80 08 The definitive “Everything is Pop” list of the Best Music of 2008 continues. Contentious? Perhaps… All part of the seasonal fun. Another twenty listed as we edge towards the elusive Number One CD of the year.
40. Plants And Animals Parc Avenue 39. Black Mountain In The Future 38. Drive By Truckers Brighter Than Creations Dark 37. The Felice Brothers The Felice Brothers 36. Elliot Brood Mountain Meadows 35. Giant Sand Provisions 34. Sun Kil Moon/ Mark Kozelek April / Nights 33. Bon Iver For Emma, Long Ago 32. Bowerbirds Hymns For a Dark Horse 31. Lykke Li Youth Novels 30. Monkey Journey to the West 29. Goldfrapp Seventh Tree 28. Santogold Santogold 27. Gang Gang Dance St. Dymphna 26. Matmos Supreme Balloon 25. High Places High Places 24. Windy and Carl Songs For The Broken Hearted 23. Boris Smile 22. No Age Nouns 21. Atlas Sound Let the Blind Lead Those Who Cannot See
The definitive “Everything is Pop” list of the Best Music of 2008 continues. Another twenty listed as we edge towards the elusive Number One CD of the year. It's all about building the antici-pation folks!
60. Silver Jews Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea 59. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks Real Emotional Trash 58. The Kills Midnight Boom 57. TV On The Radio Dear Science 56. Ra Ra Riot The Rhumb Line 55. Islands Arm’s Way 54. Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer 53. Los Campesinos! Hold On Now Youngster… 52. The Cool Kids The Bake Sale EP 51. Steinski What Does It All Mean? 50. Neon Neon Stainless Style 49. The Last Shadow Puppets The Age Of The Understatement 48. Deerhoof Offend Maggie 47. Dirty Projectors The Believer 2008 Music Issue 46. Hercules And Love Affair Hercules And Love Affair 45. Crystal Castles Crystal Castles 44. Fuck Buttons Street Horrrsing 43. M83 Saturdays=Youth 42. Fourtet Ringer EP 41. The Notwist The Devil, You + Me
As a prodigious list maker my life interests always seem to get ranked at the end of every year. Music of course is no exception and my little obsession is your gain. On the upside too it’s also a lot more exciting than ranking my favourite vegetables. I'm Just saying…
This year I’m going to attempt this early to ward off potential ‘compendi-contamination’ from the myriad of sources that compile and rank the best music of the year. I’ll present twenty titles at a time to draw this one out and build some anticipation.
Rankings are based solely on my personal assessment of the relative artistic and creative merit of each piece. In most cases reissues are not included.
So, without further adieu and my sincere apologies if I contaminate your list with my rankings.
The 80 best CD’s of 08.
As always commentary and fishes are welcome and can be left below. 80. Liam Finn I’ll Be Lightning 79. Destroyer Trouble In Dreams 78. She And Him Volume One 77. The Walkmen You And Me 76. R.E.M. Accelerate 75. Ry Cooder I, Flathead 74. Forest City Lovers Haunting Moon Sinking 73. DeVotchKa A Mad And Faithful Telling 72. Sigur Ros Með Suð I Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust 71. Hauschka Ferndorf 70. The Jealous Girlfriends The Jealous Girlfriends 69. Angela Desveaux The Mighty Ship 68. Bonnie Prince Billy Lie Down In the Light 67. Calexico Carried To Dust 66. The War On Drugs Wagonwheel Blues 65. Flying Lotus Los Angeles 64. Adem Takes 63. Juana Molina Un Dia 62. David Byrne And Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today 61. Lambchop Oh (Ohio)
Here is my contribution to the latest installment of the excellent Green Monkey Music Projectcourtesy of I, Splotchy. The theme this time is "eargasmic" music, as suggested by Barbara the Bad Tempered Zombie. Her premise basically “those blissful recordings that work wonder on your eardrums and create an overwhelming sense of aural euphoria”.
