Lists, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Top 10, err... 15 Concerts I Attended in 2011

In the first of my Best Of 2011 lists...

To follow there will be Best Of's in Film, Albums, Songs, TV and a few random surprises. But we shall start here. And keep in mind too these aren't necessarily the best bands, just the best shows. Although that of course plays a HUGE influence.

And in what is becoming a tradition with my music lists here is a Spotify Playlist specially created with only bands I saw in 2011.

Spotify '11 Concerts Playlist: http://open.spotify.com/user/12440324/playlist/7o4TyTc4J1gyn4qRyOFFH8

15) Justin Townes Earle

Grant/Millennium Park - Chicago

Choice Moment: Doing a heartbreaking yet fun rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street"

Show Clip: There were only two total clips online so this will have to do.

14) Pete Yorn with Ben Kweller (On my 31st Birthday btw)

Canopy Club - Champaign, Il

Choice Moment: Ben Kweller's piano solo cover of the Beach Boys "God Only Knows". That and me catching a drumstick of course.

Show Clip: I actually have some video of this but its not handy. This will have to do instead (he played this acoustic in this show as well). I effing love it when he breaks the verse down too.

13) The Dodos

in a small church - Champaign - Pygmalion Music Festival

Choice Moment: The atmosphere is what made this so special. Just watching these guys play 8 and 9 minute+ version of their work in this small intimate setting with a stained glass window behind them was perfection. I liked this band before this show, I loved them after.

Show Clip: Sadly no actual clip can be found. But this wonderfully building piece below perfectly exemplifies what this band is like live.

12) Bob Schneider and Filter

Bat Fest 2011 - Austin, TX

Choice Moment: This was my first concert in Austin so it had a special meaning regardless. But seeing the Adam West rocking out to some 'Honey Pot' and then an impromptu cover by Bob and his band of Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" are moments I won't soon forget.

Show Clip: Just a friend... with a lil' improv in that Bob Schneider way. This whole performance and show just reeks of Austin.

11) Alpha Rev with Quiet Company, Joe Pug and Ed Rolland of Collective Soul
La Zona Rosa - Austin
Choice Moment: Ed Roland on stage singing "World I Know" and "Shine" with Alpha Rev. Something I never thought I'd hear again live in my lifetime. Throw in Quiet Company's cover of "El Scorcho" and we had one hell of a successful show.

Show Clip: This is actually my own video that I uploaded to my facebook. I think my quote to my friend right before they played this was "If they play 'The World I Know' I may lose it".

10) Iron & Wine with The Head and the Heart
Vogue Theater - Indianapolis
Choice Moment: Both bands on stage for a stirring collaborative version of "Boy with a Coin". This also was the first I had ever heard of The head and the Heart who are now one of my favorite new bands of 2011.

Show Clip: Sadly no actual clip could be found. But they did perform a very striking version of this song below in the same manner, which of course was effing moving.

9) Death Cab for Cutie
Austin Music Hall - Austin
Choice Moment: Closing the show with a 10 minute version of Transatlantacism, my all-time favorite Death Cab track. That alone was worth the price of admission and was the first time I had ever heard it Live.

Show Clip: I was up stairs in a VIP area with a pretty sweet view. The crowd singing along to a stripped down version of "I'll Follow You Into the Dark" also was pretty sweet:

8) M83, Lykke Li, Ra Ra Riot, Spoon, Joy Formiddable, Childish Gambino, Cold Cave
Fun, Fun, Fun Fest - Austin
Choice Moment: Honestly it might have been Donald Glover's standup but aside from that the M83 and LykKe Li shows were two that exceeded my expectations.

Show Clip: I dig this a lot because you can see how well they utilized the stage. it was a long day so I was sitting for part of this but it was a wonderful way to wind down the fest.

7) Braid, Deerhoof, Japandroids, Asobi Seksu, Strfkr
PolyVinyl 15th Anniversary Show - Pygmalion Music Fest - Champaign
Choice Moment: Pretty much the second Braid got on stage. I felt like I was 15 again.

