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I mentioned back in May about a new Kids of 88 album to look forward to and gave you a video to hold you over until review time. We’re not quite there yet (Oct 5th is the scheduled release date), but here’s another sample to keep you going till then. The song is “LaLa” and will have you up and dancing in your cubicle or living room in no time.
You can find more information about the band and their happenings at the usual places, including their website and Facebook.
I did of review of Kids of 88 awhile back when I heard their first album. Also got lucky enough to see them during CMJ one year (the same year I saw Jukebox the Ghost something like 3 times in the same week. That year was awesome!)
Anyway, the Kids are back, with an album expected out summer 2012. I’ll definitely have a review once it gets closer, but for now enjoy this little sample to hold you over.
Instead of doing a list of my top albums for this year, I thought I would just mention some notable releases. I will say that my favorite album this year, without a doubt, was Jukebox the Ghost. April Smith and Kids of 88 probably come second and third respectively. (But then I look at Arcade Fire and feel like maybe they should be third instead). See, this is why I don’t do “top” lists. It gets tricky. As for the rest, I just really enjoyed them but couldn’t possibly rank them in any order. Josh Ritter was especially good for helping me get through quite a few papers and exams. A few I’ll admit I didn’t get a chance to hear in their entirety, but I heard enough to feel comfortable mentioning anyway.
Albums:
Jan 12 – Contra by Vampire Weekend
– Of the Blue Colour of the Sky – OK Go
Feb 23 – Songs for a Sinking Ship by April Smith and the Great Picture Show
March 2 – Smoke & Mirrors by Lifehouse
March 9 – The Monitor by Titus Andronicus
March 16 – Habits by Neon Trees
March 30 – Evelyn Evelyn by Evelyn Evelyn
April 13 – Congratulations by MGMT
Virtues by Amber Pacific
April 27 – Love It To Life by Jesse Malin
May 4 – So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter
June 15 – American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem
June 29 – We’ve All Been There by Alex Band
Aug 2 – The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Aug 3 – Hear Me Now by Secondhand Serenade
Aug 16 – Sugarpills by Kids of 88
Sept 4 – Everything Under the Sun by Jukebox the Ghost
Sept 14 – Hurley by Weezer
A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park
Sept 21 – Hands All Over by Maroon 5
Sept 28 – Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby
Oct 19 – Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon
Words, Words, Words by Bo Burnham (comedian)
Nov 22 – Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance
Dec 7 – Wonders of the Younger by Plain White T’s
Top Concerts:
Did a quick count and I have seen Jukebox the Ghost almost every month this year. That is really impressive (not only for me, but for them coming to NYC that often). Of course, being my favorite band, they are on my top concerts list, but I would hate to have to pick which time was the best (secret show at Pianos? cd release? opening for BNL?) so I’m just going to say for the bajillionth time that this band is AMAZING live and you should go check them out and experience their awesome for yourself.
Moving right along…
Other contenders this year include:
Alex Band Aug 6th @ Highline
Josh Ritter Aug 8th on Governor’s Island
Yula and the eXtended Family Sept 2nd @ Highline
Titus Andronicus & Free Energy Sept 25th @ Webster Hall
the first annual Tinderbox Festival Sept 26th @ Southpaw
The World/Inferno Friendship Society’s Hallowmas Oct 31st
That last one especially was a night to remember. The band went almost the entire year without playing, so it felt almost like a family reunion being there. The day was filled with great music, plus I met loads of new and awesome people that I still talk to thanks to the magic of the inter-webs. Also have to say CMJ this year was especially good. It was a crazy week that completely wore me out, but it was oh so very worth it. Also worth it was going to see Ben Folds Dec 14th at Beacon Theater despite just getting over being sick. He and Josh Groban rank in my list of people who are too talented for words. Speaking of which, I also saw Josh Groban do a short set at the Apple store in Soho. That should go on the list too. See, there were just way too many great shows to list them all. It’s just one of the many reasons I love New York so much.
