Elliot's Favorite Music of 2009

Behold! The path that lies before you is rather challenging, but you'll find that you've emerged from the other side a stronger person; one who has a deeper understanding of something that cannot even be named, as comprehension of its elusive nature is not possible before this journey.

You'll be asked to confront a dragon, astral project beyond the sun, and thwart a wicked forest queen.

Do you accept the challenge?

Yes, I'm ready for my quest. (Turn to page 39.)

No, I'm frightened and want to give up. (Turn to page 107.)

While we were snowed in.

Can this decade sustain another throwback to the 80s?


Wow.


This man wrote an entire album based on the tragic life of Bobby Driscoll, who was the original Peter Pan.

Open Bar With Benjy Ferree
by thefader

Elliot Potter's Favorite Albums from 2008

Ah, December.

The chilly snap of the winter air. Christmas lights carefully wrapped around pines. Wish lists written by little hands, bound for the North Pole. 

And a barage of "Best of" lists.

Two of Elliot Potter's elven helpers looked back at the massive amounts of music released in 2008, and after careful consideration came up with their own Top Ten lists of favorite albums from the past year.

Jason's Favorite Albums of 2008

10. The Stage Names by Okkervil River

Will Sheff is the master of being melodramatic without being whiney.  One of my favorite things about this band is the way it plays a traditional, almost Americana style of music while simultaneously being aware of modern pop culture.

Listen to Lost Coastlines.

9. The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow

This band describes itself as prog-rock without the solos, and I hate them for stealing the best way to describe their music.  Highly recommended strait-ahead rocking.

Listen to Grounds For Divorce.

8. The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit

Dour music from Scotland that goes fine with ale and drizzle.

Listen to Floating in the Forth.

7. Keeper's by Deastro

This kid just got signed and I really hope there’re big things for him.  I’ve gotta be in just the right mood, but when that mood comes around this album is magic.  It’s such a sincere attempt at greatness that even when there are moments that aren’t so great, they’re amazing.

Listen to The Shaded Forests.

6. Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) by Cloud Cult

Craig Minowa has had a harder life than most of us can imagine.  His music feels like the perfect

expression of that tragedy, and I cannot help but feel a little guilty for being able to experience it.

Listen to When Water Comes to Life.

5. Reality Check by The Teenagers

Come to hear the French guys make fun of Americans, stay for the simple electronics that will blast your headphones to oblivion.

Listen to Make It Happen.

4. Heretic Pride by The Mountain Goats

While not as good as earlier efforts it is still very good.  John Darnielle can write a couplet that’s an epic all by itself.

Listen to Lovecraft in Brooklyn.

3. Hold On Now, Youngster by Los Campesinos!

This album receives the award for being the most ultra-hip-yelpie-Welsh album of the year to feature a Glockenspeil.

Listen to My Year in Lists.

2. You're Awful, I Love You by Ludo

This band takes its name from the furry tusked-fellow in Labrynth.  How awesome is that?  They’re pop-punk with a sense of humor which is something I’m always in the mood for.

Listen to Love Me Dead.

1. Alopecia by Why?

One of the inevitable problems with making a year-end list is the tough decisions that one has to make.  Putting this at number 1 was easy, which means that I either did not listen to enough new music this year, or there simply is not anything out there that even comes close to this.  It’s an inspired place were indie rock and hip-hop intersect and the lyrics are cringe-worthy without being heavy-handed.

Listen to A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under.

Jacob's Favorite Albums from 2008

10. The Stand-Ins by Okkervil River

This companion piece to 2007’s excellent The Stage Names doesn’t quite match its predecessor’s ambitious depth, but it has some of the most immediately appealing and catchy tracks from Okkervil River’s discography. Will Sheff still manages to shove as many words into a song as humanly possible.

I particularly enjoy the bells that adorn this track, Calling and Not Calling My Ex.

9. The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow

This is the first I had given a listen to this British band, and The Seldom Seen Kid can definitely be labeled as a “grower.” Singer Guy Garvey has a great, raspy voice and his band puts together great music that is just a little edgey, just a little experimental, and accessible.

