While much of the rest of the music obsessing public has taken to revealing their "best of" lists a bit earlier (some even in late November), my brother and I have made a grand tradition of posting our lists on January 1. There's a bit of overlap on our two lists, with Satogold's self-titled debut placing high on both. That combined with the fact that my girlfriend also really liked it make Santogold the New and Used Records Album of the Year (excluding our own releases of course). An eclectic mix of tracks, Santogold's music finds itself somewhere in the land between Gwen Stefani, Kate Bush and M.I.A. The latter is a frequent comparison, and Santogold would be in good company (M.I.A. did drop our favorite record of 2007). But to make such a comparison simply because the two work with some of the same producers and don't fit into any pre-constructed genre is a bit, well, obvious. Music in 2008 is about breaking down genres with no pretense (from Kanye's Portishead-meets-Usher leanings to Girl Talk's 80 song pileups to Vampire Weekend's Africa-meets-New York sound). No one exemplifies this exciting new world than Santogold, whose record is cohesively genre-defying and all-around brilliant. Here's the rest of what grabbed us in 2008:
Will's Top Ten 1. 808's and Heartbreak, Kanye West 2. The Age of the Understatement, The Last Shadow Puppets 3. Alopecia, Why 4. Santogold, Sanotogold 5. Real Animal, Alejandro Escovedo 6. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend 7. Feed the Animals, Girl Talk 8. Something For All of Us, Broke Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning 9. Microcastle, Deerhunter 10. The Carter III, Lil Wayne
Charlie's Top Ten: 1. In Ghost Colours, Cut Copy 2. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend 3. Santogold, Sanotogold 4. Alopecia, Why 5. Dear Science, TV on the Radio 6. Stay Positive, The Hold Steady 7. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes 8. Hercules and Love Affair, Hercules and Love Affair 9. The Age of the Understatement, The Last Shadow Puppets 10. 808's and Heartbreak, Kanye West
Favorite Label:Sub Pop Sub Pop are like the New York Yankees of indie rock - they just keep signing premium talent. Three of my top ten favorite songs this year came from Sub Pop acts, not to mention the sheer number of other releases which impacted the music world. Oh, yeah, and they just added another one of my local favorites, Vetiver.
Favorite Live Show: Tom McRae at Hotel Utah.
Favorite Music-Related Reality TV Moment: Diddy fires two members of Dannity Kane on the Making the Band finale.
Favorite Mixtape:Viva La Hova, Mick Boogie and Terry Urban. (Download it here)
Favorite Internet Radio:Bagel Radio Thanks to Bagel Radio, I discovered Why? and the Confusions - two of my favorite musical discoveries of the year.
2008 was a curious year in music; by and large, we found most major releases lacking, but we were repeatedly inspired by the songs of our peers in the Los Angeles music scene. A few of these tracks haven't been officially released yet, and a few were released prior to '08, but all were our personal favorites this year. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are our picks for our Favorite Songs of 2008 by L.A. Bands:
Our Best of 2008 continues with Sean Duncan of Kid Mud on his favorite albums and songs from the year...
So for myself I find 2008 was a hard year to find crazy albums that i totally love. When it comes to Top Albums I have to like the album as a whole or i cant consider it in the top for that year. Most the time i can find 10 albums that i can listen through from start to Finish but this year i could only find 6. Here they are in the order of how much my scalp tingled when i first listened to them.
6. You Have No Idea What you are Getting into, Does it Offend you Yeah
(Favorite Tracks: "We are Rockstars," "With a heavy Heart")
5. Third, Portishead
(Favorite Tracks: "The Rip," "Hunter")
4. Nightdrive with You, Anoraak
(Favorite Tracks: "Nightdrive with You," "Sunday Night Fever")
3. Sexuality, Sebastien Tellier
(Favorite Tracks: "Roche," "Divine")
2. Made in the Dark, Hot Chip
(Favorite Tracks: "Made in the Dark," "In the Privacy of our Love")
When I am making my Top Ten Albums list, I have two criteria - how much I liked listening to the album and how much I think the album changed the way I listen to music. When I am making my Top Ten Songs list, there is just one factor - whether I wanted to listen to the song over-and-over again. These ten songs fit the bill...
10. "Rat is Dead (Rage)," CSS
In music, there is a longstanding tradition of men singing songs about killing their wives. When it comes to women killing their husbands, or friends killing their friend's abusive husband, the songs are not quite as plentiful. Thankfully, CSS update "Goodbye Earl" a bit with the unbelievably catchy, "Rat is Dead (Rage)." Best of all, the song is guilt free - "I know, I know, he will never hurt you again."
