Top Live Shows of 2009!

Here are the Top 61 live shows that I remember going to this year (I fucked up the counting, so there's a #5 and #5a - tie).  For various reasons, I attended far fewer shows this year, and I know for a fact that I missed some amazing performances. Nevertheless, I also saw a ton of amazing things. With no further ado... (BTW: a picture of each performance is available here [link to follow soon - I've got a ton of shit to sort through]).

60. Moneypenny @ Hideout 8/6
59. Lucero @ Metro 4/10
58. Black Kids @ Metro 4/11
57. Chairlift @ Metro 4/23
56. Sea and Cake @ Millennium Park 6/22
55. M83 @ Pitchfork 7/18
54. The Thermals @ Pitchfork 7/18
53. Frightened Rabbit @ Pitchfork 7/18
52. Kings of Leon @ Lollapalooza 8/7
51. Raveonettes @ Lollapalooza 8/9
50. Snoop Dogg @ Lollapalooza 8/9
49. Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Logan Square Auditorium 9/8
48. Arctic Monkeys @ Lollapalooza 8/8
47. Women @ Pitchfork 7/18
46. Of Montreal @ Lollapalooza 8/7
45. Cold War Kids @ Lollapalooza 8/9
44. Art Brut @ Green Music Fest 8/15
43. The Sounds @ Double Door 5/7
42. Julian Plenti @ Metro 11/21
41. Tapes n' Tapes @ Green Music Fest 8/15
40. Wavves @ Chopin Theatre 9/20
39. Elsinore @ Beat Kitchen 9/11
38. Deerhunter @ Lollapalooza 8/9
37. Vampire Weekend @ Lollapalooza 8/9
36. Santigold @ Lollapalooza 8/8
35. Tool @ Lollapalooza 8/8
34. Fleet Foxes @ Lollapalooza 8/7
33. Decemberists @ Lollapalooza 8/7
32. Vivian Girls @ Pitchfork 7/18
31. Grizzly Bear @ Pitchfork 7/18
30. Dirty Projectors @ Millennium Park 6/22
29. Titus Andronicus @ Metro 4/10
28. Los Campesinos! @ Logan Square Auditorium 2/7
27. Born Ruffians @ Metro 3/18
26. Mates of State @ Metro 4/11
25. The Faint @ Metro 4/3
24. Your Villain My Hero @ Cubby Bear 11/14
23. Walkmen @ Pitchfork 7/18
22. Hood Internet @ Hideout 8/6
21. TV on the Radio @ Lollapalooza 8/8
20. Black Moth Super Rainbow @ Millennium Park 6/29
19. Peter, Bjorn & John @ Metro 4/23
18. Tapes n' Tapes @ Metro 3/7
17. Ratatat @ Metro 3/23
16. Bloc Party @ Aragon Ballroom 3/28
15. Tokyo Police Club @ Metro 3/18
14. Ladytron @ Metro 4/3
13. Blitzen Trapper @ Pitchfork 7/18
12. Silversun Pickups @ Lollapalooza 8/9
11. Stellastarr* @ Double Door 7/23
10. Flaming Lips @ Pitchfork 7/18
9. Bat for Lashes @ Lollapalooza 8/9
8. Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Logan Square Auditorium 9/8
7. White Denim @ Lincoln Hall 11/6
6. Les Savy Fav @ Epiphany 1/31
5a. Hold Steady @ Taste of Randolph 6/21
5. Art Brut @ Schubas 6/8
4. Fucked Up @ Empty Bottle 2/14
3. Opeth @ House of Blues 5/6
2. Japandroids @ Schubas 10/9
1. Dan Deacon @ Lollapalooza 8/9

New Shows - Happy Holidays!

New shows up at the SHOWcal which isn't going to be updated again 'til the new year, because 1) I'm lazy and 2) there aren't going to be any announcements during the holidays.

