shows of interest for 1/7 - 1/13/08

Monday, January 7
Andy Combs @ Hi-Dive

Tuesday, January 8
Meanbottle @ Larimer Lounge

Wednesday, January 9
Guru @ Fox Theatre
Stoned Scared @ Larimer Lounge

Thursday, January 10
Cory Morrow @ Soiled Dove
J-Boogie @ Fox Theatre
Magic Cyclops EP Release Party @ Hi-Dive
Maple Tigers @ Larimer Lounge

Friday, January 11
Band Of Heathens @ Soiled Dove
Reverend Horton Heat @ Fox Theatre
Tea Leaf Green @ Bluebird Theater
Truckasaurus @ Larimer Lounge
Vices I Admire @ Hi-Dive

Saturday, January 12
Asleep At The Wheel @ Soiled Dove
Eric Bachmann @ Hi-Dive
The Invisible Now @ Larimer Lounge
Metal Reggae Party @ Gothic Theatre
Rose Phantoms @ Marquis Theater
Tea Leaf Green @ Fox Theatre
Tequilla Mockingbird @ Walnut Room
thiC @ Bluebird Theater

Sunday, January 13
North Mississippi Allstars/Ray Bonneville @ Boulder Theater (e-town)
Reverend Horton Heat @ Bluebird Theater

martial arts - your sinclair

I'm a procrastinator. I know it. But here at the eleventh hour I am pointing you to some excellent, FREE, music. Glasgow's The Martial Arts are offering their album Your Sinclair, yes for free. And it's excellent. For fans of 60's power-pop.

The downloads will reportedly only be available until tomorrow (January 7). Told you I'm a procrastinator...

Your Sinclair .rar format
Your Sinclair .zip format

the mars volta

So, if anyone has an extra ticket for the show at the Fox on the 27th... let me know. Pleeeeeeeeeeease.

xoxo.

reverend peyton's big damn band - spreadin' the word

If you live in the Denver/Boulder area, you absolutely NEED to be at the Fox Theatre tomorrow... err... tonight, I guess that would be.

By the most fortunate of accidents, I caught Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band at the Monolith Festival back in September (I can't yet bring myself to utter the words "last year" in regards to 2007). When I found out they were playing the Bluebird Theater I was ecstatic. Then I discovered they were playing the Fox the very next night and knew that I was very possibly in for a Big Damn Band two-fer.

The show at the Bluebird tonight was fantastic. I'm not exactly sure if it's because I hadn't seen a live show for nearly two months, or because I hadn't seen my show-going pals Leah & Laura for over two months, or because the Big Damn Band is just that damn good, but I had more fun tonight than I've had in a loooooong time. If you weren't one of the couple hundred lucky souls in attendance, you've got yourself another chance as the Big Damn Band is playing in Boulder at the Fox on Saturday - today, tomorrow, whatever you want to call it. For you mountain folks, they'll also be playing the Belly Up in Aspen on Sunday. Yay!

That is a glance at the marquee through my dirty windshield, a tree, and a sign post (I forgot to take a pic until after I'd already gone to my car...). Note the typo in the band name... ha.

From a brief chat with washboard queen Breezy after the show tonight, they are a bit nervous about playing an 700-capacity venue (as they've never been in Boulder before), so if you happen to read this, you should make some plans to be at the Fox for the show. I personally guarantee you a great time. Jason Webley will be opening again and he alone is more than worth the price of admission, so you can even look at the Big Damn Band as icing on the cake.

