Totally Unauthorized Presents: the Top 10 Live Shows of 2012

It's always fun to debate who put out the best albums of each year, and what the best singles were. But it is never wise to lose focus of which bands put it all out there when it counts, and which ones don't. After spending the past year canvassing the best acts to cross Nashville's city limits, these are the 10 bands who put on the best shows this year.

10. Zammuto 

June 27 at Ryman Auditorium

Nick Zammuto, coming off his success from Books, needed an outlet to project his weird and wacky ways and has more than delivered with his eponymous band. Serving as the opener to Explosions in the Sky, they claim the distinction of being the only opening act to make this list. Mr. Zammuto showed great innovation, using mass media and technology as a supplement to his band's performance  A marquee projected videos designed to complement their songs; one clip showed a guy doing tricks with a tech deck skateboard, while another featured a Christmas tree catching on fire. Highly technical and offbeat drum patterns laid the foundation for Zammuto's sound, which ranged from rock music with funky digitized vocals to hard edged raging rave techno.

9. Local H 

December 20 at Mercy Lounge 

This is a slightly unexpected pick, since this just occurred a few days ago. Yet it turned out to be the perfect capper for the 2012 concert year. Gathered before a sparse crowd at Mercy Lounge, Scott Lucas and Brian St. Clair pulled out all the stops to make sure everyone had a great time. Their dingy, dirty hard rock attack was simple yet effective. They had the crowd enthusiastically shouting along with the refrain of "California Songs," which jeers the oversaturation of songs dedicated to the Sunshine State. They joined in later on another song on which they were shouting about a high fiving motherfucker. It was tough to make out the rest. To cap it off, Lucas and crew preformed a cover of Rush's "2112" in honor of the pending Mayan "apocalypse," then capped it off with a demented performance of "Jingle Bells."

8. Graveyard

January 20 at Exit/In

With a name like Graveyard you might expect the sound of doom and death, but you haven't truly lived until you've heard rock like this. Graveyard doesn't try to hide their influences. Their sound is unabashedly inspired by 70s classic rock. Everything from the way they dress to the way they play to the way they rock is vintage 70s. Joakim Nilsson is a fiery, passionate rock singer with enough soul to make the devil salivate. With a high energy bassist in Rickard Edlund, a pulverizing dual guitar battery, and enough heart to convert even the most ardent critics of heavy music, these Swedes seem to have a better understanding of what makes rock music great than most American or British bands today do.

7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor

October 12 at Cannery Ballroom

Godspeed You! Black Emperor seemingly exists on an otherworldly, spectral plane. The 15 minute drone that opens each show seems much greater than the sum of its parts; it could possibly be a sound generated by a machine in the future, broadcasting through time and space. No one does a show like Godspeed. There are no lyrics, no spoken word, not even a microphone anywhere on stage so the listener is left to make whatever of the music they will. Their sound is not conventional. During the long droning buildups, it's best to just shut your eyes and let the music slowly surround you. When this nine piece outfit finally reach the crushing, crashing crescendos, however, it will be an experience unlike any other. The sound quality was simply incredible; no disc or Ipod could ever hope to come close. The 43 minute piece "Behemoth," along with fan favorite "Storm" from their vaunted Skinny Fists album were among its chief beneficiaries.

6. The Tallest Man on Earth

July 23 at Cannery Ballroom

To be frank, Swedish folk singer Kristain Matsson doesn't put on much of a stage show. The stage is rather barren, with only a piano, a pair of guitars, and the man himself. There isn't much to look at, and fanfare is almost nil. Does he need it? Please. Matsson exercises a unique command of his audience by weaving a connection with the listener precious few artists ever take the time to cultivate. His woodsy, folky, frontier melodies, his gentle guitar and piercing lyricism presents a portrait that dares you to not get lost within it. The moving elegance of a piece like "Where Does My Bluebird Fly" washes over its audience like ripples in a pond. Meanwhile, the cracking "King of Spain" is filled with such a potent, essential sense of urgency that it effortlessly creates the sort of static jolt that not only reaffirms we are alive, but that the world is a vibrant and moving place we should feel privileged to exist within.

