popwreckoning » 2009 http://popwreckoning.com without music, life would be a mistake. Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:15:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Top Ten Reasons to Heart Canada 2009 http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/top-ten-reasons-to-heart-canada-2009/ http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/top-ten-reasons-to-heart-canada-2009/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:30:38 +0000 Reni Papananias http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20623

So, here we are my musical playmates, at the tail end of 2009 with “Top Ten” lists jamming your inboxes, twitter feeds, and collective unconscious. I find myself overwhelmed when faced with the task of writing down that looming “Top Ten.” In an attempt to narrow down the scope of my list, as well as in taking full advantage of the opportunity to write about what is near and dear, I offer you my humble thoughts on the best music North of the border, 2009. That’s right folks, : home to free health care, equality, and just about the best avant garde, trendsetting, F’d up music around. reni

10.

Hailing from Toronto, MSTRKRFT, pronounced Master Kraft, released their second EP in ‘09, Fist of God. Swooping synths, scratchy white noise, and chunky, electro dance beats landed these guys on my list. The duo has remixed songs by fellow Canadian crew members Metric and Wolfmother as well as The Kills and Bloc Party. In 2009, the boys signed to Dim Mak/Downtown and collaborated with hip-hop heavy weights Ghostface Killah and E-40. Boom! A fan of Crystal Castles? Daft Punk? Check these guys out and be prepared to break out your best robo-moves.

9.

I had the chance to catch Reg Vermue, a.k.a. Gentleman Reg at The Bowery Ballroom in New York this Fall. His stunning 2009 album, Jet Black, released on “It” Canadian label Arts &Crafts, home to big-ups like Broken Social Scene and Feist, blew me away. It’s not often you stumble upon music that has you aghast and asking, “Why isn’t everyone listening to this?!” Over the past year, Gentleman Reg’s eclectic genre-mashing musings have sort of been my little secret, my go-to album for everything from inky 80s inspired dance to tethered and bluesy, sly, indie chill. He won’t be staying under the radar for long, so I suggest you beat the crowds while you still can.

8.

Ohbijou is a group of people from Canada who sing and play instruments together and make music, but don’t call them a band. OK? Preferring, “friends, a curatorial movement, familial unit, assembly of musicians, and philanthropic initiative” to the former, Ohbijou are my number eight reason to love Canada this year…and maybe next? I’m predicting an unbearably long line at their SXSW showcase this year. Another great big Canadian collective to fuss over, Ontario-based Ohbijou sound like pillowy exchanges during a late-night slumber party: nostalgic, delicate embroidering of the heart. There’s a certain intimate yet orchestral gleam to lead singer Casey Mecija’s sympathetic choiring. The critically acclaimed, Beacons, was released on Last Gang Records in 2009, and features some of the loudest, feverish rustling I’ve heard all year.

7. K’NAAN

A Somali-born rapper who landed in Toronto at the age of 13, inspired by Eric B and Rakim, and raps about everything from his war-torn homeland to learning ones “ABCs,” K’Naan’s heavily buzzed-about 2009 release, Troubadour, didn’t need much help but certainly picked up steam with guest spots from Damian Marley and Mos Def. On the top of almost every critic’s 2009 watch list, K’Naan offers some of the freshest, most intelligent beats around and boasts an authentic sense of self that challenges the tired, hip-hop stereotypes still being regurgitated in the mainstream.

6.

They hit SXSW last year, rocked CMJ in October, played NYC’s Siren Festival this past summer, and are already slotted for SXSW 2010 return. Beyond buzz, you should be listening to Japandroids if you dig raw, mashed up, cymbal crashing, fuzzed out, beat up, rock with an infectious heart. The emo-steeped “coming of age” tale we know all too well is at the core of this duo, and honestly, it’s what really makes them so damn hard to resist. You know the yearning, bratty chorus by heart: “We used to dream/ Now we worry about dying/ I don’t want to worry about dying,” but this time it’s packaged in a rousing, busted up, pure punk-drunk adrenaline shot.

