REVENGE OF THE WRITERS: Best & Worst of 2010 (Pt.1)
Dec 22, 2010
In which the folks who work in the trenches get in the last word. Hey, nothing's stopping you from doing your own list!
BY THE BLURT CRÜE
As part of our year-end wrap-up, we first yield the podium to the staffers and writers and their personal picks for 2010. We think we have a pretty diverse and lively crew here at the BLURT ward (it helps that we ply them hourly with tequila and Oxycontin), and their selections reflect a true music aficionado's eclectic ideals. Guarantee: all dialogue reported verbatim. (Go here for Part 2 of the Writers' lists.)
Coming tomorrow: Best Releases of 2010.
2009 Best-Of coverage is here (Artists Top Tens), here (Revenge of the Writers) and here (The Blurt Top 50).
2008 Best-Of coverage is here and here.
Follow BLURT on Facebook and Twitter.
*****
LEE ZIMMERMAN
MIAMI, FL
BLURT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Top 10 New Releases
Mumford & Sons - Sigh
No More (Glassnote)
Johnny Flynn -- Been Listening (Transgressive)
Peter Himmelman -- The Mystery and
the Hum (Minvan)
Band of Horses -- Infinite Arms (Brown/Columbia)
Edward Rogers -- Sparkle Lane
(indie)
Truth & Salvage Company - self-titled (Megaforce Recordings)
Greg Laswell -- Take a Bow
(Vanguard)
Carrie Rodriguez -- Love and Circumstance (Ninth Street Opus)
Ken Will Morton -- True Grit (Sojourn Records)
Blue Rodeo -- The Things We Left Behind (Warner Music Canada)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town (Columbia)
Jimi Hendrix -West Coast Seattle Boy (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)
Various Artists - Apple Box (Apple/Capitol/EMI)
The Church - various (Second Motion)
John Mellencamp -- On the
Rural Route 7609 (Mercury/Universal)
The Blue Shadows -- On the Floor of Heaven (Bumstead productions)
Richard and Linda Thompson
-- Shoot Out the Lights (Ryko)
Strawbs - 40th Anniversary Celebration ((Witchwood Media)
Green Pajamas -- Book of Hours (Green Monkey Records)
I See Hawks in L.A. -- Shoulda Been Gold (American Beat Recordings)
Music DVDs
Rolling Stones - Stones in
Exile ((Eagle)
Doors - When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors (Eagle)
The Kinks -- You Really Got Me: The Story of the Kinks (Voiceprint)
Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes (Eagle)
Brian Wilson - Songwriter 1962- 1969 (Sexy Intellectual)
Music Books
Peter Doggett - You Never Give Me Your Money (Harper)
Gerald Scarfe -- The
Making of Pink Floyd the Wall (Da Capo Press)
Harry Shapiro -- Jack Bruce: Composing Himself (Jawbone Publishing)
John Einarson - Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love ((Jawbone)
Paul Myers - A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio (Jawbone)
Top 5 Concerts
Roger Waters (BankAtlantic Center
- Fort Lauderdale, FL,
10-13-10)
Robert Plant/Band of Joy (Bayfront Park, Miami
FL, 7-31-10)
Eagles (BankAtlantic Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 10-27-10)
James Taylor/Carole King (BankAtlantic
Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL. 6-5-10)
David Gray (Fillmore, Miami Beach, 3-27-10)
Film
"Inception" - stood so far out from the rest, everything else pales in comparison!
Best Record Label
Yep Roc - This label may position themselves as a down home indie, but their vast roster puts them on the same footing as any major in terms of both quantity and quality. From Robyn Hitchcock to Steve Wynn, Paul Weller to Loudon Wainwright, Nick Lowe to Darren Hanlon, Dave Alvin to Todd Snider, they have it covered in terms of both veterans and feisty newcomers. Long may they roc!
Coolest Trend/Whatever
Bigger and better box sets - This year's release of archival efforts from Bruce Springsteen and Jimi Hendrix, two artists who offered the impression that all their unreleased material had already been ransacked and exhumed, demonstrate the fact that compendiums haven't run their course and there's still the possibility of sharing unreleased material of true value to collectors and enthusiasts.
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
The continuing offering of streams and downloads to writers and reviewers. I can add little to the articulate riposte that editor Fred Mills offered last year. As he pointed out, they may be a financially effective way of sharing new releases, but it's also a cumbersome waste of time for the reviewer who is churning out reviews every day and seeking only a disc in return. Publicists and labels, wake up! We are rarely paid for our efforts and usually doing what we are doing in addition to the full time day job which pays the bills. In other words, we're doing it for the love! Not to seem ungrateful, but really - if we can't get a lousy disc for our efforts, where's the motivation? And you want us to either sit and listen on our computer or take the time to burn and create our own CDs? What? You want us to do your job for you by firing up our own enthusiasm? It ain't gonna work! Wise up - if you want our support in spreading the word about your clients, send a disc so we can listen at our leisure without the burden of detracting from our deadlines. Amen (PS - Those that get it - Love you guys!)
Most Fucked Up
See above tirade.
Best New Artist
Truth & Salvage Company - Country Rock and Americana reinvented in the authentic West Coast tradition.
Worst New Artist
Lady Gaga - or should we say, Lady Gag Gag. First of all, m'lady, your name strikes three blows against you before we even proceed to the music. Secondly, The make-up thing and silly props idea was done to death way before you ever came along - by the likes of David Bowie, Madonna, Elton John and even Cher. Give it up - you already seem redundant.
