The Joeys Halfway Through the Year Edition: The Best of 2012 So Far

It's June and those who follow music blogs or go on iTunes or read the newspaper or basically aren't imprisoned in a turret in a castle surrounded by lava, you're no doubt seeing a bunch of half way through the year lists. Well, guess what? THIS IS ANOTHER ONE!!!! Except mine is better and more accurate because it's written by me. Same categories I usually have but half as long because 1) it's only the midpoint of the year and there's still a ton of new music to come and 2) I need to be studying for biochemistry. Wahoo.

BEST NEW ARTIST

I feel like this year there have been so many new releases by old favorites that I haven't had time to search for new music. One can only listen to so much music at once before it becomes chaotic and you end up trying to kill your neighbors' cat in a psychotic rage.

This showed up when I Googled "psychotic rage."

One artist I did hear about and have become more than a teensy bit obsessed with is Kimbra. I. LOVE. KIMBRA. Not only is she a talented musician, but she seems really down to earth and cool. And she always wears really poofy dresses. And she's from New Zealand so she has an adorable accent. And... Oh God, I could go on forever. If you haven't heard her yet, check her out below.

Honorable mentions: Polica (using autotune CAN be artistic!), MNDR (super catchy, super rad, super... super)

BEST LIVE ACT

So this has been a hella busy year for me concert wise. I went to 10 (yes, 10) shows in April and have two music festivals, SoundTown and Osheaga, coming up. Most of them were really, really good so this was a difficult one for me to pick. I do, however, need to pick someone so...

The Joy Formidable meets the Joey.

The Joy Formidable are just so fucking good live. The energy these three bring is infectious and they're all really, really good musicians. And when they do Whirring? Holy moly, everyone rocks out, things get thrown from the stage, guitars get broken... It's unreal.

Honorable mentions: Ellie Goulding (IT WAS SO HARD NOT PICK HER. Damn, you Britain, and your great music!), The Ting Tings (Oh jeez, these are all British artists), the Head and the Heart (not British, but still great... and sexy. Josiah, I'm looking at you)

BEST SONG SO FAR

"I was looking for a hooker when I found you." How can any song that includes that line not be the best song of the year? It would be a crime. And thus, I must pick...

What does a sad (but still fluffy wuffy!!!) cat have to do with sex workers? Find out more below!

"Lost Kitten" by Metric. Oh come on, don't act surprised that a Metric song was picked. Hell, I'm sure my end of the year blog will just be all me gushing about how great they are. But this song. Let's chat about it for a second. Emily does the whole falsetto thing that she does so well. And there's some sort of chimey bell thing. And it's just really, really catchy. So go. Listen. Think about cats.

Honorable mentions: "Skin Graph" by Silversun Pickups (Freakin' love this band, freakin' love this song),  "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye and Kimbra (Fuck you, don't pretend like you don't love it. And also... KIBMRAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!), "45" by the Gaslight Anthem (So much satisfying rock in this song!)

BEST ALBUM

Guess what it is, guys? Just take a guess!! No seriously, you should all be able to predict this based on knowing me and reading the preceding entry. Ugh, fine I'll just tell you.

Synthetica by Metric. I'll be the first to tell you that it's no Fantasies (then again, Fantasies, their previous record, may be my favorite album of all time) but that by no means makes this a bad album. And hey, what do you know? It features "Lost Kitten"!!! And another favorite, "Speed the Collapse." Go pick it up. You won't regret it.

Honorable mentions: "Neck of the Woods" by Silversun Pickups (RROOOOOOOCCCCKKKK... and Nikki Moninger), "Not Your Kind of People" by Garbage (Goddamn do I miss the 90's... and goddamn do I love chick rock), "Vows" by Kimbra (KIMMMMMMMMMMMBRAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!)

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

So I found out this week that like... 8 bands that I love are coming out with new albums so this one is another really difficult one. But actually, it's not because I've been waiting for TEN FUCKING YEARS for this album

Totally stole this image from Beacon Street Online so you should go check them out.

No Doubt. I mean, no doubt I'd pick No Doubt. They might be the only one to give Metric some competition when it comes to the end of the year. Sorry, everyone else. You can't compete with my favorite bands!

