Out of all the shows i wrote about this year in music, the following were my favorite:

Amanda Palmer @ Henry Fonda Theatre

Snow Patrol @ House of Blues San Diego, 12.13.08

Swell Season @ SDSU Open Air Theater 10.3.08

Goldfrapp @ The Orpheum 9.21.08

The Duke Spirit @ The Troubadour 5.10.08

The Ting Tings @ The Troubadour 6.13.08

Ingrid Michaelson @ House of Blues San Diego 11.5.08

Everyone else is doing it so why should I?
The list isn’t ranked in order because that is far too difficult!

The Raveonettes “Lust Lust Lust”
The Duke Spirit “Neptune”
M83 “Saturdays = Youth”
Lisa Hannigan “Sea Sew”
Goldfrapp “Seventh Tree”
Amanda Palmer “Who Killed Amanda Palmer”
The Rosebuds “Life Like”
The Submarines “Honeysuckle Weeks”
Sigur Ros “Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust”
Mates of State “Re- Arrange Us”

I saw Nick and Norah’s Infinate Playlist this weekend and having been a big fan of the book, I created my own playlist to go with it. Unfortunately, myspace is limited to 10 songs.

Audio Taco’s Infinite Playlist (you can listen to the mix on myspace)

Sometime Around Midnight- The Airborne Toxic Event
The Night Starts Here- Stars
Some Surprise- The Cake Sale
Rocky Took A Lover- Bell X1
Gray or Blue- Jaymay
Somebody Hurt You- A Girl Called Eddy
Burn THe Maps- Castledoor
With Arms Outstretched- Rilo Kiley
My Sunken Treasure- The Duke Spirit
Peace and Hate- The Submarines

You’re probably going to see many more posts about Terra Naomi in the upcoming months seeing as how she is back in Los Angeles and back in my regular concert rotation. If you don’t know who she is, Terra won the 2006 YouTube Award in the music category for her song “Say Its Possible” . In 2007, she left Los Angeles to develop her career in London. She just got back and has booked a 3 gigs in August at Hotel Cafe to debut and test out new material for her upcoming record.

Terra only played four of her usual songs and a slew of “new” tracks. “Suffer For Her Sins” is a track that Terra debuted to YouTube users a few months ago. She closed her set with a cover of Sublime’s “Santeria”, another track that Terra’s YouTube audience may have seen when she was releasing a bunch of covers.

The new songs take Terra back to the roots of her first record and the songs are infused with blues and jazz. I think out of all the songs she played that night, “Suffer For Her Sins” was the most drastic departure in terms of melody and style. Personally, the track has never hooked me in and overall i think it sounds odd. On the other hand, the new version of “Jenny” is stripped down and gone is the overuse of instrumentation and production. Her melodies are the same but the accompanying music fits the song making it so much better than the original.

“What We Do” was played solo and sounds like a missing track off her debut album with trailing vocals and minimal chord changes.
“Everybody Knows” was probably my favorite new song of the night with a beautiful melody structure and great chorus. I don’t quite remember how it goes but it could be to the new record what “new song” was to Under The Influence in terms of the ballad type confession song (just listen to the original solo version). Terra closed off her set with “Santeria” and got the audience singing along. It seemed like they enjoyed a song that was familiar to them. “The Vicodin Song” was chosen by the crowd for the encore. The new version of “Up Here” has lost that ‘umph’ and tinge of feistiness and has cooled to a bluesy pensive ballad. Gone also is her usual Yamaha keyboard that she used to play and in its place is a Nord Electro 2 keyboard. I guess a change in style also calls for a change in instruments.

I can see how the new songs will be quite a change for the listeners that are used to the songs off of Under The Influence. But, i really liked the new stuff. It actually sounds like Terra and not some artificial and overproduced version. Its about time around her vocals take center stage again. But most importantly, ITS GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK TERRA! (im more ways than one).

Official Set List:

Bad Time To Fall In Love
Happy Story
Suffer For Her Sins
Say It’s Possible
What We Do (solo)
Up Here
Everybody Knows (solo)
Jenny
Santeria (Sublime cover)
——————————
The Vicodin Song (solo)

*songs in bold are completely new and haven’t been debuted on YouTube or at the London shows

A mix of Sonic Youth, The Raveonettes, My Bloody Valentine, and Heart. I’ve been obsessed with the Duke Spirit for the past month.

Currently Listening to:

Midnight Movies
the raveonettes
the dukespirit
Dragonette
she & him
the cardigans
missy higgins

Sia’s new record Some People Have Real Problems is really good. I liked about half of the songs from Colour The Small One . I felt the first record had a handful of really great songs but felt a little monotonous beyond those stand out tracks. My only problem with Sia is that she over singings and i tire of it. The newest record was pretty solid- it varied in sound, tempo but was still Sia.

Moving onto the show- I’ve seen Sia a few years back when her track on Six Feet Under became a hit. I really enjoy seeing Sia perform because she’s quirky and her music makes such an emotional impact that i didn’t really notice her over singing. This was the case at Hear Music. She had a backing band (guitarist, bass, keyboards) and it was on a small outside stage with a crowd of 50 + people plus pedestrians that stopped to listen.

She played “You Have Been Loved” for the first time and i thought it was really beautiful.

“The Girl” was played without a drummer and she had the crowd imagine the drum beats. Without the beats, it sounded really stripped down because its such and integral part of the song aside from her vocals.

The performance was also part of a signing which i wasn’t aware of. So, the signing was an added bonus of showing up. I was near the back of the line with maybe 30 people in front of me and it took about an hour and a half to get inside the store. It turns out the reason it took so long was that Sia was actually talking to each person, giving them hugs, autographs and/ or photos. That really surprised me since her shows are selling out in almost all the major cities and she was so nice and obliging. Check out Sia’s new record and see her on tour!

Setlist:

Day Too Soon
Little Black Sandals
The Girl (no drums)
You Have Been Loved (debut)
Soon We’ll Be Found
Breathe Me

Felt Mountain was the ambient- psychadelic- jazz- james bond record. Black Cherry was the gritty electroclash synth pop record. Supernature was the glam disco record. Seventh Tree is the sleepy surreal fairytale record. I’m sure a lot of fans of “Supernature” will have a difficult time liking because Goldfrapp had taken their music in a completely different direction. I hear a lot of similarities between Kate Bush and Alison vocally on this record. There is also a lot of acoustic guitar and strings while Alison’s lyrics are more stripped down giving the record a warmer and more personal sound.

Clowns: this track sounds the most like Kate Bush out of the record- its like its straight off of “Aerial“. I had a hard time hearing Alison’s lyrics. This track is really dreamy with the high notes.

Happiness: another really catchy track off the record.

A&E: I find it rather fitting that this is the first single off of “Seventh Tree”. Its one of those songs you can drive to. Its just after sunrise when its still dewy and you the air tastes clean. Breathe it in because life never seemed clearer or made more sense.

Caravan Girl: I expect this to be the second single. Its fun, great chorus in the same vein as

Monster Love: This track swallows you whole. Its like im floating in waves of keyboards. I love the undulation of synths.

My only gripe with this record is that Allison’s vocals sound muddled throughout and i had a hard time understanding what she was singing even through high quality headphones (though it could be the copy i have and it being in mp3 format). So, it took my attention off her voice and i focused more on the music itself. Her voice is like an instrument in that it just swirls around with the music. This record is definitely more personal and intimate. Will’s nuances in the songs are quite amazing- from the fading in and out of synths in Monster Love. Goldfrapp’s music has provided a strong visual experience and no record embodies this better than “Seventh Tree”

not in any order but i thought i should mention my favorite records of this year:

- ONCE soundtrack: glen and marketa make such sweet sounds together and it was probably my favorite concert of the year.

- Tegan and Sara “The Con”- The Quin Twins made a record that surpassed “So Jealous” sound and writing wise and completely knocked me off my feet.

- Bat For Lashes “Fur and Gold”: she was robbed of the Mercury music prize! This record throws you into a dreamland with bats, horses and seals.

- Emily Haines “Knives Don’t Have Your Back”: The Metric frontwoman writes a record on piano and it is in a completely different direction than any Metric record. Emily’s songs are heartfelt and more raw than anything she has done with Metric. Her lyrical style really shines throughout the record.

- IAMX “The Alternative”: this record is sex- sensual, dark, and rythmically lush. chris corner embodies everything that IAMX is through his stage personality.

- Arcade Fire “Neon Bible”- i found this record haunting and musically rich. Their style is so different from anything else ive heard.

- Lily Allen “Alright, Still”- introduced Lily to the word. The tabloids may talk about how she likes to party but rarely do they mention she has the talent to back up her attitude.

- Sigur Ros- Hvarf/Heim i have no idea what they are singing about but i feel like im floating when i listen to this record.

- PJ Harvey “White Chalk”- PJ makes a 30 min. concept record on piano and autoharp and the result is a hypnotic gothic pit of despair.

- Maps “We Can Create”- A mix of electronics, pop and psychedelia. This record is what the humming of my brain sounds like.

Honorable mentions:

- KT Tunstall “Drastic Fantastic”

- Rilo Kiley “Under the Blacklight”

- Sahara Hotnights “What if leaving is a loving thing”

- Midnight Movies “Lion The Girl”

- Tori Amos “American Doll Posse”

- Feist “The Reminder”

- The Long Blondes “Someone to Drive You Home”

You have to listen to Kate Nash. I think she’s going to be the next “it” girl. Last summer, it was Lily Allen and next I know its going to be Kate. There are a lot of UK press comparing her to Lily Allen and i can see it only in that they have the same lyrical style in storytelling but Kate is more piano and classical based while Lily had a bunch of electronic beats and ska/ reggae sounds. Kate’s voice is richer while Lily’s is more airy. Though, they both have distinct British accents when singing along to their scathing song lyrics. Lily has a knack for using the higher notes when singing while Kate stays in the middle. Think of Kate as a mix between Regina Spektor with her off beat piano playing and vocal style meshed with Lily Allen’s distinct accent and song writing style.

The track “foundations” has many similarities with Lily Allen’s songs in that they share the same theme and scathing wit. Not to mention the great chorus and melody. My favorite parts in the song are definitely when she sings bitter, fitter, the line about her boyfriend “getting sick on her trainers” and how her throat hangs on the ick in “sick”. I can feel her cringe. Kate and Nash both have that ability to eject sarcasm and attitude into their music that i really love.

Kate Nash “Foundations”

Kate Nash “Mouthwash”

Lily Allen “Smile”:

Regina Spektor “Better”

Regina Spektor “Samson”

KT’s new record is indeed drastically fantastic (it was too easy). Unlike her last record which clearly reflected her influences of folk, pop, rock, jazz, and blues this record is more focused and a mix of pop, electro blues and rock. This record is more balanced between the vocals and the music while the debut centered largely on her vocals and lyrics.
This record is once again produced by Steve Osborne (he handled production on KT’s debut record as well as acoustic extravaganza). There are plenty of moments when listening to this record where I catch myself nodding my head and saying Yeah! (hand clapping included). In fact, it’s the little touches like the stomping, hand claps and tambourine hitting that transforms creates the energy of the record.

Little favors- a great opening track and really sets the stage for the new record. KT really pushes herself musically to be bigger than ever- more guitars, more vocal layers and more vocally experimental.

If Only- I love how this song flows melodically in the first chorus. “Looking at the stars for the answers but all that you found was silence and dirty ground”. Ouch!

White Bird- This is the weakest song on the record. I find it too repetitive.

Funnyman- I love the guitar parts- almost flamenco like. When she enunciates the line “You said you feel like a bruise on a beautiful body” I swoon.

Hold On- this is one of those GREAT first singles that gets released. It has a great chorus, catchy percussion, fun, and engaging. Its in the same vein as “Suddenly I See” but magnify that by 5 times. The hand clapping is so addictive.

Hopeless- seems a little too polished and the tempo should be a little faster. I was at the show where she debuted the solo live version and it is drastically different from the recorded version. But, there is an edge.

I Don’t Want You Now- This is another one of my favorite tracks off of the record. There is some sort of vocal filter that is used and it makes her voice more raw and raspy. There are also great layered acoustic guitar parts. My favorite line in the song is “But you’d already advertised that I’d slashed the tires of your one man show”. At the end, you can hear a tambourine hit the floor- like they band just completely walked away (just like from the relationship).

Saving My Face- another pop rock number .

Beauty of Uncertainly- this is one of the solo numbers that I can see her play during her shows. Its intimate and quiet.

Someday Soon- For some reason, this reminds me of a Simon and Gartfunkel type song and sounds like a restless summer day.

Paper Airplane-
This is a nice closing track with a lot of flutes.

Basically, this album rocks as I’m sure the live versions of these track will.

Video for Hold On:

I Want You Back (Jackson 5 cover):

Listen to:

Hold On
Funnyman
I Don’t Want You Now
Saving My Face
Someday Soon
I Want You Back (Jackson 5 cover)

Robots. check
Robots In Disguise. check.
Pop Art. check
Noel Fielding (from The Mighty Boosh). check
Chris Corner (from IAMX and sneaker pimps). check

im a fan of all of the above so combined it made for a killer video from London’s electro pop duo Robots in Disguise. Gotta love the whole comic book feel of the characters as well as the art.

if you like what you hear i would listen to:

DJ’s got a gun
DIY
Turn It Up

I forgot about this video but i thought it was appropriate being my first 90’s Nostalgia post. Im going to admit that Ace of Base was in fact the first CD i have ever bought. I’m not going to be lame and say that it was a guilty pleasure because its not- i genuinely like the record. I STILL listen to it! But, i never realized how lame this video was.

It features random jump cuts between band members combined with really lame effects with fire and floating signs. There is overuse in bad wavy dance movies to the extent where I feel like I’m watching them do the time warp. The guys stand in the background trying to emphasize parts of the video. But wait…. This song doesn’t actually have a spoken word part for them to perform. Instead, they just stand in the background do runway walk. There is also the stupid fan effect that blows the hair back as the guys try to look tough while shaking their fists and making other “big” gestures. Somehow there is still a story going on- guy and girl were together and then “saw the sign” that they were not meant to be.

—————-
Now playing: Damien Rice - The Blower’s Daughter
via FoxyTunes

I’ve been a fan of Nerina for a few years now. I discovered her singing on the Delerium track “Truly”. I was lucky enough to be at one of the west coast shows where she actually performed the track live with Delerium. After the show, I proceeded to immediately purchase her solo record “Dear Frustrated Superstar”. Songs like “My Last Tango”, the tracks that showcased her piano playing really resonated with me. About a year and a half later, i was surprised to see a Myspace message from her introducing herself and asking to be my friend. A few months of correspondence she wrote me again telling me that she would be doing a small show at Hotel Cafe. I jumped at the opportunity to see her play and was completely blown away by what i heard. These songs became the basis for “Fires”, her second record. Boasting such talent as matt chamberlain, wendy melvoin, jon brion, and eric rosse on the record, “Fires” was released on her own label with the backing of her publishing company. The record found success and Nerina was signed on 14th Floor records (damien rice’s label) and re- released. This year Nerina was nominated for a Brit award for British Female Solo Artist as well as an Ivor Novello for best song.

Listen to:
- Idaho
- Sophia
- Damascus
- My Last Tango
- Geek Love
- Peg (steely dan cover)
- Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover)

She’s also been featured on Live at Abbey Road:

“Moneymaker”, the first single off of “Under the Blacklight” left many fans wary of the direction the band was going in with their new record- the video featured porn stars and had Jenny Lewis erotically moaning and singing about her moneymaker over a simple guitar riff. It raised questions of whether RK sold out and lost their indie cred. With the last record, “More Adventurous”, it seemed that Jenny Lewis & Co. were heading off into the alt rock direction but they did a complete u- turn and created a homage to 70s music. With Mike Elizondo at the helm, the record is infused with elements of disco, country, blues, and funk. Lewis, after creating her solo country influenced record brings a lot of the same vocal styles to this record.

Songs like Silver Lining and Close Call may sound more familiar to RK fans than the rest of the record (which is probably why they were the first two tracks on the record). “Breakin’ up” has an electro intro that sounds like a Postal Service track. The back up soul singers are an unnecessary addition to the track. The title track, “Under the Black Light” is a beautiful and melodically rich ballad that lets Lewis’ vocals really shine. “Dreamworld” features Blake’s best vocal work to date (I normally skip the songs he sang on from the last records). I guess a duet is a nice change in pace. “Dejalo” is a perfect example of the disco and funk influences. “15” sound sounds like a Dolly Parton song. “Give a little love” reminds me a lot of the Steely Dan track “Peg”.

