A year in retrospect (or my poor excuse to write a 'Best of 2011' music post)

I've moved three times in the last eleven months – DC, Austin, Chicago – and each brings with it some fond music nostalgia. Combined with it being that time of the year for 'Best of 2011' type posts, thus, a 'Best of 2011' blog is born.

Part 1: DC, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the politicos

First, a National Mall/North East Capitol Hill/U st./National Gallery of Art/Lucky Bar/Ben's Chili Bowl/Tryst/9:30 Club/Cherry Blossom Festival/Teddy Roosevelt Island/Prime Meridian Hill-shout out, wha-what!

In the DC phase of this year, I was really into singles, especially ones that made me want to hop around and dance during my morning commutes on the Metro. Sadly, this sort of thing is frowned upon in DC (but all the more reason to do it, in my opinion).

"Animal" - Miike Snow


"Lost in the World" - Kanye West (Feat. Bon Iver)


Part 2: The Lone Star State Strikes Back

First, a Zilker Park/Sonic/Highland Mall/Trivia Night/Spider House/Magnolia Cafe/Barbarella's/Amayas/6th St-shout out, wha-what!

Oh, Austin. I specifically remember riding out one of the worst droughts in Texas history driving in my dad's car with failing AC listening to tUnE-yArDs and public radio. I still get a bit sweaty thinking about how hot that summer was.

"Powa" - tUnE-yArDs


"Kid Logic" - This American Life


Part 3: Is it pronounced Chi-cago or Shi-cago?

First, a Willis Tower/Lincoln Hall/Second City/Deep Dish/Promontory Point/Art Institue/Bourgeois Pig/Fisher Building/Dinkel's Bakery-shout out, wha what!

I've been absorbing as much of the midwest culture as I can. Sufjan is the best example of a muscian who obesses over writing songs about a geographic location, the culmination of this being 'Come on! Feel the Illinoise!' From the album alone, I have enough knowledge about the state to pass a grade school Illinoise history exam, this summarized in the sentence, 'Stephen A. Douglas was a great debater, but Abraham Lincoln was the great emancipator.' Love it.

"Jacksonville" - Sufjan Stevens (filmed at ACL - my Austin and Chicago worlds collide)


"The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders" - Sufjan Stevens


2011, it's been a pleasure, an absolute pleasure.

See you next year, folks!

Tilly and Thom's Favorite Things - Hot & Sweaty Summer Edition

To say it is a little hot outside would be an understatement and so us 2G1K gurlz have some tunes to cool you down. So sit back, crank up the AC, pray for rain if you're Gov. Rick Perry, and get ready for some sweet songs to beat the heat.

Thom:

This summer has been the summer of tUnE-YarDs (or is it Tune Yards, or TuNe-yARDs, or TUNe-yARDS?). It is powerful, raw, fun fun stuff. The first song that got me going for Tune Yards is the song 'Bizness.'



The band's fantastic, ukulele-playing, leading lady Merrill Garbus has put a temporary rift in indie-music that does not promote some sort of dancing. Need more kinetic proof? Just listen to the seductive-slow-dance-to-the-point-that-it-is-kind-of-dirty inducing "Powa."

"Powa"


mmmph.


Tilly:

Mmmph, indeed! (Thom's on to something there.) But sometimes I want some music with a few more miles on it. Like, 35 years of miles, ya herd? I'm afraid modern indie kids don't often appreciate music older than themselves. Hopefully I'm wrong, but if not, here's a late great musician for homework:

Warren Zevon. He had macabre wit and impeccable songwriting skills, which created some of the best lyrics (and songs) of the 70s and beyond. The most successful of these songs was "Werewolves of London," from the 1978 album Excitable Boy. Enjoy the killer lines (pun intended!) and adorably hokey werewolf while watching the video below.

I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's; his hair was PERFECT.



After a lifelong phobia and avoidance of doctors, Zevon was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2002, but he took it in stride. During his final public performance, on David Letterman, he incited nervous but genuine laughter in the audience by declaring that he "may have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years" and that he was "reminded to enjoy every sandwich" in the face of his illness. He worked hard to finish recording The Wind, an impressive and collaborative album, before his death in 2003.

So kids, check out ol' Warren, and remember to enjoy every sandwich.

Until next time,
Tilly & Thom