Deborah's Picks - Reviewed by Deborah Singer

Unlike our editor, Deborah Singer has been writing about rock-n-roll for only three years, but she knows what she likes and wants people to know! She writes for HearSay and DJs for WTBU in Boston, MA. Her very first concert was Raffi, which got her hooked on concerts at an early age. Her most recent show was Dan Auerbach, which she described as awesome!

Local Natives- Gorilla Manor

These guys fit right in with the current indie music scene, mixing beautiful harmonies with a carefree vibe. Their single, Sun Hands, is absolutely amazing. They even attempt to cover the Talking Head’s song, Warning Sign, and it’s pretty good.

Soundtrack - Pirate Radio

This movie didn’t get great reviews, but I thought it was pretty good. How can you go wrong with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans, and Kenneth Branagh? Thro w in some seriously good music to that mix, and you’ve got some great entertainment. 

Nana Grizol- Ruth

The second album from this super group. With members from Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power and a few other great acoustic punk bands, they manage to create an amazingly authentic sound with some great lyrics.

Frightened Rabbit- The Midnight Organ Fight

I feel bad saying that this band doesn’t do anything special with their music, but truthfully, they really don’t; there is nothing extremely different about them. Putting all of that aside though, they are a seriously talented band that I am completely obsessed with right now.

Zombieland

This may have been one of the funniest movies released last year. Unfortunately, everyone was still hung up on The Hangover when this was released, so it didn’t receive much recognition.

Los Campesinos!- Romance Is Boring

I’ve never particularly been a fan of Los Campesinos, but their latest release is actually really good. I have no idea what they changed, or if they even changed, but they are sounding better than ever. They are noisy, occasionally sloppy, and all around awesome on this album.

Spoon- Transference

Spoon has approached this album with a slightly rougher sound than their past few albums, but there is still a bit of a pop lurking around in some of the songs. There are some great tracks on this album, including “Got Nuffin,” “I Saw The Light,” and “Written In Reverse.”

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the young

If anyone is jonesing for a fix of The Strokes, a good alternative is the lead singer’s solo album, which was released last year in October.

Charlotte Gainsbourg- IRM

The most recent release from this very talented actress/musician. She paired up with Beck to make this album, and the sound is absolutely awesome.

Beach House- Teen Dream

Completely wonderful music. Perfect to daydream to.

Emmy The Great- First Love

An acoustic artist from England who is very similar to Laura Marling. She is very talented, and her lyrics are wonderful.

Fool’s Gold- Fool’s Gold

If Vampire Weekend were from South Africa, their music would sound like this.