More Best Music of 2008

Continuing my previous entry of my picks for best music of 2008.

Honorable Mentions:

The Parties : Can't Come Down

This band proves that imitation and innovation really can be the same thing. This LA-based band channels the spirit and sound of the mid-'60s British Invasion, but with all-original songwriting. Their music sounds like the stuff you'd hear on a classic rock radio spotlight on 1966, except that you're hearing every song for the first time. They have that jangly Byrds-style guitar sound, loose-sounding vintage snare drum set, and all-analog amps. I've always had a soft spot for '60s rock, and these guys have it nailed.

Ladytron : Velocifero

The fourth studio album by this British electronica act has a sound like a darker Stereolab crossed with Joy Division. Ladytron fetures two female lead singers: Scotswoman Helen Marnie sings in English and Bulgarian Mira Arroyo sings in her native language. The album came out in late September, and has a dark, seductive sound that was just perfect for Halloween.

She and Him : Volume One

She and Him is a folk-pop duo of producer and multi-instrumentalist M. Ward and the film actress Zooey Deschanel. The sound harkens back to the '60s girl groups, with clean and simple arrangements that let Deschanel's voice really shine. The album won't knock your socks off, but it sure will make you smile.

The Hold Steady : Stay Positive

Another solid, dependable rock album from America's greatest bar band.


Best Amazing Song From an Otherwise Just-Okay Album

The Broken West : Now or Heaven : "Gwen, Now And Then"

This track came up repeatedly on my Pandora playlist, and I just really liked it. The review on the Onion AV Club was lukewarm, but I don't always agree with their critics, so I bought the whole album because of this great song. Turns out that the rest of the album isn't bad, but it doesn't hold up to the expectation set by this really good song. Their sound owes a lot to Death Cab for Cutie, with a nod to early REM.


Best "Hey-- They're New to Me!" Albums of 2008:

The next three albums came out in the past but somehow completely escaped my notice until this year. I had never even heard of these acts until 2008, and my world was emptier without them without my even noticing...

The Bats : Daddy's Highway (1987)

This album sounds far too contemporary for it to be 21 years old. It was featured in an All Songs Considered special on the music of the '80s, as an example of '80s music that hinted at the 21st century. The Bats were (and still are) very popular in their homeland of New Zealand, but have had little-to-no exposure in the US, except in a few college radio markets.

Neutral Milk Hotel : In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea (1998)

Considered a true classic of alternative music, I still don't know how I missed this one. I guess that I just wasn't all that into new music in the late '90s. One of the founding bands of the Elephant 6 Collective, NMH is only "on hiatus," but has only performed in public once since their final show in 1998. The music is catchy, infectious, and brilliant, but with very disturbing lyrics under its upbeat music. eMusic.com lists it as #1 of the top 100 albums available on the service.

Kinski : SpaceLaunch for Frenchie (1999)

Driving, droning, ambient mostly-instrumental post-rock. Kinski is extremely experimental, but retains a tonality and dedication to strong melody that sometimes splinters into chaos or explodes into oblivion, but never loses touch with the muse. Wonderful stuff.


Biggest Disappointments:

Bon Iver : For Emily, Forever Ago

I really wanted to like this album. I really did. Bon Iver (a play on "bonne hiver," French for "happy winter") is the stage name of Wisconsin-based Justin Vernon. This is stripped-down, highly personal folk-rock, and Vernon really bares his soul. This album tops the best-of-the-year list for just about every rock and music critic that I follow. The album was released to select critics in December of last year for early reviews, and it became the darling of the whole alt- and indie-rock world soon after its February 2008 general release. I bought it after hearing the opening track "Flume" on NPR's podcast All Songs Considered, figuring that the good stuff would be on the rest of the album. And I just can't get into it. I find Vernon's falsetto voice grating, and the arrangements too spare to be interesting. Maybe I'll come around to it, once I force myself to listen to it a few more times. It may grow on me.

