When Shabazz Palaces played their first ever live show on the 8th day of 2010 it was too early in the year to know how special it would be for live music, but by mid-April I had a pretty good idea 2010 was to be truly great for live music in my life (non-live music was also quite good – click here to see a list of my favorite albums of 2010. Here are 12 of my favorite live concerts from last year (and one of my favorite dvd packages …

Intro from Fense. It’s hard to believe I’ve known Nate for about a decade. We first met, if I were to make an honest guess, in the fall of 2001. I don’t believe either of our musical inclinations had yet been established, mine for writing and critiquing and his for DJing and working at Seattle’s only truly great radio station — KEXP. Ultimately we found comfort in the KZUU crowd, which led to where we are today. After posting my best-of list for 2010, Nate …

The problem with so-called best-of lists, is that they are really just a collection of items organized based on experience and time, in that there will be plenty of albums heard the following year and beyond that will hold just as much weight as these we dub as “Best.” So, as of right now, at this particular time in the tail end of 2010 and the first moments of 2011, these albums are the best. There’s no question about it; it will change. My next list (which …

I know, I’ve owed this one to you, my readers, for a few months now. The plan originally was to concoct a sort of mid-year recap of the first half, dictating a slew of wonderful albums that may or may not come to find a spot on the inevitable end-of-year list. A hint at what may come. But that didn’t happen. I added a few hobbies to my seemingly never ending list of things that eat away at my time (see above photo) and it fell …

Earlier this week I noted in my review of Avi Buffalo that Sub Pop may very well dominate my end of year list, and that being notable as we near the 1/3 mark of 2010. After thinking about it, I figured it was time for another list in Label Spotlight form. Now, the typical Label Spotlight covers the unknown record collectives throughout the world, but as some of my favorite releases so far this year have come from Sub Pop, I figured What the hell… Let’s go for …

Fact: I never really dug Beach House. I often found their blend of minimal drone meets spacey bedroom pop a bit drab. Melodies didn’t seem to be all there, and the vocal parts, too, were dull. My interest waned in the first few songs of both their debut and follow-up, so I’d pull them from the record player. Thus they found an inevitable fixed spot on my dusty shelf. Truth: I don’t think I really gave them the chance they deserved. Teen Dream is proof …