tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41307702024-03-07T17:46:08.647-06:00L.A. Seitz of ChicagoFrom a mess to the massesSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.comBlogger1085125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-30652668482184274702011-12-16T17:06:00.000-06:002011-12-16T17:07:37.261-06:00The Year in Music: Favorite Album of 2011
#10 - Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde #9 - Peter Bjorn & John - Gimme Some #8 - Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer #7 - Cults - Cults #6 - tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L
#5 - Wild Flag - Wild Flag
#4 - Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
#3 - St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
#2 - Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
#1 - PJ Harvey - Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-16880607960883277712011-12-15T15:09:00.002-06:002011-12-15T16:02:15.380-06:00The Year in Music: Second Favorite Album of 2011
#10 - Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde #9 - Peter Bjorn & John - Gimme Some #8 - Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer #7 - Cults - Cults #6 - tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L
#5 - Wild Flag - Wild Flag
#4 - Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
#3 - St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
#2 - Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
As I mentionedSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-45199115426690907612011-12-14T17:21:00.000-06:002011-12-14T17:21:17.244-06:00The Year in Music: Third Favorite Album of 2011#10 - Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde #9 - Peter Bjorn & John - Gimme Some #8 - Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer #7 - Cults - Cults #6 - tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L
#5 - Wild Flag - Wild Flag
#4 - Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
#3 - St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Annie Clark's sophomore album Actor would have likely rated Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-62552642636754230752011-12-13T15:39:00.000-06:002011-12-13T16:16:36.478-06:00The Year in Music: 4th and 5th Favorite Albums of the Year#10 - Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde
#9 - Peter Bjorn & John - Gimme Some
#8 - Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer
#7 - Cults - Cults
#6 - tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L
#5 - Wild Flag - Wild Flag
I'll admit to having completely missed the boat on Sleater Kinney. The Portland trio's back catalog is right up my alley, but I have hard time getting into bandsSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-91062402149915076692011-12-12T15:24:00.000-06:002011-12-12T15:25:13.801-06:00The Year in Music: 6th and 7th Favorite Albums of 2011#10 - Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde
#9 - Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some
#8 - Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer
#7 - Cults - Cults
In a year seemingly dominated by female vocaled '60s style retro pop (Dum Dum Girls, Tennis, Those Darlins, etc.), Brooklyn via San Diego, boyfriend and girlfriend duo Cults produced the retroist and poppyist of the bunch with their terrific self titled debut. &Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-43144453758224131132011-12-09T13:13:00.001-06:002011-12-09T14:23:35.328-06:00The Year in Music: My 10th, 9th, and 8th Favorite Albums of 2011On to the top 10. A quick note that I make every year: My favorite ten albums are exactly that. I'm not a music critic, and I can't comment on the art, necessarily. I can only really rank albums in terms of how much enjoyment I took from them. I see a lot of live shows, and I spend a lot of time listening to bands that I'm going to see, because I like going to shows when Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-61981959108308398942011-12-08T15:02:00.001-06:002011-12-08T17:16:51.226-06:00The Year in Music 2011: The Not Top TenSo over the course of the year, I counted up about 45 or so 2011 releases that I bought this year, in addition to a handful of albums that were released last year or earlier. They can't all be in the top ten, so here's how the rest stacked up.
Albums that came out in 2010 (or earlier) that I discovered or appreciated this year:
Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
the 1900s - Return of the Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-75535000612493439842011-12-08T14:37:00.001-06:002011-12-08T14:55:44.203-06:00Pujols and Wilson and Hawkins, oh my !Here are some quick thoughts on the Angels' flurry of activity in the last 48 hours.
Albert's contract is an overpayment that will look pretty bad in four or five years. And that being the case, who the hell cares? It's not my money, and Arte has pretty clearly shown that the worst contract in baseball (Vernon Wells) is not going to keep him from spending money on excellent players Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-77655338987739590392011-12-06T16:26:00.001-06:002011-12-06T20:40:59.207-06:00The Year in Music: The Year in Live ShowsExactly one year ago, I posted about the year in live shows, 2010. Following the same format, here's the rundown on 2011, keeping in mind that I still have tickets for two upcoming shows: the War on Drugs @ Lincoln Hall (12/7), and Joy Formidable @ the Metro (12/15).
