Month: December 2016

16 Odd Ends from 2016

/ James P. Crowley / Leave a comment

Summing it all up.

 

Even though we’ve all been talking about how 2016 is the worst year ever, this year did see a lot of good coming out of it.  Don’t get me wrong, 2016 sucked, but it does seem like the arts flourished.  We got Stranger Things this year!  I’ve heard the new Star Wars is pretty good, and I don’t even like Star Wars.  I saw Brand New, The Front Bottoms, and Modern Baseball twice each!  Those aren’t bad things.  Since music is where my passion lies (and I’m not that original), I wanted to post BurgerADay’s official standings on Pitchfork’s normal and bizarre year end lists.

1.Best Lyric of 2016: The Front Bottoms-“Joanie”

            “I finally am what I am, a fucking bag of bags”


Although The Front Bottoms are stealing a page from Katy Perry’s book here, Needy When I’m Needy provided some of the most refreshing, fun songs of the year.  When Brian Sella sings that he’s just “a fucking bag of bags,” it’s absurdist but enticing.  It’s a line that you can’t help but to sing along to.  Unlike Perry, I’ve never “felt like a plastic bag/drifting through the wind,” but I’ve totally felt like “a fucking bag of bags.”

2.Best Rap Album of 2016: Kanye West-The Life of Pablo Continue reading →

Something in the Way Fest: Webster Hall, 12/14/16

/ James P. Crowley / 3 Comments

It’s almost not fair that one record label can have so many great bands.  Run For Cover Records has one of the strongest rosters in the indie-rock world now.  Just about every band that put out a record on RFC ended up becoming one of the must-hear artists of the year.  To name a few, Nothing, Crying, Pinerove and Modern Baseball each put out highlight albums this year, and on December 14th, they were all in the same building.  In addition to this year’s big names, Petal, Alex G, and mewithoutYou all had hit records last year.  When they announced a one-day festival that’s only their artists, it’s hard to turn down a ticket.  The inaugural Something in the Way fest was truly a special evening for the label and its fans. Continue reading →

Top 10 Albums of 2016

/ James P. Crowley / 1 Comment

Despite deaths and elections, 2016 was an excellent year for music.  There were so many great albums that it was hard to keep up.  That being said, it’s time for the most controversial list, where the top 10 are decided.  Take a deep breath.

10. Panic! At The Disco-Death of A Bachelor

When A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out first arrived in 2006, Panic! At the Disco was the most exciting mainstream rock band in the world.  Pretty. Odd. in retrospect, isn’t a bad record, but it doesn’t have the same life that Fever does.  In fact, the band didn’t even scratch that excitement until the release of the song “This is Gospel,” but on Death of a Bachelor, Brendon Urie sounds refreshed.  The faux Sinatra songs like “Impossible Year” are irresistible, but he really shines on the songs that serve as bangers.  “Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time” or “LA Devotee” are genuine pop hits, and P!ATD’s best records are still to come if Urie can keep up this output. Continue reading →

2016 Albums to look forward to in 2017: Albums We Missed

/ James P. Crowley / 2 Comments

There was a lot of good music that came out in 2016, and it’s terrible.  Of course, no one is complaining about the excellent tunes, but the greater amount of good music, the harder it is to keep up with.  There’s so much music that you couldn’t possibly give everything a thorough listen; therefore, here are some of the albums that won’t make my best-of list and may be on my honorable mentions list, but I still plan on giving a much more complete listen to in the end of 2016 and in 2017.

Continue reading →