gabedouglas

The year has ended; here is my top 10.
Great albums by Black Keys “Brothers”, Megafaun “Heretofore”, Delta Spirit “History from Below”, Gaslight Anthem “American Slang”, Neil Young “Le Noise”, and John Legend & the Roots “Wake Up!” didn’t make the list. but all deserve mentions.

Toro y Moi had my favorite Daytrotter session of 2010. (What is daytrotter? GO HERE NOW: www.daytrotter.com )
Their studio stuff I did not like at all.
Other notes: I enjoyed Janelle Monae, but her CD didn’t stick with me for more than a few weeks. I didn’t like either of Sufjan’s albums this year. I gave both multiple listens ( still do ) and will probably ‘ get it ‘ at some point, but for now, they are completely un-recommendable by me. Sia & Kings of Leon continue their descent into bands that I want to shape into my own form and both completely run from these forms with adamant strides into where they want to go. ( Sia into a dance-pop Ke$ha type thing and KoL into the next U2. I’d much rather have Sia serenade me with a Rhodes as her only accompaniment and KoL as a southern rock band with tinges of New York hard-edges & witty lyrics that I can relate to. )

10 ) Adam Svec - “Rarefaction” - From the band the Glad Version. His songs stand-up. His lyrics are awesome. His melodies are swooning. I put him in the same category as James Diers ( Halloween, Alaska, Love-Cars ) & Neal Perbix ( Cowboy Curtis, Wishbook) as people who constantly put out lyrics that seem profound to me, and then they deliver them in melodies and counter-melodies that make me LEARN about songwriting and what I so much ENJOY about it.

9 ) Band of Horses - “Infinite Arms” - First album I actually listened to and liked after first listen from them. I had them in the moe., Government Mule, Widespread Panic, & My Morning Jacket category of, I-get-what-you’re-doing-but-I-won’t-spin-your-CD-or-go-out-of-my-way-to-see-you. However this has changed with this album. Great layering and peaks/valleys. Lyrics were relatable, but also painted full stories.

8 ) Tallest Man on Earth - “The Wild Hunt” - Really enjoyed his first releases. This one grew with time. “King of Spain” is probably one of my favorite songs from 2010. I almost wanted him to go ‘full-band’ ( ie - bass/some percussion ) but don’t think he needs to at this time. Still writing great songs, with innovative analogies & subject matter.

7 ) Gold Panda - “Lucky Shiner” - electronic music. this is great driving music. heavy on synth & samples, but done in a melodic way. too much electronic music is too disjunct for me. this is right on my threshold and leaning towards pop.

6 ) Jonsi - “Go” - His live show put this album on the list. BEST SHOW OF 2010. Blew me away. Almost literally. The album is a bit more accessible than Sigur Ros albums, but is essentially the next step in his ( & in my eyes, the band’s ) growth. The English on the album STILL freaks me out sometimes.

5 ) Kanye West - “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” I am not going to comment on Kanye as a person, you can buy me a few beers and have a discussion on that. This album is great cover to cover, except for the initial intro which I have grown tired of & any trace of Nicki Minaj, who at first I found added some edge, but now I think just added fluff to the album. Great slow jams, some hard hitters, this is a complete hip hop album of the 21st century.

4 ) S. Carey - “All We Grow” - LISTEN FIRST WITH HEADPHONES. This album is a sonic landscape on par with any of the great Sigur Ros, Album Leaf, Air, & Thievery Corporation records. I want to classify this is as downtempo, but some of the peaks they hit rise it more into a indie-rock album, where other songs are minimalist enough to be put on a singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch type kick. Regardless, this album is crafted cover-to-cover with stimulation for your ears. A majestic creation that even know, keeps me waiting, then delivers on songs, like the closer “Broken.” The last pause, than vocal chorus. AMAZING.