Best New Artist With Worst Name
Mumford & Sons - While the name implies a torn branch off Sanford & Son's family tree, this British quartet provides the perfect mesh of pensive rock, wistful folk and bleak shoegaze, all purveyed with a compelling dynamic and lots of captivating melodies. They're gonna go far
Sex Object Of the Year
Shelby Lynne - She's a no-nonsense babe and I love the way she talked dirty when I chatted with her about her new label and indie release. Yeah, I felt that release alright...
Best Moustache
Bob Dylan - Just ‘cause it makes him look so friggin' weird, kinda like Ricky Rat...
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Emmylou Harris - need I say more? Her music would soothe my trepidation and I suspect she could be convinced to swath us in patchouli oil.
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
Graham Parker - Love the tunes but Graham seems WAY too cranky. "What? You don't have that hut built yet? I told you to gather palm fronds... "
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
No -- only if someone tags me. OK, maybe I'm a Neanderthal and not exactly as technically astute as I ought to be, but for Chrissakes, if you wanna get hold of me, send me a goddamn email or pick up the phone and dial my number! I can't remember all these friggin' passwords and I don't have time to take all these extra steps to communicate with you. And what's with the 140 character limit on Twitter? I got too much to say to edit myself as I go along. You want me to edit this tirade down to 140 characters? No way! And frankly, I don't give a crap that you had a cheese sandwich for lunch today. And while I'm at it, I also don't want to hear that you're having the vacation of your life lounging about in Barcelona. I'm at work, OK? I'm working my ass off and getting crap from my boss. I don't have the money to go to Barcelona. Nor the time. Don't make me even more bitter than I already am. It's like being forced to watch someone's home movies or getting those annual Christmas cards from people you don't talk to all year and then they include a ten page letter about what a wonderful year they've had and how Buddy Junior graduated at the top of his class and little Rebecca is a straight A student and they just bought themselves a new Porsche and life is so fucking great... I don't care, OK??? So go twitter yourself already... (Aren't you sorry you asked?)
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
The next Avett Brothers album. These guys blend urgency and emotion in a way no one else can. Their recent live album provided further proof they've got the goods. Humble guys with big ambitions.
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
The extended dual interview with the Posies.
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/721/
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FRED MILLS
ASHEVILLE, NC
BLURT EDITOR & ONLINE EDITOR
Top 10 New Releases
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD)
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Merge)
Primal Scream - Live London 11/26/10 (Delica, bootleg)
Giant Sand - Blurry Blue Mountain (Fire)
Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 - Northern Aggression (Yep Roc)
Crocodiles - Sleep Forever (Fat Possum)
Dot Allison - Room 7 ½ (Arthoused/Absolute)
Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs of Love (Fantasy)
James Holden - DJ-Kicks (!K7)
Kim Salmon & the Surrealists - Grand Unifying Theory (Low Transit Industries)
Neil Young - Le Noise (Reprise)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Dream Syndicate - Medicine Show (Water/Runt)
Saint Etienne - Tiger Bay Deluxe Edition (Heavenly)
Stooges - Raw Power: Deluxe Edition (Columbia/Legacy)
Various Artists - Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! (Psychedelic Funk in India 1970-1983) (Stones Throw/World Psychedelic Classics)
Rain Parade - Beyond the Sunset (Lemon/Cherry Red)
Rikki Ililonga & Music-O-Tunya - Dark Sunrise (Stones Throw/Now-Again)
Was (Not Was) - Pick of the Litter 1980-2010 (Micro Werks)
The Church - Deep in the Shallows: The Classic Singles Collection (Second Motion)
Syl Johnson - The Complete Mythology (Numero Group)
Savage Republic - Procession: An Aural History 1981-2010 (LTM)
Various Artists - Ninja Tune XX (Ninja Tune)
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (Columbia/Legacy)
Top 10 Singles / Tracks
Was (Not Was) - "Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like A Rubber Ball)" (old track, reissued)
Best Coast - "Boyfriend"
Lykke Li - "Get Some"
Fitz & the Tantrums - "Moneygrabber"
Parting Gifts (Ettes & Reigning Sound) - "(Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City" (Stones cover)
Eux Autres - "My Love Will Not Let You Down" (Springsteen cover)
Cee-Lo Green - "Fuck You"
Anika - "I Go To Sleep"
Tired Pony - "Dead American Writers"
Bettie Serveert - "Deny All"
!!! - "Jamie, My Intentions are Bass"
Janelle Monáe - "Tightrope" (feat. Big Boi)
Music DVDs
Leonard Cohen - Songs From the Road (Columbia/Legacy)
Tom Petty - Damn the Torpedoes: Classic Albums (Eagle Rock)
Theresa Andersson - Live at Le Petit (Basin Street)
The Rolling Stones - Ladies And Gentleman...The Rolling Stones (Eagle Rock)
Jack Rose & Glenn Jones - The Things That We Used To Do (Strange Attractors Audio House)
WORST: The Runaways (dir. by Floria Sigismondi)
Music Books
Patti Smith - Just Kids (Ecco Books)
Tesco Vee & Dave Stimson - Touch And Go: The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-'83 (Bazillion Points)
Mick Houghton - Becoming Elektra: The True Story of Jac Holzman's Visionary Record Label (Jawbone Press)
Jeanette Leech - Seasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk (Jawbone)
Rob Chapman - A Very Irregular Head: The Life of Syd Barrett (Da Capo)
Top 5 Concerts
Massive Attack (Moogfest @ Thomas Wolfe, Asheville NC, Oct. 30)
Toubab Krewe (Bele Chere, Asheville NC, July 24)
22nd Annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam (Civic Center, Asheville NC, Dec. 11)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Verizon Amphitheatre, Charlotte NC, Sept. 19)
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible (Moogfest @ Orange Peel, Asheville NC, Oct. 29)
Films
Inception (dir. by Christopher Nolan)
Mogwai: Burning (dir. by Vincent Moon)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (dir. by Niels Arden Opley)
The Kids Are All Right (dir. by Lisa Cholodenko)
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (dir. by David Yates)
Best Record Label
(tie) Stones Throw/Now-Again (for that "global funk and psychedelic grooves"); !K7 (for amazing funk/dance/archival titles and of course their "DJ-Kicks" series)
Best Music Website
BigO Worldwide (for discriminating collectors of, er, live shit) www.bigozine2.com
Coolest Trend/Whatever
Tubeify.com: why no one thought to create an aggregator/organizer for YouTube before is beyond me, but no matter - this has the navigational and selection ease of iTunes or Rhapsody and to a large degree eliminates the randomness that can make YouTube frustrating.
