| FAVORITE MUSIC OF 2008 An Annual Report By Dave Ratzlow |
Friends: Here are a few lists of my favorite music released this year. For the first time in my annual report you can sample the songs and videos directly from this page. Click the "play" buttons to play the entire track. More controls and the complete playlist are available by clicking the button on the lower left corner of this page. |
| TOP TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR | ||
| 10. |  |
JOLIE HOLLAND -- The Living and the Dead I've been a fan since the beginning when she was part of the bluegrass group Be Good Tanyas. With her distinctive warble, these bluesy, folksy, jazzy songs sound old-timey and fresh at the same time. Jolie Holland - "Mexico City" www.jolieholland.com |
| 9. |  |
WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS -- Heartcore Billed as "Nordic Jazz" but wilder than any jazz I know, most of the songs on this strange and powerful debut feature little more than a female singer and a dude on drums. I'm eagerly anticipating their follow-up which is frustratingly only available in Sweden. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - "Can't Tell In His Eyes" Wildbirds & Peacedrums - "The Way Things Go" www.wildbirdsandpeacedrums.com |
| 8. |  |
BECK -- Modern Guilt A prolific sonic collage artist, Beck always makes trippy introspection sound hip, this time with some of the best hooks of his career. But too bad his sold-out shows this fall lacked his usual showmanship. Beck - "Soul of a Man" www.beck.com |
| 7. |  |
CAT POWER -- Jukebox Not the gut-wrenching tour-de-force we've come to expect from her, but with this set of totally transformed covers, she still holds her place as one of the best singers of all time even when she's pretending to be Bob Dylan as she does here. Cat Power - "New York" www.catpowerjukebox.com |
| 6. |  |
LANGHORNE SLIM -- Langhorne Slim His albums still haven't fully captured the raucous energy of his live shows, but this one comes pretty close, with a collection of catchy and soulful love songs. Langhorne Slim - "Hello Sunshine" www.langhorneslim.com |
| 5. |  |
CAMILLE -- Music Hole The queen of quirky French a cappella jams sings mostly in English, this time alternating between charming goofiness and intense passion. Camille - "Katie's Tea" www.camille-music.com |
| 4. |  |
TILLY AND THE WALL -- O The third time on my favs list, this joyful pop-punk group still manages to find transcendent moments even within these non-stop high-energy songs. And bonus, most songs feature a tap dancer in lieu of a drummer. Tilly and the Wall - "Cacophony" www.tillyandthewall.com |
| 3. |  |
THE KILLS -- Midnight Boom Third album. Minimalist rocking. Fuck you. The Kills - "What New York Used to Be" www.thekills.tv |
| 2. |  |
BODIES OF WATER -- A Certain Feeling Not the glorious revelation of their debut of last year, but this is still one of the most thrilling albums of the decade, jam-packed with soaring vocals and lush arrangements. They also put on two of the best live shows of the year (see below). Bodies of Water - "Gold, Tan, Peach and Grey" www.bodiesofwater.net |
| 1. |  |
SHE & HIM -- Volume One In the surprise hit of the year, indie film goddess Zooey Deschanel and veteran roots-rocker M. Ward deliver a sweet suite of twangy retro-pop originals and covers. I suspect Deschanel's intelligent and catchy originals will be covered by other artists for a long time. She & Him - "Change Is Hard" She & Him - "Sweet Darlin'" www.sheandhim.com |
| HONORABLE MENTIONS |
| THE DUKE SPIRIT -- Neptune |
| GNARLS BARKLEY -- The Odd Couple |
| THE HAZZARDS -- Secrets |
| JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN -- To Survive Joan As Policewoman - "Start of My Heart" |
| KAKI KING -- Dreaming Of Revenge |
| JENNY LEWIS -- Acid Tongue Jenny Lewis - "Trying My Best to Love You" |
| STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS -- Real Emotional Trash |
| ELENI MANDELL -- Miracle of Five Eleni Mandell - "Make-Out King" |
| MIXEL PIXEL -- Let's Be Friends "So Regal - Tigershark Kiss" |
| JUANA MOLINA -- Un Dia Juana Molina - "Un Dia" |
SAM PHILLIPS -- Don't Do Anything |
| THE RACONTEURS -- Consolers of the Lonely |
| THE SPINTO BAND -- Moonwink The Spinto Band - "Later On" |
| TV ON THE RADIO -- Dear Science TV on the Radio - "Golden Age" |
| ALBUMS FROM 2007 THAT I'D MISSED OR THAT GREW ON ME |
| BLONDE REDHEAD -- 23 |
| BILL CALLAHAN -- Woke On A Whaleheart Bill Callahan - "The Wheel" |
| THE FIERY FURNACES -- Widow City The Fiery Furnaces - "My Egyptian Grammar" |
| LCD SOUNDSYSTEM -- Sound Of Silver |
| SCOUT NIBLETT -- This Fool Can Die Now Scout Niblett - "Dinosaur Egg" |
| RADIOHEAD -- In Rainbows |
| RIHANNA -- Good Girl Gone Bad |
| ST. VINCENT -- Marry Me |
| TAKEN BY TREES -- Open Field Taken By Trees - "Hours Pass Like Centuries" |
| ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI -- Places Like This |
| THE SIERRA LEONE REFUGEE ALL STARS -- Living Like A Refugee |
| ALICE SMITH -- For Lovers, Dreamers & Me Alice Smith - "Gary's Song" |
| FAVORITE CONCERTS OF THE YEAR (in chronological order) |
| JOANNA NEWSOM @ BAM - 2/1 |
| BODIES OF WATER @ BOWERY BALLROOM - 3/22 |
| SHE AND HIM @ WEBSTER HALL - 4/22 |
| WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS @ JOE'S PUB - 6/15 |
| YAEL NAIM @ CENTRAL PARK SUMMER STAGE - 6/22 |
| LIZ PHAIR @ HIRO BALLROOM - 6/25 |
| NIKKA COSTA @ BOWERY BALLROOM - 6/30 |
| SHE AND HIM @ TERMINAL 5 - 7/26 |
| TILLY AND THE WALL @ BOWERY BALLROOM - 7/30 |
| BODIES OF WATER @ MERCURY LOUNGE -8/13 |
| ROISIN MURPHY @ MANSION - 10/24 |
| ONES TO WATCH |
| DIRTY MITTENS www.myspace.com/dirtymittensband |
I BLAME COCO |
| THOSE DANCING DAYS www.myspace.com/thosedancingdays |
| LISSY TRULLIE Lissy Trullie - "Self-Taught Learner" www.myspace.com/lizzytrullie |
| YELLOW FEVER Yellow Fever - "Cat and Rats" www.myspace.com/yellerfever |
| FAVORITE ALBUM COVERS | |
| SANTOGOLD -- Santogold | JUANA MOLINA -- Un Dia |
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CAT POWER -- Jukebox |
LANGHORNE SLIM -- Langhorne Slim |
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| FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEOS | ||
| 7. | THE SPINTO BAND -- "Later On (Live)" |
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| 6. | BEETHOVEN -- "5th Symphony" AKA "Asagohan" (unofficial adaptation) Directed by ??? |
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| 5. | BJORK -- "Wanderlust" Directed by Encyclopedia Pictura (hi-res) |
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| 4. | JUSTICE -- "Phantom Part 2" (unofficial) Directed by Daniel Bloomberg (hi-res) |
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| 3. |  |
MGMT -- "Time to Pretend" |
| 2. |  |
SIA -- "Soon We'll Be Found" |
| 1. | GNARLS BARKLEY -- "Going On" Directed by Wendy Morgan (hi-res) |
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FAVORITE T-SHIRT |
Tilly And The Wall |
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| BONUS SONG FOR 2008-2012 (OR 2016) |
| Clare And The Reasons - "Obama Over The Rainbow" |
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Thanks for reading. Let me know if there's anything else you think I should really hear. Happy Holidays, |
| PS Check out my previous best-of-the-year lists: www.ratzlow.com/bestof2004.html www.ratzlow.com/bestof2005.html www.ratzlow.com/bestof2006.html www.ratzlow.com/bestof2007.html |
| PPS (Any audio files found on this site are used for promotional purposes only. Please purchase the songs that you like. The Ratzlow does not promote, advocate or approve of piracy. If you hold the copyright and would like us to remove your song file, please contact: dratzlow -at- yahoo -dot- com.) |