5.

I have to admit, I just sort of stumbled upon this trio not that long ago, but boy do they deserve to be on this list. Signed to Saddle Creek, in 2009 they released Hometowns, 13 indie rock love letters that pay homage to everything from the beauty of the Alberta wild rose flower to summers in the Rockies to rising towns and hometown honeys. The organic beauty and soil of the rural Canadian countryside is mirrored in this affectionate and nostalgic collection of songs. They are also playing SXSW 2010; stay tuned for my full report.

4.

I caught Timber Timbre (a.k.a. Taylor Kirk) at his packed to capacity Arts & Crafts CMJ showcase in October at Union Pool in Brooklyn. It was worth being sardined in a tiny bat cave to witness this rising dark horse summon the souls of many to his hearth. Timber Timbre’s self-titled 2009 release is a chilling folk-blues foray into a strange world of soulful and haunted hymns, acoustic stillness, cloaked and rising choirs and gloomy, hollow pastoral visions…it’s what you would imagine it sounds like as your passing from this life to the next; vacant, washed out coolness punctuated with flashes of recognition—chirping sparrows, leaves rustling, and cinematic last glances. Kirk had produced one of the most original artistic visions I’ve come across in the past year.

3.

There’s no denying that Sub Pop had a big 2009. Celebrating an anniversary and a kick-ass roster which includes Fleet Foxes and my #3 pick on this list, The Handsome Furs. Face Control, the band’s second release garnered a lot of enthusiasm and kept the two touring for the better part of ‘09. The album is punchy, electro boss with a Soviet slink-all the heart and rumble of Springsteen matched with some of the raunchiest keyboard clout I’ve ever heard. This Montreal match made in heaven, husband and wife duo, Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, are so damn sexy when they perform the music pretty much seeps from their pores. The sweaty kinetics between these two live trumps for best live show of 2009 in my book.

2.

Whether you like hardcore or not, Fucked Up is a band that you need to know about. Winners of the elite 2009 Polaris prize for their album The Chemistry of Common Life, these Toronto-based breakneckers have pretty much owned top spots on almost every list over the past two years. Some critics have been bold enough to claim that the band’s second release has even “redefined hardcore.” With intelligent, provoking lyrics and melodic subterfuges this isn’t your mama’s hardcore. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re on Matador, played a twelve hour marathon album release show last year which featured drop-ins from Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and Dinosaur Jr’s J. Mascis, or that they open the album with a wind instrument that has all the indie-kids perched, but one listen and you have to admit Fucked Up is bringing something different to the game. Now we could get all huge with how many overdubs there are on a particular track or the nerdiness and wonder of the atypical instrument choices they’re batting with or I could just tell you that it’s one of the most thrilling, charging, genre-bending, pioneering albums of the past ten years, never mind 2009.

1.

Tell me you’re not surprised that my favorite Canadians took top honors on my list of reasons to heart Canada 2009. Tegan and Sara are a PopWreckoning favorite and we’ve been all over coverage for the girls’ highly anticipated, stellar sixth album, Sainthood, released in October to wide critical praise. Fans of the twins have been pining for new music since wearing out 2007’s The Con. The new material is a creative push forward for the sisters, one that boasts a heart-wrenching, hyper-analytic, intellectual aplomb and is decidedly more experimental; marking the first time the sisters penned tracks together. I can’t deny my love for the twins’ addictive, power-pop, motives of love and I’m already anxious for new music…most anticipated album of 2012?