3) Conrad Plymouth - “Conrad Plymouth” - Christopher Porterfield crafted the best alt-country album I have heard that has been created this side of the 21st century. He paints intricate stories and then boards the train with some thoughtful repetitive lines, until you are muttering along with him, then singing along with him, then screaming along with him in your car, at your desk, in your house, at his show. Ryan Adams & Jeff Tweedy probably listen to this during smoke breaks while they record.

2 ) Bonobo - “Black Sands” - First, I hadn’t liked ANY Bonobo song last.fm ever gave me when I listen to downtempo stations. This album was onsale, I knew that band was good enough, and the album artwork is SPECTACULAR. This album flows from first to last like a lush rain forest of electronica, trip-hop, & downtempo with minimal vocals. Just great soundscapes abound, and the peaks/valleys give it just a great push.

1 ) the Roots - “How I Got Over” - Can’t express how much this album grew with me this year. First listen left me disappointed. I wanted an orchestrated, full-bodied, heavily-layered almost-R&B record that POUNDED the beats. That is not the Roots. They are the best live hip-hop band out there ( only competition is Heiruspecs! go local men! play more please. ) The title track “How I Got Over” & “The Fire” are executed flawlessly. The interludes actually BRING the other tracks together instead of just crappy studio banter or some sort of skit, that is now prominent on other rap/hip hop records. And they songs stay coherent from start to finish ( I’m looking at you Mos Def & Talib Kweli for never finishing an idea after 20 seconds ) Very-well-produced, stream-lined, packing-just-enough-punches hip hop album.

The Molly Trixie will be riding to both festivals again this year!
If you or anyone you know is going, we provide transportation ( just split the gas with us.)

Bonnaroo - www.bonnaroo.com
Always the highlight to the summer. I’ve never been excited about headliners in the past 3 years, but that is quite alright with me, as the other artists more than make up for it, including this year. (Although I am excited to the Boss. And Trey put on an amazing show the last time I saw him, but I’m definitely not a phishhead. But schools of glowstick fish?? That is always an experience.)

10KLF - www.10klf.com
They put their money where their mouth is this year. Big name acts. (Although as usual I am looking forward to a handful, including Cloud Cult, Wilco, and William Elliott Whitmore) This is usually my vacation festival. I can go and see music, lounge, and be social or sit under a tree with a guitar up in the woods.

Always an amazing time.
We usually split food and spirits as well. There is ample room for sleeping in the Molly Trixie, but feel free to bring a tent if you want.

So my amazingly hot and witty wife hasn’t shown up yet.

I’ve got a ticket to Sigur Ros on Thursday.
Want to buy it?
Send me an e-mail and reasons why you should be a part of this magnificent night.

I saw them at Bonnaroo this summer and this became the MUST-SEE show of the fall.

RATM is playing in my backyard. Daft Punk is not playing in my house. One of the most.. err.. the most intense band to be seen in my lifetime is (supposedly) playing at the State Capitol in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention. I have friends in town who are staying with me from Duluth. Both are rather spontaneous events. And I am randomly doing my one closing shift of the month.

I knew Rage had been trying to play St. Paul anywhere during the RNC, but finally decided to play the Target Center (tomorrow) in lieu of St. Paul completely black-listing them. But about 4-5 hours ago tweets (twitter.com) and txts started coming that they were jumping on the Ripple Effect Festival bill with Anti-Flag.
My friend Faye told me to go to it before all this happened.

UGH.

Ridiculous.
I hope RATM performs acoustically.
I will not forgive myself for missing out on a giant piece of my own personal history for having to work.
As time passes I realize I need a completely fluid schedule and am usually okay with it.
But today I am restless and antsy and feel exactly the way Zach del la Rocha thinks the American public is: trapped.

