Monday, December 31, 2012

Best of Music 2012

Alright, from my previous lists, you can probably see a pattern with my music choices:
Best of Music 2011

Yah, the same people are basically on this year's list as last year. Either they're all consistent or I'm getting old and my tastes are solidifying.

Here are my picks for the Best of Music 2012: (this year only singles made my top lists. No full album made the cut)

1. David Guetta feat. Sia - "Titanium" and various covers.
David Guetta and Sia created a supremely catchy song with a solid and shiny beat, but the song is in the number one spot because it works in every type of cover version. Many many cover versions. From Kris Allen's cover, to being sung in the shower by Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow in Pitch Perfect, Chris Salvatore, Boyce Avenue, etc. etc. etc.. The song seems impenetrable. And well, dare I say it? Bulletproof. It's Titanium.


2. Hedley - "Kiss You Inside Out"
Ok, so it's totally about sex, but Jacob Hoggard and his band are now what? 4/4 of late? and Jacob and sex? Yah, of course it's a perfect fit.


3. One Direction - "Live While We're Young"
Hey, they're young and they're flaunting it, and that's okay, especially when they give us the most peppy pop song since last year's "What Makes You Beautiful" (on the 2011 list).


4. fun feat. Janelle Monáe - "We Are Young"
Technically came out in 2011, but made famous and discovered by most (including me) in 2012. An anthem for the ages.


5. Adele - "Skyfall"
The best Bond Girl in ages. Seductive, sultry, and shaken, not stirred. A Bond theme song that actually made the movie better.


Makes every movie trailer better.


7. Maroon 5 - feat. Wiz Khalifa on "Payphone" and "Daylight"
Love or hate Adam Levine, he (and his band who I would not be point out if it were only them and Adam Levine standing in a photo together) creates some damn catchy tunes (minus the incredibly catchy but annoying "One More Night" which of course, is probably the biggest hit yet).


8. Demi Lovato - "Give Your Heart A Break"
"Sonny" manages to give a heartbreaking, but boppy tune that manages to hint at Demi's darker side (that the tabloids have showed) and still being a great pop song. The raspy voice is a nice contrast to her sweet demeanor.


9. Pink - "Try"
I can't believe I'm putting Pink on my list. I find she generally puts on catchy tunes that become annoying very fast. And maybe "Try" hasn't been out long enough? But there's something far deeper and more sophisticated in this song than her usual fare, and her voice and attitude seem like a perfect fit here. And as a bonus, it doesn't hurt to feature Colt Prattes (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway) in the video.


10. Kris Allen - "The Vision of Love"
What does it take for this guy to get a mainstream hit? Another terrific song, great beat, great voice, solid pop tune, but this never got much airplay, but it'll remain on my repeat playlist.


Honourable Mentions: (in alphabetical order)

Adam Lambert - "Better Than I Know Myself"
Artists Against Bullying - "True Colors"
Big Time Rush - "Elevate"
Brad Paisley - "Southern Comfort Zone"
Conor Maynard - "Can't Say No"
Eleven Past One - "The World Is Ours"
Jesse Labelle feat. Alyssa Reid - "Heartbreak Coverup"
Kelly Clarkson - "Dark Side" and "Catch My Breath"
Luke Bryan - "Drunk On You"
Lumineers - "Hey Ho"
Mumford and Sons - "I Will Wait"
Phillip Phillips - "Home"
Zac Brown Band - "Goodbye In Her Eyes"


Undecided - Love 85% of the song. The other 15% sucks:
Rihanna - "Diamonds"
Taylor Swift - "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
Justin Bieber feat. Big Sean - "As Long As You Love Me"
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out of Heaven"
fun - "Some Nights"
muse - "Madness"


The Best of Music 2012 List in Video format: 

1. David Guetta feat. Sia - "Titanium"



2. Hedley - "Kiss You Inside Out"



3. One Direction - "Live While We're Young"



4. fun feat. Janelle Monáe - "We Are Young"



5. Adele - "Skyfall"



6. Imagine Dragons - "It's Time"



7. Maroon 5 - feat. Wiz Khalifa on "Payphone" and "Daylight"



8. Demi Lovato - "Give Your Heart A Break"



9. Pink - "Try"



10. Kris Allen - "The Vision of Love"



_________________________________________

Best of 2012 Lists:
Best of Music 2012
Best of Television 2012
Best of Movies 2011/12

Previous Best-of Lists:
Best of 2011 Lists:

Best of 2010 Lists:

Best of 2009 Lists:

Decadeworthy - The Best of 2000-2009 Lists:

Best of 2008 Lists:

Best of 2007 Lists:

Best of 2006 Lists:

Best of 2005 Lists:


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com


More After the Jump...

