Music Mixes and Best Of Lists

Kristen’s ’10 Mix – Track 6 – Mumford & Sons

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6. “White Blank Page” – Mumford & Sons

I know everyone loves Mumford & Sons. Well, there is a reason for that. They are one of the best bands to break out this year. I was fortunate enough to be front row at a Mumford & Sons show at The Belly Up and was able to witness up close the pure awesomeness of this band. “Blank White Page” has always been my fave M&S song. This song also reminds me of another important factor in my life this year. This year marked the first time I had the opportunity to teach. TAing for an undergrad neuroscience class kept me from seeing Mumford & Sons when they came through LA in October. If you can imagine how this made me feel, it pretty much sums up my feelings towards teaching.

http://www.mumfordandsons.com/

more M&S pics:

~ Kristen

track 5: Jealousy Curve
track 7: Deas Vail

Kristen’s ’10 Mix – Track 5 – Jealousy Curve

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5. “Control” – Jealousy Curve

go check out the entire album here

the only video of this song I could find…

As you all probably know, Jealousy Curve is one of my all time favorite bands. This year marked the release of their 3rd album, Marionettes!. Unfortunately, this will be the last Jealousy Curve album as May 22nd at World Cafe Live was the final Jealousy Curve show. I flew out, of course, to join my Jealousy Curve family in one last, somewhat tearful, sing-along with our favorite band. The song, “Control” is not only one of my faves from the new record, it lyrically encapsulates my feelings about the break-up of one of the most important bands in my life. “There must be some peace in letting go”

http://jealousycurve.com/

 Some pictures from that final show:

~ Kristen

track 4: Joe Firstman
track 6: Mumford & Sons

Kristen’s ’10 Mix – Track 4- Joe Firstman

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4. Joe Firstman – Pretty Things

2010 proved a good year for Joe Firstman. He released a CD, Live at The Treehouse which I think may be my favorite Joe Firstman CD since 2004’s War of Women. Joe was also a feature of my summer vacation, a trip to South Carolina to spend a weekend on the beach with a bunch of singer-songwriters at Hotel Carolina. Other highlights from that event included Matt Duke, Tony Lucca, Curtis Peoples , Jay Nash, Todd Carey, etc. “Pretty Things” was one of my favorite songs from that entire weekend…everyone knows it and everyone got up on stage to sing it.

More fun videos from Hotel Carolina 2010:

~ Kristen

track 3: Biffy Clyro
track 5: Jealousy Curve

Kristen’s ’10 Mix- Track 3- Biffy Clyro

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3. “Mountains” – Biffy Clyro

Anyone who has talked to me in the last 6 months knows that I am OBSESSED with Biffy Clyro. When I first saw them, I couldn’t decide what I was listening to. Their tunes can be poppy (“Bubbles”), but they play them like a metal band. The music can be so unpredictable, yet it’s still unbelievable catchy. The song “Mountains” moves me every single time. Biffy Clyro plays arenas overseas (they’re Scottish), but in LA they headlined at The Bootleg (tiny theater). There was no show I felt more privileged to be a part of. I love a lot of bands, but with Biffy Clyro, I’m head over heels. Do yourself a favor and get their CD, Only Revolutions…do it now!

go to their website to check out more of their fantastic music videos: http://www.biffyclyro.com/

Some pics from Biffy Clyro’s Epicenter performance:

~ Kristen

track 2: After Midnight Project
track 4: Joe Firstman

Kristen’s ’10 Music Mix- Track 2 – After Midnight Project

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2. “The Becoming” – After Midnight Project

listen to the song here

An acoustic version:

After Midnight Project (AMP) is my great local band discovery of 2010. Something inspired me to check them out at Bamboozled…and from the very first song, they had me under their spell. At that same show, I was able to sneak into the VIP section to see AMP play an acoustic set. It is a mark of a truly great rock band if they can still blow you away playing acoustically…AMP takes top marks here. We ended up going to two different stops on the Warped Tour solely to see these guys play again. Then, the year culminated in an AMP headlining show at The Key Club…they brought out all the stops (new songs, a piano, members of Papa Roach and SOTY, confetti!) and cemented a spot on the list of my favorite bands. AMP’s album, Let’s Build Something to Break, is one of the best purchases I made all year.

http://www.myspace.com/aftermidnightproject

a small assortment of my 2010 AMP shots:

 ~ Kristen

track 1: Joey Ryan   
track 3: Biffy Clyro

Kristen’s ’10 Music Mix- Track 1- Joey Ryan

Posted on by Kristen

Hey all!

Here, as promised, is my year’s end music mix!

Since this is the first time I get to publish my list online, I guess I’ll explain how I put it together. Throughout the year, as I go to shows and discover new music and listen to old favorites, I put all the songs that really strike me into a list. At the end of the year, I narrow the list down to however many songs I can fit onto a CD and voila! Christmas gifts!

Each song always comes with a story about why it was chosen and what it meant to me in the year. I see it as a replacement for one of those Christmastime letters detailing all the important events that occurred to a person in the year. For me, those important events all revolve around music anyway!

So, here we go, my 2010 Music Mix:

1. “Broken Headlights” – Joey Ryan

Joey Ryan entered my life last year (opened for Carney), but it was 2010 when he released an EP entitled Kenter Canyon. I still contend this is my favorite audio release of the year. Every song is pure brilliance. Being based in Los Angeles, I’ve seen Joey quite a few times. When he started playing with Kenneth Pattengale, it was like the second coming of Simon and Garfunkel. One of the most memorable shows this year was when Joey and Kenneth played Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 along with Joel Eckles and The Kin. “Broken Headlights” was the first song off Kenter Canyon that really struck me.

http://www.joeyryanmusic.com/

Joey, Kenneth, and The Kin at Room 5:

~ Kristen

track 2: After Midnight Project

“Bad Romance”: Covered

Posted on by Kristen

I’m not a huge fan of this song, but it seems to be getting a lot of coverage lately….I’ve largely been ignoring the omnipresence of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, but when my roommate sent me a video of Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing the tune, I decided it was time to take notice. He does add an air of intelligence to the tune, pointing out the Hitchcock references and killing the lines sung in french…a part skipped over in many of the covers.

There are several admirable versons of “Bad Romance” done by artists I enjoy. Both Lissie and 30 Seconds to Mars choose to slow down the tempo and bring out the sexiness of the song.

I was most impressed by the cover done by Paramore’s Hayley Williams. I feel she really makes the song her own…and she uses it to actually show off her vocal skills (plus she keeps it nice and short)!

But my favorite rendition of the song has to be the one done by Jealousy Curve. The quality of the video is not the best, but they performanced “Bad Romance” along with their song “Black Widow” back in Feburary in Boston. Watching this video was probably the first time I actually listened to the song…

I’m sure that is just the tip of the iceberg as far as covers are concerned…I still can’t get over how popular the song is. Perhaps beaten out only by Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” as most covered song of the moment. For more on that, check out Stereogum’s recent posting. Seriously, it includes a Tyler Hilton version…

Enjoy!

~ Kristen