5. Cloud Nothings

March 20 at The End

On their breakout album Attack on Memory, famed punk producer Steve Albini gave these Cleveland rockers a thin, icy, and cold sound; but that is a markedly different from how the sound the band had up to that point. In person, Cloud Nothings present a much heavier, rawer, and more muscular sound which drove the crowd nuts in the tiny confines of The End. In just over 30 minutes they ripped through the entire Attack on Memory album, presenting it in a totally new way. Dylan Baldi's piercing shrieks on "Wasted Days," the frenetic and offbeat drum patterns on "Cut You," and the crowd shout along invoked on set closer "No Future No Past" made for a wholly compelling night of heavy rock delivered by one of indie rock's best up and coming bands.

4. Kathleen Edwards

January 28 at Exit/In

There are few performers as passionate or thoughtful as Kathleen Edwards.. The Canadian folk/singer songwriter lit up Exit/In in January by pouring every drop of herself into her performance  The intensity is etched plainly all over her face, from the burning drive behind her eyes to the way her head shakes ever so slightly when belting it out. Ringing tracks like "Back to Me" hit like a gale force dervish, but she also showed she could excel at quiet numbers. One of the most touching moments came when the band left her side for a performance of "House Full of Empty Rooms," one of the most introspective and moving songs in her catalog. An unexpected surprise was the appearance of her beau, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, who overwhelmed the crowd with a volley of emotional guitar solos.

3. Beach House

September 15 at Marathon Music Works

Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House take the cake in terms of immersion and setting atmosphere. They don't pull anything fancy. Their set doesn't sound much different from the record, but any music fan with a pulse should thrill to be draped and shrouded in the sounds of Bloom and Teen Dream. Beach House are on a clear upward trajectory, with each album showing considerable improvement over the one that came before it. Victoria Legrand's voice cut through the mist and darkness with a ringing clarity and power, while Alex Scally's lush guitar work carted the crowd into a haze. They hit the essential tunes in their discography, from the effusive "Myth" to the booming "Take Care," while also providing several surprises from their back catalog. Without doubt, Beach House shows were among the most hypnotic experiences to be had anywhere.

2. Crystal Castles

October 11 at Marathon Music Works

The appeal of a Crystal Castles show is that it is like an out of control train whose brakes have failed, and the whole contraption is rumbling ahead at full speed. The crowds are insane, constantly moshing, thrashing, and gyrating. The core fan obsession is geared toward Alice Glass, who climbs over the barricade to crowd surf several times throughout the show. Giving Alice a shove to propel her through the crowd, and getting tangled up in her microphone cord are all very electrifying experiences. The music itself isn't too shabby either. Ethan Kath's beats range from icily dissonant to warm, full of passion, and fully emotive. The only downside was the sound wasn't that great. The low beats sounded fine but the higher pitched twinkling beats didn't come through very well. If not for that, this show might have taken the top spot. But what Crystal Castles present is an alluring frontwoman going farther than virtually any other artist to ignite a crowd, backed by some of the most inventive rave/dance electronica in recent memory.

1. Grizzly Bear

September 18 at Ryman Auditorium

Grizzly Bear's set at the Ryman brought together all the elements necessary for a fantastic performance. The first was top notch material delivered from an experienced, imaginative band in the prime of their career. For an hour and a half they weaved their blend of pastoral indie pop, complete with a dizzying array of vocal harmonies. There is a great sense of variety inherent in this material. "Sleeping Ute" and "Southern Point" concentrate on painting a rough, woodsy aesthetic while "Two Weeks" and "While You Wait for the Others" are clean cut bona fide indie pop hits.

Their set benefited from unrivaled art direction. Rich shades of purple lit up the stage while deep orange and red hues captured the essence of the season. The band also benefits from a standout frontman. Lead singer Ed Droste carefully tailored his remarks to fit his crowd. He commented on the recent college football game between the University of Tennessee and Florida, which took place while the band was playing in Knoxville two days earlier. He also congratulated a newly engaged couple in the crowd, while jolting the audience to their feet during key moments of the show.

