Here’s my top ten. This year, for once, I tried to focus on ten albums that I listened to a lot. In previous years, I gravitated towards major statements, and a list-wide balance marked by genre eclecticism. This led me to include records that I neither like nor listen to any more (see: Speakerboxxx/The Love [...]
A note from Steve Lambert, booking manager for the Rock & Roll Hotel, on his biggest shows, his favorite shows, and some cool developments in the Atlas district.
Biggest shows:
O.A.R. (Dec.08)
Vampire Weekend (Feb.08)
Ben Kweller (Oct.08)
Black Mountain and Bon Iver (Feb.08)
Mark Kozelek [Red House Paints / Sun Kil Moon) (Nov.08)
Mudhoney (June.08)
Glasvegas (Oct.08)
Z-Trip (Nov.08)
Liam Finn (Sept.08)
Ohgr [Skinny [...]
Sean Peoples, founder/czar of the SocketsCDR label, dropped us an email to answer questions and to dish about Little Women, Sonic Circuits, and "hip-hop from the future."
This past year was busy. I can't think of much by way of disappointments, but the following stood out and really made 2008 for me:
Dmerit is a DJ/production duo [...]
We spoke this week with Alec Bourgeois, spokesperson for Dischord Records, to get his take on the year in music.
I'd say one of the coolest developments in 2008 was the return of the independent record store, fueled in part by the 12" LP's refusal to obey the grim reaper's call. It's not that places like [...]
Below: this year's top-sellers at Melody Records. Glad to see Gnarls on there; chagrined to see Coldplay; not surprised to see either; curious whether any other stores were able to move the Hancock album like this.
Madonna, Hard Candy
Coldplay, Viva la Vida
Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Portishead, Third
Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson
Amy Winehouse, [...]
Josh Harkavy, owner of the record/book store Red Onion, e-mailed me this: his favorite, or some of his favorite records of the year.
Josh explains: "This is by no means a top 11 list, just 11 albums I listened to a lot in 2008.
Let me know if you need more info or anything. I hope you don't mind [...]
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Another year, another "Best Of" list topped by another band of noise-punks from San Francisco. I gave the #1 slot to Thee Ohsees' Sucks Blood last year — an incredibly charming, yet off-kilter record of hazy garage pop. I was floored by The Hospitals [...]
Dear Readers,
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us: The season of weird holiday parties, creeping disease, and compulsive kitschploitation!
But what would the Yuletide be without music retrospectives? Without an encyclopedia's worth of top-10 lists? Without a seething mêlée of critical cacophony?
By way of distracting you from the previous paragraph, City [...]
Has the year in indie rock been this boring? Or do Pitchfork readers just have really predictable tastes? The website dropped their first annual readers poll yesterday. Here's the top ten:
01. TV on the Radio: Dear Science
02. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes / Sun Giant EP
03. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
04. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
05. [...]
Remember Chopteeth? BPB reviewed 'em back in October during the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. They cook. They dance. The Korgans are fat. The horn section is beastly. And the protest ("Struggle") generally takes a backseat to the party ("Upendo").
Their LP is called "Afrofunk Big Band." It's great. [...]
