Best of 2010

Instead of doing a list of my top albums for this year, I thought I would just mention some notable releases. I will say that my favorite album this year, without a doubt, was Jukebox the Ghost. April Smith and Kids of 88 probably come second and third respectively. (But then I look at Arcade Fire and feel like maybe they should be third instead). See, this is why I don't do "top" lists. It gets tricky. As for the rest, I just really enjoyed them but couldn't possibly rank them in any order. Josh Ritter was especially good for helping me get through quite a few papers and exams. A few I'll admit I didn't get a chance to hear in their entirety, but I heard enough to feel comfortable mentioning anyway.

Albums:
Jan 12 - Contra by Vampire Weekend
- Of the Blue Colour of the Sky - OK Go
Feb 23 - Songs for a Sinking Ship by April Smith and the Great Picture Show
March 2 - Smoke & Mirrors by Lifehouse
March 9 - The Monitor by Titus Andronicus
March 16 - Habits by Neon Trees
March 30 - Evelyn Evelyn by Evelyn Evelyn
April 13 - Congratulations by MGMT
Virtues by Amber Pacific
April 27 - Love It To Life by Jesse Malin
May 4 - So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter
June 15 - American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem
June 29 - We've All Been There by Alex Band
Aug 2 - The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Aug 3 - Hear Me Now by Secondhand Serenade
Aug 16 - Sugarpills by Kids of 88
Sept 4 - Everything Under the Sun by Jukebox the Ghost
Sept 14 - Hurley by Weezer
A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park
Sept 21 - Hands All Over by Maroon 5
Sept 28 - Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby
Oct 19 - Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon
Words, Words, Words by Bo Burnham (comedian)
Nov 22 - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance
Dec 7 - Wonders of the Younger by Plain White T's

Top Concerts:
Did a quick count and I have seen Jukebox the Ghost almost every month this year. That is really impressive (not only for me, but for them coming to NYC that often). Of course, being my favorite band, they are on my top concerts list, but I would hate to have to pick which time was the best (secret show at Pianos? cd release? opening for BNL?) so I'm just going to say for the bajillionth time that this band is AMAZING live and you should go check them out and experience their awesome for yourself.

Moving right along…

Other contenders this year include:
Alex Band Aug 6th @ Highline
Josh Ritter Aug 8th on Governor's Island
Yula and the eXtended Family Sept 2nd @ Highline
Titus Andronicus & Free Energy Sept 25th @ Webster Hall
the first annual Tinderbox Festival Sept 26th @ Southpaw
The World/Inferno Friendship Society's Hallowmas Oct 31st

That last one especially was a night to remember. The band went almost the entire year without playing, so it felt almost like a family reunion being there. The day was filled with great music, plus I met loads of new and awesome people that I still talk to thanks to the magic of the inter-webs. Also have to say CMJ this year was especially good. It was a crazy week that completely wore me out, but it was oh so very worth it. Also worth it was going to see Ben Folds Dec 14th at Beacon Theater despite just getting over being sick. He and Josh Groban rank in my list of people who are too talented for words. Speaking of which, I also saw Josh Groban do a short set at the Apple store in Soho. That should go on the list too. See, there were just way too many great shows to list them all. It's just one of the many reasons I love New York so much.

Well, that about wraps up another year in music here. Did I skip over any of your favorite albums? See any shows that I was unable to attend? Feel free to add your 2 cents in the comments section below.

Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns Review

Linkin Park has always been one of those bands that makes us wait a couple years in between albums, but also always delivers solid material that is well worth the wait. A Thousand Suns is no exception to this. They still keep their rap-rock style mostly, but there are some deviations from that as well. The many different styles are balanced very well here though, keeping things fresh and interesting. And even though the genre may be the same, this is definitely not just a rehashing of their previous work. You can tell Linkin Park worked hard to make sure this was different than anything they had done before. For one thing, each song blends almost seamlessly with the next, creating a more fluid experience. This isn't to say every song sounds the same. No, each song is it's own thing, but while also being part of a larger whole. The work that was put into the album is most evident, however, with their single "The Catalyst" which was created in a very unique way.



I thought the idea of having the fans help contribute to this song was cool and different and really made it so they became part of the music.

Personal favorite: While "Catalyst" is a great song and constantly gets stuck in my jukebox of a brain, gotta say I really loved "Iridescent" - both musically and lyrically.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
and let it go, let it go

The song builds then releases to "Fallout" and finally transitions to "Catalyst." The album then concludes with "The Messenger," which is both beautiful and rough at the same time. The lyrics and message are sweet, while the vocals are emotional and raw. Personally I think these last few songs combine to make for a perfect ending to an already exceptional record.



