Top 10 and a Half of 2008: Part I

Ahoy! So the sun sets on 2008. Great year for music. Inspired by Dave Troutman I'm doing a post on my top 10 albums of the year. (Dave & Spencer- if you guys want to cut and paste your lists into the comments section... or heck- do separate posts, that would be fantastic. I just barely read yours after assembling mine...). I have a hard time with best-of lists because my musical discovery is rarely chronological. Not only that, but I'll have albums that will sit on my iPod a year or two before they gestate. A disclaimer: these are my favorite albums of 2008 that I actually own/have listened to. There are albums out there that I really wanted to like.... but just haven't listened to yet. Some guys I know talk about the cars they're going to buy when they finally get real jobs..... I'm catching up on loads of music. For serious.

I've split the list in two mainly because of the limitations of my html mp3 player, but you can think of it as a countdown of sorts. Part 2 will post later this week. I'd love to hear your thoughts on my choices as well as lists of your own.

(Part I mp3's can still be listened to- just click on the song title in each section)

#10.5 A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!!! (Soundtrack)

Yeah, the first song you're hearing on the MixTape is from a soundtrack. I love Stephen Colbert and this hour-long special is an instant classic. "The children are dressed up like elves! The dwarves are dressed up like children! It's magical!" It doesn't crack the top 10 (or even the top 20 probably) because most of the songs just don't work as well outside the context of the video. I just couldn't help tacking it on.

Colbert can sing!!! The first track on the countdown, (What's so funny 'bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding?, is a song originally made famous by Elvis Costello. Joining Stephen on this track (and throughout the show) are Elvis Costello (from the belly of a bear....don't ask...just watch), Leslie Feist, John Legend, Toby Keith and Willie Nelson. Somehow Colbert reigns in the comic insanity and brings the show to a somewhat more serious finale. It's been an insane year, and this show/album/song was a perfect coda to the 12 months of relief (comic and otherwise) that have kept us afloat.

#10 Atlas Sound (Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel)

I first heard River Card back when this album was newly released and it put down roots in my middle ear. Atlas Sound is a side project for Bradford Cox, a fine fellow from Atlanta Georgia. He is also the driving force behind the band Deerhunter, a band I gave a second chance as a result of this disc. Cox makes these introverted dream-sequence soundtracks crackle and hum. Plug in your 'phones on a rainy day.

#9 Shearwater: Rook ("Snow Leopard")

I'm not a big fan of Okkervil River, so I was surprised by Shearwater (a side project of 2 of OR's founding members). Who knows, maybe I'll eventually come around and give OR another chance, but whereas Atlas Sound is basically Deerhunter with slightly varied instruments, Shearwater sounds like a different animal to me. Rook is fantastic. Driving operatic multi-instrumental melodies, experimental arrangements and ballads from a guy crazy about birds. What more could you want?

#8 Deerhunter: Microcastle ("Nothing Ever Happened")

Ok, so I haven't heard Wierd Era Cont. (the bonus album you get if you buy the CD of Microcastle.... Holy cow, what a busy year for Bradford Cox...). It's said to be closer to Cryptograms, so we'll see. Microcastle felt to me like Cox was reigning in his penchant for droning on a bit long on some songs. It's definitely the most listener-friendly of the Cox Canon. He's crafted some excellent noisy dreampop here.

#7 Wolf Parade: At Mount Zoomer ("The Grey Estates")

Apologies to the Queen Mary kicked me in the head repeatedly for months and months and still ranks high among my all-time favorite albums. I had high expectations for Zoomer, and was pretty disappointed when it came out. I left it alone for a while and came back with a fresh set of ears and zero expectations and it keeps getting more awesome with each listen. Spencer Krug and Co. continue to make instantly-rewarding, yet challenging music that will gnaw out a little nook in your brain and take you hostage from time to time.

#6 Mount Eerie (with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire): Lost Wisdom
("You Swan Go On")

Anybody who knew me in the late 90's knew of my infatuation with K Records (Olympia, WA-based record label) and my man-crush on founder and Halo Benders/Dub Narcotic/Beat Happening frontman Calvin Johnson. Somewhere between 2000-2002, I dumped Calvin for Phil Elvrum and haven't looked back. The Microphones will always serve as the soundtrack for a couple years of my life (as well as the soundtrack for the wilderness of the Puget Sound region). I could gush for days about It was Hot, We Stayed in the Water and the Glow pt. II, but Phil's music just hasn't been the same for me since the Microphones died and reincarnated as Mount Eerie..... until now. Elvrum's always very personal lyrics are back but paired with the lovely vocals of Julie Doiron (Eric's Trip) and stripped down to very sparse arrangements. Also released this year- Black Wooden Ceiling Opening and Dawn. Prolific! I don't have Dawn yet (!!!) and didn't really take to BWCO (Phil's been on a bit of a scandanavian Black Metal kick lately). Speaking of which- the title and album art for Lost Wisdom are a reference to Norwegian Black Metal musician, Barzum. This aint metal, y'all. (or "the metal" as Spencer would say).

Tune in later this week (?) for Part II and my top 5 favorite albums of 2008!!!!

(Oh yeah, and if anybody is still reading this and has yet to see the Colbert Christmas special, scroll back to the top and click on the picture of the prancing Stephen).