My Morning Jacket : Evil Urges

This is an album that splits critics down the middle: people either love it or hate it. I'm in the latter camp. Fortunately, I didn't actually buy the album, but I did manage to listen to all but three tracks that are available legally for free around the Internet. I loved My Morning Jacket's earlier albums, and I'm all for innovation and for bands pushing their envelopes. However, if I ever hear "Highly Suspicious" again, I may decide to run into traffic just to get away from the awful noise

Now, we move to the section of the review where I talk about albums that I don't actually own.

Other Critics' Top Picks That I Think I'll Like But Haven't Gotten Around To Yet:

(Yes, any of these would make good Christmas presents...)

Blitzen Trapper : Furr
Fleet Foxes : Fleet Foxes
Sia : Some People Have Real Problems
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds : Dig! Lazarus! Dig!
David Byrne and Brian Eno : Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Portishead : Third
Los Campisinos : Hold On There, Youngster
Coldplay : Viva La Vida
The Eagles of Death Metal : Heart On


Top Turkeys of 2008:

Definitely Not Worth The Wait Award:

Guns 'n Roses : Chinese Democracy

Yawn. Oh, and it's only available at Best Buy. Are you a Pepper too?


Schadenfreude Award:

Metallica : Death Magnetic

I used to like Metallica, until they got all preachy about electronic distribution/downloading, greedy with concert ticket prices, and suing individuals who downloaded their music. Oh, and that they haven't released a decent album since the early '90s. Their new album has some decent shredding, but totally banal lyrics. Also, the mixing is reportedly highly compressed, making it sound really loud, but with no dynamic range. The joke is on them, though: Copies of the master tapes of the album were leaked and posted on the Pirate Bay, and enterprising individuals have re-mixed the album so that it actually sounds good. So-- if you download this album from the Pirate Bay, you just might get a superior product for free! Take that, Lars Ulrich! (Not that I am suggesting that you actually do that, of course. That would be wrong.)

Best Albums of 2008

It's the end of the year, so it's time to put my geekiness out there and produce my own "Best Of 2008" list.  I didn't read very many books, see very many movies, or watch very much TV this year, but I did buy a lot of music.  (Yes, I did say "buy."  I always pay for music downloads, unless the artist or label is giving it away for free.)

I am only ranking music that I have purchased.  There are a few albums that I'm pretty sure that I'd like but haven't yet bought or given a thorough listening.  (I'll list these later in the post.) My ranking is purely subjective, based on gut feeling and how much I like the record overall.

So, without further ado:

Mike's Top Ten Albums of 2008:

#10:  Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vio Spilum Endalaust

I'm not going to attempt to pronounce the name of this.  This band hails from Iceland, and is known for its intense, brooding, atmospheric post-rock sound and unintelligible lyrics (sung in Latin, Icelandic or their made-up language of "Hopelandic").   This album marks a major shift toward accessibility.  The lyrics are still in Icelandic, and the music retains its atmospheric quality, but the atmosphere is now of open sky and possibilities.  The songs are upbeat, fresh, and radio-friendly.  The opening track, "Gobbledigook," conjures images of open fields and running streams under a crystal-blue springtime sky.  At least, that's what I feel, since I don't speak Icelandic.  

#9: Parts and Labor - Receivers

I came to this album late in the year, and haven't listened to it as much as the other albums on the list, but it has to be here.  I don't know very much of this band from Brooklyn, but their music speaks volumes.  The music combines punk and arena-rock elements with a strong beat and driving melodies.  I think this album would be an ideal soundtrack to a summertime road trip with the windows rolled down.  

#8: Greg Summerlin - All Done in Good Time

I'm cheating a little with this one.  The album came out in October 2007, but didn't make it onto the radar of any music critics.  I had never heard of this guy until until a couple of tracks started to show up on my Pandora playlist, and I just loved it.  Apparently, it got a little bit of regional play in Summerlin's stomping grounds of Minneapolis.  This is a catchy, guitar-focused rock-and-roll album with strong songwriting.  The liner notes say that this is a concept album about a year-long love affair, but I just hear an album's worth of strong, catchy, poppy rock-and-roll.  This album deserved a much higher profile and much more radio play.