Shows attended: 54 (plus two remaining), which means I'll beat last year by about 10.
Sets witnessed: 97 (plusSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-12463984554092992452011-07-21T09:56:00.004-05:002011-07-21T10:37:14.689-05:00Eleanor Friedberger @ the Hideout - 7/20/11Fresh off a late Spring tour with her brother, the Fiery Furnaces as a duo, Eleanor Friedberger released her first true solo album, "Last Summer", and has hit the road in support. She called the duo tour their "recital", and it really had that type of feel. Just her brother Matt at the keys and Eleanor on vocals as they re-interpreted a selection of music covering more or less their entire Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-32215358409054283432011-03-02T21:33:00.003-06:002011-03-02T22:38:40.611-06:00G.A.Maybe it was the inevitability of the thing, or maybe I've just consumed a few thousand gallons of alcohol since it happened, but I don't recall the level of reaction in the Halosphere, such as it was, to Tim Salmon's retirement as there has been to Garret Anderson's retirement. Maybe it's because there's been a lot of coverage at the OC Register's excellent blog. That's not a criticism, it's Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-827851997245726292011-02-02T11:22:00.005-06:002011-02-03T14:14:30.727-06:00Snowtorious B.I.G.The blizzard of 2011Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-70181118887697504652011-01-25T21:13:00.002-06:002011-01-25T22:00:59.766-06:00VernonWe've all read a lot in the last few days about the Vernon Wells trade, and now that Mike Napoli has ended up with the rival Rangers, things break down as such:Angels get Vernon Wells and will owe him roughly $20MM per over the next four years to probably play left field. They lose Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera, both defensive butchers with power bats and the ability to draw a walk. Blue Jays getSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-65705195340530766132010-12-17T12:23:00.001-06:002010-12-17T12:23:38.598-06:00The Year in Music - My Favorite Album of 2010Finally, we reach the end.Titus Andronicus - The MonitorI was initially sort of dreading this album's release. I'm not really big on concept albums, and when it comes to history, I've never really been all that interested in the Civil War. So when I learned that Titus Andronicus were following up 2008's 'The Airing of Grievances' with a sprawling epic of a Civil War themed concept album, I was Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-36397643821739308562010-12-16T13:00:00.004-06:002010-12-16T16:17:54.489-06:00The Year in Music - 2nd Favorite Album of the YearDeerhunter - Halcyon DigestI've gone back and forth between #s 2 and 3. #1 has been set for a while, but this album and the one that came before it are pretty much based on my whim at any given time. But whereas the Morning Benders released an album that hit me instantly AND grew on me, this one I've loved pretty much start to finish from day one.Like many of the albums on my list, I think thisSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-51633907914135382332010-12-14T22:34:00.006-06:002010-12-15T23:38:07.984-06:00The Year in Music - 3rd Favorite Album of the YearThe Morning Benders - Big EchoA friend of mine sent out an email about show these guys were set to play in October, and it reminded me that I'd been meaning to listen to this album. When I finally got around to doing so, I couldn't stop, and it's still a go to record when I need some music to fill the office. He missed their show, but I have him to thank for finally convincing me to listen to Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-68470331795295610942010-12-13T21:42:00.004-06:002010-12-14T12:51:43.531-06:00The Year in Music - 4th Favorite Album of the YearThe Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring NightPinko Punko posted this on Song of the Day earlier in the year, and if you click through to that link, you can see my love for this album evolve in the comments. There was a good three week period when I was listening to this album all the way through at least once or twice every day. It's an album that really grows on you, and while Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-85395291834992857342010-12-13T14:33:00.005-06:002010-12-13T22:17:19.483-06:00The Year in Music - 5th Favorite Album of the YearThe Walkmen - LisbonWhereas the New