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/top-ten-reasons-to-heart-canada-2009/feed/ 0 End of 2009: Joshua Hammond http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-joshua-hammond/ http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-joshua-hammond/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:30:50 +0000 Joshua Hammond http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20705

Top 3 Albums of 2009: josh

  • Eels – Hombre Lobo: If E is the underrated Ryan Adams, Hombre Lobo is 2009′s overlooked Heartbreaker.  If you understood what the hell I just said, this album is for you.
  • Jenny Owen Youngs – Transmitter Failure: Bold, outspoken and witty as hell, Transmitter Failure possesses the quirk of a Regina Spektor’s Soviet Kitsch while offering the maturity and depth of Liz Phair’s Whitechocolatespaceegg. I don’t know about you, but in terms of female artists, she could certainly find herself is far worse company.
  • Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Summer of Fear: I can hear legends when this man opens his mouth. His voice reminds me of Tom Petty or Mark Knopfler. His structures remind me of Bob Dylan. His energy is not to be fucked with. This album is not to be overlooked.

Honorable mention:

  • St. Vincent – Actor: Disney movies meets the Polyphonic Spree is worth checking out. It also might be hard to spot listening out.

Worth Downloading:

  • Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul: Seriously, google it.

Best Show of 2009:

Holy Crap. After seeing like 600 bands play, picking one show is hard. I’m going to aim for three:

  • Howie Day – Record Bar, Kansas City (April 28th, 2009): Howie Day , best known for his creative use of loop pedals, got two songs into his set before the power of the bar went down.  After a ten minute pause to gauge if there would be a return from the Amish setting, Howie Day returned to the stage, taped a flashlight onto a mic stand, pointed it at his face and played the remainder of his set acoustic. The bar was as quiet as I have ever seen in this completely natural boy and his guitar set.
  • Phoenix Myspace Secret Show – Record Bar, Kansas City (June 24, 2009): The venue holds about 200, but they played like there were 20,000 in that room. I’d seen them a few weeks earlier at Bonnaroo and the concept of two different stage sizes for one band was pretty fun to toy with.
  • The Swell Season – Uptown Theatre, Kansas City (November 30th, 2009): The moment that Glen Hansard unplugged and stepped out onto the venue monitors, belting to the 2,000 strong crowd, the goosebumps on my arm couldn’t be held back. I was very impressed by their come back in terms of my opinion, after I had written them off following a very boring Austin City Limits showing in 2008.

Most anticipated in 2010:

  • Stacy Clark – Connect the Dots: Stacy Clark had the most overlooked album of 2008 in my opinion. If her 2010 release is anywhere near as brilliant, it WILL turn heads.
  • Motion City Soundtrack – My Dinosaur Life: Power-pop or not, this band can write moving songs about depression.
  • She and Him – Volume 2:  Zooey will surely be as wonderful on her follow up as she was on Volume 1. Oh, and there’s that M. Ward guy.
  • MGMT – Congratulations: MGMT could be the next generation of The Flaming Lips. They could also be a huge flop. This album will be a good indication of where they’ll land.

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • Grizzly Bear -Veckatimest: Don’t get me wrong, this album has some worth. I’ll give you “rainy day album.” I think it is a fine listen when reading a book or cleaning the house too. I don’t however think it is standout to the point of granting covers to non-music magazines or the other senseless hype surrounding them.
  • Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion: Albums in possession of one quality song and a lot of noisy filler bullshit should not be backed with the end of the year hype this album has. Yeah, we’re looking at you Pitchfork.

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

It has to be the feeling of achievement I’ve received in response to running this site.  I’ve gotten Christmas cards from Jenny Owen Youngs, shared pizza with Kevin Devine and Mansions, danced at shows with Stacy Clark and shared coffee with Anya Marina. I can’t imagine anything topping their approval of my site.

Although, Bonnaroo 2009 came pretty close.

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-joshua-hammond/feed/ 1 End of 2009: Tatum Hengel http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-tatum-hengel/ http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-tatum-hengel/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:30:48 +0000 Tatum Hengel http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20788

Top 3 Albums of 2009: Tatum

  • Manchester Orchestra- Mean Everything To Nothing
  • Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes- Self-Titled
  • Atmosphere- Leak At Will

Best Show of 2009:

  • Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Rumspringa and Starfucker

Most Anticipated in 2010:

  • Another Atmosphere tour! I wanted to see them live SO badly.

