In thinking about the end of this year coming up in a month or so, I decided to go through my music collection. I came across the “Dark Was the Night” CD, which features a lot of artists teaming up. These include: Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez, Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues, The Decemberists, Dirty Projectors + David Byrne, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, The National, The New Pornographers, Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), Spoon, Sufjan Stevens, Yeasayer, and Yo La Tengo, to name a few.

One of my favorite tracks from the CD is Yeasayer’s “Tightrope.” It fits in very nicely with the rest of the CD and powerfully exemplifies their strong musical talent. The Brooklyn-based experimental group focuses heavily on their rhythms in this song, which is complimented by breath taking vocals. The compilation was released by 4AD Recordings and is definitely one of the best works produced from 2009.

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Artist: Yeasayer
Song: Tightrope.mp3
Album: Dark Was The Night

Okay, so I’m not much of a follower of the “Twilight” series. That being said the soundtrack to the “New Moon” film, oddly enough, has some appealing tracks. I was both surprised and impressed to find that St. Vincent (Annie Clark) and Bon Iver had collaborated to produce “Roslyn,” a piece that takes their talents to new heights. This is not the only teaming up that St. Vincent has been up to.

Last night, I went to the St. Vincent and Andrew Bird show at The Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. This was my second time seeing Andrew Bird perform, and yet I was still blown away. When he and Annie Clark came out and played together, I felt chills down my spine. Bird supported Clark, as she sang “Marry Me.” Clark provides a rich, unique music style that mixes electric guitar and romance. Her versatility as an artist shows promise for new projects to come.

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Artist: Bon Iver & St. Vincent
Song: Roslyn.mp3
Album: New Moon Soundtrack

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Artist: St. Vincent
Song: Marry Me.mp3
Album: Marry Me