For the first time in nearly a year Prince has an official web presence again. It’s a place holder at the moment but promises many of the features of the NPGMC. The media player is playing “Crimson & Clover”, “(There’ll Never B) Another Like Me” and Bria Valente’s ““Here I Come”. Of particular interest is the TV on the bottom of the site featuring a scene from Purple Rain (the 25th aniversary is this year, could we finally get a remaster?)

You can find it all at www.lotusflow3r.com.

Prince Prince

My main way of staying somewhat in tune with the jam band scene is by listening to Sirius-XM’s Jam_On channel. In rotation these days is this fun tune by Al & the Transamericans. They’re a supergroup of sorts: moe’s Al Schnier is joined by members of Strangefolk, Okemah, and the Gordon Stone Trio. Okay, well supergroup to some, since I’ve only heard moe’s music.

The tune is a bluegrass / roots tune with a banjo leading the way. A fast paced knee-shaker. The crowning moments for me come during the guitar/banjo solo, where the band’s jam background sneaks in for some nice atmospheric playing.

Al & the Transamericans - Light of the Moon (mp3)

Buy: This Day & Age

MySpace: myspace.com/althetransamericans

Bluegrass, Roots Rock sirius, Transamericans

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the first Friday Five of 2009.  We’re kicking the New Year off with a look back as I hit shuffle on my Top 100 of 2008. As you can guess I have a bevy of playlists that I maintain to keep a good balance of new/unheard music and my personal favorites. This particular playlist was created to help me write up the Year in (Ick)Music 2008 column and I liked it so much that I put it on countdown style (counting down from 100 to number 1) on New Years Eve.

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

But hey, enough of my yakkin’…  Whaddaya say, let’s boogie!

The Five:

“Staying In Love” - Raphael Saadiq (from The Way I See It)

A rave up to kick off the first shuffle of the year, this song is a great start to any playlist!

“Say You Will” - Kanye West (from 808s & Heartbreak)

As far as track one, side one cuts go this one definitely is up there. Setting the mood of Kanye’s heartbreak perfectly this track is an introduction to the state of his (apparently) fragile psyche.

“Details in the Fabric (feat. James Morrison)” - Jason Mraz (from We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.)

This one has made a previous appearance on The Five. From September 26, 2008… This tune opens to an answering machine message from Mraz cohort Bushwalla clearly dealing with a bad day. The song itself has a lilting yet uplifting message “Everything will be fine, everything in no time at all, Hearts will hold”. The song closes with a second message where he strikes the single oddest metaphor I’ve ever heard “I feel like you’re an island of reality in an ocean of diarrhea. And I love you buddy. Ok. Bye.”

“Another Day” - Jamie Lidell (from Jim)

True blue-eyed soul from the UK. This one made my Top 10 and I have a feeling it will continue to spin up whenever I need a little lift. Jamie stopped by KEXP (Seattle) back in May ‘08 and turned in this brilliant stripped down performance…

Jamie Lidell - “Another Day” (live)(Video)

“I Wanna Know” - Alan Wilkis (from Babies Dream Big)

You know that scene in Pretty In Pink where Jon Crier does his best Otis Redding impersonation? That’s what I always think of when I hear this track, Alan is a rather unassuming white guy who is able to capture so damned much soul that it should be illegal. If you still have not picked this record up, you are missing out.

Okay, I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!

Friday Five

Happy New Year, folks. I’ll get into the groove of posting some tasty tunes soon, but for now, here’s a few nudges and news nuggets to keep you occupied.

Oh, Twitter. I decided to join up and blast out random music-related musings at any moment’s notice.  If you’re on Twitter, and feel like “following” me and my music-obsessed brain, check out my profile here, and let’s connect. I’m keeping it music-centric, so you won’t be hearing from me when I’m “tired” or “working” or “taking a dump”.