Pornographers, Spoon, and Broken Social Scene all more or less met expectations, the Walkmen rarely fail to exceed them. A bit more stripped down than 'You & Me', my choice for the best album in their catalog, 'Lisbon' finds the Walkmen once again doing what they do best. Lisbon provides a vehicle for Hamilton Leithauser's emotional vocals, Paul Maroon's Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-592461560645143442010-12-12T20:05:00.004-06:002010-12-13T22:16:50.157-06:00The Year in Music - 6th Favorite Album of the YearFree Energy - Stuck on NothingThe brother of a friend of mine from law school is one of the music writers for Chicagoist. He wrote an entry about these guys after I already had tickets to see them (they opened for Foreign Born), but before I had heard anything by them. That was the first of five Free Energy shows I saw this year.There's a fine line between creative camp and parody. These guys Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-62357805744572786172010-12-11T18:32:00.005-06:002010-12-13T22:16:13.473-06:00The Year in Music - 7th Favorite Album of the YearMiles Kurosky - The Desert of Shallow EffectsI discovered Beulah along with a bunch of the other Elephant 6 related stuff probably back in 2002 or so, right after they released The Coast is Never Clear, probably my favorite Beulah album. They would go on to release YOKO in 2004 before calling it quits that year after a final tour (during which I saw them twice).After a fairly long hiatus, formerSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-85741546189691812382010-12-10T14:23:00.007-06:002010-12-13T22:15:15.040-06:00The Year in Music - 8th Favorite Album of the YearThe Black Keys - BrothersSecond of three Top 10 bands that I didn't see live this year. Never really listened to the Black Keys much until this year. There's a plethora of "Black" bands out there. Black Mountain, the Black Kids, the Black Lips, the Black Angels... I think in my head I've always just sort of lumped them all in with one another. When you subscribe to a bunch of music blogs Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-10094072450075075882010-12-09T15:27:00.004-06:002010-12-13T22:13:47.859-06:00The Year in Music - 9th Favorite Album of the YearThe Drums - The DrumsI hadn't even heard of these guys until Stereogum posted their list of the 40 best new bands of 2010, a list that they didn't even make. Someone in the comments mentioned them. Turns out I actually had tickets to see them at the time. They were playing a double bill (which is a regular show, except the bands are considered "co-headliners") with Surfer Blood at Lincoln HallSeitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-33992763073979839012010-12-08T20:28:00.005-06:002010-12-13T22:13:01.822-06:00The Year in Music - 10th Favorite Album of the YearFirst, a note about the process. I hate the construct of a "Top 10" or "10 Best". This process is subjective by nature, and the idea that my selections are THE best is kind of ridiculous. The only thing I can honestly say about these albums is that they are/were my favorite of the past year. Now, I typically listen to a band's album the most before I see that band in concert, which happened a Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-75794273030036868152010-12-07T14:45:00.005-06:002010-12-08T23:11:27.315-06:00The Year in Music Vol. 2 - The Not Top TenI thought 2009 was a pretty damn good year for music. I actually had a fairly difficult time putting together a CD for friends because I felt like there was a lot of great stuff I had to leave off. I was pretty sure 2010 was going to be a bit of step back. I was wrong. 2010 featured a ton of great music, so much that I'm about to list a bunch of albums that I would have almost guaranteed top Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130770.post-21791063759463689542010-12-06T15:50:00.005-06:002010-12-06T17:54:40.628-06:00The Year in Music Vol. 1 - Live ShowsIt's December 6th, and at current, I have a ticket to one more show before the year ends (Tennis @ Schuba's), with no immediate plans to add any others. So how do the numbers add up for 2010?Shows attended (not including Pitchfork) - 46Sets witnessed (including Pitchfork) - ~90Shows by venue:Lincoln Hall - 15Schuba's - 8Metro - 8Empty Bottle - 4Bottom Lounge - 3Riviera - 2Vic - 2Logan Square Seitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06027580090158303823noreply@blogger.com5