I had seen a bit of there set in Austin @ SXSW in March. Rumor has it that the guitar tech played guitar there, but I am unsure about all of that. I do know that they were playing outside in the afternoon and weren’t anything I would write home about.
They have a lot of aspects I like. The rhythm of most songs consists of heavy drums’n'bass (think Secret Machines) and the quasi-nasal voice reminds me of a favorite lyricist (the Weakerthans), but it never really comes together for me in their short songs. The lighting they brought in was good in some parts, but mostly completely epileptic-inducing. I’m all about LED lights, but you you can’t use the brightest white setting and chase scenes under a second for more than a few songs.
I’m curious to see what they do next, but I am still not a devotee.

The Ready Goes started off the night. I was excited for this show because it involves 3 great bands that are all dancey, but all in their own way.
The Ready Goes are local and always put a great almost brit-dance show. Soaring vocals and bumping bass, a la Killers, Franz Ferdinand, but with their own twist of character.
Always a pleasure.

Ra Ra Riot played an invigorating set. They are from New York and you can tell just by looking at them. All the guys had those tight New York indie-trend jeans, the Chuck T’s (or Vans-type slip-ons alternatives). The girls (two of them) played those Bjork-esque electric strings (one on violin, one on cello). I usually hate these things, but they not only let me enjoy them, but the cello player could throw that thing around and she was about the same height as it, so it worked out quite well. The bassist had a mini-mullet and a yellow bass.
They play very tight for a 6 piece and the strings always end the songs so eloquently. Their sound could be compared to the Collectives movement (see Animal Collective, Broken Social Scene, the Aracade Fire, Bright Eyes), but they are much more cheery and more dancey. Very chaotic sound, in the fact that everyone is usually playing different melody lines, but it all works as a cohesive unit instead of just 6 people trying to sort out the other’s parts, it is always layered great and they just stun me with the way the guitar, cello, violin, bass, and drums work together so well. Lots of driving bass drum anthemic starts and breakdowns in the songs, which I always enjoy.

The Little Ones are like the Shins to me in many regards. Very quirky sound that is somewhat familiar. The band members look NOTHING like I would think they would be. They are growing more fans, but I have no idea when I will see them in a larger venue head-lining and playing tracks from new albums that I don’t really know whole-heartedly. They played great as usual. The bass player/back-up singer/keyboardist looks like an extra from a Jackie Chan Hong Kong movie, in that he is CONSTANTLY moving and looks entirely happy to be there.
Great sing-a-long moments, great auxiliary percussion from both the guitarists and the taller, Canadian-surfer looking keyboardist/bass player. They came out and played an encore for the 30 of us who were more than happy to hear another song from them. I forget how much sunny, catchy music is completely infectious and completely consuming. I love it.

It is so great to see everyone smiling and interacting on stage with each other.. not in a ‘oh, are you ready for the breakdown? okay here it comes..’ way, but a ‘i effing love this melody you wrote’..
All the band members are mouthing the words to the songs and believing them.
And that’s what it’s all about.

It is cold out. Luckily I am from Minnesota so it doesn’t phase me too much, but I guess it is a huge problem for everyone else. I’m not causing a scene though because every time that summer thermometer goes above 87 degrees I am immediately uncomfortable unless I am well-hydrated or well on my way to a merry time.

Before I left for the show I saw the Lunar Eclipse taking form.
Oh, life on Earth, constantly making me think of things in a cosmic sense.

The New Frontiers were playing when I got there. Really great stuff. The lead singer has one of those vulnerable, mellow, not fragile voices. They hail from Dallas (not surprised) as their sound definitely has a twang to it. They kill four things I enjoy, decent audible lyrics (they had really good phrasing in some parts too, like GREAT phrasing that plays off each other), three part harmonies, just singer/guitar & singer/bass breakdowns, and crushing up-swings. Most songs ended with the Manchester Orchestra / ‘Transatlanticism’ by Death Cab, all out thrashing. But not in a ‘oh-my-god-that-guy-has-an-ax-and-is-swinging-it-maniacally-and-has-never-used-an-ax-before’ way, but in the ‘good-lord-that-man-is-going-to-cut-down-this-entire-forest-and-stare-us-in-the-eye-as-he-does-it’ way.

