music 2008
15 favourite albums of the year (and favourite song)
Dear Science - TV on the Radio
-> Golden Age
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
-> Lenders in the Temple
Pretty. Odd. - Panic at the Disco
-> When the Day Met the Night
Fast Times at Barrington High - The Academy Is...
-> After the Last Midtown Show
The Stand-Ins - Okkervil River
-> Lost Coastlines
Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie
-> I Will Possess Your Heart
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
-> An Eluardian Instance
Animal! - Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos
-> A Children's Crusade on Acid
eta: link fixed! sorry. :(
Folie A Deux - Fall Out Boy
-> Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet
808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West
-> Heartless
The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
-> Grounds for Divorce
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
-> Blue Ridge Mountain
This is Ivy League - This is Ivy League
-> Modern World
Keep Your Eyes Ahead - The Helio Sequence
-> Hallelujah
The Cool - Lupe Fiasco
-> Gold Watch
Honourable Mentions
Let My Pride Be What's Left Behind EP - Manchester Orchestra, Smiling Can Backfire EP - Pistol Youth, Goodbye Blues - The Hush Sound, The Odd Couple - Gnarls Barkley, LP3 - Ratatat
Let me know if you want a full upload of anything.
Jan: Built to Spill, Sufjan Stevens, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes / YIDcore, Arcade Fire / Spoon, Brand New / Jesse Lacey, Rufus Wainwright
Feb: Stars
Mar: Jens Lekman
Aug: Band of Horses, Death Cab for Cutie, Panic at the Disco / The Academy Is... / Cobra Starship (x2)
Sept: Jebediah
Oct: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
+ various local openers
Total shows: 14
Bands seen: 21
Bands seen the most: Panic / TAI / CS (2)
Biggest Show: Hm. The Panic shows were in arenas, but they weren't very packed.
Smallest Show: Probably Stars at Spectrum. We were technically 4 rows back, and not far from the back of the room, and yet we were still mere metres away from Torq and Amy. :D
Band(s) you never want to see again: I didn't hate any of the bands I saw this year, though I probably never *need* to see Me First... ever again, since I think that's a schtick you only need to experience live once.
Band(s) you didn't really know going in and came out loving: YIDcore - I mean, who doesn't love Yiddish punk metal? Complete with a guitarist in a see through red nightie with white fur trim, a bassist who looked like a Hassidic Jew complete with a fake grey beard, and a violinist fiddling madly to one side, and a hilarious cover of Wind Beneath My Wings.
Favorite Tour: Arcade Fire. The first night sold out in minutes, and I was freaking out when I missed out, but then I got tickets to the second show fifteen minutes later and consoled myself. BUT. Turns out Spoon was supporting second night only, so it turned out to be the BEST THING EVER, especially since Spoon played an excellent hour long set, and then my friends got me barrier for Arcade Fire, and the crowd loved them so much and they loved playing to the crowd so much and omg, it was just beautiful and perfect.
Ten Favorite Performances:
1. Arcade Fire - see fangirl adoration above
2. Sufjan Stevens - he is so darling. There were rambly, funny anecdotes; band members wearing wings; hula-hooping; amazing musicianship; beautiful songs. What more could you ask for?
3. Band of Horses - OMG BEN BRIDWELL's VOICE IS SO AMAZING I COULD LISTEN TO HIM SING FOREVER AND EVER. Ahem. I was stuck in permacaps after this concert. :)
4. Rufus Wainwright - Rufus does everything! He sings beautifully! He tells droll anecdotes! He wears lederhosen! He channels Judy Garland wonderfully! etc etc
5. Panic at the Disco (Sydney) - Awww. Any other year, and they would've made it so much higher on the list. Their set was just lovely, with bubbles and banter and silly waving and flowers and pretty boys. *happy sigh* And while I got to see more of what happened on stage in Melbourne, being in the pit is *always* better.
6. Jesse Lacey - acoustic and solo; a tiny set, but packed full of goodness - Untitled 1, Play Crack the Sky, Oh Comely, Soco Amaretto Lime, and Coca Cola. Also, Jesse smiled. I could've heard him play for ages more. The Brand New gig after this was also good.
7. Jebediah - a packed room full of 20-and-30 somethings recapturing their youth. I totally felt 16 again. The band took requests for most of the night, and let their fans sing on stage with them, and were generally awesomecakes.
8. Stars - tiny intimate gig, with Amy and Torq sunburnt and yet really happy to be performing.
9. Conor Oberst - Musically great, so that even a shitty crowd couldn't dampen the experience too much. Made me fall in love with the album.
10. Spoon - afterwards, my friend turned to me an said simply, "I like them. Britt Daniels has *style*."
Upcoming Shows: Tegan and Sara, Stars, Lupe Fiasco, TV on the Radio, Fall Out Boy, of Montreal