in this season of inevitable year-end lists, i decided to be a sheep and throw another log on the proverbial fire.
generally speaking, i'd prefer to write about movies, but frankly, film in 2008 was shit (friends in Hollywood be damned -- you know it was a lame year, The Dark Knight excluded). then i supposed i might write about TV -- the highs and lows of reality programming complete with clips, perhaps -- but in the end i figured television was so incredibly different here in Great Britain that talking about TV would be silly for my mostly American readers. with little left to choose from, i've chosen the obvious: music.
almost everyone i know is a music snob. some work in the industry at labels, agencies or magazines, some are life-long professional musicians and some are simply fanatics who make claims like: "i saw Dismemberment Plan back in 2000 when they opened for Pearl Jam in Europe" or "i've been listening to REM since they were on Hib-Tone records" -- but my list is really not for such people. in fact, one might argue that mine is a list for NO one. it's just stuff that came to mind when i thought about what caught my ear in. it's not ground-breaking, and you will certainly not be any more hip for having read it, but since i haven't blogged in a while, i'm posting it anyway.
* note: i know some of the following are not 2008 releases, but does anyone really care?
SINGLE I COULDN'T GET OUT OF MY HEAD:
"THAT'S NOT MY NAME" - THE TING TINGS
BEST SONG DISCOVERED BY WATCHING A TV COMMERCIAL (A FOUR-WAY TIE LISTED FAVE TO LESS FAVE):
1. "AROUND THE BEND" - THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR (iPOD TOUCH AD)
2. "SHUT UP AND LET ME GO" - THE TING TINGS (iPOD/iTUNES AD)
3. "HUMMINGBIRD" - BORN RUFFIANS (ORANGE MOBILE AD)
4. "LI'L KING KONG" - SIMPLE KID (SATURN VUE AD)
CD I LOVED UPON VERY FIRST LISTEN AND PROCEEDED TO PLAY OVER AND OVER WITHOUT SKIPPING ANY TRACKS:
"LOVE AND SQUALOR" - WE ARE SCIENTISTS (RELEASED IN 2006, SPECIAL THANX TO LUCI)
SONG THAT'S COMPLETELY NOT MY STYLE, BUT WHICH I PURCHASED RIGHT AFTER HEARING (HALF BECAUSE I DUG THE BEAT, AND HALF BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE TITLE AND REFRAIN WERE HYSTERICAL):
"LET ME TOUCH YOUR BUTTON" - WYCLEF JEAN
IRRESISTIBLE INDIE-POP SONG (I HEARD THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLY RECENTLY AND FOUND IT AS INFECTIOUS AS WEEZER):
"UNDERSTANDING" - PETE AND THE PIRATES
FAVORITE NEW (MAINSTREAM) ARTIST:
THE LOVELY WELSH GAL CALLED DUFFY (FAVE TRACK: "WARWICK AVENUE")
RESURFACED OLDIE OF THE YEAR:
"HERE COME THE GIRLS" - ERNIE K. DOE (THE SUGABABES' COVER OF THIS SONG WAS USED AD NAUSEUM IN A BOOTS DRUGSTORE CAMPAIGN HERE IN GREAT BRITAIN, BUT THE ORIGINAL'S THE VERSION TO GET.)
FAVE SONG FROM A DOCUMENTARY (EVEN THOUGH THE DOC WAS A 2004 RELEASE):
"BOHEMIAN LIKE YOU" - THE DANDY WARHOLS (DOC TITLE: "DiG!" WITH THANKS TO SIMON FOR TELLING ME TO WATCH IT)
COVER SONGS LISTENED TO MOST (THOUGH NONE RELEASED IN 2008):
1. JOSS STONE - THE WHITE STRIPES' "FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL/BOY"
2. BARRY WHITE - BILLY JOEL'S "JUST THE WAY YOU ARE"
ARTIST I WISH WE'D HEARD FROM THIS YEAR:
BEN FOLDS
NUMBER ONE SONG OF 2008:
"SHADY LANE" - PAVEMENT
REASONING BEHIND THIS CHOICE:
"SHADY LANE" WAS THE SONG THAT PLAYED AS MY HUSBAND AND I EXITED OUR WEDDING CEREMONY LAST APRIL :-)
P.S.
i also really dig reading non-fiction. the best non-fiction i read in 2008 was:
1. Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner (2005)
2. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - Dale Carnegie (1948)
3. Affluenza - Oliver James (2007)
* it must be noted i've not yet finished Affluenza, but am far enough to put it in my top three.
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