I've been slow about distributing this one (still nowhere near done) but here's the tracklist to the soundtrack of my '08 plus most of the accompanying comments:
1. Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
from Raising Sand (Rounder; 2007) – “Sister Rosetta” is just one gem amongst many on this record, but there’s something about it that lingers...and Krauss’ voice is still to die for, of course.
2. Late Nite – Slumber Party
from Musik (Kill Rock Stars; 2006) – in another universe, this song went top 40 and we all dream and watch black and white movies and hold hands and go for walks at night a lot more than we do in this one.
3. No Bad News – Patty Griffin
from Children Running Through (ATO; 2007) – delightfully upbeat and damn near irresistible, this, and she sure can sing.
4. Pumpkin Soup – Kate Nash
from Made of Bricks (Fiction; 2007) – what can I say? This song is hella cool, is all. [also, here]
5. 23 – Blonde Redhead
from 23 (4AD; 2007) – probably the song that I listened to most in 2008. Mysterious, urgent, and dizzying, it gives me a rush. [also, here and here]
6. Ode to LRC – Band of Horses
from Cease to Begin (Sub Pop; 2007) – a perfect song for being blinded by the sun to. [also, here]
7. Godspell – The Cardigans
from Super Extra Gravity (Universal; 2005) – another anthem! I think it’s about religion.
8. Fake Empire – The National
from Boxer (Beggars Banquet; 2007) – this one’s about America. It’s moody. And awesome.
9. Modern Love – The Last Town Chorus
from Wire Waltz (Hack Tone; 2006) – because sometimes, mournful Bowie covers is where it’s totally at. [also, here]
10. Crush in the Ghetto – Jolie Holland
from Springtime Can Kill You (Anti; 2006) – one for the warmer months, as the days grow longer...shadows and sunshine and all that. I must confess, I’m a little bit in love with Holland. [also, here, albeit from '09]
Hell of a year, really, and music has been even more tightly woven into its fabric than usual; these ten songs, and the albums from which they came, could well have been the soundtrack to it...they’re the ones which carry the strongest associations from the twelve months just gone – associations which are largely impressionistic rather than particularly clear and distinct, but none the less vivid for that.
