Digital Tapes

 The Whole Love - Wilco

Continuing with my 2011 favorites…

I never loved Wilco enough, even though I have always admired and respected them. They’re a complete and a versatile band, they have a few albums that I genuinely like, and The Whole Love was a real 2011 gem, somewhat overlooked by the critics. Art Of Almost, Black Moon, One Sunday Morning and I Might are my favorite tracks. I never got a chance to see them live, but I finally will next month. Judging by how they jammed on Letterman, I’m in for a treat :)

Father, Son, Holy Ghost - Girls

It is pretty rare for me to like an album that has been praised by critics so much that it gets annoying. But how could I not like it - I’ve known this band since 2008, when they were small and local, played tiny clubs in SF in front of small audiences. I have loved them since before the first album came out, and I have been happy to see them rise to fame, but not the mainstream fame, which I never wish upon any of my favorites. Having the “cult” status and being known to a somewhat narrow audience of people who can process complicated music is better than being known to the whole world for playing tunes stuffed with cliche lyrical stamps and  boring 3-chord sequences. These guys will never be mainstream, and I love them for that. They are absolutely great, and even though I remember not liking the album at first, I fell in love with it on my second listen. A great musical highlight of 2011 for sure.

I saw them many times, including the show at the Great American Music Hall in October. The Vomit video was shot there. There were a few tall people in front of me, so it wasn’t easy to film - sorry for the crappy quality!

We Love You So Bad - Kids On A Crime Spree

Yeah, maybe I’m cheating a little bit, since it’s an EP, but this band made a great impression on me. They are with the same indie label as another one of my faves - Crystal Stilts (who happened to release a full length and an EP this year themselves), so it wasn’t hard for me to discover them. They are also local, and I was fortunate enough to catch a live performance at a tiny venue in San Francisco a couple months ago. The video is from there, song is called “Impasto”. The way they mix shoegaze-type distorted guitars with classical rock on roll rhythms is pretty remarkable. Top 10 record of the year for sure.

Metals - Feist

Another 2011 favorite, and yet another artist I owe my boyfriend for. I never listened to her music prior to this year, and I’m glad I do now. Her music is not something that you get into right away - it takes time to appreciate it and begin to “get it”. It took me quite a while, considering my love for fast rock n’ roll with 4/4 rhythm structures and distorted guitar sound.

I didn’t get to go to her live show, so the video is from her badass performance on Jules Holland.

In Heaven - Twin Sister

Another one of my top 20 (or whatever it ends up being) albums of 2011.

Honestly, it’s a very strange album for me to like. I don’t think I would have ever paid any attention to this band if not for my boyfriend who really likes them. I am such a good sport, I even went to see them live! And you know what, they are more than worth it. Their music may not do anything for me on a personal level - dream pop typically doesn’t, due to its abstract nature, and I’m not into abstract art much, - but they have a unique sound, great arrangements, and a nice stage presence. They are very good musicians, and Andrea Estella is a very unique singer. The video of Bad Street was shot at Slim’s in San Francisco, when they opened for Pains Of Being Pure At Heart.

It’s the time of the year when everyone feels obligated to make a list of their favorite albums, and I am no different. There were quite a few albums that have made a deep impression on me this past year, and I’m going to talk about them briefly, and also throw in a video if I happened to see that band live when they were touring that album. There won’t be any rankings, because I will find it hard to establish the criteria for what makes an album #7 on the list and what makes it #11, and so on. I have to say though, my #1 is really #1 - no competition there.

Mine Is Yours - Cold War Kids

I have always liked Cold War Kids, and the fact that this band is generally not popular with the critics didn’t stop me from liking them. Actually, a lot of bands I love are not critics’ favorites, and it’s not the end of the world. This album got a ton of bad reviews, and I guess I could see why if I try really hard, but it holds a special place in my heart, mostly because of a lot of personal memories associated with it - it just happened to come out during the time of some personal trials that I had, and it did help me cope (a very unlikely album for that particular purpose, but hey - it worked anyway). The video is from their great show at the Fox Theater in Oakland, playing Royal Blue, from this very album.

The National performing Fake Empire @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco

My poor little tumblr, I think it feels abandoned :-( I’ve been juggling too many other things to be able to give it as much love as it deserves, but I’m back now - for the time being.

I’ve been way too busy to listen to or see much music, but I certainly made an exception for my #1 band a week ago. Of course, they were awesome, and I finally got to see them from less than a mile away - I initially was in the 2nd row, but then some drunk crazy girl accidentally pushed me into the 1st row, which I was very thankful for.

Here’s the synopsis: Wye Oak and Local Natives opened - I like both these bands, especially Wye Oak. TN played a great set with some rare songs - Son was one of them - even thought they’ve played it live before, it’s still a “deep cut” that us, hardcore fans, really appreciate. Matt went crowd surfing during Mr. November. Great great great show. Oh, and we got to meet (briefly) Matt and Bryan afterwards.

The video of their international smash hit is up, and there’s also Little Faith on my YouTube channel.