#7: Dengue Fever : Venus on Earth

What is it with me and songs in obscure foreign languages?  This LA-based band combines 60's-era San Francisco psychedelic rock with contemporary Cambodian pop.  Songs are in both English and Khmer.  Lead singer Chhom Nimol's voice is arresting and angelic, and the songs have the capacity to get stuck in your head even if you don't understand what she's singing.  

#6: Vivian Girls : Vivian Girls

The debut full-length album from this Brooklyn-based all-girl trio is just spectacular.  They have a low-fi, unpolished punk sound combined with beautiful melodies and thought-provoking lyrics exploring the excitement and terror of growing up in a beautiful yet unfriendly world. I think we'll hear a lot from these women in the coming years.

#5: Shearwater : Rook

I fell in love with this band from Texas two years ago after one hearing of "Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five" off of their 2006 album Palo Santo.  The band formed as a side-project for some members of Okkervil River, and then became its own full-fledged band in its own right.  John Meiberg, the leader of the band, is a professional ornithologist, and there are many references to birds in the lyrics.  Their music is dense, layered, and intense, and it soars like a raptor in flight.  

#4: Cloud Cult : Feel-Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)

The music of this band is a study in contradictions.  Whimsical then profound, light and airy then dark and dense, amusing then deeply philosophical.  This album needs to be experienced to be believed, and then savored.

#3: Black Mountain : In The Future

You can't have an indie-rock top-10 list without a representative from Canada, eh?  Hailing from Vancouver, Black Mountain is a prog rock-influenced heavy metal band with two lead singers (one male, one female).  Their sound evokes early Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, with the latter's heavy organ from the depths of Hell.  Great stuff.

#2: Death Cab for Cutie : Narrow Stairs

Death Cab never disappoints me.  What I love about Death Cab is their strong songwriting, and how each song spins a dark yet compelling story with great guitar-driven alt-rock.  You really want to know what happens to the characters in each song, from the bride at the altar having cold feet ("Cath"), to the man who traveled to the site of a friend's suicide ("Bixby Canyon Bridge"), to a stalker ("I Will Possess Your Heart").  This is an album that I know that I'll be listening to for years and years to come.

And, my favorite album of 2008:

#1: Okkervil River : The Stand-Ins

Another band from Austin (and the band that spawned Shearwater), this album is a direct follow-up to last year's The Stage Names, which was my pick for best album of 2007.  The theme of the album is rock and roll, and the influence of rock and roll on individuals and society.  The songs themselves are guitar-heavy straight-up rock-and roll, and are filled to the brim with references and allusions to the last 50 years of rock music.  The highlights of this album are the send-up of a chart-topper "Pop Lie," and the Al Greene-influenced soul number "Starry Stairs," about the life and death of '90s adult film star Savannah.  This is another record that I can listen to over and over again.

My lunch hour is now over, so I'll end it here.  Later this week, I'll post my honorable mentions, biggest music disappointments, my favorite great song from an otherwise middling album, and my top three "Well, They're New to Me!" albums (i.e. albums that came out in the past that I completely missed the first time around and heard this year for the first time).

Completed Project Paint-the-Bathroom!

Okay, it's been a while since my last post. I actually have an excuse this time: I have been spending just about every free moment since Election Day working on fixing up my bathroom. The project started out simple enough: scrape off the peeling paint and re-paint. I figured that it would just take a long weekend.

But it didn't.

To make a long story short, I found some problems with the walls, window frame, and cabinets. Removing the old paint and repairing the plaster took far, far, far more time than I thought it would. Hindsight being 20/20, it would have been easier to take a sledgehammer to the plaster-and-lath, strip the walls and cieling down to the studs, and then hang drywall. Oh well. Live and learn.

The really good news is that the project is finally done as of Monday night. I think it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Generation X response to Barack Obama

I saw this essay on Salon.com, and it really resonated with me.  

President-Elect Obama

Wow. Just... wow.

Victory speech, part 1.

Victory speech, part 2.

Election 2008: Endgame

Two days to go. It looks like Senator Obama's race to lose. According to the poll tracker at slate.com, if the general election went like the poll numbers, Obama would win with at least 300 electoral votes. I'm still nervous. I thought the Democrats had both the 2000 and 2004 elections in the bag, and the US ended up with eight years of the Worst Prestdent ever.