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
MySpace: incredibly, the recent revisions and updates to this heavily-trafficked band portal have resulted in a navigation system that's even clunkier than before (not to mention more prone to pages freezing up); worse, the pages are now so poorly organized as to be utterly incomprehensible. I predict MySpace will be defunct within 2 years.
Most Fucked Up
Captain Beefheart dies without returning to music
Best New Artist
Best Coast
Worst New Artist
(tie) Sleigh Bells; Wakey!Wakey!
Best New Artist With Worst Name
The Drums (formerly Elkland, then formerly Goat Explosion so I guess things are improving)
Sex Object of the Year
Lykke Li (for 2011 too)
Favorite Video Game
LEGO Universe
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole of the Year
Mark Zuckerberg
Best Moustache
Bianca Casady of CocoRosie
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Bob Lefsetz: dude won't shut up but at least he makes a lot of sense.
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
M.I.A.: bitch won't shut up and she ALWAYS is talking right out of her ass.
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
No and no... well, not quite and almost... well... sorta. Performing administrative duties for BLURT means I am on both throughout the day overseeing our social networking. And both are incredibly effective - and essential - tools for a small business such as ours; they've increased our reach exponentially. But as a private citizen I am not "on" either platform; the people I am interested in "sharing" with (such as sharing music biz stuff, personal information or even photos of my dick a la Kanye West) already have my email.
2011 Releases You Are Most Looking Forward To
1. Akron/Family - The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (Dead Oceans)
2. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (LL Recordings)
3. Various Artists - Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard Psychedelic Progressive Rock & Funk (Now-Again/Stones Throw)
4. Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots (ATO)
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
"Early Kurt Cobain Demos Unearthed" (plus followup)
http://blurt-online.com/news/view/3565/
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/599/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCOTT CRAWFORD
SILVER SPRING, MD
BLURT FOUNDER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Top 10 New Releases
Grinderman-2 (anti)
Best Coast-Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
Titus Andronicus, The Monitor (XL)
Beach House, Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
Superchunk, Majesty Shredding (merge)
Deerhunter, Halycon Digest (4AD)
Spoon, Transference (merge)
Ted Leo, The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
Mt. St Helens Vietnam Band, Where the Messengers Meet (Secretly Canadian)
Gaslight Anthem, American Slang (Sideone Dummy)
Top Archival/Reissues
The Feelies catalog
Music Books
Cheetah Chrome - A Dead Boy's Tale (Voyageur Press)
Best Record Label
(tie) Kemado, Merge
Coolest Trend/Whatever
iPad
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
iPad
Most Fucked Up
Where do I begin? 2010 happened.
Best New Artist
Jamey Johnson
Best New Artist With Worst Name
Foxes in Fiction
Sex Object Of the Year
(tie) Zooey Daschanel, Lykke Li
Favorite Video Game
Donkey Kong Returns
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole of the Year
(tie) Paste, Gawker
Best Moustache
Franz Nicolay, Nick Cave
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Lykke Li, Robert Pollard, Harry Dean Stanton
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
Morrissey, Jack White
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
(tie) Lykke Li, PJ Harvey
-------------------------------------------------------------------
JENNIFER KELLY
WALPOLE, NH
Top 10 New Releases
The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack (Kemado)
Jack Rose -- Luck in the Valley (Thrill Jockey)
Wetdog - Frauhaus! (Captured Tracks)
Eluvium - Similes (Temporary Residence)
Rangda --False Flag (Drag City)
Ted Leo --The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
The Fall --Your Future Our Clutter (Domino)
Mavis Staples -You Are Not Alone (Anti-)
Damien Jurado -- St. Bartlett (Secretly Canadian)
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs --Medicine County (Transdreamer)
Runners-Up List
White Fence - White Fence (Make a Mess)
Clogs -- In the Garden of Lady Walton (Brassland)
Wovenhand -- Threshingfloor (Sounds Familyre)
Kelley Stoltz --To Dreamers (Sub Pop)
Andreya Triana --Lost Where I Belong (Ninja Tune)
Sharon Van Etten -- Epic (BaDaBing)
Current 93 -- Baalstorm, Sing Omega (Coptic Cat)
Ty Segall -- Melted (Goner)
Frightened Rabbit -- Winter of Mixed Drinks (FatCat)
Bottomless Pit -- Blood Under the Bridge (Comedy Minus One)
Jonsi -- Go (XL)
Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby -- Two Way Family Favorites (Southern Domestic)
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Neu! - Vinyl Box (Grönland)
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange/Orange Experimental Remixes/Acme (Shout! Factory)
The Easter Monkeys - Splendor of Sorrow (Smog Veil)
Psychedelic Aliens - Psycho African Beat (Academy)
Carissa's Weird - They'll Only Miss you When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003 (Hardly Art)
Concerts
The Hold Steady (Pearl Street, Northampton, MA, April 6)
Rangda/Major Stars (The Flywheel, Easthampton, MA, September 2)
Tortoise (The Iron Horse, Northampton MA September 6)
Bob Mould and Chris Brokaw (The Iron Horse, Northampton, MA November 9)
Best Record Label
Goner
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
Bedroom disco
Most Fucked Up
Russ Feingold lost to a moron
Best New Artist
Wetdog
Worst New Artist
Was Surfer Blood this year? So forgettable.