Thursday, December 06, 2012

The Pursuit of Happiness - Ignorance & Tribes - Play Reviews

Ignorance - Canadian Stage at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
By The Old Trout Puppet Workshop with anonymous contributors
Runs until Dec. 15th 2012

Tribes - Barrow Street Theatre - Off-Broadway, New York City, NY - ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Nina Raine, Directed by David Cromer 
Runs until Jan. 6th 2013


What if one of those Epcot Center diorama's had a sick sense of humour? Ignorance is a little show about the evolution of happiness, all the way since the caveman days, presented with some clever puppetry under the dry narration that sounds exactly like a museum presentation, but all with a clever twist. The twist is the twisted sense of humour from the folks of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and it makes for a very sad, and sadly funny show about our human pursuit for happiness.


Using a method called Open Creation, taking in comments and suggestions from the web on their work in progress creation, The Old Trout Puppet Workshop have created a very dark, very twisted, and funny-but-awkward-because-it-is-sadly-true show that feels both slick (in a Disney way) and grounded (in a Canadian dry sense of humour way). Performed with bouncy energy (in adorable grey pajama jumpers) by Nick Di Gaetano, Viktor Lukawski, and Trevor Leigh, and wonderfully narrated by the soothing authoritative voice of Judd Palmer, Ignorance is a wonderful little show that has a morbidity that looms above the humourous tone. Parts of the storytelling could be tightened, while other moments of exploration (particularly the more modern character tales) could be slightly expanded (and milked), but at 75 minutes, the show feels right in length. Happiness is a tight play that knows its strengths and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and its puppets and design team match it to their sickly funny story.




In Nina Raines fascinating new play Tribes, a young deaf man, Billy, who has grown up in a loving, but quirky and opinionated hearing family, finally discovers another world when he meets a young woman Sylvia, starting to go deaf herself. While he wasn't particularly unhappy with his crazy family (just as Billy's grown brother and sister both return to living at home to their aging hippie-ish parents), he begins to learn new things about himself, and the possibilities of the deaf world around him after trying to fit into the hearing world his whole life.

The Off-Broadway production, directed by David Cromer, is a brilliantly tight show in the small in-the-round Barrow Street Theatre space (in a tight set by Scott Pask), using projections (by Jeff Sugg) and sound effects (by Daniel Kluger) that often bring the audience into Billy's world space. Working with the entire theatre space, Cromer moves the play in such a fluid pacing, while giving each of the actors room to find their core characters. While there have been many cast changes, Russell Harvard (who is deaf in real life) has remained in the role of Billy, and anchors the show in a splendid and emotionally gutting performance.


The play, which is about to hit the regional theatre circuit (including being in Canadian Stage's next season), is based in the crazy-white-family genre play (which to be honest, is getting to be a little overdone), but then throws a whole different wrench with Billy, a beloved son who begins to feel the family isn't putting in as much effort to integrate Billy into the family dynamics as Billy has. While at times certain characters seem a bit too overdramatic or overdone (particularly with Billy's father, and at times with Billy's anxious brother), the core of the play is such a fascinating exploration of family dynamics that some of the superlatives can be forgiven.

At the performance I saw, Susan Pourfar as Sylvia and Mare Winningham as mother Beth gave terrifically grounded performances. It will also be interesting to see the play re-done in various stagings around the world and to see how the dynamics may change with different casts, particularly in the role of Billy.

One side note about Tribes, is that it is almost the opposite story of a storyline in the wonderful family drama Switched At Birth (on abcFamily) and if either story interests you, it's worth taking a look at the other show for a beautifully balanced look at being deaf in modern America.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com


More After the Jump...