Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Playing along at home with Pitchfork's top 50 albums of 2014 : pt 3/3

12/16:


This year, I'm going to expand my work with the puzzle of anticipating Pitchfork's albums list. I've put together, having seen the 'Honorable Mentions' only, my top 50 anticipated albums for inclusion on the list. They are ranked in order, though it's worth noting that it's fairly ridiculous for me to do this and expect any amount of accuracy. Anyhow. Based on BNM status, album score, Pitchfork's coverage of the artist in 2014, and my general inklings, here are my anticipated picks for Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of the Year:


The "maybe 50":


50. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata 8.0
49. United Nations - The Next Four Years 8.1
48. Owen Pallett - In Conflict 8.0
47. Ariana Grande - My Everything 7.7
46. Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere 8.3
45. Clark - Clark 8.3
44. Mr Twin Sister 8.1
43. Ought - More Than Any Other Day 8.4
42. Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers 8.4
41. Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron 7.8
40. Brian Eno / Karl Hyde - High Life 8.5
39. VA - Hyperdub 10.1 8.5
38. Thou - Heathen - 8.4
37. Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste 8.0
36. Taylor Swift - 1989 --
35. Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell 8.3
34. Perfect Pussy - Say Yes to Love 8.6
33. A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Sea When Absent 8.5
32. YG - My Krazy Life 8.1
31. Lykke Li - I Never Learn 8.4
30. Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty 8.2
29. Ex Hex - Rips 8.4
28. Ben Frost - A U R O R A 8.5
27. Pharmakon - Bestial Burden 8.4
26. Flying Lotus - You're Dead 8.3
25. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else 8.7
24. Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love 8.5
23. White Lung - Deep Fantasy 8.6
22. Arca - Xen 8.4
21. Spoon - They Want My Soul 8.6
20. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness 8.3
19. Real Estate - Atlas 8.8
18. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait EP 8.5
17. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal 8.6
16. Caribou - Our Love 8.6
15. Perfume Genius - Too Bright 8.5
14. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days 8.5
13. Future Islands - Singles 8.0
12. Aphex Twin - Syro 8.7
11. St. Vincent - St. Vincent 8.6
10. Grouper - Ruins 8.8
9. Swans - To Be Kind 9.2
8. Todd Terje - It's Album Time 8.7
7. How to Dress Well - What Is This Heart? 8.8
6. Ariel Pink - pom pom 8.8
5. Beyoncé - Beyoncé 8.8
4. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream 8.8
3. Sun Kil Moon - Benji 9.2
2. FKA Twigs - LP1 8.8
1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 9.0


12/17:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~see a prettier version of this list @ jonk!


50. Ben Frost - A U R O R A
This feels like a very low ranking for Ben Frost, but Pitchfork has a way of ranking more obtuse and experimental albums fairly willy-nilly in the 30-50 range, unless it's a rockstar ambient guy like 0PN or Andy Stott. Maybe I should be expecting Andy in the 20-25 range. (-22)
49. Mr Twin Sister - Mr Twin Sister
I thought I'd see MTS in this chunk. Pitchfork's continually snubbed them throughout their career, which make it more frustrating that they keep this band in their pocket. (-5)
48. Clark - Clark
Welp, see my reaction for #50 here once more. (-3)
47. Shellac - Dude Incredible
Aha! I thought this might be ranked on this list, if not only on the merit of its truly incredible album cover alone. I still haven't heard it, so I didn't know whether or not it was top 50 material. (not ranked)
46. Ariana Grande - My Everything
Before everything goes to trash, can I just point out for a second that I am absolutely killing it right now? Thanks guys! Now that I've brought attention to myself, it's time for my rankings to be thrown off for the rest of the list. (+1)
45. Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
If Andy can't get a high ranking in this list, who of his ilk will? Certainly Pharmakon, who I can't see being ranked outside of the 0s-20s. (-3)
44. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Sea When Absent
Interesting. Not too surprising, I suppose, since this lists can often be roughly ranked in part on P4k's coverage of the band, and ASDiG didn't spend much time generating off-course headlines this year. (-11)
43. Madlib / Freddie Gibbs - Piñata
Nice! I'm glad to see this is in here. I wasn't sure it'd make the cut. (+7)
42. Owen Pallett - In Conflict
Owen! This is an exceptionally beautiful record. I have only heard it a few times, which I should remedy soon. It'd also be nice to see him play live again, now that he's got the fleshed out ensemble he toured with to promote this record. I wouldn't be too surprised to see him at P4k fest this year--this ranking doesn't hurt his chances. (+6)
41. Leon Vynehall - Music for the Unwind
Here's another record I haven't heard yet. I have read good things about it, so I don't feel too blindsided by its appearance here, though P4k's coverage has been pretty minimal. (not ranked)


I'm feeling pretty good about my rankings so far. 8 of the 41-50 slots were anticipated in my top 50, and 6 of those were anticipated my 41-50 slots. I had planned to re-rank every ten spots, but I'm going to continue moving ahead without doing any re-ranking.


