I've never posted a Top 10 list before, but a combination of some free time, constant reminders of it being the end of year and a barrage of Top 10 lists everywhere, has moved me to join in the fun.

So - here's our own personal Lullabyes Top 10 Live Tracks from 2007, culled from over 50 full show recordings from (primarily) Dallas, Austin and Houston. Texas. Good Times.

Couple of notes - you can get the full recordings of these sets in the archives. A few haven't been posted yet - I'm sure we'll get around to it in 2008.

Top 10
10 Creature - Love (Mar 16th 07)

It took me 3 records to find Northern State, but Im glad I did. The girls came to Dallas in November, opening for Tegan & Sara. Im not sure how many of the 2500 kids knew who they were when they took the stage - but they got them all dancing along by the 3rd song.
09 Northern State - iluvitwhenya (Nov 9th 07)

A slightly different take on Owen's best known song - but still beautiful. Quite possibily the best musician I saw this year, Owen aka Final Fantasy, brings virtuoso level skills and combines it with modern looping technologies to create his unique sound.
08 Final Fantasy - This Is The Dream of Win & Regine (Nov 3rd 07)

This one was hard - I really wanted to put the track 'Leap Year' from the same show on my top 10 - both that and 'Clean Getaway' have been listened to countless times this year. Clean Getaway won the honor by being a track that was played at my request. Nice.
07 Maria Taylor - Clean Getaway (Mar 3rd 07)

Another hard decision. 'Chariot' was another favorite at this show - just a raw, powerful track. I never actually expected to hear Weatherman, Section Three' at any Page France show - so its inclusion pretty much made the entire show for me.
06 Page France - Weatherman, Section Three (Mar 17th 07)

Personal show for Lullabyes by the guys in Bishop Allen - this one was recorded with little stereo mics in a parking lot outside the venue where the band was playing that night. Its awesome - you can hear the cars whirring by in stereo.
05 Bishop Allen - Click Click Click (Jul 28th 07)

I went back and picked up every Sondre album I didn't already have, after this show. We need more happy, Norweigan, Singer-Songwriters emoting the best of '60s pop. Just my opinion.
04 Sondre Lerche - Sleep On Needles (Nov 15th 07)

I saw the Spree more than any other band this year, and could see them another ten times. The new album rocks, the live performances are just spectacular, and they manage to bring something new to the table every time I see them live.
03 The Polyphonic Spree - Its The Sun (Reprise) (Mar 17th 07)

First show I recorded this year and it produced this gem. I think this set generated more visitors to Lullabyes than any other this year.
02 Kevin Barnes - Harvest Moon (Neil Young) (Feb 18th 07)

and the no. 1 goes to St Vincent, for her killer interpretation of the Beatles 'Dig A Pony', performed on the rooftop statue garden of the Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth, during their "Modern 'til Midnight' concert series.
01 St Vincent - Dig A Pony (Beatles) (Oct 19th 07)

Rest of the Top 24 (Chronological Order)
Of Montreal - Gronlandic Edit (Feb 18th 07)
Grizzly Bear - Knife (Feb 27th 07)
Matt Wertz - Red Meets Blue (Mar 1st 07)
Ana Laan - Blanco (Mar 15th 07)
Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song (Mar 15th 07)
Bishop Allen - Flight 180 (Mar 16th 07)
Margot and the Nuclear So So's - Skeleton Key (Mar 17th 07)
Meg & Dia - Setting Up Sunday (Mar 23rd 07)
Abra Moore - Shining Star (Jun 23rd 07)
St Vincent - Landmines (Jul 6th 07)
Bishop Allen - Butterfly Nets (Jul 29th 07)
Eisley - Invasion (Aug 14th 07)
Cadence Weapon - Real Estate (Nov 3rd 07)
Dan Wilson - All Kinds (Nov 15th 07)

Here's to 2008!

Labels: top tracks

Here's the companion set to yesterday's post on Sondre Lerche.

Opening for Sondre was former Semisonic guitarist, lead singer and primary song-writer Dan Wilson. As we've mentioned several times over the last couple of months, Dan Wilson recently released 'Free Life' - his first solo record since the break up of Semisonic a few years ago.

Great set, my only regret was that I couldn't capture it from the soundboard - rather, I had to revert back to my trusty mics.

Featuring Semisonic classics (as well as the back-story for 'Closing Time' - you've got to hear it to believe it), the bulk of the tracks from his new solo record, as well as a song that he wrote for 'the Chicks' (aka the Dixie Chicks), the set was absolutely beautiful - and to be totally honest, I think that I prefer the live solo arrangements of the tracks from 'Free Life' to the studio recorded versions.

You of course can make up your mind! If you don't listen to anything else, be sure to grab and check out 'All Kinds'. Beautiful.

Enjoy.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Hand On My Heart
Breathless
'Dixie Chicks'
Easy Silence
'2 Things'
Sugar
Baby Doll
'Junior'
Closing Time
'Seattle'
Free Life
'Sing With Me'
All Kinds

Labels: audience mp3s, club dada, concerts, dallas, indie, live mp3s

So regular readers should already know I'm a big fan of Norwegian pop-darling Sondre Lerche.

Read about him on Lullabyes here and check out this older show we taped in Houston, back in 2003.

