LPTJ Best of 2008 Thread

[davy]

For me, my main thing at this point is that the album was a little too heterogeneous for me, it didn't stick together as an album.  I can listen to it and think 'oh I like this song and this song and this song', whereas for The Dirty South I think, 'man I fucking love this album', even if there are a few songs that I consistently skip over.

I feel exactly the same way.

[El_Josharino]

I forget if I've already posted a list in this thread, but here is an official thing:

1. Stephen Malkmus - Real Emotional Trash
2. Times New Viking - Rip It Off
3. Chauchat - Upon Thousands
4. Mount Eerie - Dawn
5. UUVVWWZ - UUVVWWZ
6. McCarthy Trenching - Calamity Drenching
7. Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
8. Kaki King - Dreaming of Revenge
9. Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave
10. Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling

[RavingLunatic]

Chauchat, hmmmm. I may have to re-listen to that thing. I kind of know (through the internet of course) the guy who runs that record label (Yer Bird), and he's a super cool dude. He released an album by a band called Blackbird Harmony album this year that's pretty good as well.

[narlus]

until about a week ago, when i saw Wire's top 50 records, i'd never heard of The Bug.  now it seems that name is everywhere.

[davy]

until about a week ago, when i saw Wire's top 50 records, i'd never heard of The Bug.  now it seems that name is everywhere.

link to that list?

[Danen]

Have to chime in on the DBT thing. Part of the problem, to be honest, is the separation of Jason Isbell, and the "other sound" he was always able to pitch in. On his own, his music gets tired for me - there's just enough great songs on "Sirens in the Ditch" to save the songs I don't like off "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." Even then, it could be 20 minutes shorter. It grew off me in a hurry.

I'm surprised to see the Hold Steady doing so poorly overall. Honestly, I thought "Stay Positive" walloped "Boys and Girls in America" as an ALBUM, even if it lacked a single as strong as either of the first two songs on "America." And yet, it wound up outside of my top 10 as well. It seemed to lose a lot of steam real fast, but it's still a good record. Bonnie 'Prince' Billie also got a lot of press at the time but seems to have settled down the list for those few referencing it. Just curious to see these trends. Am I alone in seeing them?

Also, I want to mention that David Byrne and Brian Eno deserve more love. That's a solid album - like so many this year, it wasn't a "defining moment," just a good album. But when it's THOSE two guys, and when neither's done much as a musician in so long...worth revisiting, all I'm saying.

[narlus]

until about a week ago, when i saw Wire's top 50 records, i'd never heard of The Bug.  now it seems that name is everywhere.

link to that list?

http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=28525&highlight=wire

[andronicus]

I'm surprised to see the Hold Steady doing so poorly overall. Honestly, I thought "Stay Positive" walloped "Boys and Girls in America" as an ALBUM, even if it lacked a single as strong as either of the first two songs on "America." And yet, it wound up outside of my top 10 as well. It seemed to lose a lot of steam real fast, but it's still a good record. Bonnie 'Prince' Billie also got a lot of press at the time but seems to have settled down the list for those few referencing it. Just curious to see these trends. Am I alone in seeing them?

I don't understand the Hold Steady thing, just as you said, Stay Positive was 10 times the album that their previous one was, replacing retch-inducing filler like "Chillout Tent" with a few merely unexceptional songs.  I'd even quibble with you on the singles--"Yeah Sapphire" -- "Both Crosses" -- "Stay Positive" is as good a three-song sequence as The Hold Steady has ever recorded.

The BPB situation is kind of straight up wack, to the point that I feel the need to impose an arbitrary numbering on my list just to add weight to it, even though I really don't feel like numbering my list at all.  Lay Down in the Light is the best thing he's done since I See A Darkness, and restores hope to all those long-time Will Oldham stalwarts by allaying our growing fears that he was going to spend the rest of his career noodling and producing middling-to-good but not stand-out records.

[Danen]

Wow, Andronicus, you picked exactly the sequence of "Stay Positive" that I love! "Both Crosses" is my favorite song on the album - maybe because it seems like a sequel of sorts to their first two albums, especially "Seperation Sunday." And I couldn't agree more on the BPB thing - it's been harder and harder for me to defend his output over the 00's, but this is a good album. Both he and Nick Cave did similar things to me, finding that spark that seems to fuel them, though Cave's record is a garage-raveup and BPB's is way relaxed. But they both brought the SONGS, not just the STYLE - moving beyond their own legends, I'd say, and both had been coasting on that for a bit. Always a good thing in my book.

[Danen]

until about a week ago, when i saw Wire's top 50 records, i'd never heard of The Bug.  now it seems that name is everywhere.

link to that list?

http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=28525&highlight=wire

Good list, overall. Always nice to see love for Jandek (I know, from me that's a shock), though of the five albums he released this year that's not the one I'd pick. His first solo live show, a single 60 minute song divided into parts collected as "London Tuesday" will be in my top 10. For those looking for an "in" road to 2008 Janky, that's the one to get. It even references his first album ("Ready for the House"), and directly deals with the audience/artist relation. It also features his most interesting acoustic playing, I think, since the phase of his highlighted by "Graven Image" and "White Box Requiem." I'm hardly the most non-biased person on this, but it's genuinely good music. Like Machinefabriek, I think understanding this artist may entirely have to do with an individual's in-point.

[narlus]

ever since i saw Jandek play live, i don't think i've listened to any of his work.

[ellaguru]

I was playing the Bonnie "Prince" Billy just today, and thinking that it is better than I have been giving it credit for.

