My Favorite Records of 2008

Here is my top 15 of '08 list. This year was a little bit harder to make than last year since there were no albums of the same quality as Boxer or In Rainbows (in my opinion).

15. Lackthereof--Your Anchor
This is Danny Seim of Menomena's side project. I really like his voice--it kind of sounds like a deep Joel Hodgson (MST3k). Plus I found out that he listened to Carman and the Newsboys and crap like I did growing up.

14. The Notwist--The Devil, You + Me
This album is different than Neon Golden in that it requires a little more active listening.

13. Pattern Is Movement--All Together
I've enjoyed listening to this album. It seems like these guys put a lot of effort into their songs; the album is full of interesting rhythmic shifts and instrumentation. Does he really say, "Speak to me, Holy Spirit," in "Trolley Friend?"

12. Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire--Lost Wisdom
Phil's plaintive voice goes well with Doiron's, and the music supports them in an intimate and unassuming way.

11. Crooked Fingers--Forfeit/Fortune
To be honest, I was kind of pissed at this album until I heard "Modern Dislocation." That song made everything better. Then "Your Control" sweeps in afterward and puts this record on my "best of" list.

10. M83--Saturdays=Youth
We drove around town listening to this album quite a bit. There are a few cruddy moments here (spoken word is often not a good idea), but for the most part it is a good album.

9. Costa Music--Lighter Subjects
The vocals might turn a lot of people away from this album. The attention to detail, texture, and nunances that Costa puts into his music make it all work for me.

8. Wolf Parade--At Mount Zoomer
This is a record that some loved to hate in '08 (sorry bout that). I kinda did too, but then I got to the "take a dive" part of "Bang Your Drum," and my buzz was no longer harshed. Not all the songs are great, but I do like "Soldier's Grin," "The Grey Estates," and "Fine Young Cannibals" quite a bit.

7. Ra Ra Riot--The Rhumb Line
"Ghost Under Rocks" is my favorite song here, followed by "Each Year" and "Dying is Fine." These guys are kind of like a more accessible Sea Ray (who weren't that inaccessible either).

6. The Helio Sequence--Keep Your Eyes Ahead
The Helio Sequence is a talented/skilled duo making the kind of music I wish I could be making.

5. TV on the Radio--Dear Science
I'm not making an argument for the entire arc of rock music, but this band is fairly unique in the musical landscape right now. Check out "Family Tree" and "Golden Age."

4. No Kids--Come Into My House
"For Halloween" got me into this record. The male-female vocal interplay and good instrumentation are a couple of the strong points of this group. And "The Beaches All Closed" has a weird r&b feel to it that gets me.

3. Fleet Foxes--Fleet Foxes
Seeing some of their live performances online made me like this band more. Check out their performance of "English House" on Conan. I really like when all or most of the members of a band sing. Though "English House" does not appear on this full-length, there are plenty of songs of the same quality that do.

2. Bon Iver--For Emma, Forever Ago
I don't think I would've placed this so high on the list if I hadn't seen them play in Rock Island a few months ago, but this is a quality album.

1. Frightened Rabbit--The Midnight Organ Fight
Though the lyrics are problematic for me at times, I can't stop listening to this. Check out "Good Arms vs. Bad Arms" and "Fast Blood."

Honorable Mention:
-School of Seven Bells--Alpinisms
-Anathallo--Canopy Glow
-Department of Eagles--In Ear Park
-Vampire Weekend--Vampire Weekend

Music Videos

If I had Mtv 12 as a part of my cable package, I would probably be able to see some cool music videos. However, since I only get Mtv-regular-type and VH1, I'm stuck with VH1's Top 40 Videos of 2008. I watched some of this program, and I was amazed at how insipid this group of videos was. The creativity is just not there for the most part, and these are the groups who can afford to throw some money into these. Where's Michel Gondry when you need him?

To make matters worse, this program includes commentary on the videos from quite a few talking heads who seem to think they are providing some incredible insight. "You see, what Rihanna is trying to say here is that if you cheat on her, you're going to regret it." No kidding.

So anyhow, I decided to post some links to videos that I think are creative and have some depth to them. Some of these are from 2008, but some are not. My friend from Tilting at Windmills got me thinking about this subject, and this list from Pitchfork did as well.

The Dutchess and the Duke-- "Mary"


This video is cool and a little disturbing as well.


Bat for Lashes-- "What's a girl to do"

More nightmare fuel.

Tunng-- "Bullets"

I love the idea of a giant, musical ball of garbage floating through space.

