For better or worse another calendar year has come to an end and now we turn our thoughts backward. There was some good music, there was lots of bad music, and there was much more I completely missed. I'm usually a year behind the trends anyway.
Here're my '08 faves, albums that resonated especially well with me. Go talk to Pitchfork if you want a "Best Of" list ('cause they will tell you what you like, and you will just have to deal with it). (Pitchfork motto: "We're easy to hate on!)
The Baseball Project
Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
It's tough for me to deny an album completely dedicated to baseball. These songs hearken back to the good ol' days of the game with songs about its stars (Ted Williams, Satchel Paige) and its tragic figures (Ed Delahanty). Each toe-tapping tune tells a poignant story and each one is surprisingly informational. By the end of "Harvey Haddix" you'll have memorized a handful of players who have thrown perfect no-hit games.
"Jackie's Lament"
Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles
The opening track has a surprising groove to it and puts to question what the remainder of the album may sound like. The remainder of the album, of course, is full of the 2-bit hemorrhage-inducing electro-core that we've all come to love, but this time with a disco bent. Completely awesome.
"Untrust Us"
Forest Fire
Survival
Do you know what makes a good album better? When it's FREE. Check out Survival in its entirety by going HERE. If you like them (and you should) then donate some cash moneys. The tunes themselves are a bit swarthy, a bit folksy, very woodsy, inexplicably sad... if you like Blitzen Trapper then you'll appreciate what these guys do to your ears.
"I Make Windows"
Fulton Lights
The Way We Ride
Do you know what makes another good album better? When it's ALSO FREE. Click HERE to scoop up the goodies (and be sure to thank Catbird Records for all the freebies). Anyway, Fulton Lights: The Way We Ride... hazey and dark but with enough groove to keep your attention. This was my surprise find of the year and I highly recommend giving this one a listen.
"This Is The Way We Ride"
Jenny Lewis
Acid Tongue
I was disappointed by 2006's Rabbit Fur Coat (though it did have a couple very excellent moments), but I was (and continue to be) blown away by Acid Tongue. The ballads are quiet but sincere, and the entire album plays out like a wacky confessional. It's the upbeat songs that will really get you going, though. Can you scoot your boots to a song called "Jack Killed Mom"? Oh, yes you can. On the whole Acid Tongue is a lot of fun. In addition to being so dang good it also features guest performers M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel and Elvis Costello.
"Acid Tongue"
Jesper Norda
Little Ones EP
Another freebie. Thank goodness for the Internet. Go HERE for these five songs plus a handful of bonus ones. These tunes are sparse, all ballads, and often just feature a piano and Norda's no-frills voice.
"Tomorrow You Will Be Forgiven But Tonight You Will Have Your Teeth Knocked Out"
Kathleen Edwards
Asking For Flowers
Despite containing the one (and only one) K.E. song I don't care for, Asking For Flowers is her best album. Sure, I'll pass on "Cheapest Key", but I can't pass anything else. A few of these songs fall into the social commentary category ("Alicia Ross", "Oh Canada") while the rest are about strained relationships and, uh, shooting cats. As you can see by this Last.fm chart I listened to this album last year way more than I listened to any other full-length release.
"Scared At Night"
Ladytron
Velocifero
Velocifero picks up where Witching Hour left off three years ago (and it's about time) but with way more Bulgarian. There's more of the cloudy/muddy electronic instrumentation that made Witching Hour great, but the delivery here is, like in their earlier releases, more deliberate. The songs here are murky but clear, dense but obvious. I don't know if that makes any sense to you. Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just listen and enjoy.
The Out_Circuit
Pierce the Empire With a Sound
It's been five years since Nathan Burke released an Out_Circuit full-lengther, and thankfully it was worth the wait. There's lots of mellow-but-uneasy music-to-fill-the-lull-just-before-the-bloody-apocalypse stuff, but there's also a fair bit of tortured screaming. Fun for everybody! That's drummer extraordinaire Matt Johnson bangin' out some of those beats, and Sean Ingram from Coelesce making your ears bleed on "The Fall of Las Vegas". Stream 6/10ths of the album on Virb.com HERE.