Honorable mentions: Stars (I might pee myself from excitement), The Gaslight Anthem (Please be as good as "45"!!!), Matt and Kim (EEEEE!!!!!!) ... and a few more that are rumored so I won't mention them as not to get my own hopes up.

2012 IS THE BEST YEAR IN MUSIC EVER.

Okay, off to work/homework. Stay classy, readers!

The Joy Formidable 3/19 @ The Fine Line

The first rule of good journalism is to admit your biases. Actually, it's probably to avoid stories where your biases would come into play. Or maybe it's respect for the story? I have no idea. But thankfully, this isn't a lesson in journalism. My point is that it's hard for me to write an unbiased review of last night's the Joy Formidable show at the Fine Line in Minneapolis because they happen to be one of my favorites at the moment (and, if they keep it up, they're well on their way to making a permanent appearance on my favorites list).

Because I was smart and spend an exuberant amount of money on music related things, I purchased a "special ticket" and was able to have one of the coolest experiences of my life because of it. The "special ticket" allowed me to get in to watch part of the sound check... where the band invited people who were interested to come on stage!!!

 

J + Rhydian

After spending a few minutes living out my dream of being a rock star, we got to have a meet and greet with the band. They were absolutely charming and super nice to all their fans (even though I'm sure I freaked Ritzy out by telling her that she was even cuter in person... WHAT?! SHE IS!!!). I managed to get a picture the guy in front of me was nice enough to give to me signed AND I got a picture with the band.

 A new supergroup I christened "The Joey Formidable"

God, I'm clever.

All in all, one of the coolest experiences of my life thus far. Showtime came around and I managed to get front row, center... which, surprisingly, was in the middle of a group of pretty rad optometrists. Who knew your eye doctor liked such good music?! The first to take the stage was Exit Music from New York. They were good but nothing I was overly excited about. Their sound was a bit mellower than the other two acts so they seemed a little out of place.

Following them was A Place To Bury Strangers, who have the title of loudest band from New York (how they earned that title is a mystery to me) and holy queen of Shiva were they great. I'd never heard any of their music before but they brought the noise. It wasn't just noise of the sake of being loud, either. Their music was really melodic and actually had substance. I've never seen a band play until the bass player's strings broke but they did... Thoroughly impressed!

Next, the main act: The Joy Formidable bounced to the stage and quickly reminded me of why I was looking forward to seeing them again. These guys have so much energy that you can't help but get into. A special treat this time around was being close enough to pick out all of Ritzy's, their singer, facial expressions... She makes quite a lot of interesting ones!

What most impressed me was that they all looked like they were genuinely having fun up there. The chemistry between Rhydian and Ritzy was infectious and was especially apparent when Ritzy jumped on his back, still playing her guitar.

Oh, and did I mention that Ritzy continued her tradition of massacring the stage during Whirring, their final, climactic song during the encore, by not only tossing her guitar at the on stage gong but knocking over Matt's drumset at the very end. HOW BADASS IS SHE?! Super badass is the answer to that question.

Another highlight was hearing their new song, Silent Treatment, for the first time. It's a lot quieter than their other music but you can really hear the emotion as Ritzy sings. In fact, I thought she was going to cry a few times during it. It made me really excited for the new album to come out which, incidentally, they announced is finished. While they gave no indication of a release date, I'm hoping it will be soon as I already want to see them again, not even 24 hours later.

Next month, I have my whirlwind concert tour with the Ting Tings, First Aid Kit, Kathleen Edwards, Cults, the Head and the Heart, Howler, Dessa, and Lights. WHEW!!! It's going to be a long, but awesome, month! Stay tuned!

The Joeys: Best of 2011

Ahhh it's that time of year again where year end lists are almost impossible to avoid if you use the internet (which you obviously do if you're reading this). While I find many of the lists that seem to pop up are rather idiotic ("The 10 STIs contracted by Snooki in 2011!"), I do enjoy a lot of the current events ones and I especially enjoy the music ones which is why I try to make an effort to make my own personal list of the best of the year. That and everyone REALLY, REALLY cares what I think.

Anyway, I will shut up now and just get to the goddamn list. I now present to you Joey Lusvardi's picks for the best music of 2011!

LIVE ACT OF THE YEAR

This year, I had the privilege of going to not one but TWO music festivals, SXSW in March and Lollapalooza in August. Obviously, I saw a LOT of bands at these two festivals which made picking my favorite that much more difficult. I went back and forth between a few but ultimately decided that the best band I saw this year was...