Still looking for NYE plans? Supposedly the NYE shows aren't selling out, and in most cases, the venues will probably have to start discounting the absurdly overpriced tickets.  I have all the better NYE shows posted in SHOWcal. That is except for one, which is by far the best: Polkaholics at the DANK Haus ballroom for only $5! If I was looking for something to do on NYE (which I'm not, because NYE is stupid), I wouldn't look any farther than that. In fact, I might just wind up going for shits. Punk-Polka!

Best Albums of 2009

It's that time of year when everybody and their uncle puts out Best-Of lists, thinking they're so creative for coming up with an arbitrary, subjective ranking of whatever it was they managed to experience in the past 12 months.  And, I'm no exception.  Overall, it was a relatively weak year for new music. Nevertheless, with no further ado, here's my Top 25 Best Albums List of 2009!

25.  Jason Lytle, Yours Truly, The Commuter: As close as we're going to get to new Grandaddy.

24.  Spinnerette, Spinnerette (review here): As close as we're going to get to new Distillers.

23.  Dead Weather, Horehound: Can't remember the last time a "super group" put out a solid album.

22.  Manchester Orchestra, Mean Everything to Nothing: Overwrought, but there's some gems here.

21.  Metric, Fantasies: Oh the ear worm!

20.  Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: Overrated, as their earlier material was far better, but nice to see some recognition.

19.  Silversun Pickups, Swoon: I make no apologies for being a massive SP fan. This album rocks.

18.  White Rabbits, It's Frightening: A disappointment compared to the prior release, but it's still well above average.

17.  Wavves, Wavves: The lo-fi is played out, but there is beauty amidst the sludge.

16.  Lilly Allen, It's Not You It's Me: What was most surprising about this album was after listening to it once I didn't hate it. The more I listened, the more I got sucked in. It's not high art, but there's some artistry at play.

15.  Lamb of God, Wrath: Best death metal album of the year.

14.  Julian Plenti, ...Is Skyscraper (review here)

13. Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca: Unlike earlier DP albums, you can actually listen to this one! It's always good to hear prog go mainstream, and when it works like this does, it's truly notable.

12. Art Brut, Art Brut vs. Satan: Always a better live band, AB nevertheless put together a highly listenable, themed album with some punch.

11. Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion: The only AC album I can tolerate, which says a lot.

10.  Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!: The weakest YYY album of the last several, but it's still a YYY album, so how can it be bad? Let's just hope they don't continue to advance the dance theme further.

9.  Beirut, March of the Zapotec: A deceptively catchy album that is typically off-the-wall Beirut and also heart wrenchingly beautiful.

8.  The Bird and The Bee, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future: A sultry, breathy album of mid-tempo pop that manages to effectively combine beauty, skill, and enjoyment. An extremely rare feat.

7.  Eagle and Talon, Thracian (review here):  Oh man is this good. I mean, really really good. There's nothing as good as stumbling across an unknown commodity and it turning out to be a rare gem. This is this year's High Places (not in terms of style, but in terms of quality), who I also absolutely adore.

6.  Japandroids, Post-Nothing:  Lots of ink has been spilled about this album across the blogosphere, but thankfully it's all true. One of the stellar debuts of the year that has garnered repeat listening, and deserves even more.

5.  Ida Maria, Fortress 'Round My Heart: The girl rawk that Vivian Girls only wishes it could make.

4.  Stellastarr*, Civilized:  For a band that has only occasionally been brilliant, they release their most solid record to date. Every track is strong, catchy, and skillfully mastered.

3. Mastodon, Crack the Skye: mainstream metal goes more mainstream/crossover, but the chops and songcraft have never been better.

2. Cymbals Eat Guitars, Why There Are Mountains:  You can't help but be sucked into this album from the very opening note. Sure, there is inevitable filler at times, but easily among the strongest debut albums - top to bottom - creatively and interestingly in years.