On to the nudges…

• Ann Powers, a music writer for the LA Times, was summoned to the Hall of the Mountain King, or in this case, Prince’s pad off Mulholland Drive. Prince shared his plans for ‘09, which include 3 albums (’MPLSOUND’, ‘The Lotus Flower’, and protege Bria Valente’s record). Prince also explains that “Jehovah’s Witnesses haven’t voted for their whole inception.” I did not know that.
• Mr. Malchus from the Popdose crew shares my love for the Los Lobos song “Be Still”. It was even his wedding “song”, along with Bruce’s “Book of Dreams”. Malchus and I - same wavelength…
• Speaking of Lobos, Gregor shares a show from ‘84 on Captain’s Dead. Great to see love for the Lobos on the blogs.
• I am not a Zune person, but seems the 30 GB Zunes did not like the leap year, and decided to lock up. Any of you out there experience the Zap of the Zune?
• Last, and definitely not least, former Eurythmics-man Dave Stewart is releasing his own line of diamond-studded vibrators. How about that for extraordinarily random news? Oh, and be careful with that thing, ladies. I know diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but they also cut glass. Easy does it.

Nudges Los Lobos, Prince

It was New Year’s Eve 30 years ago when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played the Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland, Ohio. Just after the clock struck midnight, and the band had played “Auld Lang Syne” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight”,  some jackass threw a firecracker on stage, coming dangerously close to Bruce. Well, the Boss was not happy, and admonished the dumbass.

Therefore, this close to 3 hour concert came to be known as “The Firecracker Show”, and quickly wove itself into the mythology of classic Boss bootlegs.

Nothing beats Bruce and the band during this era. I could unleash the superlatives till the cows come home, but that would delay you from hearing a classic E Street show - the Boss in his prime.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, Ohio
December 31st, 1978

Disc 1 (zip)

• Badlands
• Streets Of Fire
• Rendezvous (mp3)
• Spirit In The Night
• Darkness On The Edge Of Town
• Independence Day
• The Promised Land
• Prove It All Night
• Pretty Flamingo

Disc 2 (zip)

• Thunder Road
• Jungleland
• The Ties That Bind
• Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
• The Fever
• Fire
• Candy’s Room
• Because The Night
• Rave On
• Auld Lang Syne
• Good Rockin’ Tonight

Part 3 (zip)

• ‘Firecracker Incident‘ (mp3)
• Point Blank
• Mona / She’s The One (mp3)
• Backstreets
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Rock firecracker, The Boss

I can’t pretend to know a lot about Eartha Kitt other than through her stint as Catwoman and her rendition of “Santa Baby” (eat your heart out, Madonna). It’s simply that this 1957 magazine cover took my breath away. Absolutely stunning.

This song goes quite well with it.

Rest in Peace, Eartha,

Singer, actress Eartha Kitt dies at 81 (CNN)

Miscellaneous Eartha Kitt, RIP

It’s been a pretty solid year. Either that means there’s a lot of great music coming out these days, or I’m just too hip for my own good. I’m guessing the former. Nevertheless, Pete asked me to share my best from 2008, and I am happy to do so! Earlier this month, I posted the tracklist to my annual year-end mix (with notes) over at my own blog, and last week posted a companion podcast (with minimal overlap). My comments here may be minimal only to prevent redundancy, but please feel free to stop by Gonzo’s Music-O-Rama.
Also, these numbers do not necessarily correspond to rank.

Albums of the year:

1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular ::This would have been on my 2008 cd until I found out it was actually a 2007. I later found out the digital edition came out in 2007, but the hard copy hit shelves in 2008. Ergo, it is an omission from my initial list for which I’ve been making atonement ever since.

2. Santogold - Santogold :: My pick for album of the year. Diverse, well produced and well executed. Comparisons to MIA are pretty superficial - their music for the most part is quite dissimilar, as evidenced by Santogold’s penchant for rock/new wave song structures.

3. Jamie Lidell - Jim ::Though less varied than Multiply, Jim is perhaps a more solid album. Jim’s all-out soul revival gets the feet tappin’ and the fingers snappin’. My only concern is his next step - it seems to me you can only do the all-out retro thing for a very limited time and have it be interesting.

4. CSS - Donkey

5. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War ::Possibly the most underrated album of the year.

6. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours ::2008: New Order breaks up, Cut Copy carries the torch.