Do it, for god's sake. It's a phenomenal show.

shows of interest for 12/31/07 - 1/6/08

Monday, December 31
DEV-Oh! @ Hi-Dive
The Greyboy Allstars @ Ogden Theater
Homemade Tank @ Larimer Lounge
Outformation @ Gothic Theatre
The Railbenders @ Soiled Dove
Rose Hill Drive @ Boulder Theater
Slim Cessna's Auto Club @ Bluebird Theater
Yonder Mountain String Band @ Fillmore Auditorium
Zilla & The Glitch Mob @ Fox Theatre

Tuesday, January 1
Asylum Cinema @ Larimer Lounge

Wednesday, January 2
The Way Things Go @ Hi-Dive
Yuzo Nieto & The Hand That Rocks The Dradle @ Larimer Lounge

Thursday, January 3
Gata Negra @ Larimer Lounge
Of The Wolves @ Gothic Theatre

Friday, January 4
Kort McCumber @ Boulder Theater
Left In The Fire @ Marquis Theater
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Bluebird Theater
Spring Creek Bluegrass Band @ Fox Theatre
Synthetic Elements @ Gothic Theatre
Widowers @ Larimer Lounge
Wymond & The Brethren Of The Free Spirit @ Hi-Dive

Saturday, January 5
3OH!3 @ Gothic Theatre
Havok @ Larimer Lounge
LC Committee @ Boulder Theater
Pena @ Hi-Dive
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Fox Theatre
Slaughterhouse Rootz @ Marquis Theater
Streetlight Manifesto @ Bluebird Theater

Sunday, January 6
Angela Bachman @ Larimer Lounge

shows of interest for 12/24 - 12/30/07

Monday, December 24
Misery Loves Company @ Sputnik

Tuesday, December 25
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, December 26
The Caves @ Larimer Lounge

Thursday, December 27
Ideal Fathers @ Larimer Lounge
Split Second Massacre @ Gothic Theatre

Friday, December 28
Born In The Flood @ Bluebird Theater
Congress Of The Crow @ Larimer Lounge
Holiday Metal Ball @ Gothic Theatre
Leftover Salmon @ Ogden Theatre
The Motet @ Fox Theatre

Saturday, December 29
Buzzard @ Larimer Lounge
Forth Yeer Freshman @ Marquis Theater
RJD2 @ Fox Theatre
Rocky Mountain Riptide @ Bluebird Theater
Wish We Were Floyd @ Gothic Theatre
Yonder Mountain String Band @ Fillmore Auditorium

Sunday, December 30
Beneath The Strangled Mass @ Larimer Lounge
EOTO @ Fox Theatre
The Helio Sequence @ Marquis Theater
Outformation @ Gothic Theatre
Rose Hill Drive @ Boulder Theater
Slim Cessna's Auto Club @ Bluebird Theater
Yonder Mountain String Band @ Fillmore Auditorium

my top albums of 2007 #10-01

10

Menomena - Friend And Foe
Menomena has been on the rise since the release of this fantastic album. The music is fresh, the lyrics are witty, and there's lots and lots of saxophone.
TLOBF review

09

Jamie T - Panic Prevention
This was one of the first 2007 releases that I heard. And it's barely left my playlist since.

08

Babyshambles - Shotter's Nation
Ah, yes, my love affair with this album is still going strong.
My review

07

LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
Soooooooooooooooooo good. And it became even better after seeing James Murphy & co. open for The Arcade Fire at Red Rocks earlier this year.
TLOBF review

06

Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
Brilliant.
My review

05

The New Pornographers - Challengers
I know I said it before, but the first four tracks of this album are about as close to perfection as any band can get. I put off listening to this one for a while because I feared it would not be too good. Obviously that was not the case... :)
TLOBF review

04

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, self-released For Emma, Forever Ago back in July, creating quite a buzz in certain corners of the blog-world. Luckily for me I've got a friend in one of those corners who introduced me to it. In the meantime, Justin's been signed by Jagjaguwar and the album will be re-released in February. I'm definitely thrilled that I got my hands on a self-released copy early on... them things are gonna be rare. As for the album, it just may be good enough to land on next year's list too...

03

Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Well, this should come as a surprise to NO one... ;)
My review

02

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird indeed achieved the impossible by making an album even better than The Mysterious Production Of Eggs.

01

The National - Boxer
The National and Andrew Bird were pretty much battling all year for the #1 spot. The National clinched it with a stellar performance at the Ogden back in September. Boxer is just an amazing album...
TLOBF review

So there it is. I have to say I'd be hard-pressed to find any other year where my top 50 albums are not just good, but exceptional. I hate to say it, but I'm ready for a break in 2008... :)

my top albums of 2007... a slight detour

One more thing to throw at you before revealing my top 10 (though, seriously, I doubt there will be any surprises there). Here are a handful of albums that more than likely would have made it somewhere into the top 50 if I'd started listening to them before the first of December...



The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
The Acorn is from Ottawa. Glory Hope Mountain is a concept album based on Acorn singer/songwriter Rolf Klausener's mother's emigration from the Honduras to Montreal, and all the hardships she dealt with along the way. It's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The official US release is sometime next spring, though, so it has a chance for 2008!



Basia Bulat - Oh My Darling
Basia Bulat is Canadian too... are we sensing a theme here? We didn't review it at TLOBF, but here is a review that I would definitely agree with. Basia is also getting a US release in the spring.



Deer Tick - War Elephant
Another young kid doing some more alt-country. It's real good. I don't necessarily agree with the rating Kyle gave it, but:
TLOBF review



Phosphorescent - Pride
This one has been getting praise from all corners of cyberspace, yet I waited until after the last minute to finally give it my attention. Pity.
TLOBF review



Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Everyone, and I mean everyone, has been talking this album up. And there's little question as to why... it fucking kills, that's why. Yet again I put it off until the last minute. My theory is that I was afraid of whatever that is gracing the cover.
TLOBF review

Tomorrow... top 10.

my top albums of 2007 #20-11

20

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I never got into Spoon until Gimme Fiction. Ga x 5 is a lot better.
TLOBF review

19

Georgie James - Places
2007 was a great year for indie pop...
TLOBF review

18

Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday
This is a lovely album. I am still kicking myself for missing Elvis Perkins In Dearland opening for My Morning Jacket way back in January. At least seeing him play would have kept that evening from being a total bust...
TLOBF review

17

Panda Bear - Person Pitch
This album is so great I didn't even bother with that Animal Collective one... :)
TLOBF loves...

16

Cloud Cult - The Meaning Of 8
I fell in love with this band from the first time I heard the album. I was also fortunate enough to catch them live twice this year, one of the best live bands I've seen.

15

Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
I'm pretty sure I'm in love with everything that Zach Condon creates.
TLOBF review

14

Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
I have never been able to get much into Iron & Wine and almost didn't even bother with this one. I'm sure glad I gave it a chance though, this is some of the most gorgeous music to come out this year.

13

Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Spencer Krug is god.
TLOBF review

12

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
And Kevin Barnes just keeps on delivering the goods...
TLOBF review

11

White Rabbits - Fort Nightly
One of the strongest debut albums in recent memory. Calypso rock at its finest, and a fabulous live band to boot.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow...

my top albums of 2007 #30-21

30

Two Gallants - Two Gallants
Excellent folk-country-punk type duo.

29

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Blows their debut away. In my opinion.
TLOBF review

28

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder
Ah yes, the album that most everyone either loves or intensely detests. It's not as fun as the debut, but that's not to say there aren't a lot of solid songs. Plus you gotta love that CYHSY DIY business model...

27

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Yay for more Swedish pop music! I adore Jens and often have the feeling that this album should be higher than #27 on my list. But alas it's not.
TLOBF review

26

Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Conor's growing up. He sounds great on this album and his songwriting keeps getting better.

25

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Banging Down The Doors
Ezra's a very young Chicagoan who's getting lots and lots and lots of Dylan comparisons. He kinda sounds like Alec Ounsworth a bit too. You should check this album out. It's real real good.
not a review, just something I wrote

24

Revival - Horses Of War
Wow, another great new find for this year. Kind of folky, kind of psychedelic.

23

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
I was so worried that this album was going to suck, but it completely blew me away. There are a couple of tracks I could do without, but for the most part, sobriety is treating Ryan and his songwriting very nicely indeed.
TLOBF review

22

Bishop Allen - The Broken String
This is indie pop at its finest. 'Nuff said.

21

Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter
Josh is another young artist who is just getting better and better. Great album.

Stay tuned for more tomorrow...