Rainbow Arabia & SoShy

I liked both of this artists allready in 2009 (there's something wrong with the spelling here, but.. no one reads this anyway ;) ) and I still like them, though I haven't heard many songs by them.

the first is Rainbow Arabia

Like their last.fm says 'electro-acoustic dance sounds and world music with the youthful energy of punk using an array of Lebanese synthesizers and drum machines, serpentine guitar lines, live percussion, and Siouxsie-esque vocals that are at times war calls while beautifully spectral at others'. They sound awesome :)

The second artist I'd like to recommend is SoShy

I have heard only 2 of her songs (one the collabaration with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland ? I'm not sure what his name is) and one on the soundtrack of Fifa2010, but I'm confident we'll here more from her very soon.

2009 recap

At first I didn't want to do a 'best of 2009' list, and then I did, and then I didn't, but now I do, so here we go ;)

With the help of my last.fm page this is my album top 10 for 2009:
1. Haley Bonar – Big Star
2. Mirah – (a)spera
3. Immaculate Machine – High On Jackson Hill
4. The xx – xx
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!
6. Dear Reader – Replace Why With Funny
7. Ohbijou – Beacons
8. Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
9. Jokers Daughter - the last laugh
10. the Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns

Albums also worth mentioning: Port O'Brien - Threadbare, First aid kit - the big black and the blue (which will officialy be released in 2010), Brandi Carlile - Give up the ghost, Bruce Peninsula - A mountain is a mouth, We fell to earth - we fell to earth, Major Lazer - Guns don't kill people...Lazers do, Jamie T - Kings & Queens and Isbells - Isbells.

I've listened a lot to Arrah and the Ferns this year, but their CD is from 2006. I also listened to a lot the Ian Fays but their album is from 2008 :)

Best debut: Dear Reader
Best single: Howl - Florence & the Machine, The dead dead water lily thing - Rockettothesky
Best concert: Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Werchter
Best band: T&S are still my favorite

So that's 2009.

Who/what have I seen live in 2009?
07/02 - MSI
20/02 - Emiliana Torrini & Asobi Seksu
25/02 - First Aid Kit
28/02 - Ray Lamontagne
06/03 - Psapp
17/03 - Electric Six
08/04 - Alela Diane
17/04 - Bishop Allen
29/04 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
06/05 - Metric
10/05 - Balmorhea
30/06 - Eagles of Death Metal
02/07 to 05/07 - Rock Werchter: Eagles of Death Metal, Placebo, Pendulum, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nine Inch Nails, Jeugd van Tegenwoordig
16/09 - Ohbijou
19/11 to 21/11 - Crossing Border: Tegan & Sara, Newton Faulkner and lots of little pieces of concerts.
23/11 - First aid kit & port o'brien

I've seen a lot of bands that are high in my top 25 last year and I hope to continue going to good concerts in 2010. For now I have tickets to Laura Veirs, Isbells and Why? so I think I'm off to a good start :)




I notice that I sometimes recommend artists on a first listen who turn out not to be so great the second time, so I'll tone down the recommendations a bit. No one will care cause no one reads this ;)