popwreckoning

As previously announced, Popwreckoning will be hosting a Kansas City and Lawrence music showcase at Aggiefest 2011 in Manhattan, Kansas. This year’s festival has morphed into the 6th Annual Multi-Genre Live Music and 1st Ever Visual Arts Festival. In this post you will find details regarding the Popwreckoning line-up and the festival in general.

Have a look at the bands we picked!

Friday September 23rd:
Auntie Mae’s Parlor • 614 N. 12th St. • Manhattan KS • 785.539.8508

6:00pm to 6:45pm Lucky Graves
7:00pm to 7:45pm Not A Planet
8:00pm to 8:45pm Quiet Corral
9:00pm to 9:45pm Dead Girls
10:00pm to 10:45pm Janet the Planet
11:00pm to 11:45pm Spirit is the Spirit
12:00am to 12:45am Parts of Speech
1:00am to 1:45am YAM

Saturday September 24th:
Outside Stage at Triangle Park, Manhattan Kansas

4:00pm to 4:45pm Various Blonde
5:00pm to 5:45pm Sage n Sour
6:00pm to 6:45pm The Phantom
7:00pm to 7:45pm Vi Tran
8:00pm to 8:45pm BROKENMAST
9:00pm to 9:45pm Jillian Riscoe and the 21st Century
10:00pm to 10:45pm Bravefellow

Auntie Mae’s Parlor • 614 N. 12th St. • Manhattan KS • 785.539.8508
9:00pm to 9:45pm Jenny Carr
10:00pm to 10:45pm Sour Babies
11:00pm to 11:45pm Everyday/Everynight

Now, let’s get to the details.

Aggiefest 2011 will offer a plethora of shops, pubs & eateries which will feature art pieces from various local & regional artists.  Here you’ll have the opportunity to hob knob with the rich and famous (i.e. starving artists and Aggies) and pay them for their goods and services.

Let’s see how this shindig works.

Get a ticket from On the Wildside or Sisters of Sound in Aggieville.
$20 adults
$15 minors
$10 to bands to sell for a profit *stop by Sisters of Sound

Alright, just a few more steps for you to follow. Take your tushie to the festival, exchange your ticket for the appropriate wristband and partake in the lovely music and merch! You’ll find there are several all-ages venues for those of you who haven’t yet fermented to the ripe ol’ age of 21 (or 18)! The all ages venues include the Dusty Bookshelf, Bluestem Bistro, Radina’s, Triangle Park and Pat’s BBQ’s Backroom until 10pm. Campus Tavern and Ale House accomodates those who are 18 and over. O’Malley’s will be 18 and over until 8pm then go 21 and up only; Auntie Mae’s allows entry to those who are 21 and up. Check out this Map of Aggieville for your convenience.

But wait, there’s more! Enter the RAFFLE to win a quality quilt made from Aggiefest T-shirts of yore. The raffle proceeds will benefit Morning Star Inc., a company with a mission to provide consumers of mental health services with the resources needed to break through the barriers of stigma & isolation. Also, maps/schedules will be provided for both the music and the art fair, and will include the Aggiefest 2011 sponsors.

Finally, without question is the most important step of them all. Rock your ass off for 2 straight days with live, local music and art and show your support in Aggieville. We can’t wait to see you there!

After four years of writing and recording, Synchronized Sleeping, the debut full length from Hidden Pictures will be hailed with a public celebration April 1, 2011, at The Brick, in Kansas City, Missouri.

In addition to the groups core members, Richard Gintowt and Michelle Sanders, the album which was will feature a newly revised lineup of Erik Voeks on the bass, Cameron Hawk (of Dead Girls) on the drums and Nate Holt (formerly of OK Jones) on the keys. Additional musicians contributing to the completion of Synchronized Sleep include Josh Adams (of Ghosty), Tim and Alan Brandsted, Nate Harold (of Waking Ashland), Billy Brimblecom, Pat Tomek (of The Rainmakers) and Dave Gaume (of The Caves). Engineering was handled by Ed Rose, Paul Malinowski and Mike Giffin, in addition to work completed at Gintowt’s home studio.

Not only will you be able to get your hands on Synchronized Sleeping, but those fans who purchase the album on Hidden Pictures’ Bandcamp Page will also receive the lost OK Jones album Stealing Dan as a bonus. The album was shelved when OK Jones disbanded in 2007 when Gintowt and Gaume started Hidden Pictures. The six songs on Stealing Dan were finished upon the completion of Synchronized Sleeping.