When you've suffered enough
And your spirit is breaking
You're growing desperate from the fight

Remember you're loved
And you always will be
This melody will bring you right back home

Runaway Dorothy - The Arc Review

I discovered Runaway Dorothy through the wonders of Twitter. Somehow their album made its way into my iPod, and even though it didn't fit my typical listening pattern, I still enjoyed what it had to offer. "And what did the album offer?" you ask.

Well, instead of the alt rock I usually listen to, The Arc is 46 minutes of alt country with somewhat of a Counting Crows vibe. It makes sense that the Crows promote this band so much. I could definitely see Dorothy opening for them and keeping the audience pleased. For the most part songs are slow, and laid back, but this feels relaxing instead of boring. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful. There are also some sweet harmonies on "With You." Like I said, this normally isn't my favorite genre, but this album is solid and had me thoroughly impressed. I can only imagine that fans of this genre would only love it all the more.

My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys Review

From the introduction and first song on Danger Days I knew two things: 1) this album is going to be a lot of fun, and 2) but only if I don't listen to it as a My Chemical Romance album. Through further listening though it would seem that, yes, the sound is different on this album, but there is still just enough of MCR infused in it to be recognizable to old-time fans. It's not exactly the same as their older material, but that's ok. It's closer to The Black Parade in that it's a concept album with a story attached to it. This time we are following the band's alter egos, the Killjoys, in their adventures. The first single "Na Na Na" is also the first song on the album, and introduces us to our cast of characters. The rest of the album takes us through the story, set to (mostly) high tempo music. The best way to describe it would be glam rock, a fusion of rock and pop that blends to make for something less dark than previous albums the band has released.

Final thought: While the single may leave you scratching your head as to what to expect here, I say give this one a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised. It might not be what you expect from MCR, but it's got enough good elements in it to be worth a listen.

Ben Folds @ Beacon Theater (12/14)

On December 14, 2010 I had the opportunity to see Ben Folds make magic happen at Beacon Theater. Unfortunately, this was also when I first started dealing with what became known in my house as the-illness-that-never-dies. This is my pitiful explanation for why this review is appearing almost 2 weeks after the event took place. Proof it was a great show though, or I would have simply forgotten about it and moved on to other things. So, without further ado, I present Ben Folds: Live @ Beacon Theater.

Picture it: It's a freezing cold night in New York City, you're sick and cold, but Ben Folds is playing in your city. Of course you go, even though you should stay in and rest up, but it's Ben Folds (!). How do you say no to the chance to see possibly one of the greatest musicians of our time? You don't. You brave the cold and wind and keep telling yourself it's fine because it's mostly just subway ride anyway. Reasons I love Beacon Theater: an exceptional venue that is also quite convenient to get to. But I digress...

The show itself was everything I could have asked for. Ben Folds has a lot of things going for him. He's an extremely talented musician both vocally and on the piano (and isn't too bad on the drums either, for that matter). He also has a great relationship with his audience, keeping things entertaining all the way through an extended set that somehow doesn't drag in the slightest. Top moments of the night included the story of how Ke$ha's single "Sleazy" became the cover song of the tour (it happened to be the #1 song on iTunes that day and they stuck with it) and a killer version of Free Bird after an audience member shouted it during a lull. This happens at a lot of shows I've been to, but usually the artist doesn't oblige. Folds said something along the lines of "Gotta be responsible when you yell that out, young lady" before going into his rendition. Best part of this was probably that he didn't know all the words, so he made up his own. Here's a video someone posted on YouTube from the night:

Of course this (combined with the length of an average song of his) ate up a lot of time, so there was a 1-song encore where Folds selfishly got some 3-part harmony out of us before ending the night. There was more than enough music in the main set for me to be perfectly fine with this. My only disappointment was not getting to hear "Trusted" since it's my favorite song of his, but playing You To Thank balanced things out. Overall it was a great night, and one I won't soon forget. Add this to the list of artists I would definitely recommend seeing if ever you get the chance.

Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

The blog has been on an unofficial hiatus for awhile now, and for that I am sorry. The writer (that's me!) has been dealing with some things, but hopefully next week will more than make up for it. I've got a very late live review of Ben Folds from earlier in the month, plus a couple of cd reviews and a giant end-of-the-year post with my top albums and concerts from 2010. But that is all for after the holidays.

Today is Christmas Eve. As a little present (and to make up for a lack of posting) I give you a few videos to put you in the Christmas spirit (or just make you smile).

