Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

So far my favorite album of the year...

Acid Tongue

All Points West Music Festival '08

Who I Saw: (click name to see photos)

• Metric
• Sia
• Kings of Leon
• Radiohead (yes...again)

Highlight: Seeing Sia live for the first time and right in front no less



I also got a video of her singing "Breathe Me."

Lowlight: Before the Radiohead set, this group of people were SNORTING OXYCONTIN PILLS. One of them annoyed the living shit of me during most of the set by jumping into me, elbowing me in the eye and singing loudly and offbeat. I tried to elbow him in the ribs but of course, it meant nothing to him.

Another Lowlight: They had this stupid policy where you got a bracelet with five tabs. That was as many beers as you were allowed to have the entire day. Wait...it gets worse. You were only allowed to drink in these three "beer gardens" (they looked more like concentration camps for drunks) and couldn't walk around with your beer.

Lollapalooza '08

Who I Saw: (click name for pictures)

• The Go! Team
• The Kills
• Mates of State
• Bloc Party
• Radiohead
• MGMT
• Brand New
• Jamie Lidell
• Lupe Fiasco
• Rage Against The Machine
• Brazilian Girls
• Chromeo
• G. Love & Special Sauce
• Gnarls Barkley
• Kanye West

Highlight: While Radiohead was performing "The Bends" and "Fake Plastic Trees," fireworks went off in the background. It was kind of surreal especially considering it was my first time seeing them.

Lowlight: An hour before the Rage Against The Machine, a group of drunken fools tried to force their way to the front, crushing a bunch of us. My arms were essentially trapped at my sides and I couldn't breathe. Once Rage started performing, it only got worse. I spent the first 20 minutes or so with my feet off the ground. I was either being leaned forward onto someone's back or leaned back with my weight being held up whoever was behind me. At least three people were carried over my head from heat exhaustion and I know tons of others that we carried out on the other side. Zach had to stop the show several times to plead with the crowd to move back so the people in the very front wouldn't be crushed to death.

Who's Gonna Save My Soul Now?

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Lists: Favorite Album From Every Year You've Been Alive

(I wish I originally thought of this but I didn't)

List your favorite record from every year you’ve been alive.

You can do it based purely on hindsight, or you can do it by listing the answer you would’ve given in that year (assuming you were aware of pop music at the time).

1977: Exodus - Bob Marley and the Wailers
1978: Here My Dear - Marvin Gaye
1979: Off the Wall - Michael Jackson
1980: Hotter than July - Stevie Wonder
1981: Controversy - Prince
1982: Thriller – Michael Jackson
1983: Madonna – Madonna
1984: Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution
1985: Diamond Life - Sade
1986: Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
1987: Sign O' The Times - Prince
1988: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick
1989: Disintegration - The Cure
1990: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest
1991: The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
1992: Love Deluxe - Sade
1993: Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest
1994: Illmatic - Nas
1995: Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette
1996: Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z
1997: OK Computer - Radiohead
1998: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
1999: Bitter - Me'shell Ndegeocello
2000: Voodoo - D'Angelo
2001: The Blueprint - Jay-Z
2002: About a Boy soundtrack - Badly Drawn Boy
2003: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - Outkast
2004: More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
2005: Late Registration - Kanye West
2006: Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
2007: In Rainbows - Radiohead
2008 (so far): Third - Portishead

Ok, this was really fucking hard. Especially 1991-1997. I had to settle on picking on what was my favorite album ignoring albums that were clearly superior.

I was going to do a movie list but I don't think I have it in me. This list took up most of my day and I'm really heartbroken about some of the cuts I had to make.

If you want to try it, my best advice is to use Wikipedia which lists every album released by year.

31 Today

31 Today
by Aimee Mann

Thirty-one today
What a thing to say
Drinking Guinness in the afternoon
Taking shelter in the black cocoon

I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn

Called some guy I knew
Had a drink or two
And we fumbled as the day grew dark
I pretended that I felt a spark

I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn

Easter comes and goes
Maybe Jesus knows
So you roll on with the best you can
Getting loaded, watching CNN

I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know

Jay-Z's verse over American Boy from the Glastonbury Festival

Swell Season & Interference @ Radio City Music Hall

The first time I saw Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová perform was a year ago at NYU Cantor Center after a sneak preview of Once. To say I loved it would be an understatement. Anyway, afterwards we stuck around for a Q&A with writer/director John Carney and the two stars (who were unknown to me at the time). They were really humble. Irglová seemed nervous and barely spoke even when asked questions. Then they performed a couple of songs from the movie with Hansard's (now-famous I'd reckon) broken guitar. It was really cool. They invited everyone to go to a bar afterwards but it was a Lost night and you know me.

To see them performing at Radio City Music Hall a year later is kind of surreal. Clearly they thought it was surreal as well, especially Hansard who opened the show singing "Say It To Me Now" acoustic and away from the microphone. Throughout the night they did songs from the movie, The Swell Season album and a couple of Frames songs. They did two Van Morrison covers ("Astral Weeks" and "Into The Mystic", both which were amazing and garned standing ovations). Irglová got her sister on stage and they sang "Gently Johnny" from the original The Wicker Man soundtrack (when she was on stage and said they were going to sing a song from The Wicker Man, I turned to my friend and said "Oh no, not the creepy song!).

