Sammy Feilchenfeld’s 2017 Year in Review – Staff Picks

Every year we ask our talented contributors to send us their thoughts on the past twelve months. These surveys appear untouched, and the only instruction was to answer the question however they see fit. –Dakota Arsenault, Music Editor

How long have you been with Live in Limbo and what do you do for the site?

• Since March 2017, write concert reviews and think about writing about video games too

What were your three favourite albums of 2017?

• Rainbow by Kesha
• Metaphysics by Sarah Slean
• Life Will See You Now by Jens Lekman

What was the most underrated album of 2017?

• Truth is a Beautiful Thing by London Grammar

What was your favourite Canadian album of 2017?

• Metaphysics by Sarah Slean
• OR Utopia by Serena Ryder

What were your three favourite songs of 2017?

• According to Spotify, which I agree with, it’s:
  • “Praying” by Kesha
  • “Perfect Sky” by Sarah Slean
  • “Everything Now” by Arcade Fire
• I think it’s also worth noting that the new version of the “DuckTales” theme song was on very heavy rotation from August onward

How many concerts and/or festivals did you go to in 2017?

• Like…10 maybe?

What were your three favourite concerts of the year?

• Spooooooooooooon! (I think my review speaks for itself)
• Jens Lekman at the Great Hall on a very snowy March evening
• Seeing Diana Ross for the 3^rd time (the best of all the times)

What/who was the biggest musical disappointment (live or album) for you?

• Mariah Carey opening for Lionel Ritchie was fine at best
• Josh Ritter’s Gathering was a middling album that didn’t feel that exciting, but I like his music anyway

What band did you see live for the first time that really impressed you?

• Spoooooooooooon!

What was your favourite new musical discovery of 2017?

• Romaplasm by Baths

Who were you disappointed to miss seeing live this year?

• The National, as I STILL haven’t seen them yet after all this time

Who should we be looking out for in 2018?

• The Good Lovelies’ new album Shapeshifters looks like it might be their very best (and their last, Burn the Plan, is one of my favourite albums ever)

Who’s going to be headlining (or at least playing) all the 2018 festivals?

• AJR already seem to be getting bigger, but I think they’ll be popping up at a lot of festivals in 2018, same goes for Port Cities

What was your favourite review, photo set or interview you did for LiL this year?

• kd lang

This year the Horseshoe Tavern celebrated its 70^th birthday, do you have a fond memory or favourite all time show from the club?

• I saw Rhett Miller there probably 10 or so years ago and it was my first time at the Horseshoe; I had never been to a venue like it before (having only seen concerts in larger sit-down places) and it was a memorable night of foot-stomping Old 97s tunes and some of his great early solo material. He really knows how to put on a show

In your opinion, what was the biggest music story?

• Just like in the movie industry today, talent is an important thing in music. Acts can’t just rely on their story or the social media campaign to be relevant – sure, it sells albums, but you also need to have some amount of artistry to get recognized. The year’s best albums are written, arranged, produced, performed and put together well – they tell stories, and are extensions of their storytellers in meaningful ways. The biggest popular music doesn’t always align with this mentality, but I think this year we saw more “art” in music-making going mainstream.

Is there anything else you want to say about 2017 or predict about 2018?

• People will always say the “end of LPs” is coming, but I highly doubt it. Spotify just makes it easier to enjoy a whole album or change your mind halfway through. That said, I’m a big physical media person and *gasp* still buy CDs, so I don’t think any big changes in the way music is produced or sold are coming that soon.