Best New Artist With Worst Name
Nobunny
Sex Object Of the Year
I dunno...Twin Shadow
Favorite Video Game
Madden NFL
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole of the Year
??? Hard to choose
Best Moustache
Ryan Kattner (Honus Honus)
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Eddie Argos
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
Mark E. Smith though he'd probably just send his wife.
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
No, already wasting plenty of time without them.
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
The new Mogwai is blowing me away.
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
Clogs: Song with (and without) words
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/571/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STEVEN ROSEN
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Top 10 New Releases
Laurie Anderson - Homeland (Nonesuch)
Susan Cowsill - Lighthouse (Threadhead)
Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti-)
Hot Chip - One Life Stand (Astralwerks)
Elton John and Leon Russell - The Union (Decca)
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (Atlantic
Mike Patton - Mondo Cane (Ipacoc)
Portico Quarter - Isla (Real World)
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone (Anti-)
Tracy Thorn - Love And Its Opposite (Merge)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Linda Bruner - Songs for a Friend (Numerophon)
Brute Force - I, Brute Force: Confections of Love (Bar/None)
Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power (Columbia/Legacy)
Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (Numero Group)
The King R&B Box Set (Gusto)
Monkees - Head (Rhino Handmade)
Stuart Moxham - Personal Best (Habit)
Ola Belle Reed - Rising Sun Melodies (Smithsonian Folkways)
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street (Universal)
You Baby: Words and Music by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri (Ace - U.K.)
Music DVDs
Leonard Cohen - Bird on a Wire (MVD Visual)
The Rolling Stones - Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (Eagle Rock)
The Sacred Triangle: Bowie, Iggy & Lou 1971-1973 (Sexy Intellectual/Chrome Dreams)
The T.A.M.I. Show (Shout! Factory)
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? (Lorber)
Music Books
Patti Smith - Just Kids (Ecco)
Keith Richards - Life ( Little, Brown)
Tommy James - Me, the Mob and the Music (Scribner)
Greil Marcus - When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison (PublicAffairs)
Sean Wilentz - Bob Dylan in America (Doubleday)
Top 10 Singles/Tracks:
Laurie Anderson - Only an Expert
Antony and the Johnsons - Thank You For Your Love
Frog Eyes - A Flower in a Glove
The Hold Steady - We Can Get Together
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
Tift Merritt - Mixtape
The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio
Pomegranates - Anywhere You Go Kanye West - Monster
Paul Simon - Getting Ready for Christmas Day
Best Music Website
Blurt Magazine www.blurt-online.com
Top 5 Festivals
Big Ears Festival (Knoxville, March 26-28)
Nelsonville Music Festival (Nelsonville OH, May 15-16.)
Ponderosa Stomp (Detroit Breakdown, New York, July 31.)
Ponderosa Stomp (New Orleans, Sept. 24-26.)
Moogfest (Asheville NC, Oct. 29-31)
Favorite Story I Wrote for BLURT
Just Walk Away, Renee: Renee Fleming vs. Barb Jungr
www.blurt-online.features/view/652/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
JASON GROSS
NEW YORK, NY
EDITOR/FOUNDER- PERFECT SOUND FOREVER
http://www.perfectsoundforever.com
Top 10 New Releases
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella)
Codeine Velvet Club - Codeine Velvet Club (Universal-Island)
Broken Bells - Broken Bells (Columbia)
VV Brown - Travelling Like the Light (Island)
Nneka - Concrete Jungle (Decon Inc)
Youssou N'Dour - Music From the Motion Picture 'I Bring What I Love' (Nonesuch)
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Crazy Heart (New West)
The Upsidedown - The Town With Bad Wiring (Reverb)
Buddy Guy - Living Proof (Silvertone)
Girl Talk - All Day (Illegal Art)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Fucked Up - Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009 (Matador)
Jay-Z - The Hits Collection- Volume 1 (Roc-A-Fella)
Various Artists - African Boogaloo- The Latinization of West Africa (Honest
Jon's)
EPMD - Strictly Business (Priority)
Sweet Talks - The Kusum Beat (Soundway)
Various Artists - How Sweet It Was -- The Sights & Sounds Of Gospel's
Golden Age (Shanachie)
Lee Dorsey - The New Lee Dorsey (Rev-Ola)
Various Artists- Ouaga Affair, Hard Won Sound of the Upper Volta 1974-1978
(Savannaphone)
Willie Colon - Asalto Navideno 1 & 2 (Fania)
Various Artists - A Reference Of Female-Fronted Punk Rock: 1977-89
(kangnave.blogspot.com)
Top 10 Singles/Tracks
Freshlyground "Chicken To Change"
Omarion "I Get It In"
Surfer Blood "Swim"
Big Boi "Fo Yo Sorrows"
Jesse Malin "All the Way From Moscow"