Most Overrated of 2009:

  • Lady Gaga

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

  • Rivers Cuomo smashing his acoustic guitar during a rendition of “Undone (the Sweater Song)”

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-tatum-hengel/feed/ 0 End of 2009: Matt Miles http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-matt-miles/ http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-matt-miles/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:30:46 +0000 popwreckoning http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20791

Top 3 Albums of 2009: matt

  • Converge – Axe to Fall
  • Flaming Lips – Embryonic
  • Decemberists – Hazards of Love

Honorable Mentions:

  • Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – It’s Blitz
  • Them Crooked Vultures
  • Dead Man’s Bones
  • N.A.S.A – Spirit of Apollo

Best Show of 2009:

  • Green Day – United Center, Chicago

Honorable Mention:

  • Tool – Lollapalooza 2009
  • Jay-Z – Northerly Island, Chicago
  • Thursday – Bottom Lounge, Chicago

Most Anticipated in 2010:
The Avalanches – TBA
Hot Chip – One Life Stand
Ted Leo & the Pharmacicts – The Brutalist Bricks
Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck – IRM
LCD Soundsystem – TBA
The Strokes – TBA
Arcade Fire – TBA
She & Him – Volume 2
Menomena – TBA
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Bayside – TBA
Dr. Dre – Detox

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • Lady Gaga – The Fame
  • Lil Wayne…anything and everything
  • Vampire Weekend – in concert

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

  • Lollapalooza opening back up.
  • Seeing cops pull up to watch Greg pull out an awesome set for Girl Talk at Pitchfork 2007 and kill it. The entire area overflowed while he was playing and people were forced to cross the street – cops pulled up in their cars to investigate what all the “loitering” public was doing and realized how good Mr. Gillis was and ended up watching his show. Can you imagine – eight cops all sitting on their cars in the middle of downtown Chicago watching Girl Talk play a set in a park? Never again….
  • Seeing my friend’s band open for Coldplay on their 2002 tour.
  • Meeting Billie Joe of Green Day and getting an advanced copy of American Idiot on a burned cd – Billie just wrote on the label and said, “Here ya go…have a listen” – who knew how influential the album would later be.

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/end-of-2009-matt-miles/feed/ 0 Happy New Year with DJ Earworm’s ‘United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop) – Mashup of Top 25 Billboard Hits’ http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/happy-new-year-with-dj-earworms-united-state-of-pop-2009-blame-it-on-the-pop-mashup-of-top-25-billboard-hits/ http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/happy-new-year-with-dj-earworms-united-state-of-pop-2009-blame-it-on-the-pop-mashup-of-top-25-billboard-hits/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:00:46 +0000 Bethany Smith http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20795

Happy New Year!

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2010/01/01/happy-new-year-with-dj-earworms-united-state-of-pop-2009-blame-it-on-the-pop-mashup-of-top-25-billboard-hits/feed/ 0 End of 2009: Ali Hussain http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/31/end-of-2009-ali-hussain/ http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/31/end-of-2009-ali-hussain/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:30:35 +0000 Ali Hussain http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20607

Top 3 Albums of 2009: ali

  • Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
  • White Lies – To Lose My Life
  • Miike Snow – Miike Snow

Best Show of 2009:

  • Phoenix at Terminal 5

Most Anticipated in 2010:

  • Vampire Weekend
  • Delphic

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • La Roux

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

  • Watching the video for the Strokes’ “Last Nite” not knowing who they were, but discovering that music and then everything that came after. A saviour from the music that was playing in the 90s.