7. Ratatat - LP3

8. Pop Levi- Never Never Love

9. She & Him - Volume One

10. The Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel ::I actually liked this better than the Deerhoof record.

Songs of the Year:

1. Ladytron - “Ghosts”
2. Crystal Castles - “Crimewave”
3. Cut Copy - “Lights & Music”
4. M83 - “Kim and Jesse” ::This is one that I admittedly got into only recently. The album didn’t grab me on first listen, but after some replays, it - and this track especially - are ranking highly in my book.
5. The Ting Tings -”Shut Up & Let Me Go”
6. Love is All - “Wishing Well”
7. Snoop Dogg - “Sensual Seduction”
8. Santogold - “L.E.S. Artistes” ::The entire Santogold album is great, and was the soundtrack for many runs this summer. While “L.E.S. Artistes” is a critique of the art/hipster scene, I have a Nike commercial in my head built around the chorus.

Cover Songs of the Year:

Santogold - “Guns of Brooklyn”

guns of brooklyn (doc and jon hill dub) - Santogold and diplo

Take one of my favorite Clash songs, have one of my favorite artists of 2008 sing it, and have Diplo produce. GOLDEN.

She and Him - “You Really Got a Hold On Me” :: I love covers where the artists really make the song their own. Such is the case here. The Miracles version is an undisputed classic, and perhaps the most famous cover (The Beatles) is stylistically true. Yet here we have She & Him fitting the song into the context of the album’s laid back, alt-country-pop style. It sounds so much more desperate and haunting in this version. I love it. They also do a great laid back rendition of The Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better.”

Disappointments of the Year:

Guns n Roses - Chinese Democracy :: As Michael indicated, this may be an obvious choice. I guess this isn’t really a disappointment in that it met my very low expectations.

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

We are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery

Best Live Show of the Year:

Chromeo: 9:30 Club, Washington DC 10/4/08 :: This what immediately came to mind when prompted for the best show of the year. Chromeo’s 2007 release Fancy Footwork was one of my favorites last year, and I knew I had to catch them live. They were great - performances were spot on, they were as cheeky and entertaining as you’d expect, and played the entire album. See my full review here.

Other shows of note:

Jamie Lidell Abbey Pub, Chicago 6/4/08
CSS - 9:30 Club, DC 12/20 [review forthcoming!]

Best New (to me) Artist:

The Mighty Hannibal ::Late in the summer, I was introduced to King Khan and the Shrines, a tongue-in-cheek garage band. I saw an interview where they hung out with The Mighty Hannibal, of whom I’d never heard. But I was curious, given my penchant for 1960s soul. I heard the album Hannibalism! and fell in love with it immediately.

The Birds :: No, that’s not a typo. The Birds were the first band Ronnie Wood recorded with. Great British garage/beat rock.

Bonde do Role :: More recent, a great Brazilian electro-funk outfit.

—-
Here’s looking to a funky 2009, Ickies!

Rock Best of 2008

If you saw the Lakers-Celtics game on Christmas Day, you may have seen Prince in the crowd, next to an attractive brunette. A shocker, I know! Her name is Bria Valente, and while I hesitate to call her Prince’s Flavor of the Month, or 21 st Century Vanity, he has spent some time with her in the studio. The track is “Here I Come”, and has Prince written all over it. The lyrics, guitars, and every other piece of instrumentation most likely.

My mind is not blown, but it has a nice, quiet storm feel to it. You can hear it on P’s new playground on the web: MPLSound.com. Not sure who the tech gurus are behind this venture, maybe Prince himself? That, or someone in need of a tutorial in 21st century web design. But have a listen, and look at a slide show of the lovely Ms. Valente.

http://mplsound.com/

Prince bria valente, Prince

Like Pete I spend a good bit of time finding ‘new’ artists that are not exactly new so parsing out the records that are truly from this year takes a bit of doing. But using iTunes and last.fm I was able to do pull the data together that is the basis for my year end list. It’s not entirely scientific, but this list is truly representative of my favorites of 2008.

But hey, enough of my yakkin’.  Whaddaya say, let’s boogie! - Michael

Albums of the Year:

1. Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

2. Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

3. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line

4. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

5. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

6. Ayla Brook - After the Morning After

7. Estelle - Shine

8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

9. Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

10. Black Kids - Partie Traumatic

The Rest…

Kensington Prairie - Captured in Still Life
Incognito - Tales from the Beach
The Great Outdoors - Spring, Summer, Fall
Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis - Two Men with the Blues
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip / Ghosts I-IV
Paul Gilbert - Silence Followed by a Deafening Roar

Songs of the Year:

1. Kings of Leon - “Sex on Fire” (from Only by the Night) :: This track is, in a word, undeniable. The Followill clan have grown into the sound that the areas they play demand. Just one listen will implant the tune deep in your subconscious and have you wanting to hear it again.