40. Ty Segall - Manipulator
Finally! It's been a few years since Ty Segall has been championed in this list. I didn't anticipate this one's inclusion, but I'm glad it's on here. (not ranked)
39. Ought - More Than Any Other Day
Great album by a great new band, and a blurb featuring a Harvey Pekar quote? Yeah bebe! This would have been a ridiculous omission, but I did picture it up in the 'barely made it' portion of the list. (+4)
38. Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like a Bell
This album is so dreamy and wonderful! I can't wait for their audience to grow, but until it does, please do yourself a favor and seek them out now in the smallest venues they'll be playing for a while. (-3)
37. Perfect Pussy - Say Yes to Love
Another solid mid-thirties pick: this is as tight as you'll ever see this group--until they participate in the too-familiar career progression of releasing more and more accessible albums. (-3)
36. Tinashe - Aquarius
Flash back to seeing her with DJ Mustard this spring with a crowd as apathetic as any I've seen this side of Grouper opening for AnCo in 2009. Is Tinashe going to be a star in 2015? Is she already? (not ranked)
35. Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
Shabazz Palaces is such a terrific ensemble. It hurts to see this here, but at least it's here, you know. Amazing production, terrific lyrics, gorgeous album art. (-5)
34. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
Aah! Here's an upset. I was overcompensating in my ranking of this at #25, though. I am not really on board the CN train (which is weird, because they are easily comparable to many of my favorite rock acts), so I wasn't sure where to put this one. (-10)
33. Rich Gang - Tha Tour Part 1
Aaah. Here's an actual upset. This is the point in this list where every unanticipated album is a loaded surprise--that something I thought might be in the site's top 30 albums didn't rank in their top 70 (including the Honorable Mentions). What else could appear here? (not ranked)
32. White Lung - Deep Fantasy
I still haven't heard this White Lung record. I expect to soon be disappointed I didn't listen to it earlier, though! (-10)
31. Taylor Swift - 1989
I knew it I knew it I knew it!! Only five points off, too. Hey, I should be publishing this list. Still, I really didn't know it. It felt weird to have ranked 1989 on this list in anticipation, just as it feels weird to see Pithfork rank an album they refused to review as the 31st best album of the year. How does this make sense? Pitchfork, I know you aren't listening, but please--get over yourself, and if you're going to cover pop artists, review their albums! (+5)
30. Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love
I still have no idea what Iceage is doing, which is great for me as a fan since only a year ago I might've told you I had them figured out. (-6)
29. How to Dress Well - What Is This Heart?
I've got my foot in my mouth now, because yesterday when discussing my picks with my roommate he told me there'd be no way HtDW would see the top ten here. The #29 slot matches with his anticipated placement of the album. This is another instance of my unfamiliarity with the album clouding my judgement. Next year, more research! This ties with A U R O R A as my biggest mistake so far. (-22)
28. Pharmakon - Bestial Burden
I'll take it! This is a really amazing album. I was disappointed with the snub of "Body Betrays Itself" in their songs list as it's one of my favorite tracks of 2014. Please, 2015, bring me to a Pharmakon show! (-1)
27. YG - My Krazy Life
Good placement, here in the upper 20s, for a terrific collaboration of a solo album. Though TG's the star here, I figured Mustard's involvement guaranteed this album a spot in the middle of this list. (+5)
26. Ex Hex - Rips
I felt like I did such a poor job anticipating the order of the top of the tracks list, but I'm realizing now that the key here (granted, this is a self-serving rationalization) could simply be picking the right range for tracks. This would be a fun thing to compile heavy stats on. A pile of bonus points to Ex Hex for using one of my most-used words in describing rock and roll for a title. (+3)
25. Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
Nice! And what an impressive move, to land here within weeks of releasing her debut album. It's also a bit of an encouragement for Benji's rating that Pitchfork will highly rate the work of someone who spends an exceeding amount of their words talking weird garbage on people (not that that hasn't been proved many times before). (+12)
24. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
At the end of the day yesterday I was wondering if Pitchfork might not group the Parquet Courts/Parkay Quarts lps in one slot, as they did with Ty Segall's terrific 2012 albums on their albums list that year. Nope! No thanks Parkay Quarts!! (-7)
23. Lykke Li - I Never Learn
Note the increasing tubulence in my predicitions. (+8)
22. Future Islands - Singles
Hey! Not bad. At least I didn't forget these guys like I did in the songs list. The blurb here modestly calls Future Island's explosive 2014 "kind of heartwarming" but if you asked me, I'd tell you it was glorious and fist-poundingly redeeming.(-9)
21. Brian Eno / Karl Hyde - High Life
Wow! I'd completely lost hope on this. Great success. Eno hasn't made it on these lists, even with his recent quality albums, in a bit, so this is an especially exciting move. (+20)
20. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait EP
A fiting ranking of this. Glad it's in the top 20, and I look forward to this EP propelling Vince Staples's career in 2015. (-2)
19. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
Until a track from this album came up on Monday's list, I had entirely forgotten about Sharon Van Etten. I'll take this ranking, though, and give it the benefit of the doubt. That said, it means one of the albums I anticipated for the top 20 isn't even in the top 70, which is always a weird thing. Who will it be? Mac DeMarco? Perfume Genius? Angel Olsen? Flying Lotus? I really can't see anything else not ranking. If it's Real Estate, I'll be upset, but I guess there's a chance of that as well. (not ranked)
18. Arca - Xen
This album really couldn't go anywhere else on this list. Pitchfork's latched on with Arca and his work with Kanye and FKA twigs since they breifly covered a track from Stretch 2 and the release of his &&&&& mix, which gets points for having a title like one of my mixes. (+4)
17. Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
This one was also sort of stuck in the upper 20. This is a really fun album, and a great addition to the Flying Lotus oeuvre. I appreciate the blurb's connecting of dots from this lp to 'Enter the Void', which seems obvious now but is something I hadn't yet thought of. (+6)
16. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
This feels like a big upset! St. Vincent's great album felt like a top-tenner to me, but I will concede that there were a lot of top-tenners released this year. (-5)
15. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire for No Witness
Music as solitary and affecting as this (who's going to be bumping Angel Olsen with friends, and who'll be listening to BYFfNW on their bus rides home?) tends not to be discussed as often in the sometimes-tabloidy indie site headlines, and much more power to this for that. (+5)
14. Real Estae - Atlas
Real Estate feels like the band that could crank out 20 years of a career in as solid and gratifying a way as Spoon has, and I'm glad to be around for it. Keep on truckin', you Deadheads! (+5)
13. Spoon - They Want My Soul
Hey! Speaking of Spoon, right? It feels like it's been a minute since Spoon dropped as solid and exciting an album as They Want My Soul, and it came at a great time. Pitchfork rated this higher than I thought they would, but I guess that's been a trend of the 11-20 slots. (+8)
12. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
Oh Macintosh, such a joy to see you here. Even though the title of this album always makes me think of an old Vines song (or a playfully pedantic facebook thread that commented on its meaning upon the record's announcement), it's an album that feels open to interpretation more than his goofy fist releases. There are comparisons I could make to the Smith Westerns' career trajectory, but enough differences that things still feel comfortable for his future. (+2)
11. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
Yes!! Good good good. I was nervous he'd be the one nixed. Really, though, who from the 20 isn't going to make this list? The five possible omissions I posited when Sharon came in at 19 were all included in the last seven slots. I guess it is possible they'd DQ Bey for releasing her album last year, but that seems a little ridiculous. They could also nix Grouper, but that feels unlikely given how terrific that album is and that they put two songs from it on the songs list. ugh! (+4)

OK, pressing on:

10. Caribou - Our Love
Sleek and lovely Caribou! I like the blurb's discussion of this album's place in the Dan Snaith catalog. I actually haven't listened to this album much, or perhaps even three times. Its time will come. (+6)
9. Ariel Pink - pom pom
I'll take this placement. This album is so weird and I love it. Doesn't bode well for SKM on the internet troll precedent, though. (-3)
8. Todd Terje - It's Album Time
Such a beautiful record! It plays a lot like a greatest hits collection. To be clear, it is a bit of a hits colelction, having gathered big Todd Terje hits from the last few years in a compelling and glorious way. Rather than other albums-as-greatest hits (see the unlikely(?) BC favorite David Guetta, who, like DJ Mustard, could pass off an album as a "NOW That's What I Call Music" compilation), It's Album Time has all of the crucial pacing aspects of a 10/10 studio album. (0, hurray!)
7. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(-3)
6. Swans - To Be Kind
In a year in which many of my cultural favorites were towering works by or featuring old white men (To Be Kind, Benji, 'The Great Beauty'), it was a fruitful practice to try and examine what I could or couldn't relate to in the way these works portrayed the psyche/experience of the stern or forelorn white male in advancing age. Even when setting [the more loaded] matters of race and gender aside, what was it about these works that resonate so strongly with such a significant block of the mid-twenties blog-consuming demographic? Do these works transcend the age divide? Celebrate it? All three were preoccupied with sexuality: Benji's starkness, To Be Kind's unsettling warmth, 'The Great Beauty''s reliance on nostalgia. Of these, Swans felt to me the most 'now'. It might be easy to suggest that in a way all adults are old children, but To Be Kind reminds those listening that adults can also be old punks, old freaks, old us. (+3)
5. Grouper - Ruins
Astonishing! More or less, I mean. It feels terrific seeing Grouper here, getting the sort of attention few in her Kranky class have gotten. It makes sense, though, that were any of her contemporaries to produce an album that'd rank at Pithcfork's #5 slot it would be Liz Harris, who has spent years making wonderfully affecting quiet records. I would be thrilled to compare Grouper's role in ambient music in 2014-5 with Deafheaven's role in black metal in 2013-4. (+5)


At this point, Beyonce is out, right? There's no way WoD,FKA, and RtJ won't be here. I could see Aphex Twin snubbing Syro, and it's probably what I'd do given the options here, but I can't imagine anything other than a technicality would knock one of these records out of these last four slots. Onward, Christian soldiers!!