9. "The Age of the Understatement," The Last Shadow Puppets
Choosing just one track from the Last Shadow Puppets' spectacular debut was a difficult task. Still, this title track embodies the groups sound rather well - a mix of Burt Bacharach arrangements and Shirley Bassey-Bond theme bombast. Singers Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (The Rascals) hail from the thriving British rock scene, but here they showcase a different side, and the results are splendid.
8. "Each to Each," The Gutter Twins
When Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan get together - and call themselves the Gutter Twins - you can expect some dark songs, wallowing in their own pain. But, while we may have associations with the two, their voices lend themselves well to virtually any sound. With its electronic drum beats and looped guitar, "Each to Each" recalls Dulli's first Twilight Singers album and Lanegan's work with SoulSavers. Unlike most of their 90s counterparts, Dulli and Lanegan continue to evolve, while still making great music.
7. "Electric Feel," MGMT
"Electric Feel" is instantly likable - from the moment the flute kicks in, to the stunning chorus, to when it fades out all too soon. This is what the Scissor Sisters should have sounded like. MGMT are updating that Elton John-meets-disco sound, and doing so in a wink-wink tongue-in-cheek fashion, but also delivering a great pop song. Play this one on repeat but do yourself a favor and skip the Katy Perry version.
6. "Lollipop," Lil Wayne
For the first single from what would be his career-defining album, the self-proclaimed "best rapper alive" opted for a track where he wasn't rapping. "Lollipop" showcases not Wayne's rhyme skill, but instead his warbly vocals. Somehow, it works, as "Lollipop" is simply an unpretentious, unabashed, unapologetic sex jam. Wayne croons, "that pussy in my mouth had me lost for words," managing to create a sex jam that does not sound sexist. He recycles a lot of silly sugary sex metaphors, all of which make "Lollipop" simply a very honest song.
5. "Two Ways Out," Darker My Love
I was struck right away by "Two Ways Out" and its mix of Byrd-like harmonies, with a more atmospheric, shoegaze sound. Listening to the lyrics, it gave me wise advice about what to do when you're lost - "If something looks familiar, looks familiar, then something is wrong." Seriously - have you ever walked in a circle, like that Winnie the Pooh where they get lost and keep walking past the same tree. Maybe this song is about relationships, though.
4. "Campus," Vampire Weekend
"Campus" embodies everything I like about Vampire Weekend - the collegiate nature of their sound, and the annoying effortlessness with which they pull it off. "Campus" is short but epic with a great chorus ("How am I supposed to pretend/ I never want to see you again") and a great closing ("In the afternoon/ you're out on the stone and grass / and I'm sleeping on the balcony/ after class"). It is a great reconciliation between heartache and Ivy League elitism.
3. "Welcome to Heartbreak," Kanye West
We've heard ruminations on the price of fame before, and frankly, they become tiresome. But we know Mr. West's pain is real, after what he has been through in the past year. Setting the tone for his dark opus on "Welcome to Heartbreak," West looks at the situation with a sense of sadness mediated by his desensitized position as a celebrity. The song is both heartbreaking and funny ("My friend showed me pictures of his kids/ and all I could show him was pictures of my cribs") but that's the only way Mr. West knows to be.
2. "California Dreamer," Wolf Parade
There were few finer musical moments this year than hearing Spencer Krug cry out, "And I think I might've heard you on the radio/ but the radio waves were like snow." It is hard for that sense of longing not to send a chill down anyone's spine. Still, if I could only choose one Wolf Parade song for this list, it would be hard to imagine it coming from the mouth of Krug. I like Krug's unique voice, do not get me wrong, but it lacks the sheer comfort of his counterpart Dan Boeckner. Krug managed to outdo his bandmate here, crafting a catchy song that maintains his angsty voice. Krug has the unique ability to draw vocal qualities from his closest collaborators - Boeckner, Frog Eyes and Destroyer - and he's never shown so bright as he does here.
1. "Sex on Fire," Kings of Leon
If you didn't gather it from my description of Lil Wayne's "Lollipop," I guess I have a soft spot for unapologetic sex jams. "Sex on Fire" finds Kings of Leon looking beyond the apathy of indie rock and instead drawing influence from those rockers of time's past who didn't stop believing and wanted you to show them what love was. There is no greater moment than on this unashamed power single, which cries out, "this sex is on fire," with a furious growl and not a hint of pretension.