My favorite moment of the night was when they were singing Star, Star (a Frames tune) and turned it into "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

They played until midnight almost. They just didn't want to get off stage. I don't blame them.

It was an amazing show. If they are coming to your city, buy tickets! They are playing at at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park on September 17, 2008. Tickets are on sale now.

*Photo from Brooklyn Vegan

Tegan & Sara @ Terminal 5

First of all, I had been trying to get tickets for this show off Craigslist for months but I finally scored some (at face value no less) a week before the show and I'm glad I did.

Jenny and I ended up standing on the third floor of Terminal 5 because, frankly, the rabid Tegan & Sara fans were packed tight up on the standing floor and looked at you like you lost your mind if you tried to push past them.

It was a great show and I hope I get a chance to see them again (with a better view). They did all my favorite songs so I couldn't complain plus I didn't have to deal with being suffocated on the floor with the crowd

Here are the rest of the pictures I took.

I also took some video with my new camera: Nineteen, Hop A Plane, Back In Your Head, Living Room

Feist on The Colbert Report

Have I mentioned that I love her?

She & Him at Webster Hall

This show was supposed to be at Hiro Ballroom but the show was moved to Webster Hall at the last minute. I generally hate this venue because the drinks are so expensive and on the wrong night, you'll hear club music below the floor. I hate the venue so much that I have passed up on seeing some of my favorite bands if they were playing there. Anyway, last night wasn't so bad (except for the expensive beers).

Zooey was sick and could't talk (her singing was fine for the most part) so she held up signs throughout the night. This was my favorite.

It was a good show even though the opening act. Ola Podrida, was pretty bad (they were out of tune and I could barely understand what the lead singer was saying).

Afterwards, Jenny convinced me to go to her favorite dive bar again and drink cheap beers and shots.


I don't know why I listen to her.

Here are the rest of my photos from the show.

Obama on Hip-Hop

Radiohead's Scotch Mist Webcast

At Midnight on New Year's Day, Radiohead webcast live in-studio performace of songs from In Rainbows (coupled with other weird Radiohead-esque shit). Enjoy!

Dewey Cox & The Hard Walkers at The Knitting Factory

After the screening, we were bused over to the Knitting Factory to see the final performance of Dewey Cox & The Hard Walkers (until the Oscars with the strike doesn't destroy it).



The show was hilarious. The best parts were his covers of Rehab (Amy Winehouse),Cocaine (Eric Clapton) and Sabotage (Beastie Boys).

The world needs more Cox.

(Some Of) My Favorite Albums From 2007

While I'm sure better music came out this year and I haven't had a chance to really listen to a couple of albums I just downloaded acquired (Lupe Fiasco, LCD Soundsystem, Ghostface, Wu-Tang Clan) but here are my some* of favorite albums of 2007 (in no particular order) with my favorite song from each.

"No Cars Go" by Arcade Fire from Neon Bible



"Breakin' Up" by Rilo Kiley from Under The Blacklight



"Back To Black" by Amy Winehouse from Back to Black
(Yes, I know it really came out in 2006)



"I Feel It All" by Feist from The Reminder



"All I Need" by Radiohead from In Rainbows



"Say Hello" by Jay-Z from American Gangster



"When Your Mind's Made Up" by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová from Music From The Motion Picture Once



"The Heinrich Maneuver" by Interpol from Our Love To Admire



"Flashing Lights" by Kanye West (featuring Dwele) from Graduation



"Lucky Ones" by Kevin Drew from Spirit If...



"When Everything Is New" by Little Brother from GetBack



"Burn Your Life Down" by Tegan & Sara from The Con

* I say "some" because these albums are just the ones I thought of when I decided to make this post and not some well thought out list like I was working for Rolling Stone or Pitchfork Media.

Music Video Of The Year

Snoop Dogg - Sexual Seduction

Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction Closed Captioned
Uploaded by Elodie-74

R.I.P.

Rilo Kiley @ Webster Hall

Marry me, Jenny Lewis.

To be honest, Under The Blacklight, Rilo Kiley's latest release, is already my least favorite album of theirs. Doesn't mean it's bad. Far from it. But I didn't feel attached to it instantly.

Anyway, to hear the songs performed live made me love songs I liked and like songs I didn't care for. My favorite songs from the night were "Dreamworld", "Portions For Foxes", "Silver Lining", "It's A Hit" (with Orenda Fink formerly of Azure Ray and now Art in Manila on trumpet), "Breakin' Up", "Does He Love You"...I'm going to stop because I'll probably end up listing them all.

I can watch Jenny Lewis on stage all night long.

I forget how short Blake Sennett. He really hasn't grown much from his Boy Meets World days

That said, Webster Hall is a weird venue for a rock show because you can hear the club music bumping down below. It's particularly awkward during slow, quiet songs. if your favorite band is playing here, double check to make sure they aren't playing anywhere else in the city.

Despite the venue, it was a great show.

All photos by Jenny Francois

Bye Fiddy

West's Graduation shifted 957,000 copies in its first week of sales while 50 Cent's album, Curtis, only sold 691,000, according to Billboard.

Before the albums went on sale 50 Cent vowed he would retire from making solo albums if he was outsold by West.

Maybe if he didn't leave the best song off his U.S. release, he might have had a chance.

Now the song is just prophetic (or he saw the writing on the wall).

50 Cent - "Smile (I'm Leaving)"