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”.
