The time has come, 2011 is coming to an end. And this is part of the music that rocked my world in the last 12 months. This time I'm allowing 11 picks because last year's narrow top 5 list left some great music out of the list (Kylie, The Pipettes).
Is my list, is my taste, so don't whine or protest and keep reading, I can handle your hate...
11. Glee - The Warblers
The Darren Criss'Album
That musical 'magic' that makes me love songs that I usually hate strikes again, and is fully represented by Glee. This time with the amazing performances by Mr. Criss... what else can I say?
Key Tracks: Hey, Soul Sister; Raise Your Glass, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
10. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
The softly force of earthquake Harvey
After all this years of revolt and experimentation, there's this woman with the man putting some amazing music out for us to listen to, is England as you haven't heard in a long time
Key Tracks: The Glorious Land, In The Dark Places, Hanging In The Wire
09. Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite Les Folies
Goddess of Water
Feel it on stereo, surround, DTS or just mono, The Showgirl put out one of the best shows in 2011, and wisely decided not only to release the usual visual testimony (DVD & BD) but the full show in 2 CDs. If you're lucky enough to see her live, with or without water, you'll be able to vividly remember that night and with no salty taste on your mouth!
Key Tracks: Aphrodite, Cupid Boy, Confide In Me, Love At First Sight/Can't Beat the Feeling, Better Than Today
08. Fangoria - Operacion Vodevil
Why they call it Love when they mean Varietes?
The Dynamic Duo of Pop decided last year to revisit the past, and in 2011 the tour that worked as promotion to El Paso Trascendental has been released, unfortunately the CD is just a taste of the full show, but on the bright side it includes great highlights that makes you pop the DVD in the player too many times, the almost continuous mix of the live show will keep you moving!
Key Tracks: Miro La Vida Pasar, La Funcionaria Asesina, Quiero Ser Santa, La Pequeña Edad De Hielo, Absolutamente, Electricistas
07. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Make A Scene
Finally!!!
Can you believe that Read My Lips is 10 years old? and after a hump in time and a releasing battle (Russia got this like 5 months before the worldwide release) Make A Scene is hitting the airwaves... errr, actually like 1/3 of the album had airplay and a video before the album was released, but the finest crafting of the album makes you forget those details, keep on dancing and trancing Sophie is back with a vengeance!
Key Tracks: Bittersweet, Heartbreak, Can't Fight This Feeling, Make A Scene, Magic, Homewrecker
06. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow | Director's Cut
Separated at Release
For some reason the NOT obscure artist, and also NOT a protege (of David Gilmour's that is),had a Liz Phair-Funstyle moment but instead of releasing the new material along the reworked and remastered tracks of two of her most controversial albums, she decided to go separate ways and also release the Director's Cut in a Special Edition with the aforementioned albums as bonus. With 50 Words For Snow she goes into some familiar but yet unexplored territory, hints of Aerial and The Ninth Wave are proof that Kate can keep releasing masterpieces.
Key Tracks: Flower Of The Mountain, This Woman's Work, Rubberband Girl, Lake Tahoe, Wild Man, 50 Words For Snow
05. Tori Amos - Night Of Hunters
Is not BOSE is Bösendorfer
That girl: Yes, Anastasia has some sisters, and they're finally released! That woman: Tori Amos has a daughter, and Tash has a very interesting voice! For me this album is right up there with Pele, Scarlet and the Dolls.
Ket Tracks: Shattering Sea, Snowblind, Cactus Practice, Job's Coffin, The Chase, Night Of Hunters, Carry
04. Björk - Biophilia
The Body and Soul
All the learning and experience collided and spurted in biophilia, this is almost perfection, with the small exception of not proper release for singles and videos like the old days, specially if you don't want to sell yourself in order to get every product related to the album... oh! and the iCrap, otherwise perfection.
Key Tracks: Thunderbolt, Cosmogony, Virus, Mutual Core
03. Nicola Roberts - Cinderella's Eyes
Revenge of the Pop Star
When you're part of one of the most successful and amazing girl groups in UK history, and no you're not a Spice Girl! what can ever top the hits you had, specially when most people had more faith in the others (even with the Black Eyed Scheiße they released). I bet some are really mad, because you not only proved you can release great music, but that your talent was wasted, you pour out all your feelings with those brilliant lyrics and that amazing and distinctive voice, you don't need a prince charming or four stepsisters!
