My 2013 Music Highlights

Songs (links to Rdio)
Get Lucky feat. Pharrell WilliamsRoyals - Lorde - Daft Punk
Stoned and Starving - Parquet Courts

Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys

Walk Us UPTOWN - Elvis Costello And The Roots

Man - Neko Case

Your Life Is a Lie - MGMT

Work B**ch - Britney Spears

Avant Gardener - Courtney Barnett

Albums

Dawes - Stories Don't End
David Bowie - The Next Day
Daft Punk - Get Lucky
Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
Arctic Monkeys - FM

Live Shows (no particular order)

• Coachella (esp. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
• Calgary Folk Music Festival (bonus - talked to John Fullbright about his Emmylou and Friends appearance)
• Dawes - Lee's Palace, Toronto (bonus - chat and photo with Craig Finn of the Hold Steady)
• Nick Waterhouse/Lee Fields - The Bowery Ballroom, New York
• Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and friends (Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, the Zac Brown Band, J.D. Souther, Damien Rice, Joan Osborne, Shannon McNally, John Fullbright and Shawn Camp.) - Troubadour, Los Angeles
• Dave Stewart and Friends - Troubadour, Los Angeles
• The Hives - House of Blues, Anaheim
• Palma Violets (opening for Franz Ferdinand) - Pappy and Harriet's
• The International Swingers - The Date Shed, Indio (Clem Burke hammers the drums)

Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2013

I made a playlist of Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2013. A few are missing because... well they just weren't on Rdio but I'm sure you can track those ones down if your a completion freak. I know I did.

So far I'm liking 100% of the female artists who are from south of the Equator.

I'm sure the compilers were biased and out of touch and that someone has a better list out there but I'm starting with this one. If someone has a competing list I'd be happy to check it out.

Soul Revival - Myles Sanko

I've been using Songza pretty regularly for background music at dinner and for parties. They use human curated playlists based on a variety of themes. When you login you'll get a statement like this. It's Wednesday NightPlay music for...  Depending on time of day, a variety of mood/activity options appears with multiple playlists suitable for each. I love music but don't always have the musical IQ to find music that might fit a specific situation. I tend to force my tastes on others but in my defence, the bands I liked in High School have had long careers and some now have satellite radio channels.

I have a weakness. If I see a band with a Hammond B3 and or 3 piece plus horn section, I'm gonna take a long listen.  I've been seeking out the Songza Sweet Soul Revival playlist on a regular basis. Songza uses a Facebook plugin for people to make comments. People are throwing out the names of similar bands and so far it hasn't gotten spammy. That's how I came across UK based singer Myles Sanko. High on You has fantastic vocals, horns, and keys. Hooks aplenty.