4. Aphex Twin - Syro
And here I was, thinking we were done with old white men on this list! This album's a lot of fun to listen to, but don't leave it on around MY old white man, because he will turn it off and tell you he thinks your CD was skipping (thanks Dad!). I was a little disappointed by Syro, and this of course is not because I don't respect Richard D James's artistry, but because I respect it so much. I'll let this slide, but I can't pass by to #3 without comparing this ranking to Rolling Stone's #1 AotY slot going to U2. That's all. (+8)
3. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
A modern classic. I have listened to this so many times that the first seconds now feel to me as powerful as hearing the first burbles from 'In the Flowers' or the buzzing from "2+2=5". So go on and indulge yourself. That's right! Kick off your shoes, put your feet up, lean back, and just enjoy the melodies. After all, music soothes even the savage beast. (+1)
2. FKA twigs - LP1
A wonderful performance by FKA twigs, who is a really remarkable performer and songwriter. That said, I feel the sound of the music is what makes LP1 truly compelling. If I have one criticism of FKA twigs, it's that she seems to overvalue her role in this music. As long as things stay as they are in the instrumentation of her albums and her live show, I feel FKA twigs is best addressed as an ensemble. Just as Joanna Newsom's immense talent and accomplishment is elevated to significant ends when performed in conjunction with the members of her band (who I love despite knowing the names of--see?), the role of Arca here is vital. The imminent discovery, once I scroll one inch further down my screen, of Run the Jewels in the #1 spot is a testement to the things they can accomplish when working as an ensemble. "Boy, we can do much more together." This is a tricky spot for solo artists--putting others' work under your name, I mean. I'm not saying that FKA twigs will only be able to make things right when she adds Arca's name to hers, a la ya Thrift Shop bois, but I will say that I think it's at least a bit appalling that Pitchfork's 3-paragraph blurb for this album here doesn't mention Arca once. Remember, 100 people made My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. (0)
1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
This had to be the record of the year. Why? Not because it was easy, but because it was hard as nails, and that's what really gets the people going. In a year where Pitchfork's punk coverage felt lacking (come on, guys!), this seemed a defacto pick for both the best hip hop and best punk albums of the year. This is a record for driving to, for playing at parties, for working out, for quoting, for feeding your brain on the way to a protest. The Zack De La Rocha feature here was especially awesome here, because who better embodies angry punk rap catharsis? Well, for starters, Killer Mike and El-P. They didn't get here because this was punishing to listen to, though. They got here because they made this energy a blast to absorb and reflect. RUN THE JEWELS FOR PRESIDENT.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Playing along at home with Pitchfork's top 50 albums of 2014 : pt 1/3

This year, I'm going to expand my work with the puzzle of anticipating P4k's albums list. I've put together, having seen the 'Honorable Mentions' only, my top 50 anticipated albums for inclusion on the list. They are ranked in order, though it's worth noting that it's fairly ridiculous for me to do this and expect any amount of accuracy. Anyhow. Based on BNM status, album score, and Pitchfork's coverage of the artist in 2014, here are my anticipated P4k top 50:

15 that are not quite making the cut:

copeland - Because I'm Worth It
Lone - Reality Testing
Alvvays - Alvvays
TOPS - Picture You Staring
Fennesz - Becs
Behemoth - The Satanist 8.2
Wild Beasts - Present Tense 8.2
Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything 8.0
Tombs - Savage Gold 8.3
Cymbals Eat Guitars - LOSE 8.2
YOB - Clearing the Path to Ascend 8.3
DJ Rashad tribute comp
Dean Blunt - Black Metal 7.3
Panda Bear - Mr Noah --
Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence 7.1


The "maybe 50":


50. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata 8.0
49. United Nations - The Next Four Years 8.1
48. Owen Pallett - In Conflict 8.0
47. Ariana Grande - My Everything 7.7
46. Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere 8.3
45. Clark - Clark 8.3
44. Mr Twin Sister 8.1
43. Ought - More Than Any Other Day 8.4
42. Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers 8.4
41. Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron 7.8
40. Brian Eno / Karl Hyde - High Life 8.5
39. VA - Hyperdub 10.1 8.5
38. Thou - Heathen - 8.4
37. Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste 8.0
36. Taylor Swift - 1989 --
35. Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell 8.3
34. Perfect Pussy - Say Yes to Love 8.6
33. A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Sea When Absent 8.5
32. YG - My Krazy Life 8.1
31. Lykke Li - I Never Learn 8.4
30. Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty 8.2
29. Ex Hex - Rips 8.4
28. Ben Frost - A U R O R A 8.5
27. Pharmakon - Bestial Burden 8.4
26. Flying Lotus - You're Dead 8.3
25. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else 8.7
24. Iceage - Plowing Into the Field of Love 8.5
23. White Lung - Deep Fantasy 8.6
22. Arca - Xen 8.4
21. Spoon - They Want My Soul 8.6
20. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness 8.3
19. Real Estate - Atlas 8.8
18. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait EP 8.5
17. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal 8.6
16. Caribou - Our Love 8.6
15. Perfume Genius - Too Bright 8.5
14. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days 8.5
13. Future Islands - Singles 8.0
12. Aphex Twin - Syro 8.7
11. St. Vincent - St. Vincent 8.6
10. Grouper - Ruins 8.8
9. Swans - To Be Kind 9.2
8. Todd Terje - It's Album Time 8.7
7. How to Dress Well - What Is This Heart? 8.8
6. Ariel Pink - pom pom 8.8
5. Beyoncé - Beyoncé 8.8
4. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream 8.8
3. Sun Kil Moon - Benji 9.2
2. FKA Twigs - LP1 8.8
1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 9.0

Monday, December 15, 2014

Instant Review - Knee-jerk reactions to the P4k 100 for 2014

Along with taking a nap after every meal of my family's Yuletide celebrations, one of my favorite December traditions is cataloging my thoughts as I listen through each of the Pitchfork top 100 tracks in sequence. It can be fun to look back at previous years' reaction notes and see what favorites of mine I heard for the first time in those lists. Some times I am surprised at how a favorite of mine was ranked, or how goofy Pitchfork's blurbs are, and that's something I'll write down as well.