THE SOUNDS

I didn't find out the Sounds were going to be at SXSW until just before I left and let me tell you, I flipped a shit. The night we arrived, they were playing at a party hosted by a music blog and the crafty little Soundsie that I am managed to get in in time to catch them. I was pretty far back but still danced until sweat from myself and various strangers was dripping down my entire body. The next day, I happened to run into them on the street. I was pretty damn awkward but managed to get a hug and a picture of myself with Maja!

And, if that wasn't enough, the day before we left I SAW THEM AGAIN. Yep, they were so good I saw them TWICE in three days. There's just something about Maja and her sexy dancing, her awkward Swedish accent, and that she'll randomly throw swears out that's so appealing. Oh, that and Felix is kind of sexy. Don't get me wrong, there definitely artists I saw that were better musically and others that had more energy or had something really unique to offer but there's just something about the Sounds that no other artist can quite capture.

Honorable mentions:
Lykke Li: Another Swede who I saw twice and puts on a killer performance. I had my doubts about her but when I saw her at Lollapalooza, it was an instant "WOW."

Ellie Goulding: Speaking of instant wows at Lollapalooza, ELLIE GOULDING. I am OBSESSED with this woman. She's a talented musician and that carries over live. She even keeps her cool when unexpected things happen such as a fan dancing her way on stage and going for a boob grab.


The Joy Formidable: Another Lolla act. They are insane. The trio are all incredibly with the lead singer and guitarist, Ritzy, shredding like some sort of rock goddess on her guitar... which she then proceeded to bang repeatedly into a gong during their final song. And they had giant inflatable cats. What's not to love?!

The Head and the Heart: My big discovery at SXSW, these guys (and gal) create such such incredible harmonies that will either make you happy or drink a whole whiskey river to drown your sorrows. My adviser from work and I saw them on a whim and a recommendation from a friend (Thanks, Merrijoy!) and two songs in were ready to bring them to my school's campus.

BEST NEW ARTIST

Every year I discover countless new artists because I'm a whore... A music whore, that is. Some of them are awful and I hope they fall off the face of the earth and I never hear their noise again (Ke$hit, for example). Others remind me that there is hope for the future of music. The following artist exemplifies the latter.

ELLIE GOULDING

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, are friends with me on Facebook, talk to me, or spend a significant amount of time eavesdropping on me, you know that I'm obsessed with this woman. Obsessed probably is a strong enough word, to be honest. She is glorious in every way. First off, look at her. The woman is sexy as hell. You can't see her body in this picture but she runs five miles a day even when she's on tour so she's not just a pretty face. On a more musically relevant note, she is incredibly talented as well. She makes pop music but it doesn't sound like anything you'll hear from anyone else. Unlike so many pop musicians these days, she also plays a variety of instruments. And to top it off, she's great live. She was invited to play the royal wedding, the Nobel Peace Prize concert, AND the national Christmas tree lighting ceremony this past year. Oh and her cover of Elton John's "Your Song" topped the charts in the UK. Pretty impressive for someone who hasn't been around too long, right?

Honorable mentions:

The Naked and Famous: These guys are pretty great, too. They remind me a little of the New Pornographers but, in my opinion, better. They have a nice electronic/alternative sound and have both male and female vocalists which I find quite enjoyable in a band.

The Joy Formidable: I already sang their praises in the last honorable mentions but they really deserve it again. Their whole album, The Big Roar, is a fantastic female-fronted-but-still-has-more-balls-than-most-of-the-men-I-know rock powerhouse.

The Head and the Heart: These guys are fantastic live, fantastic musically, and fantastic people (They were all really nice when I met them).

SONG OF THE YEAR

This one and album of the year are by far the most important of all of my musical picks. One song that defines an entire year? Shit, that's a pretty hefty decision to make! And with so many great songs and strong releases by a huge variety of artists, there was a huge pool to pick from.

"WHIRRING" BY THE JOY FORMIDABLE

Awwww, look at how cute Ritzy, the lead singer of the Joy Formidable, is!! She's just an adorable English woman, probably a nurse or a teacher or something non-threatening, right? WRONG. You are so fucking wrong.

See how wrong you were?