Maxwell's Presents: April Smith and the Great PIcture Show

This past Friday, December 10th, I was lucky enough to finally get a chance to see April Smith and the Great Picture show live. The opportunity came with a late show at Maxwell's in Hoboken. Openers for the evening included The Canon Logic and Elizabeth & the Catapult. The first opener, The Canon Logic, got things fired up early on, with a mini dance party even forming in the front of the room. Next, Elizabeth & the Catapult kept things going. Their sound seemed to fit better with April Smith (although I enjoyed the first band as well). It might have helped that Elizabeth & the Catapult are a female-fronted band with a similar style to April Smith (IMO). I thought Elizabeth had a similar quirkiness to April Smith and a lot of heart. Speaking of which, my heart was completely won over by the end of their set, due in large part to the charming lead singer.

That brings us to the main event, April Smith and the Great Picture Show. I did a review of their album over the summer where I raved about how unique and entertaining their sound was. This gave me high expectations for their live show, which I am happy to report were not disappointed in the slightest. April and band had a great stage presence. April Smith was charming and sweet and fun, but also strong as a vocalist. I thought she found the perfect balance of strength and sweetness. Overall the performance was solid and enjoyable. If you ever get a chance to see this band live, I encourage you to take it. I promise they will give you quite a show.

*I was going to use the end of this post to include a video I took from the show, but if you follow me on Twitter you will know I was having trouble with that. I promise to go back and edit later, but really wanted to get this up ASAP for your reading pleasure.

Edit: Sorry this took longer than I wanted it to, but all the video I took from the show is finally up on YouTube. I'm embedding my three favorites below as a sample, but you can view the rest on my YouTube page.






(Warning: that last one has a tiny little curse at the end, which you know if you are familiar with the song)

Happy Birthday, Amy Acker

News on Shuffle would like to give a happy birthday shout-out today to Amy Acker. Whedon fans were first introduced to her on Angel as the adorable and nerdy Fred Burkle (and later as Dr Saunders on Dollhouse). Other credits you may recognize her from include a recurring role on Alias, a lead role on the short-lived series Happy Town, and a guest stint on Human Target. If you are very good at picking out voices, you may also know her as the voice of Huntress on Justice League. Acker was also in Whedon's film Cabin in the Woods, but no word on what the status is of the film in terms of release, with everything that happened with MGM. IMDB only has a release date for the UK (14January, 2011). Hopefully that gets a US release at some point as well. From what I've seen it looks very good, and it would be a shame if it didn't get a larger release to the public.

I leave you with a very short (but cute) video of Acker as Fred in Angel

Josh Groban - Live from Soho

Last night I had the chance to see Josh Groban at the Apple store in Soho. This store has a lot of events like this (I also saw Regina Spektor here). I think it is a great chance to experience music you might not normally be able to afford full-priced tickets for.

I have always thought Josh Groban was a talented and gifted musician, but have never had the opportunity before last night to experience this in person. I am glad I was able to change this, because the show was phenomenal. Not only was it a good performance in terms of music, it was also a lot of fun. Josh is really funny and had a great stage presence. It was really comfortable being in a room with him. He even commented, "It feels like we're playing in a living room right now." It's true, the show had a very intimate vibe to it, which added to my overall enjoyment. Another fun line from him came when he mentioned his recent move to NYC. "After years of flirting with the city, I've finally made an honest city out of it," he quipped. That was possibly one of my highlights of the evening. Another highlight came at the end when he announced his last song was going to be "Per Te," which is off his second album, Closer. This is one of my favorite songs by him. I have always imagined this song being ridiculously hard to sing (and he even said it is one of the hardest songs for him), but he makes it seem remarkably easy. I was impressed not only be the performance but also by how incredibly down-to-earth he seemed. I got the impression he is one of those artists who doesn't entirely know how he has reached the level of success he has achieved, even though it seems blatantly obvious to his fans. (Btw, Josh Groban fans are very enthusiastic and supportive of this artist).

After final bow the fans called for "one more song," to which Josh obliged. He commented that they didn't have anything else rehearsed (plus he was spent from playing his own music), so he did a Neil Diamond cover instead. The song he chose was "Play Me," which he made entirely his own. Honestly, I only knew it was Neil Diamond because he had introduced it as such. Otherwise it sounded like it could have been one of his own songs the way he sang it. There was no video allowed at this performance (it will be available on iTunes eventually), but here is a video of another performance where he sang this particular song.




Josh Groban just released his latest album, Illuminations. You can download it from Amazon or iTunes, or get it from your local record store (or Starbucks).