December 18, 2009
Macklemore ::: photo by Kyle Johnson
[ For our 2009 end of the year coverage, we wanted to share more than just our opinion. We wanted to share the opinions of other folks who are involved in the local music scene in all kinds of vital ways. We wanted to share people who are important to our Seattle experience and who's opinions we value and are always eager to hear. Hope you enjoy the view(s). - abbey ]
Earlier this week we shared Seattle photographer Kyle Johnson’s favorite live music photos of 2009, today we’re bringing you this talented photographer and music lovers favorite albums of 2009.
1. Magnolia Electric Co.- Josephine
2. The Maldives - Listen to the Thunder
3. Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid
4. Why? - Eskimo Snow
5. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches
6. King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl
7. Dutchess & The Duke - Sunset/Sunrise
8. Wilco - Wilco
9. Built to Spill - There is no Enemy
10. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Vs.
Posted by abbey in Best of Lists
Tags: Best Albums of 2009, Best of 2009, built-to-spill, Dan Auerbach Why?, david-bazan, Dutchess & The Duke, King Khan & BBQ Show, macklemore, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Magnolia-Electric-Co., ryan lewis, The-Maldives, wilco
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November 25, 2009
King Khan ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
Those Darlins seem like a trio of chicks who probably shotgun PBR tallboys for breakfast. Considering our state’s draconian liquor laws they likely shotgunned two of ‘em before they stepped on the Chop Suey stage Saturday night. Young though they are, Those Darlins emanate a rock renegade aura not unlike the one a man named Kris Kristofferson used to cultivate, so on the surface they felt like an ideal opener for the headlining swagger of King Khan & BBQ Show.
For those who didn’t catch on to that demeanor right away, their slight stature and retro-chic garb wasn’t about to fool anyone into thinking they’re something they’re not either. Their songs reveal these three to be genuinely shit-kicking in a way most bands can only hope to fake. When Jessi Darlin settles into laying down some dirty blues rock riffs or as each of them take turns singing about grubbing down on a chicken they found in the kitchen, they sound like one of the boys instead of the expected: the refined fragility of a Patsy or the Hollywood saleability of a Taylor Swift. In goofing on traditional gender roles in country music, they’re also succeeding in making an old favorite of mine, the Dixie Chicks, look like a bunch of made for TV country pop pansies. Identifiably influenced by the likes of many a vintage country artist, these ladies deliver their songs with a devious glimmer to their eyes that indicate it might be wise to refrain from thinking about them as “ladies” or calling them “ladies” within their hearing at all.
Once King Khan & BBQ Show hit the stage, I realized I didn’t think about what I was getting into up front. These guys probably shotgun a Guinness (with a mushroom chaser?) for breakfast and much like a show from Almighty Defender’s co-conspirators the Black Lips, those in the front row have license to drunkenly lose their own minds “dancing.” The duo put on a passable show, but the set seemed muted and hardly daring, barely up to the excitement and expectation of the sold out house or even up to Those Darlins’ energetic standard. I blame the Kentucky State Patrol. They really did everyone a solid on this one.
Those Darlins ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
BBQ Show (left) ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
King Khan’s Fox Peen vs. Octopus::: Photo by Josh Lovseth