1.  XX, xx (review here): This band is as equally likely to burn out and never be heard from again as it is to be a breakout star for many years to come. The only headphone album this year that gets better with repeated listen. A subtile yet powerful masterpiece debut. Here's to hoping for more to come.

Album of the Year Spoiler Alert?

Sound Opinions posted on their Facebook page a solicitation for listener nominations for Album of the Year. I sent in my nomination (which I won't yet mention, since I'm still working on the Showcowgo.com list), and this is the response e-mail I got:

"Thanks for sharing your nomination Matthew. We think you'll be pleased when you tune in this weekend.
Sound Opinions H.Q."

So, sounds like I may have inadvertently agreed with Greg and/or Jim, who I most strongly didn't agree with last year. Either of them. I guess we'll find out on Friday!

White Rabbits @ Turner Hall, 11/10/09

Pity the White Rabbits. They played in Milwaukee a few years ago when opening for the uneven Walkmen, and they stole the show. Whatever good will they had for Milwaukee from that show was squandered by one of the worst crowds I've seen in years. I've seen crowds unfamiliar with a band's current album or unfamiliar with anything except the singles, but I have trouble recalling a crowd that reacted to the headliner with an apathy typically reserved for some anonymous opener. I don’t know if it was because the crowd perhaps stemmed mostly from the listening audience of the local self-declared "alt-rock" station, 102.1 (think Q101 in Chicago), that sponsored the show and that only began playing Percussion Gun a few weeks before (so admitted the guy introducing the band), or if it was just an off and shameful night for Milwaukee music. But this is why bands skip over Milwaukee and go from Madison to Chicago, or vice versa.

Regardless, the White Rabbits put on a show that I can only describe as professional. I could see the increased polish in their live set as compared to two years ago, and they used that polish in a valiant, but ultimately vain, attempt to win over the crowd. I thought the set was good -- they could have mailed it in like some bands that visit Milwaukee (New Pornographers), but they didn't. But eventually the apathetic crowd won out, and the band almost appeared to decide "Well, let's just finish this up and go boozing." (hell, they even twice announced they were looking forward to heading to the Old German Beer Hall afterwards for shotskis.) I couldn't blame them.

Glass Ghost @ Turner Hall, 11/10/09

My experience seeing Glass Ghost open for the White Rabbits is best summed up by an unintentional running diary of text messages exchanged between myself and Horsie Sauce during the set. These are all my sent texts unless otherwise indicated.

(9:05 p.m.) Another opener just came on. Not a happy development. One song in and I want to kill myself.

(9:11 p.m.) Apparently this is Glass Ghost.

(9:13 p.m.) Wow this lead man makes Brian Wilson look lively.

(9:14 p.m.) Also, the auto text wanted to type “Asian Wilson” there.

(9:15 p.m.) [Horsie Sauce:] “That would make a good band name”

(9:17 p.m.) That’s true. Better than Glass Ghost at least.

(9:25 p.m.) Just took a picture [of the band] with my phone. It’s pretty bad. Much like Glass Ghost.

(9:35 p.m.) Two more people – maybe some White Rabbits? – just came out to play more drums. Now I know a band can have three separate drummers and still suck.

(9:37 p.m.) One more! Four drummers now! Still sucks.

(9:44 p.m.) You know your band sucks when the first house song – Here We Go Magic’s Fangela – gets more applause than your band did at the end of its set.

(Post-show notes: I’ve read some positive things about Glass Ghost since the show, and those reviews reinforced some of my non-texted thoughts from both during the show and the next day. Although the band took themselves too seriously, lacked any attempt at banter, seemed unready for the space and size of the crowd, and suffered a Headlights-esq inability to enunciate its lyrics, I wondered whether their music was best experienced with headphones on. I look forward to trying that, so I encourage someone to obtain the album and let me borrow it. But I don't think I'll be seeing them live anytime soon.)

Julian Plenti @ Metro 11/21/9

This is Interpol II, for good and bad.

