THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2008 – #9 – #10
posted ~ December 8th, 2008. Filed under: Art News, Uncategorized.This year has become, for me, the most music-packed year of my life. Having immersed myself in the world-famous Portland music scene and, simultaneously, having become obsessed with music blogging, I have collected and listened to more music in the last 365 days than most Americans probably do annually. As this wonderful year of music wraps itself up I am left with no choice but to catalog and project what I feel have been the most notable releases. I will be posting my releases in small bundles over the next few weeks so as to not get too hasty and allow for corrections or additions. I hope to one day look back on this and laugh at how terrible my music taste was/is. Without further adieu, the Best Albums of 2008:
The true award here goes to M&NSS’s earlier EP ‘The Daytrotter Sesions’. This selection of 5 dreamy tunes is a perfect introduction/addition to the bands later, simultaneously released full-lengths, ‘Animal’ and ‘Not Animal’ (of which I prefer ‘Animal’) Listen to this EP for a delightful frolic into a soft pleasant pillow-scape created with simple, pleasant melodies, using a steel-string and a volume pedal, and a few brushes on the snare head. Even after picking up the later two LPs, I return to these 5 tunes as the prequel which will inevitably be forgotten as the rest of the world picks up on what is going on here.
Broadripple Is Burning – Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s
Lightspeed Champion’s 2008 release had me from the very first time I saw the album cover. After reading a bit into it I was even more excited to find out it was a down-tempo incarnation of my beloved Test Icicles. After giving it a few listens I was hooked. Listeners beware: this guy isn’t serious; or is he?. I feel like his entire music career is one giant parody of itself. Maybe not; it’s hard to tell when the songs are so damn good. ‘Falling Off the Lavendar Bridge’ is a series of tales of broken hearts, late night cell phone conversations, and new episodes of the O.C. But seriously, it’s great.