Last week I featured Air Waves’ song “Keys” in the third installment of the FensePost Podcast and I made reference to this post. You see, a while back I created a little page called Cover Art and I did it outside of FensePost. Ultimately this site is the one that dominates my time, and I found it more cumbersome than anything else to update two music blogs on a regular basis. So I combined them and began transferring a few of the posts over. I didn’t realize that this one had not yet made the transition, as it’s been a solid six months since the last. Here’s the original post.

Air Waves‘ style of sunny California surf beach pop is fit for the creation of authentic packaging. Their acoustic sounds fit well with the fancy recycled paper, used as a 7″ single-worthy folded slip encasement. Add to that the simplicity of the CD itself, and brilliance ensues. It’s an indication of true creativity and modern indie affluence; to produce outstanding work in multiple formats. Air Waves is a prime example of why I started Cover Art.

That being said, I have two brand new Cover Art posts ready to go live and they will in the coming weeks. These will be the first new posts in at least six months, and I’m excited to revitalize this once dormant category. Hope you enjoy!

Download: “Keys” by Air Waves

It’s been a few months since I threw together a podcast, so I figured it was about time for another one. Besides, I’ve been working diligently on a mix-tape for a new local pal, Brett Sandström, whom I met after purchasing a Tullycraft single on eBay – he being the seller, both of us being astonished to find other Tullycraft fans in Skagit County. What began as a modern tribute to light garage pop ultimately changed direction to hint at songs that fit a sweltering, hot summer day.

This is my crank-up-to-eleven garage tape I’ll play as I attempt to get my (theoretically, as it is not yet mine) ’68 BMW 1600 to start without requiring a jump from my ’07 Versa. With any luck, by the time the next podcast is published, that car will be in my garage.

Here’s the kicker. Twenty songs became thirty, and thirty became thirty-five. I had to split it in two, which meant additional reorganizing and refining. So this is Summer Heat Part 1 and I packed it with songs that overflow with pop efficacy, yet whose upbeat nature has a hazy lazy lag to it perfectly attributable to hundred-degree weather, ninety-eight percent humidity, and continual, sticky sweat underneath layers of high SPF and asphalt so hot it requires footwear.

Download: FensePost Podcast Volume 1 Issue 3: Summer Heat Part 1

1. “Dream Talkin’” by Family Trees off the Dream Talkin’ single
2. “We Can Do What We Want To” by The Blank Tapes off Home Away From Home
3. “Fulton Girls” by Summer Cats off Songs For Tuesdays
4. “Kiola Beach” by Hot Spa
5. “Keys” by Air Waves off EP
6. “Madagascar” by Lake off Let’s Build A Roof
7. “Beach Comber” by Real Estate off Real Estate
8. “Daydream” by Beach Fossils off Daydream
9. “Pancake City” by Campfires off Burning Rivers, TV Flickers, Drifting Off To Bed
10. “Pick Up” by Woods off At Echo Lake
11. “Whiplash” by Sunglasses off Sunglasses EP
12. “Despicable Dogs” by Small Black off Small Black EP
13. “Our Younger Noise” by Letting Up Despite Great Faults off Letting Up Despite Great Faults
14. “The Jazz Singer” by No Kids off Judy At The Grove
15. “She Was High” by The Hugs off Again & Again
16. “Bad Blood” by Salmon Thrasher
17. “Tila And I” by Harlem off Hippies
18. “Glorylight & Christie” by Cotton Jones off Tall Hours In The Glowstream
19. “Remember Last Time” by Avi Buffalo off Avi Buffalo
20. “Narcissus” by Solander off Narcissus

You could snuggle with “Sweetness”; it’s just that warm and fuzzy. No wonder Dan Deacon told Pitchfork “The music she writes is like a favorite blanket wrapped around you” about Air Waves‘ lead singer Nicole Schneitt. Like everything off last year’s Air Waves EP, “Sweetness” is packed with sunny California guitar pop perfect for the beach. Rapid percussion and an equally quick guitar strum featuring pretty much just two chords, and the song is practically complete. Add simple lyrics that are filled with lovable hooks, and you’d be a fool to not like this band. They embody the term sweetness.