That in mind, the following was the promise I recently made on Barbara’s blog after she invited me to provide six song titles for her aural mélange.
Here are my six official choices for the GMMP Eargasm Mix. All of these songs are capable of whisking me off to that special sublime place that only music can seem to do.
Bob Dylan – “Simple Twist of Fate” Paul Westerberg – “It’s a Wonderful Lie” Neko Case – “Deep Red Bells” Loose Fur – “Elegant Transaction” Sonic Youth – “I Love You Golden Blue” Roberta Flack – “Angelitos Negros”
I look forward to writing a more detailed synopsis of each, explaining the ‘secret of the song’.
Thanks for this opportunity. It was great, slightly torturous fun!
FOREPLAY
In order to understand my song selections a brief preamble is necessary. This will help to put these songs into some form of context. First though, full disclosure is also necessary- Soooo... For the record, I am a bit of a walking ‘music lover’ cliché. I love to make top five music lists, to compile soundtracks for non-existent movies and to generally annoy my friends with all forms of musical minutiae. I have in fact considered a variant of Barbara’s theme in the past and the short compendium is part of that larger song cycle.*
CONCEPTIONS EXPLAINED
All of these songs have their birth in a singular image. The flipside cover of Leonard Cohen’s 1969 album Songs From a Room. It’s always been one of my favourite pictures because of the incredible back story it elicits. It has very real sense of pure intimacy that has always resonated with me. The equally evocative songs on the record are all emotionally honest statements that lay bare, the soul of the artist. And therein lays the key to understanding my small compendium. Musically speaking, these are all balanced and simple songs that use the voice and music of the performer to convey honesty and varied emotional states in their song craft. But these are the ones that do it so very, very well.
At least to this listener they do.
THE JOY OF SONGS
Bob Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate”
He woke up, the room was bare He didn't see her anywhere. He told himself he didn't care, pushed the window open wide, Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
There has been a lot said of Dylan’s voice over the years. I like to think it has aged very well and has always suited his ever evolving musical intent. There is a lot of frustration in his voice in this particular piece. From deep growl to a soaring chorus the dual reality of every relationship is encapsulated in this song. (Key eargasmic moment - 2:30 the final stanza above.)
Paul Westerberg’s “It’s a Wonderful Lie”
No, the common theme is not Minnesota singer songwriters, although it could be. (Mr. Zimmerman and Paulie do share a home state.) No, once again it’s about the feeling. This song is like a cigarette in bed. (Paul Westerberg has always allowed me to live a slightly illicit lifestyle without the annoying smokers cough and cirrhosis of the liver.) A reassuring number that tells us even the beautiful loser is as much capable of love as being loved. This song makes no pretense and has such a real honesty, its simple reassurances perhaps a little hope for all of us. It saves me every time. (Key eargasmic moment – 0:45 torn and tattered soul)
Neko Case’s “Deep Red Bells” has always been a revelation to me. Capable of taking me places without even leaving my chair. It is a song that is equal parts strength and vulnerability. It is representative of the singer herself. On this song, her vocal style moves away from outright honky-tonk but retains her heavenly twang. Patsy Cline meets Johnny Cash I think. “Deep Red Bells” is a confident song that soars to lofty emotional heights and literally stops me in my tracks whenever I hear it. (Key eargasmic moment – 0:49 “popsicles in summer”. Mmmmm, near perfect.)
Loose Fur’s “Elegant Transaction”
And don’t strike a conversation with a cigarette Like an old flame, burned up, and out of breath
For those who don’t know, this is another of Jeff Tweedy’s (Wilco) solo projects. The cleverly named (Lu- ci- fer) comprised of Tweedy, Wilco drummer Glen Koetche and musician extraordinaire, Jim O’Rourke have made two wonderful albums to date. It is this songs spidery cool that evokes decidedly warm moonlit nights and slow dancing with someone you love. The songs call and response chorus builds throughout to give it a real daydream like feel. Like a countrified version of Steely Dan. (Key eargasmic moment – 0:20 oh those harmonies.)
