It’s been quite the year! We had one of cheap eriacta the cheapest glucophage now online most energizing political campaigns ever culminating in the election of Barack Obama,whose inauguration is just around the corner. The economy has had a breathtaking collapse of historic proportions…. let’s hope for a better 2009. And while pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to new seasons for my favorite sports teams. You can’t get much worse than the Mariners (last place), Husky Football (worst in the NCAA), Sonics (awful & left to OK City), and the Seahawks (disappointing). But personally, it’s been a pretty big year for me…. specifically my decision to take a professional “extended sabbatical”, which has been fantastic so far!
Since I’ve had a little more free time, I’ve been able to put out KNAK playlists more regularly… we’ll see if I can keep it up. Most of the best-of lists out there are for full albums, not individual tracks. And while I respect all of the work that goes into them, it’s rare these days that I listen to full albums anymore. There are exceptions of course, like Girl Talk’s remix extraordinaire Feed the Animals. If you haven’t gotten it yet, you should. There was a lot to choose from for my end-of-year round up of my favorite tracks. Way too many. But I’ve cut it back, and cut it back some more, and here are the 25 that will go in my personal playlist to remind me of 2008. Everybody has their own favorites, and you’ll probably be surprised at some of my choices, and even more at some of my omissions. Think that I’m smoking crack? or that I’m missing your favorite? Let me know!
To listen/purchase these songs, you can check out the diflucan blackfordgroup.com Lala widget or iTunes iMix below. On Lala, you can listen to the full song once for free. Be sure to add me as a friend on Lala so I can find out what you’re listening to.
Thanks, and Happy Holidays and proscar wanderingandwild.co.uk best wishes for a Happy New Year!
-Dave
| Artist | Title | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. | Alaska in Winter | We Are Blind and Riding the Merry-Go-Round | Holiday |
| The spacey chords and simple harmonies from this Santa Fe artist won me over. | |||
| 24. | The Helio Sequence | Lately | Keep Your Eyes Ahead |
| I saw this Portland duo perform in Seattle, and I thought this was this was their standout performance. | |||
| 23. | I’m From Barcelona | Headphones | Who Killed Harry Houdini? |
| When I hear this, it just puts me in a happy mood and makes me want to put my headphones on. | |||
| 22. | Of Montreal | Id Engager | Skeletal Lamping |
| ya, ok, with so many bands actually from Montreal, this one is not (Athens, GA). Listen for a touch of glam indie pop. | |||
| 21. | Hot Chip | Ready for the Floor | Made In the Dark |
| I debated (w/ myself) about including this electronic track. But I just love the little trill that carries this one along and keeps me listening | |||
| 20. | The Fashion | Solo Impala (Take the Money and Run) | The Fashion |
| I must like songs with high pitched singing in unison (quite a few in this list). Catchy danish pop. | |||
| 19. | Parts & Labor | Nowheres Nigh | Receivers |
| This band out of Brooklyn laces its noise pop w/ electronic and other sound effects. | |||
| 18. | L.E.S. Artistes | Santogold | Santogold |
| A song that crosses all sorts of genres, Santogold shows off her unique voice backed up by an electronic/punk/world soundtrack. | |||
| 17. | Blitzen Trapper | Furr | Furr |
| Sub Pop released Portland-based Blitzen Trapper’s latest LP this fall, which I’d classify as alt-country/folk. This is my favorite track (besides Black River Killer, which is a bit too dark for my best of list. See KNAK 28). | |||
| 16. | Blind Pilot | The Story I Heard | 3 Rounds and glucophage advancementnetwork.org a Sound |
| This duo is also from Portland and put out this fantastic debut indie-folk/pop album. I absolutely loved the harmonies and melody from this beautiful track. Also check out One Red Thread (see KNAK 27). | |||
| 15. | Port O’Brien | I Woke Up Today | All We Could Do Was Sing |
| I fell in love with this song after seeing this bay area group’s Blogotheque video of them enthusiastically shouting this song with joy in a surprised NYC karaoke bar. | |||
| 14. | Throw Me the Statue | About To Walk | Mooonbeams |
| A great indie-pop track from this fun Seattle group. Also check out Lolita. | |||
| 13. | Foals | Olympic Airways | Antidotes |
| This track is from the cipro 500mg Foals’ debut LP on Sub Pop, and it definitely reminds me of Bloc Party, in a good way | |||
| 12. | Band of Horses | No One’s Gonna Love You | Cease to Begin |
| One of my favorites originally from Seattle (now based in North Carolina), Cease to Begin was actually released in late 2007, but this pretty song makes it onto my 2008 list | |||
| 11. | Passion Pit | Sleepyhead | Chunk Of Change |
| OK, definitely one of the weirder songs on my list, but it’s one of my favorites (give it a try!). This EP was put together as a side-project gift for the artist’s girlfriend. | |||
| 10. | The Rip | Portishead | Third |
| We had to wait more than a decade for their 3rd album, which doesn’t disappoint in challenging their listeners. Turn up the volume and listen to this haunting track. | |||
| 9. | MGMT | Time to Pretend | Oracular Spectacular |
| MGMT has definitely become one of my favorite groups…. Definitely buy Oracular Spectacular, and check out their crazy video (high quality) for Time to Pretend. | |||
| 8. | Cut Copy | Lights & Music | In Ghost Colours |
| My love of music of the 80’s is pretty obvious with this choice from this Australian electronic group | |||
| 7. | Vampire Weekend | A-Punk | Vampire Weekend |
| Yay for geek pop! | |||
| 6. | We Own The Sky | M83 | Saturdays = Youth |
| I was fortunate to see this french band live at a KEXP private concert at the Triple Door. More than influenced by the 80’s, my two favorite tracks are Kim & Jessie (see KNAK 23) and this one. | |||
| 5. | Grand Archives | Sleepdriving | The Grand Archives |
| This Seattle band was a pleasant surprise to me, as the opening act for Minus the Bear. Just a beautfiul track I enjoy listening to late at night. | |||
| 4. | Death Cab for Cutie | I Will Possess Your Heart | Narrow Stairs |
| Ben Gibbard’s voice is beautifully highlighted in this wonderful 8-1/2 minute track. | |||
| 3. | Fleet Foxes | Mykonos | Sun Giant – EP |
| It’s been a triumphant year for Seattle’s Fleet Foxes, with their self-titled debut LP at or near the top of many best-of lists. And there are a number of stunning tracks on it, including Blue Ridge Mountains and White Winter Hymnal. But my favorite track from them came from their EP they released in the spring. | |||
| 2. | School of Seven Bells | Half of Asleep | Alpinisms |
| Gorgeous female vocals (twin sisters) layered over complex instrumentation. This Brooklyn band is touring with M83 right now. | |||
| 1. | MGMT | Kids | Oracular Spectacular |
| So Good. I absolutely LOVE this song. Along with Time to Pretend and Electric Feel, Brooklyn’s MGMT has made it into high rotation on countless ipods out there, and hopefully on yours too. | |||
