My Top 10 Albums of 2012

These are the albums that got played from start to finish once they started.  I'd sit in the car for an extra 5 minutes or stay at the gym for one more rep just to hear it in it's entirety.  It's the way that they flow, how the songs transition, the journey the artist takes you on that sets these albums apart from others for me.

• 10 - America by Dan Deacon
• 9 - Reservoir by Fanfarlo
• 8 - Attack On Memory by Cloud Nothings
• 7 - Something by Chairlift
• 6 - Give You The Ghost by Polica
• 5 - Nocturne by Wild Nothing
• 4 - Mixed Emotions by Tanlines
• 3 - Bloom by Beach House
• 2 - Celebration Rock by Japandroids
• 1 - Lonerism by Tame Impala

Favorite Performances of 2012

Throughout 2012 I probably attended close to 20 concerts in 5 different states.  Here are a few of the most memorable performances that I saw.

1. Phish - Atlantic City, NJ 6/16/12
• My first Phish experience was not a let-down.  The middle set of their 3 night stint in AC was a stellar live introduction to the band for me.
2. The Killers - Firefly Music Festival: Dover, DE 7/??/12
• They headlined night 2 of the inaugural year for the festival.  We waited about an hour and a half to get within 25-30' of the stage among a crowd of about 30,000.
3. Alabama Shakes - Baltimore, MD 4/7/12
• All the good things you've heard about seeing them live are true.
4. Girls - Philadelphia, PA 1/12/12
• Glad I got to see them before they broke up a few months later.
5. M83 - Philadelphia, PA 8/1/12
• An energetic and blistering set with a top notch lighting display. 

Boot: The Killers - Baden, Germany 8/9/12

A nice set from The Killers with great sound quality.  I got to see them just a couple weeks before this performance at the Firefly Music Festival.  It was definitely one of the best performances I saw all year.


Setlist:
1 - Runaways
2 - Somebody Told Me
3 - Smile Like You Mean It
4 - Spaceman
5 - Flesh And Bone
6 - For Reasons Unknown
7 - Bling (Confessions Of A King)
8 - Miss Atomic Bomb
9 - Human
10 - A Dustland Fairytale
11 - Forever Young (cover)
12 - Read My Mind
13 - Mr. Brightside
14 - All These Things That I've Done
15 - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
16 - When You Were Young
Download: The Killers - Baden 8/9/12

New To Me: Lord Huron

Designated as WXPN's Artist to Watch for October, Lord Huron came across my radar just following the release of their debut full-length album "Lonesome Dreams".  The group's name is taken from time Ben Schneider spent at Lake Huron in his native Michigan.  In addition to the inspiration for the name, nature and the outdoors are a reoccurring theme throughout the album.  Lord Huron is bound for success amongst fans of Fleet Foxes, The Lumineers, and My Morning Jacket.

'Girls' Fans Rejoice

Last week former Girls front man Christopher Owens announced he'll be releasing a solo album in January.  Many fans were distraught earlier this year to hear that Owens was leaving his band Girls, who appeared to be at the height of their game.  His solo debut "Lysandre" is said to be inspired by the event's on his 2011 tour and a girl he fell in love with during that time.  Check out the first two songs of the album below!
Christopher Owens - Lysandre's Theme/Here We Go - Soundcloud

New to me: Tame Impala and Wild Nothing

I recently got turned onto these two bands.  Both have new albums out this year that are pretty darn good.

• A comment on Youtbe for a Tame Impala video claimed 'If Pink Floyd and the Beatles fucked and had a love child it would be Tame Impala'.  Hailing from Australia, their classic psychedelic sound shines on their sophomore album "Lonerism". 
•  Channeling the 80's and drenched in reverb, Wild Nothing struck a smart and simplistic chord with me.  Their sophomore album "Nocturne" is also out now. 

Back at it

Sorry for the hiatus over the past few months, I'm hoping to post regularly again.  Stay tuned!

Boot: Spoon - Live at the Greek 8-12-06

I recently went on a Spoon kick after hearing Britt's new project 'Divine Fits'.  This is a terrific sounding show from 2006 when the band was out in support of their album "Gimme Fiction" (my personal favorite) and opening for Death Cab For Cutie.
  Spoon - I Summon You - Live at the Greek 8-12-06 by Ledjam311
Setlist:
1 - The Beast & Dragon, Adored
2 - Monsieur Valentine
3 - Stay Don't Go
4 - Jonathon Fisk
5 - I Turn My Camera On
6 - 'Tuning & Thanks'
7 - Rhythm & Soul
8 - Paper Tiger
9 - Someone Something
10 - They Never Got You
11 - I Summon You
12 - The Way We Get By
Download: Spoon - Live at the Greek