Janelle Monae "Tightrope"
The Hold Steady "Rock Problems"
Cee-Lo "Fuck You"
Nas & Damien "Jr. Gong" Marley "As We Enter"
Ciara "Gimme Dat"
Music DVDs
Rolling Stones - Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones (Eagle Rock Ent)
John Lennon - Lennon NYC (A&E Home Video)
Albert King/Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Session (Stax)
Beyonce - I Am... World Tour (Columbia)
Johnny Cash - Christmas With Johnny Cash (The Yule Log DVD) (Sony Legacy)
Music Books
Alex Ross - Listen to This (Farrar,
Straus and Giroux)
Keith Richards - Life (Little, Brown
and Company)
Patti Smith - Just Kids (Ecco)
Adam Bradley, Andrew DuBois - The Anthology of Rap (Yale University Press)
Greil Marcus - Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus:
Writings 1968-2010 (PublicAffairs)
Top 5 Concerts
Arcade Fire (Madison Square Garden, New York NY 8-4-10)
Ty Segall (Cake Shop, New York NY 8-12-10)
Flaming Lips (Central Park Summerstage, New York NY 7-26-10)
Bang on a Can marathon (World Financial Center, New York NY 6-27-10)
The Heavy (Bowery Ballroom, New York NY 6-16-10)
Films
The King's Speech
Terribly Happy
Ghost Writer
Inception
Get Low
Best Record Label
Matador (runner up: Duck
Down)
Coolest Trend/Whatever
Tristan Perich's 1-Bit
playable CDs (too bad they're not cheaper)
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
Major labels and media
outlets still clueless about how to survive in a digital age
Most Fucked Up
FCC's spinelessness about
allowing mergers and consolidation of huge media companies
Best New Artist
Bear Hands
Worst New Artist
Ke$ha
Best New Artist With Worst Name
Wild Nothing
Sex Object Of the Year
Lady Gaga and her flaming
bra (not the gun one)
Video Game
Angry Birds
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate
Asshole of the Year
Irving Azoff, hands down
Best Moustache
For facial hair, it's a
three way tie - Joaquin Phoenix, Rick Ross, Zach
Galifianakis
Desert Island
Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island
With
Brian Eno, because he'd
have all these strange, interesting, wacky ideas about what to do with the
sand, coconut trees, ocean water, etc..
Desert Island
Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island
With
Kanye West, even though he
put out the best album this year.
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
Yep and yep. It's where
the action's at, baby! http://www.facebook.com/jason.gross & http://www.twitter.com/jgrossnas
2011 Release You Are Most Looking
Forward To
Jandek's duets album (so
far Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Jessica Simpson & Mark E. Smith have
signed on)
Favorite story or review you wrote for
BLURT
Richard Thompson interview
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/728/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
RICK ALLEN
Top 10 New Releases
Richard Bennett - Valley Of The Sun (Moderne Shellac)
Willie Nelson - Country Music (Rounder)
Merle Haggard - I Am What I Am (Vanguard Records)
Colin Hay - Deep Fried Satisfied (Ingot Rock)
Jon Langford & Skull Orchard - Old Devils (Bloodshot)
Justin Currie - The Great War - (Ryko)
Jim Byrnes - Everywhere West (Black Hen)
Wendy Bird - Natural Wonder (Beaumont Classic Records)
Jan King & Medicine Ball - Things To Hide (self-released)
The Buicks - Biscuits n' Chicken (Teletone Records
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Hank Williams - The Complete Mother's Best (Time-Life)
Jimi Hendrix - West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (Sony Legacy)
Ray Charles - Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters (Concord Records)
Bob Dylan - The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964/The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 (Columbia /Legacy)
The Blue Shadows - On The Floor Of Heaven (Bumstead Records)
Music DVDs
The Rolling Stones - Ladies And Gentleman...The Rolling Stones (Eagle Rock)
The Everly Brothers - Reunion Concert: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Eagle Rock)
Rory Gallagher - Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher & the Beat Club Sessions (Eagle Rock)
Music Books
John Einarson - Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book Of Love (Jawbone Press)
Chris Salewicz-Bob Marley: The Untold Story (Faber & Faber)
Ken Sharp - Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy (MTV)
Antonio D'Ambrosio - A Heartbeat and A Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears (Nation Books)
Best Record Label
Concord Records
Coolest Trend/Whatever
"American Idol" is dying at last.
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
David Gray/Ray LaMontagne style head shaking.
Most Fucked Up
The results of the mid-term elections.
Best New Artist
The Zut Alors
Worst New Artist
Appeared on SNL
Sex Object Of the Year
The Merle Haggard Signature Model Fender Telecaster
Favorite Video Game
Fox News
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole of the Year
How many ducks are in the barrel?
