Kevin V.

My 2008 Music

By Kevin V. about 1 month ago

In my typically overwrought, wordy fashion……

2008 was another less than stellar year for me personally, continuing a 2-3 year streak of less than stellar years. Thankfully this year saw a few more glimpses of optimism than normal creep through amidst the turmoil and trauma so I’m hopeful that the ratio of good to bad continues to even out more in the coming year. As befits a mixed year, these are the 5 albums that meant the most to me because they hit me on an emotional level and I listened to them on endless loops many days throughout this year. I can’t rank them numerically because they’re all different musically, lyrically, and emotionally, but these are the 5 albums that kept me going in 2008. The “best” of 2008? Probably not. But definitely the ones that meant the most to me.

Gaslight Anthem – ‘The 59 Sound’
I won’t even claim this is an original sound or record but it was catchy as hell, well written and was imbued with a sense of hope and optimism that I really needed a lot in 2008. It was stripped down and straightforward raw rock and roll without being sloppy or simply run of the mill pop punk. I listened to it over and over and over and over again and every time when I was done listening to it I felt better about things.

Cut Copy – ‘In Ghost Colors’
Again, this was nothing groundbreaking or original. This was just a really spot on and well done approximation of 80’s English dance pop. The whole album was sunny and happy and just as the Gaslight Anthem album made me look at my problems and issues and gave me the oomph I needed to confront them head on, this album would make me forget about things for a while and just tap my feet and remember how much simpler things were being a teenager in the 80s and the biggest things I had to worry about were whether or not the Cure were going to tour that year and if I’d get tickets.

Mountain Goats – ‘Heretic Pride’
John Darnielle is probably up there with one of the top 10 living people I would most like to meet and hang out with. Everything he writes both lyrically and on his blog and in magazines just drips with excitement and passion for whatever the subject is. And that’s infectious. The year my son was born I listened to ‘This Year’ endlessly as we struggled through his first 6 months of problems and issues, and the line “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me” was my mantra. I wasn’t nuts about the last album (Get Lonely) but Heretic Pride was a much needed return to form.

Bon Iver – ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’
Whatever. 2007 or 2008. I don’t give a fuck. It’s going on the list. I’ve already written a ton about why I love this album but the bottom line is that every song on this record showed me that beauty can come from loneliness and desolation like few other albums ever have. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to another “guy with guitar, singing” album again after this one.

Shearwater – ‘Rook’
It bums me out that this record didn’t get as much love as I thought it should have (although I’ve seen it on a few year end lists). I’m very picky when it comes to overdramatic, slightly pretentious, vaguely orchestral indie rock. In general I hate that type of crap especially when it’s overly fey and cutesy. But this record was catchy, dark, overwhelming, and beautiful to me. Why people who love overdramatic, slightly pretentious, vaguely orchestral indie rock didn’t love this album is beyond me, but the bottom line is I loved it and I’m glad it existed. Unlike everything else on this list, all of which picked me up, this was the record I listened to when I just wanted to wallow in the darkness and misery.

Other than these, I listened to most of the same stuff as on John’s list and with a few exceptions and additions not on his list (Torche, Disfear, Ladytron, British Sea Power etc.) and I felt more or less the same about that stuff. So…..yeah….

21 Comments
Dec 01, 2008
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On 01 Dec 07:33, maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#* was all:
maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#*

plz upload shearwater, i’ve been trying to find it and my router dies every time i use soulseek

i’ve only been listening to the 59 sound for a couple of days, and i agree about it not being anything new, but but I AM IN LOVE and will go buy it from PRX within the next week.

On 01 Dec 08:50, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode

I keep forgetting to check Shearwater out. Your description has me very intrigued. Also, tell me more about torche, disfear, ladytron, and the new BSP. I haven’t heard any of them.

On 01 Dec 09:05, Kevin V. was all:
Kevin V.

Torche is metal riffage with pop melodies and hooks.
Disfear is fairly typical D-Beat stuff but I like that type of thing.
Ladytron is also very retro and very dark.
The new BSP is bombastic, catchy rock music. Not generic but also not difficult or noisy.

I’ll try and ftp all of them. I think you have the Shearwater already. Start with the songs Snow Leopard and/or Rooks.

On 01 Dec 09:12, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode

What’s D-Beat? Are the Ladytron and BSP albums any different from their respective last ones? I wasn’t that into either.

