​Not every great song this year was released by Katy Perry. From a snarling avant-electro NPR lecture to a haunted-house posse cut to a ludicrously profane viral sensation, here are 10 examples. "Teenage Dream" might still be better than all of these, though. Better get this started before I change my mind.

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Welcome to Sound of the City's year-in-review rock-critic roundtable, an amiable ongoing conversation between five prominent Voice critics: Rob Harvilla, Zach Baron, Sean Fennessey, Maura Johnston, and Rich Juzwiak. We'll be here all week!

The most important artist of 2010.

​Hi everybody!

To completely gloss over the Taylor Swift effect (I listened to 30 seconds of Speak Now and thought, "Uh, no," and never looked back), and get to what actually matters: despite Sean's prediction, I don't even care enough about Dr. Luke to defile him. His is the sound of now, and that means so much more than what's actually going on within most of his producing. I think most of Teenage Dream is ingenious, though. It's an album of power ballads with house beats and rave sounds and blood-curdling yelping. We know the ingredients of this frothy girly drink well, but they've never quite been blended like this. Objectively, it rocks and knocks harder than Robyn's output this year, which may be precisely why those people who enjoy Body Talk would avoid it. Wimps.

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​Last week, a leak from an ash-hole (Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano) forced the Crystal Castles to cancel and reschedule a London live date. Today, NME is reporting, a leak from an asshole has compelled the duo to rush-release their self-titled new album, originally slated for June but now spreading like a cloud plume all over the Internet, and thus now officially available digitally this Friday. Sometimes horrible puns write themselves, folks. Be sure to tip your waitresses.

Canadian 8-bit rave duo Crystal Castles are infamous for playing shows in which the violence and drama quotient far exceeds anything you'd expect from a couple of people who make what's basically dance music--Alice Glass, in particular, the band's leather-jacketed, heavily eye-linered demon frontwoman, seems like a person you wouldn't want to fuck with while she was in the grips of a performance. But this is apparently exactly what happened at Sonar Fest in Barcelona on Saturday night, when sound difficulties--and maybe a bit of security interference, it's hard to tell from the video--led Glass to begin to violently dismantle the band's drum kit, before being forcibly carried offstage by a security guard in the ensuing scrum.

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Since we last checked in about what's going on this New Year's Eve, there've been minor developments in the world of Bowery Presents. Patti Smith at the Ballroom ($55, pre-scalped) and the earlier Crystal Castles show ($35 for the late set) are both sold out, Dirty on Purpose are breaking up and will play their last show as the support slot for A Place to Bury Strangers at Mercury Lounge ($25), (R.I.P., if they don't regroup) and Islands and Elvis Perkins were added to the Blonde Redhead show at Terminal 5 ($35).

The Dickies at Bowery Electric ($15), The Damned at Gramercy Theater with Theo & the Skyscrapers and Electric Frankenstein ($100-150)

The Rub DJ's at Southpaw with Certified Bananas ($40), Prince Paul DJ's at the Delancey ($25), Caps and Jones DJ at Savalas ($tba, maybe when they fix their web site).

Oddly, Joan as Policewoman plays John Zorn's the Stone. (Always $10, unless otherwise noted, which thus far, it is not.)

Famous Friends is throwing a dancey electro party at Europa with Kill the Noise and AC Slater ($25, or $40, if you are underage).

Still waiting on Union Hall, Union Pool ("Bubbles, Brass Bursts & Bullshit. More info TBA"), Union Docs.

For Knitting Factory's last show in its Manhattan location, Vegan presumptions include Akron/Family, Deerhoof, Dirty Projectors, Crystal Stilts and Deer Tick. If so, it'd be hard to find better live music with which to ring in the New Year. -- Jeremy Krinsley

Updated, 12/23: All the announced shows we know of are here.

Because though you might already be "royal," for $25 extra, you are "platinum" instead of "ultra"

While you can see Tiesto at Roseland for $150 (plus tax), and New Years Cruise are a dime a dozen (more like a few grand a dozen, for one special working stiff, plus tax), and while there is the Z100 New Year's Eve Ball at Webster Hall (starting at $70, if you buy your own drinks, or $125, if you engage in hand-to-hand combat for free drinks upstairs, plus tax), the slightly less organized DIY organizers we know and love will probably be offering you a better ratio of girls to guys, tickets that will be closer to your blood alcohol level, and, most likely, bands.

For now, all we know is that entertainment4every1 seem to be one of the few organizers that have at least pinned down a location and a concept. "NYE Covers Night!" exclaims their webpage, thus far with Necking standing in for Black Flag and Love or Perish as the Misfits.

In other news, Bowery Presents has obviously done it's homework, offering up a sliding scale of shows that are only roughly twice as much as they'd be on any other night. A Place to Bury Strangers for $25, Yo La Tengo, the Feelies and Vivian Girls are playing the Wellmont Theatre for $35, Crystal Castles at Music Hall of Williamsburg for $35, Blonde Redhead at Terminal 5 for $35, My Morning Jacket at MSG for $50, and Patti Smith at the Bowery Ballroom for $55.

Perhaps most importantly though, New Year's Eve will mark the last party that Knitting Factory will ever have at its old location. While the Knit still hasn't confirmed a lineup (Vegan says Deer Tick will be there), the venue's moving on out to Williamsburg come 2009 thanks to neighbors who live in condos, probably with tiny dogs, strollers, or both. I predict retributive vandalism, and hopefully mayhem.

Look out for many more reasonable options as they're announced, and remember: even on the most hedonistic night of the year, the economy's still in the crapper! -- Jeremy Krinsley

Updated, 12/23: All the announced shows we know of are here.

photo by Rebecca Smeyne

No Context

Crystal Castles+Health
Studio B
March 25

Two kids in 40-degree weather, neither wearing jackets. The Studio B bouncers are playing that game where they see how long it takes for the first fifteen-year-old girl to pass out. Perfect time for a game of telephone: Fernando Eats Bagels While Playing the Banjo, some girl whispers in my ear. At that very moment, by that very magic, the line starts moving. The ripsters are saved.

***

Two kids, enormous necks hidden by the new neck-scarves invented by the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend, have a conversation.

“No Country?”

“Just like the movie. Dialogue and everything.”

“The Road?”

“Post-apocalyptic.”

***

Two kids, bald, jacked, dance wildly. Sweat flies off their heads. They don’t clap—they howl. Howling, the taller one says to the shorter one: “When are these guys going to play a good song?”

***

I head for the door. Some girl comes up, whispers in my ear. “Hypothesis: Even a nerd can become buff. Materials and Methods: Weights, running, push-ups, pull-ups. Repeat as needed. Results: Six-pack, muscled pecs.”

“Pass it on,” she says.

Crystal Castles
Health
Studio B
Tuesday, March 25
photos by Rebecca Smeyne

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Since we slept on these photos, they first ran over here at our photographer's true home

Crystal Castles
Natural History Museum
Flavorpill Party
May 25th, 2007
photos by Rebecca Smeyne

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