Comeback of The Century
Sleater-Kinney
We know Jerry Garcia and Pigpen aren’t coming back to life. We know Peter
Gabriel and Steve Hackett aren’t going back to Genesis. And no matter how
much people want it, Slash, Duff and Izzy aren’t rejoining Guns N’ Roses.
That being said, is there a better comeback than this one. From the hush-hush
way it came together, to the mind-blowing new LP, followed by a triumphant
tour (that I had the pleasure of taking in twice – February, near the beginning
and December near the end), Sleater-Kinney showed everybody who never
saw them what they missed the 1st time around, and reminded the rest of us
why we were so excited to begin with. I just hope it continues in the future.
Surprise of the Year
Dead & Company
I saw this band at Madison Square Garden, and, well, John Mayer showed
why Trey was never the right choice, and we can only hope, at some point,
that these guys put this to tape so future generations can see the best version
of the Dead since Jerry left us. If there was really any justice in this world,
for the next Record Store Day, a 7” that has “Cold Rain & Snow (I try not to
swear in my writing, but damn, John Mayer can sing the shit out of this
one),” b/w “Ramble on Rose,” and “St Stephen” would be around. Let’s hope
somebody shows this to those guys and they get on it.
And finally…..