Music - Best of '08
Time once again for the annual tradition of me listing my favorite albums of the year. In no particular order:
Count Bass D - L7
A new album from my favorite starving musician. While not my personal favorite CBD album, I continue to enjoy the Count's eclectic beats and deeply personal lyrics. If only all of hip hop were half as good as this.
Beck - Modern Guilt
While the idea of Danger Mouse producing a Beck album sounds awesome, I couldn't help but feel this record held up in spite of the production, not because of it. The sound seems to be a throwback to the light-hearted rock 'n roll of the early/mid 60s, but the lyrics are decidedly darker. This album reminds me a lot of his earlier work Sea Change. In the older album, Beck mourns breaking up and dreading the loss of companionship. Modern Guilt seems to take this pessimism to a grander scale of seeing the entire world go to hell in a handbasket and being personally powerless to do anything to stop it.
Koushik - Out My Window
It only took him about four years to put this record out. :/ His style has clearly been refined in that time, with the chilled-out beats flowing seamlessly with his soft whispery singing. A solid debut album, I can only hope we don't have to wait so long for a follow-up.
John Robinson - Who is This Man?
Speaking of oft-delayed albums, here's one that had been in the can for several years before finally seeing release a few months ago. It's Lil' Sci rapping over MF Doom beats. A lot of the beats feel overused and tired at this point, but you can't really blame Lil Sci on that; they were undoubtedly quite fresh when he recorded the material back in '04 and '05. His rhyming is top notch at least, and goes well with Doom's production.
Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy - Just kidding. Maybe I would've liked it more if I hadn't slept on getting my free Dr. Pepper.
And now for my "Biggest Disappointment of the year"
Guilty Simpson - Ode to the Ghetto
Ok, so it's not as notable as my entry from last year (Smashing Pumpkins' Zeitgeist). Guilty Simpson is kind of a thugged out underground rapper on Stones Throw records, perhaps best known for appearing on numerous J Dilla projects. For his debut album, I for some reason expected... well, more than this. His "bitches, guns 'n hoes" lyrics are so comical I almost wonder if he's trying to do a parody. Various producers (including the late J Dilla) supply the beats, but they mostly feel out of place against Guilty's grumblings.
But back on the positive side, I just want to plug a couple of things based on sentimental value, even though they're both more than 30 years old.
As you probably know, I got married earlier this year, and among the music played at my wedding, I had slipped the DJ a copy of Arthur Verocai's self-titled album from 1971. It's a Brazilian album that in my opinion is one of the best albums ever made. The songs capture this warm, romantic vibe and had to have some of the best production values for its time.
When I listen to this album I visualize summer sunsets, soothing beach waves and Lupin III for some reason. I dunno, you just have to hear it for yourself (if for no other reason than to count how many songs MF Doom ended up sampling at some point).
The wedding DJ loved the music so much btw I let him keep the CD, and he said he'd probably use it at future weddings.
Lastly, I just wanted to mention the first dance song we picked at our wedding: The Beatles' In My Life. Just an absolutely beautiful song.
Count Bass D - L7
A new album from my favorite starving musician. While not my personal favorite CBD album, I continue to enjoy the Count's eclectic beats and deeply personal lyrics. If only all of hip hop were half as good as this.
Beck - Modern Guilt
While the idea of Danger Mouse producing a Beck album sounds awesome, I couldn't help but feel this record held up in spite of the production, not because of it. The sound seems to be a throwback to the light-hearted rock 'n roll of the early/mid 60s, but the lyrics are decidedly darker. This album reminds me a lot of his earlier work Sea Change. In the older album, Beck mourns breaking up and dreading the loss of companionship. Modern Guilt seems to take this pessimism to a grander scale of seeing the entire world go to hell in a handbasket and being personally powerless to do anything to stop it.
Koushik - Out My Window
It only took him about four years to put this record out. :/ His style has clearly been refined in that time, with the chilled-out beats flowing seamlessly with his soft whispery singing. A solid debut album, I can only hope we don't have to wait so long for a follow-up.
John Robinson - Who is This Man?
Speaking of oft-delayed albums, here's one that had been in the can for several years before finally seeing release a few months ago. It's Lil' Sci rapping over MF Doom beats. A lot of the beats feel overused and tired at this point, but you can't really blame Lil Sci on that; they were undoubtedly quite fresh when he recorded the material back in '04 and '05. His rhyming is top notch at least, and goes well with Doom's production.
Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy - Just kidding. Maybe I would've liked it more if I hadn't slept on getting my free Dr. Pepper.
And now for my "Biggest Disappointment of the year"
Guilty Simpson - Ode to the Ghetto
Ok, so it's not as notable as my entry from last year (Smashing Pumpkins' Zeitgeist). Guilty Simpson is kind of a thugged out underground rapper on Stones Throw records, perhaps best known for appearing on numerous J Dilla projects. For his debut album, I for some reason expected... well, more than this. His "bitches, guns 'n hoes" lyrics are so comical I almost wonder if he's trying to do a parody. Various producers (including the late J Dilla) supply the beats, but they mostly feel out of place against Guilty's grumblings.
But back on the positive side, I just want to plug a couple of things based on sentimental value, even though they're both more than 30 years old.
As you probably know, I got married earlier this year, and among the music played at my wedding, I had slipped the DJ a copy of Arthur Verocai's self-titled album from 1971. It's a Brazilian album that in my opinion is one of the best albums ever made. The songs capture this warm, romantic vibe and had to have some of the best production values for its time.
When I listen to this album I visualize summer sunsets, soothing beach waves and Lupin III for some reason. I dunno, you just have to hear it for yourself (if for no other reason than to count how many songs MF Doom ended up sampling at some point).
The wedding DJ loved the music so much btw I let him keep the CD, and he said he'd probably use it at future weddings.
Lastly, I just wanted to mention the first dance song we picked at our wedding: The Beatles' In My Life. Just an absolutely beautiful song.