Show Clip: I was all over the place for this show but for Braid was pretty close the first half, and for good reason

6) Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Metro - Chicago
Choice Moment: Uhh, seeing Godspeed live. Seriously, this was something I had waited years for. The use of lights and stage accents really helped as well.

Show Clip: I was actually way in the back for this one, but it didn't matter. You can enjoy them from anywhere. This is 15 minutes that you need to invest right here

5) Foster the People, MGMT, The Shins, Big Boi, Phantogram, Erykah Badu, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Phish
Outside Lands Fest - San Francisco
Choice Moment: Foster the People covering well... let me just link this below. If you don't know why this was so awesome you don't know me too well.

All in all this was an amazing festival from top to bottom. And with 65 degree weather in SF the week after I just accepted a new job and moved across the country it was a fitting way to end my weekend

4) Bon Iver
Chicago Theater - Chicago
Choice Moment: Completely stripped down Acoustic version of "Skinny Love" with the crowd singing along.

Show Clip: about ten rows from the front, on the left side. Every single song was so damn powerful, this is how the show opened. Just like on the new album.

3) The National with Local Natives
Austin Music Hall - Austin
Choice Moment: Encore set by The National that included lead singer Matt Berninger walking through the entire crowd belting the repeated lyrics at the end of Terrible Love. Followed by a 100% unplugged (literally, not even a mic) and singing in unison with the crowd for the finale.

Show Clip: The true closing number, completely unplugged. Brilliant

2) Weezer
Memories Tour -Pinkerton Album - Chicago
Choice Moment: For those not familiar this wasn't just a 'Weezer' concert, this was them playing Pinkerton, in it's entirety, from start top finish. So hearing tracks like Butterfly and Across the Sea was beyond special since these are songs that Rivers usually refuses to play in other shows because of how personal and emotionally tragic they are.

Show Clip: Was right in front, dead center for this with Vicki and friends belting out every lyric in unison. When the crowd goes nuts here is a "memory" indeed

1) Arcade Fire with The National
UIC Pavilion - Chicago
Choice Moment: The entire show really. This may have been the greatest concert of my lifetime even. Arcade Fire played an over 2 hour set that I will likely never forget.

Show Clip: I was a bit closer than this, just towards the right of the stage. The energy of the crowd was and is palpable. This may have been the greatest show of the last decade for me, not just 2011. Effing perfection.

Honorable Mention: Passion Pit (Assembly Hall - Champaign) Appleseed Cast (Champaign), Saves the Day with Bayside (Austin), Cut Copy with Washed Out (Champaign, Pygmalion Music Fest), Bear Hands (Champaign, Pygmalion Music Fest), Margot & the Nuclear So &So's (Vogue Theater, Indianapolis), Girl Talk (Canopy Club - Champaign)

Monday, December 5, 2011

Top 10 Songs I act Like I Hate, but Secretly Love

And yes, I am fully prepared to take plenty of shit for this one.

Plus you are a cold-hearted liar if you act like you hate every track listed.

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10) Britney Spears – Toxic

Yeah...

9) Katy Perry – Firework

It took me a full year before I even knew this was Katy Perry.

8) Lady Gaga – A Bad Romance

I just love all of that "ra ra aha ah ahhha hhh, gaga oohh lala" or whatever it is. Ugh.

7) Kelly Clarkson – Since You Been Gone*
I refuse to use the actual title which instead spells it "U"

It is impossible for me not to bob my head to the chorus

6) Natasha Beddingfield - Pocket Full of Sunshine

This clip perfectly exemplifies this song to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HVCB9hW6kg&feature=related

5) LMFAO – Rock Party Anthem

Tongue in cheek wonderfulness. And I will forever defend the Kia Gerbils too.

4) Justin Bieber – Baby

Ugh. This one is tough but I... just.cant.help.myself.

