The 2nd Consecutive End of the Year Musical List Post

As Mr. Mike sorta alluded to, there weren't a whole lot of great
albums (start to finish) in 2008. Songs could be found here and there, but definitely a drop-off in quality albums from '07 [Ed. note: only because I don't remember how crappy '07 was]. So this seemed like a good year to let great music--which had existed for years and I was just too lazy to notice--hit me squarely on the back of the head.

That being said, here's a sad and brief list of actual 2008 music that found its way to my ears:

Calibre, Overflow
Irish Drum & Bass, I mean..seriously.. what else is there?

The Organ, Thieves
Only an EP, and a bittersweet one at that, since we probably won't be hearing anymore from them. Although, I would have had this on repeat (in particular "Even in the Night" & "Don't Be Angry") while crying myself to sleep at night had Obama lost. It recently dawned on me that Katie Sketch's voice sounds a lot like Debbie Harry's.

Portishead, Third
Yeah, as much as I wanted to be, I wasn't thrilled with this album as a
whole. It has grown on me, but after 11 or so years (!) of waiting for
a new record--anticipation was ridiculously high. Anyway, "Hunter",
"Threads", and "The Rip" and its video capture that old crushing Portishead sadness. See also: the Thom Yorke acoustic cover of "The Rip".




So yeah, let's just move along and not try to remember 2008 anymore. If it wasn't for semi-sober musical suggestions from friends, it would have been a very sad year for my iPod. I fully admit that I didn't 'discover' these bands all by my lonesome like I usually discover awesome and wondrous things; they were pretty much spoon-fed to me. Yummy!

Broadcast
The Noise Made by People and Work and Non Work made it o.k. that the new Portishead record wasn't outstanding. Similar to Portishead, these albums spark images of dimly lit, smoke-filled dive bars that smell of stale whiskey and clove cigarettes and are populated with nothing but Devil-may-care, shifty-eyed, French secret agents. It's kind of like Dummy but with 43% less melancholy.

I generally have a pretty low tolerance when it comes to distortion and discordant noises, so I didn't fall in love quite as much with the direction Broadcast took on Haha Sound and Tender Buttons, but I really like "Before We Begin" and "America's Boy". And Future Crayon was a good collection of songs from their EPs and b-sides (I especially like "Dave's Dream").


Fugazi
Holy shit. I mean...WOWEE. I really missed the boat on this band. I could have been a much more indignant, angry, socially-awkward, paranoid teenager had I been listening to the likes of 13 Songs, Repeater, and Red Medicine in high school. Alas, crippling shyness took over and ruled the day for me back then (thanks for nothing, Wu-Tang Clan). "Repeater", "Styrofoam", "Birthday Pony", and "Target" are songs that really stand out to me.

End Hits and The Argument really blew me away--the latter is easily my favorite Fugazi record. It seems pretty rare for a band to wrap up a long career with their best work. Even though the music isn't as sonically aggressive and less of the lyrics are growled than on earlier albums, the message comes across even stronger. The title track on The Argument really amazes me because it accurately portrays and predicts the American political climate from late 2001 to the present day--from the events of 9/11 through the impending damage caused by two terms of the Worst. President. Ever. Keep in mind this song was recorded 6-8 months before Sept. 11, 2001.


David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
"Heroes"
Diamond Dogs - Hmm.."Rebel Rebel" sounds a lot like a Rolling Stones song..


..And if you aren't completely nauseous right now from all the useless information, here is some more:

208 is the number of songs added to Pete's iPod during calendar year '08 (as of Dec 15).

Of those 208:
41.8% Pop/Rock
24.5% Electronic
15.5% Punk
14.4% Hip-Hop
3.3% Reggae
.5% Jazz

The Post Where We List Music We Liked From This Past Year

I've very much wanted this web log to avoid the tropes of the blog world, like regular content, bad writing, and year-end lists. But I'm incredibly bored right now, so fuck it.

The Best Music of 2008

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, We Brave Bee Stings & All

TV On The Radio, Dear Science
Just listen to the overlapping claps going off in the background during the verse of "Halfway Home" and you're hooked. And it's only the first song. Like Radiohead, these dudes make alienation, fear, and uncertainty sound incredibly beautiful.

The Dodos, Visiter

Lykke Li, Youth Novels
This record isn't that great as a whole. I'd say maybe five songs on it are great, but they're so great, it's worth the price of the entire record. "Dance Dance Dance" makes me want to do just that and "Little Bit" is so sexy-awesome. Also, it's great to hear a lady sing about how much she likes fucking.

Nana Grizol, "Tambourine-N-Thyme"
Like Ms. Li above, this record (Love It Love It) only has a handful of great songs, but when they hit, they hit hard. This song is so pretty, you can almost forget that it's an anti-city polemic.

The Mountain Goats & Kaki King, "Thank You Mario But Our Princess is in Another Castle"
I don't want to be this type of dude, but ever since John Darnielle signed to 4AD and got a full band, I haven't really been all that interested in his stuff, with the prominent exception of "No Children." It's not that I mind that he no longer records into a boombox or that he's gotten more exposure. I just think his songwriting has changed, and not for the better. His songs became more autobiographical and personal. Gone were the interesting characters, the songs about peanuts and the possiblity of the Cubs winning the World Series. Songs that could make you laugh as much as they made you cry. This song, from the Black Pear EP, is a step back to his old songwriting style; a song sung from the perspective of a put-upon plumber, combing the depths of a nightmarish underworld filled with demons and dragons. It's spectacular.

Vampire Weekend, "Oxford Comma"
It seems that many people have strong opinions about this band. This song is great, and really, that's all that matters. The rest of their debut record is just okay.

Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire, "Voice in Headphones"
A song about the awesome-ness of Bjork that lifts and reinterprets the chorus of "Undo." So great.

Brian Wilson on "Live From Abbey Road"
"God Only Knows" is probably the best song ever recorded, and to hear Brian Wilson's stellar band perform it live, with not one part missing from the original, was jaw-dropping. It's the kind of thing that reminds you why music matters to people. It hits that nerve inside of you that makes you appreciate, if only for three and a half minutes, a world where this type of beauty is possible.

Me at Work

From the World Wide International Internet Web...

Banksy's Pet Store: Click Here

Christmas Music, Mr. Lif-style: Click Here (NSFW)










Diverse "Escape Earth", song & video: Click Here