When I reviewed Julian Plenti...is Skyscraper, I gave the album a solid A, though I cautioned that the album, the debut solo release by Paul Banks of Interpol, sounded simply like an expected new Interpol album. And because I really like Interpol, the good grade was easy.

Unfortunately, the same can be said of the live show. Interpol is an incredibly polished, synced live band with absolutely zero personality. The band members wear full suits on stage, and perform as automotons. I never could figure out if it was an aesthetic they were shooting for or if whatever soulfulness the band had was fully spent on making the records, leaving only hollow shells to be propped up before live audiences. I guess it's the latter. Paul Banks, here as Julian Plenti, at least contributed a few short sentences to the crowd, though it hardly went beyond the ubiquitous "thanks for coming out" and "it's so great to be back at the Metro" bullshit. Nevertheless, the band deliberately worked its way through the limited source material; limited in quanitity given they are supporting only the one record. A couple of throw-away covers (Pixies, America) were inserted to round up to an hour set, which wouldn't have been necessary had the band simply interacted somewhat, or even acknowledged the crowd. Or perhaps perform a couple Interpol covers to really liven it up. Sadly, this excellent foursome, like Interpol, fails to match its live performance to its recorded craftsmanship. C

Record Releases - Now 'til 12/31

Nov/Dec is usually a dead zone in terms of record releases, but there are still a few to come. If you're looking for some holiday gifts, please consider shopping at Insound.

November
11/24/09	Evan Miller Beeswax Ephemera	Preservation
11/24/09	Gray Matter Take It Back	Dischord
11/24/09	Loney Dear Citadel Band	Polyvinyl
11/24/09	Oren Ambarchi Intermission 2000 - 2008	Touch
11/24/09	The Mercury Program Chez Viking	Lovitt Records
December
12/01/09	Tristeza Fate Unfolds	Better Looking
12/01/09	Vetiver More of This 12"	Bella Union
12/01/09	Wetdog Frauhaus!	Captured Tracks
12/08/09	Animal Collective Fall Be Kind	Domino
12/08/09	Avi Buffalo What's In It for? b/w Jessica 7"	Sub Pop
12/08/09	Camera Obscura The Blizzard 7"	4AD
12/08/09	Cazals Life Is Boring 12"	The Hours
12/08/09	DOOM Gazzillion Ear EP	Lex
12/08/09	Interference Interference	The Social Registry
12/08/09	Josephine Foster Graphic as a Star	Fire
12/08/09	Lil Wayne Rebirth	Universal Motown
12/08/09	Mi Ami Cut Men b/w Out at Night 12"	Thrill Jockey
12/08/09	Okkervil River Black Sheep Boy: Definitive Edition	Jagjaguwar
12/08/09	Robert Wyatt Box Set	Domino
12/08/09	Tamaryn Mild Confusion 7"	True Panther
12/08/09	The Field Yesterday & Today Remixes	Kompakt
12/08/09	Tom Waits Orphans (Vinyl Version)	ANTI-
12/08/09	Trans Am What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live 1993-2008	Thrill Jockey
12/15/09	Bonnie Billy & The Picket Line Funtown Comedown	Sea Note/ Drag City
12/15/09	Real Estate Reality EP	Mexican Summer

Your Villain My Hero @ Cubby Bear 11/14/9

Your Villain My Hero is a Top-40 cover band. If that sounds nothing like what this blog usually reviews, you're right. Nevertheless, YVMH is impressive both for transforming pop hits into rock-based guitar-bass-drum (and yes, a fair helping of digi-effects) and for doing it as live performance. Fronted by a talented duo of male rapper/female singer who alternate frontperson roles based on source material, YVMH expertly weaves through a selection of radio-friendly party-starters from the last decade. My friend Mike, who knows my sensibilities tend heavily towards indie rock,  at one point said I looked like a deer caught in headlights, confused and generally afraid at what I was witnessing. Which wasn't necessarily true. Sure, pop-40 music is not at all my preferred aesthetic, but even I had to give a heaping handful of credit to YVMH for generally mastering the genre in such an unusual format. I wasn't transfixed with confusion, but moreso admiration. And the frat-tastic crowd that is Wrigleyville and the Cubby Bear was more than lapping it up. Giving a grade to a cover band isn't like giving a grade to an original act, especially a top-40 cover band, so let's give YVMH an A for effort, execution, and general fun.