Compiling a favorite songs list is damn hard. I try and limit it to one per artist to make it a little easier on myself (otherwise the top ten would almost always be from the same Kanye West album). I tried to be thorough, but I am still sure that there is something I missed. Still, here are numbers 50 through 11, and tomorrow I will post the top ten with detailed explanations.
50. "Swagger Like Us," Jay-Z and T.I. featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne 49. "Sleepy Tigers," Her Space Holiday 48. "In the New Year," the Walkmen 47. "Ativan," Atlas Sound 46. "Can't You Wait," Geographer (mp3) 45. "The Way We Ride," Fulton Lights (mp3) 44. "Sober Driver," Dengue Fever (mp3) 43. "Jackie's Lament," The Baseball Project 42. "Machine Gun," Portishead 41. "Viva La Vida," Coldplay
40. "Your English is Good," Tokyo Police Club 39. "A Children's Crusade on Acid," Margot and the Nuclear So and So's 38. "Sensual Seduction," Snoop Dogg 37. "Many Shades of Black," the Raconteurs 36. "Vanished," Crystal Castles 35. "Thin," the Confusions 34. "Walls," Beck 33. "Sister Lost Soul," Alejandro Escovedo 32. "Lost Coastlines," Okkervil River 31. "Seven," Raphael Saadiq 30. "For Our Elegant Caste"/"An Eluardian Instance"/"Gallery Piece," Of Montreal
29. "American Boy," Estelle featuring Kanye West 28. "I'm a Lady," Santogold 27. "I Woke Up Today," Port O'Brien (mp3) 26. "Creeper," Islands 25. "I Will Posess Your Heart," Death Cab For Cutie 24. "Agoraphobia," Deerhunter 23. "Come on Over (Turn Me On)," Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan 22. "Shooting Rockets," Destroyer 21. "Calling Lightning, Pt. 2," Howlin Rain 20. "Cape Canaveral," Conor Oberst
19. "Still Here," Girl Talk
18. "Whatever You Like," T.I.
17. "Chasing Pavements," Adele
16. "On the Edge of a Cliff," The Streets 15. "Videotapez," Amplive featuring Del the Funkee Homosapien 14. "Freeze and Explode," Cassettes Won't Listen 13. "Fatalist Palmistry," Why?
12. "Hit the Wall," Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning
As the year comes to a close and we all start to compile our "Best of 2008" lists, New and Used Records has asked our artists to think of their favorites from the past year. Today we present the collective top ten list from Dave, Cindy and Andrew of Tigers Can Bite You...
(In no particular order) Third, Portishead Microcastle/Weird Era, Deerhunter Nouns, No Age Do You Like Rock Music?, British Sea Power Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes Evil Urges, My Morning Jacket 808s and Heartbreak, Kanye West Saturdays=Youth, M83 Intimacy, Bloc Party In Rainbows, Radiohead (released Dec. 28, 2007 so we're counting that for 2008)
Compiling my own best of lists and looking through those of others has been a December tradition of mine for some time now. When it comes to albums, I find it a little odd how early everyone likes to post their lists. At N&UR, my brother and I have made a tradition of posting our lists on New Year's Day. In the interest of staying up with the pack, we will be posting lots of "Best of 2008" blogs over the next couple of weeks. These will include top ten lists from our artists and friends, not to mention my 50 favorite songs and non-musical favorites as well. Expect some holiday-themed posts next week as well.
While much of the rest of the music obsessing public has taken to revealing their "best of" lists a bit earlier (some even in late November), my brother and I have made a grand tradition of posting our lists on January 1. There's a bit of overlap on our two lists, with Satogold's self-titled debut placing high on both. That combined with the fact that my girlfriend also really liked it make Santogold the New and Used Records Album of the Year (excluding our own releases of course). An eclectic mix of tracks, Santogold's music finds itself somewhere in the land between Gwen Stefani, Kate Bush and M.I.A. The latter is a frequent comparison, and Santogold would be in good company (M.I.A. did drop our favorite record of 2007). But to make such a comparison simply because the two work with some of the same producers and don't fit into any pre-constructed genre is a bit, well, obvious. Music in 2008 is about breaking down genres with no pretense (from Kanye's Portishead-meets-Usher leanings to Girl Talk's 80 song pileups to Vampire Weekend's Africa-meets-New York sound). No one exemplifies this exciting new world than Santogold, whose record is cohesively genre-defying and all-around brilliant. Here's the rest of what grabbed us in 2008:
