Top 10 Releases of 2009
1. Dappled Cities – Zounds
2. Burning Hearts – Aboa Sleeping
3. The Legends – Over And Over
4. Stricken City – Songs About People
5. Love of Diagrams – Nowhere Forever
6. The Rest – Everyone All At Once
7. My Tiger My Timing – This Is Not The Fire
8. Annabel – Each And Everyone
9. Bear In Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth
10. Foma – Inverness
I’m actually pretty shocked. While browsing other “Best of 2009” lists (Stereogum, Pitchfork, Prefix Mag, Gorilla Vs. Bear, Amazon, Rolling Stone, .etc), only one of my picks (Bear In Heaven) made it on a single Top 50 records of 2009 list. Either I like shitty music or they like shitty music. I’m betting it’s them. (Seriously though, how did Dappled Cities or Stricken City not make it on a SINGLE LIST?!? Those records kill!).
Top 10 Concerts of 2009
1. The Bird And The Bee – The Echoplex, Los Angeles
2. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis – The Echo, Los Angeles
3. The Cool Kids/Clipse – House Of Blues, Los Angeles
4. Tender Forever – The Echo, Los Angeles
5. Quintron – The Echoplex, Los Angeles
6. Pulsars – The Echo, Los Angeles
7. Red Sparrows – The Echoplex, Los Angeles
8. Portraits of Past/Swing Kids/Threadbare/Unbroken – Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
9. Skinny Puppy – Nokia Theater, Los Angeles, CA
10. Gil Mantera’s Party Dream – Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
When putting together this list I was feeling pretty lame. I had a terrible time coming up with 10 good live shows I saw this past year. I thought I finally hit the official threshold of being old since it was painfully evident that I didn’t go out to see bands anymore. Then I cross referenced it with my “Best of” list above. Not one of the those bands played LA this past year. That made me feel a little better.
“Either I like shitty music or they like shitty music. I’m betting it’s them.”
You’d win that bet.