Spinning Platters Presents the Official List of the Top 15 Albums of 2009

She's clearly got the best album cover on our list, but where did her album end up?
She's clearly got the best album cover on our list, but where did her album end up?

by The Spinning Platters Staff

The past month at the Spinning Platters offices (everyone telecommutes) was spent passing albums around to try to determine a staff list of the Top 15 Albums of 2009. We chose 15 because we had 15 voters, so maybe everyone would get one of their pet favorites on the list. There was a nomination step, a finalist selection step, a final voting step, some senior staff picks,  and then we had a list. No list is perfect (and we recognize that albums are still coming out this year), but ours is not only pretty darned good, it also manages to represent the wide variety of  musical tastes among our team here (i.e. some of us hate some of these albums). Now, read and enjoy The Official List of the Top 15 of 2009. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Presents the Official List of the Top 15 Albums of 2009”

Show Review: Arctic Monkeys with Screaming Females at Terminal 5, 12/10/09

Taking a clear photo when getting pushed by rabid Arctic Monkeys fans?  Nope.
Taking a clear photo when getting pushed by rabid Arctic Monkeys fans? Nope.

I’m in New York this week for some family stuff, and dinner went too late on Thursday night to try to pay over $100 for some Broadway tickets, so while looking for something to do, I came across the Arctic Monkeys show happening across town. A friend of mine had flown out from San Francisco solely to see their two shows in town, and I asked her what the scene was like, and she made it sound like a good idea. So my first full Arctic Monkeys set was going to be a spur of the moment thing. Continue reading “Show Review: Arctic Monkeys with Screaming Females at Terminal 5, 12/10/09”

Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 11.5 – Heather Locklear 1997

We're like the Melrose Place gang
We're like the Melrose Place gang

In Episode 11.5 of the Spinning Platters podcast, we continue talking about our favorite albums of the year.  We also mercilessly pick on the editor in chief, shamelessly promote the website, announce our next business venture, and say goodbye to a podcast member that gets voted off. Click the big button on the left to subscribe, or continue on to listen now. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 11.5 — Heather Locklear 1997”

Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 11 – Everybody Votes

We take this ballot thing very seriously
We take this ballot thing very seriously

In episode 11 of the Spinning Platters Podcast, our regular hosts are joined by six additional Spinning Platters staffers to talk about our favorite albums of 2009. Also, D.P. talks about his day at the SF Music Tech Summit, and we head gloriously off course, as usual. The recording session took more than two hours, so we’ve broken the podcast up into two parts. Come back soon for part 11.5, but until then, enjoy the show! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 11 — Everybody Votes”

Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 10 – Awesome Nog

Listen to find out what else goes into Awesome Nog
Listen to find out what else goes into Awesome Nog

Episode 10 of the Spinning Platters Podcast is technically about music in video games, but as usual, goes off into a million different directions. Hear us talk about bands whose names sound the same, take Twitter topic suggestions from our Twitter followers, and admit to embarrassing truths about ourselves.  Gordon, Dakin and D.P. are joined again by Carlos Rodela of Mevio, our first official recurring guest. See our topics and listen below, or click the giant button in the left sidebar to subscribe. Continue reading “Spinning Platters Podcast Episode 10 — Awesome Nog”

Show Review: Rooney with Tally Hall and The Crash Kings at Slim’s, 11/29/09

The "no camera" policy leads to another subpar phone-taken photo, this time of Rooney.
The "no camera" policy leads to another subpar phone-taken photo, this time of Rooney.

A collection of pop bands came to Slim’s on Sunday night to rock out in front of a small but extremely enthusiastic crowd, comprising mostly young women excited to see one of their favorite bands. Personally, I was drawn to the show by the appearance of Tally Hall, but was looking forward to a full Rooney set, having only seen them as an opener before. I didn’t know an important thing about them, though, which explains a lot. Continue reading “Show Review: Rooney with Tally Hall and The Crash Kings at Slim’s, 11/29/09”

Show Review: Deastro and Max Tundra at Bottom of the Hill, 11/25/09

Playing songs in the dark
Playing songs in the dark

Growing up, I always heard that the night before Thanksgiving was a big night out.  Supposedly, everyone was visiting and would go party together. Now that I’m older, I know that this is untrue, because I went to see Deastro and Max Tundra at Bottom of the Hill.  The fifty-or-so people who were there with me were the lucky ones; the ones playing Apples to Apples with family really missed out. Continue reading “Show Review: Deastro and Max Tundra at Bottom of the Hill, 11/25/09”

Gift Guide For Music Nerds: 10 Quick Questions With Brad Klausen

PJOwl

I first discovered Brad Klausen’s work due to his Big Business poster, and discussed him in my first article about rock poster artists for Spinning Platters without knowing who he was.  It’s a few months and a few poster orders later, and now I breathlessly await each new release from him.  For our ongoing series, the Gift Guide For Music Nerds, I’m suggesting that you go to his site and buy the music nerd in your life some amazing rock posters. So I asked Brad if he would do a quick email interview with us, and his responses blew me away.  They’ll surely do the same for you.

Spinning Platters:  What was the first work of art you did for money? Continue reading “Gift Guide For Music Nerds: 10 Quick Questions With Brad Klausen”

Album Review: The Bloodsugars – I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On

Bloodsugars

As soon as you push play on The Bloodsugars new album, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, you know you’re listening to something really good. The bass line comes direct from The Turtles’ “Happy Together” and the vocals use the old fashioned reverb, like the kind you’d hear in The Zombies’ “The Way I Feel Inside.” Those are some pretty impressive touchstones to start an album off, and this record doesn’t disappoint. Let me talk about some of the joy you’ll find within. Continue reading “Album Review: The Bloodsugars — I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On”

Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Guggenheim Grotto at The Fillmore, 11/13/09

This show is planned down to the last detail.
This show is planned down to the last detail.

Somewhere in Los Angeles today, They Might Be Giants are playing a show at which they’ll play Flood in its entirety. Shows where bands play the entire album are a bit boring because you know exactly what’s coming next, and most of the fun of a band like They Might Be Giants is wondering just what the heck will be played next. While you can see from the above set list photo that there’s no question what’s going to happen next, I like the element of surprise. Continue reading “Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Guggenheim Grotto at The Fillmore, 11/13/09”