Sunday, December 7, 2008

Oh man, is it really that time of year again?  Has the Earth once again orbited Sweet Mother Sun?  Am I really about to turn 27?  Are those really gray hairs in my shabby beard and badly cut hair?

Yes, all of the above is very true.  And if that’s the case, then it’s time for that bastion of year end goodness: The Best Of List.   These things daunt the shit out of me.  My memory, though pretty strong, seems more selective about music than I thought it was and a lot of the albums I’ve listened to and loved over the year have, well, faded in to the abyss.

Thus this selection of my favorite albums (and my mini-list of flicks as well) of the year is culled from what my booze-addled brain still has the juice to recall.

Hope you enjoy!
 

Top 10 Albums
 

10.  Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All

I know, it seems a little token to drop Thao as my one female artist and place her in the number 10 slot, but this was a strong year in music and Thao’s heart-string tugging lyrics, ferocious stage presence and delightfully quirky vocals just barely squeaked on.  Nonetheless, Thao And The Get Down Stay Down have created an album that eschews the common ills of your typical female singer-songwriter, in the process creating one of the best albums of the year.

:Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down - Bag Of Hammers:

9.  Dr. Dog - Fate

Ah jeez, I love the shit out of Dr. Dog.  I love their big, funny looking guitarist with his tiny guitar.  I love the verve and vigor that rock their live shows with, and I love the sort of doo-wop sensibility that infects the edges of all of their music.  I was more than a little disappointed with We All Belong, but Fate shortened the tracks, tightened up the harmonies, and, well, pretty much crushed any fears I may have had.

:Dr Dog - The Old Days:

8.  The Delta Spirit - Ode To Sunshine

Another reason I love Dr. Dog: when they rolled through Seattle earlier this year, their openers were none other than The Delta Spirit.  This group of gritty, beautiful rock and fucking roll playing sum’bitches knocked me so hard on my ass that Dr. Dog actually paled in comparison.  And lucky for me, and lucky for you, their album Ode To Sunshine is a just as goddamn good.   A heavily rotated album in these final months of the year. 

:The Delta Spirit - People C'mon:

7.  The Moondoggies - Don’t Be A Stranger

If I had a list that featured my favorite labels of this year, Sub Pop shingle Hardly Art would be king of that mountain.  They’ve been dropping gems all year, and The Moondoggies (hotly debated name aside) are one of my favorites.   You like The Band right?   You know the oft-forgotten classic rock gods immortalized in Scorceses’ The Last Waltz?  Yeah well these guys are their modern day incarnation.   I thought Don’t Be A Stranger was just going to be a low-key release from another talented local act, but no, this is as strong a debut as any I’ve heard in a long time.   Also, their ability to rock a show in to the weeeeeee hours of the morning?  Legendary.

:The Moondoggies - Changing:

6.  The Duchess and The Duke - She’s The Duchess, He’s The Duke

Oh shit!  Another Hardly Art release!?!  Are you serious Noah?  Yes, yes I am.  Aside from a notoriously sloppy, though strangely enjoyable, live show, The Duchess And The Duke are the best things to step out of Sea-town in a bit.  They’re quirky, slightly reminiscent of the 1960s, and full of beautifully sad lyrics.  Also, the only band I’ve ever seen play in near total blackness.

:The Duchess And The Duke - Reservoir Park:

5.  Rodriguez - Cold Fact

I know, this came out on Light In The Attic, the record label I work for on a weekly basis.  But this is the best reissue of the year.  Rodriguez has a great story, an amazing voice, and if the single Sugar Man doesn’t have your jaw dropping you are a zombie, a music-hating zombie.  This man is seriously like Bob Dylan mixed with Motown, but funneled through the grit and grime only a resident of Detroit can wear.  Poetic and moving, Cold Fact is one of the best albums of any year.