Fortunately for all Americans, the McCain camp seemed to make a huge blunder in nominating Governor Palin as the VP candidate. It seems that the only constituency that holds her in any regard is the far-right social conservative movement. She managed to turn off small-government Republicans, "Reagan Democrats," and fiscal conservatives. She's starting to ever-so-slightly distance herself from the McCain campaign, so as to keep her own future options open.

All-in-all, I'm glad the campaign is almost over. In two days, we should know who's going to be the next President, and which party controls Congress. It's been a very long road.

On "Heroes" Season Three

I watched Season 3 Ep 6 of "Heroes" last night on Hulu. Season 1 was great television (well, except for the weak finale). Season 2 was much weaker, but we could concievably blame the writers' strike. I was hoping that Season 3 would return the show to form, but instead it's been...really bad.

Has "Heroes" jumped the shark? Signs point to "yes," but I'm still hopeful that they can pull this show out of the flames.

Watching this show makes me ask: "Are the writers still on strike?" It's OK to play with viewer expectations and send a character into a different direction: A hero succumbs to his character flaws and ends up hurting the ones he loves; A villain's chance encounter with fate shows her the error of her ways and she tries to walk the path of redemption. That's classic drama. Such stories are an enduring element of literature.

Unfortunately, this season is having characters radically change their motivations, goals, and personalities in an unconvincing manner for unsatisfactory reasons. I won't give spoilers, but this season has at least four major characters doing 180-degree turns for little-to-no in-plot reason. (The only reason I can see is that the producers have noticed that the show's ratings are sinking and have ordered the writers to shake things up.)

Another problem this season (and it's related to the above) are the frequent nonsensical plot twists. It's one thing to give a "big reveal" or to have some dramatic irony, it's quite another to shock the viewers for the sake of shocking them in a way that detracts from the plot.

My third big critique of this season is that a show like this needs to be grounded in some semblance of reality. We can suspend our disbelief and accept the premise that otherwise normal people have super powers. However, this season, we're not seeing the characters' normal lives at all. Where's Clare's struggle to have a normal adolescence? Parkman dealing with his wife's infidelity? Nikki and DL trying to scrape together an honest livelihood while avoiding their own shady pasts? It was the collision of "normal" with " super" that made Season 1 so compelling.

Finally, to nitpick, why is the Level 5 prison facility so easy to escape from? (I count nine escapes so far) And where are the guards-- especially when two prisoners are having a knock-down SFX fight in broad daylight?

To sum up, I haven't stopped watching yet, but this show's writing needs to get much better, and quickly, or I'm giving up.

Columbus Day Weekend Summary

We took a four-day vacation for Columbus Day Weekend. We went to my parents' cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and had a spectacularly wonderful time. Here's the chronology:

Thursday 10/9: I left work at 3:30, met my wife and kid at home, and we drove out at about 5:00. Our first stop was my wife's aunt and uncle's place in the northern Catskills: Slightly out-of-the-way for our overall journey, but definitely worth the trip. My wife calls their place "Rivendell." It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but a stay at their place is always a treat. We arrived at 8:30 at night, and were met with open arms (and an open liquor cabinet). Our hosts were, as always, extremely gracious. We sat up until 11 or so, discussing art, literature, and politics (like us, they sit on the left side of the aisle).

Friday 10/10: The accommodations at Rivendell are better than the average bed-and-breakfast. I slept like a log. Our hosts cooked us a scrumptious breakfast. Later, our daughter got a ride on her great-uncle's tractor-- and he even let her drive a little! We departed at around 10:30, fully refreshed. We drove north to Albany on the Thruway, then picked up a secondary highway through southern Vermont. We stopped for lunch and a little early Christmas shopping in the touristy town of Wilmington, VT. I had been driving through that town for 15 years, but had never stopped there before. The foliage in the Green Mountains was at peak. After lunch, we stopped briefly at Hogback Mountain, then continued to Brattleboro VT, and picked up I-91 to Hanover NH. We stopped in Hanover, and met my sort-of-nephew (actually, he's my first cousin once removed), who's a junior at Dartmouth College. We met up at a cafe just off the Green, had some lattes, and then he gave us a little tour of the college. I really enjoyed seeing him-- it had been quite a while. We then got back on the highway, and drove straight through to my parents' cabin just north of the White Mountains National Forest. My parents were there to meet us. My dad finally finished the interior this summer (after almost a decade of looking at insulation and floorboards). He did a great job: the interior looks fantastic. Even though we took more than 24 hours to reach our destination, I had the most enjoyable travel day that I can remember. We'll keep this in mind for our planned car trip to Disney World this January.

