End of the year best, round one: Shows

I’m starting with this list because it is perhaps the easiest to compile. More to come.

There are 19 here. Deal with it. They’re also in descending order, for dramatic effect.
(The asterisks link to the appropriate show review.)

19. Warpaint – Music Hall of Williamsburg, December 2nd *
This was another surprise. Though I had heard the name Warpaint thrown around for a few months, I knew little about them going into the show, but they had me bewitched with their alternating vocals and mesmerizing minimalism.

18. Seabear – Mercury Lounge, March 25th *
I really can’t get enough of these quaint Icelandic bands, homespun sweaters and all. The harmonies and the impressive range of instruments in this large band leave me with an extra spring in my step. I want to get inducted into their family. You don’t think they’d notice if I joined in, do you? Maybe I could play the tambourine… or just pretend to sing.

Seabear (Photo Thomas Helbig)

17. Land of Talk – Bowery Ballroom, November 6th *
I really loved this album – the lyrics especially, so seeing Land of Talk this past November was a real treat.

16. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and the Cairo Gang, The Babblers – Town Hall, December 8th *
Surprisingly, this was my first time seeing B’P'B. It was a long time coming. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening, however, was The Babblers – yet another of Will Oldham’s special projects, featuring the irresistible Angel Olsen on vox.

15. tUnE-yArDs – The Bell House, February 5th *
With her wild gaze and tribal-influenced songs, Merril Garbus is a force to behold. From what I heard, she stole the show from the Dirty Projectors when she opened for them. Somehow, that doesn’t at all surprise me.

tUnE-yArDs (Photo Jessica Amaya)

14. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Mercury Lounge, October 14th * (an interview with Owen)
I’ve seen Owen more times than nearly everyone else (3 or 4 times this year alone), and every time is a treat. This show was an extra treat because it was one of his last performances as CFTPA… ever! (I also attended his last NY show the next night, but the Brooklyn Masonic Temple was not the right environment, and too many people were there to see the other bands on the bill – ahem, Dan Deacon and Lightning Bolt). What a sweet man. I look forward to hearing his next musical project.

13. Scout Niblett and Holy Sons – The Mercury Lounge, October 6th *
After the disastrous Cat Power-esque performance in 2007, I’m certainly glad I gave you another chance, Scout (aka Emma). I love how raw her voice is and how she effortlessly shifts in tone from the sweet, innocent girl to the big bad wolf. Though I had never heard of them prior to the show, Holy Sons wowed me so much that I left with two albums.

Scout Niblett (Ian Crowther)

12. Lost in the Trees – The Mercury Lounge, August 23rd *
These guys from North Carolina are every bit as mesmerizing now as when I first saw them in 2008. Their moody orchestral arrangements and haunting lyrics make me shiver every time.

11. The Blow – Glasslands Gallery,  May 13th *
Oh, Khaela. Your banter about the lost album with the unnamed starlet (Lindsey Lohan) may not be true, but it makes for quite an entertaining schtick. I love her beautiful, awkward stage presence and the candidness of her songs.

The Blow (Photo Devyn Manibo)

10. Beirut – Music Hall of Williamsburg, July 5th *
The man has French horn tattoos. Enough said.

9. Belle & Sebastian – The Williamsburg Waterfront, September 20th *
This was perhaps my most anticipated show of the year. I’ve spent countless hours listening to Belle & Sebastian. They were just one of those formative bands for me. Too bad it took me like 6 years to actually see them. The show was good, and the band was charming. Sadly, it just never could have lived up to my expectations.

Belle & Sebastian (Photo Amanda Hatfield)

8. CocoRosie – Music Hall of Williamsburg, September 15th *
This was kind of the wild card of the year. I wasn’t sure if I’d want to storm out of the room or take the sisters home with me. The latter was more accurate. I was pretty much speechless by the end of the night.

7. Andrew Bird – The Guggenheim, August 5th *
Andrew Bird… at the Guggenheim. The set-up alone is drool-worthy. Then there was the ‘forest floor of horns’ and the multi-level rotunda, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Andrew Bird (Photo Macey Foronda)

6. The National – Radio City Music Hall – June 16th *
I’d say I preferred their show at the Bell House or BAM earlier in the year (whoa, I saw them 4 times)… except for the fact that this was the show when Matt Berninger left the stage, climbed over the seats in my aisle, and landed in mine. The feeling of his hand on my shoulder as he steadied himself and the knowledge that I could have easily reached across the three-inch divide and caressed his cheek, are almost too much to handle.

5. DM Stith + Silje Nes + Inlets – Littlefield, June 13th *
Again, a fantastic line-up and a small, intimate show (with seats!). This was my first encounter with the Norwegian beauty Silje Nes, and I hope to see her many more times. And David Michael, might we go on a picnic sometime?

4. Laura Marling – Le Poisson Rouge, February 12th *
I love this girl… even if her songs strongly suggest that she doesn’t believe in the emotion. She is miles in front of her British contemporaries (Noah and the Whale, Fanfarlo, Mumford and Sons). Laura, I foolishly invite you to ditch Marcus and trample on my heart instead.

Laura Marling (Photo kDamo)

3. Efterklang + Sam Amidon + Daniel Bjarnason – Le Poisson Rouge, March 3rd *
I loved each of these acts individually. Together, they made for one of the most memorable shows of the year. What a talented array of musicians. Even though shows at LPR can be a bummer due to the pesky 2-item minimum at tables, I’d gladly hulk in the corner for you any day, Sam.

