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!

Oh right, I have a blog.

I've been bad.

I've been reallllly bad.

I have been completely neglecting my blog in the name of a little something called school. I mean, who does that, anyway?! Someone who wants to go to PA school.

Well... I guess I owe everyone an update on the last few weeks. Neon Indian and Lights were awesome. Finals were killer but I did pretty damn well in all my classes. Started a new job. Started school back up again already. Did some awesome volunteering. Signed up to get AED/CPR/First Aid certified. Started the process of applying to grad school. WHEW. It's been busy!

Things are definitely busy but way slower than they have been. It's nice to finally have a chance to breathe. I should hopefully be able to keep up with the blog a little better now. I'll have lots of exciting things to report in the next few weeks... My cousin coming to visit, my first 5k (hint: It involves zombies), grad school search updates, etc. So watch out.

For now, however, I'd like to introduce something that you'll be seeing posts about in the near future.

It's called... THE JAR.

And I will be putting people in it along with my friend Carly.

The only requirement that to be in the the Jar is you need to be 99th percentile adorable. And preferably British or Canadian. Who will be the first one to make it into the Jar? And what is the story behind the Jar? Stayed tuned, kiddies...

The Head and the Heart/Howler 4/19

I kind of slacked last week and didn't write a review of the First Aid Kit or Cults shows. I've been kind of busy and let's be honest: 4 reviews in one week would have been too much. To compromise, here's my reviews of both shows in 10 words or less!

First Aid Kit:
Beautiful. Melodic. Swedish. No amplification sing along.

Cults:
Adorable lead singer. Too short. Slighly disappointing.

Okay, now that that's over let's move on to the task at hand.

Yesterday, I did something I had never done before. Actually, I did two things I had never done before. The first and most important one was that I went to two concerts in one day (in a non-festival setting). The second... Well, I'll get to that eventually.

First off yesterday was the Head and the Heart. Now, it's no secret that I'm obsessed with them. Like follow-them-home-hide-in-their-bushes-go-through-their-garbage obsessed.

No, it's not that bad. But I do tweet at them pretty often.

Anyway, considering that I fell in love with them instantly the first time I saw them at SXSW last year, I knew it would be a great show and they didn't disappoint. The concert was outside in front of the student union at my school and, unlike how April usually is, it was colder than a witch's teet. But I stuck it out and it was well worth it.

Unlike a lot of bands I've seen, the Head and the Heart have this way of genuinely seeming like they're having fun on stage. It's like watching a bunch of old friends hang out... Friends who are all insanely musically talented. And incredibly attractive.

My favorite part of the concert was when they did Josh McBride, an unreleased song that's pretty easy to find on YouTube. And I happen to love. My other favorite part was when they did a new song that, no surprise, I loved. And I loved Rivers and Roads. And I loved when Charity mentioned her family's meat shop in northern Minnesota. And... Fuck it, I just loved the whole goddamn show.

I tried sticking around to meet them after so I could tell them HOW FREAKING AWESOME THEY ARE, but they had to go before I had a chance. It was disappointing, but they'll be back in July for the Basilica Block Party so maybe I'll get my chance then. IF YOU'RE READING THIS PLEASE COME SAY HI TO ME AFTER I'LL BAKE YOU COOKIES.



Later that night, I went to concert number two of the day, Howler. They're a local band who's been getting a lot of press lately because they're fucking rad/their lead singer said some things about the Minneapolis music scene that got taken way out of context.

These guys definitely lived up to the hype. The energy was incredibly high the whole show. The audience, including myself, couldn't stop moving. It was awesome. The one criticism I have is that it wasn't long enough. They were on and off in 45 minutes.

Even more awesome was when I ended up selling merch for them after. I'm not really sure how it happened but I found myself behind the table taking cash and handing out CDs and posters. It was kind of cool, especially considering one of my dreams has always been to be "the merch guy."

Awesome. Absolutely awesome. Yesterday was so awesome.

Tonight, it's off to see Dessa for concert #8 this month. I just can't get enough live music!!

Ellie Goulding In-Store 4/5

In one of my psychology classes we talked about the concept of planned happenstance. Basically, it says that you create opportunities for good things to happen to yourself. When people ask me how I get to have so many amazing experiences in my life, I refer them to this concept. I create opportunities and good things happen.

