1. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

2. Beach House – Teen Dream

3. The Walkmen – Lisbon

4. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

5. Women – Public Strain

6. Wolf Parade – Expo 86

7. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

8. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma

9. Lost in the Trees – All Alone in an Empty House

10. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz

11. The National – High Violet

12. Sleigh Bells – Treats

13. Tallest Man on Earth – Wild Hunt

14. Avey Tare – Down There

15. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening

16. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

17. Black Keys – Brothers

18. Woods – On Echo Lake

19. No Age – Everything in Between

20. Cotton Jones – Tall Hours in the Glowstream

Think Kanye’s album should be here? Or that LCD Soundsystem shouldn’t be? Shoot your mouth off in the comment section, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

(From L-R) Interviewer Max Johnson, Tim Kasher, interviewer Kendall McCabe

Tim Kasher might be best known as the front man of Cursive, the band that safely guided many of us through our teenage angst. A product of the iconic Omaha, Nebraska music scene, Tim also played in the bands The Good Life, Slowdown Virginia, and Commander Venus. He has contributed to musical projects with the likes of Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes), Todd Fink and Matt Bowen (of The Faint), Joe Knapp (of Son, Ambulance), and many others in the revolving cast of characters that makes up Saddle Creek Records.

Today, Tim’s hair is just starting to gray and the lines in his face are set a little more deeply than they once were. Kasher is looking older and wiser- and this maturity is reflected in his debut solo album, The Game of Monogamy, which was released on October 5th, 2010.

On The Game of Monogamy, he explores marriage, fidelity, and aging in a way that may be jarring to those who best remember him for the semi-melodramatic, cello-heavy teen anthems he concocted with Cursive. But, given the chance, The Game of Monogamy showcases Kasher in his current state, which is at his sonically cinematic, lyrically unmatched best.

KRUI Exclusive Audio – Tim Kasher In-Studio

Photos by Drew Ingersoll

At 5:30 p.m. on December 10, S. Carey took to the basement stage of Public Space One before a crowd of about thirty people. The world above ground continued on as usual. The heels of mothers and fathers clacked quickly on the sidewalk as they hurried home to their children, finals-weary undergraduates shuffled up to the counters and bought yet another cup of coffee.

But, for a half an hour, those of us below ground heard the jovial plucking of a stand-up bass mix with the tragic cries of Michael Noyce’s viola. There were gentle finger-picked guitar melodies, swelling harmonies, and simple lyrics, the product of long hours spent recording and rehearsing.

Sean Carey, who has a degree in classical percussion from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, could be described as ‘obsessive’ when it comes to the music he makes. He was hired to play drums in Bon Iver on the spot after teaching himself parts from For Emma, Forever Ago and thoroughly impressing Justin Vernon. Throughout his time spent with Bon Iver, he would record his own basic ideas and, on rare days off and at home, he would expand upon them – layer by layer. The final product was the dense, but elaborate folk/ambient LP All We Grow.

S. Carey’s debut album, All We Grow, was released on August 24, 2010 by Jagjaguwar.

KRUI Exclusive Audio:

“Leave” by S. Carey, performed live at PS1

Number one is the “What a Load of Craft 7” fair. Being held in Building C of the Johnson County Fairgrounds, it boasts dozens of craft vendors, a series of “CRAFT DEATHMATCHES” (for both kids and adults), and live performances courtesy of some of the finest local musicians, including Skye Carrasco, Samuel Locke Ward, and the invincible William Elliott Whitmore.

Number two, for those of you in Fairfield, IA, a fundraiser at the always-rocking Beauty Shop in order to “make everything way more legit.” The illustrious punk-electro-dance band Utopia Park will be debuting two new songs and hip-hop savant Lane Weaver will be unveiling his new song “BYLCL SMKFRSH”, so it should be a great night of dancing and bravery.

Here’s a taste of Utopia Park, via a video they just made:

KRUI and Gabe’s are happy to announce that the genius electronic musician and composer, Dan Deacon, will be headlining the KRUI Logo and Website Launch Party on Saturday, February 12th.

In no uncertain terms, Dan Deacon is absolutely the perfect choice to celebrate all the work put into the station this year. Whether it’s on his consistently “Best New Music’d” albums or in his famed high-energy, high-audience-involvement live show (in which he plants himself right in the middle of the crowd), Deacon delivers song after song with infectious energy and blissful sweaty power. This show simply cannot be missed.

For the first time in nearly a decade KRUI is introducing a new logo and website so we can provide Iowa City with more of the alternative content we’ve been providing for over 25 years. This show is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and passion for a radio station we all love so much. It will be a righteous party.

The concert will be at Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington Street. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 10th at 10am and can be purchased from the IMU Box Office and at www.midwestix.com.  Check out www.iowacitygabes.com for more information.

The new KRUI logo and website, www.krui.fm, will launch Sunday night at midnight.

(From L-R, KRUI staffer Max Johnson, Jenny Owen Youngs, interviewer & KRUI staffer Megan Logan) Photo by Megan Logan

Monday, November 6, 2010 :: 3:00 PM – Jenny Owen Youngs MYSPACE

Songs + Interview with Megan Logan

Sub Pop Records

Thursday, November 15 : 8 PM

Tickets $18

Monday, November 8, 2010 :: 4:30 PM – Kate Nash MYSPACE

Songs + Interview with Little Village

Photo by Kendall McCabe

Mumford’s is “the second coming of the apocalypse,” as interviewer Max Johnson put it. Based out of Ames, Iowa, the group is a funk/punk/folk/rock amalgam that specializes in songs that tell stories.

The band talked about the Iowa music scene, their own Ames Progressive project, touring with Sweat Power‘s own Utopia Park this past summer, and their new split with Samuel Locke Ward & The Boo-Hoos.

Land of Talk is a three piece band from Montréal, formed in 2006. The band is fronted by powerhouse vocalist/guitarist Elizabeth Powell, who, according to the band’s website, is the daughter of North America’s first ever female alligator wrestler. Over the years, the band has put out a handful of EPs in addition to their debut release, Some Are Lakes, in 2008. On August 24, 2010, they released their sophomore LP, Cloak and Cipher, which was met with many positive reviews and has consistently been charting well here at KRUI.

Land of Talk // Saddle Creek Records

Track: “Quarry Hymns”

Quick Links on Land of Talk:

-La Blogothèque Take Away Show

-Pitchfork Review of Land of Talk’s Cloak and Cipher