On 01 Dec 09:12, maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#* was all:
maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#*

john doesn’t have it in his server thing. I HAVE BEEN CHECKING OBSESSIVELY.

On 01 Dec 09:23, Kevin V. was all:
Kevin V.

D-Beat is that 1-2-1-2-1-2 chopp punk/hardcore beat. I’m sure there’s a musical name for it but I’m not that smart.

I don’t recall any of the previous BSP albums so I can’t say how this one rates. But I’ve never liked anything Ladytron has done previously bu this one ranks at least top 25 of 2008 for me so…take that for what it is.

On 01 Dec 09:26, Banned Bill is Hutch's nemesis. was all:
Banned Bill is Hutch's nemesis.

Maggie, I have the Shearwater album and can give it to you tonight.
As I said on my board, I just discovered this morning that I know the Gaslight Anthem’s drummer, so that has my psyched to check out their album. I’ll be getting it tonight.

On 01 Dec 11:05, maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#* was all:
maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#*

my mom actually emailed me about gaslight two weeks ago. “they played them on WXPN, and said they were from new brunswick. do you know them?!”

On 01 Dec 11:24, Banned Bill is Hutch's nemesis. was all:
Banned Bill is Hutch's nemesis.

Yeah, Benny used to be in The Low End Theory and we played tons of shows with them when I was in that lousy New Brunswick emo band. And then he filled in on drums for Ensign for a while. And after that he was in The Killing Gift, who were not great.

On 01 Dec 11:41, maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#* was all:
maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#*

also heretic pride is totally on my list for this year. why is he so good at songs?

On 02 Dec 11:58, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode

Hey, Kev, how about that Shearwater album tonight?

On 02 Dec 13:45, maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#* was all:
maggie HAS HAD TOO MUCH COFFEE!@#(&%#*

psst, bill eff tee peeeeeed it

On 02 Dec 19:21, Banned Bill is Hutch's nemesis. was all:
Banned Bill is Hutch's nemesis.

She’s right, I totally peed it.

On 03 Dec 12:42, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode

So I’m listening to this Shearwater Rook album and really enjoying it. But it’s also leaving me wondering again why you don’t like Final Fantasy more, Kev? I think they’re pretty equal levels of twee.

On 03 Dec 15:48, Kevin V. was all:
Kevin V.

I can answer that with 2 points 1) Final Fantasy is TOO orchestral. Shearwater only barely if slightly if at all, and 2) The guy from Shearwater sounds like Scott Walker who is dark and tortured and eccentric, and the guy from FF sounds like the dude from Belle and Sebastian who are fruity and twee (although I admittedly like B&S).

On 03 Dec 15:57, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode

Yeah, I totally don’t hear the B&S connection. Have you heard that song, The Butcher, from this year? It’s on the Spectrum EP. You should listen to it.

On 03 Dec 16:27, Kevin V. was all:
Kevin V.

Also, and more to the point….this:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/e39e/music_roundup1-2.jpg

I’ll check out that song, but if it’s anything like the first album….meh.

On 03 Dec 18:19, Kevin V. was all:
Kevin V.

Is that new FF album up anywhere in the ftp? Because I just gave He Poohs Clouds another whirl thinking maybe I hadn’t given it a fair shake, and it’s really pretty awful (not technically or musically, just as far as my tastes). It’s like listening to a bad Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. Is the new one less like that?

On 04 Dec 06:17, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode

Rachel also says the think about musicals and I really don’t hear it. I hear Vivaldi and Mahler more than I hear Broadway.

Anyway, the album’s on my home machine.

On 04 Dec 06:18, John is pumped about linode was all:
John is pumped about linode
Kevin said:

Also, and more to the point….this:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/e39e/music_roundup1-2.jpg

Also, that is amazing and hilarious and just make me like him more. C’mon! Fucking crossbow and Robin Hood hat?! Hilarious!

On 04 Dec 07:14, Kevin V. was all:
Kevin V.
John said:

Rachel also says the think about musicals and I really don’t hear it. I hear Vivaldi and Mahler more than I hear Broadway.

That may be true, and if it were instrumental I’d be down. But singing+classical music=broadway.

I’ll give the newer album a shot to see if it’s different, but that’s the basic gist of why I never got down with the first album. I like some edge, however slight it may be.

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