Here be my 10 favourite albums of the year:
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
All those crazy, musically-diverse layers - beats, lyrics, themes, ego and doubts - through the album.
watch: the trailer (or "moving portrait" as Kanye called it) for the video for 'Power' (which is rumoured to be 40+ minutes long), my favourite song along with 'Monster' (but I love Monster more for Nicki Minaj's verse - she steals the song out from everyone)
2. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
The album did not grab me on first listen, but it was definitely a grower - just like previous album Neon Bible - and by the end of the year I had completely fallen in love with the storytelling, the atmosphere. The music is lighter, but the claustrophobia of the Suburbs is clear still within, the dark heart under the beautiful, peaceful surface.
Listen: 'The Suburbs' / 'Month of May'
3. All Days are Night: Songs for Lulu by Rufus Wainwright.
I love that Rufus Wainwright's idea of“stripped back”still includes gorgeously lush piano-driven heartbreaking paens to grief and love.
Download: 'Who are you, New York?'
4. Everything Under the Sun by Jukebox the Ghost
So many fine, catchy pop songs, so much intelligent thought behind it. Great follow-up album.
Watch: the band being interviewed at the 'Bean' in Chicago, where they talk about Ben Folds Five comparisons and why they have such a weird band name.
5. Mines by Menomena
I love the musical layers in the songs, from the different qualities of the voices to the fuzzy bass to the beat to those great horns.
Download: 'TAOS'
6. Danger Days by My Chemical Romance
Anthemic and built to be played loud - it's not rocket science, but it is damn catchy and fun.
Watch: Art is the Weapon - a trailer of sorts for the first single, the intro for the thru-story and palette and concept for their whole album.
7. Life is Sweet! Pleased to Meet You by Lightspeed Champion
Great songs that are more complex than they seem at first, with lush orchestral arrangements, clever lyrics, and diverse musical styles.
8. Steel Train by Steel Train
Sweet, fun indie pop that I've had on repeat constantly this year.
Listen: 'Turnpike Ghost'
9. The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
I'm still not sure I entirely like this album end-to-end though that might be my reflex reaction to at times deliberately harsh electronica mix through his trademark his beautiful, floaty music. But the album does have some absolutely terrific moments, such as I Walked and the 25 minute standout, Impossible Soul.
Download: 'I Walked'
10. The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae
I love her voice, and the ambitious mishmash of genres and styles all through her music, while remaining catchy as hell.
Watch: the video for 'Tightrope' - great song, great storytelling, creepy video with some mesmerising footwork. What's not to like?
Honourable Mentions
Bad Books – Bad Books
Belle and Sebastian - Belle and Sebastian Write About Love
Annuals – Sweet Sister EP
Boy & Bear – With Emperor Antarctic EP
Looking forward to new releases in 2011 from:
Patrick Wolf (Lupercalia)
Panic! at the Disco (Vices and Virtues)
The Decemberists (The King is Dead is out now)
Bright Eyes (The People's Key)
Okkervil River (I am Very Far)
Manchester Orchestra (Simple Math)
Taking Back Sunday
also rumoured to release new albums are:
fun.
Radiohead
Blink-182
It's looking to be an exciting new year of music! And hopefully some of these guys tour, which brings me to...
live music from 2010!
I saw a total of 19 bands at 16 shows. This included seeing Kevin Devine 3 times and Brand New twice in the space of five days and I don't regret any of that at all (as you will see from the list of best shows below).
Nine Favourite Performances
1. Kevin Devine @ East Brunswick Club, 29 Mar
2. Brand New @ Enmore Theatre, 25 Mar
3. The Decemberists @ The Metro, 19 Jan
4. The Pixies @ Hordern Pavilion, 14 Mar
5. Delta Spirit @ Factory Theatre, 3 Oct
6. Band of Horses @ Enmore Theatre, 29 July
7. Spoon @ The Forum, 7 May
8. Sunny Day Real Estate @ UNSW Roundhouse, 23 Feb
9. Neko Case @ City Recital Hall, 12 Jan
Upcoming Shows:
Sufjan Stevens, Menomena, Andrew McMahon, Belle and Sebastian
Showing posts with label sufjan stevens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sufjan stevens. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Sufjan Stevens - 12 Jan 2008 - State Theatre
The State Theatre is possibly the only place where the blue crystal, red velvet drapes, gold gilding and art deco flourishes rioutously work together. It was uncharacteristically filled with a younger, t-shirt and denim jeans wearing crowd than normally seen in its opulently decorated interior, leaving beer cans and plastic cups all over its foyers, and rather bemused ushers in their wake.
In interviews Sufjan Stevens comes across as rather shy, the music tends towards the quiet and lyrical, and the setting seemed rather too grown up for anything but a serious music show. So I was pleasantly surprised by what a great concert this was: a perfect mix of brilliant musicianship, soft delicate beautiful moments and bright stomping joyous rock songs, visual whimsy and Stevens' rambling charm.