The band’s previous EPs Choosing Sides, Whitney Houston and Self-Titled can be purchased on the group’s Bandcamp Page as well. You can find the video for the song “Annie Apparently” from the Choosing Sides EP below.

Hidden Pictures in Anne Apparently from Zac Eubank on Vimeo.

I’ll go ahead and say it just to get it out of the way. Radiohead is one of my favorite bands of all time! We don’t have a thing going on, we have a full on relationship! Going back to when I was in the fifth grade when Pablo Honey came out. I hadn’t really gotten into them as the only song I had heard was the overly played (and overly abused at Karaoke nights) “Creep.” But then again, when I was in fifth grade, my best fried Josh and I rode our bikes to school from the apartment complex we lived in, taking turns sharing the headphones of my walkman while  jamming out to “Rump Shaker” by Wreckx-n-Effect. Yes, it wasn’t until Jr. High that Grunge/Alternative would overtake my life thanks to a group of friends introducing it to me just like that first day you were introduced to smoking weed in college. Unfortunately I really didn’t get into Radiohead until high school. I had owned The Bends, but never really enjoyed it. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that my three favorite bands at the time were Bush, Oasis and Alice in Chains… And yes my aunt bought me a Jars of Clay album which ended up as a coaster for my soda on my computer desk in my room. It wasn’t till I heard Paranoid Android that changed everything for me. OK Computer was the beginning of how I listened to music and how I appreciated it for the art and not just for “a good time feeling.”

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think Radiohead was going to release a new album any time soon. Yes, I had mentioned before on my year end list, and I had heard rumors that they were in the studio. But Thom Yorke and company are very unpredictable when it comes to releasing new material… Especially being that they self release their own albums like that of Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This time instead of giving a release date of the new album, Radiohead decided to surprise us and announce it last week and on top of that they even released it a day early online. However, we weren’t given the “Pay what you feel” choice that was given to us for In Rainbows.

The King of Limbs starts out with “Bloom,” a piano/techno based track with Thom’s haunting vocals remixed in between. Other stand out tracks include “Morning Mr. Magpie,” which has an upbeat electronic feel to it and my personal favorite “Lotus Flower,” which has elements of “Idioteque” from Kid A. If you were expecting anything like In Rainbows you will be very disappointed, or really excited depending on what your Radiohead taste is. Radiohead decided to go back to their Kid A/Amnesiac days which isn’t a bad thing, as Kid A was masterpiece in itself. Amnesiac, on the other hand, wasn’t as great and got boring after a few listens. This album is what Amnesiac should of been.

The other problem with this album is the length. It only has eight songs and some of them are not very long, which makes you want more from this record. Could this mean we might get another album later this year like how Amnesiac was released three months after Kid A? That I don’t know. But with the way things the band is doing these days and the fact that we can’t predict when they release material, it wouldn’t surprise me. Needless to say, it’s no Kid A, OK Computer, The Bends or even Hail to the Thief. But it’s sure as hell better then Amnesiac, and to some extent, In Rainbows, which I felt was really good for what it was but left me feeling empty. (XD Note: I’m leaving Pablo Honey out of this as I get really tired of hearing “Creep” and to be honest, it was Radiohead’s weakest album to date when compared with their other releases.)

Overall, this album is very enjoyable, but very short. I can’t say it’s as great as Kid A or OK Computer (which is hard to even compare to) for an electronic/experimental based Radiohead album, but it’s a lot better than letdown Amnesiac. This makes a great chillout album for when you need one of those stress free days… Or if you’re stuck living in Laporte, IN and working at Family Video and grow tired of kids running around, you can always plug this in and zone out for the next 30-something minutes. Just don’t zone out too long, or your boss might fire you.

Track Listing:

1. Bloom

2. Morning Mr. Magpie

3. Little By Little

4. Feral

5. Lotus Flower

6. Codex

7. Give Up The Ghost

8. Separator

With SXSW approaching sooner than you think, it is time to start planning what bands and showcases you might want to include in your itinerary. PopWreckoning would like to make a little suggestion: MidCoast Takeover.

MidCoast Takeover is a two day showcase featuring some of the best Kansas City and Lawrence-based artists down in Austin. The showcase will feature over 20 bands spread out over March 18th and March 19th at the Liberty Bar.

