The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 24,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 6 Film Festivals
Each year when I try to come up with a list of my favorite albums released during the previous 12 months, I have to add the caveat that I’m not calling them the “best” of the year, or the most significant. They are simply the albums that burrowed their way into my personal playlist and stayed there the longest. Here’s my list for 2012, which is heavy on old favorites, but led by a refreshing blast of indie-rock from a band whose members are half the age of many others on the list.
1. JAPANDROIDS, Celebration Rock
The Vancouver, B.C., two-piece made what is easily my favorite rock album of the year, a short, sharp blast of undeniable anthems that firmly lodged itself in my car’s CD player when Celebration Rock was release the first week of June. The timing couldn’t have been better–the fireworks that open the album (and the musical fireworks created by Brian King and David Browse) were a perfect match for summertime, a joyful blast of ain’t-life-grand sentiments riding riffs stretching from here to the horizon. Celebration Rock indeed.
2. MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, How Do You Plead?
This British duo created a country collection that is a loving testament to the co-ed duet balladry of folks like George Jones and Tammy Wynette. All originals written by the husband-and-wife team of Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish (Lou’s the lady), the songs on How Do You Plead? are like messages sent from Nashville 30 or 40 years ago.
3. BOB MOULD, The Silver Age
For fans of Bob Mould’s old bands Sugar and Husker Du, 2012 was memorable for the man’s return to roaring guitar-pop on his new album The Silver Age, which came hot on the heels of Mould’s acclaimed autobiography and the reissues of some Sugar classic albums. Touring and playing albums like Copper Blue to celebrate his Sugar days must have inspired Mould to return to his guitar-bass-drums roots, forgoing some of the electronic flourishes on some of his later solo material. The Silver Age is a vivid reminder of Mould’s three decades of pioneering, passionate rock and roll.
4. CORIN TUCKER BAND, Kill My Blues
The former Sleater-Kinney guitarist/singer made a bold, striking set of indie-rock with her second post-Sleater collection. Part of that can be attributed to Tucker feeling more comfortable after a couple of years playing with her new band, but most of it is simply Tucker maturing into a better songwriter as she gets older. Songs like “Summer Jams” and “Neskowin” stand alongside Tucker’s best Sleater-Kinney songs with ease, and the 12 songs here collectively make for one barn-burning listen.
5. THE COUP, Sorry to Bother You
For whatever reason, I didn’t spend as much time as normal listening to hip-hop in 2012. But when I did, I made it count with the likes of The Coup, the incendiary Oakland group led by activist/writer Boots Riley. The tunes on this album serve as a soundtrack to a movie Riley’s making, but they hold up on their own, too. Songs like “Strange Arithmetic” and “Your Parents’ Cocaine” are a blast to jam in the car, and make for fine party-starters at the group’s live shows–just ask anyone who was at The Coup’s Thanksgiving Eve show in SLC.
6. JACK WHITE, Blunderbuss
Jack White’s skills were never in question after the series of albums he’s put out with The White Stripes, The Dead Weather and the Raconteurs. But Blunderbuss, his first release issued simply as Jack White, might be his best from top to bottom. Black skitters across styles, from the glammy “Freedom at 21” to the roof-raising retro of “I’m Shakin'” to the straightforward riff-rock of “Sixteen Saltines.” And he pretty much knocks it out of the park throughout, offering hope for a future when he continues front-and-center as a performer, rather than hiding behind the Dead Weather drumkit or trading verses with co-writers. White is obviously a talent we’re going to have around for a while–if he stays as strong on future releases as he is on Blunderbuss, we’re all in luck.
7. JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now
Recorded in a five-day burst of activity when Justin Townes Earle was riding high on the success of his Harlem River Blues album, Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now is another step in Earle’s ascension among the best country songwriters working today. Adding some subtle horns to the mix, an acknowledged nod to Memphis’s STAX Records sound, Earle managed to make a timeless set of songs including “Look the Other Way” and “Maria” that are sure to be favorites at his shows for years to come. And the fact that he did it so quickly after hitting such a creative peak on Harlem River Blues hopefully means Earle’s songwriting hot streak, already at least three albums deep, is just getting started.
