Oh hey. I guess it’s June now. When did that happen?

New albums from Roky Erickson, The Hold Steady, The National, LCD Soundsystem, Gayngs and Horse Feathers ruled the month, it seems. Otherwise it was a fairly quiet month.

1. Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – “Please, Judge” (True Love Cast Out All Evil)
2. Horse Feathers – “Thistled Spring” (Thistled Spring)
3. The Hold Steady – “We Can Get Together” (Heaven Is Whenever)
4. The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (High Violet)
5. Gayngs – “The Last Prom On Earth” (Relayted)
6. Earth – “The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull” (The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull)
7. Avi Buffalo – “What’s In It For?” (Avi Buffalo)
8. Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social – “Burning the Bowery” (Burning the Bowery)
9. LCD Soundsystem – “Dance Yrself Clean” (This Is Happening)
10. Sufjan Stevens – “Redford (for Yia-Yia and Pappou)” (Michigan)
11. Zomby – “Daft Punk Rave” (Where Were U in ’92?)
12. Iyaz – “Replay” (Replay)
13. Jason DeRulo – “Whatcha Say” (Jason DeRulo)

And, and always, you can listen here:

December was one of those months that seemed to be about three months long. I have no idea why. I drove to and from LA two weekends in a row, trying (and failing) to put a holiday mix CD together, spent Christmas happily alone and tried to control myself from reading too many year-end top 10 album lists.

A lot of this month’s interesting tidbits came from listening to albums on other people’s lists, though, so I can’t really knock them that much. It’s a great way to figure out what I missed over the course of the year. That’s where Benea Reach, Shearwater, Okkervil River and Frightened Rabbit all came from.

Happy new year, everyone!

1. Adam Pasion – “Schoolhouse Virginia” (O Hear the Rattling)
2. Johnny Cash – “It Ain’t Me, Babe” (Greatest Hits, Vol. 1)
3. Akon – “Right Now (Na Na Na)” (Freedom)
4. Akon – “I’m So Paid” (Freedom)
5. Horse Feathers – “Curs in the Weeds” (House With No Home)
6. MGMT – “Electric Feel” (Oracular Spectacular)
7. Caroline – “Winter” (Murmurs)
8. Starflyer 59 – “My Name” (Everybody Makes Mistakes)
9. Justice – “Genesis” (A Cross the Universe)
10. Common – “Universal Mind Control” (Universal Mind Control)
11. Horse Feathers – “Father” (House With No Home)
12. Fleet Foxes – “Oliver James” (Fleet Foxes)
13. Okkervil River – “Calling and Not Calling My Ex” (The Stand Ins)
14. Shearwater – “Home Life” (Rook)
15. Benea Reach – “Awakening” (Alleviat)
16. Neko Case – “Look for Me (I’ll Be Around)” (Blacklisted)
17. Benea Reach – “New Waters” (Alleviat)
18. Stars of the Lid – “Even If You’re Never Awake” (And Their Refinement of the Decline)
19. Kanye West – “Say You Will” (808s & Heartbreak)
20. Kanye West – “Paranoid” (808s & Heartbreak)
21. Frightened Rabbit – “Head Rolls Off” (The Midnight Organ Fight)