The showcase is sponsored by the MidWest Music Foundation (who put on a great showcase last year), The Record Machine (home label to many of the showcase artists), PopWreckoning, Ink Magazine and local KC venues such as the Record Bar, Riot Room and Crosstown Station.

The band’s haven’t been announced just yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted once that information becomes official.

—

Now with SXSW still a little over a month away, you can get involved with the MidCoast Takeover now by doing two things.

First, the MidCoast Takeover needs a little help making SXSW as affordable as possible for bands. It costs money to put together a showcase, so MidCoast Takeover has a kickstarter going until March 7 to help reach a $2500 goal. If you donate, you have the the chance to earn a variety of prizes. Depending on how much you donate, you can earn prizes ranging from cds, posters, national photo passes, music dvds and private tours of the Boulevard Brewery. Go here to donate.

The other way you can get involved is to attend a MidCoast Takeover pre-SXSW fundraising show at Kansas City’s Riot Room. Local bands Heroes and Villains, Waiting for Signal, Sons of Great Dane, Vertigone and Trystyl will perform a 21 plus show at 9 p.m. More information on the show is available here.

The thought for this feature crossed my mind the other morning as I streamed the illegally uploaded Bright Eyes cuts from the upcoming Saddle Creek Records release The People’s Key. It just kinda hit me randomly how fantastic the Omaha, Nebraska based record label’s catalog is from start to finish. Seeing the talent this label has for scouting is as simple as it comes.

More difficult I found however was narrowing their catalog down to my ten favorite songs. They ended up looking something like this:

10. The Faint – I Disappear

If you can manage to listen to this song (and that bass line) without shaking your ass you’ve got more body control than I do. Every time I listen to it, I either have to skank or rush off to play Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. Fantastic song from a fantastic band.

9. Rural Alberta Advantage – In The Summertime

When PopWreckoning received the review copy of Hometowns I probably listened to this song 250 times. There is just something about the lyrics and the way they’re presented over a somewhat simple but strikingly beautiful orchestration of notes that seems to help this song grasp me with a white knuckle grip. It is simply beautiful.

8. The Good Life – Heartbroken & 7. Cursive – Rise Up! Rise Up!

In my humble opinion there is no one better at capturing dysfunction,  heartbreak and the all around angst than Tim Kasher. Though it was nearly impossible to narrow it down (hell, I could’ve just shoved the whole Album of the Year album on here and been pleased), Last.Fm claims these two songs to be the winners of my listening choices.

6. Bright Eyes – Easy/Lucky/Free

I think this song is a perfect example of how personal experience and relatability can alter the impact of a song. I listened to this song almost exclusively during the six week period in which I lost both my grandfather (who was also my best friend) and my mother. The line: “I never really dreamed of heaven much until we put him in the ground, but it’s all I’m doing now,” capsulized exactly what I was feeling and reminded me to keep it together.

5. Miles  Benjamin Anthony Robinson – The Sound

I think there are two types of people in the world: those who love this artist and those who have never heard of him. Seriously, I think that Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is without a doubt Saddle Creek’s most underrated artist. Listen to “The Sound” and give it a judge yourself.

4. Azure Ray – November

The line, “I was afraid to be alone, but now I’m scared that’s how I’d like to be…,” grabs me like few other songs have. To this day the cellos give me goosebumps. This song is as flawless as they come.

3. Maria Taylor – Song Beneath The Song

Maria Taylor (also of the above mentioned Azure Ray) has a way with words that I find difficult to find in female musicians. She doesn’t hide behind her sexuality in order to sell records. “Song Beneath The Song” is a splendid example of Taylor’s magical gift for words.

2. Bright Eyes - Lover I Don’t Have To Love

Conor Oberst is a lyrical genius. He captures situations, depicting them with his words in a way most author pine to be able to do. In my opinion, “Lover I Don’t Have To Love” is Oberst at his strongest.

1. Rilo Kiley – A better Son/Daughter

This says it all:

“And sometimes when you’re on
You’re really fuckin on
And your friends they sing along And they love you
But the lows are so extreme
That the good seems fuckin cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absence.”

So what about you? What are your favorite Saddle Creek songs? What did I leave off the list that you would have added? What are your top ten?