New To Me: Divine Fits & Field Report

Here are a couple new groups that came across my radar this week:

• Divine Fits is one of the latest indie rock supergroups to emerge on the scene.  Comprised of Spoon's Britt Daniel, Dan Boekner of Wolf Parade, and New Bomb Turks' Sam Brown, Divine Fits originated through the mutual admiration and friendship of Daniel and Boekner.  The recent hiatus of Wolf Parade provided an opening for a collaboration between the two.  The album definitely has a Spoon flavor to it, which is fine by me, but there's enough influence from it's other members to make Divine Fits stand on their own.  You can stream the album, 'A Thing Called Divine Fits' on NPR's First Listen up until it's release date on August 28th.  Check out the track "Would That Not Be Nice" below.

• Chris Porterfield is back with a new studio album under the name Field Report.  I was unfamiliar with his previous group, DeYarmond Edison, but do recall having heard something about his former bandmate Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.  Field Report represents a culmination of Porterfield's writing since that time.  Based on a few of the songs available on the band's website I'm eagerly awaiting the album's release in September.

Firefly Music Festival 2012

One week after Firefly I find myself caught up on sleep, hang-over free, and eagerly awaiting the 2013 return of Firefly.  The inaugural year for the festival held in Dover Delaware went off mostly without a hitch and garnered many positive to glowing reviews.  Overall I was really impressed with the way the festival was handled and run.  Hopefully some of the minor shortcomings, i.e.  uninformed volunteers/staff, no late night sets, sound issues on the main stage, will be resolved during the year. 

The best performance(s) I saw were The Killers and The Flaming Lips, hands down.  We waited for nearly 2 hours packed in like sardines to get as close as possible for The Killers set.  It was completely worth it though, ending up about 20 feet or so from the stage.  The Killers are just great performers with a knack for anthems fitting of the big stage.  I'd never seen The Flaming Lips but I had a pretty good idea what I was in for.  Their stage show was one of the best I've ever seen.  Confetti cannons, giant balloons, Wayne Coyne in his hamster ball (picture above) and giant foam hands, it was all there.  Their music is sometimes hit or miss with me but save for one or two songs I really enjoyed their set as well. 

I also caught great sets by John Legend, Heartless Bastards, The Head and the Heart, Polica, Ok Go (picture above) and got turned onto Penguin Prison and Walk The Moon.  Some other highlights of Firefly included the Dogfish Head beer tent with the new Firefly Ale, hot air balloon rides, the 'hammock hang-out' tucked back in the woods, and of course good times with great friends.

New To Me: Chairlift

How's this for a interesting back-story, before finding their place in the synth-pop world, the duo that makes up Chairlift were creating background music for haunted houses.  Fortunately for the music community the haunted house business apparently didn't take.  Their 2nd album "Something" came out earlier this year. 

New Music - Passion Pit, Bloc Party, Dirty Projectors, Fand Island

Some new singles and album streams of upcoming releases:

• Passion Pit released "Constant Conversations", another single off their forthcoming album 'Gossamer'. 
• Dirty Projectors released a new album titled 'Swing Lo Magellan' last week.  Check out the track "Gun Has No Trigger".
• Bloc Party's single "Octopus" just hit the web.  It will appear on their new album 'Four'.  I'm really hoping for a return to the Silent Alarm/Weekend In The City era from them.  If this song is an indication they may be on that path.
• NPR is streaming Fang Island's new album "Major" in it's entirety prior to it's release.  The band has definitely seemed to grow lyrically and instrumentally on their sophomore release.

Favorite Albums Of 2012.....So Far

Well we're halfway through 2012 and in the world of music websites & blogs that means it's time for mid-year album rankings.  Here are 10 albums that have been in my constant rotation this year.

• 10 - "Attack On Memory" by Cloud Nothings
• Essential Track - 'Stay Useless'
• 9 - "Strange Weekend" by Porcelain Raft
• Essential Track - 'Drifing In And Out'
• 8 - "Give You The Ghost" by Polica
• Essential Track - 'Dark Star'
• 7 - "The Lumineers" by The Lumineers
• Essential Track - 'Ho Hey'
• 6 - "Be The Void" by Dr. Dog
• Essential Track - 'Heavy Light'
• 5 - "Rooms Filled With Light" by Fanfarlo
• Essential Track - 'Shiny Things'
• 4 - "Boys & Girls" by Alabama Shakes
• Essential Track - 'On Your Way'
• 3 - "Bloom" by Beach House
• Essential Track - 'Myth'
• 2 - "Celebration Rock" by Japandroids
• Essential Track - 'The House That Heaven Built' 
• 1 - "Mixed Emotions" by Tanlines
• Essential Track - 'All Of Me'