The concert began in a hush, as the ten membered band (including Stevens) filed onto the darkened stage and started playing the quiet beginning of Seven Swans. The first three songs were played without a break in between, one piece segueing seamlessly into the next, from near-acoustic moments of voice, melody and harmony, to the blare of the full band, which included a five-piece brass section, in the more complex instrumental interludes. The band were excellent and uniformly talented, between them playing a vast collection of instruments including a bugle, a trumpet, a clarinet, a saxopohone, a straight (tenor?) sax (the last three played by the same guy), a French horn, a trombone, at least five different people on piano during the set. Stevens himself rotated between acoustic guitar, piano, ukelele and even cowbells!
All through the night, I was struck by how complex the songs are, the beauty of them often obscuring the fact that they are wonderful constructions of melodies and counter-melodies, rather fugue like as each instrument picks out its call and answer lines. The Tallest Man, in particular, was wonderfully immediate and better live in performance, for the ability to visualise the clockwork nature of the music. And I would've been happy to just bask in the amazing interplay between the instruments and Stevens' pretty husky voice woven within it, but he proved himself to be an endearing artist between songs too, starting with a meandering list of things he liked about Australia set before a slideshow of Sydney scenes, and moving onto to rambling, dryly humour anecdotes about inspirations for certain pieces of music (the one about his sister's college roommate that prefaced Jacksonville was by far my favourite, in delivery and in story). I also really liked the humour and whimsy in the presentation: the band's matching multicoloured patchwork tops, the hula hoop girl during BQE and Sufjan's matching display with his own lit-up hula hoop, and the pretty wings the whole band wore during the last song of the set.
When Stevens and the band left the stage the first time, the audience gave them a standing ovation, and were rewarded by a two song encore; the first piece a more acoustic performance of The Dress Looks Nice on You followed by the perfect closer in the magnificent Chicago. It seemed so much care had been put into making the concert experience as relaxed, sweet and enjoyable as possible, and to me they fully succeeded.
Seven Swans
Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
THE BLACK HAWK WAR, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our lands!' *
Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)
Casimir Pulaski Day
Jacksonville
All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands
4th movement (abr.) of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!
To Be Alone With You
Sister
The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
Majesty, Snowbird
The Dress Looks Nice On You
Chicago
* yes, that is the title. In full.
In interviews Sufjan Stevens comes across as rather shy, the music tends towards the quiet and lyrical, and the setting seemed rather too grown up for anything but a serious music show. So I was pleasantly surprised by what a great concert this was: a perfect mix of brilliant musicianship, soft delicate beautiful moments and bright stomping joyous rock songs, visual whimsy and Stevens' rambling charm.
The concert began in a hush, as the ten membered band (including Stevens) filed onto the darkened stage and started playing the quiet beginning of Seven Swans. The first three songs were played without a break in between, one piece segueing seamlessly into the next, from near-acoustic moments of voice, melody and harmony, to the blare of the full band, which included a five-piece brass section, in the more complex instrumental interludes. The band were excellent and uniformly talented, between them playing a vast collection of instruments including a bugle, a trumpet, a clarinet, a saxopohone, a straight (tenor?) sax (the last three played by the same guy), a French horn, a trombone, at least five different people on piano during the set. Stevens himself rotated between acoustic guitar, piano, ukelele and even cowbells!
All through the night, I was struck by how complex the songs are, the beauty of them often obscuring the fact that they are wonderful constructions of melodies and counter-melodies, rather fugue like as each instrument picks out its call and answer lines. The Tallest Man, in particular, was wonderfully immediate and better live in performance, for the ability to visualise the clockwork nature of the music. And I would've been happy to just bask in the amazing interplay between the instruments and Stevens' pretty husky voice woven within it, but he proved himself to be an endearing artist between songs too, starting with a meandering list of things he liked about Australia set before a slideshow of Sydney scenes, and moving onto to rambling, dryly humour anecdotes about inspirations for certain pieces of music (the one about his sister's college roommate that prefaced Jacksonville was by far my favourite, in delivery and in story). I also really liked the humour and whimsy in the presentation: the band's matching multicoloured patchwork tops, the hula hoop girl during BQE and Sufjan's matching display with his own lit-up hula hoop, and the pretty wings the whole band wore during the last song of the set.
When Stevens and the band left the stage the first time, the audience gave them a standing ovation, and were rewarded by a two song encore; the first piece a more acoustic performance of The Dress Looks Nice on You followed by the perfect closer in the magnificent Chicago. It seemed so much care had been put into making the concert experience as relaxed, sweet and enjoyable as possible, and to me they fully succeeded.
Seven Swans
Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
THE BLACK HAWK WAR, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience But You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I have fought the Big Knives and will continue to fight them until they are off our lands!' *
Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)
Casimir Pulaski Day
Jacksonville
All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands
4th movement (abr.) of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!
To Be Alone With You
Sister
The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
Majesty, Snowbird
The Dress Looks Nice On You
Chicago
* yes, that is the title. In full.
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