Dallas has been lucky enough to have Sondre Lerche visit a couple of times this year. Earlier in the year he wandered through with his band 'the Faces Down' in support of his closest-thing-to-rocking-out yet record, 'Phantom Punch' and played at the now-defunct Gypsy Tea Room. In November, he visited again - frequenting Club Dada with former Semisonic lead-man Dan Wilson.

Amazing amazing show. I'd seen him earlier this year at SXSW, it was an outside venue, with a fairly lacking sound system. Seeing him close up and indoors was an absolute treat and a much better venue for his fun and cozy shows.

Ever prolific, Sondre's put out two records this year - the 'fore mentioned 'Phantom Punch' and more recently he provided the soundtrack for the Steve Carell vehicle, 'Dan in Real Life'. The latest show in November was in support for this new soundtrack, and Sondre played quite a few of the songs from the record - though sadly we didn't get a solo take on 'Hell No' - originally a duet with Regina Spektor.

Fortunately, we did get an amazing rendition of 'Modern Nature' with a full-on sing-a-long from the choir-like ladies in the audience. I haven't heard an audience sound this good since Matt Wertz.

Other highlights include 'Sleep On Needles', 'Two Way Monologue' and his various funny anecdotes between songs. You can tell he was thrilled to have worked on 'Dan in Real Life' with at least 4 monologues on the experience.

Great recording of a great show. Enjoy.

Buy 'Phantom Punch' here - and the 'Dan in Real Life' Soundtrack here.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Don't Be Shallow
'Club Dada'
After All
Everyone's Rooting For You
'Faces Down'
Airport Taxi Reception
'Changing Strings'
Say It All
Maybe You're Gone
'Dan In Real Life' Part 1
To Be Suprised
'Dan In Real Life' Part 2
My Hands Are Shaking
'Dan In Real Life' Part 3
I'll Be OK
Dead Passengers
'Duper Sessions'
Human Hands
'Merch Booth'
Happy Birthday Girl
'Unreleased Track'
I Know I Know
Tragic Mirror
Two Way Monologue
Encore Break
'Dan In Real Life' Part 4
Modern Nature
Phantom Punch
Sleep On Needles
Outro

Labels: club dada, concerts, dallas, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

It's Free EP day! Dual offerings tonight.

First up, Cassettes Won't Listen drop 'One Alternative', an EP of fun 90s covers. Bringing a Beck meets the Postal Service vibe to old school lo-fi power pop, there's some jewels on here. I would have paid for this cover of Blind Melon's 'Change' - awesome.
Cassettes Won't Listen - One Alternative

Second, the Halycon EP from Canon Blue. Daniel James (aka Canon Blue) was nice enough to send me his CD lst month and I've had some time to listen to it and grow to really enjoy it. This follow-up EP is well timed and impressive. There's some serious precision at work here - the songs are layered, slowly crescendoing and feature strong instrumentation. This is fine musicianship coupled with pop sensibilities. And was recording in his bedroom last month - impressive home recording, the production is solid.
Canon Blue - Halcyon EP

On a side note - if you are wondering what Halcyon means, hears a snippet of Daniel's letter that comes with the EP.

The story goes that in the old days, during the winter solstice, all the oceans in the world would lay calm and the bad weather would subside. It was then that the kingfisher bird would fly out into the open sea to build its nest and lay its eggs, believing they would hatch in time before the waves began to rise again. This time came to be known as the halcyon days.

I think the implied sense of hope in this explanation sums up the tunes perfectly.

So I discovered Clare and the Reasons last weekend. An email arrived and told me of a European tour with St Vincent - which immediately piqued my curiousity. I figured someone that was touring with Anne would at least be interesting.

I clicked through to their MySpace and listened to Pluto then Pluton - different versions of the same song, first song in English then in French.

Now, how to describe Clare and the Reasons... The first thing that strikes you is that they sound like they belong in a much earlier decade of the twentieth century. There's something decidedly "Flapper-esque" about the music and Clare's unique vocals. When you listen to them, you can almost imagine being in a 1920's prohibition era NYC nightclub - listening to the 7-piece and beautiful vocals capturing the room.

So, within a day I'd got their record, 'The Movie' and was listening to it over and over again. I was particularly stuck on one song - 'Nothing Nowhere', which features the blogospheres seemingly favorite son - Sufjan Stephens.

'Nothing Nowhere' immediately went into my top 5 songs for the year - not only because its a fairly stunning piece of work (especially after the 1:40 mark) but that it comes across as what should have been the best Page France song on the follow up to their 'Hello, Dear Wind' record. You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

On a side note - I was stuck without this song for a few hours while at another computer, and looked for it on the Hype Machine with no luck. Maybe I have the pleasure of being the blog that introduces this track?

MP3:
Clare and the Reasons - Nothing Nowhere

I'd venture so far to say this is the best record I've gotten all year. Buy the record here.

Tour Dates:
Fri 11/30/07 London, UK Bush Hall
Sat 12/01/07 London, UK Luminaire
Mon 12/03/07 Manchester, UK Ruby Lounge
Tue 12/04/07 Brighton, UK Freebutt
Wed 12/05/07 Oxford, UK Carling Academy Oxford
Thu 12/06/07 London, UK Slaughtered Lamb
Fri 12/07/07 Birmingham, UK Glee Club
Sat 12/08/07 Leicester, UK TBA
Mon 12/10/07 Paris, FRA La Maroquinerie
Tue 12/11/07 Paris, FRA Point Ephemere

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates