Every year I like to burden my family and friends with my pompous assertion that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to music. I do, of course, know what I’m talking about, but this past year something didn’t sit quite right with me. In part because in years past, my list would constantly change in the following year – my “favorite” would slip only to be replaced by something I hadn’t even heard until the following year.
So… with that in mind, I came up with a new system that, while borrowing an analogy from my most hated of privileged-white-man sports, I think gives a slightly more accurate picture of what I’ve been listening to this year and how much I’ve enjoyed what I’ve been listening to.
With that, I unveil (in alphabetical order) the
Jason Birchler 2008 Music I Like List
Birdies
- Beck – Modern Guilt: This is hands-down the best Beck album since 2002’s Sea Change. I think all of his albums since have suffered from trying to relive the glory days of Odelay. This time around, instead of attempting to recreate the Dust Brothers’ signature sound, Beck hired some fresh blood in DJ Danger Mouse. Excellent choice!
- The Black Angels – Directions to See a Ghost: More trippy, less hippie. Psychedelic Rock done right. Period.
- Blue Giant – Target Heart: Really nice twangy sound. I am a sucker for a pedal steel. Promising EP, I’m anxious to hear more!
- Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night: One of those a-little-bit-of-all-my-favorite-80’s-bands albums. Dude’s vocals are borderline, but you’re talking to a guy who loves Wayne Coyne and countless other people who otherwise have no business singing.
- Fields of Industry – Two Dogs, A Television: This was my favorite find of the year. A perfect homage to the softer side of the Velvet Underground. Thanks eMusic!
- The Jesus & Mary Chain – The Power of Negative Thinking: There was a dark time when I was totally down on the J&MC because their last few studio albums were on the stinky side. How short sighted of me. Even if every other album they release was awful, Psychocandy alone merits an induction into Jason’s Hall of Fame. Lesson learned. This collection of rarities and B-sides may be only for the die hard fan, but die hard I am and these tracks are a breath of fresh feedback.
- Kings of Leon – Only by the Night: The Kings do not disappoint. The first couple of listens I got the “sellout feeling”. You know – when bands get a little too big for their britches and way over-produce an album trying to make their stadium rocker? Not so with Only by the Night. This is a well-produced kick-ass rocker.
- M83 – Saturdays = Youth: M83 manages to find the perfect mix of synth and guitar that is kinda pretentious, but totally amazing. (What does that say about me?) I wasn’t a big fan of last year’s more ambient Digital Shades, Vol. 1, but Saturdays is a return to form with just the right mix of space and rock.
- Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling: I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: I love Mogwai. They could poop on a microphone and I would probably think it genius. But seriously, this is Mogwai at their best – soft, loud, soft, loud. Gives me chills just thinking about it.
- Portishead – Third: I admit it: I was the doubter. How could a Portishead album not sound dated after a 10 year absence? Somehow it sounds like the same old Portishead, but fresh and just enough different that it’s really friggin’ good.
- Ratatat – LP3: I was a bit late on the Ratatat bandwagon, but man am I glad I jumped on! I love their mix of solid beats, awesome synth sounds and infinite-sustain guitar tones that are totally 8-bit synth-y. This album is a little more… um… mature? I think that’s the right word. Whatever the word, I love this recording.
- Sigur Ros – insert some crazy Icelandic word that my U.S. keyboard cannot type here: I can’t understand a damn thing they say, I can only pronounce one of their album titles correctly (2005’s Takk), but I love Sigur Ros’ other-worldly sound. I think it actually helps that I don’t know what they’re saying because it’s actually like angels are singing to me in their native tongue. Aside from flowery description, this is a nice mix of the more upbeat tracks found on Takk and the moodier stuff on Agaetis Byrjun.
Par for the Course
- David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything that Happens Will Happen Today: I was pleasantly surprised by this album. Everything good about David Byrne shines through. I love Strange Overtones.
- Dungen – 4: I love the Swedes. They produce amazing hockey players and great pop/rock. This time around however, Dungen’s signature classic rock sound felt kinda “same-old, same-old” and not “more of the same”. But I don’t have the heart to give them a “Bogie”.
- The Futureheads – This is not the World: After a luke-warm attempt at a follow-up to their debut, The Futureheads return with their signature BritPopPunk sound.
- Guitar – Honeysky: I love Guitar’s debut release: it’s a perfect mix of Cibo Matto and My Bloody Valentine. I didn’t even know that they released 3 albums since then including this year’s Honeysky until a couple weeks ago. But the first couple of listens did not disappoint.
UPDATE: Upon further research, it seems this album was originally released in Japan in 2004 and was only re-released with new artwork in the States this year.
- The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead: Young Effectuals is an amazing album. A totally unique sound. Love and Distance was a disappointment, to say the least – I had a bad feeling when I saw the first track was titled Harmonica Song. WTF? Keep Your Eyes Ahead almost returns to the former glory of Helio Sequence’s first 2 releases.
- Plants & Animals – Parc Avenue: This is a solid album. The anti-hippie in me won’t allow it on the “Birdie” list, but the rational side of me acknowledges that there is some excellent music on this album.
- Spiritualized – Songs in A & E: This is the perfect example of “Par for the Course”. Nothing ground-breaking (despite the fact that it was produced with ZERO reverb. a huge chance for Jason Pierce. Spacemen 3 and every other Spiritualized album are drowning in reverb), but some excellent tracks like Soul on Fire.
- Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer: This was first described to me as “way more jammy than the first album”. To which I immediately recoiled. Had Wolf Parade gone all Phish on me? No. The songs definitely meander more than their debut, but it sounds more like longer song structure than an invitation to spin in place.
Bogies
- Bloc Party – Intimacy: After falling in love with Silent Alarm, I was hoping that their second album was just a sophomore slump, but Intimacy proves that there is just something missing since their first release. To be fair, Halo totally rocks! The rest of the album just didn’t do it for me.
- Kanye West – 808’s & Heartbreaks: I don’t know if it’s just the fact that Kanye rubs me the wrong way or that I heard the hype before i heard the music, this album is a total stinker. Kanye can’t fucking sing. Instead of using that to his creative advantage, he attempts to drown his vocals in a shitty vocoder reminiscent of Cher. That’s right, I just compared Kanye to Cher. Nuff said.
- Tricky – Knowle West Boy: This is what I was afraid the new Portishead would sound like: uncomfortably dated.
1/6/09 – This Just in…
- TV on the Radio – Dear Science: I don’t want to say this album sucked, because it took me a long time to really get into their first 2 albums. However, now that I am into them, Dear Science feels lacking.
If you made it this far, you are a real champ, Ace. I owe you a beer next time we meet for letting me talk at you. Hopefully 2009 will bring that rumored new My Bloody Valentine record, but I’m not holding my breath.