Best Moustache
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Shakira
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
Michael Bublé
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
Leaving and no. (Think: George Orwell)
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
Wesley Snipes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
RON HART
RINGWOOD, NJ
Top 10 New Releases
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam)
Neil Young - Le Noise (Reprise)
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble - Miles Away (Stones Throw)/Young Jazz Rebels - Slave Riot (Stones Throw) (TIE)
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (Warp)
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Virgin)
Eminem - Recovery (Aftermath-Interscope)
Twin Shadow - Forget (Terrible)
Four Tet - There Is Love In You (Domino)
Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer (Warp)
Top 10 Reissues
Various Artists - The Apple Records Box Set (Apple-EMI)
Jimi Hendrix - West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (Legacy)
Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (Numero Group)
David Bowie - Station to Station: Deluxe Edition (Virgin)
Orange Juice - Coals to Newcastle (Domino)
The Cure - Disintegration: Deluxe Edition (Rhino)
Incredible String Band - The Incredible String Band/5000 Spirits or the Layers of an Onion/The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter/Wee-Tam and Big Huge (Fled'gling)
The Dream Syndicate - Medicine Show (Water)
Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 (Columbia-Legacy)
R.E.M. Fables of the Reconstruction: 25th Anniversary Edition (IRS-EMI)
Music DVDS
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge of Town Story (Columbia)
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones! (Eagle Rock)
The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights (Third Man-Warner Bros.)
Rock ‘n' Roll High School: Roger Corman's Cult Classics (SHOUT! Factory)
Michael Jackson's Vision (Epic-Legacy)
Concerts
Faith No More (Williamsburg Waterfront July 5, 2010)
Best Record Label
Warp Records
Coolest Trend/Whatever
A regression to the meaner days of indie rock
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
Chillwave
Most Fucked Up
The rise of the Tea Party
Best New Artist
Gonjasufi
Worst New Artist
Ke$ha
Best New Artist With Worst Name
Allo Darlin'
Sex Object Of the Year
Brie Larson
Favorite Video Game
NOT Angry Birds
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole of the Year
The new music editor at Billboard
Best Moustache
Jerry Fuchs (RIP)
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
Yes to Facebook, because I can keep up with people in my personal life. No to Twitter because what I have on my mind measures up to a lot more than 140 characters (although Weingarten's 1000 TImes Yes and Yo La Tengo's James McNew's Tweets are both essential reading)
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
The new Aphex Twin album
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
Titus Andronicus "Channeling Penny Rimbaud"
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/628/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOHN SCHACHT
CHARLOTTE, NC
EDITOR, SHUFFLE MAGAZINE
Top 10 New Releases
Megafaun -- Heretofore (Hometapes)
Holly Miranda -- The Magician's Private Library (XL Recordings)
Holy Sons -- Survivalist Tales (Partisan)
Hiss Golden Messenger -- Root Work (Heaven & Earth Magic)
The Love Language -- Libraries (Merge)
Sin Ropas - Holy Broken (Shrug)
Sun Araw -- On Patrol (Not Not Fun)
Broken Social Scene -- Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
Woods -- At Echo Lake (Woodsist)
Greenhornes -- **** (Third Man)
Runners-Up List
Glasser -- Ring (True Panther)
The Scottish Enlightenment - St. Thomas (Armellodie)
Wild Nothing - Gemini (Captured Tracks)
Kings Go Forth -- The Outsiders Are Back (Luaka Bop)
Antony & the Johnsons - Thank You for Your Love (Jagjaguwar)
Siskiyou -- Siskiyou (Constellation)
Secret Cities -- Pink Graffiti, Pt.1 (Western Vinyl)
Deerhunter/Halcyon Digest (4AD)
Cee-Lo - Lady Killer (Elektra)
Bonnie Prince Billy & Cairo Gang/Wonder Show of the World (Drag City)
Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs (Merge)
Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky (Young God)
Warpaint -- The Fool (Rough Trade)
Julian Lynch - Mare (Olde English Spelling Bee)
Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain (Constellation)
Quasi - American Gong (KRS)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
The Rolling Stones -- Exile on Main Street (Universal)
Galaxie 500 -- Today/On Fire/This Is Our Music (Domino/20-20-20)
The Cure - Disintegration (Rhino)
Morrissey - Bona Drag (EMI)
Pavement - Quarantine the Past (Matador)
KC Accidental -- Captured Anthems For An Empty Bathtub/Anthems For The Could've Bin Pills (Arts & Crafts)
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom (Domino)
Iggy & the Stooges - Raw Power (Legacy)
Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town/The Promise (Columbia)
Bob Dylan -- The Bootleg Series, Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (Columbia)
Concerts
Wye Oak (Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC 3/24/10)
Tortoise (Hopscotch Festival, Raleigh, NC 9/10/10)
Bonnie Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang (Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC 12/3/10)
Scout Niblett (Snug Harbor, Charlotte, NC 3/7/10)
Sin Ropas (The Milestone, Charlotte, NC 9/7/10)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUD COST
SANTA CLARA, CA
Top 10 New Releases
Admiral Radley - I Heart California (Anti-)
Jigsaw Seen - Bananas Foster (Vibro-Phonic)
Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 - Northern Aggression (Yep Roc)
Roky Erickson & Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti-)
Orange Peels - 2020 (Mystery Lawn)
Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Time And Space (Yep Roc/Simian)
Richard Barone - Glow (Bar None)
Frightened Rabbit - Winter Of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat)
Beach House - Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
Various Artists - Through A Faraway Window: Tribute To Jimmy Silva (SteadyBoy)
Archival/Reissues
Rain Parade - Beyond The Sunset (Lemon/Cherry Red)
Explosives - 3 Ring Circus (SteadyBoy)
Top 5 Concerts
Buffalo Springfield - Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View CA 10-24-10
Admiral Radley - Somebody's Barn, Escalon CA 7-24-10
Apples In Stereo - Blank Club, San Jose CA 10-31-10
Teenage Fanclub - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA 10-12-10
Avett Brothers - Mountain Winery, Saratoga CA 7-1-10
Films
The Social Network
Animal Kingdom
Jack Goes Boating
Get Him To The Greek
Red Riding Trilogy
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
Audience members bellowing out inane comments to onstage performers, the only time the "open carry" laws might come in handy.
