popwreckoning

Best Albums of 2010:

I’m not going to list what I believe to be the three best albums of this year. Honestly, it is because I can’t. Due to a rough 2010 that left me away from my review desk for months, I miss out on a lot of music that some would deem worthy of album of the year. Therefore, I’m admitting my inabilities due to being uneducated properly. I figure instead I’ll list a few of the albums released this year that I found myself spinning endlessly for listening (not just reviewing) pleasure.

They are as follows:

• Woodpigeon – Die Stadt Muzikanten
• Motion City Soundtrack – My Dinosaur Life
• Frightened Rabbits – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
• The Whigs – In The Dark
• Jonsi - Go
• Bad Books – Bad Books
• Field Music – Measure

Most Overrated of 2010:

• MGMT – Congratulations: People were dying to spin this record. Yet, currently radio seems to still be content spinning Time to Pretend. Could it be the sophomore slump stuck again, leaving this album lacking the hooks and charm that made Oracular Spectacular (or at least it’s A-side) an international gem?
• Never Shout Never – Harmony: Holy hell, people love this band. I do not. I went into this album hoping superstar producer Butch Walker could crank out something magical from this kid since everything B-Dub touches turns to gold. God himself however couldn’t make this album glimmer.
• Free Energy - Stuck on Nothing: I’ve heard this band is the next big thing. I’ve even heard them referred to as the next Weezer. Whatever. Stuck on Nothing, Free Energy’s first album is for damn sure not the Blue Album. Hell, it’s not even the Red Album, which I hated.

Best Show of 2010:

• Hands down, Lady Gaga. Rather than recap, here: Check out the REVIEW.

Best Musical Memory of 2010:

• This would have to be the combination of throwing the Popwreckoning Pre-South by Southwest showcase and the 2010 ATN South by Southwest. We received a ton of great local press (here, here, here and here!) while getting to personally work with some of the local scene. We had a pretty good turnout and had an enjoyable time. Great experience.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Menomena – Mines

Somehow this album manages to reflect each member’s different approach to crafting a song, yet it completely melts together into this subconscious synergy the Portland trio has mastered over the last ten years. It still included all the multilayer mixing that made Friend and Foe so amazing, but Mines finally brought the electric guitar more into the songwriting rather than an afterthought. With the epic and haunting “Tithe,” hard and fast “TAOS” and heartbreaking “INTIL,” I cannot think of an album that satisfied me more this year.

• Local Natives – Gorilla Manor

Even though Gorilla Manor was released in the U.K. in November 2009, we didn’t get this masterful debut until February here in the U.S., but I didn’t hear it until May at the Sasquatch Festival. I had heard nothing of the band before passing by the huge field filled with people and stopping to listen to 3 songs. It was nearing the end of their set, and Taylor Rice took to the mic to dedicate “Who Knows Who Cares” to his girlfriend, and that beautiful song is what hooked me. Gorilla Manor was the only album I purchased at the festival, and it was the soundtrack to my summer, with not one song I wished to skip.

• We Are Scientists – Barbara

I will admit, when it comes to We Are Scientists, I’m biased. I’m not going to pretend that I’m not, but I honestly think that this album was far underrated by snobs like Pitchfork and utterly ignored by most others (at least in the U.S.) What Keith Murray and Chris Cain did with this album was strip away any limitations that a major label put on them, and with the help of Andy Burrows on drums, wrote a killer pop record. The hard-hitting bass on “I Don’t Bite,” the adorable synth line in “Jack and Ginger,” and the ballads that show that Keith can really hit those high notes, “Pittsburgh” and “Foreign Kicks” help round out my third favourite album of the year. And if you’ve got the chance, and you like Weezer, seek out the U.K. b-side “Pound For Pound.” It’s really good.