2. The Roots - “Rising Up (feat. Wale & Chrisette Michele)” (from Rising Down) :: It’s rare that I’ll actually use the repeat function but this track has spent many a spin back to back. The D.C. Go-Go backbeat combined with Chrisette Michele’s heavenly vocal hook serve as a dynamic bed for Black Thought and Wale to drop a vicious set of verses. Black Thought professes “The best is that which I accept and nothing less” and provides nothing short.

3. Jason Mraz - “A Beautiful Mess” (from We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.) :: Jason Mraz has built his career around mind bending metaphors served over a bed of light, airy and sun kissed acoustic pop. For the closer to his We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. he offered up a humble assessment of a relationship that I think everyone can relate to in some form or another.

4. Hot Chip - “Wrestlers” (from Made in the Dark) :: Attentive readers will know this one made my Valentines Day Card to my wife this year. The sentiment of “It’s me versus you in love” plays out over a sparse and simple (for Hot Chip, anyway) arrangement.

5. Adele - “Chasing Pavements” (from 19) :: An unrequited love song for the ages, Adele delivers with a soul much older than her nineteen years on this earth.

6. Ra Ra Riot - “Too Too Fast” (from The Rhumb Line) :: I’m still a bit puzzled as to why more folks are not all over the indie pop of Ra Ra Riot. This track is as good (albeit not as twee) as anything on Vampire Weekend’s record.

7. Black Kids - “Hurricane Jane” (from Partie Traumatic) :: Internet taste-makers be damned, this is one of the best Prince tunes of the last 10 years.

8. Jamie Lidell - “Another Day” (from Jim) :: A few bars short of a straight up gospel barn burner, this bit of blue eyed soul raises the roof to one of the more underrated records of 2008.

9. Ayla Brook - “Leave Anymore” (from After the Morning After) :: A stark and lovely recording, the kind where you can hear the creaking of the floor and rattle of the snare is exactly why this record made my Top 10.

10. Alan Wilkis - “It’s Been Great” (from Babies Dream Big) :: Hi-Fi for the Lo-Fi set, “It’s Been Great” is a testament to the talent that is Alan Wilkis. Sure, you may not have heard of him yet but I’m certain that you will be hearing plenty from him in the future.

The Rest…

Estelle - “American Boy (feat. Kanye West)”
Kensington Prairie - “Photographs”
Katy Perry - “I Kissed a Girl”
Raphael Saadiq - “Staying In Love”
Duffy - “Serious”
R.E.M. - “Supernatural Superserious”
Panic at the Disco - “Nine in the Afternoon”
TV on the Radio - “Halfway Home”
Q-Tip - “Dance on Glass”
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”
Kanye West - “Heartless”
Santogold - “Shove It”

Cover Songs of the Year:

Prince - “Creep” (from Purple Storm in the Coachella Valley) :: There was no lack of oddity to Prince’s turn as headliner at this year’s Coachella Festival. Be it the fact that he could not seem to pronounce the namesake properly to the disjointed but funky as hell set list it was by all accounts an amazing experience capped off by his brilliant take on Radiohead’s “Creep”.

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - “Condition of the Heart” (from Controversy: A Tribute to Prince)
Soweto Gospel Choir - “Pride (In the Name of Love)” (from In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2)
Doveman - “Almost Paradise” (from Footloose)

Disappointment of the Year:

You know it’d be easy to call out The Chinese Democracy as the Disappointment of the Year, but I can’t say that I’ve even heard all of it. I have, however, heard the live record that Prince included with his 21 Nights coffee table book and can say that I would have expected much more from a run of 21 nights (plus all those aftershows), than the mere morsel provided by the man himself.

Best Live Show of the Year:

Photo Courtesy of B.Rosen

Dave Matthews Band at Hartford, CT June 14, 2008 :: When word came that keyboardist Butch Taylor would not be joining Dave Matthews Band for their 2008 summer tour I wasn’t sure what to think. While not an original member of the band he had been a fixture since 2001 and had put his fingerprint on the band’s live sound over the last few years. With stunt guitarist extrordinaire Tim Reynolds in his space I was moved by the reinvigorated band that I saw. Alive with an energy that I had not seen in years. It is bittersweet for me that this would be the last time I would get to see Leroi Moore perform. On more than one occasion I recall turning to my wife and saying “I can actually hear Roi’ again” during the show.