And to cap it all off, it all took place in one of the most acoustically perfect buildings in the nation, Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Every little nuance of their intricately structured harmony arrangements, every flourish of Daniel Rossen's guitar, and every ounce of power delivered from Christopher Bear's drumkit rang through triumphantly. As a nice homage to Nashville, they decided to take full advantage of the moment by playing an acoustic version of "All We Ask," a divine sendoff to the best live show of 2012.

Totally Unauthorized 2012 1st Quarter Report: January - March

I've begun compiling my playlist for 2012, and the plan is to issue quarterly reports running down the best individual tracks. Here are the highlights from the first three months of 2012:

 

Alcest - Là Où Naissent Les Couleurs Nouvelles

With their blend of shoegaze, black metal and prog, French outfit Alcest has gained a heady reputation even among those who don't listen to much metal. The music sounds important; the opening riff and vocal work sounds like something that might be the soundtrack for a march into a Nordic battlefield or something. Crushing riffs are complemented by quieter, cleaner guitar work, and the agonized shrieks are offset by beautiful clean vocals. By the time the final notes fade out, you'll feel like you've experienced a lifetime in the course of a single track.

Cloud Nothings - Wasted Days

In raw post-punk tradition, Cloud Nothings bring us the tale of a life where each day goes by faster and faster, with little and less taking place. Dylan Baldi screams his heart (and guts) out on this one, punctuated by a blistering and bleak instrumental build up followed by some of the most raucous vocals this side of Sonic Youth. Make no mistake, it's the closest you'll want to come to the fallout of a life gone down the drain.

Kathleen Edwards - House Full of Empty Rooms

When it comes to living arrangements, Edwards makes a strong case for favoring apartment rental rather than buying a home. The Canadian singer/songwriter weaves a melancholy and pensive tale while describing a relationship that's lost its luster. It's tough to doubt the sincerity of Kathleen's words or voice here.

 

Goatwhore - In Deathless Tradition

Fast, unrelenting, and brutal, Goatwhore's "In Deathless Tradition" impresses by paying homage to blackened death metal's old guard. Louis B. Falgoust II delivers a ghastly performance, while the guitar battery grinds out one of the best riffs on the album.

Swallow the Sun - This Cut is the Deepest

Finnish doom metallers Swallow the Sun are renowned for unleashing a tidal wave of crushing rage, but here they opt for a softer approach. Mikko Kotamaki's ephemeral vocals float to the surface of the mix, while his band produces a lush backdrop that is melodic and moving. Few bands are capable of measuring the depth of your regret like Swallow the Sun.

Sleigh Bells - Demons

The Brooklyn noise collective's sophomore album Reign of Terror may be getting attention for a slew of pop singles, but this track is just good fun. Grinding guitars complement the amped up cheerleader shouts of Alexis Krauss, which lends itself to being a perfect track for sporting events or Zumba classes.

Brad Mehldau - 26

Brad Mehldau has steadily cemented his position as one of jazz's most exciting artists, and the arrival of his latest critically acclaimed disc is plenty of reason to jump for joy. The notes flow effortlessly from the keys of Mehldau's piano; his playing is evocative, thought provoking, and well constructed. Bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard lay down the foundation for joyous music that serves as the perfect soundtrack for the coming of spring.

Soap&Skin - Voyage Voyage

Experimental pianist Anja Plaschg is well known for composing erratic classical music, along with constructing a twisted bed of Apehx Twin inspired electronica, but her hallmark has the emotion she delivers to her music. "Voyage" sounds like it could be part of the soundtrack to a foreign film, with Plaschg's mournful wail setting the tone for an absolutely heart rending tune.