2. Atlas Sound – The Bell House, February 3rd *
Remember when the Bell House consistently hosted great musicians? I really hope these winter shows become an annual tradition as Bradford hinted a couple of weeks ago. I love Deerhunter, but I feel like Bradford would be dead without Atlas Sound to channel his surfeit of creative energy. Wonderful, heartfelt show – a nice contrast to the cold, dark February night.

1. Sufjan Stevens + DM Stith – Beacon Theatre, November 14th *
How could this not be the best show of the year? One minute I was dancing and laughing with glee and a few songs later, I was silently sobbing. Simply amazing.

Sufjan and his ladies (Photo Tammy Lo)

The sounds and sensations of Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens + DM Stith – Beacon Theatre – November 14th

Question: What do you get when you combine “Avatar with Cats on Ice?”
Answer: the best show of the year.

Sufjan at the Beacon Theatre (Photo Tammy Lo)

Sufjan Stevens and company played for an amazing 2 hours and 13 minutes. (For those counting, that’s longer than it took Gebre Gebremariam to complete the New York Marathon last week, and it seemed every bit as epic and exhausting.  By the third song (and the third upper body costume change), Sufjan was already wiping the sweat from his brow. That shiny silver (looks like insulation) jacket couldn’t have helped matters. Sufjan could have easily relied on his three lovely female back-up singers (including the lovely Cat Martino who typically lends her talents to Sharon Van Etten) to the dancing, but he couldn’t help but participate in the over-the-top choreographed moves.

Sufjan and back-up singers/dancers (Photo Tammy Lo)

From the comfort of my fourth row seat, I may not have had the chance to dance along myself, but my lack of movement in no way hindered my appreciation of the show. My heart was beating more quickly than it would have had I just run five miles.

From his childhood fear of vertigo to his theories of physics and his impressions of one enthralling – perhaps crazy – artist (1), Sufjan’s banter took some odd turns, but his frenzied mid-set confessions and analyses fit in well with the chaotic nature of his new material. This is not music for the faint of heart. It’s worth noting that Sufjan didn’t play a single song from the beautifully subdued album Greetings from Lake Michigan. With as many as thirteen people surrounding him on stage (including the excellent opener DM Stith on piano), the show featured nearly all new songs, with just a couple of older songs thrown in at the beginning and end of his set and encore.

Easily the best example of Sufjan’s new music is the truly epic, 25-minute song “Impossible Soul,” which apparently the crew plays every night.  Sufjan joked that the song was therapeutic for the band (2), and it’s easy to see why. The peaceful, melodic introduction soon spirals into controlled chaos as the tension builds. And yes, you heard right. This is when the auto-tune comes in.

It was “Impossible Soul” that finally motivated the crowd to get to their feet and actually start dancing… cue the confetti cannons and later, the canopy of multi-colored balloons. With the balloons rising and falling throughout the orchestra section of the beautiful historic venue during “Chicago,” I felt as if we were living in a rainbow snow globe.  The magical scene had the audience actually laughing with pure, childlike glee.

Take a listen to a little mash-up of “Impossible Soul” (with Cat Martino on vox)… followed by “Chicago.”

Of course, being that this was a therapy session, Sufjan followed up this amazing high with a few weepies – “Casimir Pulaski Day” (which makes me cry every time), “To Be Alone With You,” and “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” From ridiculous dance moves to songs about serial killers in just a few minutes. Now that’s what I call therapy. The range of emotions I felt over the course of the two+ hour show was simply amazing. Remember when music actually made you feel? Remember how nice that was? Yes.

Beacon Theatre, a kaleidoscope of colors, a ball pit of energy (photo Chris Robinson)

Sufjan setlist
Seven Swans
Too Much
Age of Adz
Heirloom
I Walked
Futile Devices
Vesuvius
Now That I’m Older
Get Real Get Right
Enchanting Ghost
Impossible Soul
Chicago

Encore:
Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL
Casimir Pulaski Day
To Be Alone With You
John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

(1) Sufjan explains the “attractive insanity” of the eccentric artist from Louisiana who inspired much of his new experimental music

(2) Sufjan introduces “Impossible Soul”

A lovely evening at Littlefield

DM Stith + Inlets + Silje Nes – Littlefield – June 13

Oh man. I cannot say enough good things about this show. Fantastic line-up, beautiful and haunting melodies, and a touch of Scandinavian charm.

DM Stith (Photo Tom Caps)

Though my decision to attend the show was based on my love for DM Stith’s music, I was also completely taken by the opener Silje Nes.

Take a listen to her song “Drown.”

Kind of like a Scandinavian Grouper, yeah?

the beautiful (and delightfully Norwegian) Silje Nes

If you missed the NYC shows at 92Y Tribeca and Littlefield, you’re in luck. The whole line-up will be back at Joe’s Pub on July 21st following their tour. I’m already making plans to attend.

I wrote a full review of the show on Brooklyn Vegan (here), so be sure to check that out.

Speaking of cover songs…

DM Stith just released a double disc on Asthmatic Kitty today that includes remixes and extras from last year’s moody masterpiece Heavy Ghost… in addition to some (odd) cover songs.

Heavy Ghost Appendices (Cover artwork DM Stith)

Take a listen to “Be My Baby” (originally done by The Ronnettes):

Heavy Ghost Appendices also includes covers of songs by Randy Newman, David Byrne, and Diane Cluck.

DM Stith kicks off his month-and-a-half-long summer tour with a  show at 92 Y Tribeca on June 12th (which happens to be my birthday in case you’re keeping track).