Best New (to me) Artist:

Incognito :: I was on a huge Acid Jazz trip late in the summer and it was discovering Incognito that kicked it off. Under the uncompromising leadership of Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick the band has consistently produced some of the best Jazz Club fusion over the last 29 years.

Chrisette Michele :: Had her record I Am been released in 2008 it would have been at the top of my list. I was introduced to Miss Michele via her spot on The Roots track “Rising Up”. Her voice shined so bright that I felt compelled to track back to pick up her record.

Rock Best of 2008

It always takes some work on my part to parse out what was released this year, because I’m always discovering great music from years past too. But I’ve done it (and thrown in some pre-2008 tunes - I’m sneaky that way).

So without further ado, here’s my list! - Pete

Albums of the Year

1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend :: The hipsters give this band a lot of shit - why, I’m not sure. But I’m not a hipster, I’m just a dude who knows a catchy, original album when I hear it, and Vampire Weekend’s debut was one of my top albums of the year. “A-Punk”, “Campus”, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”. Mansard Roof”, “Oxford Comma”… this album is full of great songs.

2. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
:: I love variety, and these guys bring it with every album. On ‘Evil Urges’, we get Jim James’ best Prince impression (”Highly Suspicious”), and some deep down and soulful grooves that reach back to 70’s soft rock and soul. Standout tunes: ‘Touch Me, I’m Going to Scream, Part One”, “Thank You Too!”, “The Librarian”, “Smokin from Shootin”.

3. What Laura Says - Thinks and Feels :: It was refreshing (and surprising) to be so blown away by a local band. Tempe, Arizona’s What Laura Says is on the rise. Their label debut, ‘Thinks and Feels’ is retro psychedelic indie rock. With influences ranging from late 60’s psychedelia to Simon & Garfunkel to Dr. Dog and Ben Folds, this is an album I can play straight through 10 times and find something different every time. Beautiful harmonies and melodies, and a lot of surprises.

4. Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies :: Edmonton rapper and former Pitchfork writer Rollie Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon has one of the most unique sounds out there. On ‘Babies’, Cadence lays down his quirky rhymes over techno grooves.

5. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins:: Led by my favorite of the bunch, ‘Lost Coastlines”, this album has not left my iPhone/iPod since I bought the album.

And growing on me fast:

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes :: Appalachian church / folk music. You’ve undoubtedly seen this album on a bunch of top album lists. Initially, I wasn’t blown away, but this is an album that creeps up on you. Standout tune: “White Winter Hymnal”.

Songs of the Year:

1. “Strange Overtones” (mp3) - David Byrne :: “Joyous” is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this song. I first heard it on one of Radio Free Wohlman’s podcasts earlier in the year. And then I saw Mr. Byrne come out on stage in Austin, he and his band dressed in white, and perform the hell out of this song in the show opener. This tune gives me goosebumps and doggone it, it makes me happy.

2. “Get Better Soon” (mp3) - What Laura Says :: An outlaw country shuffle of a tune. Great opening line: “Don’t worry about me, it’s you that needs the help”.

3. “Thank You Too!” (mp3) - My Morning Jacket :: My favorite from their ‘Evil Urges’ album. Laid back, smooth - exuding that late 70’s rock n’ soul vibe.

4. “Sausalito” (mp3) - Conor Oberst :: Like MMJ’s Jim James, Conor’s another one of those younger prolific MF’ers, and I really enjoy what he has to offer. “Sausalito” has that country roots feel I love so much, and it’s a pretty damn infectious tune.

5. “Oh Please” (mp3) - Jon and Roy :: Jon and Roy are one of those great under the radar singer/songwriter talents. They call Victoria, British Columbia home, and sometime this year, I must have got an email, and I stumbled across “Oh Please”. I love this tune. Simple. Soft. Real.