Today, Ellie Goulding, who I adore beyond reason, had an in-store performance at the Mall of America Best Buy. The performance started at 7 so what time did I get there? 1:30. Obviously.

And obviously I was the first one in line.

It may seem like a long time to wait in line but I brought with homework to do to make the time pass. Did I end up getting much done? Of course not! This is me we're talking about. Turns out there were some really cool Ellie fans who came soon after me and we got to talking and telling people who asked what we were waiting for that we were in line for the Playstation 4. I'm an asshole.

While waiting in line, a man came out and asked how long we'd been waiting. He then went on to explain that he was Ellie's handler (basically, the guy who keeps Ellie out of trouble and makes sure that no one asks her to sign their vagina) and that because we were such dedicated fans, he wanted to give us a little something extra. The show already included a meet and greet so I didn't know what that extra could possibly be. Well, he explained that he wanted someone to take pictures and it would be my task to get some good shots for her Facebook page.

After I regained consciousness, I agreed. Obviously.

Skipping ahead to show time, I managed to get front row center. When Ellie came out, I was like 3 feet away from her. I could have probably have tackled her if I wanted to... but I didn't. Because I'm not crazy. Obviously.

Ellie started out the set with "Guns and Horses." She played her acoustic guitar and sweet lord was it amazing. It was like the heavens opened up and sprinkled sweet, sweet love on the eardrums of everyone present. Ellie really has a voice that can't be matched. It's soft and strong. It's heart wrenching and inspiring. It's like nothing else you'll ever experience.

In between songs, Ellie was charming and funny and couldn't stop smiling. She really seemed to be enjoying herself, as did the audience. During her second song, "Your Song," an Elton John cover, one of my friends from the line was even moved to tears. It takes something real special to be able to do that.

I, on the other hand, was swept over with this overwhelming feeling of joy. Everything felt so right. Listening to Ellie's gorgeous voice and seeing her shining face brought out feelings that were so overwhelmingly positive that I haven't experienced in a long time. I have a feeling I looked like an idiot because I couldn't stop smiling.

After, one of the younger audience members had requested that Ellie do "Starry Eyed" so, even though she had only been planning on doing three songs, Ellie decided to do an extra. Normally, the song is an electronic dance type song so I was surprised how well it translated into a stripped down acoustic version. But really, should this have surprised me? No. I mean, this is Ellie Goulding we're talking about. She can do anything. Obviously.

Ellie closed the set with "Lights." And it was rockin'. Everyone was dancing and bopping around. And at the very end, it went into the Bassnectar remix of the song with live vocals from Ellie, to the delight of everyone there.

After the show came the meet and greet where Ellie showed that not only is she a great talent and freaking gorgeous but she's also a genuinely nice person. She said she saw me up front and asked my name and gave me a personalized autograph. I then asked if I could get a hug and she was like, "Of course!" I walked around the table and hugged her and told her that she was wonderful. She was incredibly gracious and super kind. I got a quick picture and then was on my way.

I left the show feeling so overwhelmingly happy. What an amazing experience. Today was a day that I don't think I'll ever forget.

Obviously.



This was my third show of my whirlwind Month of 10 Concerts... These shows keep getting better and better! Next up is First Aid Kit on Saturday. What will that bring? Only time will tell!

Gotye and Kimbra 4/4 @ Epic

My power concert series continues!!! Last night was the sold out Gotye and Kimbra show. I found out a few hours before that I won VIP upgrades so I got to watch the whole show from a side booth. It was an awesome experience and there were some super cool people who were there to watch the show with us.

Kimbra went on first and was absolutely amazing. The woman has some pipes! She was belting it out and dancing around the stage the whole time. "Cameo Lover" was a favorite of mine as I got to dance along with her.

Gotye hit the stage after Kimbra's set and was incredible as well. In addition to singing, he played drums and keys so he was always busy. He brought out Kimbra for "Somebody That I Used To Know" and that was a magical experience.

The big gripe that I had with the show had nothing to do with the performance but with the audience. It seemed like almost no one in the pit was moving the whole time and they weren't responding to the performers' energy. I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been for them as it was pretty frustrating for me. I'll never understand why people go to shows and don't get into it. I mean, how can you not?! Even if you don't know the music that well you can still bop along.

