Originally posted @ www.classicalgeektheatre.comBlogs make lists, right? Isn't that one of their prime functions? I suppose so. It seems like we here at Classical Geek Theatre are always proclaiming the last band we saw "May be the best fucking band in town!" or something to that effect. It's true, I'm a cheerleader.
Instead of using some arbitrary system to create a pointless hierarchy of favorites, the Classical Geek Theatre Year in Review Notices are merely a list of all the things that I think, from my own experiences in 2007, deserve recognition. How can I compare a rawkus, sweaty Gogol Bordello show in a tent to the massive, futuristic arena rock show that Muse puts on, to a series Spaceland residency shows? It just wouldn't be fair. It's all subjective anyway.
I'm not a magazine and can't do this by committee, so there are HUGE gaps. Why is it that Toxic Airborn Event gets no mention? Because I haven't gotten to see them yet! Why didn't I include the Xu Xu Fang residency? Because I wasn't actively seeking shows at the time and I didn't even know who Xu Xu Fang was!
I'm calling SSPU a "national" act now. Gram Rabbit and Oliver Future are getting called "local" acts even though GR is based in Joshua Tree and Oliver Future transplanted from Austin. Disagree with the distinctions? Argue in the comments section. As for the movies... I saw less non-mainstream fare than usual this year. My apologies.
You'll notice that the same ten or twelve local acts make-up all the lists. My listening habits betray themselves! It's all silly, arbitrary bullshit, basically. Just like Classical Geek Theatre! Without further ado... the 2008 Classical Geek Theatre Year in Review Notices!
(All winners are listed in alphabetical order.)
Indianapolis Colts Players of the Year
It may seem like an inexplicable fluke that Classical Geek Theatre covers professional football... let alone the Indianapolis Colts. Well, we do. Naptown represent! GO HORSE! These guys aren't necessarily the stars, but the kinds of players that die-hard fans love to root for.
- Joseph Addai
- Antoine Bethea
- Dallas Clark
- Anthony Gonzalez
- Bob Sanders
- Tony Ugoh
As a fan, this has been one of my favorite regular seasons. It's hard when guys like Freeney and Booger go down, but it has been so fun to see fellas like Ugoh and Bethea rise-up and get noticed. Gonzo is going to be a star in a year or two.
Best Movies of 2007Advancing the medium of film (influence), being about "the now," and on-screen spectacle all factor heavily into whether or not I like a movie. Some are of my favorites are entertainment genre fluff, others are thoughtful films. I saw about 30-40 this year. These are the faves.
- 300
- Beowulf
- The Bourne Ultimatum
- Gone Baby Gone
- Harry Potter 5
- Knocked-Up
- No Country for Old Men
- Transformers
- Shoot 'Em Up
- Sicko
- Smokin' Aces
- Southland Tales
- Sunshine
- Superbad
- Zodiac
This year genre flicks just knocked me on my ass.
300 and
Beowulf were like... it was like seeing my college Dungeons and Dragons games come to life, straight from the mind's eye, whereas I think
Smokin' Aces and
Shoot 'Em Up were more or less contemporary "grindhouse" new classics. I think
Knocked-Up is maybe the best comedy of its decade. Aside from being hilarious, it really is about "today".
Gone Baby Gone moved me the most. Apologies to
Sweeney Todd, which I am seeing in two days and will surely make the revised list.
Best Examples of Internet AbsurdityThe Internet is the Future! Nothing displays the sheer, unfathomable lunacy of the human psyche like the world wide web. The entire network is rife with moments of zen clarity waiting to happen, the kind of moments of zen clarity that make you wonder "What the fuck is our major malfunction?" Some of these may actually be late 2006.
The internet. Oh em gee, el oh el, dubya tee eff.
Best Album Releases by a National ActClassical Geek Theatre has no special hatred for the mainstream! To qualify, the album had to have been released by a non-local (Los Angeles) band in 2007. - The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
- Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta
- Kanye West - Graduation
- Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Sank
- White Stripes - Icky Thump
- (Where's Radiohead? Meh! Take that, conventional wisdom!)
This is a really "easy" list, I know. Super Taranta is more of the same. Everyone loves The Arcade Fire. The White Stripes and Modest Mouse have been finely honed for the masses. Graduation isn't Kanye's best album, even. But sometimes, you just want some Taco Bell or McDonald's fries. No shame.
