Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #2

#2 Hands Down-The Greeting Committee

So I'm just going to say it now this group of Kansas City's finest had the best god damn summer this year that's for damn sure they got to open the Homegrown Buzz Showcase, Buzz Beachball,  Joywave, Civil Twilight, Bastile, the Wombats on select dates, managed to score an alternative radio smash here, they got a record deal with Harvest Records, and AAAAAND may have just recorded the great modern love song in the form of my #2 pick of the best song of the year.

Hands Down it's a very adorable little number that upon hearing you really feel like you've heard it somewhere but you can't quite put your finger on where it sounds just like every Teen Romance flick you ever hate watched and very ashamedly enjoyed with it's light hearted singing to sugary sweet lyrics that are just pure puppy dog romance in a tune there's an immediately special feeling you get when you hear this song and even now a year later I still get those warm fuzzy feelings when I hear this song and I'm so glad that I got to see them play it three times and even managed to yell out the 1,2,3,4 part after their, “Man oh man you're my best friend line,” which may have been the most bad ass thing ever,  because maybe just maybe these kids will do something big but until then enjoy Kansas City's breakthrough act of the year in this video of the first time I got to see them play it live.....

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #3

#3 Cocoon-Catfish and the Bottlemen

You know for being a band that's only been on the scene for a short period of time they've managed  to craft out some of the most strongly written and well performed songs that are a level of quality that give you this impression that they have been from a band that's been spending decades crafting these things but no it's only their second single and it already feels like a classic.

It's one of many songs that I got the joyous pleasure of getting to see live and it's an experience like that which solidified this songs place on my list because it's an amazingly simple song that's both heartbreaking and hopeful in it's expressions of, “Fuck it if they talk, fuck it if they try to get to us,” which is an instantaneously impacting line of lyrical awesomeness that you can't help but apply to a lot of things you've been through.

Really just great great music from a band that has a whole lot ahead of them and I can only be excited at the thought of them keeping such a streak or at the very least giving me plenty of opportunity to continually be blown away by this tune.

Also special shoutout to one Kayla Abell for capturing the footage.

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #5

#5 Wolves(You Got Me)-Dreamers

So this for me would be 2015's Demon Dance in that it's an amazingly old school sounding song that's the perfect blend of 90's feedback heavy alternative shoe-gazing rock and roll with some punk rock lyrical poetry that's an awkward series of metaphors for the torturingly crazy experience of falling in love and how it's like being thrown into a den of wolves learning to follow the pact and get use to that crazy feeling and the fucked up things to come.

It's a beautifully simple song that's just everything I love hearing in alternative music that's managed to constantly sound like the best classic song that reminds you of the day's of looking left of the dial and it's only bested by a few truly bad ass tunes that kind of edged it.

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #7

#7 Sorry-Meg Myers

OH MEG how I adore thee and love the fact that you finally released your debut major studio album and oh how it's filled with so many great choices, but whenever it came to trying to figure out which one of your angry ex-girlfriend singing those songs she wrote about you tunes to choose there really was only one that stuck around well enough to be considered one of the best.

Like I said prior this song is your angry ex but unlike your angry ex hearing this doesn't really give you any awkward feelings instead you just want to belt along because this is a very poppy approach at making a breakup tune that isn't as raw as her previous tunes but still isn't really anything to tooth-achingly poppy.

Really one of the best  heartbroken tunes I heard this year if not for the fact that I really more so enjoy singing along in the worst way's to it.

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #9

#9 Leave a Trace-CHRVCHES

So it's been about 2 years since this little collective of Glasgow's finest topped my year end list and while last years, “Get Away,” was and still is a spectacular cut it only really kind of served as a distraction before they had to make another, “Mother We Share,” and while, “Leave a Trace,” isn't quite  that it's still a spectacular cut none-the-less and an amazing experience to see live.

This song is kind of a very danceably disguised fuck you to all of Lauren Mayberry's critics in many ways and it's a showcasing of a more pop oriented direction that Every Open Eye as an album was quite a lighter take then The Bones of What You Believe which isn't a bad thing because it's still a solidly good effort that yielded a shit load of quality live tracks and a band that's honestly putting on a much better show then the year before.

These guy's really had one hell of year and I can only hope that they continue this trend of quality singles and albums.

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #10

#10 Our Own House-Misterwives

One of the best shows I saw all year and the 10th best song of the year Misterwives have arrived people and this song is a pretty good follow-up to last years Reflections even if seeing it live a second time immediately following that song kind of showcased how similar it is to that song, but while that could be a source of complaint the crowd reaction alone to this song is proof that it deserves it's spot because this song is just the most decidedly racious thing you could possibly experience from this group.

This song is just pure fun at it's best and seeing a visible growth in quality since I first heard it back in December is just kind of mind blowing to think of people.

