As we welcome the new year, BestNewBands.com would like to take one last look at the magical, music-filled year that was 2010.
photo credit: Jesse Diener-Bennett
“Babies” – Via Audio
Jesse Diener-Bennett caught Via Audio in concert earlier this month, and had this to say:
“Via Audio ended their set with ‘Babies,’ which features the band at their funkiest. The song starts with a long, upward swooping synth chord, with which the members of the band – along with a few brave souls in the audience – raised their arms up. Then they brought them down and played the hell out of the song. It was a great ending to a really fantastic performance.”
Read the rest of Jesse’s review here.
“Babies” was also voted Best Song of 2010.
“Space Tree” and “Beautiful Day (Live)” – Medium Troy
This Eugene, Oregon-based band first hit the scene in the fall of 2006. Since then, Medium Troy has taken their signature “bohemian dub” sound all across the west coast, most recently on a few dates of the Vans Warped Tour earlier this summer. Undoubtedly, though, MT’s biggest fans are at home, where they’ve been voted Favorite Local Band for the last few years – and now that devotion has spread to BestNewBands.com, where Medium Troy beat out big acts such as LCD Soundsystem, Gogol Bordello and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to win the title of Best Artist of 2010.
Read more about Medium Troy here.
“Here We Never Die (RL Remix)” – Sister Crayon
“Here We Never Die” was voted #2 Best Song of 2010.
Laurel Kathleen reviewed Sister Crayon’s LA show in August, and here’s a little of what she had to say:
“When Sister Crayon, took the stage, I was charmed by lead singer Terra Lopez’s relaxed manner onstage. She thanked us for being here, asked us how we were feeling, and when someone asked how she was feeling she laughed, surprised. ‘No one ever asks us that question!’ But when she began to sing and fiddle with an unusual array of electronic devices, she transformed into an incredibly magnetic frontwoman. The first song they played nearly knocked me down with the intense, eerie mood it created. With three synth/keys players and both live and electronic drums, there was no limit to the variety of sounds that Sister Crayon produced. At times they gave me goosebumps with haunted trip hop, at others breaking my heart with Terra’s soulful, Bjork-like intonations and timbre. Her voice could go from airy to rich and moody, and I was reminded of Portishead‘s eponymous album.”
To read the full review, click HERE.
photo credit: Crystal Jenks
“Om Nashi Me” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
At LA’s Sunset Junction, Lauren Novik said, “the overly enthusiastic crowd evolved into mass chaos when [frontman Alex] Ebert hopped from stage into the press pit and then into the crowd, on a mission to maintain close connection with his minions. [...] That’s when it hit me. Looking out into the sea of overzealous and ever-excited fans, I could finally see for myself just how intense- and just how immense the crowd was. Presiding over this many people night after night at live shows- no wonder there were rumors circulating regarding a possible prophet persona.”
Though no official poll was conducted, this band had a strong magnetic pull on BestNewBands.com staffers, as we caught Edward Sharpe in concert almost every chance we could get. “Om Nashi Me” speaks to the cultlike feelings Lauren experienced in the above passage.
Read more posts on ES&MZ from Lauren Novik, Cervante Pope and Monica Christoffels.
“Bergerac (Video Version)” – Back Pocket Memory
Leona Laurie recently interviewed BPM on “Bergerac” winning Best Video of 2011. Here’s what bandmate Chris had to say: “The song itself is a story about a situation where the opposite occurs. Rather than dwelling in doubt and wonder why not get those feelings out in the open? Tell that person you love them, tell them that without them there is an emptiness that cannot be ignored let alone be accepted when they are right in front of you. Regardless of the outcome, it is better to know than to not know, right? Who knows, the reaction of the one you love may very well be the reaction you’ve yearned for for some time. The song’s core, however, is not about the outcome, it’s about building the courage and making the most of a moment you may never obtain again.”
Read the rest of Leona’s interview here.
“Genuine Negro Jig (Live)” – The Carolina Chocolate Drops
Leona Laurie recently interviewed The Carolina Chocolate Drops, whose album “Genuine Negro Jig” was voted Best Album of 2010 at BestNewBands.com. Here’s an excerpt of their conversation:
Leona Laurie: I’ve seen you described as an “old time string band,” “bluegrass,” and your album “Genuine Negro Jig” was nominated for a Grammy this year under the “Best Traditional Folk Album” category. How would you describe your music? What genre would you say you fall into?
Dom Flemons: Well it’s really hard to classify what we do, just because it fits into all three of those things. When people ask me, I say we play old time fiddle & banjo music. If I talk more, I let them know we play old-time blues, country music, and jazz as well. All those things have elements in all those genres. Old time is the safest. We’re not a bluegrass group. Bluegrass tends to be old time music sped up a bit, and we tend to be in that bag because of the nature of where our music is.
Read the rest of Leona’s interview here.
“World Sick” – Broken Social Scene
Cervante Pope has caught Broken Social Scene a couple of times this year, once at the Wiltern. Here’s a taste of her review:
“‘Lover’s Spit,’ ‘Almost Crimes’ and my personal favorite ‘Hotel’ were all on the set list that night. I jumped out of my seat and didn’t sit back down until the drive home. I tried to get good video of the performance but my dancing and singing prevented that from happening.”
Read the rest HERE and look for her profile on the band this Saturday!
Broken Social Scene also won BestNewBands.com’s award for Best Live Show of 2010.
This article includes text by Leona Laurie and Monica Christoffels.
From all of us at BestNewBands.com, Happy New Year and see you in 2011!
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