Year in Review: Music

I've always loved music, though my music tastes have changed and broadened considerably over the years. But I haven't always been open about sharing my music tastes. Music tastes tend to be very personal. What speaks to one person doesn't necessarily speak to another person, and what you listen to, or don't listen to, is based a lot on your own experiences. For quite awhile I didn't really like sharing my CD collection or playlists with other people because I didn't feel like I had a lot of music that other people liked, and because I didn't feel like other people would necessarily appreciate what I like.

But this year I think I became a lot more confident about sharing my music with other people. I started to realize that I know more music than I often give myself credit for, I got some positive feedback on my taste in music from some people whose music opinions I respect, and I found that by sharing my tastes with other people, they were more likely to share theirs with me. This in turn led me to discovering some great new music, and also to new venues for finding music. Music became more of a social experience for me this year than it has been in the past

Of course, that doesn't make it any less personal. It just adds a new dimension. I still recognize that my top 5 albums of this year are just that - my top 5. This is what spoke to me in 2008, for whatever reason. But whereas last year I probably would have kept them to myself, this year I feel confident sharing. I've included a playlist with a selection of the songs from the albums (in bold in the text) at the end of this post, and I also couldn't help but tack on an additional 5 "shout-outs" that didn't fall easily into my top 5, but which I thought deserved mention for one reason or another. These are in no particular order, and I think they all happen to be albums which actually came out in 2008, though that wasn't necessarily my intention when I began writing this post.


24 Postcards in Full Colour, Max Richter
These pieces were actually written as ringtones, meant to be played on cellphones. Personally, I think that aspect of this album seems a little gimicky-passed-off-as-artsy, and I don't know what value would be gained by playing them on cell phones. But the pieces themselves are absolutely beautiful and (I think) musically interesting. They are tiny - not one of them is more than three minutes long, and most hover somewhere in the one-minute range, so in each piece you have an entire idea captured in a very short period of time. The title of the album is very fitting. Recommended Tracks: H in New England, Cascade NW by W, In Louisville at 7, I Was Just Thinking

Rook, Shearwater
I'm not entirely sure what it was about this album that grabbed me, but I couldn't stop listening to it for weeks. Lead singer-songwriter Jonathan Meiburg was originally part of Okkervil River, if you are familiar with them, and his vocals are haunting. I love every track on the album, but "The Snow Leopard" is far and above my favorite. Recommended Tracks: On the Death of the Waters, Leviathan Bound, I Was a Cloud, The Snow Leopard

Viva la Vida, Coldplay
This is definitely the most mainstream selection to make my top five. I really, really like Coldplay, and I wasn't disappointed by their newest album - I loved it from my very first listen. I admit that I probably overplayed it a bit the first few weeks, but I still come back to it. I don't know if the lyrics are anything deep, but they're interesting, and the album has a very big sound. It's fun to listen to. Recommended Tracks: Viva la Vida, Death and All His Friends, Cemeteries of London

Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Lots of music critics, apparently, have been raving about this self-titled debut album (I also recommend the EP Sun Giant). I was introduced to them by a friend, and this is another album I couldn't stop listening to, and still can't. I have a hard time describing the music. It's music that would be great for a drive through the mountains, or the forest, or the rolling hills of northern Michigan. Great harmonies, clear vocals. I don't know if this is my top favorite (it's too hard to choose just one), but it's probably my top recommendation for other listeners. Recommended Tracks: White Winter Hymnal, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, Blue Ridge Mountains, Mykonos (from the EP)

For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver
This one did not grab me immediately. I think my roommate Jessica was listening to Bon Iver over the summer, and then my brother recommended the album, but I gave it a (brief) try and shrugged it off as something that didn't quite do it for me. Still, I added a couple songs to my playlist, and after they had cycled through a few times, I realized that I had almost dismissed an absolutely incredible album. It has a very intimate sound, and is definitely more fit for careful listening than for singing along to in the car - maybe that's why it didn't catch my attention immediately. But now that it has caught my attention, I can't even imagine how I didn't love it at first. Recommended tracks: The Wolves (Act I and II), Lump Sum, Re: Stacks

Shout-Outs

Eddie Palmieri. Eddie Palmieri is my first "discovery" chosen (sort of) at random from the book my parents gave me for Christmas, and I'm loving the music. The beginnings of the two songs I recommend are just a lot of fun, but the real payoff comes if you listen for a few minutes and make it to the piano riffs. Recommended: El Dia Que Me Quieras, No Me Hagas Sufrir

Extraordinary Rendition, Rupa and the April Fishes. Also a lot of fun. I couldn't find the two songs I really wanted to share on playlist.com, but you can listen to them on the myspace page. Recommended: Not So Easy, Yaad, Une Américaine à Paris, Poder

Motown. My proximity to Detroit, and a visit to the Motown museum back in October, led me back to this music recently, and I am appreciating it more for knowing the historical and geographical context. Right now The Four Tops are on my playlist, so my recommendations come from them: Can't Help Myself, Bernadette, It's the Same Old Song

Flobots. These two songs started out as a guilty pleasure and a staple on my running playlist, but the more I listened to Handlebars, the more I came to appreciate the layers of the song, and particularly the way the words and music fit together and built to the climax. I still consider this a guilty pleasure, but I felt validated when Flobots got a mention on the music podcast I listen to. Recommended: Handlebars, Rise

A Cork Tale Wake, Chris Bathgate. Chris Bathgate is actually an Ann Arbor local, and I saw him perform live at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair with Jessica, Jason, and Brian back in July. So this is included not just for the music (which I like), but because it's attached to my summer memories. Recommended: Serpentine, The Last Parade on Ann Street, A Flash of Light Followed By