Looking back...

I always like to look back at what my favorite albums were in the past, so I dug up my list from 2006. Ultimately, I'm pretty happy with it. Based on my opinions of the albums after a year, I think the only major change I'd make would be to pop Phoenix into the top 5, replacing Gnarls Barkley (more a reflection of how much I've come to love the Phoenix album than of Gnarls getting any worse in my mind).

Rather than retype the list, I'll link you to me (ha!) livejournal. Maybe it'll offer hints at this year's list.

http://braundiggity.livejournal.com/180326.html

And having just started listening to Jay-Z's American Gangster, gotta say, it sounds pretty great.

Bienvenidos!

Welcome to my single viewers from Spain, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Greece! Though I don't expect much, I hope you'll come back again!

¡Bienvenidos a mis nuevos visitantes de Mexico y Espana! ¡Espero que usted regrese!

Best Live Acts of '07

I've seen a ton of live acts this year, too. Have you? Here's a brief rundown of those I can remember, including anyone I saw for at least a half hour at Coachella. I'll be counting down my favorites as the year rolls to a close.

Coachella
Arctic Monkeys
Arcade Fire
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rage Against The Machine
Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System
Regina Spektor
Silversun Pickups
Kings of Leon
The Jesus & Mary Chain
Sonic Youth
Third Eye Blind
Willie Nelson
Kaiser Chiefs
Rodrigo y Gabriela
The Fratellis
The Cribs
Grizzly Bear
Lupe Fiasco
Mika

Individual Shows
The Police
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Spoon
Hanson
Arcade Fire
LCD Soundsystem
Jamie Cullum & The LA Philharmonic
The Hold Steady
Art Brut
Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System
Dave Matthews Band

I may have missed someone, but I don't think so. Seen any of these acts, in festival or otherwise? What'd you think?

Top Albums of '07

Yeah. Everyone knows why I restarted this blog. Three words: Best Of-Lists.

The cream of the crop being, of course, the best albums of the year. So this time I'm gonna reach out a bit more. What follows is a list of all of the albums I've gotten this year. All seven or eight of you out there, let me know what your favorite albums of the year are. If they're not on my list, suggest them, and I'll try to listen to the album(s) before I finalize my list.

So without further ado, these are the albums I have from 2007 (in random order so as to not suggest my preferences):

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Amy Winehouse - Back in Black
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab
Jay-Z - American Gangster
Common - Finding Forever
The Hives - The Black and White Album
Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Manu Chao - La Radiolina
The National - Boxer
Ozomatli - Don't Mess With The Dragon
Hanson - The Walk
Kanye West - Graduation
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Ryan Adams - Tiger
Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
White Stripes - Icky Thump
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
The New Pornographers - Challengers
St. Vincent - Marry Me
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Wu Tang Clan - The 8 Diagrams
Feist - The Reminder


I think that's everything. There you go. Eat your hearts out.

It's Been A Long Time Since They Rocked and Rolled...

In case you missed it, Led Zeppelin reunited, and it was good. Back together for a supposedly one-off show in tribute to the late producer Ahmet Ertegun, the living trio (plus deceased drummer John Bonham's son, Jason) rocked to what amounts to a pretty killer setlist.

So now the waiting game begins. After all, we know where Rage Against The Machine's supposed one-off show at Coachella went. And between The Police, Genesis, et al, classic rock reunion tours are all the rage. Rumors are flying that they'll play Bonnaroo, which makes sense given bassist John Paul Jones's recent fling there, but I have my doubts...mostly because it's such an obvious rumor, and a Zep tour would be bigger than a Stones tour.

But we shall see. If they don't play again, they certainly seem to have made their case for best and biggest living band with this single show.

Download: Led Zeppelin - The Ocean

"BENJAMIN BARKER!!"

This past Thursday, I had the esteemed privilege of seeing Tim Burton's new adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which I've been hearing about for weeks.

A quick disclaimer: I became an adult with the theatre. I was totally a drama nerd throughout high school. But not a hardcore one. I knew shows, but I never sought them out, I never heard them, and that's how Sweeney Todd was for me. I knew the story and the show, but had never heard the music, never knew what it was actually like.

So I went into this Tim Burton adaptation apprehensively. There was the awful trailer, which couldn't figure out whether to market it as a musical or not, the presence of Tim Burton, who makes interesting but not necessarily good movies, and the prospect of a 3-hour show cut down to 2 hours.

It quickly negated all my fears. This is a film, not a show. It's clear Burton had no background in the theatre, because this is incredibly cinematic. Many recent movie musicals just stick a camera in front of a scene and let people sing; here, it's in close ups, it shoots you through 19th century London with energy and zest, lets you see every emotion fill the screen. The screenwriter, who was at the screening, stressed their MO to go for a realistic portrayal, and they got it.

Depp's singing works nicely, and Sacha Baron Cohen gives a brilliant if short performance, but the performances across the board are spectacular.

See it for the closing shot alone, the most beautiful I've seen in a movie this year, and let it win you over the rest of the time. You won't regret it, and you'll feel really cool come Oscar time.

Poof, I'm Back

That's right. 5 months after my last post, I've decided to try to get back into the groove of blogging. There will be changes, there will be a more casual atmosphere, and I'll let you know what you can look forward to for the rest of the year.

For starters, no more of the strict structure I adhered to before. No more video pick of the day, no more daily news, none of that. I'm going to do all of that stuff, of course, but without the self-imposed daily requirement. Get over it.

Instead, more random musings. More posts about songs I love - expect one on The Streets' "It's Too Late" soon - more posts on albums, shows, and the occasional posting about completely non-music-related things.

And lists! I love my lists. So a heads up: I'm making my year-end lists. So expect a best-albums list, a best-songs list, a best-concerts list (because I've seen a lot this year.

So get psyched. Get ready. Cause tomorrow I'm really kicking it off, with my thoughts on Tim Burton's totally awesome Sweeney Todd.