to close out 2019, here’s one last chance to spread the love! if you haven’t seen our Top 50 songs of 2019 or Top 25 albums of 2019, this will be the final entry in that trilogy. this is all in good fun, so i hope you enjoy it. these are the class superlatives you didn’t know you were competing for:
best album artwork: Fleurs – Shut Up.
what’s that doggo thinking about?
worst opening track: “Jake’s Backyard” – Intercourse.
take a listen, if you think you can stomach it.
best music video: Hellrazor – “Landscaper”.
there were some fantastic videos this year, with Mooncha’s “BLK teenz”, Similar Kind’s “Over There”, and Queen Moo’s “Gooey Functions”. but only one of these videos features a pentagram drawn out in semen, so, what can you do? (also features Stove!)
best album promotion: Decent News – Monolith.
NSFW (swears, so put in your headphones). but don’t listen to this guy, check out Monolith!
class clown: Fat Randy.
for the fourth year running. from their podcast to the annual Egg Nog Challenge (drink nog while running a mile in the winter), Fat Randy have proven that they will do anything for a laugh, even if it involves — especially if it involves — debasing themselves.
best friend of ct: He Was An Artist, She Was A Carpenter.
this special award goes out to the twinkly-and-technically-western mass band. what makes them a special friend of ct? they held their record release show here (in new britain), one of their members put on a all-ct-band show at their house venue (the congress), and they constantly play in the state, support our artists, and come through at shows. thank you, gang. i award you with this symbolic gesture: the keys to tom shreve’s house.
most likely to have seen at every show you went to in 2019: mohawk dan.
most likely to see crowdsurfers at the gig: Mandala.
if you’ve been to a mandala. show, you know the vibe. it’s a big party, and everybody is your friend. here’s a quick video of one of their performances at the (sold out) space ballroom in hamden!
coolest band: Jelani Sei.
if you’ve listened or seen Jelani Sei, then i don’t need to make the case for this. playing several shows in ct this year and releasing this video (featuring a cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that will blow you away), this band fuckin’ vibes. i’ve heard we might get something new from Jelani Sei soon, so be sure to follow their social media accounts.
best hair: Similar Kind.
ok as a group, it is hard to beat Similar Kind’s fashion sense. also wins award for “most likely to win pitchfork’s best new music” and “most likely to do a co-write with Beyonce’ “.
best stage banter: Andy from Lil Sluggers.
i really love Lil Sluggers’ music, but the added bonus is the stage banter. Andy’s smart, dry delivery and modest airing-of-grievances makes Andy from ‘Sluggers fun to watch. and Andy, while you are up accepting this award, stay there on stage because you also won “longest tuning break” for your solo show at the slum house in 2019. close second: Two Headed Girl, who asked the crowd “so, does anyone here like daytime tv?” during an awkward pause.
best ct music export: Charly Bliss.
close second: Dom McLennon (from Brockhampton). this is a very competitive category, with folks from Field Mouse, Palehound, Pet Fox, Mannequin Pussy, Lunch Duchess, Peaer, Horror Movie Marathon, all vying for the title, all with new albums out this year!
best band with no official music yet: [TIE] Sap and Pulsr.
come on, what the fuck yall. give us an ep or lp in 2020 please. i need it. i have feeling we might get a single from one of these bands in early january though… close second place is Cinema Stare, who are a little newer than the other two.
best merch: Sap.
at a show this fall, they showed up, put on a great show, and sold beer instead of band memorabilia. great idea — they sold out. i don’t still have my special Sap beer can, but if i did, i’d wait to put it on ebay soon after they release their first album.
most like a russian nesting doll: Crag Mask.
do you remember in The Dark Knight, when the batmobile gets stopped, and then it makes a whirring sound, and a motorcycle barrels out of it? yeah, the same thing can happen if Phil and Zayne accidentally step off stage at a Crag Mask show — it becomes a Shy gig just like that.
best reissue: Sketch tha Cataclysm + Deto 22 – Sharing is Caring.
for its 10-year anniversary, Sketch and Deto re-released this collaborative EP, complete with bonus instrumental tracks. it may have come out in 2009, but it still sounds forward-thinking ten years later.
most likely to break up on stage: Eel People.
if you follow their social media accounts, Rex Thurstan and Matt Falkowski are constantly kicking each other out of the band. that’s too bad, because they have excellent chemistry together. on stage at MAC650 this fall, for example, Rex kicked Matt out of Eel People for a few songs, and then invited him back into the band to finish the set. emotional rollercoaster.
most underrated band: Institution.
band i really like but am actually kind of scared of: also Institution.
one of the best social media accounts in the game. at the first gig i saw them at, every member at a “Soldiers of Christ” shirt on, and when they soundchecked, the sound guy asked the guitar player “hey could you turn down your amp just a hair?” the guitarist turned around, barely touched the knob and said “there. that’s a hair.” awesome.
best show/bill: the triple-record release show of Snowpiler, Glambat, and Shy with Evelyn Gray at MAC650.
i love release shows! they’re like tiny celebrations of music, where friends, family, and fans come together to celebrate an artistic achievement. this night was no different, with four incredible performances at MAC650. thank you tiny box booking for helping make this happen!
best individual performance: Sarah Golley’s As We Crawl… release show.
to end Golley’s 8-band deep release show, her performance featured a completely-choreographed set, a 5-piece chamber orchestra, and curated video projection. it was the most beautiful, moving show i saw all year.
weirdest show: David Liebe Hart / King Bongo / Fat Randy at the State House.
how many times can you say that you went to a gig and Fat Randy wasn’t the strangest band on stage? David Liebe Hart won this category handily, with songs about the new haven railway, alien insect women, and mid-90s celibacy. oh, and one of the instruments was a rigged donkey konga controller from gamecube.
most incredible one-off live show that you may have missed and if you did, i’m so sorry: Mooncha + The Quest Presents NRG (the musical).
it was a one-night-only event, but Mooncha brought their /N/R/G/ ep to life at the State House this past october. ambitious and imaginative, it also featured other local artists involved that you already know and love (like Indigaux, Elexified, and Glambat). i believe that it was filmed, but i haven’t heard if that will be made available, so in the meantime, check out this wild video for “Blk Teenz”.
best place to see your new favorite band: NG2BC in New Haven.
one of my very favorite diy spots, NG2BC is one of the best places to see new bands, both touring and local. Lung, Strange Ranger, Washer, Bushies, Anna Altman, Poppies, Hyper Enough, Large Print, Fckr Jr, Special Moves, Beverly Tender (RIP), Calicoco, La Neve, Water From Your Eyes, Talulah Paisley, Palberta, and that’s not even an exhaustive list, not to mention the fantastic local bands that play there. thank you spit-take for running the place.
best new diy space: The Church in Hamden.
this new spot opened up courtesy of [REDACTED], and it’s served as a reliable tour stop and practice/recording space. there’s lots of room, and the bands that comes through are great, but more importantly, you feel welcomed when you [the audience] come by. several big gigs already lined up for 2020, so be sure to follow their instagram!
best youtube channel: Mike U.’s “Music Clips CT”.
seriously, if you haven’t checked out his youtube channel, he records so many great live shows (many are even linked in this post!). i’m very grateful for Mike to have recorded these performances for posterity.
https://www.youtube.com/user/micyou03/videos
thanks for reading! and thank you for the love and support you have show ctverses this year — none of this is possible without the bands and artists you see above — their art is why i do this. see you in 2020!