It's a humbling experience to realize how many quality tracks pass me by without appearing on my radar in the year of their release. Last year, I somehow entirely missed Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" and was surprised to see it was Pitchfork's #1 song (I'm still bitter that Mikal Cronin's "Weight" wasn't in that, or any, slot). Some of my very favorite songs and albums this year were ones I almost entirely missed in 2013. So, the goal here: find new things, celebrate established favorites, and somehow be consistently surprised by Drake.


Counting down the Pitchfork top 100 songs for 2014~~~~~~~~


100. Elisa Ambrogio - Superstitious
I haven't yet listened to this and just barely know Magik Markers, but I enjoyed this song so much that I don't think I can sustain that streak much longer.
99. Steve Gunn - Milly's Garden
I've also never really listened to Steve Gunn, but this is kind of what I guess I'd expect. Songs like this are hard to feel passionate about the first few times through.
98. Merchandise - Green Lady
These days' Merchandise are really not 'my thing' but I feel I should pay attention to them, just in case that changes, so I know they're there for me.
97. Copeland - Advice to Young Girls [ft. Actress]
Looking forward to having children so I can play them Copeland in the house in an effort to unlock their potential and make sure they never want to go to a concert with me again.
96. DJ Quik - I'm fairly confident that I haven't heard DJ Quik since his last track in one of these lists a few years back. The production on this is a lot of fun.
95. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Jackson
I still haven't heard this!
94. Taylor Swift - Out of the Woods
This is a good one, Taylor! It almost makes me want to buy your album, but I'm just too used to things being free.
93. The New Pornographers - War on the East Coast
I'm not sure how this happened, but somehow I think this is the first time I've heard any song off of this album! What's becoming of me?
92. iLoveMakonnen - I Don't Sell Molly No More
West coast Makonnen!
91. Hundred Waters - Murmurs
I finally got on board with Hundred Waters this year. They're really something great.
90. Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!
Spooky Detroit rock, I'm in! I'm looking forward to seeing them after getting to know them better.
89. Cloud Nothings - I'm Not Part of Me
It's funny to see these songs in sequence considering that they're playing the High Noon on the same day in January 2015. Moreso than #90, I feel I need to do some more homework to adequately enjoy this.
88. Lauryn Hill - Black Rage (Sketch)
I like the super-long blurb for this one.
87. Viet Cong - Continental Shelf
"Viet Cong" is still a distractingly bad band name, but I can get down with this. RIP Women!!!
86. Vince Staples - Blue Suede
I need to spend more time with this guy.
85. Arca - Thievery
I somewhat arbitrarily chose this track off of Xen to use on a mixtape, so I feel pretty validated right now.
84. Father John Misty - Bored in the USA
J Tillman is in such a good place right now. He writes songs like a more wrinkly Mac DeMarco.
83. Ought - Habit
I was turned on late to Ought by my Settlers of Catan group, and they've become easily one of my most-anticipated SXSW acts. This track is a great one.
82. Jessica Pratt - Back, Baby
Man, reading through the last 20 spots on this list has really made me miss booking WUD shows. So many great shows to be produced from these artists!
81. Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers
The hype williams vocal line always gets me. Bonus: this title comments on some of my post-WUD feelings. Gimme something to believe in!
80. Shellac - Dude Incredible
I've never listened to Shellac. It sounds like I'd enjoy them a lot though. This could be the music of old-timey pirates.
79. A Sunny Day in Glasgow - In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry in the Tradition of Passing)
What an amazing group for preposterous track titles for wonderful songs.
78. Rustie - Attak [ft. Danny Brown]
This is already one of the essential Danny Brown songs.
77. Rae Sremmurd - No Flex Zone
For the last few years I've done exceedingly poorly at keeping up with even the most popular rap tracks. This is a good one, though, and at least I'm familiar with it.
76. Royksopp / Robyn - Do it Again
Yaaaaaa!!!
75. Pharmakon - Bestial Burden
This is a great track, but not as terrific/terrifying as Body Betrays Itself. It'd be great to see that on in the top 30 tracks!
74. Holly Herndon - Chorus
I like that half the blurb examines another song of Holly's, because lack of context in this sort of list is inherent and problematic. Good blurb Grayson!
73. Makthaverskan - Asleep
I hadn't heard this band, and I liked it.
72. Ty Segall - The Singer
I hadn't heard this song, and I liked it.
71. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
Pitchfork continued to give glowing BNT reviews to tracks from this long after the album was released. It was an interesting thing to see, and I look forward to finding more tracks on this list.
70. Azealia Banks - Chasing Time
Augh, I just remembered that I've only heard this album once. I've fallen so far!
69. Rich Gang - Lifestyle
Pretty sure I haven't heard this yet, but it's alright!
68. Grouper - Clearing
Ah, what a great album this is! This is another track on the mix I just made. The other 2014 tracks from that mix: Panda Bear - Faces in the Crowd, TOPS - Sleeptalker, Beck - Wave, Fennesz - Paroles, Sun Kil Moon - Song Remains the Same. Of those, the one that will actually be on this list: I Watched the Film The Song Remains the Same.
67. White Lung - Face Down
66. How to Dress Well - Words I Don't Remember
I'm sort of amazed, but somehow I haven't listened to either of these albums despite really liking these bands' earlier material and live performances. I will do right by you White Lung and HtDW!! I promise!
65. Iceage - The Lord's Favorite
This new albums slays!! It is so terrific. I hope to see them again soon.
64. Leon Vynehall - Goodthing
Whoa, yeah!
63. Eno/Hyde - Return
That we're at #63 and there are still long swaths of tracks I've yet to even hear is a pretty good sign that I might not be able even keep up the charade of being 'up to date' much longer. This was a lot of fun to hear.
62. YG - Left, Right
DJ Mustard is a national treasure!!
61. Perfume Genius - Fool
Every year that passes brings Perfume Genius closer to the top of my 'most anticipated live shows' list. Maybe 2015 will bring me to him!
60. Ariel Pink - Picture Me Gone
One of the most 'SMiLE' Ariel Pink tracks I've heard. Listening to this song feels like falling into a laundry pile.
59. Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me
A striking time capsule from 2009.
58. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
+1 for being one of the sweatiest shows I attended this year, this is a great song from a great new direction from a consistently great band.
57. Dej Loaf - Try Me
Only heard this recently, in a late-night youtube sharing session that reminded me that the way to stay up on things is either to spend a lot of time foraging or to just participate in youtube sharing sessions with the right people.
56. Migos - Fight Night
The Migos flow has been such a comforting presence these past two years or so. Reclaim the triplets and adlibs!
55. Kendrick Lamar - i
Possibly the only song on this list that I heard for the first time on the radio.
54. Spoon - Inside Out
Camouflaged in what could be too consistent an oeuvre. These guys are such a cool band.
53. Perfect Pussy - Interference Fits
How does one select this song over others? A question I have often on these lists with the sort of release. This sort of selection is solid given the album's rightful merit, but unclear in its justification over its peers.
52. Todd Terje - Delorean Dynamite
This is perhaps the first track in the list I find appallingly under-rated. #52? I'm hoping for both 'Johnny and Mary' and another upbeat track in the top 50.
51. Owen Pallett - I Am Not Afraid
God, this is so dreamy!
50. Taylor Swift - Style
Pitchfork's tired refusal to review Taylor Swift's albums despite a consistent inclusion of her tracks in their end-of-year lists is one of the more baffling aspects of the site's flirtation with pop reporting. Stop pretending you don't care!
49. Run the Jewels - Blockbuster Night Part 1
One of the 11 best tracks on this album. There'd better be two more coming - I'd be surprised if "Count" isn't a top 15 track.
48. Lykke Li - Gunshot
I don't think I've heard this album yet!
47. Nils Frahm - Says
I really don't know anything about Nils Frahm. This is really great to hear, though.
46. Mr Twin Sister - In the House of Yes
So groovy! I'm really glad this band is back.
45. Ariel Pink - Put Your Number in My Phone
I'm pretty surprised this isn't much higher on this list.
44. Angel Olsen - Lights Out
I like this, but still don't feel passionately about Angel Olsen. Maybe next year!
43. Ariana Grande - Love Me Harder [ft. The Weeknd]
One of the most predictable 2014 stars. Good work, AG!
42. St. Vincent - Prince Johnny
So crispy!
41. The War on Drugs - An Ocean in Between The Waves
All three of the first tracks on this album had better be on this list. Red Eyes should definitely be a top 5 pick!
40. Jessie Ware - Tough Love
Snoozy!
39. Real Estate - Talking Backwards
Swoooooooon
38. Bobby Shmurda - Hot Neighbor
OK!
37. Charli XCX - Boom Clap
Despite hearing this many times in various places, I had no idea this was Charli XCX. I think that is a good sign for Charli XCX's career? I think?
36. Mac DeMarco - Passing Out Pieces
Such a wonderfully fat song! It's got the best heavy trod. Did this really come out this year?
35. FKA Twigs - Pendulum
You know? (You don't.) I haven't really listened to this album enough to be familiar with many individual songs, as I am now realizing. This song sounds like LP1, though, and I like LP1, so I like this.
34. Tobias Jesso Jr. - True Love
Whoa!! Where did this come from? I am really into this one.
33. Ariana Grande - Problem [ft. Iggy Azalea]
I had forgotten about this one. #33's a fair ranking, though. It is somewhat of a top 40 triumph.
32. Swans - Oxygen
A true triumph, this is my song of the year. #32 is passable, but still a big upset in my mind/predictions.
31. Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]
This is a very high ranking of the album's lead single. A bit suspect (is it really that great? I haven't decided either way).
30. A. G. Cook - Beautiful
YES! PC Music Trance. such a good 'un!
29. Spoon - Do You
Yeah! This is a great spot for this track. I'm glad it wasn't snubbed.
28. Grouper - Holding
Another one I wasn't expecting! This is great. I'm happy to see her up in the 20s.
27. Sharon Van Etten - Your Love Is Killing Me
Man, how did so many artists that came from the early 2010s release great, sweeping tracks this year without my noticing?
26. Beyoncé - Partition
Oh 'yoncé! Historically, this sort of placement is key in throwing me off (see: Drake / Vamp Weekend tracks last year). Is this their top pick from this album? After reading the blurb, it's pretty hard to say. Could there be a 2014 tracks list without Drunk in Love??
25. Vic Mensa - Down on My Luck
Yaaaaaaa.
24. St. Vincent - Digital Witness
This is great. I haven't thought about this much as an individual track (or looked into its lyrics) but I see myself enjoying this even more as I give the record more attention, as I'll inevitably do in 2015.
23. “Never Catch Me” by Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar
A solid pick from this album. That said, I feel like teh brilliance of Flying Lotus is often underreported in hip hop journalism, and including his track with Kendrick makes this feel a bit more like Kendrick's the one getting the #23 slot here.
22. “Don’t Wanna Lose” by Ex Hex
Ex Hex had better not end up being a one-off, as Wild Flag was. We need more of this!
21. SOPHIE - Lemonade/Hard
While listing two songs in one slot screams 'cop out', I feel like I get this. They're elevated in each other's context, and they're both so darn great it's hard to choose one or the other.



