Pitchfork just posted a nice collection of “Best Of” lists from different musicians, including lists from locals Minus the Bear and (at one point local) Big Business, as well as a slough of huge independents like Of Montreal, No Age, Black Dice, Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, Cornelius… it’s a pretty impressive compilation. The overwhelming favorites seem to be MIA, Panda Bear, Animal Collective and Battles, with strong showings from Radiohead and Feist. I was stoked to see Big Business give a shout out to the one new mp3 that Bellingham’s Federation X posted this year, “The Only Fool.” Fed X is one of the best bands to ever come out of that town, though they’ve never garnered the attention they deserve. I was also stoked to see some praise for Portland’s 31knots, even though I didn’t think the album they put out this year was up to par with their other releases. I don’t really like the Mountain Goats’ music, but I like the dude a little better after seeing that he’s into Pig Destroyer. That’s the power of the list.

Really though, I’m glad this article gave me an excuse to talk about Federation X. I’m not sure of the future of the band - its members seem to have dispersed to various locales, but last I heard they were still together (they’ve been on and off for almost a decade). Federation X are one of those unfortunately overlooked Northwest gems. Here’s a video for “Hatchetman” from their 2001 album American Folk Horror: