My Top 10 Albums of 2008 (updated!)

If you've seen any other Top 10 lists, then you'll recognize a lot of notable records missing off of this list like No Age, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, etc. A lot of records I didn't get the chance to listen to them yet, or they just didn't hit me like they did everyone else I guess. Anyway, these albums are worth your time..


10. Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams (Secretly Canadian)
This is a really great record with a racy cover!! Gotta love SC for getting it right so many more times than most labels. Check out this killer single "Lolita."

9. Thao with The Get Down Stay Down- We Brave Bee Stings And All (Kill Rock Stars)
This record is from newbie Thao Nguyen and her band of buds and they gently tear through this set of tunes. This was a definite surprise for me as I wasn't expecting much and it is one of the albums I have been able to get into during my resurrected love for vinyl.

8. Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge (Domino)
My buddy Derek handed me this record earlier this year and for a few weeks it dominated my car CD player. The tracks are quirky and fun and really well written.

7. These United States - A Picture Of The Three Of us At The Gate To The Garden Of Eden (self-released)
There aren't many wordsmiths with quite as good of a way with words as Jesse from TUS. The put out a few releases in 2008 and all of them deserve to be on here. Check 'em out.

6. Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)
Mark Kozelek and his minimalist project Sun Kil Moon released album #2 this year and it is incredible. It weaves his sleepy guitar virtuosity with his limited vocal range and turns them into some of the most intoxicating sounds that have ever come out of your speakers. This record doesn't hit you right off, it churns in teh background until you can't shake it.

5.5 Mason Proper- Olly Oxen Free
I can't believe I forgot this record. This band, from Ann Arbor, MI totally blew me away when I first heard them. This is one of those albums that seems to keep getting better and more enjoyable with every song, and then it's over much too quickly, but when it starts over at the first song, you keep getting more and more into it. The guitars and melodies on this record were near-un-paralleled this year. Standout tracks: all of them.

5. Bonnie "Prince" Billy- Lie Down In The Light (Drag City)
Lie Down in the Light is a remarkable entry into the Palace catalog. Nothing abnormal here, just perfect folk songs thrown together with the sloppy perfection that has become Oldham's trademark. Expect good things from the Prince in '09 as well...

4. Anathallo- Canopy Glow (Anticon)
Not to be lazy, but you can read about it here.

3. Good Luck- Into Lake Griffy (self-released)
Same with this.

2. Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago (Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar)
I had a really hard time deciding between this one and the #1 choice because this record just might be a perfect record. We've all heard the back story on this record about how Justin Vernon spent a few months in the middle of the woods and then recorded this gem. If you want to see for yourself, check out the subtle perfection that is Bon Iver in their LaundroMatinee performance. Vernon also is a producer and produced the last Rosebuds record which is great as well.

1. Mount Eerie- Lost Wisdom (P.W. Elverum and Sun)
This might just end up in my Top 10 favorite records of all time.



Honorable Mentions:
Icy Demons - Miami Ice (Obey Your Brain)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing (Polyvinyl)
She & Him- Volume 1

My Top 10 Films of 2008

I totally have to qualify this by saying that when I started thinking about all of the 2008 movies I saw, I realized that I only saw about 20 and that there were a ton of movies that I wanted to see, but haven't gotten to yet. So, take this list with a grain of salt or a grain of grain if you don't like salt. It will probably change once I see more 2008 films, but all of these I at least enjoyed a lot. Please feel free to tell me which great films I missed out on. Seriously. I want to know.

My Top 10 Favorite New Movies of 2008 by me

10. Cassandra's Dream
I know what you're thinking...Colin Ferrell, really!? Yeah, he doesn't make this film aweful and for that it deserves a Top 10 appointment. Plus, Woody Allen paid me $50 to have it on here...

9. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
A small qualifier to start out with again, I'm a fan-boy of defunct show Arrested Development and have, thus, been dealing with a non-sexual crush on Michael Cera. He was really funny in the movie and I probably would have liked it even more if I was 18.....and not watching it with my mom...

