I’m not one of those indie-chic girls. I’d like to be, but in all honesty, I’m not. I like the stuff you hear on the radio, the stuff that plays in the background of Grey’s Anatomy, and the stuff you hear when your shakin’ your stuff in the nightclubs. I went and saw Blondie during the Arts Festival (highlight of my summer! ) and I will go see Paddy Casey at the Roisin in January. My CD collection includes everything from opera to show tunes to gangster rap to bubblegum pop. My musical tastes are as wide and varied as you could imagine, so trying to put down on paper my favourite musical moments of the year isn’t an easy task, or a neat and tidy one at that, especially for such a brilliant year in music.
There isn’t much in Galway city that can compare to the atmosphere of the Galway Arts Festival. The air is electric, the sights are incredible, and the sounds are, most years, pretty incredible. This years’ Arts Festival, however, took the annual event to a whole other level. Between the big names at the Big Top, such as Blondie and KT Tunstall; the local favourites Alabama 3 and Cathy Davey at the Roisin; and some wonderfully unique worldly performances from the likes of Tinariwen, Mayra Andrade, and Omara Portuondo; it would be an understatement to say that the Galway Arts Festival wasn’t the very peak of this year’s musical calendar.
Although it would be an absolute shame to go without mentioning some of the years other brilliant live shows who aren’t to be missed when they return to the city including Messiah J & The Expert, The Kanyu Tree, Tucan, and the always incredible The Blizzards.
As for my album of the year, it would have to be, hands down, Jason Mraz’ We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. Not nearly as successful here as it has been in the US, it is my ‘hidden gem’ album that has been on constant repeat on my iPod since it first landed in my lap in August, and I strongly suggest everyone (including you! ) have a listen.
Coming in a close second would have to be Muse’ HAARP. A live album of their June 2007 performance at Wembley Stadium, it includes all their biggest hits and an atmospheric sound that makes you know it was undoubtedly one kick-ass show. And rounding up my top three would be Katy Perry’s One of the Boys, because, despite some serious overplay of her smash hit single ‘I Kissed A Girl’, this album is what the pop-rock genre has been missing for the last decade.
The highly anticipated new album from the Kings of Leon, Only By The Night, produced what has undoubtedly been my favourite single of the second half of the year, ‘Sex on Fire’, even though the album didn’t do for me what some of their previous albums did, particularly Aha Shake Heartbreak.
However, another exciting release, this one from The Killers, didn’t fail to disappoint. The band’s third studio album Day & Age, produced the hugely popular ‘Human’, and is full of more single-worthy pop-rockish songs you will undoubtedly hear throughout the pubs and clubs well into 2009.
And speaking of 2009. What do I, with all my criss-cross, every-genre-loving wisdom, think that the new year will bring in the way of a melody? Read on:
Most highly anticipated gig of 2009: Ray LaMontagne at the Black Box on February 4.
Most highly anticipated album of 2009: A toss up between Arctic Monkeys’ yet-untitled new album and Timbaland’s Shock Value 2, which is due out on February 14.
Best musical month in Galway city: July. Nothing beats outdoor concerts with a few friends, a few pints, and warm summer breezes. Galway Arts Festival 2009, here I come!
