Ok, so apparently all it takes to totally distract me is to have a friend
(Note: a cool friend, whose taste in music and etc. I admire)
send me their Top Ten Albums of 2013 list.
Somehow, it is an hour later,
not sure how that happened,
other than me procrastinating and writing this,
and I have replied to him by agreeing on White Denim (Love them!!)
and then adding in my two cents.
Which?
Not possible for me to add in two cents.
1. I never have any change or money ever, my children are vultures.
2. I can't stop at the literary version of two cents,
or one thousand cents,
that is why I have a blog, no word limits,
no two cents happening.
Also not possible for me to make a list,
as I hate and loathe lists.
But I can ramble, in an opinionated way.
And honestly,
this is about as organized a list as I have been able to produce in ages.
(Granted, this is total procrastination,
and not getting me far in accomplishing the things I am supposed to do,
but baby steps, right?)
So, Behold The Glory!
Allison's Non-List of Top Ten Albums Of 2013, Kind Of.
(Note: Two came out in 2012 but I don't care,
because they belong on this non-list due to excellence.
Also, one is a song with album coming soon,
but it is a great song, and I am excited for the album,
so it goes on the non-list.)
(Also Note: These are not in order,
because it isn't an actual list,
and I am not up for ranking things, seems too harsh and organized.
So consider these like,
floating happy champagne bubbles,
or tears of perfect melancholy,
or gas for your engine,
or a combination of champagne, tears, and diesel fuel.
Let's call it a divine spill?)
The Neighbourhood's I Love You plus the I'm Sorry EP:
Tatted up LA dudes who go from smooth croon to fast, scratched up cool -
either ratcheting up the sound and emotion,
or pulling you in with a bedhead messy vibe.
Have seen them in a crowd of 10 and a crowd of 2000 - so good.
I write Odes to this band often, am fan.
Vampire Weekend's Modern Vampires of the City:
Amazingly totally has their known sound -
kind of hipster/prepster cleverly composed yet feels extemporaneous post-ska? -
but this album totally builds on and below that and is blasted great.
Step, Unbelievers, Ya Hey - totally awesome love it.
Saw them at ACL this fall,
and they were ridiculously good.
Portugal. The Man, Evil Friends:
I am totally fixated on this album, and this band -
have been fan, but this album,
with Evil Friends, Atomic Man, Creep In A T Shirt - kills.
Crazy good lyrics, sound you can totally thrash around to,
or do laundry more quickly,
or get speeding tickets if you are driving.
Kodaline, In A Perfect World:
Irish boys with very excellent multi-tasking on the strings,
very excellent soaring to quiet to tragic to hopeful lyrics,
very excellent Irishness in general.
We saw them open for The Airborne Toxic Event this April,
and they were crazy, super good,
and we'd never heard of them,
and I was texting my music friends after their set like:
Get a hold of them live before they are not the opening act,
I swear, I am right on this.
And I was right!
I love it when that happens.
High Hopes, After the Fall, All I Want -
all totally fantastic songs, a
nd they play big, fabulous, intricate, beautiful ballads,
as well as trippier twisty stuff.
Metric, Synthetica:
Ok, so it is officially a 2012 album but whatever,
I am counting it anyway.
They are so good.
Canadian, new wave, ruled by one Ms. Emily Hanes,
wearing many hats as lead singer, writer, plays keys and guitar and tambourine at the same time wearing leather hot pants like she is reincarnation of Debbie Harry
(Note: I know Debbie Harry is not dead.
So say, re-invigorating Blondie ‘80’s early electric, to quote M)
but not stale,
tres chic.
Could teach a Master Class In How To Be A Rock Star.
Broken Bells, After the Disco:
Um, Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins?
Is like, most excellent mix of electronica and tragic poet from rainy climates
"Oops I drank the rent money but here's a poem" catnip.
The National, Trouble Will Find Me:
I was late to the party on The National, I don't know why,
maybe listening to too much other stuff, but shame on me.
Because we saw them this fall and was I kind of gobsmacked,
and said to my Bestest Music Friend K,
"Um, why did you not inform me about this?"
And she was like
"Because this is your wheelhouse of the broody singer brooding mightily,
while dressed well?
plus their songs are great?"
And she is right, and they are fab -
and the lead singer is baritone broody,
which is blasted good up against their music,
which is melancholy but not grim.
Is excellent.
Boxer, their older album that I discovered after I realized what I had been missing,
is truly kind of perfect.
There is a documentary out now about the band,
filmed by the lead singer's brother, called Mistaken for Strangers,
which is on my non-list list of things I want to see.
The Airborne Toxic Event, Such Hot Blood:
I love this band.
Have been a devotee ever since hearing their song Sometime Around Midnight
(I love this song because it is a sucker punch. You know exactly what he’s singing about -
watching the girl (or boy, whatever, but is girl in this song) you love and who has crushed you - parade nonchalantly on purpose to torture you with her new plaything,
because she knows it will work.
Flick of hair,
twirl of drink,
cat-eyed slinky gaze meant to rip him up.
The buildup, not the typical verse /chorus /verse/ chorus /bridge /chorus construction,
but a build,
both his voice, all of the instruments,
they get frenzied until boiling point of his agony.)
This band is super fab,
can go acoustic with stand-up bass ,
or in a kitchen covering Violent Femmes. Plus violin girl,
am partial to them because strings add such richness ,
plus I have three violin girl daughters.
But their plugged-in, coming at you is sublime.
And they are sick good live.
And from Such Hot Blood, the song Timeless is fabulous, The Storm too.
And they have a single on the Dallas Buyers Club soundtrack,
Hell and Back, and that is excellent ripped-up foot stomper.
Jack White, Blunderbuss:
Ok, another one from 2012.
Can't help it, it is a treasure trove.
Granted, I am an easy sell on anything Jack White does,
whether it be his White Stripes stuff (my daughter V is very sad they broke up and won't listen to me that there are more Jack White options available),
The more jaded Raconteurs bass driven stuff,
Dead Weather creepy cool,
the stuff with Danger Mouse,
and this solo album - I am a triple fan.
I would like him to come live at my house,
although I think he'd hang upside down in the attic,
and ruin my best red lipstick.
I am cool with that.
And I love Blunderbuss because?
It is RELENTLESS.
You will believe.
“She don’t care what kind of wounds she’s inflicted on me.
She don’t care what color bruises she’s leavin’ on me.
‘Cause she’s got freedom in the 21st century.”
Um, ok, whatever he says.
And gives me the faint memory of those things representing chasm between childhood and what’s next . . . . real or imagined.
Two Door Cinema Club, EP Changing of The Seasons, full album soon:
OOOH, I love this new Two Door Cinema Club song,
and they are working with a new French mix guy,
and I totally love what they are doing,
Changing of the Seasons may be my favorite song of theirs now.
Irish indie alt band, very dancy, very fun,
very good live, in big or small venues,
and am fan.
And that is that.
I had to stop writing,
because there is dance pick-up and birthday party drop-off,
so I am not even counting to see if that is Top Ten,
or Top Nine or Top Eleven.
Moments like this, and all other moments,
really,
remind me that I really,
really want an intern.
