Hello. It is getting to the end of the year. Before the year ends, I will be putting together a list of my favorite albums, songs etc. of 2011… but before I do that, I would like to hear what you have to say first. I didn’t want to make a mess out of it by just having people message me so what I did was organize it into a poll of choices of albums that I approve of, and I thought you might like. These aren’t necessarily my favorite albums of the year but some of them are. This list includes eleven acclaimed albums from new bands, old bands, hip hop, folk and more. I think that I have a nice diverse group of choices such that whatever it is you like, there is something on this list for you to choose. So, think of your vote as your favorite Anthematic-Friendly album. I know we are still waiting on a few potentially great album releases such as The Roots but I still think it is a good time to start the poll.

http://www.acepolls.com/polls/1238824-what-was-the-best-album-of-2011

No, it’s on the cover of their latest album so it’s just up there for show.

Not sure. Probably not anytime soon. 

Hope everyone has all their power back and is able to read this post. Clearly, that is the reason that I didn’t get the opportunity to write a post during the week. So, now that everything’s back to normal, time to talk about Chromeo. This is my second experience seeing this Montreal based duo bring their smooth bona fide good time to Terminal 5. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Dave 1 reference back to the show I saw back in February making me feel like I was an important fan of theirs.

Mayer Hawthorne & the Country opened for them. It was the perfect setup for Chromeo. Slightly more soulful and less energetic than Chromeo’s sound but similar enough for it to make sense. Sure it didn’t amaze me but the last time I saw Chromeo I saw Suzan open up for them. We can all agree that Mayer Hawthorne was a big improvement.

Although going in I thought I was going to be experiencing the same show I had already experienced, they cleverly rearranged the songs to make everyone think it was different. They opened with “Fancy Footwork” and played through “I’m Not Contagious”, “Outta Sight” and “Tenderoni”. Although they didn’t carry the full sound the way Cut Copy did at Prospect Park, they offered personality. Dave 1 had several funny tongue in cheek quotes such as “Time to get pregnant” and “You all Know about that Business Casual” leading into the track “Hot Mess”. In addition, at the very end of the show, there was confetti to help add to the fun. Some of the other highlights were “Momma’s Boy” and “Night By Night”. They closed the set with “Grow Up”.

So there was clearly a lot of showiness during this concert, which was a little distracting from the music. I still managed to realize that the two of them are very talented musicians and have some great songs. And on another note, happy 20^th birthday Loveless. Hopefully, My Bloody Valentine can give me something interesting to write about soon.

Usually around $40. It really depends on the show.

Yes. I will try because I have a lot to say about it.

CMJ has officially concluded. Although I am not official enough of a blogger to receive a press pass, I did find the time to check out some music this weekend so lets get to it.

On Friday night, to make up for not getting tickets for Radiohead’s concert at Roseland Ballroom, I went to a NYU theatre to check out Radio & Juliet, a ballet telling the story of Romeo & Juliet through Radiohead music. Some interesting song choices such as “Bullet Proof… I Wish I Was”, “Life in a Glasshouse”, “Idioteque”, “How to Dissappear Completely”, “Fitter Happier” & “Sit Down. Stand Up”. It was cool to see my favorite band incorporated into another form of the arts.

Now Saturday I got to see an official CMJ event. Going into a CMJ event, a music fan always knows to look for people in the media. I did but didn’t find anyone. However, my sister spotted Fred Armisen from SNL in the VIP section with his guitar. I arrived at Webster Hall just in time to catch the first act, EMA who was fronted by a female singer/songwriter. She and her band tried to get the small crowd that had arrived early moving but they needed a little time to help bring her performance to life a little bit.

The next band to go on was MEN and man did they surprise me. Their nerdy frontman contributed to a very dancy, pleasant sound. It was perfect to help get the blood pumping before CSS took the stage. However, when CSS came on, the night was officially theirs. CSS is a Brazilian electro-rock band who’s been in and out of the scene for a while. They played a relatively short set which spanned through their entire collection including throwing in most of their hits early in the show such as “Hits Me Like a Rock” and “Music is my Hot Hot Sex”. CSS brought the sexy, exotic, funky party to Webster Hall. With their desire to have a good time and their sense of humor, they got the crowd involved and dancing through the entire performance.

These next two weeks are big live music weeks for me. This coming weekend, I will be seeing Yonder Mountain String Ensemble at the Best Buy Theatre right before Halloween. In two weeks, I will once again head to Terminal 5 to catch another dance party with Chromeo.

Being that this was about a female performer, I will close this post by making a shoutout to Amy Klein who has left Titus Andronicus. Good luck on your other projects. It’s going to be a bummer not having you to break up the “boys club” mentality that can sometimes dominate the Indie scene when it comes to loud, rowdy bands.

It probably isn’t something that I’d pick up and buy unless it was physically on sale for $6.99 on Black Friday, but I do admire picking apart Eno’s production. Surprisingly, I think they showed a lot of restraint in some of their songs. “Hurts Like Heaven” and “Charlie Brown” I think are the two best tracks on the album.

I read a lot of blogs and rags. I listen to a lot of radio and new releases. By doing my fair share of research, I am finding good bands without big followings all the time.

It’s their first major label release and they don’t have a following but they’re working their way up.