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Dark is the way, Light is a Place – Anberlin
• 4X4= 12 – Deadmau5
• This is War - 30 Seconds to Mars

Honorable Mentions:

• Heroes – Moneta
• Odd Blood – Yeasayer
• Great Danger – The Audition
• Vagabonds - The Classic Crime
• Trans-Continental Hustle – Gogol Bordello
• We Stitch These Wounds – Black Veil Brides
• Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
• Year of the Black Rainbow – Coheed and Cambria

Best Show of 2010:
I guess this is a three way tie for me…

• Anberlin @ Showbox Sodo: Seeing Anberlin never ceases to blow me away. But this show, fueled by the energy of their recent release Dark is a Way, Light is a Place, literally took my breath away. The new lighting systems they were using, the spectacular sound at a venue that usually has CRAP sound, and the general ambiance of the show was PERFECT. Their cover of “Mother” by Danzig was pretty superb, and frankly, the whole darn set list was put together incredibly well. All members played to their full potential and played their hearts out, making this one of top 10 shows of all time, easily.
• Switchfoot @ Showbox at the Market: This was an exceptionally amazing show. Playing all of their 2009 release Hello Hurricane, plus older tracks, including “Chem 6a,” one of my all time favorites from them had the room singing at the top of their lungs. They played an exceptional show, the crowd was into it, and I had a BLAST.
• Soundgarden @ Showbox at the Market: Does this really even need an explanation? This 2 hour set from local Seattle legends seriously floored me. I was seriously lucky enough to be one of few people who got to order a ticket in the 2.4 minutes before it sold out, and goddess, the show was SO worth it. Being one of the first shows in over a decade, and being able to experience that, was seriously awesome.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• Innerpartysystem: So super excited about the new album coming out in early 2011. “American Trash” and its remixes have been rockin’ my 2010, but it’s definitely time for some new material. Stoked to see what these guys come up with. Their live show is phenomenal and after 3 years of being a fan, it’s time for them to set the standard for themselves, and for live mixed dance across the board.
• Cake – Showroom of Compassion: I’ve been a Cake fan for YEARS now and from what I have heard of the album so far, it won’t disappoint. Been waiting for this for awhile now and I am really hoping that it goes back to their roots and brings out some of the older signature sound (hopefully something ala “Never There”).
• Blaqk Audio – Bright Black Heaven: Although a release date hasn’t officially been announced yet, I’ve been keeping an eye on these guys since their freshman release, Cexcells. Being a big AFI fan, Davey Havok’s side project has entranced me pretty thoroughly and has set the bar high for themselves before their sophomore album, Bright Black Heaven, was even in the planning stages. The teaser tracks are blatantly brilliant and promise more of the general industrial/dance that they brought to the table before.
• VNV – Nation Crossing the Divide: I’ve recently been reintroduced to VNV and frankly, I couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming EP. It’s not often I fall this hard for industrial/trance, and not usually get this hyped until I have at least heard a sampling of the album. With VNV, it’s guaranteed to be amazing, full of sick dance beats, some dirty bass, and captivating lyrics. Kudos to this band from across the pond for also hinting at a US tour for the first time in 2 years- both announcements have fans eagerly awaiting more.
• Aiden: During the show last Friday, wiL Francis mentioned that they would have a new album out in 2011. The guys have been tweeting about recording for the past few months and Seattle needs these guys to come back and rock ourselves out of the general indie funk we have been in lately. Seattle rock has its place, and frankly, Aiden has been at the heart of it for awhile now. With Knives out in 2009, it’s definitely time for some new material from them (as well as William Control), especially since reinforcing their sound with their most recent album after their hiatus into more mellow tracks with Conviction. We need more Seattle punk rock, and badly guys.

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Arcade Fire- The album was good, but not THAT good. Really. I promise.
• MGMT- Congrtulations was great, but their live show now SUCKS. What happened guys?

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

Shooting Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot:

There was an insane amount of people crammed into the middle of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood for CHBP and it was AMAZING. Great music, great photographer friends, fantastic memories. Seeing !!! play the KEXP Bean Room at Café Vita and turning the room into a giant dance party was pretty rad, and frankly, so quintessentially Seattle that it could only happen right here in the Emerald City. My first time at CHBP was wonderful and the people who make it all happen are GREAT. Kudos for bringing this fantastic event to a great neighborhood and having a blast doing it. Highlights for me included !!!, Holy Fuck, Yeasayer, and Black Breath.

