Archive 2019

THE BEST OF 2019 (December)

Jimmy Eat World- Surviving- This album is a great balance of songs in the vein that fans have come to love while continuing to experiment with different sounds and songwriting styles.

Jenny Lewis- On the Line- The follow up to Lewis’ great 2014 album, Voyager, On the Line is a beautiful journey of Lewis’ personal and introspective songwriting.

Matt Nathanson- Postcards from Chicago- Like he did with his cover album of Def Leppard songs, Pyromattia, Matt Nathanson released a cover album featuring all artists from Chicago. The selections are as diverse as Liz Phair’s “Perfect World”, Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”, and Richard Marx’s “Hold on to the Nights”. I must admit that I loved “Hold to the Nights” when I was in junior high and it was my senior prom theme. Hearing Matt Nathanson cover this song was an interesting meeting of my present music tastes with my teenage music tastes.

Prince- Originals- Prince had so many of his own hits. He also wrote many hits that other artists made famous. For the first time, Originals compiled Prince’s versions of the songs he wrote but were hits by other artists. Hearing Prince sing his songs like “The Glamorous Life”, “Manic Monday”, “Love Thy Will Be Done”, and “Nothing Compares to U” gives new insight into what a well rounded talent Prince was.

Weezer- Teal Album- This is a great covers album. I especially love how Weezer took nostalgic 80’s hits like “Africa”, “Billie Jean”, and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and made them their own.

BEST CONCERTS

Matt Nathanson, The Hi-Fi, Indianapolis- Matt Nathanson is an extremely good live performer. His shows are usually geared more to the songs since his hit album, Some Mad Hope. With this tour, he played small venues and played acoustic from his entire catalog. Throwing in the wheel of songs to select songs in the set, added to a spontaneous, magical live experience.

Honorable Mentions: The Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience Anniversary shows- They played their hit album, New Miserable Experience, in its entirety along with some newer songs and a beautiful cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”. I saw both the shows at Bogarts in Cincinnati and the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville and both were great nights of nostalgia.

Paul McCartney at Rupp Arena in Lexington- He played an nonstop almost three hour set featuring Beatles and solo favorites and a few surprise deep tracks. Paul McCartney is one of the best live performers around and is truly a legend.

The B-52’s 40th Anniversary Tour at the Rose Center in Huber Heights- The B-52’s are always fun live. Their 40th Anniversary tour had an unusually good line up with the inclusion of OMD and Berlin. It was perfect 80’s nostalgia.

BEST TV SHOW

What We Do in the Shadows- The show is a remake of the 2014 cult film by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement about three roommates who are vampires living in modern day. Waiititi and Clement are the creators of the TV show. This time, there are three new vampires plus the addition of a human vampire assistant who wishes he was a vampire and a “daywalker”. The show has the same wit of the original film. The episode with the “vampire council” featuring cameos from several actors who have played vampires was the funniest 30 minutes of TV this year.

BEST FILMS

For music movies, I loved Yesterday. Yesterday is about a struggling musician who wakes after hitting his head to a world where no one knows the Beatles’ music except him. I loved some of the inside Beatles jokes plus Ed Sheeran was funny playing himself in the film.

I also loved the Downton Abbey movie. Sure the plot was light but it had everything I loved from the series from the characters to the costumes to the beautiful scenery at Highclaire Castle.

MY TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF THE 2010’S (December)

Afghan Whigs- In Spades (2017)- The 2010’s saw the reunion of the Afghan Whigs. I have been a fan for over twenty years. In Spades is a near perfect album that is as exciting and fresh as the Afghan Whigs albums that made me a fan years ago. (Original review) )

Ben Folds Five- The Sound of the Life of the Mind (2014)- Ben Folds Five reunited for this album only. On the album, Ben Folds teamed up with former band mates Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee and created an album that “perfectly balance(d) humor with profound and poignant observations”. (Original review)

Gin Blossoms- Mixed Reality (2018)- The Gin Blossoms are not very prolific. It took eight years for fans to hear Mixed Reality. “The diversity in songwriting and the solid musicianship on Mixed Reality makes for some of the Gin Blossoms’ best work to date.” (Original review)

Jimmy Eat World- Integrity Blues (2016)- I have always liked Jimmy Eat World’s albums, some more than others. “Integrity Blues takes what Jimmy Eat World has done best in the past while experimenting with new sounds. The lyrics affect the listener emotionally by being uplifting and sad at the same time. The album showcases what the band did well in the past while being new and fresh. “ (Original review)

Matt Nathanson- Modern Love (2011)- Matt Nathanson released four great albums during the last decade. All of his music is in heavy rotation for me so three of those albums made this list. Modern Love was released after Matt Nathanson gained popularity. “The album has really grown on me after several listens because of Nathanson’s gift for writing songs that are catchy and polished musically and lyrically have heart and sincerity.” (Original review)

Matt Nathanson- Last of the Great Pretenders (2013)- Last of the Great Pretenders was Matt Nathanson’s love letter to San Francisco. “He eloquently conveys his love for his adopted city of San Francisco while showing nostalgia for his native east coast.” (Original review)

Matt Nathanson- Sings His Sad Heart (2018)- “Matt Nathanson’s Sings His Sad Heart is a brutally honest confessional based many times on nostalgia. It is one of Nathanson’s best works lyrically to date. It is also a therapeutic and ultimately uplifting experience for the listener.” (Original review)

Nine Inch Nails- Hesitation Marks (2013)- After a prolific period in the 2000’s, Trent Reznor traded in Nine Inch Nails to do less compelling work in the form of film scores and side projects. Hesitation Marks was a compelling album because Reznor returned to what he did best with Nine Inch Nails. The album was solid electronic rock songs and innovative at the same time. (Original review)

R.E.M.- Collapse Into Now (2011)- We didn’t know at its release that Collapse Into Now would be R.E.M.’s last album. After a weak run of albums after the departure of drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. redeemed themselves with their last two albums. Collapse Into Now had solid rock songs, a little politics, and smart pop songs. R.E.M. went out with a high note with this album. (Original review)

U2- Songs of Innocence (2014)- Songs of Innocence got an undeserved bad rap because of a marketing blunder by Apple of distributing this to every user’s account. Songs of Innocence is a beautiful collection of songs inspired by U2’s youth in Ireland. It is beautifully introspective in a way that only mature songwriters could write. (Original review)