It’s hard to imagine that just a few short months ago we were enjoying sunny summer days. 2011 was my best year yet, having achieved a few milestones: four and a half years running FensePost, riding my bike from Seattle to Portland and logging over 1,000 total on those two wheels between January and December, enjoying life with the love of my life (Andi), and a few defining mindset changes that put the two of us on a path to minimalism and frugality.

This show began like any other, but without the transition difficulties. All was smooth. The music, on the other hand, was not. After a long, satisfying week, I was in need of some loud, abrasive rock music. But it wasn’t all like that. Due to the cold weather, I mixed in some beach pop, fuzzy dream pop and good old garage rock and pop.

I figured with my previous show being devoted to songs that remind me of sleep, this one would be the opposite. After a few bouts of standard indie rock, things got thick and loud.

In 2009, Darlings‘ debut LP, Yeah I Know, cracked my top ten albums of the year. Well the NYC-based garage rock band is back with a new EP, due to drop on Famous Class Records in mid-March. If “Big Girl” is a tell-tale sign of what’s to come, Warma promises to be just as raucous and fun, lo-fi and in-your-face as the previous LP. “Big Girl” on video is a dimly-lit (apparently by flashlight) performance by the band, cast in a pale, near sepia-style yellow.

2009 is a tough year to judge. I’ve checked out more albums this year than any year in the past. Well over 1,000. And there have been quite a few great ones as well. When this list began, it had 110 albums. I abandoned my top 33 and 1/3 for 45, and then said “screw it” and upped the number to an even 50. These are the top notch albums of the year, all worthy of praise.

Not too long ago, Grant (aka. The Gumshoe of The Gumshoe Grove) and I pieced together some questions for Darlings, one of our mutual favorite bands from 2009. Some were a little odd, some funny, some flat out dumb. They were kind enough to provide us with some answers, no matter how ridiculous the question(s). Here is the result, unedited and unfiltered. Enjoy…

The words put to song Cool man. Great girl. seem so simple, but they work oh so well in Darlings‘ chill garage pop youth anthem “Teenage Girl”. Muted colors make the video near black-and-white, a true tribute to the song’s laid-back nature. Footage stems from summer barbecues, and as the wind brings in the first of the winter chills the video extends a welcome hand to those nostalgic memories from just a few months ago.

Garage pop is gaining momentum, so it’s natural that we’re seeing lots of great bands that fit the description. But while most of these bands are injecting a massive quantity of fuzz into their guitars and vocals as well as whatever other instruments they can get their hands on, Darlings keep the gritty garage sounds refreshingly clean on Yeah I Know. Thus the production features stripped-down instrumentation that’s raw; it’s also filled with a pop bounce and enough hooks to get you caught up in its simplicity.