My Favorite Albums of 2008

This entry was posted December 23rd, 2008 and has 4 comments.

I’ve been thinking about this list for the past few weeks and trying to narrow down my favorite albums of 2008. There were lots of albums that I listened to for a little while, but didn’t really keep my attention past a handful of listens. I really wanted this list to only include those albums that I listened to religiously this year.

I was just looking back at my Top Albums of 2007 post and realized that I still love about half of those albums and the rest haven’t been listened to much at all this year. I’m sure at least a few of the albums below will suffer that same fate.

So, here goes. These are my favorite albums of 2008 and hopefully a bit of an explanation of why they made this list. I’m also including a video of my favorite song off of each album. Enjoy.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes/Sun Giant ep
Fleet Foxes was everywhere this year. They put out both an ep and full length album in 2008 and both are incredible. The Fleet Foxes self-titled lp is not only one of my favorite albums of 2008, but one of my favorites in quite a long time. Both albums feature beautiful harmonies and a sound that is very 2008, although it probably also could have fit in well in the late 60s or early 70s.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
It was really hard to choose my favorite song from For Emma, Forever Ago. Throughout the summer and fall, once I finally gave Bon Iver a chance, I couldn’t stop listening to this album on repeat. The second For Emma ended, I needed to hear it again. From the falsetto vocals to the light acoustic strumming, Bon Iver’s album really stuck with me this year. His 2009 Blood Bank has already leaked and is also quite fantastic. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for 2009.

Wye Oak - If Children
How about a little love for Baltimore’s own Wye Oak? I’m not including them on this list because they’re from my city, but because this album is so well done. Jenn’s voice is really beautiful and Andy is a spectacle to watch play live. He plays drums with his right hand and feet while playing the bass lines on a keyboard with his left hand. I was really into this album, but seeing them play this summer at Golden West Cafe really cemented them as one of my favorite new-ish bands.

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Flight of the Conchords Season 2 Premiere is Online NOW!

This entry was posted December 17th, 2008 and has no nomments.

Flight of the Conchords is one of my favorite shows and I have almost not been able to wait for season 2 to drop. Well friends, Flight of the Conchords, HBO and Funny or Die have joined forced to allow us all to watch the season 2 premiere online.

I was so pumped when I saw this that I haven’t even watched the episode yet. I wanted to get it up here as soon as possible.

So here it is. The season 2 premiere of Conchords, in it’s entirety.

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Wilco at the Lyric

This entry was posted December 15th, 2008 and has no nomments.

Last night, Wilco graced Baltimore’s Lyric Opera House with their amazing rock n’ roll show. I had heard many times how great Wilco is live and my expectations were quite high going into Sunday evening.

We arrived close to the scheduled start time of 7:30 to find the lobby area quite full of people milling around drinking beer, wine or coffee. I actually didn’t even realize the opening band was on until we walked up and tried to get to our seats. I say tried because there is a no cup rule in the theatre which forced us to finish our coffees before checking out opener Benjy Ferree. Benjy and his band were pretty good, even though they played to a less than half-full audience.

From the first note, it was obvious why Wilco is as heralded and respected as they are. Their huge sound filled up the opera house in a way that few bands could hope to. From Jeff Tweedy’s signature voice to Nels Cline’s face-melting guitar solos, Wilco has crafted their sound to one that is perfectly suited for an amazing live show.

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