Air Waves: Sweetness [mp3]

While we’re on the topic of Air Waves, check out the band’s Spring tour lineup…

Mar 14 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone w/ Washed Out, Small Black, Picture Plane
Mar 16 SXSW @ Day Before The Mess Fest w/ Beach Fossils, Beets, Harlem
Mar 17 SXSW @ Ghost Room w/Awesome Color, Light Pollution, Vivian Girls
Mar 18 SXSW @ Weekly Tape Deck Show w/ Eternal Summers, Coasting +++
Mar 19 SXSW @ Broken Neck – Pop Jew SXSW Party
Mar 19 SXSW @ The Long Branch – Gorilla Vs Bear / Up
Mar 22 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico @ MtyMx
Mar 24 St. Louis, MI @ Firebird w/ Past Lives
Mar 25 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge w/ Past Lives
Mar 26 Milwaukee, WI @ Bayview Legion Hall w/Past Lives
Mar 27 Grand Rapids, MI @ Daac w/ Past Lives
Mar 28 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick w/ Past Lives
Mar 29 Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class w/ Past Lives, City Center
Mar 30 Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar w/ Past Lives

Not surprisingly, this list is filled with EPs by quite a few bands you know and quite a few you probably don’t. Of the ones you don’t know, many are likely from Washington; a quick count leaves me with five bands, or 1/4 of this list. Many of these bands I consider among the most promising artists to surface in 2009. All are worth checking out, and you’ll want to keep an eye on them as we head into 2010.

I titled the above image of my cousin Danny “Over It: 2009″, which is a pretty good summation of the year. It’s been a rough one all around thanks to a shoddy economy, a poor real estate market, and rampant unemployment. But looking back, 2009 was jam-packed with great tunes. And I bought a house, which has been pretty sweet. So, when it comes down to it, 2009 wasn’t half bad.

Here it is, my top 20 EPs of 2009.

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20. The Age Of Anxiety by Virgin Islands

The newest of the EPs on this list is The Age Of Anxiety by Virgin Islands. Following the path of Mike Jaworski’s prior group The Cops, this Seattle band is one to keep an eye on in 2010. They are sure to quickly become a local favorite. Also, this release is a limited print one on 12-inches of vinyl, so snatch it up before it’s too late!

Virgin Islands: The Age Of Anxiety [mp3]

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19. Eering, Creaky EP by The Smile Brigade

With Eering, Creaky EP, Seattle’s The Smile Brigade began to redefine their folk-y sound with pop sensibilities and clever lyrical twists. As they have yet to give us a full LP, The Smile Brigade remains a powerful underground force waiting to be heard beyond the borders of the Pacific Northwest.

The Smile Brigade: Smile And Smile [mp3]

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18. Cathedral With No Eyes EP by Railcars

In the vein of Jamie Stewart’s Xiu Xiu, San Francisco’s Railcars is experimental noise pop at its most eccentric and ferocious. Cathedral With No Eyes is the band’s second EP and it finds them solidifying their now signature freak-out noise-pop sound.

Railcars: Castles [mp3]

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17. Blood Bank EP by Bon Iver

Bon Iver continues Justin Vernon’s pleasantly falsetto folk-pop. A brief four songs, Blood Bank (in my opinion) surpasses For Emma, Forever Ago as the group’s strongest work yet. This EP is a must-have for any collection.

Bon Iver: Blood Bank [mp3]

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16. Early Morning Risers EP by Dinosaur Feathers

Unique harmonies often in falsetto with a front-man that sounds like an early Rivers Cuomo and backed by an electro-freak-folk sound not entirely unlike a mellow Animal Collective, Dinosaur Feathers are easily one of today’s most promising new acts.

Dinosaur Feathers: Cold Arabella [mp3]

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15. Tiny Dots by Yarn Owl

Yarn Owl continues to impress with Tiny Dots, featuring an early favorite “Yarn Blues” and introducing some new ones like “This Old Yarn” and “Without You”. 2010 promises more great things from this Pullman-based band; an EP dubbed Stay Warm. If you missed it, we featured an exclusive track from that forthcoming EP and it’s pretty damn good. To demonstrate this band’s greatness, this cassette release of (I believe) 300 recently sold out.

Yarn Owl: Yarn Blues [mp3]

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14. Higher Than The Stars EP by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart released one of my favorite albums of the year, so it only makes sense that their follow-up EP also be worthy of high praise. “Higher Than The Stars” lacked some of the fuzzy greatness of their self-titled LP, but that title track is just as sweet and sensual as “Young Adult Friction” or “Come Saturday”.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Higher Than The Stars [mp3]

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13. Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP by Deerhunter

As usual, Deerhunter delivers. Five songs of immense impacting delight. This album picks up where Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. left off, or joins in just before it starts (I cannot decide which is more appropriate). Noise is the new pop and noise pop, for Deerhunter, reigns supreme.

Deerhunter: Rainwater Cassette Exchange [mp3]

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12. Exquisite Corpse EP by Warpaint

These three ladies know how to create a good tune. “Stars” is my favorite shoegaze-y track from 2009, and “Billie Holiday” is close behind. The video for “Stars” is one of my favorites of the year and, with sole exception to “Beetles”, this EP is flawless. Anticipate great things in 2010 from Warpaint.

