Best of 2008: Music

I have never been the person to "discover" new bands. I always catch on way too late for that, mostly after I've heard a song in a movie trailer, T.V. show, commercial or movie. Otherwise, my good friends Alison or Adrienne Aggen usually make me fun mix CDs that brighten my musical horizons. So here are the bands/albums/songs that I listened to and enjoyed the most in 2008.

Listened Obsessively
Bon Iver, For Emma Forever Ago
Choice track: "Skinny Love, "Flume" and "The Wolves"

Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
Choice track: "Your Protector" and "Blue Ridge Mountains"

Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
Choice track: "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" and "Lost Coastlines"

The Virgins, The Virgins
Choice track:"Fernando Pando" and "Teen Lovers"

Superb
The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
Choice track: "We Walk" and "Great DJ"

Radiohead, In Rainbows
Choice track: All except "House of Cards," which is just ok.
Update: Upon further reflection, and a very persuasive video produced by Adrienne and Jared starring Jared, Adrienne's voice and one ugly doll with a Thom Yourke "lazy eye," I've come to have a new appreciation for the song. Well done, team.

Kings of Leon, Only By the Night
Choice track: "Sex On Fire" and "Revelry"

Deserves to be listened to more
Bloc Party, Intimacy
Choice track: "Signs" (acoustic)

Coldplay, Viva la Vida
Choice track:"Lost?" and "42"

You can do better
Ben Folds, Way to Normal
Choice tracks: "Cologne," "You Don't Know Me" and "Bitch Went Nuts" (only because it gets stuck in my head for days and the first line is hilarious "The bitch went nuts, she stabbed my basketball." What the?

Concerts

Amazing
Radiohead, All Points West Festival
Bon Iver, Town Hall
Okkervil River, Webster Hall
The Swell Season, Radio City Music Hall
Tilly and the Wall, The Knitting Factory (Thanks Dan!)


(Above) Okkervil River's Will Scheff. My god that is good hair.

Solid
Built to Spill, Terminal 5
Fleet Foxes, Webster Hall
Kings of Leon, All Points West Festival
Old Springs Pike, Rockwood Music Hall
Spoon, Terminal 5
The Ting Tings, McCarren Park Pool (Even though we only saw the last half of it. Poor crowd management.)
The Virgins, All Points West Festival

Eh
The Mountain Goats, Webster Hall (This is probably not their fault. I think was so tired that I was sleeping standing up, however, the fact that they couldn't wake me up probably says something about them.)

Best Opening Band
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears, opened for Okkervil River

Singles
Making its way to 25 Most Played (may not be new, but I discovered it during the past year)
"Almost Lover," A Fine Frenzy
"Apologize," Timbaland featuring One Republic-featured during a hot scene on Gossip Girl
"Ca Plane Pour Moi," Plastic Bertrand
"Circus," Britney Spears
"Disturbia," Rihanna
"Hard to Live in the City," Albert Hammond Jr.
"Paper Planes," MI.A.
"Sour Cherry," The Kills
"The Way I Are,"Timbaland
"Three Wishes," The Pierces
"With Me," Sun 41-ditto
"Womanizer," Britney Spears

And many of the above choice tracks.