8. Get Smart
Well, I wasn't around for the original show, but this film was as enjoyable as Hollywood re-makes can be I suppose. Steve Carrell was surprisingly funny and the movie bested my expectations by a long shot. Plus, it had Bill Murray in it, which means that it is better than 98% of the movies made last year.

7. The Foot Fist Way
Now, I wasn't blown away by this movie as much as Will Ferrell and all of those Hollywood folks, but to be fair, if I was Will Ferrell and had made as many mediocre comedies as he has, then I would get pretty excited about this movie too. It does have some genuinely funny moments, and for the fact that it gave Danny McBride a well-deserved leading man role, I am a fan.

6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This is another entry from the Apatow clan, and I'm not a fan of everything they've done. BUT, this movie was actually pretty funny, and I have to admit I'm a sucker for movies when the total loser guy gives the proverbial finger to the pretty girl and then runs to the loving arms of the other pretty girl. And the Dracula puppet musical....classic.

5. Son of Rambow
This one came from across the pond and is one of those heartwearming movies that make you feel good all over. While it wasn't perfect, it was actually really well done, and I did actually feel good all over.

4. Role Models
Believe it or not, this movie was actually pretty good! I try to stay pretty far away from anything Sean William Scott does, but this movie is a hilarious vehicle for one of the most under-rated actors in H-wood, Paul Rudd. He totally carries this movie, and it definitely gets bonus points for the epic battle scene in the end.

3. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
This is the best film that Woody Allen put out this year. It is actually one of the better ones he's done in a long time. The casting was perfect and Penelope Cruz is a fireball in this movie and totally takes the movie over when her character is introduced. The cinematography was beautiful and the script was different for Woody, but incredible none-the-less. I think it deserves bonus points for the weird narration, and for introducing me to the talented Rebecca Hall.

2. Snow Angels
This one probably wins the award for saddest movie I can ever remember seeing. It is also in the running for one of the most beautiful movies I've seen. David Gordon Green is a master at what he does, and this is proof.

1. The Dark Knight
OK. No big surprise here, but let's be honest, this movie was really, really great. No matter how many movies I would have watched this year, I still think this one would be at the top. It was Hollywood at its best. It was artful, intense, action-packed, and chock-full of grandeur. Too bad they don't churn movies like this out all the time instead of the standard fare.

The Mix-Tape Ten: Jesse Lucas

These days Jesse Lucas has his hands in a music project or two and works as a video and flash designer while the sun is up. However, back in the day, Jesse was the booty-shakin' makin' bass player for the local (and unparalleled) indie-pop band The Merediths. I had the pleasure of seeing them many times before they fizzled out dangling the prospects of their much-hyped second album Goose Island which never saw the light of day. We were all very saddened by it, and I still have conversations with random people where somebody inevitably says, "Hey, whatever happened to the Merediths?" or "I just found this incredible Louisville band called The Merediths. Have you seen them?" Yes, dude. I have. But you're never going to get to.




My Top Ten Favorite Songs by Jesse Lucas

1. "Hey" - The Pixies (Doolittle)

My favourite song from Doolittle is "Monkey Gone To Heaven". "Hey" is slowly creeping...




2. "My Body Is A Cage" - The Arcade Fire (Neon Bible)

One of the few songs that by passes my ears and sings directly to my soul.





3. "Beetlebum" - Blur (Blur)

I was just talking to my good friend and band mate Jason Zavala about how all Blur recordings have great separation of instruments. This song is put together so well. The lyrics are insanely personal and really touch the listener. Plus the bass line to this song is incredible!


4. "Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray" - Patsy Cline (Best of Patsy Cline)

Patsy Cline was one of my mother's favourite singers. Now I understand why. The best 2 minute and 31 second description of heartbreak ever.




5. "Pig" - Sparklehorse (Good Morning Spider)

Probably not the first song you think of when you think about Sparklehorse, but damn this song rocks!