The Big Sleep - Four Wishes

Perhaps one of the greatest indictments of indie rock is that how often it forgets to rock. Brooklyn trio The Big Sleep seeks to remedy this with a slab of dark driving hard rock. Guitarist Danny Barria plays with speed and precision, while Sonya Balchandani seeks to hypnotize you with her vocal work. In the end, the only criminal aspect about the band is how delicious those riffs are.  

Link: The Big Sleep - Four Wishes

Brothertiger - I've Been Waiting

Brothertiger's Golden Years album is an exemplary piece of chillwave, and is also great springtime music. Thick, heavy synthesizer lines are paired with a shimmering, playful melody running over the top, and complemented perfectly with moody vocals. It's a fantastic tune to just close your eyes and drift away to.

Change the sheets? Nope. Voyageur is more like change the disc

Ottawa singer/songwriter Kathleen Edwards has steadily built a reputation of creating home grown folk and Americana. Leading up to the release of Voyageur, she seemed primed to make her biggest splash yet.This album has been drawing attention from all over the blogosphere for two main reasons. First, this is her first album since hooking up with beau Justin Vernon from Bon Iver, who is also the album's producer.

Second, and the main reason this album caught my attention, was for the lead single "Change the Sheets." It's a captivating and airy power pop track with breathy vocals that sees Edwards indulging the rather risque pleasures of "margaritas and sleeping pills." As lushly orchestrated as "Change the Sheets" is, however, it's not a great representation of the rest of the album. The instrumentation is much richer and there are many little effects added in that give it a zestier flavor.

The remainder of Voyageur generally features a much more stripped down and quieter sound, which unfortunately doesn't work as well as one might have hoped.

She does a nice job with the slow ballads. "House Full of Empty Rooms" tells of a relationship that has begun to lose a bit of its magic, and it comes across as very moody and pensive. "A Soft Place to Land" and "Going to Hell" can also certainly stir up a few emotions. The main issue with Voyageur is that Edwards doesn't sing with much of a sense of passion.

The remaining tracks are tuneful enough, but when the focal point of your music is the voice and writing, sometimes you need to have some bite. The album as a whole is lacking in terms of drive or energy. A cursory glance at previous albums will turn up tracks like "Back to Me," which captured a great biting spirit. Nor will you find any of the organic feel that made tracks like "6 O'clock News" suck a winner.

"Comedian/Chameleon," which tells of a person who tries to hide their insecurities by acting like a comedian, may be the most lyrically visceral track on Voyageur. But it doesn't register the kind of kick that you need for a song like this.

Lyrically, Edwards tends to paint a lot of imagery and use a great deal of metaphor, a bit of a departure from her earlier works. Songs like "Alicia Ross" and "Asking for Flowers" from her previous album tended to be much more direct and to the point, but here she tends to beat around the bush and it certainly causes the album to lose a bit of immediacy.

So what's gone wrong here? By listening to Voyageur, one could easily conclude that Edwards has lost her fire. But her previous work and her blistering live performances clearly indicate such is not the case. Perhaps Mr. Vernon's production work must bear some of the blame?

He's not known for being a firebrand himself, instead being much better known for his quaint, log cabin in the woods type of sound. If that's what he was going for, he missed the mark. The production work is too crisp, clear and clean to capture that pastoral sound made famous by the Bon Iver records. Rather, he's only succeeded in engineering a work that sounds dull, bland and lifeless.

Voyageur isn't quite what I would call a bad album. It's certainly listenable, and occasionally catchy. But the core values of being a folk based singer/songwriter is that you've got to have something to say, and a spark that draws people to your persona. A bit of gravel in your guts and spit in your eye, if you will. Unfortunately, Voyageur simply doesn't present me with a reason to care.

Score: 76/100

Kathleen Edwards' hand crafted folk explosion igntes Exit/In stage

Singer/Songwriter Kathleen Edwards tears up Exit/In.

It's not often that I make the trip to see Canadian singer/songwriters, but I sensed something special in Kathleen Edwards. The Ottawa native caught my eye with the single "Change the Sheets," a hook driven power pop affair nestled in a luscious bed of organic instrumentation.