Best New Artist
Los Campesinos
Desert Island Bliss: Artists You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Rebecca Hall and Russell Brand
On Facebook?
Facebook is sooo boring. I look at it once a month, why I'm not sure. If I want to know what people are having for lunch, I'll ask.
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
Buffalo Springfield Live @ Bridge Benefit
http://blurt-online.com/news/view/4331/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAL BIENSTOCK
NEW YORK, NY
Top 10 New Releases
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Merge)
The Black Keys - Brothers (Nonesuch)
Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues (Bloodshot)
Robert Plant - Band of Joy (Rounder)
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)
Sleigh Bells - Treats (Mom + Pop/NEET)
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (SideOne Dummy)
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD)
Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do (ATO)
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding (Merge)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (Columbia)
Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights (Rhino Handmade)
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew: Legacy Edition (Sony Legacy)
Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune (Sony Legacy)
Otis Redding Live on the Sunset Strip (Stax)
David Bowie - Station to Station (EMI)
Stevie Ray Vaughn/Albert King - In Session (Stax)
Superchunk - No Pocky for Kitty/On the Mouth (Merge)
John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - So Many Roads: An Anthology (Hip-O)
Top Concerts
The Black Keys (Classic Car Club, NYC, 5/15/10)
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 8/7/10)
Wilco (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, 4/2/10)
Allman Brothers/Gov't Mule/North Mississippi All-Stars: One More for Woody (Roseland, NYC, 11/22/10)
The National (Radio City Music Hall, NYC 6/16/10)
Arcade Fire (Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, 8/1/10)
The Dead Weather(Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY 8/3/10)
Peter Wolf (The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY 5/28/10)
The Hold Steady (Bowery Ballroom, NYC 4/17/10)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AARON KAYCE
PETALUMA, CA
Top 10 New Releases
The National - High Violet (4AD)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc-A-Fella Records)
Junip - Fields (Mute)
Damien Jurado - Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian)
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
The Black Keys - Brothers (Nonesuch)
Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame (Anti-)
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (DFA/Virgin)
Yeasayer - Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
Everest - On Approach (Warner Brothers)
Big Light - Animals in Bloom (reapandsow)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise (Columbia/Sony)
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street (Universal)
Various Artists - Next Stop Soweto 1-3 (Strut)
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
(Sony)
Nirvana - Bleach (Sub Pop/Universal)
Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (Concord)
Elliott Smith - An Introduction To... (Kill Rock Stars)
David Bowie - Station To Station (EM I)
Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space (ATP)
Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology (Numero Group)
Top 5 Concerts
My Morning Jacket with Preservation Hall Jazz Band (4/24/10 - Preservation Hall, New Orleans, LA)
Thom Yorke Atoms For Peace (4/15/10 - The Fox Theater, Oakland, CA)
Levon Helm Band Ramble with Jim James & Phil Lesh (8/13/10 - The Independent, San Francisco, CA)
The Mother Hips (9/18/10 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA)
Paul McCartney (7/10/10 - AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA)
Best New Artist
Dawes. Though the debut dropped in 2009, in 2010 I saw them and became fully swept up.
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Tim Bluhm - The Mother Hips
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
Justin Bieber
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
Tie: My Morning Jacket and Radiohead
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZACHARY HERRMANN
Top 10 New Releases
Beach House - Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (4AD)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Because Music/Elektra)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Rock-A-Fella Records, Def Jam)
Twin Shadow - Forget (4AD)
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (DFA,Virgin)
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD)
The Walkmen - Lisbon
(Fat Possum, Bella Union)
Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP (True Panther Sounds)
The National - High Violet (4AD)
Top 10 Singles/Tracks
"Angela Surf City" - The Walkmen
"Dance Yrself Clean" - LCD Soundsystem
"When We're Dancing" - Twin Shadow
"Palaces of Montezuma" - Grinderman
"Little Wig" - Ariel Pink
"Like a Tourist" - of Montreal
"Everlasting Light" - Black Keys
"Big River" - Secret Sisters (w/ Jack White)
"Who Makes Your Money" - Spoon
"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" - Arcade Fire
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
David Bowie - Station to Station (EMI)
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise (Columbia)
Top 5 Concerts
LCD Soundsystem (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD 09-25-10)
Spoon/Deerhunter (Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY 03-29-10)
Dean Wareham Plays Galaxie 500 (Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY 10-22-10)
The National (Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY 06-23-10)
Of Montreal (Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA 05-29-10)
Films
Winter's Bone
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
The Social Network
Applause
Valhalla Rising
Best Record Label
4AD
Coolest Trend/Whatever
The Creators Project (New York)
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
Elections (all of them, regardless of outcome)
Most Fucked Up
Plenty of options this year, as with any year, but, frankly, North Korea scares the shit out of me - more than double-digit unemployment percentages even.
Best New Artist
Twin Shadow
Worst New Artist
Sleigh Bells
Best New Artist With Worst Name
Glasser
Sex Object Of the Year
Gemma Arterton
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole of the Year
BP President Lamar McKay... and Kings of Leon.