Best Album Releases by a Local Act
There are plenty of great local acts with so-so album releases. These guys are different. These are the albums that stick with you; these albums deserve to be heard long after they were first released. To qualify, the album had to have been released by a Los Angeles local band in 2007. Full-length and EPs qualify.
- Casxio - Inside and Out EP
- Film School - Hideout
- Gram Rabbit - RadioAngel & The RobotBeat
- Great Northern - Trading Twilight for Daylight
- The Happy Hollows - Bunnies & Bombs EP
- Light FM – Save the Drama EP
- Oliver Future - Pax Futura
- The SoftLightes - Say No to Being Cool Say Yes to Being Happy
- The Spores – Doom Pop
If I had to pick one of these albums to keep forever, it'd be
Trading Twilight for Daylight. I think all three EPs are just amazingly condensed, perfect teasers for great local acts. I prefer The SoftLightes' album this year to The Shins'.
Songs of the YearThese are songs released in 2007 that Mouse played in the car multiple times in a row for weeks on end, national and local. The "Soundtrack of the Year," so to speak.
National
- The Arcade Fire - My Body is a Cage
- Kanye West - Stronger
- Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow
- Rivers Cuomo - Pig (unreleased demo)
- The White Stripes - Rag and Bone
Local
- Casxio - Broken Kiss
- Gram Rabbit - Fancy Dancy
- Great Northern - Home
- The Happy Hollows - My Wet Tongue
- The Mae Shi - Run to Your Grave
- Light FM - Sleepy Hollow
- Oliver Future - Stranger Than the Stranger
- The Spores - Private Jet
- Xu Xu Fang - Good Times
Find a download of "Pig" and tell me it isn't the best song Rivers has written since "The Good Life". Kanye West's "Stronger" should probably be the mainstream song of the year for the whole country.
On the local front... "Run to Your Grave" is the best thing I heard on record all year... but you won't listen to "Sleepy Hollow" or "Broken Kiss" without having them stuck in your head --
for a week.
Best National / Touring Shows of 2007>
When you go see a local band, its sort of like going to a college football game. Seeing a national act should be like going to the Super Bowl. The sheer spectacle needs to be worth the price of admission, and any given fraction of time spent watching in awe should displace you from reality. Coachella sets are included in this category.
- The Arcade Fire @ Coachella 4-28-07 (review)
- Gogol Bordello @ Coachella 4-27-07 (review)
- The Go! Team @ The Echoplex 10-21-07 (review)
- The Klaxons @ Coachella 4-29-07 (review)
- Modest Mouse w/ Man Man @ The Gibson Ampitheatre 5-13-07 (review)
- Muse @ The Forum 4-10-07 (review)
- Silversun Pickups @ The Wiltern 10-20-07 (review)
- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists @ The El Rey 4-13-07 (review)
Gogol Bordello at Coachella was the most exhausting concert of my life. Muse set an impossible bar for all other arena acts. Silversun Pickups at The Wiltern is already legendary.
Best Local Shows of 2007
For the typical culture mutant, after a while, all shows can start to sound the same. Especially if you see the same band multiple times, it can become difficult to quantify and differentiate from the experiences. But then, there are those sets you'll never forget. Maybe the band played their best or maybe you were in the perfect mood, with the perfect beer buzz, in that perfect place in time.
- Castledoor @ Spaceland 6-19-07 (review)
- The Christmas Sweater Festival (The Deadly Syndrome, The Mae Shi, The Happy Hollows, The Pity Party, and Eskimohunter) @ The Crash Mansion 12-14-07 (review)
- Eskimohunter w/ The Pity Party @ Spaceland 7-30-07 (review)
- Gram Rabbit @ Spaceland 9-10-07 (review)
- The Mae Shi and Xu Xu Fang @ The Viper Room 10-15-07 (review)
- Oliver Future @ Spaceland 10-08-07 (review)
I think The Mae Shi and Xu Xu Fang was my favorite show of the year. But really, how does one compare? The Christmas Sweater Festival was really something special, wasn't it?