6. Honey Bee - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Wildflowers)

This song is sexy! Just listen to the lead guitar!





7. Wedding Bell - Beach House (Devotion)

One of the newer albums I have. The vocal melodies really move me here.





8. "Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground)" - Grandaddy (The Sophtware Slump)

It's really hard to pick just one song from Sophtware Slump. This song just deserves to be listened too on repeat. My description won't do it justice.



9. "Smith & Jones Forever"- Silver Jews (American Water)

A song that begs you to sing along with it. People should listen to more Silver Jews.




10. "Bullet" - Misfits (Misfits)

If you would have asked my top 10 songs 10 years ago, when I was 16, it would have been half misfits and half minor threat. This song has definitely withstood the test of time with me.

Join Me!: Bon Iver and The Tallest Man On Earth

This coming Wednesday, the good city of Louisville will be visited by Justin Vernon and his band of buddies operating under the Anglicized French moniker Bon Iver. If you haven't heard Bon Iver yet, then let me assure you that their record which was properly released on Jagjaguwar in February of 2008 was by far one of my favorite records of the year. His soft and unpretentious falsetto is one of the most riveting voices in music right now and the subtle and simple instrumentation create an emotive exprerience which is practically unparalleled. He will be joined by a Swedish gent dubbed The Tallest Man on Earth who is almost as exciting in his own rite. The only downside to the show is that it is at Headliners which is a cavernous dark bar which can either swallow the best music and make it feel empty or it can make it seem bigger than it ever has. Let's cross our fingers for the latter. The show is this Wednesday (11/17) and starts around 8 or 9.

Bon Iver

The Tallest Man On Earth

The Mix Tape Ten: Jordan Holtane

You can quote me on this: Jordan Holtane is probably my favorite guitar player ever. I have never known someone who can weave melody so beautifully through the strings of a guitar. His guitar doesn't scream or yell, but it sings. It sings like I wish I could. He once introduced me to the band Owen and told me how incredible the dude was at guitar, and we listened and it was great, but all I could think about was how I liked Jordan's playing a lot more. He used to be the guitar player in the most-likely-defunct band Man Cub out of Indianapolis and Indiana's LaRusso. He also happens to be one of the most well-versed people I've ever met when it comes to film. He puts me to shame. He's a great friend and a guy whose taste I trust more than almost anyone. Here he gives us 10 songs that stir up the breezy feelings of autumn for him (even though we have now fully digressed into winter!). Maybe this will help you forget how cold it is. (photo by Davy Rudolph)



Autumn Songs and Signifiers by Jordan Holtane


No specific theme running through these. They just stir up a general autumn feeling inside me, and (I think they) compliment the changing colors, temperatures, and moods of the season.

1. Beirut- Scenic World
from the album “gulag orkestar”






2. The Kingsbury Manx- Animations
from the album “the fast rise and fall of the south”






3. Ronnie Dawson- Rockin’ Bones
from the album “rockin’ bones: the legendary masters”






4. Tobias Hellkvist- step aside
unreleased






5. Pedro the Lion- Slow and Steady Wins the Race
from the album “winners never quit”






6. Clinic- For the Wars
from the album “walking with thee”






7. The Autumn Defense- "The World (Will Soon Turn Our Way)"
from the album Circles






8. Joanna Newsom- "Cosmia"
from the album Ys






9. Aloha- "You’ve Escaped"
from the album Here Comes Everyone






10. Kaki King- "Night After Sidewalk"
from the album Everybody Loves You

Join Me!: The Good Folk Fest

I have to apologize for not getting this up online sooner because it just so happens that one of the greatest artists ever is gracing our fair city!! This weekend is the annual Good Folk Fest and this year it is featuring the art and music of Daniel Johnston!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am as he is one of my favorite musicians of all time. He just might be the best songwriter since Lennon/McCartney or Dylan. I would honestly pay $100 dollars to see him live. That's no joke. I haven't been this excited for a show for a long, long, long time. The best news is.....it's only $5! AND, you just might be able to snag some incredible Daniel Johnston artwork which is unbelievable as well. Take some time and read this about him, then rent The Devil and Daniel Johnston from Wild and Woolly, and then you will be overloaded with joy like I am right now. I had better see you there.

