best for guests. danny (february records)

Danny is the founder of February Records, a label based in Connecticut with a Do-It-Yourself aesthetics and a vast sense of pop, with artists going from acoustic, folk and twee to powerpop and punk pop.
The catalog features artists like Brilliant At Breakfast - an awesome mellow indiepop band from Indonesia, Secret Charisma - from Brad san Martin (member of One Happy Island), Birds of California (with members from Lunchbox) and multiple projects by Tyler Trudeau (The Cavemen Go, Women's Basketball and The Tyler Trudeau Attempt).
Awesome label if you're into obscure bands from all over the world.

site     facebook     twitter     bandcamp


TOP 10 MOST-LISTENED-TO ARTISTS OF 2012

This is not a Best-of-2012 list. I didn't buy or listen to enough new music this year to even begin to put together a best-of list. It seems, that in 2012, I revisited a lot of favorites, discovered a couple new ones, and got nostalgic for my high school days a bit. These artists dominated my playlists in 2012 and at any given time, one of these albums  was in my car, on my turntable or playing on my computer. These are my personal Top-10 Most-Listened-To Artists of 2012:

1. LUNA Lunapark (1992)      Bewitched (1994)      The Best of Luna (2006)

"The Best of Luna" had a permanent place in my car in 2012 and I'm sure my constant playing and singing along to "Bewitched" and "Lunapark" annoyed my neighbors to no end. "California (All The Way)," "Tiger Lily" and "Anesthesia" are some of my favorites on these albums.

2. THE LEMONHEADS The Best of The Lemonheads:  The Atlantic Years (1998)
For me, The Lemonheads have always been one of those go-to bands when I don't really know what I want to listen to. This compilation from Atlantic contains so many of the band's best songs. This album was also in my car for most of 2012.

3. PAUL SIMON GRACELAND (1986)

I love pretty much everything about this album and after scoring it on vinyl from a used record store, I listened to it constantly. "You Can Call Me Al" has been one of my favorite tunes since I first saw the video with Simon and Chevy Chase in the late '80s. "I Know What I Know" and "Crazy Love" are also a couple of album highlights.

4. ALLO DARLIN' Europe (2012)
Here's a band that, in my eyes, can pretty much do no wrong. Their self-titled release was one of my best-of-2010 picks. "Europe" is the perfect follow-up and "Capricornia" might be my favorite song of 2012. It was also great to see Allo Darlin' live again this year. They put on such a great show.

5. CAT STEVENS Harold & Maude (1971)      The Very Best of Cat Stevens (1990)
I've seen the movie "Harold & Maude" many times and love the soundtrack. However, after watching it again this past summer, I sought out more of Stevens' music and had this best-of compilation on repeat for a number of months.


6. EUX AUTRES Hell Is Eux Autres (2004)      Cold City (2007)     Sun Is Sunk (2012)
I pretty much love anything put out by Heather and Nicholas Larimer. They had me hooked with 2004's "Hell Is Eux Autres." 2012's "Sun is Sunk" is a great addition to the band's catalog and had me revisiting a lot of their older stuff. I also really love their 2012 WIAIWYA 7", but that came out so recently, it couldn't really be included on this list.

7. DONOVAN What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid (1965)      Sunshine Superman (1966)
Donovan's "Catch The Wind" is one of my favorite songs and I've always loved "Sunshine Superman." He got a lot of time on the iPod in 2012.

8. THE 6THS Wasp's Nest (1995)
This might be one of my "desert island" albums. I'm a huge fan of the guest vocalists on these tracks, with Dean Wareham on "Falling Out of Love (With You)" and Mitch Easter on "Pillow Fight" up at the top.

9. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND/NICO The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)    Chelsea Girl (1967)
Yes, I realize that one of these is a VU album and one is a Nico solo album. However, this is really all about Nico. I really enjoy the songs she's featured on on "The Velvet Underground & Nico" and that led me to listen to more of her solo work. "These Days" and "The Fairest of The Seasons" are a couple of gems.

10. OASIS (What's The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
I had this album in high school. For some reason, I sold it in a massive purge of a lot of pretty bad '90s alternative I had accumulated. Feeling nostalgic, maybe, I found it again and it has been on repeat a lot over the last few months. This is one of a handful of "high school-era" albums that got a lot of play this year, including Better Than Ezra's "Deluxe" (1995) and Gin Blossoms' "New Miserable Experience" (1992).