this alien year end list 2011

ALBUMS

 

1 mirrors - lights and offerings: this is the album that caused the most excitement for me this year. the band teased very effectively for months leading up to the release (demos, EPs, a video here, new track there). can't say enough how much i love this album, and really hope they get on the road here in the states before too long (and before anymore members leave the group).

2 monarchy - around the sun: still loving this one everytime a track comes up on shuffle. they recently started teasing bonus tracks, as well, encouraging me to buy the hardcopy CD.

3 the sound of arrows - voyage: love.

4 beirut - the riptide: the only reason devotchka's 100 lovers didn't make the list.

5 moby - destroyed: very lush, very moby, very worth checking out.

SINGLES

1 blondie - "horizontal twist": okay, it wasn't actually a single, but it's the track that makes me play my [music device] the loudest. sounds more like debbie harry's last solo album, rather than a bonus track from one edition of blondie's panic album. (three non-US editions of the album included six different bonus tracks, some of which should have been on the album, like this one.)

2 patrick wolf - "together": love the song, love the keyboards, love the fox-wrapped video.

3 waylayers - "hear no lies": i want to hear more from these guys, looking forward to an album release.

4 the vaccines - "if you wanna": the greatest song intro in recent years; the album was not a disappointment.

5 the sound of arrows - "and beyond": b-side instrumental track that really struck a chord.

6 creature - "so high": should have made these guys into some sort of superstars.

EVENTS

1 blondie - panic of girls: really don't need to post anymore about this release and tour. just glad it finally, FINALLY, came about.

2 psychedelic furs - talk talk tour: i'd never seen the furs until this year. so nice to see veterans playing energetic shows for adoring fans.

3 val emmich & the veeries - aide memoire kickstarter campaign: val and his band gathered funding for this gorgeous album from the fans via kickstarter. the campaign gave contributors an inside look in the making of the album, with lots of extra goodies, depending on one's contribution level. every band who values their fans (as much as val does) should do this (for the fans) at least once, and not just out of desperation for funding.

OLDIES DOING THEMSELVES WELL

all of the following released strong albums that were consistent with what the casual fan would expect, and generally reinforced the fact that the 80's was the greatest decade.

1 the cars - move like this

2 duran duran - all you need is now

3 alphaville - catching rays on giant

4 R.E.M. - collapse into now

5 lindsey buckingham - seeds we sow

6 new york dolls - dancing backward in high heels

REDISCOVERIES

1 human league - hysteria: the comeback album that (only kind of) disappointed was the league's credo (it has its moments!), but that disappointment did send me back to re-listen to their classic stuff.

2 hambi & the dance - heartache: bargain bin find in the 1980's, that i liked well enough, sounds more relevant today than it did then. (didn't know of the relationship to a flock of seagulls until several months after i initially purchased it.)

3 go-go's - beauty and the beat: everyone knows this one, of course. i don't know what took me back to it again a few weeks ago. immense love for it, though.

4 laura branigan - the platinum collection: so here's the deal: i'm not a huge fan of branigan, though i found her death a couple years ago sort of affecting. this collection really shows how bad musical arrangements could be back then...one wishes that someone would give these songs a new layer of instrumentals to give her songs the chance they deserve.

5 annabel lamb - the flame: another bargain bin find in the 80's; nice to hear this old friend again this year.

ANTICIPATING

1 adam ant - tour stop, new album feb 2012.

2 waylayers new album?

3 new mackintosh braun

4ummm...

blondie - live in LA

blondie in concert: club nokia, los angeles, CA, USA

just a quick write-up of the blondie concert from earlier this week. who knows how many times i've seen them (or debby as a solo performer), but they honestly get better and better and better. this round is in support of their fine new album, panic of girls, which i sometimes thought would never be released.

of course the set list featured several of their big giant hits (because who doesn't want to hear new interpretations of those classics?), but for me, highlights were the new material.

"d-day", my favorite track off the new album comes off well in concert. lots of energy, lots of noise. same for "horizontal twist" (unfortunately not on the US version of the album), which is probably my favorite debby / blondie recording of the past dozen years (fits in very well with her last solo album).

the LA audience was actually cheering during "wipe my sweat"...when do u hear cheering in the midst of a new song? surprisingly, remarkably well-received.

though "love doesn't frighten me" holds up well enough on the album, for me it was another highlight of the concert. strong, chugging rock guitar drive against a giant synth wall.

dr. clem burke was given a satisfying number of drum spotlights throughout; new guys, guitarist tommy kessler, and keyboardist matt katz-bohen got several moments as well. oddly, longtime bassist, leigh foxx only came forward once or twice.

zz top encore? totally worked, with a continuation of the big arena guitar sound built upon through the set, plus debby's cheeky facial expressions, appreciating "a sharp dressed man".

so maybe this is the last post regarding blondie for a while (unless they pop out another video). this whole release season has been so very fulfilling for this fan. looking forward to another album, which is well on track for being released in the next couple of years.

blondie - the dream's lost on me

country-inspired track from the "no exit" album. going to see them in concert again in about 3 weeks, even though it means driving two hours each way on a worknight. san diego...7th largest city in the US, but so many acts don't make their way down here.

this...or this?

this...