This Weekend in Shows (TWIS)

Pretty light weekend for live shows, but I'm especially amped to see Julian Plenti  on Sat. Anybody else coming out for that one?

	Friday, November 20, 6:30pm		Pixies @ Aragon
	Friday, November 20, 9:00pm		Peaches @ Metro
	Saturday, November 21, 6:30pm		Julian Plenti @ Metro
	Saturday, November 21, 6:30pm		Pixies @ Aragon
	Saturday, November 21, 10:00pm		Fuck Buttons @ Empty Bottle
	Saturday, November 21, 10:30pm		Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ Lincoln Hall

15 Second Record Review - Sainthood by Tegan and Sara

Sainthood marks Tegan and Sara's sixth full-length effort, and easily their most disappointing album since 2002's If It Was You . T&S is a singles band that can produce top-notch ear worm/candy pop hits. Unfortunately, even at their best (and their best is really quite fantastic), T&S albums are basically a few masterful pop singles swimming notably in a morass of filler. They may never make another So Jealous , but I'd be happy enough with another The Con . Instead, we get 13 tracks of filler. The first single, Arrow, is simply annoying. This band is capable of a lot more.  C-

White Denim @ Lincoln Hall 11/6/9

I first encountered White Denim as the opening act for White Rabbits and Walkmen up in Milwaukee. I was impressed at their creative indie rock songcraft but not particularly blown away. Still, I thought this might be a band to keep track of as there was definitely an unusually high level of skill for an opening-opening act. Flash forward a couple of years, and here White Denim is headlining moderately large venues and getting regular airplay on indie stations and some degree of notoriety in the blogoshpere. But, a lot has changed in those two years. Their followup to the self-released 2008 debut full-length, Fits, has seen the band further hone their unique songwriting and arrangement, but with a newfound grittiness and 70s hard rock patina. Yet live, this show was full-bore 70s hard rock, like Deep Purple. It was a smallish crowd, but they were digging it hard, as was I. It was not expected, nor nearly as bizarre as some reviewers have said their recent live acts can be, but it was a surprising gem. I anticipate seeing White Denim again as soon as possible. A

  

A quick note about Lincoln Hall as this was my first trip to Chicago's newest venue. All the accolades and adoration is definitely deserved. The space is larger than it initially appears, but never feels less than cozy, and the acoustics are probably the finest in town. The front bar is classy, if cramped, but the beer selection and prices are stellar. The aggressiveness of the Schubas' booking agent is quickly establishing Lincoln Hall as the premiere draw in Chicago, much to the chagrin of other venues. Hopefully this can only mean great things for the concert-going public.

This Weekend in Shows

	Friday, November 13, 7:00pm		Devo @ Vic
	Friday, November 13, 7:30pm		Wolfmother/Heartless Bastards @ Riviera
	Friday, November 13, 9:00pm		The Walkmen @ Lincoln Hall
	Friday, November 13, 9:00pm		Dirty Projectors @ Bottom Lounge
	Friday, November 13, 9:30pm		Girls @ Empty Bottle
	Friday, November 13, 10:00pm		Meat Puppets @ Schubas
	Saturday, November 14, 10:00pm		Meat Puppets @ Schubas
	Sunday, November 15, 7:30pm		Dengue Fever @ Old Town School of Folk Music