This also may be the greatest thing in the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eWxPgyD7Ew

3) Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love

"I don't care what they say..." I'm still in love with this song. I can't explain it either.
I heard it on AI one night and have been hooked since.

2) Backstreet Boys – I Want it That Way (Tell me Why)

My first true "guilty pleasure song". The Tell me whyeyye?!?! is pop perfection in shit wrapper.

1) Enrique Iglesias – You Can’t Escape My Love

I have secretly loved this song for too many years now, the cat is out of the bag. No single track on the planet immediately puts me in as good of a mood as this. I had an ex that would play it every time we fought and I would concede and just smile. No joke. Why? I still don't know. But it is and always likely will be my #1 secret joy in this world.

Bonus Tracks –

Whatever is played during this commercial:

Any recent song by The Black Eyed Pees

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Top 10 Soundtracks of the 90's

And please note this is needle drop only. NOT scores. That is a different and, honestly, much more difficult list for me to make outside of the top 3.

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And for the lazy folks out there I made you a best of Playlist on Spotify. Complete with many songs seen here and some other random additions that just scream "90's Soundtrack"

Spotify 90's Soundtrack Playlist:
http://open.spotify.com/user/12440324/playlist/5fkdH8aMXMfOHAMYmlGA16

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Bonus Pick
#11) Trainspotting

Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, New Order, Pulp and more? Yes please. It also features my favorite song by one of my alltime favorite artists in Lou Reed's brilliant "Perfect Day"

1. Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
2. Deep Blue Day - Brian Eno
3. Trainspotting - Primal Scream
4. Atomic - Sleeper
5. Temptation - New Order
6. Nightclubbing - Iggy Pop
7. Sing - Blur
8. Perfect Day - Lou Reed
9. Mile End - Pulp
10. For What You Dream Of - Bedrock
11. 2:1 - Elastica
12. A Final Hit - Leftfield
13. Born Slippy .NUXX - Underworld
14. Closet Romantic - Damon Albarn

10) The Crow

I listened to this far too much to be able to omit it. Looking back, it wasn't nearly as good as I recalled but a number of standouts still exist. The Cure's "Burn", NIN's cover of Joy Divisions "Dead Souls" and one of my favorite STP tracks highlight the album. I also am still oddly driven to Jane Siberry's "It Can't Rain All the Time" which I remember listening to on repeat in my bedroom under a ton of blacklights. Yeeeeaaaah... Ahem.

1. Burn - The Cure
2. Golgotha Tenement Blues - Machines of Loving Grace
3. Big Empty - Stone Temple Pilots
4. Dead Souls - Nine Inch Nails (Joy Division)
5. Darkness - Rage Against the Machine
6. Color Me Once - Violent Femmes
7. Ghostrider - Rollins Band
8. Milktoast - Helmet
9. The Badge - Pantera
10. Slip Slide Melting - For Love Not Lisa
11. After the Flesh - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
12. Snakedriver - The Jesus and Mary Chain
13. Time Baby III - Medicine
14. It Can't Rain All the Time - Jane Siberry

9) Jerry Maguire

Not as reminiscent of the decade but still full of older goodies to be found from The Who, Tom Petty and more. Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" (although better utilized in PTA's Magnolia) helped the cause in my list more than most would know. I also will forever be an apologist for Springsteen's "Secret Garden". Yep.

