Top Pick Of 2010

2010 has been a great year for me and for music. I was so lucky to get to see a lot of live performances and hear some new music from people that were new to me and to Vancouver. Regular readers to the the blog know that I have a big love for local artists like We Are The City,Bodhi Jones, The Autumn Portrait, Dan Mangan and Adaline. They each bring their own brand of music to the table but for me my standout was Christopher Arruda for Top Pick of 2010. His album God Hates A Coward is slice of unpolished musical genius in a way words cannot describe. Seriously. It beat out Kanye West and variety of other big names for the front-runner despite being recorded in a house in Nanaimo. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the stuff I was able to hear this year. From hip hop to indie rock to alternative, I've discovered some great new bands for my library. But the type that really resonates with me are songs and albums that tell a story from beginning to end. And that's what stood out for me with Arruda's LP. He had a knack for painting a picture for the audience in notes and melodies that some don't. From song to song, each carried a bit of a theme from the one before to weave together a great album. A fantastic effort from a local songwriter.

I was able to chat with Christopher backstage at The Rio a few weeks ago and we talked about Lank Chop, the strongest song on GHAC, in my opinion.

"You know that song has never been performed live?"

"What? That song needs to be seen and heard. It's not online anywhere."

"It's just not a four piece song. You need horns,you need backup singers...I just can't rework that song with a 4 piece. If I was going to do it, I'd have to have a whole stage of people and I just haven't had the desire to do that yet."

As disappointed as I was to hear that, I totally respected Arruda for his dedication to the music and keeping it authentic to his vision. It's a shame though- cuz it's a fucking great song.