2010 reviewed

Seeing as I haven't posted since April(!), I decided that I would start the new year by recapping the shows I saw, remembered and liked in 2010. I'm not reviewing or commenting on the shows, I will just create a list. I just wish to document those shows and artists I enjoyed seeing, and, clean the slate in the event I continue to blog in 2011. The following list is semi-chronological and not in order of preference:

The Fiery Furnaces & Shilpa Ray and the Happy Hookers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Earl Greyhound @ Brooklyn Bowl & Siren Music Festival & The Bowery Ballroom
Free Energy @ Brooklyn Bowl
Ra Ra Riot & The Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Zeus @ The Knitting Factory
Freelance Whales @ Mercury Lounge
The Uglysuit @ The Living Room
Tami Lynn @ Southpaw
Phantogram @ Mercury Lounge
Clogs @ The Bell House
Spoon @ Mercury Lounge & Radio City Music Hall
The Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl
LCD Soundsystem @ Webster Hall
Sleigh Bells @ Ridgewood Temple
The National @ Radio City Music Hall & The Wellmont Theatre
Woods & Real Estate @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Screaming Females & Surfer Blood & Ted Leo & Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Siren Music Festival
Marianne Dissard @ Joe's Pub & MoMA
Pavement @ Central Park Summerstage
The National @ KB Hallen, Copenhagen
The Figurines & The Kissaway Trail @ Super Vega, Copenhagen
Chairlift @ The Knitting Factory
Guided by Voices @ Maxwell's, Hoeboken

The Jesus Lizard

After a 10 year "retirement", The Jesus Lizard is back on the road. I saw the show last night at Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. I never really followed the band in the early 90's. My attention was drawn more toward the likes of Nirvana, a band that I believe shares a lot in common with TJL including a producer, Steve Albini. In fact, rumor has it that TJL was a favorite band of Kurt Cobain's and that he once refused to follow a TJL performance insisting that Nirvana play first. I loved show last night. The original grunge, post-punk. The music was fast and hard and surprisingly groovy, and, David Yow crowd surfed during virtually ever number. After a summer of Dirty Projectors, Wild Beasts, Yeasayers, and Grizzly Bears (all bands I adore by the way), it was nice to get back -- way back -- to something as raw and rocking as TJL. I never did get to see Nirvana live, amazingly since I've seen The Stooges, Pearl Jam, The Breeders, the Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins et al.. However, after last night's performance, I feel like I may have seen the next best thing.