8. VAN HALEN, A Different Kind of Truth
Yes, buying this album (and going to see Van Halen in Vegas over Memorial Day) was a total nostalgia trip. But as a lifelong Van Halen geek who never thought the Van Halen brothers and over-the-top singer David Lee Roth would make another record together, A Different Kind of Truth was a joy to hear. Sure, some will complain about some of the songs being culled from old demos from the ’70s and early ’80s. Guess what? That’s when Van Halen was at their best, and the results here are far better than even admitted VH dorks like me had reason to expect. Cue up “You and Your Blues,” “Big River” or “Stay Frosty” to hear the retro pop-rock best of the bunch.
9. BOB DYLAN, Tempest
Obviously Bob Dylan is a legend whose every album is worth a listen. But at this late date in America’s best rock poet’s career, we have no reason to expect an album as good top to bottom, and as infused with passion, as Dylan’s latest. With imagery infused with darkness and mortality, the lyrics fit Dylan’s death-rattle croak perfectly, and the music remains a jaunty blend of Tin Pan Alley jazz and rootsy country and folk. Dylan’s made a series of excellent albums over the past decade, and Tempest ranks with the best.
10. ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, Big Station
Speaking of hot streaks, Escovedo’s recent string of albums produced by Tony Visconti (and featuring plenty of songs co-written by the excellent Chuck Prophet) make for a collective reminder of Escovedo’s prowess as a writer capable of remarkable imagery. The fact he wraps such wonderful lyrics in genuinely rocking music as timeless as any current songwriter made Escovedo one of my favorites as soon as I heard him a decade-plus ago. I look forward to every album Escovedo releases, and Big Station did not disappoint with songs like “Sally Was a Cop” and “San Antonio Rain.”
EVE, VARIOUS VENUES, Saturday, Dec. 29 to Monday, Dec. 31, various times, $15
Salt Lake City’s three-day lead-up to a New Year’s Eve midnight fireworks show has gone through changes every year of its existence, changing venues and focus as it tries to find its footing as an annual community event Utahns can really get behind. This year, the changes mean highlighting great music at the Gallivan Center, and that seems like a solid move, as does having Casey Jarman of the Salt Lake Arts Council–the man who books the acts at the summertime Twilight Concert Series–in charge of the music. The result is a three-day lineup that has a little something for everyone, from the New Orleans soul, funk and jazz of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to the alt-folk of Blind Pilot, from local favorites like David Williams and No Nation Orchestra to a grand finale featuring dance-worthy alt-rockers !!!
Add some special events at the Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway children’s museum, the Leonardo and other venues around the Gallivan and downtown, and you have the makings of the best EVE yet. And at $15 for three days of access, it’s a pretty screaming deal, too.
How to turn a Sherlock Holmes adventure into a Christmas season favorite? Elementary, my good people.
First, take one of Holmes’ stories from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and have Salt Lake City playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett adapt it into a radio play. Next, grab a talented group of voice actors and foley artists, along with creative sound and lighting designers, and get them together on one stage. Finally, fill the Jeanne Wagner Theater downtown with an audience primed by past Plan-B Theatre Company/KUER RadioWest Radio Hour performances, and full of the season’s spirit.
Add them together, and you get one fine night out, and a fun hour of radio that, if you didn’t hear it live during its 7 p.m. performance Tuesday night, can be heard on RadioWest Wednesday at 11 a.m. on KUER 90.1 FM.
The Radio Hour radio plays ran for six years, typically during the Halloween season, and after a year off, returned to action with Bennett’s Christmas mystery. For fans of the older editions, this year’s take on Sherlock Holmes and the Blue Carbuncle was a vivid reminder of how good this talented group is at bringing a story to life simply through line readings and cool effects.