Sonic Youth’s “I Love You Golden Blue”
This song has always been a breath of fresh air to me and has always suggested a certain reawakening of the senses. It feels like one of those warm breezes that feel so completely out of place on an April day. Kim Gordon’s breathy vocals on this one sends shivers down my neck and reminds me of one of those bright and yellowy spring days. (Key eargasmic moment – 2:45 Just like that palpable moment of joy when you feel the sun under that bluer than blue sky.)
Roberta Flack’s “Angelitos Negros”
I always seem to confound the guy at the record store when I purchase a Roberta Flack CD. But losing my cool “indie cred” is well worth it for this amazing artist. It is her voice though that touches every emotion I have ever known. Chan Marshall (Cat Power) recently covered the same song on the deluxe edition of her latest covers cd Jukebox. In all honesty it’s Flack’s vocal take in Spanish that truly affects me. I do not speak Spanish and yet the complex emotions of the song are conveyed in her melodious and full voice that transcends entirely the barrier of translation. (Key Eargasmic Moment - THE WHOLE SONG)
Now it’s up to you. Head over to I, Splotchy and check out some of the entries from the other participants and immerse your ears and soul in something new you may not have heard before. It's well worth your time!
Thank you to Barbara and Michael for allowing me to participate in this. It's been great fun.
* The absent songs that buffer this collection are just as telling but not included as to meet the stringent regulations of the Green Monkey Project: Leonard Cohen’s “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy” at the start, Iggy and the Stooges “Loose” at the end. “Loose” without a doubt the best closer to this set. Not part of my list but representative of the full circle this song cycle represents. The sum of all the parts if you will. Iggy’s catlike, high strung personae on full tilt mode here, and ready to pounce with claws ready.
A German court has ruled that a producer who sampled two seconds of song by electro pioneers Kraftwerk was not violating copyright.
The ruling overturns an earlier decision against producer Moses Pelham's use of a short sample from Metal on Metal. The brief sample appeared in the rhythm section of a song Pelham produced for German rapper Sabrina Setlur. Judges in Berlin said the two second extract did not infringe copyright, as his song was substantially different.
The move will come as a blow to artists who object to rivals using samples of their work to create new songs.
Kraftwerk's case was originally heard in a state court in Hamburg. It ruled in Kraftwerk's favour and said reusing even the shortest bit of a song infringed copyright.
In light of today's ruling, the Hamburg court will now have to take up the case again.
Personally, the decision seems to make a lot of sense and is reflective of a much more reasonable approach than say the present North American judiciary view. As always though, I welcome your comments and viewpoints on this divisive issue.
So I'm listening to the first song from Chinese Democracy and I keep thinking, I know this song, I really know this song. But what is it? Arggghhhh....
And then it dawns on me. At the 1.01 mark this guitar riff kicks in and I'm instantly transported back to 1990.
Then again, maybe it's just me... It's streaming here and for the record, trainwreck curiosity drew me to the site.
Hell hath frozen over folks and the end of days is upon us. Chinese Democracy arrives in stores on Sunday so you probably won't have time to get those corn row braids; But at least we get a free Dr. Pepper.
**UPDATE** For fans of Canadian Football - Chinese Democracy has become the “official soundtrack” to the 2008 Grey Cup. On Sunday (November 23), Gun N’ Roses’ ridiculously long-awaited album will be featured throughout the Grey Cup broadcast, with several tracks being televised nationally on TSN and RDS.
Nation(s), if you read this blog you will note that I am huge fan of Stephen Colbert and his wildly successful Comedy Central show The Colbert Report. So I am very happy to publicize a great holiday tradition will be born this year, joining the classics that have preceded it…Stephen Colbert will make Christmas his own. He's taking ownership for the Colbert Nation. Stephen decided to ignore tradition start the Christmas holiday before Thanksgiving, putting him a step ahead of the competition.