Sam's Top 20 of 2015 #16

#16 Walk Alone-Hembree

I went to a shit load of concerts this year and while last year had plenty of amazing moments I felt something different this year because while I've been very distant about things in terms of the music I'm writing about and the direction of my blog and life there's a certain closeness that I've developed with Kansas City that kind of really became a thing whenever I went to the Homegrown Buzz Showcase and saw these guy's for the second time because not only did I realize that Kansas City is bringing us some great great bands but getting to really talk to bands and getting to really communicate with a group gives you a sense of closeness that is really quite crazy to think about and the fact that these guy's have supported my own spreading of their awesomely jammy tunes.

This song really is a gem of a tune it's something you can both groove to and get your rock on and I often find myself repeating it's chorus all the time this really is music courtesy of the soon to be new music capital of the world Kansas City.

Sam's Best of 2015 #20

So ignoring the fact that this is the most horribly updated year yet it's been a pretty great year musically for me I've been to a shit load of shows and I've heard so many great songs and it being December means it's time for my favorite article of the year my choice for the Top 20 of 2015 and oddly enough this year's Number 1 will be on Christmas so that's convenient now isn't it but with that in mind you know how this works every weekday I'll be telling you guy's the best songs of the year also when it comes to some of the songs Ill post videos from whenever I saw these bands live if available which will vary in terms of audio quality but hey it's my list and my memories, so without further ado or much back story as to why this year was so underwhelming in terms of post numbers let's get to it with this bad ass cut:

#20: Dark Black Makeup-Radkey

You know I made it a thing to myself this year to give more local acts a chance and it's been a pleasant experience that my fine local alternative station 96.5 The Buzz has made quite easy and they've managed to really showcase a fine variety of acts that I'll be mentioning later in this list but I figure one of the best way's to kick off this years best of is with one of those tunes and acts in the form of these new age Misfits in the form of Radkey.

Like I've said before this band sounds exactly like an even more badass Danzig but with twice the punk and their album Dark Black Make Up is a fine collection of songs indeed, and I found myself kind of sticking with the Title cut because it's not only a solid blend of punky aesthetics but it showcases that these guy's can really craft a quality hook and it's just fucking bad ass seriously give it a listen.... 

Sam Reviews a Show: The Homegrown Buzz Showcase

So I was at a show the other night and it was a bit of a showcasing of some of Kansa City’s finest local music acts thrown by local alternative station 96.5 the Buzz and it was a pretty good time people and I figured I can take the 30 seconds to inform you guy’s of some acts that you should be on the lookout for if they’re having a show near you.

The Greeting Committee

So here we have a group of some young kids or at the very least I think they looked young as hell that are making music that’s not honestly the most original thing you’ve ever heard but even if it’s not completely breaking the mold it’s done DAMN well and their set was very tight, energetic, and hella fun to see because they just put all their efforts into making all the people there want to listen and the songs were solidly good especially their closer a lovely little love song by the name of Hands Down which in and of itself may be the best Modern Love song to of been made and I can only hope that it breaks them or at the very least ends up being put into some cheesy but lovely little date flick but really this group kicks ass and hopefully the rest of the country picks up on them soon.

  

Hembree

I had the pleasure of talking to some of the members of this band before and after the show and realized that I’ve actually seen them before at one of the other free shows that get thrown on by the Buzz and while the first time I remember they had to deal with Opening band Syndrome they do a really REALLY fun cover of Dare by the Gorillaz which I pointed out and they added to their set because yeah it was bad ass, but covers aside this time around they really seemed to of tightened up their sound since the last time I saw them and I found myself really digging their groovy sound and how there’s a natural feeling to their performance and of course they also looked like they were having a hell of a time.

This band really is composed of some cool dudes and if you get to see them you really should they’re quite fun.

 

Outsides

So these guys were the headliner of the nights festivities and they were yet another unfortunate case of the opening band syndrome when I saw them at The Night the Buzz Stole Christmas but I actually do have their album downloaded onto my computer because when I saw them they gave out free download codes to get the record and in all honesty it’s a pretty solidly 80’s new wavey sounding record with some solid stuff but there’s also a pretty big jump in quality once you see them performing the songs live because kind of like Hembree these guy’s got extra tighter since the last time I saw them and they looked like they were both having the best time ever and really wanted to put on a show that left people wanting more it was a tight collection of New Wave sounding numbers that were energetic and quite fun with a couple of newer songs thrown in to showcase some solid work and of course they did a cover of Toto’s Africa which was FUCKING AWESOME!!!!

These guy’s really have done something good and their song Just Curious is actually quite a bad ass little tune that is kind of a dreamy Depeche Mode meets INXS sounding number that really capped off their set before a solid encore.

 

Kansas City has some fine music coming out of it people and these are just a few acts that decided to go out and really show us what they’re made of and I think every one of them could do something and if you can you totally need to see them.