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/31/end-of-2009-ali-hussain/feed/ 0 End of 2009: Sarah Hassan http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/31/end-of-2009-sarah-hassan/ http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/31/end-of-2009-sarah-hassan/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:30:48 +0000 Sarah Hassan http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20583

Top 3 Albums of 2009: sarah

  • The Dangerous Summer – Reach for the Sun
  • This Providence – Who Are You Now?
  • Mayday Parade – Anywhere But Here

Best Show of 2009:

  • Buzz Under the Stars – Taking Back Sunday, Anberlin, Alkaline Trio, The Offspring, The Used
  • Mayday Parade, The Dangerous Summer, There For Tomorrow
  • Paramore, Paper Route

Most Anticipated in 2010:

  • 3OH!3
  • Lydia
  • Paper Route

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • Jonas Brothers
  • Miley Cyrus
  • Rihanna

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/31/end-of-2009-sarah-hassan/feed/ 0 End of 2009: Molly Segers http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/30/end-of-2009-molly-segers/ http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/30/end-of-2009-molly-segers/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:30:04 +0000 Molly Segers http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20618

Top 3 Albums of 2009: molly

  • Ingrid Michaelson – Everybody
  • Morningwood – Diamonds and Studs
  • The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon

Best Show of 2009:

  • Butch Walker at Hotel Cafe 11/25 when he let the fans pick the set list via Twitter. All Falls Apart, Make Up and a Monkees cover all in one night. What more could a girl ask for?

Most Anticipated in 2010:

  • The forever promised No Doubt record. I know it’s supposedly been in the works for years now, but a true Gwennabe never gives up.

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • Taylor Swift- blar.

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

  • Allow me to get a little Lifetime movie network for a moment… My pick would have to be discovering Butch Walker, aside from the music (which I adore) I’ve met some of my favorite people, including my best friend, because of him.

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/30/end-of-2009-molly-segers/feed/ 0 End of 2009: Reni Papananias http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/30/end-of-2009-reni-papananias/ http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/30/end-of-2009-reni-papananias/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:30:34 +0000 Reni Papananias http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20592

Top 3 Albums of 2009: reni (2)

Top 3? You know, when doing these lists, you have to decide which perspective you want to come from. Do I remark on what’s trendy and basically tell you what you already know…that dream-pop, 80s synth, super groups, and flannel-fuzzy folk is “It”? Or rather, do I share my personal Aha! albums with you, the ones that got the most spin on my ipod, the ones that I shared my crusty morning commutes and busted late night subway sojourns with, the ones that are still stuck in my gut? You should be able to tell from my list where I landed.

  • – Sainthood
  • Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Summer of Fear
  • Mew – No More Stories…

Honorable Mentions:

  • Gossip – Music For Men
  • An Horse – Rearrange Beds
  • Jay Z – The Blueprint 3

Best Show of 2009:

  • Peaches @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

You have not lived until you’ve seen the Madame of electro-clash, Peaches, “Fuck the Pain Away” with a giant glow stick dildo while simultaneously dangling like a wild arboreal mammal from the rafters in Brooklyn. Nuff said.

  • Honorable Mention: PJ Harvey @ SXSW

PJ debuts her album, A Man A Woman Walked By, for a small gathering of oh…about thirty, myself included? Yeah, that pretty much has to be mentioned, again.

Most Anticipated in 2010:

Buzzed about, fussed over, sophomore challenges and an unthinkable reunion, make the list.

  • Lissy Trullie – Self-Taught Learner (early 2010): Asymmetrical bob sporting, art school educated, former model, sings and struts a decidedly Downtown, New Wave cool beat.
  • Vampire Weekend – Contra (January 12, 2010): Ezra Koenig buys a new pair of boat shoes and hopes they last as long as the first ones.
  • Los Campesinos! – Romance Is Boring: Arts & Crafts darlings return on January 26 with more frisky music to crush on. According to singer Gareth Campesinos! the new album is about “shagging and death.” What more could I possibly hope for?
  • Fences: Tattooed, foul-mouthed, impossibly indie crooner with Sara Quin at the helm. Expect an early 2010 release.
  • Pavement: Reunion tour…time for the wee ones to wiki “prog rock” and take note!
  • MGMT: Congratulations is to be released this coming spring and a “secret” Sir Paul McCartney project in the works? Will their follow-up make Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo break a sweat?

