Best Music/ Album/ CD of 2008
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[/caption]This was an easy pick for me, which is unusual because I normally don't settle on one album very easily. The irony of this pick is that the album was released in 2007 by an independent label and then re-released in February 2008 "to the masses". After several listens I pretty much had decided that it would take an opus from a contender to knock this album from the spot of my favorite of 2008.
And that album is:
For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
This unknown artist took me completely by surprise last winter. I had heard several clips of these songs through the All Songs Considered Blog written by Bob Boilen at NPR, but until I downloaded the complete album I could have no idea how this collection of finely crafted songs could impact my musical palette.
To generalize, it's folk music, but it's a whole hell of a lot more than that. There's a haunting aspect of the songs and their feel. There's ephemeral moments that I wish would last forever, and at times the lyrics are sung in such a way and with such harmony with the music that I'm almost moved to tears. No matter how many times I hear these individual moments or the disc as a whole, it never affects me any less. Bon Iver runs the gamut of emotions here, from soaring moments of seeming exaltation to clear pain and suffering.
This is a lovely album, a powerful album, and a collection that should be heard by all!
Go see the Metacritic entry for this album.
Runners Up for Album of the Year: (in no special order)
Atmosphere- "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold"
Slug & Ant are back, with another solid hip-hop album- this one about being a father... complete with nursery chimes and electric steel slide guitars! Yep!
John Mellencamp- "Life, Death, Love, Freedom"
Mellencamp is quality. He's an honest, emotional, and gifted songwriter and storyteller- definitely one of the greatest rockers of all time, and this album helps that claim.
Conor Oberst- "Conor Oberst"
His first album minus the "Bright Eyes" moniker. This is a great romp- with fun singalongs, terrific melodies, and fun chorus'.
My Morning Jacket- "Evil Urges"
The Peanut Butter Pudding Surprise does not work perfectly well, but it doesn't fall on its face either. The bearded and long haired boys are back and just as musical and energetic as ever.
Okkervil River- "The Stand Ins"
A new artist to me, these literate songsmiths are adept musicians and lyricists. Great melody, fierce satire, and rocking rock songs!
The Mountain Goats- "Heretic Pride"
Another more-than-solid effort from John Darnielle (& Co.) that returns the subtle lyricism and gentle guitars that have made them (him) so good for so long!
Best TV Series of the Year (not necessarily aired in 2008, but I watched it in 2008)
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="The Wire"]
[/caption]The Wire (HBO)
This show has left a mark upon me. It's tainted how I perceive every other television show I watch- quite frankly, nothing else compares. It's sad that this show is over, because it was powerful, deep, well acted, intense, well written, inspiring, thought provoking, and so much more...
I don't know if there's ever been a villain TV character that has garnered as much love as Omar Little. I don't know how much more polarizing a guy like Jimmy McNulty could ever be- sometimes he was loved, and most of the time he was despised by all of those around him (including the audience). Detective Lester Freamon was a likable guy, one who I think most viewers respected and rooted for. Even supporting characters were front and center most of the time- with just as powerful and important roles as the "stars". I could go on and on... but with this show, "all the pieces matter"!
If you like good television, watch this show!! I'm not a fan of crime dramas and I don't watch much actual TV, but this show hooked me from the start. So sad that it has to be over...
Runners Up for Best TV Series of the year (in no particular order)
Totally Rad Show- (free downoad from Revision 3 or on iTunes) It's 3 totally rad dudes who review movies, videogames, tv, and comics. Hilarious, intelligent, informative, and well produced! If not for The Wire, this could very well have won the top spot- despite the fact that it's not a "true TV show"!
Fareed Zakaria GPS- a new show on CNN (also available in podcast form) that involves host Fareed Zakaria interviewing politicians both foreign and domestic. He includes roundtable discussions that reflect a worldly view of politics and global affairs. I like Mr. Zakaria, he's a tremendous scholar and more than adequate interviewer.
Firefly- can't believe I missed this show a few years back. It's "sci-fi meets western". It's almost perfect- with great dialogue, cool sci-fi effects and great atmosphere. There are well done and well reasoned action scenes, great characters, and an interesting and easy to follow storyline.
Best Book of 2008
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="249" caption="The Post American World"]
[/caption](I have a confession to make- as far as book reading went, it was a slow year for me in 2008. I only read 3 full books. I think I spent a lot of time paying attention and reading about the election, the economic crisis, preparing myself to say good riddance to GW, and also played more video games this fall than usual...)
The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria
By no means am I an expert on foreign relations, foreign economic policy, globalization, emerging national powers, or history. But I will state this- Fareed Zakaria is brilliant! In this amazing book, he lays out the foundation for what this planet will look and feel like once American domination in world affairs plateaus or recedes. His anecdotes and explanations are surprisingly tangible, informative, interesting, and powerful. He knows his stuff- that's for damn sure. And he knows how to convey this new way of thinking in a digestible manner. I know one thing, America better get itself together or China, India, Brazil, and others are more than ready to take our place as preeminent world power. (Note: Zakaria makes this list twice, the only person/ thing that can claim such status this year!!)