:Rodriguez - Sugar Man:

4.  Man Man - Rabbit Habits

These guys in all regards are crazy on a stick.  I can’t remember what drew me to them, but something did and I’ve been obsessed with this album ever since.  It’s wild and crazy and full of sounds you don’t usually associate with the idea of "music".  Beyond that though, this album is funky wet-dream.  A blast of bass-driven power that’ll get you moving in the morning - sure, it might not be your cup of tea, but at least give this demonic group a listen.

:Man Man - Top Drawer:

3.  Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

I was prodded and pulled and begged to listen to this album many a time and for whatever reason I blew all askers off.  That is until I saw them open for Oxford Collapse in late May and just fell completely in love with them.  Not only are they the nicest group of Scots I’ve ever stumbled upon, but their album is emotional, beautiful and at times perversely funny.  Believe the hype on this band and see them in a small venue now when you can.

:Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper:

2.  Black Mountain - In The Future

Hilariously, I left these guys off my mid-year Best Of List out of sheer stupidity and even had to throw a second post up about it to remedy the situation.  This is the best, sheer stoner-rock album in a long, long time and if you’re not privy to it yet, you better get there.  Steve McBean and crew play a sort of dark, throbbing form of rock and roll that will push you towards your roommates six-foot water pipe. 

:Black Mountain - Tyrants:

1.  Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

No other album has more affected me this year than Bon Iver’s debut.  I can’t hardly put it in to words, but Justin Vernon’s voice does something to the inside of my soul I can’t explain.  If you haven’t fallen in love with this album yet, you’re missing out in such a way that can only be measured by the amount of regret you’ll feel after hearing this album and realizing what you’ve been missing out on for so long.

:Bon Iver - Skinny Love:

Top 5 Films (...It's For Fun)


 

Let The Right One In

This is not only the best movie I’ve seen all year, but one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.  Horror has the capacity, an underrated capacity to expose the some of the most tender moments.  Sure, this is a film about a vampire who kills the shit out of people, but at its heart it’s a sad love story about a lonely boy and the strange girl he fights to protect.  It’s about growing up and falling in love and the extremes we’ll go to protect those we love.

The Dark Knight

Oh c’mon, is their any self-respecting nerd in the entirety of the universe that isn’t placing that at least somewhere in their top 5?  This is the best superhero movie ever made.  Not up for debate.  A perfect, semi-realistic capturing of what it really takes to be a super-hero in a society as corrupt as ours can be.   Christian Bale, sans his excessively poor "Batman voice" is the best B-Man/Bruce Wayne of any actor so far.  The shocking death in the middle of the film and of course the bittersweet turn of Heath Ledger as the Clown Prince of Crime has this film burned in my memory forever. 

Wall*E

Just like horror can transcend what we expect from it, Pixar is constantly proving that animation can do the same.  Wall*E isn’t just a film about a sad little robot that falls in love and saves the world in the process, it’s about the state of our glutinous society and the drastic steps we need to take to even begin to fix it.  Even better, a two foot tall adorable piece of metal is sure to help cement these thoughts in the minds of every youngster in the world.

In Bruges

I promise you I’m more shocked than you that a Colin Farrell film ended up on my top 5 for the entire year.  But this story of a mouthy hit-man and his time spent in an idyllic Belgian tourist spot is so much more than description can provide.  Farrell is at his very best here, using that over-emotional mug of his to broadcast some truly heartfelt emotions.  It’s sad, it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful, and if you aren’t laughing out loud every other minute in this film, there is seriously something wrong with you.  A true shocker, but deserved of the spot.

Burn After Reading

I defend this movie as vociferously as anything this year because so many people have shat on it.  This is the as perfect a Coen Bros’ comedy as any that’s come before it.  It’s random and character-based and depends very little on any plot devices, instead choosing to just showcase the stupidity that lurks within us all, and let that tell the story.  Everyone is great in this, but if there’s a more deserving Supporting Actor nod than Brad Pitt come Oscar time, I’ll be shocked.

- Noah Sanders -



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