In order to fully dominate the Christmas season…Colbert style, the Colbert Report anchor is unleashing his lethal 1-2 punch of both a TV special and holiday album at the same time.
The Christmas special. A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a one-hour original musical holiday special. It premieres on Sunday, November 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on COMEDY CENTRAL. (I will update with Canadian times and dates when I have those. The musical companion EP of the same name will be available on iTunes.)
In the special, Colbert is on his way to meet with Elvis Costello in New York City but is snowed-in at his cabin in upstate New York (bear country). He weathers through the storm with help from his friends Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend, Willie Nelson and Jon Stewart. Yes Jon Stewart sings!
Tracklisting for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! EP 1 "Another Christmas Song" – Stephen Colbert 2 "Have I Got A Present For You" – Toby Keith 3 "The Little Dealer Boy" – Stephen Colbert and Willie Nelson 4 "Can I Interest You In Hannukah" – Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart 5 "Nutmeg" – Stephen Colbert and John Legend 6 "Please Be Patient" – Feist 7 "There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In" – Stephen Colbert and Elvis Costello 8 "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love And Understanding" – Stephen Colbert, Elvis Costello, Feist, Toby Keith, John Legend and Willie Nelson
The songs were produced by Adam Schlesinger(Fountains of Wayne) and Steven M. Gold. Theme music and score also by Schlesinger and Gold. The bonus features on the DVD include a book burning Yule log, video advent calendar, alternate endings and more.
Both the digital-only EP and DVD will be available on November 25th!
Proceeds from the sales of A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All! will go to www.feedingamerica.org
The First Annual All-Blogger Non-Virtual Secret Santa Exchange
Now that the Hallowe’en candies have all been eaten, it’s time to concentrate on the next big holiday that is not Grey Cup or American Thanksgiving. Try to deny it all you like, but you know Christmas is fast approaching. So before you start getting dragged off to mind-numbingly boring office parties or over to your next door neighbour’s place where you will be forced to make small talk in a living room that smells of hamster bedding while you participate in your block’s annual burnt cookie exchange, we’d like to invite you to observe the season with something that’s actually fun.
Barbara of Bad Tempered Zombie and I have been musing lately about the delightful and clever bloggers that we have been fortunate enough to become friends with over the years, and how much fun it would be to hang out with everybody over the holidays. But since our table-top cloning machines are currently in for repairs, showing up at everybody’s house with a couple of bottles of wine and a sleeping bag is not an option. But we can invite you to participate in a Secret Santa exchange.
And since we are both a little music-obsessed and abhor going into stores at the best of times, let alone during the nutty season, we’d like to put two conditions on this exchange. Gifts must be music-themed and they must be handcrafted. How that manifests itself is completely dependent on how Santa interprets it.
For example, your gift could certainly be a mix cd or dvd, but it could also be a song written for the giftee, or a painting, or a story, or a collection of poems. You might put together a collage of photos of your giftee’s favourite band, or even build them a musical instrument. The possibilities are endless. Just be creative! At the end of this we’ll throw a blog on the virtual fire and marvel at one another’s clever handiwork. (Do feel free to include some delicious bonbons to round out your special package as well as most of our Hallowe’en supplies have long since been picked over.)
If you would like to join us, just email us your mailing addresses before midnight on Thursday, November 27/08. We will randomly match up the participants and send you the particulars that weekend. You have to promise to send your parcels out in a timely fashion, though, so that they will arrive during the holiday season, not mid February or something lame like that.
You don’t want to miss out on this, and you only have ten days to get in on the action, so send your mailing address to either:
Sean (sean dot thisispop at gmail dot com) or Barbara (bbruederlin at shaw dot ca)
We hope you’ll join us. It won’t be any fun without you.
