have One on Me"

08. Veelee- "The Future Sight"

09. The Dead C- "Patience"

10. Darwin Deez- "S/T"

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Joe Norkus (Embarrassing Fruits)

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Before Today
Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
Sharon Van Etten: Epic
Beach House: Teen Dream
Toro Y Moi: Causers of This
Crystal Castles: II

Local
Wesley Wolfe: Storage
Secret Message Machine: Orphanville
Butterflies: Residual Child
Wild Wild Geese: Sorry, Earth
The Moaners: Nocturnal
Veelee: Future Sight
Free Electric State: Caress

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Ari Picker (Lost in the Trees)

National:
Jonsi - Go
Beach House - Teen Dream
Phosphorescent - Here's to taking it easy
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle

Local:
Veelee - The Future Sight
Butterflies - Residual Child
Embarrassing Fruits - Frontier Justice

Best Concerts:
Blonde Redhead @ Cat's Cradle
Aux House @ Nightlight
Midtown Dickens @ Duke Coffee House
Sharon Van Etten @ Black Cat

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Lee Shaw (Embarrassing Fruits)

1. Blag'ard - Mach II
2. Secret Message Machine - Orphanville
3. Wild Wild Geese - Sorry Earth
4. Veelee - Future Sight
5. The Moaners - Nocturnal
6. Butterflies - Residual Child
7. Spermcount - Live Spunk

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David Straughan (Endless Mic)

1. Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot (Son of Chico Dusty)

2. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

3. Cee-Lo Green - The Ladykiller

4. The Black Keys - Brother

5. Deerhunter - Halcyondigest

6. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

7. Best Coast - Crazy For You

8. Janelle Monae - Archandroid

9. The Tallest Man on Earth - Sometimes The Blues Is Just a Passing Bird EP

10. Elvis Costello - National Ransom

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Stephen Tunnell (Vibrant Green)

The National- High Violet
Lost in the Trees- All Alone in an Empty House

Phosphorescent- Here's to Taking it Easy

Butterflies- Residual Child
Embarrassing Fruits- Frontier Justice

Raffle Prizes Announced for Christmas at the Cradle

Our giant, annual holiday show is just one week away, and we've got a sleigh full of reasons for you to join us. We'll have some of North Carolina's finest bands playing their favorite Christmas tunes, a visit from Sinterklaas, snacks and drinks, decked halls with boughs of holly, and the legendary Christmas at the Cradle Raffle! Every year, we ask the wonderful local businesses of the Triangle to donate something special for the raffle, and every year they provide. All proceeds from raffle tickets directly benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, so you can win a wonderful gift and help out a great cause. Here's some of the prizes this year:

The Lantern - Dinner for 2 with Wine Pairings
Townsend Bertram - Free Weekend Camping Equipment Rental ($150 value)
Holidays For Quince Records - Record Package (10 Albums!)
Odessa Records - Record Package
CD Alley - $15 Gift Certificate + Shirt
Nightlight - $15 Gift Certificate
Moshi Moshi - Deluxe Facial
Orange County Social Club - $25 Bar Tab
The Pinhook - $20 bar tab and Unicorn Drawing
Cat's Cradle - Free pair of tickets + Gift Basket
Local 506 - 4 free tickets to Any Show
Acme Restaurant - Dinner for 2
Carrburritos - 2 Free Burrito Vouchers

You can go ahead and get your tickets for Christmas at the Cradle now, either ordering online, or stopping by Cat's Cradle or any of our fine local record stores. See you in a week!

Video: Butterflies - "Forklift" @ Motorco

Butterflies played a packed house at Motorco in Durham, NC last weekend, opening up for labelmates Lost in the Trees. Here's a clip of the band playing "Forklift", a song from their brand new full length, Residual Child.

Lost in the Trees announce tours with Neko Case, Butterflies

Lost in the Trees had a pretty amazing 2010. They joined forces with Anti- Records, toured with Plants and Animals, released a powerful new version of All Alone In An Empty House, performed a Take Away Show in Montreal, a Tiny Desk Concert in DC, and recorded a Daytrotter Session, filmed their first music video, and even had a custom ale brewed in their honor. But worry not, Lost in the Trees are gearing up for 2011 to be even more special and spectacular, starting off with a string of dates with Anti- labelmate Neko Case and Trekky Records labelmates, Butterflies. Mark yr calendars! Dates below:

01-07 New York, NY - Joe's Pub
01-12 Atlanta, GA - The Earl#
01-13 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds#
01-15 Orlando, FL - The Social#
01-16 Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Monterey Club#
01-17 Tampa, FL - The Orpheum#
01-18 Tallahassee - Club Downunder#
01-19 Charleston, SC - The Charleston Pourhouse#
01-22 Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor#
01-28 Carbondale, IL - Hangar 9
01-29 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music
01-30 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
02-01 Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theatre*
02-02 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel*
02-03 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre*
02-04 Northampton, MA - Calvin Theatre*
02-05 Westhampton Beach, NY - Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center*

* with Neko Case
# with Butterflies

Video: Lost in the Trees cover Misfits + "Love On My Side" with Midtown Dickens

Nice video moment from a show in Greensboro a few months ago: Lost in the Trees playing an uncharacteristic cover ("Skulls" by the Misfits), followed by a group sing-a-long version of "Love On My Side" featuring Midtown Dickens. This is a nice reminder of what can happen at Lost in the Trees shows. Join us tonight in Durham to see Lost in the Trees, Veelee and Butterflies play Motorco Music Hall. The show will also be the debut of Lost in the Trees' new, custom beer, as well as their new music video for "All Alone In An Empty House". Good times are bound to happen!

Lost in the Trees feature in The Independent

The Independent published a revealing look into the life of Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees this week. The article delves into Ari's childhood and how he's turned his band into his second family. Read the article here and also check out the song-by-song comparison between the first release of All Alone In An Empty House, and 2010's expanded reissue. Also, please join us this Friday as Lost in the Trees plays Durham's finest new venue, Motorco Music Hall, with friends Veelee and labelmates Butterflies. You can buy tickets here.