Runners Up for Best Book of 2008
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Weather you're for or against Obama, this is a worthy and insightful look into him as a person as well as a politician. (Read my review from late 2008)
Moyers On Democracy by Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is one of my favorite and most respected political/ social commentators. His book is a collection of speeches and addresses he's given over the years- and while it is very good, it can tend to be a bit repetitive. Very good!
Hot, Flat, & Crowded by Thomas Friedman (I haven't read this yet, but Friedman is one of my favorite authors and columnists, so I'd be surprised if this book were to disappoint me.)
Best Podcast(s) of 2008 (No clear Winner for'08)
I listen to many podcasts each week, and the simplest way to judge my favorites seems to be to select those which I "skip" the least. In other words, some days I find myself not necessarily wanting to listen to a particular show. I've listed those from my listening routine that I skip the least...
Slate's Political Gabfest- Emily Bazelon, John Dickeson, and David Plotz do a terrific job of summarizing the previous weeks political news. There's always good insight, intelligent humor, great discussion and argument, and even lighthearted "cocktail chatter"!
NPR's All Songs Considered- I love NPR. Bob Boilen is a great music commentator. They play great new music. What more is there to like!?
Xbox Live's Major Nelson Radio- Larry Hyrb (gamertag: Major Nelson) works for Microsoft on the Xbox Live team. He shares weekly updates and information about Xbox games and news. Perfect!
NPR's It's All Politics- Ken Rudin and Ron Elving talk about the week's political news. It's humorous, short, and well informed. Must not miss!
FORA.tv Audio Program of the Week- Fora.tv is a great sight to watch seminars, speeches, panel discussions and other educational events from such institutions as The Brookings Institution, Hoover Institution, and C-SPAN. I'm always pleasantly surprised by what I can learn here...
On The Media- A program from radio station WNYC that offers great news and information from the world of media- such as reports on how media affects society, how it is consumed and delivered, as well as discussions of past, present, and future media relations and anecdotes. Oh, "and edited by Brooke..."
Best Movie of 2008
(Another disclaimer: I don't watch a lot of movies. I didn't watch many in 2008 that were actually released in 2008. Because of this, I'm going to list two movies- neither was necessarily released in 2008. Sorry.)
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Visitor"]
[/caption]The Visitor- a good story about 3 strangers who live together and become friends despite the fact that 2 of them have a secret... (I'm not interested in spoiling) It's a story filled with emotion and uplifting feelings.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="338" caption="Outsourced"]
[/caption]Outsourced- a story about a telephone product salesman who finds that his job has been outsourced. He is sent to India to train his replacements and finds more than he expected in this foreign land. I loved this movie- it seemed to be an accurate representation of the situation and India in general. A very warm film with many appealing qualities.
Best Video Game of 2008
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="280" caption="Fable II"]
[/caption]Fable II- a fun adventure/ RPG game that has you assume the role of a small boy in search of the evil that killed his sister. Your actions matter- the way you communicate and interact with people and the world all have an affect on the way the game plays out. In the end, to be good or to be evil isn't the only question however... it's more about how to achieve your goals while balancing that good/ evil perception. Fun, deep, and engrossing, there wasn't another game in 2008 that engulfed me quite like Fable II. It's not perfect- I wish there was a more in depth communication method with fellow citizens and your family, and I wish the story didn't feel so short. In the end however, the positives outweigh the negatives by a long shot here.
Runners Up for Best Video Game of 2008
Call of Duty: World at War- this game could have won the award, but the story mode just wasn't as engrossing as I would have liked. The very strong multiplayer has kept this game in my tray for a long while now.
Little Big Planet- if I told you that in 2008 a platform game a la Mario or Zelda would make my list for best games of the year, you'd probably think I was in some sort of time warp. Well, there's no time warp, but yes a "platformer" made this list. Little Big Planet is revolutionary, it's going to change the gaming landscape in so many ways... believe it! And Sack Boy is so damn cute!
Grand Theft Auto IV- probably the most highly anticipated game in a long time, and it did a fairly good job of living up to the hype. At the end of the day however, I just get sick of the stupid driving, chasing, and racing missions. Isn't there any other way to unfurl the story...? You listening Rockstar?
Dead Space- a newcomer to the games lineup, this was a great surprise for many gamers in '08. Survival Horror isn't quite my thing, so it loses points there, but it's a very well executed game that tells a very compelling story.
MLB '08: The Show- there isn't a sports game that compares to the MLB: The Show series. It's got realistic simulation down almost flawlessly, and does so many things that stand out. If it weren't for the fact that my interest for sports games ebbs and flows with the relevant season, this game may have taken top honors.
So there ya have it- my favorites of '08!
Let me know if you agree or disagree, or if you want to have a conversation about it all.
Thanks for reading...
Peace
AM Son
1 comment:
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