There is music on Saturday and Sunday and also playing is Matt Kinder of the Parade Schedule, Ben Traughber, and The Mack who are artists that I really admire and love. The weekend-long festival will be at the wonderful Mellwood Arts Center and will showcase lots and lots of folk art and music and should be a fun gathering all around. I believe Mr. Johnston plays around 2 on Saturday. If you miss this, then you just don't know...

Netflix Nebulous: Volume 5

And for today we have a trio of flicks that couldn't be more different. They were all good'uns, yet all tackle very different themes and approaches. One is a heady dissection of our culture's obsession with celebrities, one is a humorous look at a bachelor's misadventures in love, and the other is a harrowing tale of small-town life gone awry.

The first is another Woody Allen film and it is called Celebrity (1998). Here Woody enlists the help of one of his most star-studded casts with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role. Branagh is known for his work successfully adapting Shakespearean plays and here he channels Allen to a "T" and plays a neurotic and nebbish journalist who runs away from his wife and chases after his fantasies to find the identity he's been hoping was lurking inside him. The movie tackles a lot of our hang-ups and notions about celebrities and fame. It is very fun at times, and at times it is a lucid call-out of our inane posturing when it comes to famous people. A very worthwhile entry into the Allen portfolio.



The Baxter is a smart romantic comedy from Michael Showalter who is one of the dudes responsible for the summer camp send up Wet Hot American Summer. This tracks a baxter (a nice guy who always gets rained on) and his search for Mrs. Baxter. He, like any guy, gets caught up in the instant beauty of a very pretty Elizabeth Banks, and doesn't realize that Michelle Williams's character is fawning all over him and would be perfect for him. It sounds kind of schlocky, but if you are a fan of Showalters sleepy dramatic comedy, then you will probably drool all over the couch, and that's gross. But seriously, the movie is really funny. I watched it twice in a row.




The eerily gorgeous Shotgun Stories is the first entry (hopefully of many) by the up-and-comer Jeff Nichols who just happens to be the brother of Lucero frontman Ben Nichols (who does the soundtrack). This is a tale of deep seeded hate and loyalty bred out of rural Arkansas soil. This is a tale of step-brothers who couldn't be less like family and their vigor in making it stay that way. This was one of the most destructively beautiful films I've seen in a while and Nichols seems to be one of those guys falling in line with the Terrance Malik crew, which shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as how David Gordon Green produced it. The acting is superb and pitch-perfect as is the story. The way Nichols captures the mood and the restlessness of his characters is breathtaking. This is one of the better films I've seen in quite a while.



Ratings:

Celebrity- B+
The Baxter- B
Shotgun Stories- A

The Mix-Tape Ten: Jared Cheek and Mike Cosper

Today we've got two gentleman that I very much respect. They are both music folks who also happen to be pretty cool guys during the day. Everybody put your hands together for Jared Cheek and Mike Cosper!

Jared Cheek is a man about town...as long as you're talking about the town of Bloominton, Indiana which is fast making its way to the top of the charts as one of the coolest cities in America. He is 20% of the indie-rock supergroup Prayer Breakfast and is the Warehouse Manager for Secretly Canadian Distribution which has slung records by folks like Richard Swift, Antony and the Johnsons, and Danielson. He's an all-around good dude with one of the best music tastes this side of heaven. Here's a Top 10 list from one of the coolest guys around.




My Top 10 Favorite Songs by Jared Cheek


#1 "Wichita Lineman" - Glen Campbell from the album Wichita Lineman
Written by Jimmy Webb, one of my favorite songwriters ever, this song makes me want to cry sometimes. It is so beautiful and true and perfect that I could listen to it on repeat for about ten years.




