The top viewed, most incredible in-studio videos of 2013
December 30, 2013
The Current hosted more than 100 in-studio sessions in 2013, and that's not even counting the dozens of artists who stopped by our studios for Theft of the Dial, the annual Rock the Garden show we put on each year at the Walker Art Center (mark your calendars for Rock the Garden 2014!), or the local acts that perform at the MPR booth at the great Minnesota get together.
Of the sessions we've hosted in our studios at Minnesota Public Radio, these are the top videos of 2013, as viewed by you.
15. Dan Croll — "From Nowhere"
At only 22, British singer-songwriter Dan Croll has already kicked up a storm of buzz in his native country with his unique cocktail of charming, melodic indie rock and sleek, subtle electronic pop stylings. While attending the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, he won numerous awards and was even chosen to be among a select few students given the opportunity to meet Sir Paul McCartney for a one-on-one chat.
On the heels of his successful title track off From Nowhere released in 2012 and the imminent follow-up Compliment Your Soul, Croll has since released two records, In / Out and Home, totaling three releases in 2013.
Listen to Dan Croll's in-studio session and interview with host Mary Lucia.
14. Gogol Bordello — "My Gypsy Auto Pilot"
"Gypsy-punk" may not always be considered politically correct, but in the group's interview with host Mark Wheat, Gogol Bordello founder and frontman Eugene Hutz explains that the term accurately describes the band's background and sound.
Hutz was one of the few born into the rock 'n' roll lifestyle in his culture. His father was the guitarist of Meridian, one of Ukraine's first rock bands, and he was surrounded by The Doors, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix records (plus violinist Sergey Ryabtsev sported a Slayer t-shirt for the session) from his infancy. Hutz was even fortunate enough to meet one of his biggest influences, Joe Strummer of The Clash, shortly before Strummer passed in 2002.
Hutz may have been influenced by rockers of the past, but it's the international band roster and their worldwide travels (Hutz has been living in Brazil as of late) that have molded the gypsy-punk rockers' sound.
Listen to Gogol Bordello's in-studio session and interview with host Mark Wheat.
13. Poliça — "Chain My Name"
Just a few days before heading over to the United Kingdom to make their second appearance on music television show Later... with Jools Holland, Poliça stopped by to play songs off their sophomore record Shulamith (out Oct. 22) in Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum.
When asked about the title and what it references, vocalist and electronics connoisseur Channy Leaneagh explains that artists like herself often name their art in a creative fever and, "Then you get out and do interviews about it and you're like, 'Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I forgot I have to explain myself.'"
Rather than the album title simply referencing feminist Shulamith Firestone, Leaneagh says it represents the collective feeling she had after reading The Dialectic of Sex, a book by Firestone that was given to her by her brother. "That's exactly what I was trying to say in 12 songs," she says.
12. Foals — "My Number"
Oxford-based quintet Foals make willfully out-there and original indie-rock that varies from spastic dance-rock to angular post-punk sounds to intricate experimental passages. Released in 2008, their debut album Antidotes was widely praised and found chart success in their native UK. The band largely dodged the mythic "sophomore slump" with their 2010 follow-up Total Life Forever impressing critics and earning them prominent festival slots that cemented their reputation as a great live act.
Earlier this year, Foals returned with their third full-length, Holy Fire, which they debuted in Feb. by streaming it live from a mental asylum.
Listen to Foals' in-studio session and interview with host Mark Wheat.
11. Tegan and Sara — "Closer"
Canadian twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara are one of indie-pop's most celebrated acts, having released seven full-length albums over nearly two decades as musical collaborators. They've also been longtime Current favorites, stopping by for an in-studio performance in 2007 and an intimate performance in the UBS forum in 2010.
Their latest full-length, Heartthrob, was released in January, and finds the siblings expanding their palette of influences and incorporating a clean, bright production sound, as demonstrated on the lush electro-pop of lead single "Closer". The 32-year-old sisters' more accessible pop sound isn't a step backward for them, though — they've continued to grow and mature as lyricists, and their ever-growing popularity has landed them impressive gigs like a slot at Coachella.
10. Wake Owl — "Wild Country"
Vancouver-based indie rock sextet Wake Owl released their debut EP Wild Country in late 2012, but their success carried over to 2013. Before their gig at 7th Street Entry, the group's songwriter and frontman Colyn Cameron and violinist Aiden Brandt-Briscall dropped by The Current for an intimate acoustic performance of their tune "Wild Country".
9. Walk the Moon — "Tightrope"
Cincinnati indie rockers Walk the Moon have been on the scene for nearly half a decade, but it wasn't until 2012 that they released their major label debut after years of self-released music, including a compilation. Their single "Anna Sun" made waves in indie circles and garnered a great reaction when we spun it on The Current airwaves.
