No, this is not my albums or songs of the decades list. I’m still working on one. It will be finished before Christmas!
Anyway, I’ll look back of what I listened the las 10 years. Let’s start.
2000. I was 7 years old and like most 7 year olds, I wasn’t really into music, exploring music and was listening to whatever my parents listened. Not really any personal taste at all. But what did you expect. My life was at that moment all about drawing and painting, something I still love to do.
I think my musical journey started at the age of 12/13. While listening to average ‘pop’ radio stations, I got more and more into a bit of pop rock music. Yes, I know, very different from my current taste. When I was 12, late 2004/early 2005, someone gave me a copy of Franz Ferdinand’s debut album. This was my opening to non-mainstream music. And I fell in love with that CD, that music, that joy, that energy. Still, great album btw. While listening to Franz Ferdinand, I got more into the Britpop. Let’s name some bands like Kaiser Chiefs, Editors, Maxïmo Park and more of that early generation. At the same time, I was also discovering ‘old’ music, and the Beatles got a new fan in me. I still like them a lot anyway.
While being an ‘indie-britpop’-kid for about 2 years, I accidently discovered someone new. Ben Folds. I downloaded his CD, because it got a great review somewhere online. It was the ‘Supersunnyspeedgraphic LP’, one of my least favourite Folds albums at this time anyway(but that didn’t really matter at that time, because I month later I got all his stuff on my iPod). I loved songs like ‘Learn to Live With What You Are’ and ‘All You Can Eat’. He was an opening to other non-mainstream, but still great music.
Around that same time, I went to my first gigs. My first one were ‘the Long Blondes’. It was a dreadful gig, but I got the ‘gig-virus’. I remember it was in March 2007 and I was 14. In April I went to the ‘London Calling goes Glasgow’-festival in the Paradiso, Amsterdam. A lot of so-so bands, but I loved it. A month later I broke my ankle and I had to recover.
My first ‘really great awesome fantastic’-gig was Ben Folds. Before Folds, who played in June 2008, I’d seen 1990s twice(a great party band but not fantastic), Kate Nash(My friend was totally obsessed by her and I thought she was OK, she was OK), another London Calling festival(again, not that fantastic) and to my first ‘real’ festival, Pinkpop(Kate Nash was playing too and I saw the Wombats who were nice). Anyway, it was June 29, 2008, when I saw Ben Folds for the first time. It was a very hot, sunny day, a few days after my birthday, the show started way too late and there was a line-up all around the corner of the venue to get in. We got a ’short’ show, but I totally loved it. It was fantastic. It was the first time I got this sort of ‘high’ out of music.
A few weeks later I saw Mika, who took the gig-idea to a total new level for me. All those balloons, dancers, etc. Great stuff, though I’m not really a fan of him, but it was gooood too.
Another remarkable event in my gig/festival history is ‘Festival deBeschaving’, a one day festival on august 30, 2008. It was one of the happiest days in my life. I cried during ‘Angus & Julia Stone’ their show, laughed during ‘SoKo’ and danced my feet off at ‘the Cribs’ and ‘Shout Out Louds’. I stuffed myself with Cotton Candy and other ‘bad’ food, and met Angus Stone, Ross Jarman and some other fantastic people that day. It’s one of those days that I wish I could do over all the time.
Angus & Julia Stone were so impressive and that’s when I discovered my love for folk music. Or more my love for great melody lines, simplicity and a pure sound. It was the start of the journey and the road that I’m still on.
I saw the Wombats a month later, good, fun show. My first folkband was in October 2008. Cocoon, in the small room of the Paradiso. I loved them, in a way I never loved dance- and jump-able Britpop. It was so natural for me to fall in love with it. But my first ‘real’ opening to my current taste was in November that year. Ben Folds, still one of my favourite musicians, played at this fabulous ‘Crossing Border’-festival. Before Folds(who was last that evening) ‘Fleet Foxes’ were playing. I know, there was a lot great out there that day, but I didn’t know anything of it, except Folds. I heard a lot about Fleet Foxes, so I came to the conclusion that they were definitely worth checking out. I did, and I definitely don’t regret. I fell in love with their layers, their vocals, their everything. I fell in love with their vibe. It’s not as poppy as Angus & Julia Stone or Cocoon, it’s deeper I think.
So looking back on 2008, I discovered a lot awesome stuff and I began to grow into folk music, still my favourite type of music.
While being on the path of Fleet Foxes, I discovered a lot new music. Bands like ‘Great Lake Swimmers’, ‘M.Ward’, ‘Sufjan Stevens’, ‘Iron & Wine’, name all of them. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t discover Andrew Bird that way. I discovered him earlier this year, in January. I was looking at the site of the Paradiso for upcoming shows, and there was his name, Andrew Bird. I thought, ‘what a funny name(thinking it wasn’t his real name)’ and went to MySpace to check out his songs. I immediately fell in love with ‘Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left’. This was my opening to even more weird music.
So immediately bought tickets to his show. Which still is the best show I’ve ever been too, which makes me love him so much.
Looking at gigs, 2009 has been a very good year. Starting with Bird in May, a few days later Franz Ferdinand(yes, I just had to see them at least once in my life), going to Pinkpop again(it was alright again), going to Fleet Foxes in june(fabulous show!), Andrew Bird again(in august), Lily Allen with a group of friends(see my review) and last month both Andrew Bird and Franz Ferdinand again. Yes, Bird made my year. He opened doors for me to even more unusual stuff than I was listening too. Think Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, Horse Feathers, Jesca Hoop, and more.
So yes, my journey/road of music starts somewhere half way this decade, in 2004/2005. I discovered my weird, personal taste and I hope to discover a lot more. For the next decade, I expect to discover a lot more great music. I expect to go to a lot more gigs, festivals, name it.
anyway, for photos I made through the years, please look at my flickr (link is on the left).
Yes, another Live EP by mister Andrew Bird. Sadly enough, not a Fingerlings 4. I’m still secretly hoping that that one will be released in 2010 (and his film music too).
Well, Ok. Devendra Banhart is already a rather weird, crazy person. I mean, he really looks like (and behave’s like) he’s from another planet. But gosh, I just read 
