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Monday, February 09, 2009
So Two Months Ago: Top 37 of 2008 2008 was a year of recession for more than just the world economy. Musically, my growth and exploration has been stunted. My daily blog-list has shrunken dramatically, and my own blogging has trickled to a Chinese Democracy pace as well. This might have something to do with the fact that I'm spending more time in meeting rooms and much less time in front of my computer with my headphones on. No matter the reason, the raw amount of new music that my brain has processed in 2008 fell starkly off my usual rate. In some other dimension, the 22-year-old me is kicking my ass right now.
So lame is the 2008 me, my big discovery of the year -- years in the making -- is already a huge band (TV on the Radio), and I didn't truly find anything on my own. Most years, I can usually point to one or two records that: a) aren't Billboard Top 10s; b) aren't Pitchfork-reviewed; and c) aren't from an artist I already love.
But not this year. No surprises this year. Other than the comeback-of-the-year Phantom Planet record, this list is purely Blog-By-Numbers. Insert one cup mega-indie-star-bands, two cups cute-girly-pop, a splash of singer-songwriter LPs (heavy on the ladies), stir, and voila -- you have Hanson's year end list. The usual secret ingredient that makes this a little less predictable is absent this year.
Meh. It's not that I care less; it's just the way it is. In fact, I can't even fill up my usual top 37! With no EPs, live albums, and compilations, I can probably fill it out with LPs that I merely found decent, but I just can't do it. Unless I can truly classify it as being "good" -- 7.5 rating minimum -- it just ain't going on the list.
I'm sorry Ladytron -- Velocifero is blah. Vivian Girls -- I don't get the hype. High Places -- I see where you're going, but I don't follow. Weezer -- please stop. My Brightest Diamond -- what happened?? Dido -- zzzzzzz. Hercules and Love Affair -- I really wish you hadn't hooked up with Antony.
So here it is -- two months late - Hanson's Top 37 31 Records of 2008. Remember the days when I actually annotated this list? Maybe I'll do it next year...
01. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
02. Tilly & The Wall - O
03. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
04. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
05. Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward
06. Haley Bonar - Big Star
07. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
08. Sarah Slean - The Baroness
09. Bon Iver - For Emma
10. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
11. Jeff Hanson - Madam Owl
12. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
13. Mirah - The Old Days Feeling
14. Land Of Talk - Some Are Lakes
15. Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead
16. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
17. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
18. Tift Merritt - Another Country
19. Chris Walla - Field Manual
20. Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - Animal/Not Animal!
21. Earlimart - Hymn And Her
22. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
23. She & Him - Volume One
24. Nada Surf - Lucky
25. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
26. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
27. Laura Cantrell - Trains and Boats and Planes
28. Islands - Arm's Way
29. CSS - Donkey
30. Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us...
31. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Year-End mix CD to follow...
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:29 AM
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