Monday, December 09, 2013

50 Best Songs of 2013

It's that time of the year again to look back and reminisce on the year that has passed. Oh, what a year it has been and boy, did time fly by real fast. Now that Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Stereogum have all released their Best-Of lists, I decided to join in on the fun.

2013 has been a year of bands coming back from long breaks like Daft Punk, My Bloody Valentine, Mazzy Star, and Black Sabbath. There were also amazing second and third albums from The Dubs (Vampire Weekend), MGMT, Local Natives, Surfer Blood, Grouplove, Best Coast, M.I.A., and many more. There's so many great music produced this year and I'm so glad I was able to absorb at least a percentage of it. I have so many albums that I wish I'd given more time to listen to like Laura Marling's Once I Was An Eagle that barely got playtime on my iTunes, or Noah and the Whale's Heart Of Nowhere that has probably only plays for There Will Come A Time, or Blood Orange(aka Dev Hynes)'s Cupid Deluxe, which I haven't even gotten myself to pressing that play button yet. There's so many things I want to listen to but sometimes my mood just tells me to play that Bastille record one more time. So, I'm saying sorry now for not having any of the aforementioned artists on my list but it's still a pretty good list.

But before that, I have to mention that my babies, Vampire Weekend, were given the number one spot on Rolling Stone's Best Album of 2013. I can't help but be all proud and happy for them because I know it has been a real journey for the completion of this masterpiece called Modern Vampires of the City. These young lions really took their time and it shows because of the deep and mature tone the lyrics have become since talking about oxford commas five years ago. They definitely deserve this spot and I'm hoping they win a Grammy for this because, as biased as this may sound,  I strongly believe this is Vampire Weekend's year.

Now, on to the list.

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Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Tegan and Sara: Live in Manila

November 25, 2013 - 7PM
NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio, Global City

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love music. 


So obviously, I must love concerts and I do. I always jump on the chance to see an artist perform whenever I can, especially if I really, really like them. The plan was to watch TDCC on the 26th but then sadly they had to cancel a few shows and Manila was one of them. Truthfully, it was a little bit of a sigh of relief because, being the huge fan that I am, I was planning on purchasing tickets for the concert the day before and also, I didn't have the money yet for said tickets so it was somewhat okay for me. I know, it's a self-centered reason but hey, I'm staying positive that they will come back. If I learned anything from previous cancelled shows, I'm guessing they will be back in 3 years, just like The Killers

The next best thing to that debacle was to see Tegan and Sara. I knew my friend, Yana, had free tickets from her company and I basically begged her to take me. It wasn't a sure thing until the morning of the concert and that sheer good news was enough to take me to my happy (and weird) place. I was listening to their songs all afternoon and every time their song Closer came on play, I got even more excited. 

Up Dharma Down was their opening act and they were amazing. I had seen them before at Wanderland but only from a distance but then seeing them at this show was so much better. I felt their music and I have grown to appreciate more of their music. 

Then Tegan and Sara came on stage and everything was amazing.

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