Best Spectacle (Local only)There are more indie bands in Silverlake than there are carpet skunk, rat-dogs in Beverly Hills. What is a band to do to stand-out? Why, spectacle! Costumes, lights, special effects... sometimes the memorable shows are memorable because the band made the extra effort to give the crowd something more to look at. To qualify, the band has to make a regular attempt to add a visual element to the live show. - Castledoor (Themed Shows)
- The Fuxedos (Costumes and Props)
- Gram Rabbit (Rabbit Dancers and Costume Changes)
- The Mae Shi (Costume Changes)
- The Spores (Puppets)
- Xu Xu Fang (Fog Effects)
No other blog or magazine has this list. It speaks for itself. If you want a SHOW, go see one of these bands this year.
Best Residencies Monday Residencies are the bread and butter of the Los Angeles hipster doofus. Any given Monday she has three to five choices of free music.
The chance to see the same band at the same time the following week gives rock show junkies a chance to cultivate their own fandom. In order to qualify Mouse had to have seen at least two of the shows.- Eskimohunter @ Spaceland in July (reviews here and here)
- Gram Rabbit @ Spaceland in September (reviews here, here, here and here)
- Light FM @ Silverlake Lounge in July (reviews here and here)
- Oliver Future @ Spaceland in October (reviews here and here)
This isn't fair because I feel like I missed some of the best residencies earlier in the year when I wasn't following music. But the month of Gram Rabbit shows is a defining memory of 2007 for me.
Best Cover Songs (played live)
Playing a cover can be hairy. It's totally acceptable when you're starting out, but once the band shows it has some chops, there's an expectation to write great songs and covers become frowned-on. Then, once you're a qualified success, it is magically acceptable to play a wittily-selected cover again! These are the best of the year, local and national. All songs were performed live in 2007.
National
- Lilly Allen - Heart of Glass (Blondie) @ Coachella 4-29-7
- The Roots - Masters of War (Bob Dylan) @ Coachella 4-28-7
- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Suspect Device (Stiff Little Fingers) @ The El Rey 4-13-07
Local
- Dub 8 - One Step Beyond (Madness) @ Eagle Rock Music Festival 10-07-07
- Castledoor - All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey) @ Boardner's 12-18-07
- Gram Rabbit - Another One Bites the Dust (Queen) @ Safari Sam's 11-24-07
- Oliver Future - Psycho Killer (Talking Heads) @ Spaceland 10-30-07
- Ozma – Korobeiniki (traditional Russian folk song) @ The Troubadour 5-17-07
As far as "I can't believe they had the balls to do that" covers go, none beats Oliver Future playing "Psycho Killer". The Roots' "Masters of War" is maybe my favorite single song performance that I saw in 2007. It was
riveting.
Best Songs to Hear Live in LA
There are some songs that are just meant to be heard live. Once you see the song played live, the recorded version takes on new meaning. The song's performance encapsulates everything thing love about the band that plays it. Emphasis is on the energy of the performance.
- Castledoor – Magnetic Forces
- Gram Rabbit – Bloody Bunnies
- Light FM – Eli Miller
- The Mae Shi – Lamb and the Lion
- Oliver Future - Psycho Killer (cover)
- Ozma – Korobeiniki (cover)
- Xu Xu Fang – Good Times
I know they're "for the kids at The Knit," but I maintain that Ozma's cover of The Tetris song is the best live performance of any song that you can see in town. And you haven't danced until you've danced to "Bloody Bunnies". It's emotional and physical manipulation via music perfected. A sonic holocaust.
Best Bands in LA
This category is for the "best" bands in Los Angeles. Their style of music is praiseworthy, their songs are well-crafted, the recordings are exciting to listen to, and their live shows are evenings of spiritual clarity. The "best band" in Los Angeles is a treasure, something we should be proud to have. Other music scenes would covet just such a band. I can say with ease that The Mae Shi are my favorite act in town, from songwriting to recording to live shows... but that's just a personal preference. After that... I think The Pity Party and Eskimohunter really deserve everyone's respect. Both bands are so thoughtful, we should treat them like Nelson Mandellas of Silverlake. Xu Xu Fang plays the most intelligent live show that you can see in LA. Bed Time for Toys might be an odd choice... but can you name another band that plays a show that resembles anything like theirs? I didn't think so. The Happy Hollows are a new favorite for me, but I suspect their record coming out some time this year will be topping most of our 2008 lists.