November 12, 2008

Best Music of 2008

The year's not over, but here are my picks for best music:

And the winner is... the city of Calgary.

Songs:
1. Liver & Tan - The Neighbourhood Council (they announced they changed their name to 'Braids' at a concert I was at last night).

At nine minutes long you'd expect this track to be a little gluttonous, but there's not a single note I'd choose to cut. Best song in the history of Calgary.


2. Lovin's For Fools - Sarah Siskind

Thank Bon Iver for introducing the world to this new country music classic. This is about as good as it gets.

This song is two years old. But it's been reborn.





3. In the New Year - The Walkmen

An organ line this good hasn't come around since ? and the Mysterians.

I've listened to this song hundreds of times and I still get excited for the chorus.

4. Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis

True, this song's overflowing with vocal masturbation. Unfortunately. But still, if this song doesn't get to you you're a cold, cynical bastard who's kidding himself that he even likes music. That, or I'm a sentimental schmuck.






5. Time To Pretend - MGMT
"Let's make some music, make some money, get some models for wives... Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?"





6. Feel the Love - Cut/Copy

Crazily, eerily perfect pop music.





7. Trouble - Valleys

I'd been to three of their shows in town before I recognized one of the band members working at a bar I frequent.

'Trouble' isn't up on their myspace anymore. Too bad.


8. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song - Fleet Foxes

The room-mate and I went to see them live at a little bar in town. It was packed, and the Montreal summer heat and humidity was stifling. We started hating every person we saw infringing on our existence, so we retreated outside and listened to them play from the sidewalk with all the smokers. Then we walked down the street and ate smoked meat sandwiches from Schwartz's.

Great song.


9. Assassins - The Supporting Cast

Another great track from Calgary this year. Not a perfect song. But close.




10. Life in Technicolor - Coldplay

A good song is a good song; even a song from the least interesting album by the least interesting band in a world of uninteresting rock music. But yeah, Life in Technicolor is good.

Ever try to find a picture of Coldplay on google that doesn't look ridiculous? It's hard. Poor guys. Well, not literally poor.

Honourable Mention:
this song is from last year, plus I hate this band -so I can't in good conscience give it full inclusion.
Dead Letter & The Infinite Yes - Wintersleep.

------------------------------------------------------

Albums:
Lykke Li - Youth Novels

A great pop album from beginning to end. Not a bad track in the whole sequence.






The Walkmen - You & Me

the best album they've ever made. It's a grower.






Beach House - Devotion

I almost can't imagine anyone not enjoying this album at least a little.

5 comments:

Jon Coutts said...

grateful for the list. looking forward to taking some time to check all these out. i've only heard the walkmen and the coldplay song.

my word verification is "triedju". weird.

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm a cold cynical bastard who jumped off the Mariah Carey band wagon at the age of 12 or so.

s$s said...

Mariah Carey? Yeah, pretty much. Damn.

But I like Madonna, remember?!

s$s said...

The link to 'The Supporting Cast' was wrong. I've corrected it.

And I added an album to the best albums list.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad Cut Copy is on your list. I was listening to that exact song when I read this posting. weird.

bismild : a young business man who recently moved from the quiet countryside to the city. He is mild mannered and secretly in love with a girl who catches the same train to work in the mornings that he catches. He only uses the Times New Roman font, and will never act on his feelings for the girl.