The Bones of You is among the more rockin’ number on the album.

8. Only As the Day Is Long by Sera Cahoone

I think that 2008 was a good year for country-tinged music, and one of the albums I found that I kept coming back to was Only as the Day Is Long by Sera Cahoone. She was the drummer for Band of Horses, and though she’s a great drummer her real calling is as a country singer. Her world-weary voice is easy-going and friendly, and reminds me of hot summer days drinking beer on the porch with friends, especially on a track like Runnin' Your Way.

7. A Mad & Faithful Telling by DeVotchKa

The success of the film Little Miss Sunshine has been good to the band DeVotchKa, who penned the score to the movie. Their new album, A Mad & Faithful Telling, find the band continuing their eclectic blend of Eastern European, Tex-Mex, and rock. Head Honcho is a rollicking number that I think is a good representation of the album.

6. Furr by Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper ratcheted up their sound after last year’s promising but uneven Wild Mountain Nation. Instead of jumping all over the musical map, Blitzen Trapper choose to refine their sound for Furr, sticking to what they sound best at: countrified rock, Dylanesque story songs, and tunes that vaguely sound like the Beatles.

Gold For Bread is a fun track that has something to do with a midget.

5. Alpinisms by School of Seven Bells

School of Seven Bells consists of ex-Secret Machines guitarist Benjamin Curtis and twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. While Curtis takes care of most of the music on the disc, the Deheza sisters sing in otherworldly harmony, giving this album a dreaming, spacey vibe that becomes hypnotic. This is the one of two debut albums that I have on my list this year, and I can't wait to see if School of Seven Bells expands upon this musical palette in the future.

The opening track, Iamundernodisguise, immediately draws the listener in to this hazy album.

4. The Rhumb Line by Ra Ra Riot

This is the other debut album I chose for my list this year. Ra Ra Riot plays infectious indie pop with an undercurrent of darkness, setting them apart from others within the genre, such as Vampire Weekend or The Shins. The band’s singer, Wes Miles, has drawn comparisons to Sting. They have fulltime violin and cello players, and the addition of strings feels natural.

The Rhumb Line is overshadowed by tragedy, as drummer and founding member John Pike drowned after a show in 2007. He shared co-writing credits on many of these tracks, including The Rhumb Line's driving opening, Ghost Under Rocks.

3. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust by Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós released one of the most beautiful albums of 2008, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. While the classical orchestration and falsetto voice of Jónsi Birgisson remain, the group added more percussion, cut back on the bombast, and produced probably the “loosest” album in their discography.

I just find it amazing that this complex, ethereal music consistently tops the charts in Iceland. I can’t imagine this playing in malls in the US.

Inní mér syngur vitleysingur is probably the closest thing that Sigur Rós has ever come to composing a pop song.

2. Dear Science, by TV on the Radio

Of all the artists on this list, I find TV on the Radio to be the most difficult to describe. They meld so many genres seamlessly into their music, and they are relentlessly experimenting with new sounds, that it is impossible to categorize them. They usually get lumped into the “indie” category simply because they don’t fit any neat and tidy sound. Honestly, I feel that only TV on the Radio and Radiohead are the only two currently active rock bands that have a sound all of their own.

There are so many good tracks on Dear Science, that it is tough to pick just one, so we'll go with Golden Age because it's the most immediately appealing.

1. Rook by Shearwater

As soon as I heard this album, I knew it would make my “Favorites of 2008” list. But Rook is such a grower that it gets better and better with each listen. Jonathon Meiburg’s voice soars over beautiful music. And the drumming … drummer Thor Harris adds intensity to these compositions that manage to be both pretty and menacing. Meiburg is an ornithologist, which makes me think that ornithologists ought to write more music.

Rook also wins my award for best cover art of the year.

Like Radiohead's OK Computer or The National's Boxer, individual tracks from the album manage to sound good on their own, but listening to the entirety of Rook brings a far more rewarding experience. The Snow Leopard is probably the most representative track of this album as a whole.