Ritzy is the definition of badass. Simply being in her mere presence is like some sort of rock-and-roll religious experience. Her badass nature is especially apparent in"Whirring," a six minute rock opera, for lack of better words to describe this masterpiece. Remember earlier when I talked about her slamming her guitar into a gong during the final song of their Lolla set? Yeah, this was that song. Any song that evokes guitar slamming is a great song in my book. The song starts out with two minutes of Ritzy's vocals along with some great guitar playing but it gets REALLY great for the last portion when the singing stops and the song becomes one giant guitar solo. And I'm not talking your grandmother's guitar solo, assuming your grandmother was/is into music that includes a guitar solo. It's more like... Fuck it, just go listen to the song. Even if you've heard it before, go listen again. You'll see what I mean.

Honorable mentions:

"The No No Song" by the Sounds: For those who remember my halfway through 2011 best of list, this song was my pick for the best song so far (I hadn't heard "Whirring" at that point). It has everything I love in a song: Angry female vocals, synths, guitars, and sexy, sexy Swedes.

"Polish Girl" by Neon Indian: A friend sent this song to me a few months back and I've been listening to it non-stop ever since. It's got a really cool electronic beat and their lead singer's voice is like silk. If I could sex his voice, I would.

"Toes" by Lights: I love Lights. She's cute, has tattoos, and plays Zelda. Oh, and she's got a great voice and makes awesome indie pop music. This song was the first one I heard from her new album, Siberia, and it still is my favorite. It's a really cute crush song that very accurately describes the feeling of being interested in someone new.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

What's harder to do than make one great song? Make 10+ of them and put them all on the same record. Like I've said, 2011 was a great year in music. So which artist made the best collection of songs from the past 365 days?

"THE HEAD AND THE HEART" BY THE HEAD AND THE HEART

You should've seen this coming by the number of times I've mentioned them already. This band is fucking incredible. How my ears lived without them remains a mystery. Their self-titled debut is one of those rare albums that I like every song on it. Every song. There's not one that I feel so-so about or think really sucks. THEY'RE ALL GREAT. There are upbeat songs ("Cats and Dogs," "Ghosts") and mellow, low key ones ("Rivers and Roads," "Winter Song") to fit any mood, any life situation, anything you feel like listening to. If this album isn't in your music collection and this band not on your radar, you're missing out on what I'm confident will be one of the greatest bands of our time.

Honorable mentions:

"Metals" by Feist: For those are familiar with Feist, you'll recognize her distinctive sound on this album. However, she still continues to grow and explore new sounds and improve (as if that's possible) on previous work.

"Ceremonials" by Florence + The Machine: Yep, Florence's sophomore album is pretty great. She makes me question whether or not the sophomore slump is real. Give "Spectrum" a listen.

"Wounded Rhymes" by Lykke Li: Another indie pop gem. This album got Lykke a lot of well deserved press this year and it translates well live. Songs range from upbeat ("Get Some") to romantic ("I Know Places") to absolutely heart wrenching ("Unrequited Love").

"Departing" by the Rural Alberta Advantage: Ahhh, Canadians... How I love thee and your music. I saw these guys twice this year, too, and they were great. "Departing" is just as good as their first album. Nils' voice is very distinctive and unique and Amy and Paul are both great musicians.

"Catching a Tiger" by Lissie: I love Lissie and this album is fantastic. It's very rock filled and Lissie is a really kickass chick. She seems really cool, too.

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM OF 2012

2012 is already looking to be a great year for music and it hasn't even begun yet. So great, in fact, that I couldn't pick just one most anticipated album and need to pick two. Oh, that and my two favorite bands have albums due out in 2012.

NO DOUBT AND METRIC

Oh lord, I've been waiting for a new No Doubt album for about as long as I can remember. AND IT'S FINALLY, FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR. The band says that they've made significant progress and... I can't wait. I'm literally going to wait outside of the store to buy this album the day it comes out. I'll probably buy like six copies actually.

Metric... How they can follow up after "Fantasies" remains a mystery. However, I remain confident that they will made another impossibly great album. Emily recently said that the album is due out in April which means I should probably start saving up for possible trips to see them at various festivals. Oh, and that means that there's hope for my dream of them touring with No Doubt, right?!

Thus concludes my list for the year. I'm sure there's tons of music I missed but I'm only one person. Here's to 2011 and to an excellent 2012!