#2 "Let's Go Away For Awhile" - The Beach Boys from the album Pet Sounds

One of two instrumentals on Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson said that this was the most satisfying piece of music that he ever made. And it's just about the most satisfying thing to listen to as well. This song is probably subtly playing on a continuous loop in heaven.



#3 "On The Sunny Side Of The Ocean" - John Fahey from the album The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death

Interesting, emotive fingerpicking on an acoustic guitar without letting the fingers get too busy for their own good. This song is on "The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death", which is a good place to start in the John Fahey catalog.




#4 "Powderfinger" - Neil Young from the album Rust Never Sleeps

Look out, mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river with a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail. I think you'd better call John because it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail. Shelter me from the powder and the finger. Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger. Think of me as one you'd never figured would fade away so young with so much left undone. Remember me to my love. I know I'll miss her!


#5 "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes I think was originally just issued as a single....I have it on the box set Phil Spector - Back To Mono (1958-1969)

This song rules!




#6 "West Palm Beach" - Palace Music from the album Lost Blues And Other Songs

Gosh, I enjoy pretty much everything that Will Oldham does. I like the way this song makes me feel.





#7 "He Turned The Water Into Wine (parts 1 through 4)" - Johnny Cash from the album The Gospel Road: A Story of Jesus Told and Sung by Johnny Cash

I trust Johnny Cash and I like hearing him sing about Jesus. This is from the movie he made about Jesus called The Gospel Road.




#8 "What A Fool Believes" - The Doobie Brothers from the album Minute By Minute

I'm not trying to be funny or ironic when I say that I thoroughly enjoy listening to this. It's a wonderful pop song.





#9 "Something Big" - Burt Bacharach from the album Living Together

This song is from the "Living Together" album, which isn't really as good as albums like "Reach Out", "Make It Easy On Yourself", "Burt Bacharach", etc., but it has a few really spectacular tunes like this one.
"Why do I go on and fill my life with little things when there are big things I must do and lots of dreams that really should come true before I'm through? There'll be joy and there'll be laughter. Something big is what I'm after now. After taking, take up giving. Something big is what I'm living for. Yes, its what Im living for."


#10 Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith Orchestra from the album A Summer Place Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

This song stayed at the top of the charts longer than any other instrumental song ever. Sometimes I wish I lived in the late nineteen fifties/early nineteen sixties.
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Mike Cosper is one of the most scorching guitar players I've ever seen or heard. He's got such control over his playing and hits each note with such ferocity that it sounds like he sets each one on fire. He can also play it cool and highlight what's around him, but I like it best when he burns down the house. When he's not playing with fire, he's playing with fire as a pastor over at Sojourn Church in Louisville. You've heard him though doing session work for dudes like Jamie Barnes, Bill Mallonee, Peter Searcy and others and he's got a huge affinity for the Great American Fender Telecaster- the true symbol of Americana. Here he gives us his Top 10 Telecaster Songs (a good mix to listen to when reading It Still Moves by Amanda Petrusich).


The Top 10 Fender Telecaster Songs by Mike Cosper

1. Jimmy Bryant - Limehouse Blues (The standard by which all teles are judged.)







2. Roy Buchanan - Sweet Dreams from Roy Buchanan








3. Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick (Yep, that's a Tele, in fact all of Led Zeppelin II was a tele)







4. Bill Frisell - Blues for Los Angeles (from East-West)








5. Roy Nichols - Mama Tried - from Merle Haggard's Okie from Muskogee








6.Brent Mason - My Life's Been a Pleasure (from Last of the Breed, by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price)







7. Jim Campilongo - Monkey in a Movie - from Heaven is creepy








8. Radiohead (Johnny Greenwood) - Just - from the Bends








9. Bill Frisell - Pretty Stars Were Made to Shine - Blues Dream








10. Brent Mason - Limehouse Blues - from Smokin' Section







Worth mentioning - if you haven't got The Little Willies, an old-school country record featuring Norah Jones and Jim Campilongo, you MUST. All 15 tracks could arguably be mentioned above. Campilongo is the crazed twisted tele master these days.