My name is Cory and I'm an editor at Artvoice newspaper. I spend too much time everyday writing about music, but I can never pass up an opportunity to make a best of list. I like it because it’s a chance to compare notes and see how my taste stacks up to the taste of others. Should I pick something obvious, yet deserving that will probably make everyone else's list or do I choose something that might be off the radar for most people and hope they take the time to check out what they may have missed? Striking a balance is ideal, but either way, the key is to go with what you love so here is a list of the things I loved this year.
Concert of the Year:
Morrissey at the Rapids Theatre
It's not every day that you
get to see a musical legend on stage, in person. When Morrissey took the stage
at the Rapids Theatre, pompadour poofed, shirt flowing, the crowd chanting his
name, I knew I was experiencing a moment that I would likely not soon forget.
His voice was perfect. It was as if he had stepped out of a time machine that
brought him straight from Lancashire England in 1988 to the stage in Niagara
Falls, New York. His performance was spot-on, from his covers of Smiths' songs
like "Meat is Murder," "Still Ill," "I Know It's Over," "Sweet and
Tender Hooligan," and "How Soon Is Now," to his solo classics
like "Let Me Kiss You"—during which he tore his shirt off and threw
it into the crowd, only to be instantly torn to shreds. Many fans were
overwhelmed by his mere presence and several people throughout the concert
crashed the stage in an attempt to simply touch the man. Morrissey took it in
stride, hugging the handful of people who made it past security onto the stage,
before they were tossed back into the crowd. The 53-year-old crooner proved
that he's still the real deal after all these years. The only thing missing was
Johnny Marr standing by his side. Maybe one day. Or maybe not.
.
Honorable Mentions
M83 at the Town Ballroom
M83 at the Town Ballroom
Music Is Art at Delaware Park
Album of the Year: Pink by Four Tet
London based electronic
music producer Kieran Hebden has been one of my favorite artists for a long
time. From his ambient post-rock work with Fridge to his bombastic folktronica
and deep EDM as Four Tet, he's crossed countless genre barriers. He did
something special with his latest release, Pink, which really caused me to
examine the question: what makes an album great? Certainly the music within,
but there are other factors as well. Remember when Radiohead released In Rainbows and changed the music
industry forever? Of course, the music was outstanding but the way they
released it—for free or whatever you chose to pay—was what made it iconic. When
Four Tet released Pink, he did it in a strangely unique way; releasing two
tracks at a time over the course of a year before releasing the record as a
whole. I don't think he intended on doing it this way from the start, but he
may have inadvertently set a standard for EDM releases. Some fans may have been
underwhelmed by Pink for the sole reason that they had heard most of the music
prior to its release as a whole piece, but to hear the swelling bass of
"Locked" next to the anxious beat of "Lion" and the
floating synthesizers on "Jupiters" really put the album in perspective
for me and opened up the tracks to multiple listens.
Honorable mention:
Until the Quiet Comes by Flying Lotus
R.I.P. by Actress
In Our Heads by Hot Chip
Song of the Year: “Drones Over Bklyn” by El-P
This song hits hard and
actually has some substantial commentary about the future of privacy in
America. The production is on point with a huge, bumping hip hop beat, house
influenced piano vamps, and fluid rapping. El-P is violent, crazy, super funny,
and extremely paranoid on this track and it sums up his 2012 release, Cancer 4
Cure, one of the best hip hop albums of the year, quite well.
Honorable Mentions
"Baby" by Ariel Pink
"Baby" by Ariel Pink
"Idiom Wind" by Zammuto
~Cory Perla
great album picks! loved all of dem...
Thanks! I wish Flying Lotus would come to Buffalo!
Morrissey was fantastic that night. He always delivers. And I may be in the minority but I think his solo stuff is as good as any of the Smiths.
You Are the Quarry is definitely my go-to album when it comes to his solo stuff, but I also like Viva Hate too.
Those two, along with Vauxhall and I and Year of Refusal are my tops. The rest of his solo albums have a few amazing tracks on each but alot of so-so jams
Zammuto's album was vastly underrated! Great picks!
Thanks! That Zammuto record makes me weep.