Next up was John Ralston. I’ve seen him on bills since his Legends of Rodeo days. My friend Sidekick was a huge fan. I’m still an emo kid at heart, so I like his songwriting a lot. I envy his emo-pitched voice, that can just soar and soar and soar and when you think it is going to fall, he will hold it longer and the bass player will come in with the best harmony flannel can buy (it can buy great harmonies.) I always want him to play one or two Legends of Rodeo songs but I’m not sure how that all ended, so I’m not going to be screaming songs at him any time soon. He played all of Limbeck’s gear due to his being stuck in his van in Iowa. I guess everyone on the tour has been razzled by the weather. Understandable if you’re trying to cross states and not Minneapolis (This line is directed at you, Toyota Corrolla owner who doesn’t know what the right lane is ever used for, how to brake properly, or how to clear off ANY window on your car.) He played a quick set with full band, then him solo for a few, then a full band finish. (He played a few off of ‘Needle Bed’, including ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’, which was a great set closer.)

Limbeck was in a merry mood, as they usually are. They played a more heavier set than I have seen them play. And it was raunchy and distorted and rocking. The re-workings of a few off of ‘Hi, Everything’s Fine’, have really grown into their own and I enjoyed them. I would have liked to stay after and put back a few beers with the band, but I have to work in the morning, so did my ride, and I am still broke from Europe. I’m not regretting anything and will most definitely be searching out these bands at SXSW and throw more than a few back.

These bands excite me about the SXSW scene, because if it’s just bands like them I will be perfectly content, although I suspect it will be much more diverse.
Bring on music.
Bring on, bring on.

All in all, I picked up the New Frontiers CD and am excited to give it a listen.

First band is “Weird Al”
I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. I liked Weird Al growing up and he introduced me through covering some artists to people I would have never even known of.
Anyways, hilarious. I enjoyed it immensely. Mostly because the band was spot-on and the lead singer actually resembled Weird Al. (He was in lobby with Hawaiian shirt, curled hair, and moustache before the show.)

*Added note is that a larger man entered as they were belting out “Fat” (parod of “Bad” by Michael Jackson)

Second band “Wilco”

They started with ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’. It was alright. The singer is trying to give Tweedy justice and is barely squeaking by.
They played “At Least That’s What You Said” and they rocked the rock out pretty well.
The rest was alright.

Third band (Jason Shannon) “Johnny Cash”

Solid. His voice is much more polished and john butleresque than mr. Cash’s.. but he did a solid job.

This was the second time I’ve seen Office at the 400 bar.
The first was at the beckoning of my old roommate Sara, who said she wasn’t going to go to the show because no one else could go.
Eff that.

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoy their stuff.
Their album is 40% of their live show (and that album is good to begin with.)

Tiger City played before them. They had a great sense for the dance-pop scene and the bass player grooved every song quite smoothly. I’d definitely see them again if they come through.

The lead singer was creepy as all hell. He had a Mike Tyson eye tattoo.
I don’t care if that is permanent or temporary. It is stupid and creepy.
He sang well though and the bass player made up for all creepiness in overall zest for dance-pop, bass-player-head-nod, and lust for playing music. (You can always tell when people enjoy what they are doing. I will always support people who do that.)

Office played great. Tambourine craziness, tight playing, and saving the two favorite songs for the end. (”Oh My” to end the set and “The Ritz” to end it.)

High Life was following and my feet were shaking.
Great people, great music.
Loving it.

So, I really enjoy being American.
But the time has come for the world to be introduced to me.
I’m going to Europe January 20th - February 3rd with my college graduate roommate Drew.
Our plans are Amsterdam, Munich, Venice, and some days spent in the Swiss Alps snowboarding.

Got any advice or suggestions for a first goer to Europe?
I am a tourist type person, but also love drinking cheap beer in dive bars anywhere in the world.