Her recently released Voyager album has been drawing more attention for who was in the production booth than it had for its actual content. The fact that Bon Iver's Justin Vernon was the album's producer has caused this album to generate much more of a buzz than it likely would have otherwise.

If you're wondering if Edwards delivers a similar recorded in a log cabin type of feel, well, the answer is yes and no. She measures each word carefully and thoughtfully, placing near as much emphasis on the message she's trying to get across as she does on the actual music itself. The result was that Voyager presented itself as a very thoughtful record, if a tad bit on the safe side. But her Jan. 28 performance at Exit/In would paint a different picture, as Edwards swept the crowd away in a gale force whirling dervish.

Fellow Canadian and opening act Hannah Georgas kept the seat warm for Edwards with a serving of plucky pop/rock. I see a girl step on to the stage in brown hiking boots, sporting bangs of burnt auburn with curls that cascade down to her shoulders. She is clad in the type of getup that suggests she may have just finished a trek through the cross Canadian ragweed.

Her music is characterized by heartfelt vocals over top of light, breezy pop music, as she gently plucks the strings of her Harmony Stratotone. Her guitar playing is generally subdued, but when she lets the full energy of each chord ring out, as she did on "Enemies," the results are striking. Other highlights incldue "Millions," which smartly captures a sense of financial angst, and she also pulled off an upbeat, bouncy cover of John Maus's "Hey Moon."

There's a  legion of twentysomething chicks armed with pen and pad who have plenty of issues to get off their chest, and Georgas didn't particularly distinguish herself from that crowd on this night. But why let that bother us as long as the music is just plain fun?

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon lays it all on the line.

As soon as Edwards appeared she left no doubt about what type of statement she was trying to make, announcing that her dress is a bit see through. "Sorry," she says, in a tone that suggests she's anything but.

Her set kicked off with the dramatic one two punch of "Empty Threat" and "Comedian/Chameleon," the first two tracks from the Voyageur album. "Comedian/Chameleon" in particular is interesting because it tells the story of a person who tries to hide their true selves by making jokes and acting like a comedian. She exposes the superficiality of such behavior by singing, "I don't need a punchline."

Elsewhere, "6 O'Clock" presented a nice small town, alt-country shuffle, while Edwards really got her feathers ruffled on the stinging "Back to Me." But the most elegant moment of the evening may have come when the band left her side to allow Edwards to give a solo performance of "House Full of Empty Rooms."

She prefaced it by explaining that the inspiration for the song came when she once owned a house that was much larger than she needed, which left many of the rooms empty and vacant. She began wondering what to do with a house full of empty rooms -- which gave rise to the theme of the song. Her quiet performance allowed the full impact of the song to fully resonate throughout the room.

Near the end of the show, we were all in for a great treat when the man himself Justin Vernon made a surprise appearance. Many fans and critics get up in arms over Vernon for his singing and songwriting skills, but at Exit/In Vernon reminded us that he's also a great guitarist. He delivered soul filled solos on "Goodnight California" and "12 Bellevue," his body twisting and jerking as he poured out every drop of emotion.

By show's end, I was more impressed than I can remember myself feeling from a show in a long time. The Voyageur album certainly demonstrated that Edwards is thoughtful, but live she reveals herself to be a firebrand as well.
Right away it's clear that there's something different about these tracks. Note wise they're the same, but Edwards brings a passion and virulent energy to these songs that was conspicuously absent from the recorded version. The intensity is etched plainly all over her face, from the burning drive behind her eyes to the way her head shakes ever so slightly when belting it out. It was evident during "Mint," when she suddenly jerked back from the microphone and violently slashed downward at her guitar strings.

There are more than a few chicks who try to be trendy by scribbling their problems onto a sheet. This is obviously a woman who's seen it, felt it, lived it, and is now trying to verbalize. And it will hit you how superficial the army of imitators are once you've seen the real thing.

We get it, Kathleen. You don't need a punchline.

Edwards shared a great sense of chemistry with axeman Gord Tough.