Upcoming Shows: Shilpa Ray, Los Campesinos and more!

Tomorrow!! Wednesday, 1/14

Los Campesinos! @ SoundFix Records - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - FREE
I almost don't want to tell you guys about this one, because I'm going to have to fight off enough of a crowd as it is. But I decided to do the right thing and let you know. The band that put out not one, but two, of the best albums of 2008, Los Campesinos! are a whole bunch of Welsh kids who play really addictive pop music. They are doing a free in-store performance tomorrow at SoundFix before they head out on US tour. A great band, a tiny venue, and no charge - it doesn't get better than this! MySpace

Thursday, 1/15

She Keeps Bees, Virgin Forest and Sharon van Etten @ Glasslands - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - $6
Glasslands is a pretty cool little venue, though rather hard to find (use your ears!), and I'm pretty sure it's the perfect fit for this line-up. It's small and intimate, with a very artsy vibe. She Keeps Bees are the most notable act of the night, a powerful duo that does ass-kicking blues from an indie-folk perspective. Virgin Forest, assuming they haven't changed since last I saw them, is a folksy band from down south who play sweet songs with piano, finger-picked guitar and male-female vocals. Sharon van Etten is a singer-songwriter I've heard a lot about but never actually checked out. Everything I've heard has been positive though, so she's worth a try at the very least. She Keeps Bees MySpace :: Virgin Forest MySpace :: Sharon Van Etten MySpace

My Teenage Stride and El Jezel @ Vanishing Point - Bushwick, Brooklyn - $??
If the Glasslands show sounds too low-key for you, try this one. My Teenage Stride are an indie pop band that I grudgingly like a lot and El Jezel play a ambient post-rock that still manages to be pop. I've heard both these bands perform well despite adverse conditions, so it seems like a safe bet that this show will rock. MTS MySpace :: El Jezel MySpace

Friday, 1/16

The Raveonettes + Zaza @ Webster Hall - East Village, Manhattan - $20
I can't quite recommend spending $20 to see the Raveonettes, but if you really feel like going to a show Friday and money isn't an issue, check them out. The Raveonettes are one of those bands that play conventional songs under a consistent layer of crackling fuzz, a formula that never seems to get old. One of the opening acts is Zaza, a talented electronic duo who I reviewed a couple of months ago. So if you decide to pay the $20 and go, go early and get some extra bang for your buck. Raveonettes MySpace :: Zaza MySpace

Saturday, 1/17

Frightened Rabbit @ Bowery Ballroom - LES, Manhattan - $13 adv/$15 door
In my Best Albums of 2008 list, I said that Frightened Rabbit was one only decent bands to ever come out of Glasgow, Scotland, and I'll stand by that statement. They play conventional indie rock, radio-ready and far from innovative - but the songwriting is solid, the sound is rich and it's just enough drunken Scottish swagger to win over my skeptical heart. MySpace

Sunday, 1/18

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers @ Mercury Lounge - LES, Manhattan - $8
I've told you about Shilpa Ray and how she's awesome. As great as she is recorded, her live show is even awesomer. Here's my account of her last show. Let me be clear: DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW! I don't care if your wife is in labor, I don't care if you have to break out of your cell on Rikers to get there, stop making excuses and GO TO THIS SHOW. MySpace

Best Albums of 2008 - Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up

Here it is, the long awaited list! Well, it begins after few little notes, anyway.

Little note #1: You may have noticed that I just started the review in late October. Prior to that time, I wasn't paying much attention to new releases, so I've had a lot of catching up to do to get this list together. During that process, my brain ended up very cluttered, so I had to just eliminate some contenders for the sake of sanity. I just didn't have time to listen to it all this year. So here are the rules I made:

 a. It has to be at least partly rock/pop, which in this case includes some electro and folk, but excludes most rap, blues, country, "world," etc.

 b. No albums by "established" bands, which I defined as anyone who's been in the top hundred or so on the Billboard charts prior to 2008. That ruled out a lot of folks who would might have made it otherwise (Nick Cave, Portishead, Metallica, the Verve, etc.)

Yes, this is all very arbitrary and it's not ideal. But I started off too far behind, and I only have two ears and twenty-four hours every day to listen to all of this.

Little note #2: In general, this is a "Best of" list but it's got elements of a "favorites" list, in that some albums that were probably really great were too low key for me and my short attention-span (I'm thinking of Beach House, Grouper, etc.), so those didn't make the cut.

I tried to look for the most original, exciting albums more than for the most solid, most pretty or most polished - but obviously, these are all factors.

Little note #3: I always love comments! What did I miss? What's overrated? Share with the class!

OK, let's get started! First up, here are the albums that didn't make the top 20 (mostly on counts of originality) but deserve an honorable mention anyway:

Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward
The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever
The Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost
The Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night
Deerhunter - Microcastle
The Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust
The Ruling Class - Tour De Force [EP]
Werewoves - ES [EP]
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Women - Women

NEXT >> Part 2: #20-16
Part 3: #15-11
Part 4: #10-6
Part 5: #5-1

Guest List: Top 10 Albums of 2008 (Salvador's List)

My list is almost ready for you all, but in the meantime, I've asked a couple of my more musically-inclined friends to contribute lists of their own.

So here's guest list #1. I won't tell you the author's name (let's call him "Salvador" - thanks random name generator, he'll hate that!), but I will tell you he's a guitar player and songwriter. I've also put in his notes.

Here it is!

10. Voyager One - "Afterhours In The Afterlife" (i just discovered them a few months ago)

9. Portishead - "Third" (they did it again)

8. The Charlatans - "You Cross My Path" (i think it's their best record since the 90's)

7. The Music - "Strength In Numbers" (i always LOVED this band)

6. Glasvegas - "Glasvegas" (i didn't like them before, but recently i started to adore this band)

5. James - "Hey Ma" (one of the greatest comebacks ever)

4. The Raveonettes - "Lust, Lust, Lust" (great, solid album)

3. Radiohead - "In Rainbows" (it's just so beautiful)

2. The Ruling Class - "Tour de Force" EP (they are gonna be HUGE soon)

1. The Verve - "Forth" (no question)


Stay tuned, I've got another one or two guest lists coming up.

RFR