New Year wishes

Following up on Jim's theme of last years disappointments here is something else: my wishlist for 2009, what bands / artists would I like to see releasing a brilliant album:

- Battles; one of my favs at the moment
http://www.myspace.com/battlestheband

- Panda Bear, crazy frontman of schizo band animal collective
http://www.myspace.com/rippityrippity

- D'Angelo; I guess that will never happen..if only, my favorite R&B artist

- Dr Who Dat - Since I got the album Beat Journey from my sister I was hooked, very creative instrumental hiphop

http://www.boomkat.com/artist.cfm?a=11296



- Portishead; because I was digging their last album

Best concert of 2008: Sigur Ros, Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, November 17 2008

You let me down, baby!

The great Chicago (WBEZ) radio program Sound Opinions has an annual Thanksgiving "Turkey Shoot" show- i.e. bands and albums that have dispaointed them in the past year:

http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2008/112808/shownotes.html

Loving lists as I do, I though this would be a great idea for us to list our biggest recent dissapointments. Here are mine, looking forward to seeing yours:

1. Skeletal Lamping - Of Montreal. Of Montreal is one of the band's I've been the most excited about in a while. Fun, talent, wit, brilliant song-writing and extreme silliness. However, being too clever for their own good has always been a potential flaw with this band - and in this case it proves fatal. Too much of evrything - tempo changes, interludes, effects, nerd-sex one liners, geek pimpin' - all stuff that they've used brilliantly in the past, but here it distracts from the actual music. It's still all about the songs - remember? I had thought this bad got that.

2. Stay Positive - The Hold Steady. I really don't have anything bad to say about this album. they're still a great band and this is a fair album. I guess it's just a huge dissapointment to me compared to Boys and Girls of America. This album is fine - it just lacks majic. I just can't get into it.

3. Evolver - John Legend. Just when you though John legend was going to be the messiah to lead R&B back to the promised land of creativity, talent and soul, he goes to sleep. This album is booooooooooring and over-produced. 

4. Chinese Democracy - Guns N’ Roses. Not that I expected it to be good, but I thought just maybe... ah, no! Street of Dreams may be the worse rock song ever. 

Best of '08: My faves

My three favorite albums of the year:

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes 
At Mount Zoomer - Wolf Parade

Dig lazarus, Dig - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

My other faves in no particular order:

Jim - Jamie Lidell
The Stand Ins - Okkervil River
Carried to Dust - Calexico (I think they are trying to take the title of best active band away from Wilco)

Oracular Spectacular - MGMT 
Third - Portishead
Do You Like Rock Music? - British Sea Power
Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Erykah Badu - Amerykah, Part 1

Bake Sale - Cool Kids

Modern Guilt - Beck

Real Animal - Alejandro Escovedo

Earth To The Dandy Warhols - The Dandy Warhols

The Odd Couple - Gnarls Barkley

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today- David Byrne & Brian Eno

Chemical Chords - Stereolab

Dear Science - TV on the Radio

Everywhere at Once - Lyrics Born

Real Emotional Trash - Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

Consolers Of the Lonely - The Raconteurs

Honorable mentions: I guess I'll call R.E.M.'s Accelerate an honorable mention. I really enjoyed it - and I'm so glad they're back to making rock and roll music after years of boring mush - but it didn't stay with me long. Despite some of the most ridulous lyrics I've heard since re-reading my high school love letters, I liked Flock by Bell X1. The Way I See It by Rapheal Saadiq and Santogold's self titled albums were really nice. She & Him Volume One had disaster written all over it - but it wasn't. In fact, it's a great album. Priscilla Ahn's A Good Day was a good, simple and sweet debut.