Best Show of 2010:

This was a very difficult one, mainly because being with PopWreckoning has multiplied the number of shows I annually attend by…at least tenfold. I could come up with so many reasons why the dozens of shows I saw in 2010 are amazing, but I’m going to sound a bit repetitive right now. Menomena at the Crystal Ballroom for Portland’s Musicfest Northwest was – hands down – the best show of 2010. In fact, that whole week was full of amazing bands. But what Menomena did in their hometown at perhaps my new favourite venue was phenomenal. Danny Seim is the most intense drummer I’ve ever seen, singing on key with so much power while bashing away at his kit. Justin Harris plays a freaking baritone saxophone with so much vigor that you forget it’s a woodwind instrument. And Brent Knopf provides the subtlety and loveliness of the band with his soft lilty vibrato and driving melodies on the piano. I was shoved into this room with hundreds of Portlanders thinking that I’d skip out after a few songs to see the Smashing Pumpkins at a different venue across town. In more ways than one – I was stuck there. Literally leaning against the stage at the Crystal Ballroom, you can feel both the movement in the floor and the vibration of the stage. So in a sense, not only was I hearing and seeing the music, but actually feeling it. It was awesome to hear them open with “The Strongest Man in the World” off I Am the Fun Blame Monster and play through not-quite-as-old songs like the the weird and rough “The Pelican” off Friend and Foe and brand new ones like the moving “Tithe.” Not only did I get to listen to these amazing songs I’d been only hearing on record, but I got to watch these talented artists in their home town. Menomena was so good. Like otherworldly good.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• I follow Eddie Argos on Twitter, and a couple of weeks ago he posted an update saying that Art Brut was working on their new record in a studio in Salem, OR. You know what that means? A new Art Brut album in 2011. I don’t know when and what it’s going to be called, but it could also mean another tour coming to Seattle? Hopefully, because the last time Art Brut came through Seattle it was a 21+ show before I was 21.
• If Noah Lennox would ever set a real date for his newest Panda Bear release instead of teasing us with 7″ releases here and there, I’d be more excited. But I am, nonetheless, super excited for his whole album, having heard most of it live at Musicfest Northwest.

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Taylor Swift. She really needs to get out of my life. I can’t escape Taylor Swift. Sure she’s cute and a better role model than Miley Cyrus. Sure she plays guitar and writes her own songs. But her songs are getting really old and repetitive, and the girl can’t sing live to save her life. I’d honestly rather listen to Justin Bieber.

Best Musical Memory of 2010:

• Travelling down the west coast with several friends to see We Are Scientists on tour this summer was the best time of my life. I called it the “WASTRAVAGANZA,” because I’m a nerd, and we needed something to call it. It started in Portland, where I finally got to meet the band. It was funny, because I’d interviewed Chris over the phone for a PopWreckoning interview, and when I told him that he said, “oh, you’re THAT Abby. Thank you for your personal and professional interest in our band,” then he gave me a hug. Two days later we went to the Seattle show where my friends brought Keith and Chris pastries for the post-show, and we got offered some cocaine by a homeless man on Capitol Hill at 2 a.m. But the absolute best part was a week and a half later when two friends and I drove 13 hours to San Francisco to meet up with four more friends who loved We Are Scientists just as much as we did. Plus, it was the only all-ages show on the west coast that my underage friend could attend, so we had to make the drive. For some reason in Portland and Seattle WAS had neglected to play “It’s A Hit,” which is my favorite song, so it made it that much sweeter when they played it in San Francisco. While at Slim’s, we also had a nice inebriated conversation with their opening act Aaron Pfenning a.k.a Rewards. I’d gotten a lot of the show on tape, so I told him I’d recorded a couple of his songs and it made him smile like a little boy. After buying some crepes from a vendor outside the venue, Keith and Chris invited us all to the bar they were going to called “Butter,” but we politely declined since not all of us could actually go in the bar. But we did stick around to finish our crepes and hang out before we had to go back to our respective hotels or homes. When they stepped out the door, they saw us on the other end of the block, pointed at us all and said, “you guys are CRAZY!” We did appear a bit crazy at that point, but it was worth it, because we got another round of hugs and my friends and I got to see our favorite band together finally.