1. Requiem Again -The Durutti Column
2. The Horses - Rickie Lee Jones
3. I'll Be You - The Replacements
4. Momma Miss America - Paul McCartney
5. Singalong Junk- Paul McCartney

6. Pocket Full of Rainbows - Elvis Presley
7. The Lonely Bull - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
8. Angel of the Morning - Merrilee Rush
9. Getting In Tune - The Who

10. Magic Bus - The Who
11. Something in the Way - Nirvana

12. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) - AC/DC

13. Free Fallin' - Tom Petty

14. Neil Young – World on a String
15. Shelter from the Storm- Bob Dylan
16. Secret Garden - Bruce Springsteen
17. Bitch - The Rolling Stones
18. Wise Up - Aimee Mann

8) Gross Pointe Blank

First can we just all acknowledge now how underrated this flick is? Good, I agree. Another soundtrack that doesn't necessarily capture as much of the 90's but still strikes the right chord for the decade as a film in the process. It also helped catapult Violent Femmes back into the spotlight, a feat that deserves recognition alone. I also gave extra points for Faith No More and the addition of a top 25 track of all time in "Under Pressure"

1. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes

2. Rudie Can't Fail - Clash
3. Mirror In The Bathroom - English Beat
4. Under Pressure - David Bowie, Queen
5. I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
6. Live & Let Die - Guns N' Roses
7. We Care A Lot - Faith No More
8. Pressure Drop - Specials
9. Absolute Beginners - Jam
10. Armagideon Time - Clash
11. El Matador - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
12. Let My Love Open The Door (E. Cola Mix) - Pete Townshend
13. Blister 2000 - Violent Femmes

7) So I Married an Axe Murderer

It was really hard to keep this just at 7 actually. Perfectly illustrates the 90's both in film and soundtrack including some of the most distinguishable tracks of the decade most notably with the Spin Doctor's "Two Princes". Throw in Toad the Wet Sprocket, Soul Asylum and a cheerful closing track in "There She Goes" and we have a perfectly balanced 90's soundtrack.

1. Brother - Toad the Wet Sprocket
2. The Break - Soul Asylum
3. Starve To Death - Chris Whitley
4. Rush - Big Audio Dynamite
5. This Poem Sucks - Mike Myers
6. Saturday Night - Ned's Atomic Dustbin
7. Long Day in the Universe - Darling Buds
8. Two Princes - Spin Doctors
9. My Insatiable One - Suede
10. Maybe Baby - Sun 60
11. There She Goes - La's

6) Forrest Gump

This easily could have been the top soundtrack of the 90's but I knocked it a few points for not having anything truly "90's" about it. Whats so great about this list for me is the time period it exemplifies and although this is one of the greatest music soundtracks of all time it does not have anything definable in it for said decade. Having said all that, Holy Hell is this an amazing soundtrack.

Disc One

1. Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
2. Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy
3. (I Don't Know Why) But I Do" - Clarence "Frogman" Henry
4. Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
5. Land of 1000 Dances - Wilson Pickett
6. Blowin' in the Wind - Joan Baez
7. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - The Four Tops
9. Respect - Aretha Franklin
10. Rainy Day Women #12 - Bob Dylan
11. Sloop John B - Beach Boys
12. California Dreamin' - The Mamas & the Papas
13. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
14. What the World Needs Now Is Love - Jackie DeShannon
15. Break on Through (To the Other Side) - The Doors
16. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel

Disc Two
1. Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane
2. Let's Get Together - The Youngbloods
3. San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie
4. Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
5. Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In - The 5th Dimension
6. Everybody's Talkin' - Harry Nilsson
7. Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
8. Stoned Love - The Supremes
9. Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head - B. J. Thomas
10. Mr. President - Randy Newman
11. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. It Keeps You Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
13. I've Got to Use My Imagination - Gladys Knight & the Pips
14. On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
15. Against the Wind - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

5) Singles

The second Cameron Crowe film to make the list which if you follow him close enough should be no surprise. As a whole, I feel that the power here is more in the bands themselves then the tracks but in the end you can't make a 90's list and not mention something that includes the likes of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and more. Nothing exemplifies the grunge era better than this.