Anyway, that's a quick update. Today is Ellie Goulding's acoustic performance at the Mall of America. I'm legit giddy to see her again. Should be a great show!

The Ting Tings at First Avenue 4/2

I’m going to start out with a pretty bold statement: The Ting Tings are the most underrated band making music right now. A lot of people dismiss them as just noise or as not a serious band and I don’t really understand why. They’ve developed their own distinct sound that not only defies genres but stands out from anything else out there today.

Where they really stick out is in their live show. Last night’s killer set at First Avenue was  a gleaming example of this. The show started out with MNDR, an electronic singer who had never heard of before. While at first I was a bit skeptical of the strange woman wearing a short gold top and red booty shorts, by the second song my friends and I were all dancing along. It was hard to resist her charm and infectious dance beats.

Speaking of dancing, this woman was not afraid to shake her thang. Yes, I just used the word “thang.” I imagine this was pretty awkward because her parents, who apparently are from Minnesota (she mentioned she used to live here), were in the audience. Dirty dancing aside, I imagine they must have been proud of their daughter because she won the audience over and made at least two new fans.

Ballin' with MNDR.

As great as MNDR was, the main attraction of the night was the Ting Tings. They started off their set by coming out in darkness and Katie silenced the audience. This led perfectly into "Silence" and the band quickly brought the rock as Katie grabbed her guitar and Joules hit the drums. At the end of the song, Katie announced, "I have only one request for you tonight and it's that you fucking dance!"

Oh no, what a horrible request!!! Of course, they made it easy to dance with their high energy and rockin' dance beats. The band constantly had the audience clapping along and Katie kept those of us near the front on our toes the whole time as she would regularly come and sing at the very front of the stage to dance or shred on her guitar.

One thing that really impressed me was the number of different instruments the duo plays. Katie had to keep track of keys, guitar, bass, cowbell, various pedals and knobs and things that I had no idea what they were. Joules did all that plus drums plus backing vocals. Seriously, these guys are legitimate musicians.

One highlight of the evening was when they played one of their most well known songs, "Shut Up and Let Me Go." The whole audience erupted and you could hear everyone in the place singing along. Everyone danced harder than usual. Speaking of dancing, the only time during the whole show I stopped dancing was during the short intermission between the main set and the encore. Even then, my dancing was really only replaced with screams for more.

The only real criticism I have of the show, if you can call it that, is that it ended. I could've kept dancing all night long had they continued to play. For now, I'll just have to wait until they come back. I know I'll be one of the first to buy tickets to see these two wonderful Brits again.

What a bunch of badasses.

As many of you know, this was my first concert of what I'm dubbing the Month of 10 Concerts because... Well, I'm going to 10 concerts this month. Here's to hoping that they're all as great as the one last night. Tomorrow is Gotye and Kimbra. Look for my review Thursday!

O Canada 2012

I have some very exciting news!

This week, Osheaga announced their 2012 lineup. This lineup, which includes Metric, Feist, and many other great acts, is probably one of the greatest lineups I've seen for a festival in a long time, if not ever. I looked into my schedule, bank account, and at various travel sites and I came to the conclusion that I can actually make this work!

I'm super excited because I'm going with two friends, Steph and Merrijoy, who both like the same music that I do, so I know it's going to be a good time! Also, the festival is in Montreal which means I get to travel to Canada! I've never left the country before so I'm quite excited/nervous for my first international trip.

While I'll mainly be at the music festival, I should have time to do a bit of exploring of the city. I'm looking forward to trying some authentic (vegetarian) poutine and seeing what Montreal has to offer! I also can't wait to get a Montreal shot glass to add to my collection and possibly put the little French I know to use.

On a less exciting, but still exciting, note, I also scored tickets to see Gotye and Kimbra when they're here in two weeks! Some tickets were released for First Avenue members and I managed to swoop in and snag a pair for my roommate and I. That means that I'll be going to three shows that week and nine in April! It's going to be a whirlwind month but I'm more than a little excited.

That's really all the updates I have for now. I'm off to work on anatomy pre-work and study for my physiology test tomorrow. Wish me luck!