I’ve often read that The Arcade Fire are influenced by Brian Wilson, but I gotta be honest: I don’t see it.

In January, Kanine records will release the first candidate for the best album of 2010. Yes, it’s not even January and we’re there already–24 hours early. “Swim,” the single off of Surfer Blood’s Astrocoast has already burned up the internet with it’s echoey shouted cry, “Swim to reach the end!” and it’s infuriatingly catchy hooks, and the rest of the album is just as strong. No, stronger.

If stoner surfer music were well-crafted and cognizant, but still had the fuzzy crawl, this is what it would sound like. But Surfer Blood’s sound is far more than that. It’s smart, emotional, moving, and crisp. It sounds like nothing you’ve heard before, but achieves that sound by assembling a lot of stuff from everywhere else. There are shades of Arcade Fire pop in songs like “Catholic Pagans” and, especially, “Harmonix,” but there’s also witty lyrical twists that sound simultaneously familiar and fresh (“When I met you/I broke the mold” . . . “If you’re moving out to the West/You better learn how to surf”), and, above all, there’s guitar. The guitar is the anchor holding the listener through the album, and John Paul Pitts’ terrific vocal quality is the breeze that blows across your face. So many of these songs could be singles, and yet the collection hangs together as an album. That in and of itself is a rare feat.

I can’t say enough good things about this record, truly. If Arcade Fire had the most important album of the 00s decade, this is the logical progression into the 10s.  Check it out.

Harmonix (mediafire)

BONUS SONGS FOR YOUR NEW YEAR’S EVE

Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)-Arcade Fire (mediafire) [AF was the most important band of the 00s]

Something In The Way (Nirvana Cover)-Port O-Brien (mediafire) [Nirvana was the most important band of the 90s]

Rosa Parks (Jay-Z mix)-OutKast and Jay-Z (mediafire) [The two most important rappers of the 90s/00s]

Dunno much about Marv Won, other than what’s on his myspace page.  He’s a Detroit rapper with impressive skills. He mixes positivity with gangsta verses, switches up styles, and gets guest shots and production by some impressive underground folks (listed below).  I really liked this tape a lot.  Check it out.  It’s not really a mixtape–there’s no annoying DJ, no sudden drop outs . . . It’s a collection of 11 complete songs.

1. Rite Back produced by Vaughn T of the Labtechs
2. What Up produced by Mr. Porter
3. Thin Ice produced by Mr. Porter
4. Need To Know featuring Bilal produced by Mr. Porter
5. Happy Birthday produced by Quelle
6. Mill Ticket produced by Brenk
7. Get Back produced by Lord Quest
8. Alex Foley featuring Danny Brown & Chips Dinero produced by House Shoes
9. The Chase produced by D Fresh
10. The Way It Goes produced by 14KT
11. Talk About produced by Black Milk

Sendspace link

Get Right has posted its version of the top 10 mixtapes of 2009, and you can cop them all here.  They include next-big-things like Chester French (with appearances by Talib Kweli, Bun-B and others), already-relatively-big-things like B.O.B., and representing major labels, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Wayne, and Wale.

Thought I’d give it a mention to y’all.

Also in mixtape news . . .

Cookin’ Soul’s take on the best of Hova and Game, arguably the best MCs of the East and West coasts, respectively.  Get it here.

Skyzoo’s new mixtape, which you’ll find here, features Wale and production by Dilla, 9th Wonder, and Jake One, among others.

Mick Boogie and Terry Urban remix the best of De La Soul here.

And last but certainly not least, new Charles Hamilton here.

I actually really like this picture.  I’d hang it in my living room.  But it would disturb the children.

Shame on The Spinto Band.  They never made me aware of their Slim and Slender EP (a 2009 release).  And even after I gave them an honorable mention in my survey of the greatest indie records of the decade.  They surely would have made my list of the best EPs of the year.  No doubt.  It starts with a great cover of “Brazil,” and then three joyous, poppy originals follow.

Go buy it now.  Seriously.  It’s excellent.

Jackhammer

BONUS SPINTO COVER

Mr Blue Sky (original by ELO)

This will be the last news feature of the year.  If you want to see more of these in 2010, please drop a comment!

1. DEADPOOL.  The potty-mouthed lunatic assassin gets lots of mentions on this page, but deservedly so.  Unlike Spider-Man in the late 1970s, or Wolverine now, Deadpool’s appearances in 4+ books per month haven’t watered the character down.  In fact, the second of his three monthly series, Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth, is coming close to surpassing his original book in terms of quality, suspense, and balls-out action.  And that’s not an easy task.  In the most recent vanilla Deadpool, which capped off a story arc with the X-Men, Deadpool exposed some of the hypocrisy of the X-Men’s “mission” to serve mutantkind and wholly and believably outsmarted Cyclops, Marvel Comics’ greatest tactician.  He blindsided Summers so completely that even I, as the reader, didn’t see it coming.  Merc With A Mouth started out a bit slowly, but it’s turned into an hysterical read—what with Deadpool learning that he, himself, is a biological weapon sought by Hydra.  Or, at least his severed zombie head from another dimension.  If you’re not reading it, I can’t explain it, but this month’s issue (#6) concludes the first story arc, which means it should be out in a bound volume soon.  Get it.  Seriously.  Because it not only has zombies and a hot scientist chick, but it’s also got AIM versus Hydra, and Man-Thing.  Oh, and every cover is a take on a classic horror film.  Nice!

2. BEST OF THE DECADE. Comics Alliance posted the worst comics of the decade. Some are spot on, but Dark Knight Strikes Again and Identity Crisis? That’s a little harsh, dudes.

3.  X-MEN ORIGINS: FIRST CLASS. Okay, I couldn’t be more excited about this: Bryan Singer is signed with Fox to direct the next X-movie, and it will be a tale of the real original X-Men—not the version from the first (fantastic) X-Men movie (that Singer also directed)—and how Xavier and Magneto developed their frenemy relationship.  Singer’s super-credentials are strong, with both X1 and X2 to his credit (but Superman Returns to his debit), and God knows there need to be way more X-movies being made.

4.  MARVIN THE MARTIAN. Not to be confused with Marvin the Paranoid Android, Looney Tunes’ favorite disintegrator-ray wielding, broom-hatted, is getting his own feature film.  Okay, this could suck or it could be cool as hell.  It’ll be a Christmas movie, so . . . It will probably suck.

5.  AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. If you’re not reading it, now’s a good time to pick it up.  The new story arc, “The Gauntlet,” is reintroducing all of the classic (sinister six) baddies revamped and renovated for a post-Brand New Day era.  You don’t need to know a whole lot about how Spidey got where he is to appreciate and follow the story.  The last three issues focused on Electro (via The Mad Thinking), and #615 is the new Sandman story.  It’s not a great comic, but it’s generally reliable.  And Mysterio and The Vulture should be coming soon.

6.  FRACTION ON THOR. Marvel has announced a Free Comic Book Day special starring Iron Man and Thor (who both have movies coming out in 2010—what a coincidence!) and will be written and drawn by—get this—Matt Fraction and John Romita, Jr.  I dunno if they’ve ever worked together before, but wow.  One of Marvel’s best new writers and Marvel’s greatest living artist, together.  Plus, after that Fraction will take over writing duties on the Thor book.  I’m just now beginning to read the JMS reboot of Thor in trade paperback, and I have to say it has completely blown me away.  Fraction coming on board can only be an asset—especially given as how he’s taken Invincible Iron Man to places that book hasn’t been since the David Michelinie/Bob Layton/alcoholic days.