Alright. I didn't do too well on this last year, but I'm feeling pretty good about my predictions for the top 20 slots. Here are the songs I suspect will fill P4k's top 20 songs, with a bonus reserve of 10 backups:


Parquet Courts - Instant Disassembly
Hannah Diamond - Every Night
Ben Frost - Venter
Real Estate - Crime
Frankie Cosmos - Birthday Song
FKA Twigs - Video Girl
Body Betrays Itself
Sheer Mag - What You Want
Burial - Come Down To Us - snubbed last year--on this year's list????
Sia - Chandelier


20. Swans - A Little God In my Hands
19. Todd Terje - Johnny and Mary
18. Vince Staples - Limos
17. Tinashe - Pretend ft ASAP Rocky
16. Lil B - No Black Person is Ugly
15. Mas Ysa - Shame
14. Perfume Genius - Queen
13. Panda Bear - Mr Noah
12. Shmoney Dance
11. Sleater Kinney - Bury Our Friends
10. Future - Move That Dope
9. Run the Jewels - Close your eyes
8. Young Thug - Danny Glover
7. SKM - Song remains the same
6. QT - Hey QT
5. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
4. Beyonce - Flawless (or XO or Drunk in Love or 7/11)
3. Red Eyes
2. iLoveMakonnen - Tuesday
1. FKA Twigs - Two Weeks


20. Nicki Minaj - Boss Ass Bitch (Remix) [ft. PTAF]
Wups, forgot about Nicki Minaj.
19. Sun Kil Moon - Carissa
Hmmmmm. This is what Will said would be on the list. It's #19, though--I feel like that secures a SKM track in the top ten.
18. Panda Bear - Mr Noah
This is soooooo goooooooooood. I can't wait for the album!
17. Tinashe - 2 On [ft. Schoolboy Q]
Aah! I guessed the wrong Tinashe track. W/E dude. This is a better pick, anyhow.
16. Young Thug - Stoner
Aaah! I guessed the wrong Young Thug track. W/E dude. This is a better pick, anyhow.


