Do The Right Thing by AgesandAges and Dirty Flag by Arkomo

What is your ideal concert ticket? I must admit, I cannot be more excited for Lady Lamb the Beekeeper opening for Typhoon in March. Last year I promised myself I would see Lady Lamb in concert if she ever swung by DC, but with Typhoon, one of my favorite bands? I am crawling in my skin with anticipation. While DC often gets great lineups, the Pacific Northwest is a mecca of amazing bands who all seem so supportive of each other. It's common for me to writhe in envy when I see some of the shows gracing Seattle's presence. Modern Kin with Radiation City? Cataldo with Hey Marseilles? I wish.

Portland's AgesandAges is following up 2011's Alright You Restless, with a new album, Divisionary, set to release on March 25th. I'm currently stuck on their current single, Do The Right Thing. While I found the song almost obnoxiously preachy upon first listen, I decided to listen again. For some reason, this song has a knack for hitting the right heartstrings and cultivating earworms. There's a simple lesson the song is trying to convey: "do the right thing, do it all the time, make yourself right, never mind them, don't you know you're not the only one suffering." The lyrics are a mantra that will not leave my mind. With a large-band, pop-folk sound, that anyone could find easy to listen to, in addition to the positive moral taught, I vote everyone streams this track and uses it as inspiration in their day to day lives.

AgesandAges is heading up north to Seattle on January 19th to play with Typhoon and on February 28th for an album release show. The opening act for the album release show is Arkomo, whose track Dirty Flag, is another heavily played song in my current rotation. See, Seattle really does get the best power lineups.

Dirty Flag is experimental without being hard to connect to. While not normally my style of music, delicate harmonies, soft beats and too many techniques to count keep the song fresh and unique. Picturing a flag, slightly dampened with age, waving in the air, sometimes smoothly, sometimes jagged, could be thought of as an accurate visual description. Arkomo is a solo project from Sam Anderson, who is the cellist in Hey Marseilles, among other Seattle area  music projects. Obviously, Anderson has a wide range of talent and it's great to hear something so different.

Listen to Do They Right Thing on Soundcloud and Dirty Flag on Soundcloud or Bandcamp. If you're in the Seattle area, catch the two at their show on February 28th at BARBOZA.
 

The Songs of 2013

I want to thank this year for being the year that threw me back into music. When I reflect upon how I became invested in music in the first place, 2006 and 2008 have always been the defining years. I need to add 2013 to that list.

While I've been sharing my favorite songs and albums that were released in 2013, I have a few honorable mentions from prior years that I feel obligated to mention: A New Kind of House EP by Typhoon; The Match by The Eastern Sea; everything Lord Huron; So Far We Are by The French Kicks; The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit; Valley Maker's Self Titled album; Prison Boxing by Cataldo; all of Justin Vernon's prior projects, Counting Sheep by The Crane Wives and Through The Deep, Dark Valley by The Oh Hello's. As always, Rilo Kiley and The Format will always be significant, no matter the year.

Back to the present, this year is the year. Bastille's Pompeii was the most played song, according to my last.fm account. I still can't get sick of it, despite the radio play. r/comeonandslam reminded me that regardless of my folk or music-snobbery leanings, sometimes one of my favorite songs will end up being a Space Jam/ Radioactive mash-up. Whatever. Jumper Cables by Widower, complete with bloodsugar references, was written about me (or, in reality, a girl who could be my best friend). I rarely have a song fit me to a tee that well. When I first heard Hannah Hunt, courtesy of Vampire Weekend, I actually cried.

Pop and mainstream music were also constants and I'm not ashamed. I loved the new Gavin DeGraw singles and drove four hours to my alma mater to see him in concert back in February. J. Cole's Crooked Smile brought back TLC with a bang. I devoured the new Ron Pope song and fully intend to see his show at DC9, even though I'll be surrounded by teenage girls. I am sort of ashamed over having Pitbull and Ke$ha's Timber on this list but I can't stop dancing in my car when I hear it on the radio. 

