December 2010
34 posts
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Watch#2 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit
After a large number of somewhat out there — but nonetheless great — albums across the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar, we now come to a great, straightforward indie-rock album. You may not be familiar with Frightened Rabbit, and if that’s the case, do what you need to to ge acquainted. With ballads, guitar...
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Watch#3 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens
On Dec. 1, when I started the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar, Sufjan Stevens was not on it. The Age of Adz1 had been out for barely a month and a half (released Oct. 12), and it simply hadn’t been on my radar. Sufjan hadn’t released any new song-based full-length records since 2005’s phenomenal Illinois, and what he had...
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Watch#4 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Odd Blood by Yeasayer
There are only nine bands on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar that I didn’t see live this year. Four of them are in the top 10, and Yeasayer is one of them. But it wasn’t supposed to be this way: as I mentioned at #12, I had to leave the sold-out Sleigh Bells / Yeasayer show at Neumos early because of a medical emergency at home. I...
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Watch#6 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Contra by Vampire Weekend
We’re now into the albums that will live on past their debut years, looked back at fondly with memories of good feeling. The album at number six has been out since January 11, so in terms of what’s listed on the Musical Bacon Calendar, it’s been out a long time. But even with that length of time gone by, Contra, the sophomore...
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Watch#8 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
It couldn’t be an indie-rock music countdown without Arcade Fire. There’s not much I can say about this large group of guys and girls that hasn’t already been said. They’ve produced yet another fantastic album, and this time there’s an overarching theme to it: the Suburbs. It’s all about those sprawling culdesacs full of...
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Watch#9 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives
I first caught the Local Natives bug at day 2 of Sasquatch. They played near the beginning of the day, and I remember being blown away by the sheer number of people there to see them, considering Gorilla Manor, their excellent debut album, was only a couple months old. (Incidentally, they were followed by a second happy...
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Watch#15 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Learning by Perfume Genius
Here we are at the start of the better half of the Musical Bacon Calendar. It’s a good time to discuss an artist that, were you to listen to him as a high school student, your parents would start to worry about your wellbeing. Perfume Genius is not for everyone. But if you have ever been the type of person to like listening to...
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Watch#16 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
I’ve been listening to the members of Broken Social Scene for nearly a decade, but only as members of other bands. Feist, Land of Talk, Metric, and Stars all have or have had crossover players in both bands. Everyone who has played in Broken Social Scene over the last decade-plus has been in or is currently...
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Watch#17 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Expo 86 by Wolf Parade
There was a time not so long ago when Wolf Parade annoyed the shit out of me. They came through Seattle prior to the release of their debut album, 2005’s Apologies to the Queen Mary, opening for Arcade Fire. Even though the album hadn’t come out yet, the newly-signed band had already started to create buzz thanks to the apparent...
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Watch#18 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
One Life Stand by Hot Chip
Now is the time on the Musical Bacon Calendar when we dance. Bring on the Hot Chip. After a handful of decent albums, the highlight of which is 2006’s The Warning, Hot Chip have created a dance pop album that will keep me grooving well into the next decade.
When I saw the band perform while promoting The Warning, my view of...
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WatchIntroducing Campfire OK, Seattle’s next big thing™. This is a live-performance video for “Strange Like We Are” (filmed by Christian Sorensen Hansen at KEXP’s studios). The band’s debut album, also called Strange Like We Are comes out in February. Look for it on next year’s Musical Bacon Calendar.
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Watch#26 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
Lisbon by The Walkmen
When The Walkmen created an album as good as You & Me, which I included in my Top 10 Albums of the Oughts, they set an impossible bar to surpass. The pressure to make something half as good as their previous album must have been insanely great. But they came pretty close.
Lisbon is not You & Me. These eleven songs sound...
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Watch#29 on the 2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head by Bobby Bare Jr.
Bobby Bare Jr. is one of my favorite performers on the planet. I’ve seen him at least nine times over the last seven years. Consequently, I am always excited when he puts out a new album. I had heard him play a few songs from this album before the album was released earlier this year, and those...
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