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • Grizzly Bear-Veckatimist

Hold yourself back now! I know, it was highly anticipated and got top honors from just about everyone from the moment it leaked, and I tried, I really tried to love this album but it just didn’t stick for me. I’m even going against my hero Bob Boilan (NPR/All Songs Considered) when I shut this album down! Sure, it’s intricate and dreamy, with all the lush harmonies, strings, and chilly choirs an indie-lovin’ girl could ask for, but the hype! The hype! It’s good, but not mind-blowing and I’m still not sure about this “glo-fi” movement that they’re pioneering according to some.

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

  • Simple. I’m talking about the moment at the very end of Michael Jackson’s last rehearsal for the This Is It tour, at the end of “They Don’t Really Care About Us,” when he drops a little smile and stands still for a peaceful split second. It’s the last image of Jackson we have and he’s smiling. I watched it twenty times in a row on You Tube after hearing the news of his death. Seeing him happy in that moment is both haunting and beautiful.

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/30/end-of-2009-reni-papananias/feed/ 1 End of 2009: Tracy Nunnery http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/29/end-of-2009-tracy-nunnery/ http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/29/end-of-2009-tracy-nunnery/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:30:55 +0000 Tracy Nunnery http://popwreckoning.com/?p=20243

TVN2

Top 3 Albums of 2009:

  • Sigur Ros – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
  • Silversun Pickups – Swoon
  • Doves – Kingdom of Rust

Best Show of 2009:

  • The Decemberists – “A Short Fazed Hovel” tour

Most Anticipated in 2010:

  • Spoon – Transference
  • DEVO
  • She Wants Revenge
  • Arcade Fire
  • Massive Attack – Heligoland
  • The Rapture
  • Gang of Four
  • MGMT – Congratulations

Most Overrated in 2009:

  • Vampire Weekend
  • Muse
  • U2

Favorite Musical Memory of the Decade:

  • One my fondest musical memories of the past decade was the Snake River Conspiracy “Bush And Gore 2000” tour. SRC was the short-lived band with Jason Slater of Third Eye Blind and the incredible vocals of Tobey Torres in a sexy, industrial rock wrapper. This was the last show I saw at The Masquerade in Atlanta before moving across the country to San Francisco, the place SRC and I would both call home. While the show was memorable on its own merits, the diminutive venue was really the star as it was a regular destination for countless live music shows during college. It’s the kind of place that will punish you with its awful acoustics and will leave you wondering if the three perforated floors (Heaven, Hell and Purgatory) would hold up to the nightly torture from enthusiastic fans. And, there was always the chance that you would arrive for a show to find that the city had decided to demolish the building altogether.

Over the years, The Masquerade was the place for me to witness incredible performances before the bands graduated to larger stages. In 1989, there was the 100-degree Nine Inch Nails “Sweat-Fest” where the entire 1000-person capacity crowd gathered shirtless under a lone ceiling fan lazily spinning at about twenty revolutions per minute. Then there was the vicious Niter Ebb show that left everyone with a temporary case of full-body tinnitus. And, at the other end of the spectrum was Björk in a pre-swan dress show where she shushed the music emanating from the other floors of the club during her performance of “It’s Oh So Quiet.”

The Masquerade is the kind of place that will treat you like garbage, completely pummel your senses and otherwise abuse everyone who climbs her rickety stairs. But, like a relationship in need of some serious therapy, she always knows you’ll be back because of all the glorious memories you have together.

Related Posts

]]> http://popwreckoning.com/2009/12/29/end-of-2009-tracy-nunnery/feed/ 0