...or this?

last.fm profile

this illustrates the top played bands in my listening history on last.fm. absolutely no surprises here, i suppose.

blondie live session

blondie in a live session, doing some of their hits, new stuff, and a cover of the beatles, "please please me", which is pretty awesome.

blondie - d-day

blondie's panic of girls has finally been released, and the standout track, "d-day", opens the album brilliantly.



about as "punk" as anything gets on the album, with a tuba-riffic bass line...not sure anything else on the album lives up to that track, but there are more gems along the way. here's a surprise: no rap song! (well, "girlie girlie," maybe.)

lots of caribbean influence...too much with 4 of 11 tracks total...but plenty of other styles are represented, in typical blondie fashion. the french number, "le bleu," has quickly become a favorite for me, as is the beirut cover, "sunday smile".

what makes an impression on the first few listens: the keyboards seem...dated? unsophisticated? the goose-honking keyboards on "what i heard" sink an otherwise perfect pop song, with a refreshingly non-sentimental take on an adult relationship.

casual fans may not love this album, outside of "what i heard", "mother", and "love doesn't bother me"; but fans of debbie's voice will love it, start to finish.

i do. start to finish.

blondie - mother repost

the video i attempted to post last week, blondie's new single, "mother":



the more i watch, the more i like. and i've watched a lot.

when's the last time the word, "whither", appeared as a lyric in a pop song? (i accept that i may be misinterpreting the line, "mother's left the building, whither [or, with her] missing children".)

blondie samples

amazon UK has posted song samples from blondie's upcoming album, panic of girls. i KNEW "d-day" was going to be the best song on the album!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00512X2DE/ref=sr_1_album_2_rd?child=B00512X2KW&ie=UTF8&qid=1305581221&sr=1-2

blondie premature video release

blondie's new video for "mother" was released this morning, then pulled back. chris stein reported via facebook that what was published wasn't the finoshed product...which should be out soon.

just between you and me, i liked what i saw, quite a lot. "mother" isn't my favorite of the new songs i've heard, but the vid enhanced the song significantly for me.

can't wait to see it again.

p.s. search for it on youtube...it's still out there.

blondie - "mother" art

cover art from blondie's new single, "mother":





for the record: i love this

thanks, panic of girls

girlie girlie

blondie swear that the new album is coming out in a few weeks. interesting way to pre-distribute it, too: before the CD-only release, the disk will be bundled in a fan-pack (not fanny pack), with a book/magazine chronicling the band's decades-long career, etc.

of course i have that thing on order. but what i really am eager for is the darned CD that's been postponed for the past 16 months or so.  but here's one of the three tracks that were  included in a giveaway disc a few months back:


blondie - girlie girlie

blondie #1 again

it looks like blondie have scored another #1 hit, in spain at least.

Debbie Harry Has The #1 Song in Spain…? | Cherrybombed

too bad their record isn't being released anywhere else, yet. (great pictures attached to the article, btw.)

franz ferdinand EP - record store day 2011

Record Store Day 2011 Announces Star-Studded Franz Ferdinand Covers EP

With just under two months until Record Story Day 2011, several notable releases have been planned for the April 16 event. One highlight out of these independent record store exclusives this year includes Franz Ferdinand’s Covers EP—a release that features the likes of LCD Soundsystem, the Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, ESG and Peaches covering the group’s 2009 record Tonight.

 [emphasis mine]

blondie - what i heard

finally, the studio version of the single they've been playing on tour the past six months:

blondie download

hey look: blondie has a free download of a new song from the upcoming album!

http://www.blondie.net/download/

this is a track they've been playing on their recent tour, and truth be told, the song wasn't half so powerful live as this recorded version. gives me additional hope for the album (that i hope gets released in my lifetime).

blondie in concert

HIM: so how many times have you seen blondie in concert?

ME: hmmm...between "blondie" and "debbie harry" [solo], about 10 times, i guess

...a moment passes...

HIM: wait...i've seen blondie 4 times since we've been together.

ME: oh, then...i guess it's more than 10? [counts to self numerous occasions] i saw debbie three times in one year, during the def, dumb and blonde era alone...then there was jingle ball when they hadn't played together for years...and a couple of times at [local venue]...

HIM: so more than 10!

ME: well more than 10. are you saying that we should stop seeing them?

HIM: no. just counting.

after the concert...

HIM: that was a really good show...i think my favorite time seeing them.

ME: [thinking to myself] i'll never stop seeing them.


images borrowed from: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/lastnight/blondie-last-night-at-the-paci/

blondie live

Blondie @ The Manchester Apollo 16/06/10



wow, the show has gotten better and better over the past dozen years, hasn't it? the new stuff sounds very intriguing, and i like the revamp of "two times blue" (which i saw them do last year). so excited to see them in august. and like lito said: really, orchid club? awesome. finally, may they never give up playing ATOMIC.

Blondie - What I Heard

hey! blondie performed a new song at the Isle of Wight 2010 festival. and you know what? it's a great song.

beirut - a sunday smile

blondie's debbie harry is quoted, saying that this song is one of 30 they worked on for the new album...wonder if it makes the final cut?



album release seems to have been pushed off to september, now.