15 Second Record Review - Raditude by Weezer

Pinkerton it ain't, but as one of the few non-eponymous Weezer releases (and even among the self-titled albums), this is the band's strongest release since that 1996 masterpiece .  Although the album cover has got to be considered one of the all-time best (the photo was a National Geographic user-submission contest winner ), its connotations somewhat belie the music within. Certain tracks manage to combine the creative faux-party aesthetic with the "I'm a big loser nerd" vibe that occasionally makes Weezer brilliant. However, as with much of the recent Weezer albums, arena-rock anthems are still too prevalent. And there are moments where the band tries to step out from its routine which fall flat, such as the Indian-style droning vocals in "Love Is the Answer." And there are moments where absurdity comes in such as the, admittedly amusing, cameo by Lil Wayne on "Can't Stop Partying" that make this record seem like a cast-away without any longevity. Nevertheless, I fear that much of the hype and accolades this album is receiving is simply a celebration of a return to form of sorts to "old" Weezer. But "old" Weezer was an occasionally over-reaching alternative grunge band that somehow managed to produce one timeless classic: Pinkerton. Taking this album as a stand-alone release would inevitably reduce its reception. In context, this is an A- record. If this were the band's debut, it's a C. Let's split the difference and give it the benefit of the doubt for being something other than complete garbage, as most people were fearing. B

This Weekend in Shows (TWIS)

	Friday, November 6, 7:00pm		Basement Jaxx (DJ)/MSTRKRFT @ Congress
	Friday, November 6, 9:00pm		White Denim @ Lincoln Hall
	Saturday, November 7, 8:00pm		Kool Kieth @ Reggie's
	Saturday, November 7, 10:00pm		Office @ Schubas
	Sunday, November 8, 8:00pm		J. Tillman (Fleet Foxes) @ Lincoln Hall

15 Second Record Review: XX by Xx

XX is something of an enigma. They neither look nor sounds like a pop band, and a good 70% of this eponymous debut is a stripped, atmospheric, slow-tempo duet of decidedly non-pop music.  Yet, their best efforts, like "Crystallized" "Basic Space" and "Islands" are top-notch pop. This is a deceptively deep album that improves on repeated listening. I'm curious to see how it translates live as much of its appeal comes forth as a headphones album. It is nevertheless one of the more intreguing releases of the year. B+

New Shows @ SHOWcal

Not a lot of new show announcements this week, though 3 back-to-back nights of Andrew Bird at the Fourth Presbyterian Church downtown is certainly notable. Check 'em all out at SHOWcal

Record Releases

For the week of November 9, 2009. As always, please buy from Insound.com:

Upcoming Releases

November 10th, 2009

Javelin Javelin  LP $15.99

Pants Yell! Received Pronunciation  LP $10.99

Portraits of Past Cypress Dust Witch  12" $10.99

The Bravery Stir The Blood  CD $14.99

The Killers Live From Royal Albert Hall  CD+DVD $17.99

Yacht Psychic City  7" $8.99

This Week(end) In Shows (TWIS): 10/29 - 10/31

	Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Thursday, October 29, 8:00pm		Noah and the Whale @ Lakeshore Theater
	Thursday, October 29, 8:00pm		The Very Best @ Bottom Lounge
	Thursday, October 29, 9:30pm		Nunslaughter/Lair of the Minotaur/Christ Beheaded @ Empty Bottle
	Friday, October 30, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Friday, October 30, 7:00pm		Chromeo/Crystal Castles @ Congress Theatre
	Friday, October 30, 7:30pm		Monsters of Folk @ Auditorium Theatre
	Friday, October 30, 8:00pm		Poster Children @ Bottom Lounge
	Friday, October 30, 8:00pm		Dan Deacon @ Logan Square Auditorium
	Saturday, October 31, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Saturday, October 31, 7:00pm		Holy Fuck @ Auditorium Theater (w/Disco Biscuits)
	Saturday, October 31, 8:00pm		Fu Manchu @ Double Door
	Saturday, October 31, 8:30pm		Scotland Yard Gospel Choir @ Sub-T