Top 5 Live Bands of 2013

I've probably seen less bands than I would have liked to this year. Harvest being cancelled didn't help things. Next year one of my goals is to get out and see more local music like I used to. There was some great stuff that I did manage to catch though. So now that's it's the end of the year, it's time to post my top 5 favourite live shows I saw during 2013.

5. Little Bastard

I went out to the Great Britain in Richmond one night for a friends drinks (might have been a birthday?) and there just happened to be this band playing. They were so good that I ended up having to move away from my group of friends and give the band my full attention. Really enjoyable night and I hope to see them again sometime.

4. Polyphonic Spree

Polyphonic Spree came out to Melbourne yet again, the time for Melbourne festival and they played 3 nights. I went along to the first and was blown away by them. I don't think they will ever be as great as the first time I saw them down in St. Kilda but they were much better this time than when they played at the forum. A very enjoyable evening.

3. You Am I

One of my top 5 favourite albums of all time is Hourly, Daily by You Am I so when they toured playing that whole album along with Hi-Fi Way I couldn't miss it. They played Hourly, Daily first which surprised me and it brought back some great memories of the mid 90s and was really great to see live again along with an audience of like-minded people. Had a great night.

2. Jens Lekman

It had been a while since I had last seen Jens Lekman play and I had forgotten how charming and amazing his music and he can be. This show took place in a converted car park, which sounds terrible but it was an amazing night. Out under the stars, so close to the city, on Valentines Day listening to many perfect songs. A wonderful evening.

1. Sonny and the Sunsets

I was conflicted when I saw that Sonny and the Sunsets were playing on the same night as Neutral Milk Hotel. I love them both so much but in the end I thought it more likely that NMH wouldn't ever come out again and so I got tickets to see them. They were great and everything but I was still sad to have missed Sonny and the Sunsets. A day or so later I checked their twitter account and discovered they were doing a secret show in Clifton Hill the following Monday, and it was free! I was immediately very excited and made sure I was there in time. I drove so only had one drink and even though it was "secret" the tiny venue was packed. I stayed close to the front while the people I was there with just sat outside and had a few drinks. They played a lot of stuff I didn't know, and some I did know, but I loved it all. A great night packed full of fans of a great band. A great atmosphere. So glad I got to see them play and can't wait to catch them again another time.

My top 5 albums of 2013

It's that time of year again where I have to think about my favourite albums of the year. For me it's been a good year for music and I feel like I have not given enough attention to a lot of good stuff. Could have put together a top 20 there was so many great album but I'm going to stick to five because that's how I usually do it and that's an easy amount for others to check out if you're interested in giving any you don't know a listen.

5. Yo La Tengo - Fade

Sorry Arcade Fire, this was kind of close but I like this album more. This album doesn't really have any of the great Yo La Tengo rock-outs that I love but every track is good or great and a good listen all the way through.

4. The Polyphonic Spree - Yes, It's True

A huge improvement on their last album. Great that they still haven't lost it.

3. Noah and the Whale - Heart Of Nowhere

Very easy album to listen to, catchy and fun and enticing. Feels so familiar even after just a listen or two. Always a good option to put on when you don't know what you feel like listening to.

2. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

I don't mind Daft Punk occasionally but I never thought I'd put them in one of these lists. It was hard to miss the hype of the launch of this album and 'Get Lucky' was just so catchy and played a lot that it was hard not to love. I gave the album a listen on Spotify thinking maybe it would be ok. I was surprised to discover that it was a lot more than 'OK', it was 'Great', and my second favourite album of the year.

1. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

As soon as I heard this I knew it was my favourite of the year. I like Neko Case's earlier albums but this one I immediately loved more than any of the others. A great album from start to end.

Special mention to Sonny and the Sunsets, whose album release this year I still haven't got around to giving a good listen and if their last album 'Longtime Companion' was released this year it would have been number one on this list. I heard it for the first time this year but it was released in 2012 so technically can't be on here. Great album though. Highly recommend it.