Winter has arrived this weekend in Lovely London and the white stuff is flying furiously even as I type. As Mother Nature whips up cold winds, buries my car and slowly depletes my very spirit I thought a playlist might just be what the psychiatrist ordered.
Last night as I was driving through the wet sky goop I tuned to Alan Neal’sBandwidth program on CBC Radio. His theme… Oh’s. Not as in Sandra, but song titles and band names that contain that very word. Sooooo(h), any idea worth doing once is worth plundering again here for the sake of a wonderful playlist.
...Turn up the iPod and pass the serotonin.
OhWell, Okay
Oh My Lover - Adem It's Oh So Quiet - Bell Oh, My Darling - Basia Bulat Oh Spectrum - Final Fantasy Oh Napoleon - The Acorn Oh Christine - The Cave Singers Oh, Sister - Bob Dylan Oh My Sweet Carolina - Portastatic Oh Lord - The Brian Jonestown Massacre Oh! You Pretty Things - David Bowie OhWell, Okay - Elliott Smith Oh, Lonesome Me - Neil Young Oh It's Such A Shame - Jay Reatard Oh My Golly! - Pixies Oh My - bis Oh! How The Dogs Stack Up – Mogwai Oh My Lord - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Oh, La - Ra Ra Riot Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) - Sufjan Stevens Oh Oh, Take Me Back - M. Ward Oh John - Jimmy Reed
I wrote about this show earlier in the year and now it’s set to make its debut. The Sundance Channel will premiere this music and talk series on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 9:00pm e/p. The show, originally conceived in Canada will also air on CTV in Canada and Channel 4 in the U.K. (Times and dates for those locations have not yet been announced.)
Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... fuses the best elements of talk and music television and invites viewers to enjoy an intimate conversation between host Costello and his guests, punctuated by rare musical performances by Costello, his guests and a wide variety of musicians. Among the confirmed guests for the 13-part series are Sir Elton John, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, artist-director Julian Schnabel, Diana Krall, Jenny Lewis and President Bill Clinton. (Click here for the full schedule.)
I have high hopes for this venture based on Costello’s well known acerbic wit and encyclopedic knowledge of music.
As a music fan I understand the impulse to want to get a little closer to the musicians I respect and admire. Aside from the occasional tour bus, I have never sought out anyone on their home turf and or the residence they grew up in. Probably a good thing considering I would in all likelihood be arrested. But I must admit this story brought a smile to my face as I ate my breakfast this morning.
Earlier this month Winnipeg Residents John Kiernan and Patti Regan came home from buying groceries to find Bob Dylan waiting in front of their home. Like many before him, Dylan (in town for a concert) had come to see the childhood home of Neil Young. The couple — accustomed to rock fans making a pilgrimage — didn’t recognize Dylan at first.
Dylan talked to the couple for about 25 minutes, and took him to Young’s old bedroom — where their 16-year-old daughter currently resides. “[Dylan said] ‘OK, so this was his view, and this was where he listened to his music,’ ” said Kiernan.
Last year Dylan talked to Rolling Stoneabout Young. “Neil is very sincere,” said Dylan. “He’s sincere, and he’s got a God-given talent, with that voice of his, and the melodic strain that runs through absolutely everything he does. He could be at his most thrashy, but it’s still going to be elevated by some melody. Neil’s the only one who does that. There’s nobody in his category.”
Bob Dylan continues his current Canadian tour and is playing in London tonight at the John Labatt Centre. It is very likely he will be wearing leather pants.
40. Plants And Animals Parc Avenue
33. Bon Iver For Emma, Long Ago
26. Matmos Supreme Balloon
66. The War On Drugs Wagonwheel Blues
As a music fan I understand the impulse to want to get a little closer to the musicians I respect and admire. Aside from the occasional tour bus, I have never sought out anyone on their home turf and or the residence they grew up in. Probably a good thing considering I would in all likelihood be arrested. But I must admit this story brought a smile to my face as I ate my breakfast this morning.
