The tracks lyrics are below and they are a either a tribute to Christopher Hitchens, (famous atheist, author). Or he’s referring to himself. Either way, I like it, the fact that someone could be so self indulgent as to declare himself king. Which I think he is because of the reference to King or Queen depending on your mood. He’s been known to enjoy drag. Or to have had the balls to write a song saluting atheism and what some would argue, is one of the most militant atheists.
This list is not meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be a list of songs that truly grabbed me this year. They are in no particular order on purpose. Yes, there are some amazing artists out there that aren’t on this list. But they didn’t stick in my consciousness long enough to pop into my head at the time I composed this list. And yes, I know Yeasayer just released Ambling Alp but I absolutely love this song and there will undoubtedly be more songs from this album that end up on my list next year when it is released next year.
I predict next year will be the year La Roux, Florence and The Machine break onto the US scene. Do yourself a favor and experience La Roux visually by viewing her music videos. Her label stupidly doesn’t allow the embedding of her videos from Youtube or I’d post them here.
Send me an @ on twitter or comment below with songs you think should fill in the last 4 to make it a full top 20.
Not gonna lie, last night was probably the highlight of my internship at the Granada Theater.
I’ve been a long time fan of Imogen Heap, as in, I had iMegaphone on cassette tape back in 1998 and my old friend Ryan Obermeyer did the art work for Speak For Yourself. When I heard that she had chosen the Granada as the venue for her Dallas performance I had an internal SQUEEEEE! Think flaming gay man with flailing arms excited running down a hallway excited. But as most know me, I am a calm natured in real life and not so ready to start fires with my gayness, so I kept my cool but with a big smile.
The Show
I unexpectedly managed to get in during the sound check for Immi. When I say unexpected, I mean I didn’t realize she’d be doing sound check so late. She literally left the stage minutes before people entered the venue.
My good friend Eva and I sat and watched as Immi tested various equipment and songs in her non-stage clothes and her simple hair up in a bun do. It was one of those “damn this job is so awesome” moments.
Then in a unbelievably packed to the hilt Granada Theater I watched Back Ted-n-Ted and Tim Exile play with what I like to call “toys” on stage, working their craft to the delight of the crowd.
When Imogen hit the stage she did as I expected, wonderful. She’s got a charmed presence on stage that is endearing to fans of her music. Her tinkering with the equipment, song restarts and mumbling to herself into an open mic during the show never felt like a disappointment, it just added charm to the show.
She played nearly an equal amount from both of her mainstream albums and nothing from iMegaphone. One of my favorite songs from Eclipse, Bad Body Double was presented as almost more of a rap version than the album’s version. With Buffi Jacobs of Polyphonic Spree Immi performed another favorite, Aha! which I have always thought of as very much like a Tim Burton/Danny Elfman composed song with Imogen Heap doing vocals. Come to think of it, even the tree and lighting for the tour almost seems like early Tim Burton (but a little more feminine).
During Hide and Seek and Just For Now Imogen “played the crowd like an instrument” # which admittedly sent chills through me as I heard the perfectly synchronized voices of the people below rise up and meet with Imogen’s vocals. It was one of those moments I live for when seeing an artist perform live.
Behind the Granada I waited in the cold along with many other fans to get an autograph and a photo with Imogen. While it was chilly, it was worth the wait. She’s just as pleasant in person as she is on the stage. She even got the group of fans to sing Happy Birthday to a girl named NayNay which I’m sure made for one super happy fan and a wonderful birthday present!
The techie in me took the time to put together an RSS feed of links to postings all over the web about the show using Yahoo Pipes and Imogen’s ingenious idea to use hashtags/tags for every show on the tour. You can click here to view it. Also embedded below are some photos and videos I took. Enjoy!
I always like to share what I’ve found each year because it helps others find new things. The only reason I say that is because I am constantly searching the web, or talking my friends virtual or real about the media we are consuming. Quite often I’m at the mercy of my husband and his complete control over the the remote so I just let him take over the recommendations in the home. He’s got great taste, I mean, he found me . But sometimes variety is the spice of life so I look to the web for recommendations outside my little world. Below are my top lists of things that I have fallen in love with over the past year. What did you find out about this year that you feel like sharing with me? Tell me in the comments or @ me on Twitter.
Top 5 Albums of 2008 I pulled these from my play counts compiled by my Last.fm & Zune.net accounts.
Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple Santogold – Santogold Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping IAMX – The Alternative Dead Confederate – Wrecking Ball
The Dark Knight – The last, and a great performance by Heath Ledger, can’t say the same for Christian Bale. Milk – Great look into GLBT history, Harvey Milk is our MLK. Wall-E – Simply the MOST stunning Sci-Fi film ever. Kung Fu Panda- Another out of left field, really funny movie that appeals to adults and children alike. Hancock – Surprisingly funny, refreshing to finally see Will Smith be a dick.
Top 5 Fun Movies
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay – A must see for those who saw the first, or if you are a current or former pot head. Wanted – No holds barred action film with the same director that did Night Watch / Day Watch. Step Brothers- had me ROFLOL in the first 5 mins and for the rest of the film. House Bunny – Seriously, it will make you laugh. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), and Russell Brand, who was actually funny in this movie, unlike his appearance on MTV.
Top 5 Software / Tools
Twitter - After having an account for 7 months before I actually started using it, I’ve finally figured out how to use it and now I’m hooked. my account
Launchy- I don’t need icons anymore thanks to this free piece of software.
Digsby- I ditched the bug laden IM program Pidgin for this all in one piece of add free software and now I’m loving it.
Firefox 3 – If you are still using Internet Explorer on your home computer you are an idiot. ( I understand if you can’t use it on your work computer) If you need to be educated on why Firefox is awesome watch this video. Google Reader – Forget actually visiting sites to see new content, make your own “newspaper” with Google Reader & the RSS feeds from the sites you visit, you’ll get addicted.
Top 5 (nah, just 2) Concerts
Both of these concerts were visually stunning, they will stick in my mind as some of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Nine Inch Nails – Lights in The Sky Tour
Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping Tour
Top 5 TV Shows
Little Britian USA – The UK version is just as funny.
The I.T. Crowd – UK is on season 3, but you can catch it on IFC currently showing season 2.
Dexter - I promise, you will be cheering on a serial killer by the time you finish your first episode ( you can rent the first 2 seasons, season 3 just finished airing)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - This show is a little over the top with drama, but the visuals are great for a TV series, plus it’s available to watch in full on Hulu.com
Chuck – Currently on season 2 (you can watch on Hulu.com ), rent season 1. It’s consistently funny and well written.
. But sometimes variety is the spice of life so I look to the web for recommendations outside my little world. Below are my top lists of things that I have fallen in love with over the past year. What did you find out about this year that you feel like sharing with me? Tell me in the comments or @ me on