Key Tracks: Lucky Day, Yo-Yo, Cinderella's Eyes, Porcelain Heart, I, Say It Out Loud, Stick + Stones
02. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
The Monsters, all grown up!
Once you've proved that you can be a successful pop-act, that you're more than a girl with a piano, that fashion is an extension of the self, and that you can tour and do promotion in a non-stop streak, you're able to release the album that really shows all the facets of your art, with all the influences both sonically and visually, out in the waves. All hail Gaga!
Key Tracks: Marry The Night, Born This Way, Government Hooker, Scheiße, Bad Kids, Highway Unicorn (Road To Love), Heavy Metal Lover, Electric Chapel
01. KRISTEENYOUNG - V the Volcanic
The development of a real life
Months after Music for Strippers, Hookers, and the Odd On-Looker was released, the talk about 2 EPs started. So far one has been released, in the concept of cinematic supporting cast of 7 characters from a wild mix of films (in genre, popularity and era) inspired the perfect collection of tracks to accompany not only this year but the time to come, a real soundtrack for my life
Key Tracks (I'm cheating): Cleopatra's Fantastic Failure, Violet Bick's V the Volcanic, The angry Apple Tree's I'll Get You Back, Lucy Westenra's Why Can't It Be Me, Old Lodge Skins' Now I'm Invisible, Pris' The Devil Made Me, Sarah Jane's Imitation Of Life
December 30, 2011
Best Music of 2011
November 20, 2011
May 09, 2011
The Monster Ball
Back at the end of November 2009, the artist known as Lady Gaga started a world tour: The Monster Ball. Those of us that proudly bare the Little Monster pet name, are aware of Gaga's love affair with Horror since the beginning. So the portrayal of The Fame Monster on stage was meant to be a gore fest.
After 18 months, 5 singles/videos, one major re-vamp, a remix album and some ongoing tweaks; The Monster Ball landed in México to end its run. On May 3rd, Guadalajara (the second largest city in the country) gave a warm and wet welcome to Gaga. About 30,000 souls (not only from México, but at least from various countries south of the border) were ready to witness the show of one of the greatest music stars of the moment, and a true artist (one that is not afraid to show her inspirations)
At 7:10 Lady Starlight took the stage with her amazing DJ set, of course there were some really puzzled by her act, but we know those aren't little monsters at all.
Then at 8:PM sharp, Semi Precious Weapons gave us a taste of that PunkGlamAmazonia attitude, again if you were still expecting the Scissor Sisters, I know they're good but SPW screams Gaga, it's the perfect opening act for the Ball.
And then at 9:02...
Finally indeed! the ball was in full heat. At this point I know the ball by heart, with the demos and studio version, so I was thrilled to hear it, see it and feel it LIVE!
By the end of Just Dance I noticed some strange lights to my right: was it a rainbow, a unicorn, a twister??? no there was the lightnings announcing a summer storm, and right at the first interlude,
It started to rain, when she walked the runway in Telephone, she got wet and she didn't care she did the full show, dripping in sweat, acid rain, and little monster's love.
The piano/acoustic section bring the second surprise of the evening: Born This Way (Piano Version) and Americano!!! instead of Brown Eyes and Speechless.
But also, something I didn't knew at the moment, that since she started to do Born This Way at the end, she retired So Happy I Could Die with the Twister interlude (in a very S&S-Madonnesque round screen) and the amazing living dress...
During Teeth her headset started to fail, so at the end, with a regular mic, she kept singing and improv'-jam-extended version of the song!
Instead of the Manifesto interlude they played a new mix of the Raven/Forest interlude with no video...
And by the end of the night, when some people were leaving, right after Bad Romance, she performed Born This Way and Judas!
At 11:22 the ball was over, still raining we're graciously asked by the police to leave the stadium, so even those of us that didn't get wet during the concert, got some rain afterward.
In short,
The Good: New songs, Gaga loving the energy and the rain, the whole show!!!
The Bad: I chicken' out and didn't bring my camera, and my cellphone died a day before, so only really LQ pics
The Ugly: The attitude not only of the police men and the security guards at the end, but the scenesters that were there drinking, smoking and doing their own show