Well, that about wraps up another year in music here. Did I skip over any of your favorite albums? See any shows that I was unable to attend? Feel free to add your 2 cents in the comments section below.
Kids of 88‘s album Sugarpills opens with electronic beats that tell you immediately this is going to be more of an upbeat dance album. In taking a closer listen, I found a lot of the songs seemed to focus on getting pleasure from different things, usually with another person involved. This is seen from a number of different angles, from the song “Everybody Knows,” which is about sado-masochism (although the boys have said they themselves are not into those sorts of things) to the more wholesome-seeming track “San Fran,” which paints a picture of happiness in a “Full House” type setting. Then there is the song “Downtown,” in which the singer says he wants to get dressed up, go downtown, and have a good time. The song paints a picture of a person going to a club or bar and making a night of it, both with the lyrics and backing music. The album as a whole is short in length (about 37 minutes total) and goes by rather quickly. I enjoyed it immensely, however. If you are looking to dance but don’t like generic club beats, this album is for you.
Authors note: When listening to this album I struggled to find the words to convey what I thought the band was like. I eventually settled on new wave/electronic. After listening to the album I checked their website to see how they described themselves, and was pleased that our descriptions matched exactly. I guess I found the words after all.
Day 2 of CMJ was packed with enough cool things for two people to go too… and then some. I chose to spend my afternoon at the Sneak Attack Media showcase at The Delancey. The line-up included Kitten, PVT, Kids of 88, Cassette Kids, and Jukebox the Ghost. Unfortunately I was running errands in midtown that took longer than I thought they would, so I missed the opening act. A friend told me they were good though. Not surprised, the whole line-up for this show was exceptional. I especially dug Kids of 88. They have a ton of energy. I got my hands on a copy of their cd and hopefully will get a chance to review it soon. Of course it goes without saying that I enjoyed seeing Jukebox again. They didn’t play for that long, but it was still a fun little set. The real news with them though is I got a chance to interview Ben, so look for that to be posted sometime next week. The only reason it has to wait that long is because I’ll be too busy giving you the latest CMJ news (and helping on one showcase Saturday).
PVT
After the Sneak Attack showcase finished we got dumpling from Vanessa’s (highly recommend – cheap but good eats) and moved on to Fontana’s to catch a few minutes of Fort Wilson Riot. From there I was lucky enough to get into the sold out Bad Books show at Bowery Ballroom. The band was dressed to impress, and boy did they impress me. It’s worth noting here that I have not had a chance to listen to their recently released album yet (although it is on my laptop waiting for me to do so). This meant I was experiencing the band in much the same way as my first experience with Kevin Devine – not really knowing what to expect but being really impressed within the first few songs. It is also worth noting that there was much more banter at this show than there was for Kevin’s show at Music Hall last night. They announced they “are not a one time band” and will be releasing another record at some point. That was one announcement that was music to my ears. The set ended with most of the band filing off stage, leaving Devine and Andy Hull. Things I learned on this night: Kevin Devine knows how to play the drums. They performed one last song before ending their main set. The encore was a combination of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra songs, Hull picked the KD songs and Devine picked the Manchester material. Another thing I learned on this night – “Just Stay” is equally good the second day in a row. Same goes for “Cotton Crush”.
Bad Books Set List:
Highway of Death
Baby Shoes
Holding Down the Laughter
How This All Ends
Wouldn’t Have To Ask
Please Move
The Plan
Mesa, AZ
I Begged You Everything
Texas
Encore:
Just Stay
Now That You’re Home
Cotton Crush
Your A Mirror
I’m not sure which part of this night was cooler – seeing Kevin Devine two nights in a row, or seeing him and Jukebox the Ghost on the same day. All I know is CMJ has been a blast so far, and it is just getting warmed up. Tonight is the Yep Roc Records showcase, where I will see Jukebox again as well as Drinkup Buttercup.