[davy]

The BPB situation is kind of straight up wack, to the point that I feel the need to impose an arbitrary numbering on my list just to add weight to it, even though I really don't feel like numbering my list at all.  Lay Down in the Light is the best thing he's done since I See A Darkness, and restores hope to all those long-time Will Oldham stalwarts by allaying our growing fears that he was going to spend the rest of his career noodling and producing middling-to-good but not stand-out records.

I've actually been surprised that this album is doing as well as it is in this thread. I remember hearing decidedly mixed opinions upon its release.

[davy]

I was playing the Bonnie "Prince" Billy just today, and thinking that it is better than I have been giving it credit for.

That's what I think every time I play it!

[davy]

until about a week ago, when i saw Wire's top 50 records, i'd never heard of The Bug.  now it seems that name is everywhere.

link to that list?

http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=28525&highlight=wire

I've heard all of 4 of those albums.

I keep seeing Arthur Russell pop up on these lists, and I don't know, dudes. I bought the record today, and I LOVE it, but I mean, the guy has been dead for 16 years! It's not exactly current. I generally shy away from putting compilation albums like this in my year-end lists--and if I decided to include it, based on the material being unreleased before this year, I'd have to include The Pogues box, too--but with this year's lackluster crop, I might think again...

[Andrew_TSKS]

I'm surprised to see the Hold Steady doing so poorly overall. Honestly, I thought "Stay Positive" walloped "Boys and Girls in America" as an ALBUM, even if it lacked a single as strong as either of the first two songs on "America." And yet, it wound up outside of my top 10 as well. It seemed to lose a lot of steam real fast, but it's still a good record. Bonnie 'Prince' Billie also got a lot of press at the time but seems to have settled down the list for those few referencing it. Just curious to see these trends. Am I alone in seeing them?

I don't understand the Hold Steady thing, just as you said, Stay Positive was 10 times the album that their previous one was, replacing retch-inducing filler like "Chillout Tent" with a few merely unexceptional songs.  I'd even quibble with you on the singles--"Yeah Sapphire" -- "Both Crosses" -- "Stay Positive" is as good a three-song sequence as The Hold Steady has ever recorded.

The song with the ooo-eee-ooo-eee keyboard part really prominent in the intro killed the entire album for me. Just knowing that those 30 seconds are on there stops me from listening to it at least 9 out of 10 times that I consider putting it on.

EDIT: I checked and I am referring to "Navy Sheets".

[andronicus]

"Navy Sheets" I'm guessing?  Well, I don't think it's so bad, but I say to you sir--skip the fuckin song!  In fact skip the next one (which I actually like less than "Navy Sheets"), and go straight to the aforementioned three song sequence!

[Andrew_TSKS]

I am rockin that three song sequence now. Not incredibly stoked about "Both Crosses"--the detour towards ominous western-movie music is not exactly what I'm looking for in a Hold Steady song--but it's not bad, and the other two are damn good!

[andronicus]

Ah man, "Both Crosses" is to me such a great way to move a little outside the comfort zone while remaining utterly within the Craig Finn mythos.

Well then, go back and listen to "One for the Cutters"; in order to salvage the album as a whole we got to find you a 'serious' song to balance out the positive jams. 

For those keeping track at home, I rock the album thusly:
1. Constructive Summer (jam)
2. Sequestered in Memphis (groove)
3. One for the Cutters (ponder)
4. Navy Sheets (strut)
5. Lord, I'm Discouraged (filler)
6. Yeah Sapphire (penultimate hella jam)
7. Both Crosses (2 am, county line, kneeling on the dirt road, bright headlights)
8. Stay Positive (hella jam)
9. Magazines (loooo...)
10. Joke About Jamaica (...oooong...)
11. Slapped Actress (...outroooo...)

[Andrew_TSKS]

I remember that thing about the last few songs in a row seeming like a really long outro. It's like the opposite of "Meadowlands" by the Wrens, which takes way too long to get going.

[davy]

I'm listening to the Arthur Russell CD for the second time tonight and my god...this has got to be on my list. I included the What It Is funk box in my list the year it came out. If I've done it once, I can do it again.

[Babar]

I'm listening to the Arthur Russell CD for the second time tonight and my god...this has got to be on my list. I included the What It Is funk box in my list the year it came out. If I've done it once, I can do it again.

i may have to check out that album since i really dig the experimental disco cello stuff he did and i'd like to hear him play something different from that. although folk music if something i'm wayyyy not into right now, but perhaps i'll check it out when i think i'll like it.

[davy]

It's more singer-songwriter than folk. The cello is present in many of the songs, and a few tunes even feature moderate doses of disco.

[alistarr*]

Hey what about that Jonathan Richman album that Almanzo was hyping?  That thing was excellent too.

's on my list. not his best album ever or even the best i've heard of his later work, but still an excellent album, and one i keep listening to. i like doing my little kind of half-shuffle-half-dance to it in the kitchen while the wok's in use, which i think is kind of fitting - it's quite a domestic feeling album, nice and homely like, and comforting even when it's sad.

[edison]

Hey what about that Jonathan Richman album that Almanzo was hyping?  That thing was excellent too.

's on my list. not his best album ever or even the best i've heard of his later work, but still an excellent album, and one i keep listening to. i like doing my little kind of half-shuffle-half-dance to it in the kitchen while the wok's in use, which i think is kind of fitting - it's quite a domestic feeling album, nice and homely like, and comforting even when it's sad.

I should listen to that - the guy's playing in Strasbourg in March and I figured it might be worthwhile? Can anyone hook me up with a drop.io?