The best (unheard) music of 2008
This time of year there's no shortage of lists, everywhere you turn you're hammered with Top Ten and Best of 2008 harangues.
Me, I'm not going to waste your time raving about Portishead, TV on the Radio or Vampire Weekend's CDs. Why bother? I'd rather turn you onto great music that slipped between the cracks.
My favorite album of the year was JD Souther's "If The World Was You." JD was most famous for co-writing a bunch of 1970s era Eagles tunes, but this new CD demonstrates the Detroit-born, Amarillo, Texas-raised musician hasn't dried up in the intervening decades.
The new CD, recorded live in a Nashville studio, has a dark, brooding sound. JD's accompanying musicians are serious players. But it's the writing that kept this disc in heavy rotation in my house. There's a bit of the late, great Warren Zevon influence in there, so if you're a fan of 1970s Southern California rock If the World Was You would definitely be worth a listen. It's at least as good as Randy Newman's excellent "Harps and Angels" CD that was also released this year.
A friend turned me onto Lizz Wright's "The Orchard" CD and I couldn't get over her straight from the heart vocals. This woman can sing, this kind of depth of feeling is rare nowadays, but Wright comes from a different tradition.
It's not exactly soul, blues, R&B, or gospel, Lizz Wright's music has all of that, plus some hard to pin down quality that makes it very special. Wright's tasty cover of 'Zeppelin's "Thank You" is reason enough to buy this CD. For The Orchard Wright's joined by singer/songwriter Toshi Reagon, who co-wrote several songs with Wright; Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino; and Bob Dylan's guitarist Larry Campbell.
The Felice Brothers self-titled CD, not their first effort, is a breath of fresh air. The Upstate New York brothers Ian, Simone and James Felice's harmonies have a rootsy, all-American sound. Their songs feel lived in, as if they were played in crappy bars for years before recording them. Instrumentation is mostly limited to acoustic guitars, fiddle, drums, and occasional horns, but an accordion keeps everything grounded in reality. This one sounds like a classic the first time you hear it.
I'm a huge Loudon Wainwright III fan, but the guy most famous for "Dead Skunk" has a spotty discography. He's always terrific folk performer, but his studio albums are hit or miss. For "Recovery" he went back and rerecorded thirteen tunes he wrote in his early twenties.
The originals were good tunes, but four decades later he's learned a lot. The reworked songs are, without exception, better than the originals. In fact, Recovery might be the best way to get into Wainwright's music, that is, if you can't see him live. Wainwright's insights on love, life and sorrow are better than ever.
Worst of 2008
Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain-Live At Canterbury House 1968" should have stayed in the vaults. Yeah sure, hardcore fans will eat this up, but come on, the very young Young isn't all there as a performer. The tunes are good, but he talks too much, and he's just not all that interesting. If you crave ancient Young pick up his "Live at Massey Hall 1971." What a difference a couple of years made; maybe Young should check out Wainwright's CD and rerecord a bunch of his earliest stuff.
Tell us about your favorite music of 2008 that have been overlooked.
Steve Guttenberg is a frequent contributor to magazines and Web sites including Home Entertainment, Playback, and Ultimate AV. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. 
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Good list !The Felice Bros. I have enjoyed already.But I am real curious about J.D. Souther thought
he was washed up with the rest of them.Lizz Wright looks like a winner to me,and Louden always
gives a decent product.
I was listening to The Hold Steady last night,I kinda liked it,but not in the leaugue with the above.
The Neil is more historical,than anything.I can't imagine myself giving this one, multiples listenings.
But the early one he realeased with Crazy Horse is a keeper..I love it.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (the seeds are tighter than ever and Nick Cave howls with authority. You could almost forget he's 50 years old now.
Santogold - Santogold - good, eclectic indie pop from a NYC artist with influences from all over the map.
M83 - Saturdays = Youth - Hands down, my number one album of 2008. Channels the dream-pop and the new wave of the 80's and does it with respect and loving care.
The Presets - Apocalypso - More 80's this time of the industrial variety. If you remember Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 and early Depeche Mode you'll know what I'm talking about.
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors - Close second for Best of 2008. Synthpop with strong sonwriting.
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - Great songwriting and production with nods to the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. The overdriven and distorted recording is apparently intentional (and not because of the loudness wars either). In spite of the recording its some great music.
Lukid's "Foma" album is frequenting my playlist a lot right now, as is Juanita Molina's "Un Dia" album.
Also, most of the licensed soundtrack music for the PS3 game "Little Big Planet" found its way into my collection this fall. The game itself is great too :D haha
Lizz Wright's album is fantastic. I was at CES in the Venetian tower, floor 30 in Zu Audio's suite and sitting in front of their vinyl stack was the record. That album sounds great. Especially on those speakers. Gonna pick it up this week.
- by jagin411 October 5, 2009 12:59 PM PDT
- Listened To JD Southers album today.It really is a great find.I normally would not have listened to this one,without your strong recommend.
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(8 Comments)Thanks.