Probably several people who just read that think I’m absolutely nuts, but I don’t really care.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
• Beach House – Teen Dream
• FOALS – Total Life Forever

Best Show of 2010:

• Gorillaz – Coachella

Seriously, Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon in the flesh, holy shite! Okay, not like I haven’t seen them in the flesh before (i.e. seeing The Good, The Bad and The Queen two years prior) but still… I remember it just being speculation that is was going to be a proper live show and Damon Albarn and company where in fact going to be performing. So my teenage self got all giddy, once again, seeing Damon Albarn appear on stage along with the badass Paul fucking Simonon. It was as massively epic show — there were videos for each individual song, a well-designed set, and no fewer than 42 performers in total. Quite the package I’d say. Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn gallivanted about the stage giving the audience everything they wanted and more. Relinquished from his animated cage, Albarn indeed again proved himself a masterful showman. Dancing and singing about with my good friends from England in the desert night, watching legends perform onstage was incredibly magical.

• FOALS- San Diego at The Casbah

The last time I saw FOALS was in London with Bloc Party last year at Olympia Grand Hall. With a venue name like Olympia Grand Hall and opening for Bloc Party, you can imagine it was a rather intense show. We’ve all heard how rowdy fans can be across the pond. To actually experience seeing hundreds and hundreds of people screaming every word to each song and feeling the ground vibrate due to the intense amount of movement from the crowd was something not to forget. It was great to see them again in an intimate setting like the Casbah, where it felt more like a house show than a concert held in the venue. Saying the crowd was insane is a complete understatement. The whole night I was being pushed about, getting smashed up against the low stage where my knees took a good beating (note to self: seeing Foals in a dress is probably not the wisest decision) and being slammed over speakers, at least I was not the guy behind me who cut his foot on a broken piece of glass due to someone’s glass of whiskey falling on the floor… Needless to say, I gave up taking photos during the set and just enjoyed jumping about, dancing and sing along to new and old songs. Although, I woke up in the morning with bruises and my ears ringing, I loved every second of the show. It was my first time hearing the new material live and they fucking KILLED IT. Highlight of the evening was Foals front man Yannis, jumping on the bar continuing his performance of “Electric Bloom” whilst moving across the entire bar banging on things in rhythm to the song with his drumsticks.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• Fiona Apple –I’ve been listening to hear ever since I was an angsty tween and always seem to crawl back to her music. Everything this woman does is magic and speaks to my soul. I can’t wait to hear wait to hear this new album.
• Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch The Throne – As a devout follower of whatever these two do I am rather excited to hear the final production of this collaboration. They could come out with a disco-thrash-rap album and I’d still listen to it.
• Esben And The Witch – Violent Cries (a band from Brighton to definitely keep your eye and ear out for next year)
• PUJOL – Whatever this band does next, surely it will be epic and not something to miss out on
• Tristen- I have high hopes from this pop/folk singer hailing from Nashville. Seems promising.

Honorable mentions:

• Dr. Dre – Detox
• Cut Copy – Zonoscope
• PJ Harvey – Let England Shake It’s fucking PJ HARVEY, okay?!
• Smith Westerns – Dye It Blonde

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Ke$ha
• The Drums

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

I suppose this is where I am suppose to write about how cool it was to hang with this band or that band or meet this person or that person…I had my fair share amazing encounters and hang sessions with bands/people I truly admire but nothing compares to seeing one of your idols live.

Seeing Gil Scott-Heron at Coachella this year was definitely my favorite musical memory of the year. I’ve pretty much have been listening to Gil Scott-Heron ever since I was in my mother’s womb. My parents were both huge Gil Scott-Heron fans and constantly played him. Of course, as a kid it’s natural for you to rebel against having to listen to your parent’s lame “old school” music. Yet, once I was old enough to comprehend the message behind this man’s lyrics, I also became an instant fan. His words have guided me all phases of my life. I often found solace in his music, spoken word and writings. So when I heard that Gil Scott-Heron was one of the many artists to be performing at Coachella, I was not only shocked but also excited. I am not going to lie though, I was among many of the cynics thinking “there is no way he is going to show”. Scott-Heron aware of his past tendencies was first to make light of this stating once he got onstage in his typical deadpan manner, “For those of you who bet I would not be here, you lose.” Although 61 and looking extremely frail, Scott-Heron provided nothing less than a powerful performance that got me misty eyed. Being able to see whom I consider a living legend was a dream come true for me. Gil Scott-Heron didn’t play a single new song off his 13th album release this year “I’m New Here”. He stuck to the classics we all knew and loved like “The Bottle”, “Blue Collar”, “Home Is Where The Hatred Is”, “Is That Jazz?” and more. And if case you were wondering, you probably weren’t but I am going to pretend that you were and continue on…I did in fact call my mother during his set when one of her favorite songs was performed. Cue the “awwwws”.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Yeasayer – Odd Blood
• Jonsi – Go
• Sleigh Bells – Treats

