2013 in Review: Favorite Songs/Tracks Thursday, Feb 6 2014 

music thisgaudygildedstage 7:10 pm

Finally, I’m ready to list my favorite songs, singles, and tracks from 2013. Since I ended up with 25 again, I will probably only discuss the first few briefly and then list the rest. Basically, I primarily liked two kinds of songs in 2013: ones I heard on Alt-Nation and gay ones!

1. “Royals” by Lorde 

I didn’t anticipate choosing “Royals” as my favorite song of 2013 until just the last week or so. Anyone of my top ten could have been my favorite, but what distinguished this one is that I’m constantly singing it in my head. It’s the one song that has stuck with me the most from last year.

2. “Another Story” by The Head and the Heart 

I’ve loved this song since I first heard it. I’m not totally sure what I think it means, but I enjoy it nevertheless. This acoustic version really foregrounds how beautiful it is.

(more…)

 

2014 in Review: Concerts Wednesday, Feb 5 2014 

music thisgaudygildedstage 3:41 pm

PJ and I didn’t go to a lot of concerts in 2014, but we did go to three that are worth remembering.

In May, we attended the annual Nelsonville Music Festival, which is a wonderful local three-day festival of national acts, some of them up and coming, others nearer the end of their careers, and everything in between. Last year featured Lucius, Wilco, Mavis Staples, and lots more! Here’s a video I found on YouTube that samples the three days of music:

We also saw Natalie Merchant in Columbus. She’s been touring for the last couple of years and performing with local orchestras. PJ adores her, and after seeing her repeatedly I have to agree that she’s amazing in concert. Here’s a video from another stop on the same tour:

“Verdi Cries” is my favorite of Merchant’s songs, and it really works well with an orchestra accompanying her.

(more…)

 

2013 in Review: Favorite Covers Tuesday, Feb 4 2014 

music thisgaudygildedstage 12:12 pm

2013 was the year of the cover song. Several of the singles and individual tracks that I liked were covers. So, I decided to separate them out and have a list of my favorite covers from the year.

1. “Annie’s Song” by Brett Dennen and Milow 

John Denver was one of my all-time favorite singer songwriters, and this cover of my favorite of his songs is beautiful. It’s from a John Denver tribute album. Two more of the tracks from this album will be on this list.

2. “Wrecking Ball” by Eli Lieb 

This cover of Miley Cyrus’s hit is as — if not more — beautiful as the original. And I wish I had hair like him!

(more…)

 

2013 in Review: Favorite Videos Monday, Feb 3 2014 

music thisgaudygildedstage 11:33 am

While my list of favorite albums from 2013 was heavy on alternative, indy music, my list of favorite videos is a little more diverse–only a couple of the songs play on Alt-Nation!

1. “Tennis Court” by Lorde

My favorite video of 2013 is Lorde’s “Tennis Court”:

I love the song, but what really stands out about this video to me is how smart it is. It takes the standard one take head-shot and turns it on its head by having Lorde only lip sync with the background vocal. I think it’s brilliant.

2. “Pretty Hurts” by Beyonce 

Each of the videos on Beyonce’s new album are interesting and well done. I could easily have filled my top ten list with videos from this album. I was especially torn between “Haunted” and “Pretty Hurts.” The latter ultimately won out since the video for “Haunted” doesn’t see to have been officially released yet.

(more…)

 

2013 in Review: Favorite Albums Sunday, Feb 2 2014 

music thisgaudygildedstage 11:09 am

I bought a lot of music in 2013. Consequently, it’s taken me a while to decide what stood out most to me last year. But I’m finally ready to record my favorite music lists from 2013. This will have to be a relatively quick series of posts. First up: my favorite albums.

My favorite album of 2013 was a no-brainer: one stood out head and shoulders above the rest, and I only liked it more the more I listened to it. My favorite album of 2013 was More Than Just a Dream by Fitz and the Tantrums. I first heard the lead off single on Alt-Nation. Once I sampled the whole album I was hooked and downloaded it immediately! It’s difficult to choose just one track to represent this album–I love the first 7 tracks almost equally–but I’ll feature that first single, also titled “More Than Just a Dream”:

I love this group’s “soul-influenced indie pop” (Source). The whole album is fun to listen to, and one or two other tracks will appear in some of my other music lists this week.

(more…)