If I could, I would add every song released this year from Typhoon, Valley Maker, Folly and The Hunter, Volcano Choir, Hey Marseilles and Pickwick to this list. Did I just give away my top 6 albums? Yes.

I tried narrowing this down to just one-hundred and I couldn't make it happen. There's no order - throw these on shuffle and enjoy the ride.

Round I:

Opportunist by Miyazaki

Love Lost by Roo and the Howl**
Gallup, MN by The Shouting Matches
Chicago by Fort Frances**
Best I Ever Had by Gavin DeGraw
Braving the Wind by The Sun Kite
Prom Night by Anamanaguchi
Moonless by Blatant Neon Ion**
Watch for Deer at Dawn by Folly and the Hunter
Well, You Left by Rilo Kiley
Foreign Bodies by Radiation City
Radioactive Slam by MuhLurs**
I Dreamt Blues by Vikesh Kapoor
Something to Get You By by Genders
Somebody to Love by Valerie June
Hannah Hunt by Vampire Weekend (<3)
Halls of Columbia by Pickwick
Burn by Ellie Goulding
If I Could Change Your Mind by HAIM
The Mission by Valley Maker**
Song For Zula by Phosphorescent
Tiff (feat. Justin Vernon) by POLIÇA
Casino (Bad Things) by Houndmouth
Comrade by Volcano Choir
Royals by Lorde
Bird Balloons by Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
Thinking About You by Typhoon
Step Out by Jose Gonzalez
Change by Churchill
Bad Kingdom by Moderat
Hurricane by MS MR
Young Fathers by Typhoon
I Have Been Lost by The Petticoat Tearoom

Round II
City By The Sea by Fort Frances
Byegone by Volcano Choir
I Remember You by Rilo Kiley
100 Years by Typhoon
East Coast Girl by Cayucas
Ivory Black by Seryn
Brother by Swear and Shake
Chain My Name by POLIÇA
Inside Out by Andrew Austin
Still by Daughter
Bang by Elin Ruth
The Round by Pickwick
Only Time by Valley Maker**
Tall Tall Shadow by Basia Balut
When We Fall by Timshel
Good Times by The Changing Colors
Everlasting Arms by Vampire Weekend
Promise of Lakes by Luray
Stay Awake by Ellie Goulding, Madeon
Dead Man's Dance by Bradford Loomis
Science/Visions by CHVRCHES
Jumper Cable by Widower
Blankets by Matthew Fowler
Modern Jesus by Portugal. The Man
Hey Stranger by Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers
Move by Mausi
A Clear Mind, A Better Time by Del Water Gap**
Blood & Bones by Paper Bird
Bright Stars Burning by Hey Marseilles
Agape by Bear's Den
Sex by The 1975
Step Into My Life (Restless) by Marshall Lewis**
Wake Me Up by Avicii

Round III
Possible Deaths by Typhoon
Little Too Late by Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers
Lick My Wounds by Ron Pope
Drop The Game by Flume, Chet Faker
Line of Fire by Junip
Crooked Smile by J. Cole, TLC
Bagel Girl by Black Checker
Put On, Cologne by Donovan Woods
Recovery by Frank Turner
Obey Your Guns by Matrimony
Ever Loved Once by Blitzen Trapper
Island by Wyatt Overman
Sask by Donovan Woods
Wildewoman by Lucius
Inside My Head by The Parkington Sisters
Play It Right by Sylvan Esso
Abandon by Modern Kin
Wyoming by Water Liars
Cherry Blossoms by Night Beds
The Fold by Ivan & Alyosha
Call Me In The Afternoon by Half Moon Run
You Don't Love Me Like You Used To by The Lone Bellow
The Breach by Dustin Tebbutt
Little Numbers by BOY
Sonsick by San Fermin
Heart Beats by Hey Marseilles
Acetate by Volcano Choir
Love of a Life by Kelijet, X Ambassadors
The Wire by HAIM