This year, they're back with another single, "Tightrope" and an accompanying EP. The quartet swung by The Current studios to chat with The Current's Morning Show and took over our airwaves with some of their favorite music past and present for a Theft of the Dial and graced us with a lovely acoustic performance of "Tightrope"!
Listen to Walk the Moon's Theft of the Dial with host Jill Riley.
8. Laura Marling — "Where Can I Go?"
Ahead of her first U.S. tour date in support of Once I Was an Eagle at the Women's Club in Minneapolis, Laura Marling stopped by to play songs off her latest album in Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum.
Marling chatted with host Steve Seel talk about the music of her childhood, the album's Greek mythology reference, and what it was like performing with an orchestra at the BBC Proms. She also told us about her museum-sized guitar collection.
Listen to Laura Marling's in-studio session and interview with Steve Seel.
7. Lissie — Full In-Studio
Nomadic singer-songwriter Lissie stunned audiences with her debut full-length Catching a Tiger, which showcased her astonishingly raw and emotive voice and smart, soulful lyrical sensibility. She's followed it up with a smattering of EPs and singles, including her beloved cover of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness".
6. The National — "Pink Rabbits"
Ahead of their generous 23-song set at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, The National stopped by to play songs off their latest record Trouble Will Find Me.
Between songs, host Mary Lucia asked about how the band's collaborative approach to Trouble Will Find Me differed from their past efforts. After five albums, front man Matt Berninger says recording Trouble was more casual because they've made peace with their dynamic and are more understanding of the necessary tension that their creative process requires while songwriting.
Though creative tension may have been the demise of The Replacements, Berninger is happy to hear the legendary Minneapolis band got back together this past summer for three Riot Fest dates.
And so Lucia posed the inevitable Let It Be question. In "Don't Swallow the Cap," lyrics read "Play 'Let It Be' (pat yourself on the back) / or 'Nevermind' (dead seriously)." Which band is being referenced, The Replacements or The Beatles? Matt pleases The Replacements' hometown crowd maintaining he was a bigger fan of the Minneapolis band than The Beatles growing up as a kid. Good answer, Matt.
5. The National — "Don't Swallow the Cap"
Listen to The National's UBS Forum performance and interview with Mary Lucia.
4. Nicholas David — "Say Goodbye"
Nicholas David has come a long way since being a finalist on the third season of NBC's The Voice. As a part of Cee Lo Green's team, he gained popularity among viewers with covers of Hall and Oates' "She's Gone" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". The St. Paul native caught up with Mary Lucia and chatted about touring with The Avett Brothers, geeking out in Louisville with Jane Seymour and what it was like recording in the studio of Ray Parker Jr., the man behind the Ghostbusters soundtrack.
Listen to Nicholas David's in-studio session and interview with Mary Lucia.
3. Phantogram — "Black Out Days"
Phantogram — Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, who have been friends since middle school — make amazing headphone albums, but the duo's sound was difficult to recreate during live performances.
But with successful headphone records come freedom and upgrades. Barthel and Carter's label, Republic Records under Universal Music Group, told the band to write as they please and the live show setup would be assembled after the fact. In order to recreate the — as Carter describes — "headphone-y" records, they needed to incorporate more live instrumentation, and that's how drummer Chris Carhar and guitarist/synth player Nicholas Shelestak were added into the mix.
They've upgraded from a van to a bus, too. One of Mary Lucia'a favorite questions to ask bands is, "Who used the tour bus before you?" to which Carter responded with, "Aerosmith." Looch believed him for a second.
Listen to Phantogram's in-studio and interview with Mary Lucia.
2. Mumford & Sons — "Reminder"
The past five years have been a monumental ascent for the band, who began playing on small stages in pubs and now play massive festivals (e.g. Glastonbury) and 20,000-seat arenas. That said, the band members continue to place themselves near one another on stage, as being able to see and hear one another while playing remains paramount. And despite the size of the gigs, Mumford and Sons continue to place great importance in engaging their audiences and forging that connection with them.
Mumford and Sons also get an unfettered indoctrination into live radio, handling a scheduled Emergency Alert System test with poise and humor. They conclude the broadcast with a live performance of their own song, "Reminder".
Listen to Mumford & Sons' Theft of the Dial with host Mary Lucia.
1. James Blake — "Retrograde"
Just a few years ago, James Blake was a precocious and talented young electronic producer dabbling in the U.K.'s vast, eclectic, fast-moving and amorphous "post-dubstep" scene with well-received tracks like "CMYK" and the mind-bending "I Only Know (What I Know Now)". Shortly thereafter, though, he began recording vocals over his own productions, swerving out of the dance music scene and into the vanguard of indie electro-pop with the wounded cyber-soul of his self-titled debut album. In the last few years, he's continued to produce dance tracks even as he recorded lovely covers of tunes by Joni Mitchell, and he's even had a few surprising one-off collaborations such as his bizarre EP release with Bon Iver.
Listen to James Blake's in-studio and interview with The Morning Show's Steve Seel.