Boot: Dawes - San Francisco 11/20/10

Dawes have released 2 studio albums to much critical acclaim, including 2011's 'Nothing Is Wrong' which was #2 on WXPN's Year End Album list.  For me though, Dawes' talent and ability is on display best during their concerts.  I got to see them open for Death Cab For Cutie last year and I've been itching to see them again ever since.  They'll be at this years Xponential Music Festival in July, which unfortunately is the same weekend as the Firefly Music Festival of which I'll be in attendance.  Please come back soon Dawes.  Take a minute to enjoy this show from the tail end of their 2010 tour.
Dawes - Fire Away - San Fran 11/20/10 by Ledjam311
Setlist:
1 - My Girl To Me
2 - When You Call My Name
3 - That Western Skyline
4 - If I Wanted Someone
5 - God Rest My Soul
6 - My Way Back Home
7 - Bedside Manner
8 - How Far We've Come
9 - Love Is All I Am
10- Fire Away
11 - Peace In The Valley
12 - When My Time Comes
13 - A Little Bit Of Everything
14 - If You Let Me Be Your Anchor
15 - I've Got A Feeling (It's Gonna Be Alright)
Download: Dawes - San Fran 11/20/12

Concert Review: Phish - Bader Field, Atlantic City 6/16/2012

Night 2 of their weekend occupancy in Atlantic City also happened to be my first introduction to the live world of Phish.  Why it took me so long to see them I'm not sure but I've definitely been missing out.  As a casual Phish fan I was definitely in the minority in the sea of people gathered at the old airfield as AC lit up the skyline in the distance.  Even so, I enjoyed the hell out of myself.  So did the band it seemed, who sound as tight as ever and are firing on all cylinders.  The set had something for everyone: crowd favorites, covers, and cuts from deep in the Phish catalog.  Highlights for me included the opening trilogy of "Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove" and Talking Heads cover "Crosseyed and Painless".  You can check out the rest of the Setlist here at Phish.net, and get a taste of the show in the video below.

Fresh Cover

Yesterday on WXPN I heard Australian folk artist Julia Stone's take on The National's 'Bloodbuzz Ohio'.  The cover appears on her new album "By The Horns" which was released yesterday.  Give it a listen below.
Julia Stone - Bloodbuzz Ohio by Nettwerk Music Group

New to Me...Japandroids

When I first heard of Japandroids I got seriously pissed off at myself for not having discovered them up until now.  The duo from Canada deliver in-your-face garage rock that makes you realize how much you miss hearing it in today's music.  Their 2nd album "Celebration Rock" is out on June 5th, be sure to pick it up.  The album's first single, 'The House That Heaven Built', is below.

Boot: The Head & The Heart - Moody Theatre - 9/16/11

One of the bands I'm most excited to see at this summer's Firefly Music Festival is The Head & The Heart.  Here's a performance from their trip to Austin City Limits last Fall. 
The Head And The Heart - Down In The Valley - Moody Theatre 9/16/11 by Ledjam311
Setlist:
1 - Cats and Dogs >
2 - Coeur D'Alene
3 - Winter Song
4 - Lost In My Mind
5 - Down In The Valley
6 - Rivers And Roads
7 - Interview
Download: The Head & The Heart - Moody Theatre 9/16/11

Firefly Approaches...

On April 1 rumors started swirling about a 3 day music festival coming to Delaware of all places.  Some, including myself, suspected it to be a cruel April fools joke.  It turned out to be legit and I bought my festival and camping pass as soon as they went on sale.  We're about 2 months away from the festival (July 20-22) and I'm getting more and more excited the further I explore the artists on the bill.  The folks at Firefly announced additional artists this week (Polica, Silversun Pickups, and Fitz & The Tantrums among others) that join an already stellar lineup.  Hopefully the festival will be a big hit and become a summer standard in years to come.

New Albums from Beach House & Best Coast

Just in time for summer come some new tunes to guide you through the warming days.  Beach House follows up the acclaimed album "Teen Dreams" with their 4th release titled "Bloom".  The lead single 'Myth' has already created a lot of buzz among eager fans.  Best Coast offers their sophomore effort titled "The Only Place" hoping to capture and build upon the magic of 2010's "Crazy For You".  Leading up to their release dates you can preview these albums at NPR's Exclusive First Listen:
Beach House - Bloom - NPR First Listen
Best Coast - The Only Place - NPR First Listen