Best Moustache
Jim James
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
St. Vincent (for purely artistic reasons, of course)
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island With
Bono (obvious, but true)
On Facebook and/or Twitter? Why or why not?
Yes and yes (but mostly to the latter). I like to think of myself as a modern man using modern tools in the modern world.
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
Radiohead
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
The National, Radio City Musical Hall, June 2010
http://blurt-online.com/news/view/3847
----------------------------------------------------------------
BARRY ST. VITUS
BERZERKELY, CA
http://www.myspace.com/barrystvitus
Top 10 New Releases
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs - Medicine County (Matador)
The Sadies - Darker Circles (Yep Roc)
The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream (Blue Horizon)
The Parties - Coast Garde (Rainbow Quartz)
Blue Giant - Self Titled (Vanguard)
Screaming Females - Castle Talk (Don Giovanni Records)
Nobunny - First Blood (Goner)
Cheap Time - Fantastic Explanations (and Similar Situations) (In The Red)
Thee Sgt. Major III - The Idea Factory (Spark & Shine)
Harlem - Hippies (Matador)
Runners-Up List
The Soft Pack - Self Titled (Kemado)
Dungeon Honey - Pacific Motion (Scotch Tape Records)
Jaill - That's How We Burn (Sub Pop)
The Service Industry - Calm Down (Saustex Media)
Wooden Shjips - Vol.2 (Sick Thirst)
The Golden Boys - Thee Electric Wolfman (Alien Snatch/Dagger Man)
The Fall - Your Future ~ Our Clutter (Domino)
Fuck, I'm A Ghost - Self Titled (Futurerecordings)
The Growlers - Hot Tropics (Everloving, Inc.)
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (Kanine Records)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
The Dream Syndicate - Medicine Show (Water)
The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight & Can of Bees (Yep Roc)
The Fleshtones - It's Super Rock Time! The IRS Years, 1980-85 (Raven)
Syd Barrett - An Introduction To Syd Barrett (Capital/EMI)
Pavement - Quarantine the Past (Matador/Domino)
The Beatles catalog reissue from LAST year is still reverberating strongly. (Apple)
Cap'n Jazz - Analphabetapolothology (Jade Tree Records)
Sorrows - Bad Times Good Times (Bomp!)
Music Books
Jack Boulware & Silke Tudor - Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk From Dead Kennedy's To Green Day
(Penguin -2009)
Eric Davidson - We Never Learn: The Punk Gunk Undergut, 1988 -2001 (Backbeat Books)
Andrew Earles - Husker Du: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock (Voyageur Press)
Cheetah Chrome - A Dead Boys Tale: From the Front Line of Punk Rock (Voyageur Press)
David Simpson - The Fallen: Life In and Out of Britain's Most Insane Group (Canongate UK)
Films
Kick Ass
Scott Pilgrim Conquers The World
Nowhere Boy
The Runaways
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Best Record Label
Sub Pop
Coolest Trend/Whatever
The Beatles released on iTunes finally. We get to pay for them all over again!
Most Annoying Trend/Whatever
The Tea Party "movement." The Klan's PR person suggested the less repulsive name change.
Most Fucked Up
Sarah Palin's Alaska on the Learning Channel. WTF? (And we thought the "turkey incident" from two years ago was in bad taste.)
Best New Artist
Dungeon Honey (aka Jeremy James) - Pacific Motion (Scotch Tape Records)
Worst New Artist
I avoid commercial music like the plague, to avoid hearing any. My credo for decades has been, ‘the best music is always in the underground.'
Best New Artist With Worst Name
The Ferocious Few - Juices (Birdman Records) (I fingered this to be the Best Debut album of '10. Currently they're on tour with Cyndi Lauper, the oddest pairing since Jimi Hendrix opened for the Monkees.)
Sex Object Of the Year
I've got a major thing for the lovely young lady in the AT&T commercial, where she appears to be sitting in her living room, watching a movie on her smart phone, and suddenly, a woman with a cat carrier sits next to her, and then it shows other people sitting around the room like on a subway car. Doors open, she jumps up and goes out to the platform and pauses the movie, then throws her head back, presents her darling up-turned nose and marches off.
Clear Channel Presents: Corporate Asshole(s) of the Year
All the banks that accepted Federal bail-out money, then sat on it and refused to lend it out to small businesses or individuals, and refused to re-finance people's mortgages so they could foreclose on them. May there be a special, lower circle of Hell for all the Wall Street group.
Desert Island Bliss: Artist You'd Like to be Stuck on an Island With
Well, as stimulating as long, intellectual conversations around the campfire might be, I'd prefer to be marooned with a female artist. I'd have to go with the smart and beautiful Rachel Cox from Oakley Hall, and hopefully her guitar survived as well.
Desert Island Dick: Artist You'd Most Like NOT To Be Stuck on an Island With
Scott Ingram, bass player for The Clash at Demonhead.
On Facebook and/or Twitter?
I've given in and drank the Facebook Kool-ade finally. At least that's where your real friends are, while Myspace is all of your fake friends who never respond or interact. But, Myspace is still where the music is, so I'm keepin' it for now. As for Twitter, your life and comings and goings just don't interest me that much.
2011 Release You Are Most Looking Forward To
The Meat Puppets
Nic Armstrong
The promised Beachwood Sparks reunion album from Sub Pop.
Favorite story or review you wrote for BLURT
Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs - Medicine County
http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/2008/
[GO TO PART TWO OF THE WRITERS' LISTS]
blog comments powered by Disqus
More Photos
