Best of 2011: Our Favourite Albums By Other Bands

Sandro Perri - Impossible SpacesRich Aucoin - We're All Dying to LiveMy Morning Jacket - CircuitalMiracle Fortress - Was I The Wave?Shotgun Jimmie - Transistor SisterThe Burning Hell - Flux CapacitorHooded Fang - Tosta MistaBeirut - The Rip TideTimber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' OnIron & Wine - Kiss Each Other CleanDoug Hoyer - Walks with the Tender and Growing NightWilco - The Whole Love

I know it’s getting a bit late to do 2011 year end lists, but it was another great year for music, so I wanted to quickly make a note of the albums we enjoyed most.

Here they are in no particular order (except that Sandro Perri really was #1 …so good):

Sandro PerriImpossible Spaces
Rich AucoinWe’re All Dying to Live
My Morning JacketCircuital
Miracle FortressWas I The Wave?
Shotgun JimmieTransistor Sister
The Burning HellFlux Capacitor
Hooded FangTosta Mista
BeirutThe Rip Tide
Timber TimbreCreep On Creepin’ On
Iron & WineKiss Each Other Clean
Doug HoyerWalks with the Tender and Growing Night
WilcoThe Whole Love

Check them all out if you get the chance and support the bands making such amazing music! We’ve got lots on the go for 2012, so expect some new tunes from us as the year chugs along.

Best of 2010: Our Favourite Songs By Other Bands

Dog Is Blue #11, 8x8" mixed media on canvasAlright, 2010 is coming to a close very soon, so it’s time to wrap up the best of fun. We’ve already done our favourite band moments of the year in two parts as well as our favourite 2010 albums by other bands. All that’s left is our favourite songs of the year.

There were some real humdingers dropped this year, so it was tough to widdle down, but here they are in a very loose order starting with our favourite:

Ryan Driver – Everything Must Spin
Construction & Destruction – The Oracle
Born Ruffians – What to Say
Brasstronaut – Lo Hi Hopes
The Mohawk Lodge – Cold Hearts
Diamond Rings – All Yr Songs
Zeus – Kindergarten
Yeasayer – O.N.E.
Hooded Fang – Highway Steam
The Sojourners – Nobody Can Turn Me Around
Winter Gloves – Plastic Slides
Rich Aucoin – Brian Wilson Is A.L.I.V.E.
Broken Bells – The High Road
Boxer the Horse – Mary Meets the Pilot
The Beauties – Fashion Blues
Belle and Sebastian – Come On Sister
Spoon – Got Nuffin
Sufjan Stevens – Vesuvius
The Abramson Singers – Take A Camera
Owen Pallett – Scandal At The Parkade
The Gertrudes – Warm Wind from the South

There you have it. These tunes all killed it this year. Go hunt them down and support the bands.

Bring on 2011…

Best of 2010: Favourite Band Moments Pt.2

Dog Is Blue Band Photo By Luther Mallory

Picking up where we left off earlier this week, here are the rest of our favourite moments of the year (in chronological order). Oddly enough, these all take place in the final stretch of 2010…

5. Going Analog

This one may sound like a vague hippie sentiment, but it’s not. Digital is great—we sometimes just like to get away from the computer. Case in point, this year we started demoing on an old cassette 4-track, but then came across a great setup including an 8-track Fostex R8 reel to reel recorder with tons of tape and a huge matching 812 mixer. A bit of crazy glue later and we had an entire reel of new demos, including the live demo of our new song, “Tortoise.” Most of this is probably gibberish to you non-gearheads (like Laura), but I assure you, it’s awesome.

Continue reading “Best of 2010: Favourite Band Moments Pt.2”

Best of 2010: Our 10 Favourite Albums By Other Bands

Boxer the Horse - Would You PleaseZeus - Say UsBorn Ruffians - Say UsBrasstronaut - Mt. ChimaeraHooded Fang - Hooded FangSpoon TransferenceBroken Bells - Broken BellsYeasayer - Odd BloodWinter Gloves - All RedThe Acorn - No GhostForest City Lovers - CarriageThe Gertrudes - Dawn Time Riot

I never really understood musicians who don’t listen to music. We listen to a lot of it. Hell, one of the reasons why Laura and I are so jazzed to make music of our own is that we’re always so inspired by the great stuff coming out of our speakers.

In that regard, and in keeping with this week’s Favourite Band Moments of 2010 recap (the second half is coming soon), here’s a look at a dozen albums we couldn’t get enough of this year in very rough order:

Boxer the HorseWould You Please
ZeusSay Us
Born RuffiansSay It
BrasstronautMt. Chimaera
Hooded FangHooded Fang
SpoonTransference
Broken BellsBroken Bells
YeasayerOdd Blood
Winter GlovesAll Red
The AcornNo Ghost
Forest City LoversCarriage
The GertrudesDawn Time Riot

I’m sure we forgot a few, but definitely check these albums out—you won’t be disappointed! Stay tuned for our favourite songs of the year later this week.

Best of 2010: Favourite Band Moments Pt.1

Dog Is Blue band photo by Luther MalloryIt’s always a fun year when you’re in a band. Being the season of year end lists, we’ve put together our favourite moments of 2010. I should preface this by saying that our definition of “Favourite” is a bit odd, as some of our most-revered shows have been the worst ones—the sort that if you can get through and still want to play another the next day then you know you can hack it. Keeping that in mind, here are Dog Is Blue’s top moments of the year in chronological order:

1. OndaRock Compilation

The year started off with a bang as, after writing a great review of our debut album …Makes Ghost Noises, Italian music magazine, OndaRock, asked us to send a brand new song to be part of a sort of “bands to watch” compilation. “Hot Air Balloons (and Submarines)” was born. The compilation was a great collection of music and it lit the fire under our butts to start the next item on the list…

Continue reading “Best of 2010: Favourite Band Moments Pt.1”

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