Honorable Mentions:

• Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
• Efterklang – Magic Chairs
• Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
• Bad Books – Bad Books

Best Show of 2010:

• Jonsi @ Liberty Hall, Lawrence KS – I’ve never felt more motivated by music than after seeing Jonsi live. I wanted to go climb mountains, paint a masterpiece, or simply bang on drums.
• Lollapalooza after party with featuring Glassnote Records: Mumford & Sons, The Temper Trap, Phoenix DJ Set. Even after all the phenomenal music of Lollapalooza, this after party was a great treat. Mumford & Sons even joined Temper Trap for a song.
• Brandon Flowers @ Park West, Chicago IL – I’m a huge Killers fan, so this was a special treat for me to see Brandon Flowers debut his solo music before the record’s release in a venue that the Killers had long since outgrown.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• Bright Eyes
• The Get Up Kids
• Cold War Kids
• Givers
• The Cherry Tree Parade
• SXSW

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Taylor Swift – I’m sure she’s a nice girl, but have you listened to her attempts to sing live? Or worse – her “Last Christmas cover? Why is she so popular again?
• Ke$ha – the dollar sign alone is enough to make me dislike her.

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

• Working with the PopWreckoning crew, I got to sit in on an interview with Kevin Devine. He is really down to earth and it felt more like we were just hanging out rather than having a formal interview. As a special treat, he performed a new Bad Books song just for the four of us. This was in July, so it was well before anyone had really heard Bad Books’ material. I think Kevin must have had a good time with us as well because he used a pic that I took during the interview as his Facebook/MySpace avatar for several months.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
• Le Concorde – House
• Anberlin – Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place

Best Show of 2010:

• I want to, despite all of the great concerts this year, have Anberlin’s show the top on my list for the year. I am a big fan of the band and love shows at either Showbox because of the venues’ intimacy. In regards to Anberlin, everything about it was good, the stage set-up, the sound, and the presence the band had on stage as well. Not only that, the entire night was great with Civil Twilight and Crash Kings opening for them. I feel that a show, as a whole, can lose some of it’s magic, even if it is your favorite band, because of an artist that doesn’t sit well with you or is just not that good, this did not happen at that show.
• Runner ups include: Matt and Kim, Switchfoot and Arcade Fire. Those shows were all fantastic in so many ways, they just didn’t compare to everything the Anberlin show was.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• The King is Dead – The Decemberists
• Killing Time – Bayside
• Mine Is Yours – Cold War Kids
• Different Time – Five O’Clock Heroes
• Hi-Five Soup! – The Aquabats
• In Memory Of… – D:Ream
• Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will – Mogwai
• Turbulences – Rise Against
• Kiss Each Other Clean – Iron & Wine
• Thank You, Happy Birthday – Cage The Elephant
• There Are Rules – The Get Up Kids
• Showroom of Compassion – Cake
• The People’s Key – Bright Eyes

This is a list of albums that I am excited for, not many concerts or tours have been announced yet, but I am going to be at as many as possible.

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Hands down, Ke-dollar sign-ha

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

• There has been so much, I am ultimately glad for the position that I got from PopWreckoning because they have given me a good bit of new music that I would have most likely not found before. From all of the shows I have been to, the friends I have made at them and the people I have known, I have gotten to know better at the shows, like Uproar Fest, Arcade Fire, Alex Band of The Calling, Deck the Hall Ball, and all the others we have gone to together.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
• Yeasayer – Odd Blood
• Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
  

Honorable Mentions (since I can’t make a solid decision on anything, and these albums are all amazing):