OW. that hurt - 1/5, and even that 20% was five off. Re-ranking:


15. Todd Terje - Johnny and Mary
14. Lil B - No Black Person is Ugly
13. Mas Ysa - Shame
12. Perfume Genius - Queen
11. Shmoney Dance
10. Sleater Kinney - Bury Our Friends (is this too destined for next year's list?)
9. Future - Move That Dope
8. Run the Jewels - Close your eyes
7. SKM - Song remains the same (still holding out on this)
6. QT - Hey QT
5. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
4. Beyonce - Flawless (or XO or Drunk in Love or 7/11)
3. Red Eyes
2. iLoveMakonnen - Tuesday
1. FKA Twigs - Two Weeks


15. Lil B - No Black Person Is Ugly
Yes!!! Thank you LIL B for giving me something to believe in
14. QT - Hey QT
I guess #6 was pretty ambitious for this song. Looking back at old lists, most top-ranking QT-like songs were in the 11-20 range.
13. Todd Terje - Johnny and Mary [ft. Bryan Ferry] (Robert Palmer cover)
Hey hey! Things are getting better (for my guesses and also for the songs listed)
12. Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up
LEAVE IT TO DRAKE to come out of nowhere (OK, I get it--he and this song is everywhere and it's my fault) and foil my attempts to get a hold on what's quality these days.
11. Shamir - On the Regular
Iiiiiiiiiiinteresting. This one just narrowly missed my 21-30 'reserve' despite the fact that I don't really know it well. Maybe, then, Shamir will be for me next year what Sophie was this year -- an artist I more or less fell in love with after I listened to him the first time when he popped up out of nowhere in this list exercise.


A little bit better (3/5) but at this point I couldn't be surprised more than another time or two, right???? I'm going to reluctantly take out the Shmoney Dance and Perfume Genius. Waah! I hope I'm proved wrong on this.


10. Mas Ysa - Shame
9. Sleater Kinney - Bury Our Friends
8. Future - Move That Dope
7. Run the Jewels - Close your eyes
6. SKM - Song remains the same
5. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
4. Beyonce - Flawless (or XO or Drunk in Love or 7/11)
3. Red Eyes
2. iLoveMakonnen - Tuesday
1. FKA Twigs - Two Weeks


Here we go:


10. Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good (Original Version)
LOL. Not sure this is fair, but whatever.
9. Future - Move That Dope [ft. Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino]
Off by only 1 in my original ranking! Not bad.
8. Perfume Genius - Queen
Yay! This is good. 6 off from my initial ranking, but I'm relived to see PG here after Pitchfork's appalling snub of "Hood" in their end of year tracks list.
7. Beyoncé - ***Flawless [ft. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi]
Yes!! 3 off in the initial ranking. I'm not sure if I can keep her in my ranking for the top 5. We'll see when we get there.
6. Run the Jewels - Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck) [ft. Zack De La Rocha]
Yes! 3 spots off in the initial ranking as well. This is "a real barn burner"


Re-ranking the top 5, dropping Sleater Kinney (see you on this list next year!), Mas Ysa, and SKM (I want to drop Beyonce to keep it in the ranking, but it'd be risky move):


5. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
4. Red Eyes
3. Beyonce - Drunk in Love
2. iLoveMakonnen - Tuesday
1. FKA Twigs - Two Weeks


5. The War on Drugs - Red Eyes
WOOOOOOOO! For those keeping track at home, this blurb is where P4k makes a nod to the WoD/SKM garbage tossing. I knew it'd happen, even though I really wanted it to not come up. (2 spots off in original 30; 1 off in last 5)
4. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
Mmmm!!! So good. (1 spots off in original 30; 1 off in last 5). These last 5 have been fairly solid (though i wasn't sure which Beyonce track to rank highest) since the beginning--I'm still confident about Tuesday and Two Weeks' inclusion, but I'm not sure about the third and its placement.
3. FKA twigs - Two Weeks
OH GOD!!!! This is not what I wanted. Now I have no idea what to put in the mystery slot. I'm going to stick with Beyonce, because to put Song Remains the Same and Tuesday as #1 or #2 would just be too good. That said, it's as possible as ever that something will come out of nowhere at me, like Drake did last year. (2 spots off in the original 30 and in the last 5)
2. iLoveMakonnen - Club Goin Up on a Tuesday [ft. Drake]
This is such a beautiful ranking. 10/10, perfect track. (0 spots off in the original 30 and last 5)


Uuuuuuuuuuuugh if it's not Beyonce I have no idea what to think about anything any more.


1. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You)

WOW. If you would have asked me what 2014's top song was at any point this year, even(/especially!) in January, I would have given this answer with no hesitation. A funny thing happens when you make lists like this, though--it's easy to focus on things in front of you without realizing what you'd missed. In this instance, "Seasons" by Future Islands somehow wasn't one of the 60 songs I wrote down for the longlist of 30 candidates for top 20, so I didn't include it in any of my calculations or anticipations. I feel a strong temptation to just edit all of my answers to include it here, at the first place spot where it obviously belongs. I also feel a strong temptation to just not publish this dumb post. That said, it's whatever, so here it is, as an act of public self-shaming: I'm a big ol dummy, and I've been waiting on you!

Friday, January 17, 2014

best in shows 2010

In the early days of 2010, I compiled a list of the best concerts I attended in 2009. After years of obsessing over such lists, it seemed natural that I’d make one of my own. I hadn’t made lists for 2010, 2011, and 2012 until this summer. Lists such as these are incredibly subjective, and I like to wonder about what would have remained similar if I would have made these lists shortly after year’s end. That said, making this kind of list from memories would be impossible if I didn't keep track of this stuff is such detail. Like many people, I am drawn toward experiences I find cathartic and exhilarating. I ordered these lists primarily based on the excitement and fulfillment I remember having at these events.

Here are my favorite concerts of 2010, as ranked through the lens of summer 2013 and as commented on through the lens of November 2013-January 2014:



Honorable Mention:

All Tiny Creatures w/ Sunglasses, Red Electric Rainbow, Jivas - The Project Lodge, 10/20
Caribou - Jay Pritzker Pavilion, 7/12
The Chemical Brothers - North Coast Music Festival, 9/3
Grandchildren w/ Dinosaur Feathers, Arto - Der Rathskeller, 10/15
The Hold Steady - Riverside Theater, 12/31
Los Campesinos! w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars - Majestic Theater, 4/29
Phantogram - Strictly Discs, 10/23
School of Seven Bells w/ Active Child - Majestic Theater, 9/18
These United States w/ Juniper Tar, Strand of Oaks - The Terrace, 6/11
Yeasayer w/ Sleigh Bells - Majestic Theater, 4/28


25. Liars – High Noon Saloon, 7/14

I absolutely love it when I find a band to be scary. I think this is often one of the highest compliments a person can give a creative entity. Liars are one of those perpetually unsettling acts. It takes a career of dedication to keep this aura going—one slip up could easily strip away that appearance. When Liars played outdoors midday at Pitchfork the next day, the heat and sunlight proved a disappointing accompaniment to their set. In the dark and chilly High Noon, Liars were powerful in their element.

24. Nite Jewel w/ Rory Kane – Lothlorien Co-op, 5/13

A few days after finishing finals, this show was a great start to summer. Nite Jewel was enjoyable (although the thing I remember most from their set was a guy playing obnoxiously with a flashing light the whole time) but Rory Kane absolutely stole the show. I want him to play my wedding.

23. of Montreal w/ Janelle Monae – Pabst Theater, 9/24

Here’s another show-stealing early act. I’m a huge of Montreal fan, but Janelle Monae did a terrific job working the crowd while of Montreal was a little less solid. Still, they played a blast of a set. This was one of my favorite co-headlining bills of the year.