Warpaint: Elephants [mp3]

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11. Phantogram EP by Phantogram

Phantogram’s debut EP hits all the right notes. After being discovered this year, the group was signed to Barsuk. Keep an eye out for Phantogram’s debut EP, Eyelid Movies early next year. Think Ratatat (they hail from the same small New York town) with lyrics.

Phantogram: When I’m Small [mp3]

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10. OKAY by Venice Is Sinking

This extended single includes the two of the most appreciated tracks off Venice Is Sinking’s AZAR. “OKAY” is one of my favorite tracks of 2009, and they revisit it and “Ryan’s Song” in the Henslee Sessions. Along with the album version of the title track, the band rounds out the EP with “Compass” and “Give Up”, both covers of the band OKAY.

Venice Is Sinking: Okay [mp3]

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9. Dear Furies by Virgin Of The Birds

It had been a few years since Virgin Of The Birds gave us Mixed Choir, but 2009 saw them putting out two EPs. Both are outstanding, but Dear Furies took the cake for me. Jon Rooney’s tracks “Spanish Accusations”, “Baby Let Me Trace You” and “Magic & Sincere” were what did it, though Every Rival has some great tunes as well (“I Loved John” and “Ilona, You Should Still Be My Vampire Attendant”).

Virgin Of The Birds: Spanish Accusations [mp3]

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8. Fall Be Kind EP by Animal Collective

Fall Be Kind finds Animal Collective again becoming more accessible to a wider audience. Without the dissonance and grating shrieks of their early work, Animal Collective has tamed and matured, but still carries a ferocious bite.

Animal Collective: What Would I Want? Sky [Stream]

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7. Life Of Leisure EP by Washed Out

A single session of songs as a band, and that may just be all we get from Washed Out due to settling down. The primary man behind this quite mesmerizing group set out to make music a bit different from what he had before, and the result was one of the year’s best EPs.

Washed Out: Feel It All Around [mp3]

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6. Survival Strategies In A Modern World EP by Liechtenstein

There was a void in music after the demise of the short-lived Vancouver, BC group The Organ; that being a Smiths/Morrissey influenced indie pop girl group. Liechtenstein fills that gap (kinda) and includes lead vocals as deep as those of Katie Sketch. Liechtenstein’s music isn’t nearly as pointed as that by The Organ, but it’s just as good (if not better).

Liechtenstein: Roses In The Park [mp3]

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5. EP by Air Waves

They may be from New York, but Air Waves has that sunny California sound. Their acoustic pop made waves (heh) this year and it’s easy to hear why – these songs are pure and fun and easy to love. “Keys” is a quick favorite, but given time you’ll find a special place in your heart for every song on this EP.

Air Waves: Keys [mp3]

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4. Hollow Home EP by Bagheera

Listening to Hollow Home, I’m reminded of Grizzly Bear. But where it took Grizzly Bear three albums to really make an impact on me (outside a track here and there), Bagheera does it with a single four-song EP. This is an absolute must-hear.

Bagheera: Skeleton Leaf [mp3]

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3. Unfaithful by Charles Leo Gebhardt IV

Like me, this dude sports a big red mustache. Charles Leo Gebhardt IV is, along with The Banyans, Seattle’s best underground artist. Unfaithful proves it with powerful tracks like “Look Out, Look In”, the title track, and “Lake Serene”. Hopefully 2010 will see Gebhardt giving us his debut LP, because I for one cannot wait to hear more.

Charles Leo Gebhardt IV: Unfaithful [mp3]

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2. Heatwave EP by Total Babe

What a great new band! Total Babe gets my vote as one of the most promising bands of the year. These kids are young and filled with promise. For their seemingly super young age, their musical abilities and lyrical crafts are par none. Every song on this EP gets an A+++.

Total Babe: Bearbones [mp3]

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1. We Swim You Jump EP by We Swim You Jump

This is an easy pick for EP of the year – We Swim You Jump has dominated my playlist since I discovered the band many months ago. There’s not much more to say about this band that I haven’t already. I’ll reiterate: perfect pitches, passionate harmonies, and some of the most mellow yet moving pop you’ll hear from 2009.

We Swim You Jump: Sharks [mp3]

With “Keys”, Air Waves proves that you don’t need to be technical geniuses to write a great song. “Keys” is quite simplistic, natural pop reminiscent of California beaches and sunny summer afternoons. Oddly enough, this band hails from New York. Basic guitar melodies, unembellished vocals; it’s all pure and easy. But it’s also damn catchy. Tropical to a point, the song is adorned with traces of acoustic power pop. “Keys” is unabashed pop greatness. In a way, it reminds me a bit of early stuff by Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Air Waves recently self-released their debut 5-song EP, available now from the Air Waves MySpace page.

Air Waves: Keys [mp3]