"Come Out Shooting"
Here're my '08 faves, albums that resonated especially well with me. Go talk to Pitchfork if you want a "Best Of" list ('cause they will tell you what you like, and you will just have to deal with it). (Pitchfork motto: "We're easy to hate on!)
The Baseball ProjectFrozen Ropes and Dying Quails
It's tough for me to deny an album completely dedicated to baseball. These songs hearken back to the good ol' days of the game with songs about its stars (Ted Williams, Satchel Paige) and its tragic figures (Ed Delahanty). Each toe-tapping tune tells a poignant story and each one is surprisingly informational. By the end of "Harvey Haddix" you'll have memorized a handful of players who have thrown perfect no-hit games.
"Jackie's Lament"
Crystal CastlesCrystal Castles
The opening track has a surprising groove to it and puts to question what the remainder of the album may sound like. The remainder of the album, of course, is full of the 2-bit hemorrhage-inducing electro-core that we've all come to love, but this time with a disco bent. Completely awesome.
"Untrust Us"
Forest FireSurvival
Do you know what makes a good album better? When it's FREE. Check out Survival in its entirety by going HERE. If you like them (and you should) then donate some cash moneys. The tunes themselves are a bit swarthy, a bit folksy, very woodsy, inexplicably sad... if you like Blitzen Trapper then you'll appreciate what these guys do to your ears.
"I Make Windows"
Fulton LightsThe Way We Ride
Do you know what makes another good album better? When it's ALSO FREE. Click HERE to scoop up the goodies (and be sure to thank Catbird Records for all the freebies). Anyway, Fulton Lights: The Way We Ride... hazey and dark but with enough groove to keep your attention. This was my surprise find of the year and I highly recommend giving this one a listen.
"This Is The Way We Ride"
Jenny LewisAcid Tongue
I was disappointed by 2006's Rabbit Fur Coat (though it did have a couple very excellent moments), but I was (and continue to be) blown away by Acid Tongue. The ballads are quiet but sincere, and the entire album plays out like a wacky confessional. It's the upbeat songs that will really get you going, though. Can you scoot your boots to a song called "Jack Killed Mom"? Oh, yes you can. On the whole Acid Tongue is a lot of fun. In addition to being so dang good it also features guest performers M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel and Elvis Costello.
"Acid Tongue"
Jesper NordaLittle Ones EP
Another freebie. Thank goodness for the Internet. Go HERE for these five songs plus a handful of bonus ones. These tunes are sparse, all ballads, and often just feature a piano and Norda's no-frills voice.
"Tomorrow You Will Be Forgiven But Tonight You Will Have Your Teeth Knocked Out"
Kathleen EdwardsAsking For Flowers
Despite containing the one (and only one) K.E. song I don't care for, Asking For Flowers is her best album. Sure, I'll pass on "Cheapest Key", but I can't pass anything else. A few of these songs fall into the social commentary category ("Alicia Ross", "Oh Canada") while the rest are about strained relationships and, uh, shooting cats. As you can see by this Last.fm chart I listened to this album last year way more than I listened to any other full-length release.
"Scared At Night"
LadytronVelocifero
Velocifero picks up where Witching Hour left off three years ago (and it's about time) but with way more Bulgarian. There's more of the cloudy/muddy electronic instrumentation that made Witching Hour great, but the delivery here is, like in their earlier releases, more deliberate. The songs here are murky but clear, dense but obvious. I don't know if that makes any sense to you. Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just listen and enjoy.
The Out_CircuitPierce the Empire With a Sound
It's been five years since Nathan Burke released an Out_Circuit full-lengther, and thankfully it was worth the wait. There's lots of mellow-but-uneasy music-to-fill-the-lull-just-before-the-bloody-apocalypse stuff, but there's also a fair bit of tortured screaming. Fun for everybody! That's drummer extraordinaire Matt Johnson bangin' out some of those beats, and Sean Ingram from Coelesce making your ears bleed on "The Fall of Las Vegas". Stream 6/10ths of the album on Virb.com HERE.
"Come Out Shooting"