 22. Deerhunter – Chicago, 9/25

The day after show #23, Urban Outfitters threw a *corporate gig* under an overpass in Chicago. The performance was crazy no-frills (I don’t remember there being Urban Outfitters signs on the stage or anything to that effect, though I could be forgetting them). With no opener and in the middle of the afternoon, Deerhunter played a lot from Halcyon Digest, which came out three days after the show.

21. Moby DJ Set w/ Boys Noize, Future Rock, Daedelus, Laidback Luke - North Coast Music Festival, 9/4

These dance music festivals can get kind of cheesy (and this day was no exception) but the smaller stage in the corner of Union Park (Pitchfork’s blue/connector stage) hosted a non-stop flow of “eclectic” (well, for DJs at North Coast) acts. I expected Boys Noize to be the highlight of the day, but Moby turned out to be better than I would have ever expected. His set was big, loud, and relentless. We did not get to hear “otherside”. Maybe next time!

20. The New Pornographers w/ The Dodos – The Orpheum, 8/4

One of my very first indie love affairs was with the one I had with The New Pornographers. At this point in my life, I take them for granted until I’m listening to them. As soon as I hear THOSE HOOKS and THOSE VOICES it’s all new to me again and I’m 15 and getting a ride home from seeing Phantom Planet at Summerfest, you dig? I also had not payed The Dodos much attention until seeing them here, which was a really enjoyable surprise.

19. Ariel Pink & Haunted Graffiti w/ Puro Instinct, Magic Kids– Lincoln Hall, 7/20

I remember this as one of the weirdest shows I’ve attended. This show went pretty late, and after going from Madison (Liars) to Chicago (for Neon Indian and 3 days of Pitchfork) to Madison (for Bear in Heaven) back to Chicago in 7 days, I was exhausted. The lineup was stellar and Ariel Pink played for what seemed like 2 hours.  I could be wrong, but I seem to remember him playing “For Kate I Wait” (the song I was waiting to hear through the entire show) last, and that was a thrilling way to wrap things up.

I should note that, though the show didn’t place in this list, Thursday’s Neon Indian + Dam Funk show had one of the most thrilling encore song selections I’ve experienced: a live version of Vega’s “No Reasons”… Hoooo!

 18. Deadmau5 – Soldier Field, 7/2

This was the first time I’d ever seen real guidos!!! Set just outside of Soldier Field, this show was basically a small music festival. This was prime 'Moar Ghosts' era Deadmau5, in all his top-billing glory. I think this is the only time I've seen him, and it was definitely the place and time to do that.

17. Beach House – Pabst Theater, 4/3

On the day after seeing Joanna Newsom in the same theater, I was well-primed to fall in love. This was my first time seeing Beach House, and on the Teen Dream tour… gaaaahhhhh. Simply amazing show. It’s a lazy comparison to make, but I felt similar to the soft awe I felt when seeing Grizzly Bear tour in support of Veckatimest the year prior. That guitar slide!!


16. Julian Lynch w/ Austin Hays, Yellow Ostrich, Cedarwell – Gates of Heaven, 5/17

I loved shows in this place. It’s a total destination venue—-one for arriving early and combining with a trip to James Madison Park. As I recall, this was my first time seeing Julian Lynch play with a large(r) ensemble (I could be wrong about that), with drums and the like. Like many other Wisconsinites, I easily became enamored with Yellow Ostrich. I remember excitedly playing Youtube videos of his live performances to friends and family members for quite a while after the show. Bring back Gates of Heaven! There’s probably a reason people aren’t having shows there these days. Maybe I’m just not hearing about them. Hmm.

15. Zola Jesus w/ Julian Lynch + Sonmi – Project Lodge, 3/6

Coming up in Madison at the same time as Zola Jesus started to rise in profile was a unique experience. As a freshman/sophomore in college, it was my first opportunity to see a very regular person in real life who started to have a bigger and bigger celebrity presence online. I have always felt like ZJ cut the hipsters of Madison a raw deal by not cultivating more of a hometown presence, but I guess sometimes that isn’t a big priority. I believe this was the first time I saw both Zola Jesus and Julian Lynch perform.

14. Dawes – Der Rathskeller, 2/13

For a brief period, every Dawes show was less of a concert and more of a reunion with friends. The band name became more of an meme than a moniker and each show was more of a social event than an opportunity to watch a fledgling band that had an inappropriately enthusiastic fan base among my social network. This Rathskeller show was probably my DAWES peak. By the time they started releasing new songs, I sort of fell off the last train to Dawesville. Continuing to follow their career became sort of beside the point--their debut (and the memory of those shows) was what really mattered to me.


 13. Phoenix – Lollapalooza, 8/7

I could track my geospatial love of this band, bounded by my table on the third floor of College Library where my scrobbles for the leak of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix first hit last.fm and the Lollapalooza field where I took in their tremendous headlining set. This Lollapalooza was my first solo trip to a music festival, and while it can get lonely, there’s much to be said about the experience of taking in a show of this magnitude as an individual alone in a massive crowd.

12. Pavement - Pitchfork, 7/18

Having only listened to 'Slanted and Enchanted' before the news of Pavement’s reunion, I had a lot of homework to do before this show. It was a great opportunity to have an incentive to quickly fall in love with their albums, which was not a difficult thing to do. One of the best parts of this show was being part of a crowd that was filled with so many happy and nostalgic adults.

 11. Bear In Heaven w/ Twin Sister, Mountain Man – High Noon Saloon, 7/19

One of my favorite High Noon shows of all time! This was one of those small shows that just happened to get everything right. A gorgeous package from start to finish. Summer 2010 was the perfect time to be at this show. Mountain Man (whatever happened to them?) performed to a small huddle of people sitting on the floor, and Twin Sister played the best set I’ve ever seen them perform. Finally, Bear In Heaven put on a big, smoky, and well-lit show that capped off this thing in the best way possible.

10 Big Boi - Pitchfork, 7/18

Bros, there is little more to say than that Big Boi is terrific live. Big Boi sprinted through classics from all pockets of his career, and there was no dead time at all. There were a ton of people on stage, but even that aspect seemed more constructive than a lot of clique-driven rap live shows. There were kids breakdancing!! It was a really wonderful penultimate festival set.

9. The Arcade Fire – Lollapalooza, 8/8

I am a shameless strategist when it comes to getting to the front of crowds, and MGMT’s prior set at the same stage cleared out a ton of people, which helped me get very close for this show. This show was predictably enormous, and really a total thrill. If you picture the best an Arcade Fire headlining slot at an outdoor festival could be, it’s probably pretty similar to what this ended up being.

Ready to Start
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
No Cars Go
Haiti
Empty Room
Rococo
The Suburbs
Intervention
Crown of Love
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
We Used to Wait
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
Month of May
Keep the Car Running

Encore:
Wake Up

8. Titus Andronicus – Project Lodge, 4/6

One of my favorite Project Lodge shows of all time (duh). Peter Truby brought one of my favorite bands to the smallest of all viable Madison locations. (Watch the throne, Madison DIY!) Technically, this show was a pretty decent mess, but Titus are troopers and put on a sweatfest for the ages. BEST BAND EVER.

