{"id":212,"date":"2008-12-18T17:03:38","date_gmt":"2008-12-19T00:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/?p=212"},"modified":"2016-12-15T22:20:15","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T06:20:15","slug":"knak-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/knak-2008\/","title":{"rendered":"KNAK 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"knak2008\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s been quite the year! We had one of the 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!<\/p>\n

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<\/i><\/a>. 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<\/a>!
\n
\nTo listen\/purchase these songs, you can check out the Lala widget<\/a> or iTunes iMix<\/a> below. On Lala, you can listen to the full song once for free. Be sure to add me<\/a> as a friend on Lala so I can find out what you’re listening to.<\/p>\n

Thanks, and Happy Holidays and best wishes for a Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

-Dave<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/th>\nArtist<\/th>\nTitle<\/th>\nAlbum<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
25.<\/td>\nAlaska in Winter<\/td>\nWe Are Blind and Riding the Merry-Go-Round<\/td>\nHoliday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nThe spacey chords and simple harmonies from this Santa Fe artist won me over.<\/i><\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24.<\/td>\nThe Helio Sequence<\/td>\nLately<\/td>\nKeep Your Eyes Ahead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nI saw this Portland duo perform in Seattle, and I thought this was this was their standout performance.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23.<\/td>\nI’m From Barcelona<\/td>\nHeadphones<\/td>\nWho Killed Harry Houdini?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nWhen I hear this, it just puts me in a happy mood and makes me want to put my headphones on.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22.<\/td>\nOf Montreal<\/td>\nId Engager<\/td>\nSkeletal Lamping<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nya, ok, with so many bands actually from Montreal, this one is not (Athens, GA). Listen for a touch of glam indie pop.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21.<\/td>\nHot Chip<\/td>\nReady for the Floor<\/td>\nMade In the Dark<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nI debated (w\/ myself) about including this electronic track. But I just love the little trill that carries this one along and keeps me listening<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20.<\/td>\nThe Fashion<\/td>\nSolo Impala (Take the Money and Run)<\/td>\nThe Fashion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nI must like songs with high pitched singing in unison (quite a few in this list). Catchy danish pop.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19.<\/td>\nParts & Labor<\/td>\nNowheres Nigh<\/td>\nReceivers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nThis band out of Brooklyn laces its noise pop w\/ electronic and other sound effects. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18.<\/td>\nL.E.S. Artistes<\/td>\nSantogold<\/td>\nSantogold<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nA song that crosses all sorts of genres, Santogold shows off her unique voice backed up by an electronic\/punk\/world soundtrack.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17.<\/td>\nBlitzen Trapper<\/td>\nFurr<\/td>\nFurr<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nSub 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<\/a>, which is a bit too dark for my best of list. See KNAK 28).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16.<\/td>\nBlind Pilot<\/td>\nThe Story I Heard<\/td>\n3 Rounds and a Sound<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nThis 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<\/a> (see KNAK 27).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15.<\/td>\nPort O’Brien<\/td>\nI Woke Up Today<\/td>\nAll We Could Do Was Sing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nI fell in love with this song after seeing this bay area group’s Blogotheque video<\/a> of them enthusiastically shouting this song with joy in a surprised NYC karaoke bar. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14.<\/td>\nThrow Me the Statue<\/td>\nAbout To Walk<\/td>\nMooonbeams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nA great indie-pop track from this fun Seattle group. Also check out Lolita<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13.<\/td>\nFoals<\/td>\nOlympic Airways<\/td>\nAntidotes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nThis track is from the Foals’ debut LP on Sub Pop, and it definitely reminds me of Bloc Party, in a good way<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12.<\/td>\nBand of Horses<\/td>\nNo One’s Gonna Love You<\/td>\nCease to Begin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nOne 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<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11.<\/td>\nPassion Pit<\/td>\nSleepyhead<\/td>\nChunk Of Change<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nOK, 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.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10.<\/td>\nThe Rip<\/td>\nPortishead<\/td>\nThird<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nWe 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. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9.<\/td>\nMGMT<\/td>\nTime to Pretend<\/td>\nOracular Spectacular<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nMGMT has definitely become one of my favorite groups…. Definitely buy Oracular Spectacular<\/i>, and check out their crazy video (high quality<\/a>) for Time to Pretend.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8.<\/td>\nCut Copy<\/td>\nLights & Music<\/td>\nIn Ghost Colours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nMy love of music of the 80’s is pretty obvious with this choice from this Australian electronic group <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7.<\/td>\nVampire Weekend<\/td>\nA-Punk<\/td>\nVampire Weekend<\/td>\n
<\/td>\nYay for geek pop!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n
6.<\/td>\nWe Own The Sky<\/td>\nM83<\/td>\nSaturdays = Youth<\/td>\n
<\/td>\nI 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<\/a> (see KNAK 23) and this one.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n
5.<\/td>\nGrand Archives<\/td>\nSleepdriving<\/td>\nThe Grand Archives<\/td>\n
<\/td>\nThis 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.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n
4.<\/td>\nDeath Cab for Cutie<\/td>\nI Will Possess Your Heart<\/td>\nNarrow Stairs<\/td>\n
<\/td>\nBen Gibbard’s voice is beautifully highlighted in this wonderful 8-1\/2 minute track.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n
3.<\/td>\nFleet Foxes<\/td>\nMykonos<\/td>\nSun Giant – EP<\/td>\n
<\/td>\nIt’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<\/a> and White Winter Hymnal<\/a>. But my favorite track from them came from their EP they released in the spring.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n
2.<\/td>\nSchool of Seven Bells<\/td>\nHalf of Asleep<\/td>\nAlpinisms<\/td>\n
<\/td>\nGorgeous female vocals (twin sisters) layered over complex instrumentation. This Brooklyn band is touring with M83 right now.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n
1.<\/td>\nMGMT<\/td>\nKids<\/td>\nOracular Spectacular<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\nSo Good. I absolutely LOVE this song. Along with Time to Pretend and Electric Feel<\/a>, Brooklyn’s MGMT has made it into high rotation on countless ipods out there, and hopefully on yours too.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

KNAK 2008 playlist on Lala<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

KNAK 2008 iMix on ITunes<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/object><\/div>\n

—<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s been quite the year! We had one of the 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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[4,28,26],"class_list":["post-212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","tag-knak","tag-music","tag-playlist"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1sifw-3q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2503,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions\/2503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dnak.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}