• Stay Ahead of the Weather – We Better Get Goin’ If We’re Gonna EP
• Broken Bells – Broken Bells
• Skybox – Morning After Cuts
• Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
• Sleigh Bells – Treats
• Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes

Best Show of 2010:

• Native and La Dispute @ Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, St. Louis, MO

I’ve seen more shows this year than any other. However, the one show that sticks out most in my mind is when I went to St. Louis to see Native and La Dispute at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Granted I had seen them before when they played the Salt Walter Taffy House here in KC (which was also an amazing show). But I hadn’t seen them quite like this, especially Native. They started using samples in between songs which added a whole new dynamic to their live show. The Lemp was packed, the first and only time I’ve seen it sold out. La Dispute played with such passion, it was almost impossible to hear Jordan Dreyer over the crowd belting out his lyrics. So great.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• SXSW – it’ll be my first year attending and I’m super stoked on it.
• The new Bright Eyes album

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Vampire Weekend
• Free Energy

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

I had the opportunity to go to Denver with Bad Veins as a sort of interim tour manager for a night over Halloween weekend. Sure, the 8 hour ride kind of sucked because it was so long. But the show at the Bluebird definitely made up for it. It was the last night of the tour for Bad Veins; during their set Two Door Cinema Club came out and tried to pick Ben up, which didn’t work out so well at first.

Seriously, TDCC and Bad Veins are some of the best people I have ever met, and they have given me a night to remember for a lifetime.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Yeasayer – Odd Blood
• Vampire Weekend – Contra
• Foxy Shazam – Foxy Shazam
  

Best Show of 2010:

• I have to pick two: mewithoutYou at the Granada and Foxy Shazam at the recordbar.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• Bright Eyes

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Lady Antebellum (2010) and Train (2009). Let’s finally bury those shitty singles in 2011, shall we?

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

• Seeing Cursive for the first time – I know, I can’t believe I hadn’t either – and interviewing Kevin Devine AND sitting there while he played two acoustic songs for us, one from Bad Books months and months before it was released.

Top 5 Albums of the Year:

• Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
• Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
• The Black Keys – Brothers
• The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
• Carney – Mr. Green Vol. 1

Best Show of 2010:

• Stone Temple Pilots: This was by far one of my favorite shows to shoot this year. I grew up with this band all through Jr. High and High School and didn’t think they would be able pull this tour off but they did.

Most Anticipated of 2011:

• Social Distortion
• Bush
• Dr. Dre (Not holding my breath on this, but it’s way overdue)
• Radiohead
• Death Cab For Cutie

Most Overrated of 2010:

• We Are The World 2010: This was just a bad idea to begin with. I understand they were doing this for the devastation that happened in Haiti, but they could have thought of something more original than re-recording a song with a bunch of annoying entertainers and z-lister’s. Don’t even get me started on the overuse of auto tune.
• Kanye West : I am so tired of hearing this guy bitch. KANYE, STFU!
• Carrie Underwood: She’s the main reason I will NEVER shoot a Country act ever again.

Best Musical Memory of 2010:

• I’ve had quite a few this year and coming on with PopWreckoning and shooting American Idol were big for me. But my favorite had to be hanging out with Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and shooting a portrait of him at Sasquatch.

This time of year, roads are finding extra wear from families driving to grandmas, airports are flooded with people returning home for the holidays and for those that can’t travel, they’re gathering their friends close together with holiday parties and chats over hot cocoa. This is because the point of Christmas isn’t commercial as some Scrooges might have you believe. The point, whether religious about the holidays or not, is about love and expressing that by being around the people you love. Taking Back Sunday’s new holiday tune, “Merry Christmas; I Missed You So Much” is all about returning to home and the people you love.

“Merry Christmas; I Missed You So Much” was recorded while the band has been in the studio working on its new album. The song starts off much like another song by the band, “Divine Intervention.” Just a strummed rhythm on acoustic guitar, while Adam sings, the title. Then the band expands it – a fingered guitar line, a marching drum roll and then the band’s famous vocal call and response. My personal favorite part of the song is when the “Ho-o-o-ome” lyric enters and is providing a harmony with “Merry Christmas; I Missed You So Much.”

You can listen to the new Christmas song on the band’s MySpace here.