The Notwist-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8w2oVZ6Sio

Mogwai-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLqetO8lIMY

Menomena-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iqg3LVx2Ws

The National-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgRsYkKb1eI

Ra Ra Riot-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGuP6ZN8Qxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9SKprgjH5k&feature=related

TV on the Radio-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCcEg0tok8o

Snowden-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mXBco65t4g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P739U4Yaspc

Battles-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpGp-22t0lU

Mum-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZybFn3L3Q

Mobius Band-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR_J3JQb00Q&feature=related

The Helio Sequence-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIicqULYhGw

Bloc Party-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmPNuruWMTA&feature=related

Anathallo-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EULo90bOGq0

Looks like my already moribund hope for the Chicago Bears to make the playoffs has to wait another week to die.

regresando a aloha

These days it is rare when an album keeps me coming back. Since I now have greatly expanded access to new music, I tend to not give music the attention it sometimes deserves. Back when my only income came from mowing the lawn, buying a cd was a big deal. Starflyer 59's Silver was a cd that cost me one and a half weeks of mowing, and as I explored it, the music repaid every bit of time and energy I had spent to obtain it.

Right now, I keep coming back to Aloha's Light Works--especially "Gold World" and "Equinox." These are a couple beautifully textured songs that are a pleasure to listen to. Download "Gold World" sometime if you have not yet done so. Billy Mays guarantees you will like it.

I'm over a month into my new teaching job, and it is strikes and gutters... ups and downs. The difference between this job and when I worked at the gas company is that the ups are rewarding enough to keep me going when I feel so nervous about going to work that I have an upset stomach.

DC Talk

I meant to type "trip" in the title, but it just turned into "talk." Anyhow, I got to hang out in D.C. this past weekend as I was in town for my friend Aaron's bachelor party. I saw plenty of famous sights (the WWII memorial was a beautiful tribute), but the best part was just hanging out with FDR's famous dog, Fala.


While crossing a seemingly innocent little bridge, I also caught sight of this inexplicable nightmare fuel:



My dreams will never be the same; I will pass through life a damaged person now.

I was watching the Netherlands vs. France in futbol the other day. When the Netherlands had the game won by a couple of goals, the commentator shouted, "It's a Dutch oven, and the French are toast!!" I laughed a lot.

Last week, B&I went to Black Hawk State Park, and we took papparazzi-close pictures of the flora and fauna there.

We saw flowers.



We saw moss.



We saw bees.



We saw gnome umbrellas.



We saw fuzzy vines.


What kind of gnarly dagobah crap is this?

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately , to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." --Thoreau

I also went to the woods because I had to pee. It was a long scooter ride to get there.

The Fist of Spring

I believe it is safe to say that spring is here. Of course, right when we say that, winter slaps us in the face again one last time with a gelid open palm.

This week and next week is my spring break, so I am going to try to write more.

Beth and I went to see The Prenzie Players' production of The Taming of the Shrew. All of the action took place right in the midst of the audience, and that was my favorite aspect of the show. The actors all did a great job, too. It was nice to get out and spend eight dollars on something less passive than a movie. I would recommend checking out future shows by these players.

My dad gave me his review of No Country for Old Men today. He said that it should have been titled "There Will Be Blood." My mentor teacher said that he wonders how much people are beginning to see violence for violence's sake as good art. He has yet to see the movie, though, and so do I. Once I see it, I will share my opinion.

I went on a post-rock/math rock binge on eMusic. I downloaded albums from Saxon Shore, Couch, Del Ray, and Piglet. All of it sounds really promising so far, but I haven't been able to listen to them much yet.

Too pretty to fly?

You be the judge.
These two young ladies claim they were discriminated against on their flight because they were too aesthetically pleasing. "No one else on the plane that looked like us except us." Unbelieveable.

The store I work at now carries Sugar-Free Peeps. Wth? Has the whole world gone crazy?

miscellany

I'm doing well with my student teaching. The only issue I have is being somewhat spineless when it comes to discipline. It is evident that I'll need to overcome that problem soon.

Beth now has an Etsy page! She has been quite industrious lately. Check out the fruits of her labor at http://bettyround.etsy.com

Do you watch Lost? Well, why the hell not? It is a bright spot in the morass of writer's strike era reality show chaff.

I enjoyed watching the Giants this postseason. They played some of the most spirited football I have seen in a long time--especially the defense.

Apple iTunes will no longer take my money since I still run Windows 2k. nice.

Mixtape 2: The Vengeance

Side B:

1. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead -- "Wasted State of Mind" Why don't you like this band? I will make you a "best of" if you want.

2. Bloomsday -- "Blush" Remember those cd clubs back in the day--the 10 discs for 99 cents crap? Well there was a Christian one, and my gf at the time didn't know what cd to get for her 10th pick. I picked out Bloomsday's The Day the Colors Died. Probably the only good album in the whole damn catalog.

3. Califone -- "Our Kitten Sees Ghosts" I need to get some of Califone's other albums. I like the brief, ethereal nature of this song, and I find "The way you shatter/When you hit the water" going through my head all the time.

4. Jejune -- "Morale Is Low" Sort of a jarring transition... I've been digging out the old "emo" to see how it stands up now. The answer is pretty well in some cases (Jejune) and not so well in others (Braid).

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- "Maps" I love this song. I'm not usually a huge fan of tom-heavy drum stuff, but it does it for me here.