Cover of the Year

“Creep” (video) - Prince - Live at Coachella :: Prince has done some cool covers (Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You”), and some not so cool (’I Can’t Make You Love Me”, “Everyday Is A Winding Road” - a Sheryl Crow cover on a Prince record? Come on dude..), but his version of Radiohead’s “Creep” was something fresh and exciting to hear - even with the re-worked lyrics that changed the feel of the song. I would have loved to be at this Coachella show, or, as Prince calls it, “Co-A-Chella”.

Disappointments of the Year

John Mellencamp - Life Death Love and Freedom :: I gave this album a few serious tries. I’m a big admirer of Mellencamp, and I was really looking forward to it, especially after hearing the lead single “My Sweet Love”. But I found it too dark, and too in need of hooks and melodies, which JM is surely capable of. It’s a rootsy, bluesy, morose record, and has received some stellar reviews. It’s John’s “dark” record. But truth be told, it didn’t do a thing for me. For dark Mellencamp, I’ll take “Jackie Brown”.

No Boss in Phoenix :: I’m still at a loss as to why Bruce’s Magic tour, with two full U.S. legs, totally skipped Phoenix, Arizona - the 8th largest metro area in the USA. Granted, most of the time I feel like I’m in a cultural wasteland with no soul, but that’s beside the point. I did travel to Anaheim for a show, though, and got to see Tom Morello shred it up with Bruce on “The Ghost of Tom Joad”.

Best Live Show of the Year

George Michael, June 22, U.S. Airways Arena, Phoenix :: Say what you will, but George’s show here in Phoenix was my live highlight of the year. Ol’ George is now back to his old ways (amphetamines and public toilets and whatnot), but as anyone who saw this tour can attest to, George was in prime form. His 80’s classics, his humble and genuine stage presence, his stage setup (Giant Screen!), all made for a show that ranked 10 out of 10 in my book. I was riding a GM high for weeks after this.

Band of Horses, September 28, Austin City Limits Music Festival :: After discovering the greatness of Band of Horses in January, I was looking forward to their ACL set from the moment I saw it was scheduled. I lingered around the stage all afternoon and made my way front and center when it was time for their set. I was not disappointed. Ben Bridwell and company rocked out with great tunes like “The Funeral”, “The Weed Song”, “No One’s Gonna Love You”, “Is There a Ghost”… And just as cool, the next morning at the Austin Airport, I met Ben Bridwell and told him just how great his music is.

Other great shows this year: Los Lobos, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Citizen Cope, Erykah Badu, John Fogerty, Gogol Bordello.

Best New (to me) Artist/Song:

Band of Horses :: 2008 was, for me, Year of the Horses. It took me until January 2008 to discover their incredible two albums, ‘Everything All the Time’ and ‘Cease to Begin’. In September, I got to see them front and center at Austin City Limits Music Festival. Ben Bridwell (above) is one of my new musical heroes. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us in the future (right now, they’re recording their third album in Muscle Shoals, Alabama).

Jenny Lewis :: I may not dig Jenny as much as my five year old daughter, but I was happy to discover her music this year - particularly her album with the Watson Twins, ‘Rabbit Fur Coat’. This video to “Rise Up With Fists” is what initially reeled me and my daughter in.

“Missed the Boat” (mp3) - Modest Mouse :: “While we’re on the subject, can we change the subject now…” Another of my most listened to songs of the year. I love Isaac Brock’s voice, and on this tune, James Mercer pops in for some sweet backup vox as well. Great song that I didn’t hear until this year.

“Just Can’t Forget” (mp3) - Jonny and Josh :: I stumbled across it on MySpace early in the year. Someone had it streaming on their profile. Jonny and Josh are singer/songwriters in the Denver area, and they wrote a song here that connected with me immediately. Dark and melodic, with a rhythm and hook that sticks with you.

“Nobody Knows” (mp3) - Faces :: I’ve discovered a lot of the Faces catalog this year, and this song is one of the best. Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane (I believe?) share vocal duties here.

“Diner” - Martin Sexton :: Quick and catchy, with that old timey feel.

“Lover’s Waltz” - A.A. Bondy :: A warm, pleading, gentle tune.

“The Story” - Brandi Carlile :: I heard this about a gajillion times during the Olympics, but it didn’t get old. Really a great pop song, and a great voice.

Rock Best of 2008, Cadence Weapon, My Morning Jacket, Okkervil River, Vampire Weekend, what laura says