7. Weezer – Verge (Summerfest Grounds), 6/5

This should have been miserable, but it was perfect. To set the scene: this show was the headlining set of a completely scrambled-together lineup of pop/rock and assorted others (AFI played the preceding slot, lol). It was at the Summerfest grounds. There were nowhere near enough attendees to warrant another year. The weather was disastrous-—super cold and raining. We waited in the large indoor bathroom complex for what seemed like (and probably was ) an hour once it got dark and colder outside. We ate tepid Saz's samplers.

Fast forward to Weezer’s set! Rivers was in total rockstar mode, and it was amazing to watch. Though this concert was far from one, it made me realize that I don’t get out to enough arena shows. This guy put on a face and ran with it for the whole set. There were props, moments he’d run across the stage and climb on rigging, a double encore, and even a rousing “Can’t Stop Partying.” The guy totally rocked my expectations.

Hash Pipe
Troublemaker
Undone - The Sweater Song
Surf Wax America
Trippin' Down the Freeway
Perfect Situation
Dope Nose (Scott Shriner on lead vocals)
Say It Ain't So
Brian's Theme
Can't Stop Partying
Why Bother? (Brian Bell on lead vocals)
(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To
My Name Is Jonas
Beverly Hills

Encore:
Pork and Beans (with "Hot for Teacher" intro)
Kids / Poker Face

Encore 2:
Island in the Sun
Buddy Holly

6. Joanna Newsom – Pabst Theater, 4/2

Gaah, I love Joanna so much and it was amazing finally being able to see her play. What I didn’t expect was the value of her live band. The accompaniments were intricate and executed perfectly and musically. It was wonderful being able to see her play solo this summer at Pitchfork, but, unsatiated, I am holding out until I have the opportunity to see her play a long set of new and old songs with her ensemble.

Jackrabbits
In California
Easy
Soft as Chalk
The Book of Right-On
Have One on Me
Inflammatory Writ
Good Intentions Paving Co.
Monkey & Bear

Encore:
Baby Birch
Peach, Plum, Pear

5. The Flaming Lips – Riverside Theater, 4/21

Towards the end of my sophomore year of college, Todd and I took the bus to Milwaukee to see The Flaming Lips. This was the loudest, most abrasive show I’ve ever seen from these guys. We were very close and this show did not disappoint. I might note that every time I’ve seen The Flaming Lips has been been less magical than the last, and though I don’t mean that as a slam to them, it’s fine to keep in mind here that I’d only seen them once before—the magic was still there (which is to say that I still sobbed uncontrollably during 'Do You Realize??').

The Fear
Worm Mountain
Silver Trembling Hands
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine
In the Morning of the Magicians
She Don't Use Jelly
I Can Be a Frog
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
See the Leaves
Laser Hands
Powerless
Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
Taps (Daniel Butterfield cover)
The W.A.N.D.
Convinced of the Hex

Encore:
Brain Damage (Pink Floyd cover)
Eclipse (Pink Floyd cover)

Encore 2:
Do You Realize??

4. My Morning Jacket – Northerly Island, 8/17

MY MORNING JACKEEETTTTTTT. Obviously this was amazing, so all I'm going to do is qualify the #4 slot instead of a higher one. As this was my first chance to see them, this was pretty hotly anticipated. I don’t know how much I could claim to have been swept off my feet, but I was definitely blown away. The outdoor, parking lot-y venue was pretty OK, but that just made my first indoor MMJ show feel that much more explosive.

Rollin Back (Instrumental)
The Way That He Sings
Gideon
Mahgeetah
Dancefloors
Master Plan
Golden
Circuital
Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 1
Anytime
Tonite I Want to Celebrate With You
Carried Away (Carl Broemel song)
I'm Amazed
Easy Morning Rebel
Dondante
Smokin From Shootin
Run Thru (Second half, from the jam through the end)
Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2
Lay Low (Just the solo)

Encore:
Bermuda Highway
Wordless Chorus
Off the Record
Steam Engine
One Big Holiday

3. Voxtrot – Lincoln Hall 1/14, Lincoln Hall 5/21, Lawrence University, 5/22

I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite bands of all time for the first time ever--as well as the last time, barring a reunion--in a string of three shows in just over four months. The opportunity to experience this band's live show so many times in such a brief burst of nostalgic bliss was pretty singular. The three shows had fairly similar setlists (each sadly lacking 'Trouble' but including almost all other favorites) and allowed what I feel was a fitting experience to 'see off' the band. I miss you, Voxtrot!!

[setlist from 5/21]
Introduction
Rise up in the Dirt
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters + Wives
Kid Gloves
Your Biggest Fan
Raised By Wolves
Steven
Soft and Warm
Berlin, Without Return
Wrecking Force
The Start of Something

Encore:
Whiskey and Water
Missing Pieces

2. The Strokes – Lollapalooza, 8/6

Very few of the concerts I've ever attended have afforded me ecstatic catharsis like seeing The Strokes for the first time. Like 2009's exposure to The Flaming Lips' live show, being able to see The Strokes (alone in a vast expanse of similarly thrilled young adults) was an experience 9 years in the making. Look at this set list!!! Picture an entirely overwhelmed 20-year old me being drowned in complete happiness. As nostalgic as my relationship is with The Strokes, this was the kind of show that allowed for no time for thinking about anything other than the now.

New York City Cops
The Modern Age
Hard to Explain
What Ever Happened?
You Only Live Once
Soma
Is This It
Vision of Division
I Can't Win
Reptilia
Last Nite

Encore:
Juicebox
Someday
Under Control
Heart in a Cage
Take It or Leave It

 1. LCD Soundsystem w/ Hot Chip – Eagles Ballroom, 10/22

Eleven days prior to seeing LCD Soundsystem play with Hot Chip at the Rave, the two titans played a show at London's Alexandra Palace, which was recorded in an instantly released bootleg. This has turned into a unique souvenir from this tour. I don't deal with bootlegs often, but this probably would have been my top pick of a 2010 show to be able to hear again (and again--which I have, many times).

Catching these DFA kingpins playing back to back (no openers to mess around with) was a blissful experience. Both acts had catalogs established enough that the night was entirely saturated with hits. Wisconsin's least favorite rock venue couldn't even hamper this performance! It was loud and the venue was packed with dancing kids--that's all I could care about. After all, I cried when I saw "Shut Up and Play The Hits". All LCD Soundsystem need to do was slay, and they slayed.

Boy From School
One Pure Thought
Thieves In The Night
One Life Stand
Over And Over
Hand Me Down Your Love
Alley Cats
Take It In
Shake A Fist
We Have Love
Hold On
I Feel Better
Ready For The Floor

-----

Dance Yrself Clean
Drunk Girls
Get Innocuous!
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
Yr City's a Sucker
You Wanted A Hit
I Can Change
All My Friends
Movement
Tribulations
Yeah

Encore:
Someone Great
Losing My Edge
Home