The 40th anniversary of Bumbershoot was both fun and rewarding. Shooting for Seattle Center and the five stages that I managed to cover was seriously taxing on me as a photographer and a writer. I had a blast covering the 30+ bands over Labor Day weekend (giving up PAX to do so, which was SERIOUSLY hard to do) and danced, sang, and filled up SD cards with memories that will last forever. Balkan Beat Box, the Thermals, the Redwood Plan, and Fences were definitely highlights and I came across a lot of local stuff to look out for in the future.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Delphic – Acolyte (Dangerbird)
• Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History (Glassnote)
• The Hundred in the Hands – The Hundred in the Hands (Warp)

Best Show of 2010:

• The Postelles at DC9, September 18, 2010. Tiny little club whose future remains in doubt (unfortunately), you can’t get atmosphere like that anywhere else in Washington. The band sounded amazing, and the audience reaction was absolutely mental. And they haven’t even put out an album yet! Definitely a band to watch in 2011.
• The runner-up show would be the Joy Formidable at Black Cat Backstage, November 11, 2010. The Backstage is of comparable size to DC9 (hint hint to bands, management, and promoters) and perfectly intimate. I had no idea how hard this band from Wales was going to rock out, and rock our hard they did. I almost got hit in the head by frontwoman Ritzy Bryan’s guitar a couple times.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• White Lies’s second album, Ritual (Fiction) – the lead single, “Bigger Than Us,” sounds grand and gothic, just as “To Lose My Life” was in 2009. It seems a lifetime ago that I saw them gig, when in fact it was March 2009. So I’m looking forward to the new material and seeing them live again.
• The Joy Formidable’s debut album, The Big Roar (Atlantic) – I have the band’s EP A Balloon Called Moaning, which is nothing short of amazing, so a whole album coming in early 2011 will be great.
• Two Door Cinema Club’s second album – I know they’re working on new material, I just hope they can work fast enough so they can get it out before Christmas 2011. Here’s to hoping.
• Frankie and the Heartstrings’s debut album, Hunger (Sex Pop Ltd) – the Sunderland band has released three singles so far, “Hunger,” “Tender”, and “Ungrateful,” all of which I adore. While in America the big thing this year has been to go backward to Beach Boys-esque surf pop, England is returning to Beatles-esque guitar pop, and I look to this band to do well next year.

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Kings of Leon. I still don’t get their popularity. I’ll be honest, the pigeon story about their show in St. Louis in July made me giggle.
• Hmm, who else…Kanye West on Twitter. Do we really need to hear from him via his electronic soapbox?

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:
It’s really difficult for me to choose among all the amazing shows I’ve been given the opportunity to cover, so I’m going to give my top 3.

• I went to my first major European music festival, Roskilde in Denmark, this summer and saw 28 bands from all over the world during the entire experience. It was truly mind-blowing. There were so many bands that I never expected to ever see live – Bad Lieutenant with Bernard Sumner (playing his new band’s songs along with Joy Division and New Order classics), LCD Soundsystem, and Pendulum, just to name three – and of course lots of Scandinavian acts playing right in their backyard, like the Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Miike Snow, the Kissaway Trail, and Casiokids. My trip had been booked months before Delphic was announced as a late addition, which was an unexpected surprise. I could have however made do without getting shoved to the ground during Biffy Clyro on the second night, having to get pulled out and over the barrier swiftly by vigilant festival security.
• Watching the Temper Trap play triumphant shows in September at Philadelphia’s Trocadero and Boston’s House of Blues signaled to me that they have the goods to be superstars. I’d already seen them in April in DC and also at Roskilde. In my opinion, they played the best set of the entire festival and completely smoked Prince, who played on the adjacent, huge Orange stage just after their set and bored me to tears; I along with some new friends I’d just made that day left early. When preparing to see them again on the last of their many tours of our continent this year, I expected to enjoy their show. But I was overwhelmed both times. I saw girls looking like they were going to faint and people jumping up and down like crazy during “Sweet Disposition.” And when you hear fans have come from as far away as Asia for these shows, you know the band has to be special.
• Delphic’s first-ever show in DC, at DC9 on October 8, was pretty amazing. All my friends had come along to this Friday night show and afterwards, they all came up to me with these starry-eyed expressions, telling me the show was far too short and asking me when they’d return to Washington. I’ve always thought that as a music blogger, I have two main goals: 1, to spread the word about music I love and get people excited about it and 2, put Washington on the map as a city bands want and need to play. This show and the mental crowd reaction gave me validation that all my hard work blogging concerts in town does make a difference.

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.