Saturday 10/11: My mom joined us on a trip to Loon Mountain, which was hosting an Oktoberfest celebration. We took the skyride to the summit of the mountain, where we did a little hiking. We also took the self-guided tour of the glacial talus caves at the summit. These were a lot of fun. After we returned to the base of the mountain, we ate some excellent German food (and Harpoon beer), and listened to an oompah band. After lunch, my kid conquered the climbing wall, and then we returned to the cabin. It was still mid-afternoon, and I didn't want the kid to veg out in front of satellite TV, so the two of us went to a local preserve and walked the educational nature trails. My sister drove up from Manchester, and she joined us for dinner at a lovely Italian Oasis Restaurant in Littleton. When we got back, we all played a rousing game of "Taboo" before we all retired for the night.

Sunday 10/12: The three of us, plus my sister hiked to the summit of Canon Mountain. I had planned the hike based on the write-up in my copy of the Appalachain Mountain Club White Mountains Hiking Guide. The hike was MUCH more challenging than we expected. We made it to the summit, and then decided that we would take the aerial tramway back down. It took about three-and-a-half hours to hike to the summit, and about 10 minutes (and $30) to take the tram back down. After we got back to the cabin, I cooked chicken fajitas for dinner.

Monday 10/13: We drove back home. We got a slightly later start than I'd planned. We stopped for lunch at Hogback Mountain again, but that was our only major stop. We pulled into our own garage at about 7:30 PM, and promptly went out for dinner at the Ithaca Ale House.

This was a wonderful vacation. I felt extremely energized, and while I would have loved more time off, I found that I was eager to get back to work on Tuesday.

An Experiment on Twitter

To make things more interesting, I am planning to make all of my future Twitter tweets in haiku.  We'll see how this goes.

Election 2008: Getting Interesting

As a liberal Democrat, I'm obvously supporting Sen. Obama all the way.  Even though I'm a 20-year resident of New York State, I've been supporting Obama since the primary.  If he hadn't been in the race, I would have been a Hillary supporter, but I truly feel that Barack is the stronger candidate.  From my perspective, Obama is the candidate of the future, whose vision will bring the United States back to being the country that I once believed in.  

Senator McCain named his running mate today: Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.  This is a surprising choice, which was obviously calculated to: 1) attract disgruntled Hillary supporters, 2) project a veneer of youth and forward-thinking, and 3) steal the thunder from Obama's truly inspiring acceptance speech.  While I was somewhat frightened by this announcement from the GOP candidate, upon reflection, I don't think America is going to buy this.

Not to disparage Gov. Palin, but I don't think that she has the experience or gravitas to be much of an asset to McCain long-term.  First of all, her presence on the GOP ticket is going to steal McCain's number-one charge against the junior senator from Illinois: youth and inexperience.  Palin is even less-experienced than Obama, and given McCain's age and health problems, she is going to be scrutinized even more than the usual VP choice.  While I believe that she will be a rising star of the GOP, I don't think that her time is now.  Looking at her politics, she is certainly no Hillary. 

So:  Congrats to Gov. Palin.  I hope that you have the stomach to be thrust into the big leagues so early in your political career.   Your life will never be the same.  However, your ticket still pales in comparison to Obama/Biden.  

Have you seen this video?

Welcome to my new blog!

Okay, I've finally started a blog.  I'm planning to use this to to share my observations, insights, and general outlook on life, politics, faith, and family life.  I'm going to do my best to avoid talking about work here.  I'll be setting pointers to this page from all of my previous disjointed personnas on the interwebs.  Feel free to comment on whatever you find worth commenting on.