Round IV
Ships Pass by Paul Cook and the Chronicles
Wax & Wane by Alana Henderson
Dreaming by Smallpools
Low Wishes by Air Review
Never Wanted Your Love by She & Him
Fifth In Line to the Throne by Camera Obscura
Fireworks at Night by Campfire Ok
San Francisco by The Mowgli's
Timber by Pitbull, Ke$ha
The Great Northwest by Mighty Oaks
Of Space and Time by City and Colour
Dreams of Cannilbalism by Typhoon
Bad Habit by Foals
Out of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums
Weight by Mikal Cronin
Tides by Hey Marseilles
Closed Hand, Full of Friends by Foy Vance
Jack and Jill by Jon Morgan**
Ghost by Folly and the Hunter
Dear Pressure by Miracles of Modern Science
From This Valley by The Civil Wars
Moth In The Porch Light by Folly and the Hunter
Pompeii by Bastille
Wait Up For You by The Belle Game
North Carolina by Little Chief
Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub
Need The Sun To Break by James Bay
Summer Jam by Twinsmith
Grace For Saints and Ramblers by Iron & Wine
Riptide by Vance Joy
Faultlines by Field Division**

** Not Available on Spotify, therefore linked.

Don't Come Close by Yeasayer

With every Grand Theft Auto, I'm convinced there's at least one music gem released exclusively for the soundtrack. For example, The Music of Grand Theft Auto IV, in 2008, had No Sex for Ben by The Rapture. A song which was played for a period of probably a month when the soundtrack was first released and occasionally comes up on shuffle, evoking fond memories. Whenever a new GTA game is announced to be released, I get excited for the soundtrack and not the game.

On Grand Theft Auto V, the song to love is Don't Come Close by Yeasayer. I've been a Yeasayer fan since All Hour Cymbals in 2007, which I still maintain is the greatest album of theirs and one of my favorites of all time. Odd Blood and Fragrant World haven't necessarily been disappointments, but it's been a while since I've been so excited over a possible direction this band could be taking.

Don't Come Close was recorded around the time of Fragrant World and sometimes pops up on live sets. I agree with the band's thoughts that the song doesn't really fit anywhere. In my opinion, it showcases the best parts of both Odd Blood and Fragrant World. There's the catchy, more upbeat, pop sound from Odd Blood but the song is as polished as the tracks off of Fragrant World. I think it's a good middle ground. I always thought Odd Blood was a little too erratic and Fragrant World was too aurally flat. If this is the direction Yeasayer is moving towards, I'm all for it. I'm also for the band returning to their experimental-folk sound from All Hours Cymbals, but I know that's a pipe dream.

Lyrically, Don't Come Close, isn't as complex as some of their prior tracks. However, Yeasayer has this strange ability to capture poignant feelings with their music, spanning their entire history as a band, and Don't Come Close is no exception. The line currently sticking with me, "people don't change, they only get old", is simple but all-telling. In fact, it may be time to update my Gchat status.

You can download Don't Come Close and the rest of the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack from iTunes. Or, listen to this Youtube upload below.

Volcano Choir @ The 9:30 Club

"This is going to be a religious experience."

I almost didn't attend this concert. Last Thursday, I was scrolling through my twitter feed while half asleep in bed. I saw a submission from r/washingtondc of someone offering up a free ticket to the Volcano Choir show at the 9:30 Club. The submission had been posted for 7 hours and no one had claimed the ticket. I joked in my message, "I bet if you had posted anything about VC being related to Bon Iver, everyone would have jumped". While true, luckily the submitter was just like me: she wanted the ticket to go to someone who was a fan Volcano Choir, not necessarily Bon Iver. We met up and she took me up on my other for my spare City and Colour ticket for Tuesday. It was another successful Reddit experience to add to my list. I'm hoping this will pan out into have a real concert buddy in DC.

Around 4PM yesterday, the weather went haywire and thoughts were pondered on facebook about whether the "9th plague of Egypt was invoked upon us by God". Less eloquently put, it poured. I listened to Repave during my last hour at work, accompanied by green tea and dark chocolate, with the rain battering against our office windows. The right mood was present.