6. Sunny Day Real Estate -- "How It Feels to Be Something On" So effing intense... Pull out this album again--it is really good.

end Side B

arrggh

I am in the midst of my student teaching experience, and it is going well so far. That explains the sporadic nature of my posts.

Beth is planning on starting a photo blog, and I am looking forward to it.

Chad and Troy are continuing the fine First Order Historians tradition.

good night.

roadhouse

Unfotunately this post is not about one of my favorite movies dealing with fisticuffs and flagons of beer and philosophical Swayzes full of feces. I just wanted to complain about how people come to the store and think they are at Texas Roadhouse.

"OOOOH PEANUTS!!!111" (I sure hope he said "peanuts")

No, dipstick. If they were for sampling/snacking, we would've placed a stack of little take 'n' go baskets for easy snacking along with a spitoon for your shells. I find shells everywhere. I've seen them hiding among the paper products and in the frozen foods section. That is a long way for those shells to have travelled. Don't touch those peanuts, man. Unless you are planning on handing over some green paper, you cheap mofo you.

Mixtape

Hey you! I'm making you a mixtape. Yeah you. Don't look around. You.

Side A

1. The Beatles -- "Golden Slumbers" Damn you Beatles and your melodies. I've had Abbey Road for quite a while, and this song just now really struck me. Strange how that happens. Go piss up a rope, "Carry That Weight." J/K you're okay, but "Golden Slumbers" will get along just fine without you.

2. The Flaming Lips -- "A Spoonful Weights a Ton" Don't forget about these guys. I had a bunch of their discs sitting on my shelf waiting to be added to the itunes rotation. Check out the reverb-icality guitar strums on the chorus. Hot damn.

3. Holopaw -- "Abraham Lincoln" John Orth writes some evocative words. Holopaw combines electronic elements and traditional instrumentation to create a delightfully nuanced song. Check it.

4. The Mercury Program -- "Sultans of El Sur" Wow... drums. Delay pedals are fun. I can deal with no vocals.

5. The Microphones -- "II. Solar System" Great subtle percussion and spare guitar here. "What stream used to flow here and now what dusty decay. Let the flash flood begin. Wash me down the canyon. Quicksand pull me in. Blow over me solar wind." This is a beautifully haunting song.

6. Red House Painters -- "Have You Forgotten" This is the first RHP song I ever heard. I was so surprised to hear the F word sung in such a beautiful manner.

end Side A

Sort of an odd assortment of groups, but I can deal with that. I'll post Side B soon.

Hammertime

Things that make you look like a tool:

-stocking cap with a little bill on it

-bluetooth ear piece when not driving (i only grudgingly added the last part)

-penis costume

I will probably add more to this list as I pad my life experience.

Best of '07

My plan for this post was to get a bunch of my friends to make lists and post them all here, but I only was really able to ask my friend Jason for his list. So here is Jason and Brenda's list as well as my list.

Jason G's Top Records

Top buys released in 2007 based on entire album played all the way through

(in no particular order)

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Metric - Grow Up and Blow Away
Stars - In the Bedroom After the War
Modest Mouse - We were Dead Before the Ship even Sank
The National - Boxer
Jens Lekman - Night Falls over Kortedala
Editors - An End has a Start
Menomena - Friend and Foe
Jeremy Enigk - The Missing Link
Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
Beirut - The Flying Cup Club

Brenda's input
Pipettes - We are the Pipettes
Feist - The Reminder
Iron and Wine - Shepherd's Dog
Au Revoir Simone - The Bird of Music
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

***

Andy's Top Ten Records of 2007:

10. The Twilight Sad Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters

9. Wilco Sky Blue Sky

8. Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

7. The Sea and Cake Everybody

6. Pinback Autumn of the Seraphs

5. Battles Mirrored

4. The Arcade Fire Neon Bible

3. Menomena Friend and Foe

2. Radiohead In Rainbows

1. The National Boxer

Honorable Mention:

-The Clientele God Save the Clientele

-Apostle of Hustle National Anthem of Nowhere

-Feist The Reminder

-The Six Parts Seven Casually Smashed to Pieces

-Aereogramme My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go

-Low Drums and Guns

-Panda Bear Person Pitch

Just Purchased That May Have Made the List Had I Had More Time With Them:

-Múm Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy

-Iron and Wine Shepherd’s Dog

-Caribou Andorra

-Minus the Bear Planet of Ice

-Stars of the Lid And Their Refinement of the Decline

-Sleeping People Growing

Have a Couple Tracks That I Like, But Disappointing Overall:

-Interpol Our Love to Admire

-The New Pornograpers Challengers

-Stars In Our Bedroom After the War

-Kevin Drew Spirit If…

-Mobius Band Heaven

-Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Not Feeling As Much As Some People:

-LCD Soundsystem The Sound of Silver

-Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

-Justice †

Also Rans:

-The One AM Radio This Too Will Pass

-El-P I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

-Warm in the Wake Gold Dust Trail

Records From 2006 that really hit me in 2007:

-Snowden Anti-Anti

-Clipse Hell Hath No Fury