1. Would? - Alice in Chains
2. Breath - Pearl Jam
3. Seasons - Chris Cornell
4. Dyslexic Heart - Paul Westerberg
5. The Battle of Evermore (live Led Zeppelin cover) - The Lovemongers
6. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love Bone
7. Birth Ritual - Soundgarden
8. State of Love and Trust - Pearl Jam
9. Overblown - Mudhoney
10. Waiting for Somebody Paul Westerberg
11. May This Be Love -The Jimi Hendrix Experience
12. Nearly Lost You - Screaming Trees
13. Drown - Smashing Pumpkins

4) Empire Records

Not as many individual standouts in terms of singles but it was an album I listed to on repeat for many years. There isn't a bad track on the album with some of the most definable 90's pop bands to be found. Gin Blossoms, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Cranberries, Better Than Ezra and more. It's one of the first thoughts I have when I think of "90's Soundtracks" and for good reason.

1. Til I Hear It from You - Gin Blossoms
2. Liar - The Cranberries
3. A Girl Like You - Edwyn Collins
4. Free - The Martinis
5. Crazy Life - Toad the Wet Sprocket
6. Bright As Yellow - The Innocence Mission
7. Circle of Friends - Better Than Ezra
8. I Don't Want to Live Today - Ape Hangers
9. Whole Lotta Trouble - Cracker
10. Ready, Steady, Go by The Meices
11. What You Are - Drill
12. Nice Overalls - Lustre
13. Here It Comes Again - Please
14. The Ballad of El Goodo - Evan Dando
15. Sugarhigh - Coyote Shivers
16. The Honeymoon Is Over - The Cruel Sea

3) Can't Hardly Wait

A wonderfully balanced soundtrack with some amazing little known tracks from under-appreciated bands like Feeder and Matthew Sweet with huge hits from Blink and Busta Rhymes. Throw in some great older party mix tunes from the 80's in GnR and Run DMC and you have a winner from top to bottom.

1. Graduate - Third Eye Blind
2. Can't Get Enough Of You Baby - Smash Mouth
3. Dammit - Blink 182
4. I Walked In - Brougham
5. Turn It Up/Fire It Up - Busta Rhymes
6. Hit Em Wit Da Hee - Missy Elliott feat. Lil' Kim and Mocha
7. Swing My Way - K.P. & Envyi
8. Flashlight - Parliament
9. It's Tricky - Run D.M.C.
10. High - Feeder
11. Tell Me What To Say - Black Lab
12. Farther Down - Matthew Sweet
13. Can't Hardly Wait - The Replacements
14. Umbrella - Dog's Eye View
15. Paradise City - Guns N' Roses

2) Cruel Intentions

Two songs firmly had this planted on the top 3 without me even trying: The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and one of my top 5 songs of the decade "Colorblind" by the never out of style Counting Crows. Throw in an amazing decade defining track from Fatboy Slim and some wonderful additions by Blur, Skunk Anansie and Marcy Playground and you have a fantastic soundtrack that unlike others on this list, better encompasses my current musical taste.

1. Every You Every Me - Placebo
2. Praise You - Fatboy Slim
3. Coffee And TV - Blur
4. Bedroom Dancing - Day One
5. Colorblind - Counting Crows
6. Ordinary Life - Kristen Barry
7. Comin' Up From Behind - Marcy Playground
8. Secretly - Skunk Anansie
9. This Love - Craig Armstrong
10. You Could Make A Killing - Aimee Mann
11. Addictive - Faithless
12. Trip On Love - Abra Moore
13. You Blew Me Off - Bare Jr.
14. Bitter Sweet Symphony -The Verve

1) Reality Bites

It just oozes 90's in every aspect and includes a wonderful mix of radio friendly pop hits like Big Mountain's "Baby I Love your Way" and the Knacks "My Sharona" with some of the edgier influential bands of the decade like Dinosaur Jr and the Posies. More importantly (and what puts this album over the top for me) it features two of my all-time favorite songs: The impeccable beauty Lisa Loeb doing two versions of her #1 hit "Stay" (including an acoustic version that still gets to me today) and one of the greatest unknown U2 love songs in the nearly 7 minute "All I Want is You". I can still listen to this from start to finish today and enjoy every minute of it just like I did as a HS Sophomore, which in the end is what allowed this to narrowly edge out the #1 spot.