The doors opened at 7PM and I was right on time. Upon first arriving, there were approximately twenty folks ahead of me, some with umbrellas, some without. This was fair. I had high ambitions of getting a front row spot, but it was possibly a pipe dream. When we were let into the venue, I scored a second row spot, and I thought, "this will do".

I maintain the opinion that the only downside to attending concerts by yourself is all the waiting by yourself. A man in the front row started making "pacts" and "forming unions" with the other front row attendees - it was sacred territory and no one was to push their way through.. I started chatting with him and another guy about all the other amazing music that exists in today's world. I got scolded for disliking the new Local Natives' album (I'll have to give it another shot), was given recommendations to listen to Beth Orton and Kathleen Edwards and called them out for not knowing who The Shouting Matches or DeYarmond Edison were. After giving them their space and proving I was worthy of a front row spot, they opened one up for me.

Sylvan Esso opened and more than deserved to. Currently, they have two songs on the internet, Hey Mami + Play It Right and I can't get enough of either of them. Based on what we saw, the rest of their eventual release will also be fantastic. The stage presence was playful - I adored Amelia's fun attitude and dancing. Nicholas not only did a front row shout out, but also encouraged everyone to turn the last 15 minutes into a "dance party". Unfortunately, akin to Seattle, DC doesn't really dance at shows either. I told my front row friend once their set ended, "when they headline a show here next year, I'll also be in the front row for that". Hold me to it.

After the opening, our suspicions were confirmed. NPR was in attendance to film Volcano Choir's act. The videographer set up shop right in front of me. I'm really hoping I end up on this concert video - as they usually feature the audience as well.

Luckily for us, it was a short waiting period before Volcano Choir entered. While most of the audience was holding their breath for that first look at Justin, I don't think I let it out until the entire band assembled on the stage. I drew in more deep breaths as Tiderays started playing - we were in for a religious experience and I knew it was my only chance to compose myself before the music picked up. Tiderays was the perfect opening song for this show, much like it is the perfect opening song for Repave.

Comrade encapsulated everyone into this drugged-out trance state and it was the first (but, not last) time during the night where this happened. I looked around a few times and across the venue, people had the same exact look on their face and in their eyes. When Justin crooned with the synth at the end of the song, I experienced goosebumps running down my arms.

Keel, while being my least favorite song off of Repave, gave off this aura of comfort. I leaned over to my front row friend and expressed that "I had never felt more anchored in my life".

The song that stole the show was, surprisingly, Alaskans. This is another slower song off of Repave, yet it showcases so much of Justin's abilities. However, the audience cohesively singing "Rely, rely, rely, rely, behave, behave, behave, behave/ Decide, decide, decide, decide, repave, repave, repave, repave/ Inside, inside, inside, inside, the lade, the lade, the lade, the lade" at all the right moments and with all the right sound was *magic*. Even the band was floored at how perfect the audience participation felt - they quipped about how they should have recorded the vocals then and there.

The entire concert was building up to Byegone. Or, more importantly, that moment a little over half way through the song, where we're all bellowing "SET SAIL" with our hands up in the air. At this point, I was emotionally exhausted. The closing song was Almanac. I appreciated how the concert opened and closed with Repave's opening and closing songs.

By the end of the night, Volcano Choir played everything off of Repave, Island, IS, Still and two new songs. I'm relieved that new music, or "songs without a home yet" will be coming in the future. The two new songs sounded more rock, which demonstrates the vast range of styles this band can pull off.

To close, I want to express how grateful I am to have seen Justin Vernon in a more intimate setting. Having a front and center spot, meant seeing all the intricate details that did nothing but add to the experience: his moleskine which he referenced every song (in which, we can only wonder what brilliance is contained within), the way he'd kneel behind the podium after a particularly emotional song, the crocheted piece of art covering his podium, and how he didn't speak to the audience at all during the show. Volcano Choir isn't Justin Vernon, it's absolutely not Bon Iver and and there was never any doubt of that.