Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
As Spinning Platters has managed to continue for far longer than anyone would’ve expected us to, so has this list. Here are records 11-30 from the first decade of Spinning Platters. For those looking to read #31-50, click here!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters’ Top 50 Records from our First Decade: 11-30”
By The Spinning Platters Staff
2017 may go down as one of the worst years in recorded history. In fact, I’m almost 100% certain of that. However, the best art is created out of strife, and 2017 yielded an especially passionate crop of records. So, without further adieu, here is Spinning Platters’ Top 10 records of 2017, as selected and voted on by our entire team:
If you can believe it, five long years have passed since the last time that Japandroids came to San Francisco and took over The Fillmore, and it’s been far too long of a wait. Their 2012 work Celebration Rock marked a pivotal shift from their laden-with-chaos-and-noise debut tunes to the triumphant, thundering anthems that their singles are now gleaming with, and 2017’s Near To The Wild Heart Of Life continues in this fashion, offering up a slab of pieces full of vitality and potency — this time with the extra sheen of studio magic. Lest you be concerned that the slick sounds of overdubs have marred the energy level that the Vancouver duo are famous for possessing, worry not: if anything, their chemistry has reached an all-time high, their precise delivery pairing magnificently with the massive walls of sound they can tirelessly deliver. If Japandroids were tired at the end of the tour, there was no sign of such weariness at this performance.
Several months ago, I decided, along with my girlfriend and a close friend, that spending Thanksgiving in Mexico City would be more fun than staying in the U.S. this year. We booked our flights, and made several fun plans, including a trip to see Lucha Libre on Friday, November 25th. We made these plans shortly before Japandroids announced their “comeback” tour of just a small number of cities worldwide, sadly skipping the Bay Area, but hitting Mexico City on Friday, November 25th. This, of course, meant it was time for me to accomplish the greatest show challenge of my life: a double-header in a foreign country, where I don’t know the layout, and I don’t speak the language. I had spent the past 37 years preparing for this moment.
Continue reading “Show Review: Japandroids at Bar Caradura, Mexico City, 11/25/16”
I learned from my mistake of yesterday and left my downtown Oakland apartment at 10:30 am. Instead of making my way to the shuttles at The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, I took the transbay bus and transferred to the 108 Muni line at the Transbay Terminal and used that to get to the island. It took my exactly one hour from leaving my place to my arrival to the Bridge stage. Which also meant that I got there early enough to walk right up to the barrier, and I got to enjoy some time with the group of hardcore Animal Collective fans that were determined to stay put all day. And a trio of hard core Deep Sea Diver fans.
Oakland is a blessed city for music. We have some of the best venues and best crowds on Earth. For far too long we were treated as the ugly stepsister to San Francisco. However, San Francisco seems to do a great job of attracting the type of concert goer that attends because they feel obligated, and simply hangs on in the back of the room with their arms folded across their chest. In Oakland, the room explodes. Case in point: Vancouver, BC’s Japandroids played a sold out show at The Independent last year. It was shortly after the release of Celebration Rock, an album that hit with near universal acclaim. And, of course, the whole room stood still throughout the entire set. However, this warm Wednesday night in Oakland was a completely different story.
Continue reading “Fauxchella Review: Cloud Nothings, Japandroids at The New Parish, 4/17/2013”
Concerts! Shows! Performances! And this week in the Bay Area, they’re extra-beardy!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/11/13-4/17/13”
Having been dubbed a “crafty veteran” by one local bystander, there are a few certain truths that I have discovered seven years deep into South By South West culture. 1) Always carry your phone charger because the battery will die; the ABC’s (Always Be Chargin’) as we here at Spinning Platters like to call it. 2) Delicious food is only a food truck away when you need to take a break and refuel in-between day parties and evening showcases. And 3) there will be both bad, and good bands at aforementioned showcases. The payout for waiting through a not-so-awesome band, however, can be an amazing, week-altering experience that leads to months of fan-girl-ing out, post-South By. However, this is all contingent on actually being granted admission to that one thing one wanted to see the most. There are still things to be learned and sometimes learned the hard way.
Now that we’ve all had time to recover from a week’s worth of sun damage, get our voices back, and forget about the hours spent driving through the lonely west Texas desert, it’s time to reflect upon another year of SXSW. While everyone’s experience is different under the Austin sun, these are my recollections as to the best and worst of SXSW 2013.
Continue reading “SXSW Review: The Best & Worst of SXSW 2013”
By The Spinning Platters Staff
Every website has a Top XX albums of the year list. This one is ours, and there is nothing by The xx on it. I mean, I really like The xx’s Coexist. There were just 20 records that came out this year that were better. Maybe you’ll find something that you missed?
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Presents The Official List of the Top 20 Albums of 2012”