Saturday, January 04, 2014

looking back

it is around this time of year that i stop and ponder the year just gone, although as i've said before i am not so fond of writing lists (but i manage to do it sometimes, see here and here).

in 2013, i don't think i went to as many gigs as usual (there was a lot i didn't get to, despite having a ticket: my biggest regret? probably not getting to phosphorescent at bitterzoet for no good reason in particular other than sometimes i'm not in the mood to go to another gig on my own; & i was sad i didn't get to hear efterklang call my name out at the amsterdam gig in january!), and i certainly didn't take as many photos at gigs as a result, but i did do more writing/talking about (nordic) music, so it's not surprising a couple of my lists are nordic-related (yeah... i don't 'do' lists ordinarily, but if i'm going to, i may as well not do one, or two, but three!! right??)...



my top 5 gigs:
-volcano choir at paradiso (this gig was bonkers, they practically raised the roof!)
-efterklang at eurosonic (little did i know this would be my last time seeing them!) (pic of my first NL show)
-daniel norgren at paradiso (small room) (pics) (this gig was life affirming!)
-asgeir at bitterzoet (i'd been impressed at eurosonic but this was more intimate, and i got some great shots!)
-burning hearts at nordic delight festival (pics) (i loved their 2012 album and was finally happy to get to see them live, not once but twice in february!)

(& if it wasn't for the 'sound of the dutch underground' night at melkweg, i wouldn't have discovered nouvelle vague, my new fave dutch band)



my top 5 (recorded) musical moments of 2013 by nordic artists (see more explanations of this list here):
-indians (DK) - somewhere else
-alice boman (SE) - skisser
-daniel norgren (SE) - buck
-small feet (DE) - liar behind the sun
-junip (SE) - junip



my top 5 (non-nordic) records of 2013 (listed alphabetically):
-daughter - if you leave
-moonface - julia with blue jeans on
-phosphorescent - muchacho
-tunng - turbines
-volcano choir - repave

(& special mentions to these nordic albums: sin fang (IS) - flowers; tilbury (IS) - northern comfort; & this is head (SE) - the album id)



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