1. My Sharona - The Knack
2. Spin The Bottle - The Juliana Hatfield 3
3. Bed Of Roses - The Indians
4. When You Come Back To Me - World Party
5. Going, Going, Gone - The Posies
6. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
7. All I Want Is You - U2
8. Locked Out - Crowded House
9. Spinning Around Over You - Lenny Kravitz
10. I'm Nuthiin' - Ethan Hawke
11. Turnip Farm - Dinosaur Jr.
12. Revival - Me Phi Me
13. Tempted (94) - Squeeze
14. Baby, I Love Your Way - Big Mountain
15. Stay (I Missed You) (Living Room Mix) - Lisa Loeb
16. Ass It Up - Ethan Hawke
17. Confusion - New Order
18. Disco Inferno - The Trammps
19. Give A Man A Fish - Arrested Development
20. Fools Like Me - Lisa Loeb

Honorable Mention:

Pulp Fiction - Some of the most entertaining parts are the integrated sound bites from the movie leading into the music. Unfortunately those don't really count for me in the rules I went by here.

The Chase - Maybe the best Punk soundtrack *ever*. Sadly though a real "soundtrack" was never released so this is here because of that technicality. Artists include: NOFX, Bad Religion, Down by Law, Rancid, Rollins Band and more.

Angus - In some ways I am shocked this didn't make crack my top 10 here as I have nothing but fond memories of this on repeat driving around Tampa in my car. Greenday, Ash and (of course) Weezer highlight but tracks by Love Spit Love and Dance Hall Crashers also got plenty of run and rightfully so.

Phenomenon - More of a guilty pleasure for me than anything else but some solid tracks by Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Marvin Gaye. Jewel and yeah, I said it: Aaron Neville.

The Matrix - Honestly I just got really sick of this (and still am 12+ years later). But it did have some standout tracks from Rage Against the Machine, Rammstein, Prodigy and more. It's worth noting too that (lamely) half the songs on the Soundtrack were not even featured in the film. Another point that frustrates me in a "Disturbing Behavior" level way. Which if you know what I am referring to right now are likely my friend for life.

American Pie - The first album out of the top 11. A variety of fun tracks from bands like Blink, Third Eye Blind, Tonic and more with two excellent subdued counterparts with Bic Runga's "Sway" and her duet with Semisonic's Dan Wilson with "Good Morning Baby"

Cable Guy - It starts and ends with a top 25 track of the decade for me in Primitive Radio Gods hit "Standing Outside a Broken Telephone Booth with Money in my Hand". Throw in Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot" and Rob Zombie's hit "More Human than Human" and you have another album that was tough to leave off the list.

Spotify 90's Soundtrack Playlist: http://open.spotify.com/user/12440324/playlist/5fkdH8aMXMfOHAMYmlGA16

Friday, November 11, 2011

Top 10 Songs Likely to be heard at the Doofin’s wedding

and in no particular order...

Jimmy Eat World – For Me this is Heaven
second song that came to my head

Ryan Adams - Wonderwall
because it's beautiful and the greatest cover of all time. A point we both agreed upon

Tonic – If you could only see
First song that came to my head

Guster – Satellite
I had to pick a Guster song. And although my guess is something like 'Either Way' would be a favorite, lyrically it made the least sense for a wedding.

Fall Out Boy – Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy
You know I must love you to have taken my time to find a Fall Out Boy song for this list. <3
And lyrically its a stretch but it works(ish)

John Williams - Jurassic Park Soundtrack - Main Theme
and it will be at my wedding too...

Decemberists – The Rake's Song
Can't make a list for my Doofin without some Colin. This was the obvious choice IMO

Randy Edelman- Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack - Promentory
You have to think of me at some point in the wedding. This addition should suffice