Three Imaginary Girls

Seattle's Indie-Pop Press – Music Reviews, Film Reviews, and Big Fun

Hey kids! It’s the end of ’02, so welcome to the first ever Imaginary Recap. Hold onto your seats kids, it’s gonna be a bumpy year-long ride of favorite, in triplicate. Because the best things always happen in threes (ho ho ho…)

{And yes, we have included shameless promotion links to our affliated Insound and Amazon affiliate programs, where you can listen or buy. So sue us. Or buy something, and help us support our excessive web page habits…}

Best Releases:

Ooh ooh! I know! Dana’s favorite three releases of the year are:

Hey! I didn’t say that! How did you know that?

 

Anyone who has been in your car knows. Hell, anyone who has ever read the site knows.

 

Oh god, am I *that* predictable? {don’t answer that}. Geesh. She’s right though, of course.

How about you, Liz?

OK. My favorite 2002 local releases are:

And my favorite 2002 Brit releases are:

Ooh yeah, I second the Clinic and South (and further nominate Clinic for the distinguished “Shortest show of the year” award, coming in under 40 minutes at their I-Spy show back in March.) And Doves The Last Broadcast. Mmmm, Doves.

Right. Back to me. My favorite 2002 New Yorker releases are:

…and my favorite 2002 Scandanavian releases are:

…and my favorite 2002 Welsh releases are:

Oh! And my favorite 2002 Nebraskan releases are:

You are out of control…

Most Extraordinary Live Shows:

My favorites…

Hmmm… my favorite live performances… this is so hard… can I break it down to local and non-local? I’ll say it really quickly before igDana has a chance to stop me… first… local:

And my favorite 2002 non-seattle-ite band music moments are:

Most Imaginary Moments:

Imaginary in Tablet!
Opening Tablet newspaper and finding that local artist – no, amazing local artist – Randy Wood had immortalized us, in comic form. I think we collectively took an entire trees worth of newspapers to send home to our Moms.

Imaginary on the Radio:
So I returned from my Spain trip and was spending a week with my folks in Florida, when I got an email from Marlene, telling me she had just heard (the ever-awesome) Sean Nelson talking about Three Imaginary Girls with (the ever-cutie) Drew Victor during his Audioasis. Sigh and pitter patter. What a thrill (and what a great welcome back into the country!)

Death Cab for Snooty
As you might recall, one of our pre-Death Cab for Cutie Bumbershoot performance activities was to approach a couple of guys in the beer garden who we mistook for two members of DCFC. Two months later a co-worker mentioned that he saw my picture on his friend’s website. He sent me the link and low and behold, there we were, with the caption: These girls approached me in the beer garden. They thought–no shit–that I was “Ben” from “Seattle Indie Legends” Death Cab for Cutie. I always suspected I looked like a rock star. See, I told you they were snooty!

Best Live Cover Song:

Goddamnit I love it when bands throw in a good live cover! I am sure that now, while I’m trying to recall my favorite, I am inadvertently overlooking some really, really good ones. But this is what I remember at this point, in no particular order…

  • Saeta covering the Magnetic Fields’ “Grand Canyon”
  • The Malinks covering Bell Biv Divoe’s “Poison”
  • Loveless covering Dramarama’s “Anything, Anything”
  • Robyn Hitchcock covering the Psychdelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You”
  • Beck covering the Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize?”
  • Carissa’s Wierd covering Morrissey’s “Suedehead”
  • Sleater Kinney covering The Doors “Hello I Love You”

OK, so I had a hard time sticking with the limit of three…

OK I choose…

  • Earlimart covering Wire’s “Strange”
  • Ryan Adams covering Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” {hee hee} – sidenote: that Ryan Adams is out of control. First he’s picking a fight with Rhett Miller, now with Jack White (White Stripes). I don’t like this Noel/Liam Gallagher thing he’s doing one bit.
  • M. Ward covering David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”

Best to watch for in 03

OK, so at the risk of sounding incredibly predictable (again), can I just insert my vote again for:

And thanks to a special imaginary friend, I have a an advance copy of this amazing up-coming on Sub Pop release called Postal Service. It’s Dntel (aka Jimmy Tamborello) and Death Cab cutie Ben Hibbard on vocals. electronica CD (due out on Sub Pop this spring). It’s dreeaamy good. As our representative of the indie-elektro community, Imaginary Boy Jason explained, “Jimmy and Ben worked on a track on Dntel’s last album (“Life is full of Possibilites“) and it appears they got along well enough to write an album together.”

There, that’s three (and then some). Liz, the rest is on you.

 

I second those, and wish to add:

  • Terror Sheets (first full length due out on Sad Robot, coming soon!)
  • Also, I know they’re already signed and released, but I’m looking forward to hearing more from Okkervil River. Their 2002 release was on my top 10 list (but I was only able to list three here… the horror)
  • And another signed and released group, LA’s Earlimart (who just rocked my little world opening for Rhett Miller this month).

Best Already Released International Album To Be Released in the US (and Immediately Purchased) in 03:

Ahh, this is easy…

Right. What she said. As I always say, never take an Imaginary Liz recommendation lightly…

2002 Sensations that We Don’t Get

You know how sometimes there can be a band and everyone just loves it and you listen and are just like… um. Hmm. Now the Girls don’t usually like to complain… but I have just two words to say. Coldplay. Yes, Coldplay. I don’t get it. I didn’t like “Yellow” and I haven’t really liked anything since. I don’t hate them… I just don’t get it. I must be missing an essential chromosome on my Britpop gene helix. Oh well.

 

This might earn me a whole buncha indie-wrath… but I’m going to have to fess up to Ugly Casanova. Don’t like ’em. I know, I know. Next thing you know I will confess my dislike for Sleater-Kinney and then it will all be over.

 

Best Three New Things Around Seattle We Wouldn’t Want to Enter ’03 Without

How many ways do we love this great city? But a few noteworthy mentionables…

  • Wireless internet access at the newly reopened Green Cat Cafe and Top Pot donuts.
  • Chop Suey, for great shows in our hood (read as: no need to park downtown)
  • Randy Wood sponsored One Night Only.
  • For awesome arty original clothes, Damsel Collective and Dumb Clothing
  • Karaoke at the Comet and Twilight Exit with Steve
  • Half price after 11pm Wasabi Bistro sushi.

And of course and most importantly, all of the readers, supporters, and contributors to Three Imaginary Girls. Ya’ll better stick around for 03; it’s gonna be the year to be imaginary…