For Rilo Kiley fans of the old, they will probably hate this record. Many of the tracks sound too polished, overproduced, or forced. Unlike the past records, there is less diversity in the tracks and therefore difficult to get into. Many times, it seems like Lewis is trying to be lyrically vague and the byproduct are songs that feel insincere. But, give it a few more listens and you will warm up to it. It helps if you think of it as a new band with a new record as opposed to “new” Rilo Kiley. I mean the band deserves some credit- breaking out of the indie mold and coming out with a disco record? Don’t write them off just yet….

You should listen to:

• Moneymaker
• Close call
• under the blacklight
• give a little love

The Long Blondes is one of those bands that is great for long drives in traffic- they make me wanna rock out in my car pumping my fists, drumming, and singing along LOUD. The tracks are poppy with catchy lyrics and fun beats. They are in the same vein as Sahara Hotnights gone fem rock.. In the song “Once and Never Again”, Spade sings about a 19 year old and her need for a boyfriend to define her life. “Separated By Motorways” is the story of two girls in a hopeless relationships and the friendship between the two girls that helps them overcomes loneliness.

Listen To:

• Once and Never Again
• Separated by Motorways (I prefer the first version as opposed to the re-release)
• Giddy Stratospheres
• Madame Ray
• Weekend Without Makeup

Does adding to the Long Blondes to my interest list make me cooler? No, but I sure feel like it when listening to their music.

Tegan and Sara “The Con”

Im going to admit that I downloaded the new T and S record a two weeks before it was released (don’t worry, I bought their record). Having been a fan of the twins since “If It Was You” I was unsure of the direction they would be taking with the new record. At first listen, I didn’t like it was much as “So Jealous”. I found the two opening tracks forgettable. But the girls were right when they sing “Capsized on the verge of safety”. For me, I was on the verge of getting sucked into the rest of the record. Tegan and Sara’s lyrics have always been okay and they’ve grown a lot in their songwriting. The melodic content and the music always overshadowed their lyrical ability. On this record the highlight would definitely be the arrangements and the layers of guitars combined with synths. I guess the new addition of Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) as co- producer and Matt Sharp (the rentals) solidified the T and S sound and balanced out the record more.

Be sure to take a listen to:

The Con

Burn Your Life Down

The Knife Going In Hop A Plane

Ninteen

If you will, imagine a poorly lit, hazy backroom lounge. As you walk in, voices change to hushed whispers. You can’t help but eavesdrop on some secret conversation. This is what 8mm sounds like.

Listen to:

• - No Way Back (this track is epic)
• - Liar (i love the piano on this song, its like a dream)
• - Quicksand
• - Give it up

Their record Songs To Love And Die By (please note the James Bond- like title) was released in 2006 and features a record full of epic and sexy sounding songs. Selections from the record was played on shows like Grey’s Anatomy (Liar was feat. in the episode where Meredith falls off the dock), One Tree Hill, and Wonderfalls.

I will admit that I sat through a torturous episode of One Tree Hill just to hear 8mm. Yes, it was worth it simply because Sean’s voice brought someone out of a coma. He sounds a bit like Jon Brion and having both voices on Forever and Ever Amen is simply delicious.

If you get the chance, catch 8mm in your city! Seeing this band perform live is an entirely different experience- the energy is transformed into something much more intimate like a conversation. The band is now a three piece and features Sean doing all the guitar work, Juliette on vocals and Jon on drums. The band looks like how they sound- sophisticated and grand. Juliette is simply hypnotic onstage. During their last song “Give It Up” Sean and Jon get a bit crazy with just guitar and drum solos. By the time their set is over you will probably need a cigarette.

You can check out some of their vids from their Snocap performance here:

Check out this video: 8mm Live @ SNOCAP “No Way Back”

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they’re 70s fashion with a dash of electronic music. Back in 2003, Venus Hum contributed vocals to the Blue Man Group track “I Feel Love” and was featured on their Complex DVD. It was probably the best track on the record and the DVD- all i remember is Annette wearing this crazy dress that lit up. Not only did it suite the persona of the Blue Man Group but it added this excitement to their already great live show (i mean heck they are performance artists). Anyways, Venus Hum’s “Hummingbirds” off their debut disc is one of my favorite tracks till this day. Its haunting, great chorus, dark- like some track that Chris Corner would do but more pop.

Check out Venus Hum along with some tracks off their new record.