The cast was roundly excellent at delivering Bennett’s dialogue with style and good humor, no surprise given the familiar faces on stage. With RadioWest host Doug Fabrizio as Holmes, and X96 Radio From Hell co-host Bill Allred as Watson, the audience saw a playful banter between characters that was fitting given the two voice actors’ affable personalities. In Bennett’s adaptation, Holmes came off as a persnickety and brilliant sleuth, one who can’t help himself from trying to solve any question–even the source of the spices in the seasonal fruitcake. Watson, while being a doctor, is a sidekick happy to give the needle to Holmes, while still expressing genuine awe at his friend’s deductive reasoning.
Alongside Fabrizio and Allred were Jay Perry and Jason Tatom, both of whom played a variety of roles–an impressive feat considering how quickly they sometimes had to switch characters on the fly. Watching all of the actors contort their bodies and faces to pull out a memorable reading was a blast. And all of them joined the foley artists Mark Robinette and Michael Scott Johnson in providing sound effects to enhance the show, from blowing goose calls to crumpling paper to make the sound of a crackling fire.
The plot made the hour fly by, and I won’t spoil it in case you have the chance to tune in to Wednesday’s re-airing of the show. Suffice to say, it involves a sickly Holmes, a rambunctious Watson, a stolen diamond, mysterious hat and more than one goose. All the elements come together in a tidy story that deftly avoids holiday sentimentality in favor of staying true to Holmes’ and his cohort’s characters.
Here’s hoping the RadioWest/Plan-B collaboration returns as an annual event, even as a one-night-only appearance as it was this year. If it does, be sure to buy tickets before it sells out.
ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, THE DEPOT, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m., $20 advance/$25 day of show
The music of Frank Zappa is kind of a love-it-or-hate-it thing for most, including this music geek. I never caught the bug some of my friends did–the love of Zappa’s surrealistic “jazz from hell” jams full of abrupt stylistic shifts and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. I was a big fan of the artistic freedom Zappa stood for, particularly in his advocacy for musicians’ rights in the fight against the pro-censorship Parents Music Resource Center back in the ’80s, when my love for rock and roll was taking hold. But I never got too much into Zappa’s music. His son Dweezil, though, was a part of my record collection as soon as he released Havin’ a Bad Day, his teenage effort in 1986 to showcase his chops at Van Halen-style pop-rock (he famously played guitar on Don Johnson’s Heartbeat album back in the day, even appearing in the video). It seems natural that Dweezil would carry on his father’s legacy via his current project, Zappa Plays Zappa, in which he tours with a set of remarkable musicians, knocking out his dad’s oeuvre like no one else could.
RADIO HOUR EPISODE 7: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE BLUE CARBUNCLE, ROSE WAGNER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7 & 8:30 p.m., $20
The Radio Hour radio plays done each Halloween via a partnership between Plan-B Theatre Company and KUER’s RadioWest have been some of my favorite theater experiences in Salt Lake City. For six years, the radio plays performed during the Halloween season offered the chance to watch voice artists express themselves vocally into their microphones for the benefit of radio listeners, and physically in their chairs for the benefit of the live audience. And as impressive as those performances have consistently been, as well as the stories like Alice in Wonderland and Frankenstein, my favorite aspect is watching the sound effects team scurrying behind the voice actors, bringing the radio plays to vivid life through their aural efforts. After a year off, the Radio Hour is back with a Christmas-themed Sherlock Holmes mystery adapted by local playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett–an experienced hand at the task after penning a couple of the Halloween radio plays. The 7 p.m. show Tuesday is sold out, but there were still a few tickets available for the 8:30 p.m. as of Monday morning. It will likely sell out, so hit that link above and grab tickets if you can.
And you can listen to a clip from the show by clicking right here.
Daniel Nailen 