Jenn's Top 15 2008

This year, my Top 15 details the musical journey I took during the past year. I followed my Last.fm charts, and this is literally my top favorite songs from January through December. The first couple songs are those that I struggled with putting on my Top 15 last year. Since I began listening to them at the end of last year, expectedly, they followed me in to the new year. But as the year progressed, I was introduced to a host of other musical masterpieces. This Top 15 kinda fell perfectly in place, too. I wanted “Sleep the Clock Around” first because of the mellow way the song creeps into your bones, and I wanted “Cold Desert” last because of it's haunting fade-and-resume outro. Lucky for me, I listened to them in the appropriate points in time. So, Belle & Sebastian to Kings of Leon, January to December, here's a snapshot of my listening history for 2008. I hope you enjoy.


1. Sleep the Clock Around / Belle & Sebastian / The Boy With the Arab Strap


To me, this song is pure sunshine. I owe it to Ashley Franklin. One day nearly two years ago, while stopping by, she bestowed upon me Belle & Sebastian, which I'd never heard before. I've listened to several of their albums, but Ash introduced me to this song first, and it has stuck with me ever since. It seeps its way into your ears and makes your body bounce, just slightly, but enough to make you smile and feel warm all over.


2. Say It To Me Now / Glen Hansard / Once Soundtrack


Once is an independent film about struggling musicians, life and love. You probably heard “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova this past year, as the song picked up an Oscar for Best Song in a film. The movie is beautiful, both comedic and bittersweet. Hansard pours his soul into this song. Picture him standing on the street with a banged-up guitar wailing out this tune while people walk by. Then go one step further and watch the daggone flick. It's a goodie.


3. I Feel It All / Feist / The Reminder*


I had a really, really hard time deciding on a song to pull off of The Reminder. First, I chose, “How My Heart Behaves,” then I switched to “I Feel It All.” I could've easily chosen, “1, 2, 3, 4,” or “Sea Lion Woman” as well. It's not often you're blessed with albums that are chock full of good tunes, but this year, I found many that fit that description. The lyrics in “I Feel It All” really speak to me. As I've grown up, I've become more prone to feeling everything, good and bad. There's no room for apathy and indifference in here. I've got a few opinions because I, like the gorgeous Leslie Feist, feel it all, too.


4. Borne On the FM Waves of the Heart / Against Me! (featuring Tegan Quin) / New Wave


Tegan and Sarah stole my heart last year, too. I carried The Con into this year, and was even lucky enough to see the twins in concert in October. However, I burned myself out on that album and didn't want to choose a song from it for my Top 15. Instead, I chose this amazing song featuring Tegan with backing vocals. I think Last.fm got sick to death of me scrobbling this song early in the year. The vocal harmonies win me over in this one.


5. Walk Through the Fire / Buffy the Vampire Slayer Cast / “Once More With Feeling” Soundtrack


I have to thank many people for "Walk Through the Fire." Mostly Nick for badgering me into watching all seven seasons of Buffy. I was very cynical, but now, I view it as the greatest television series I've ever seen in entirety (I make that perfectly clear because Lost isn't finished yet). Brandy and Patrick were also very encouraging, and I heard lots of good things about the show after taking an English class focusing on gender roles. “Once More With Feeling” is such a smart piece of work. Joss Whedon is a genius, if you didn't know it already. He wanted a way to both do a musical episode and air out all of the characters' dirty business, so he killed two birds with one stone. In the episode, the cast is under the spell of a musical demon, who makes them sing and dance, whether they want to or not. The mingling of the show's content with some very-well produced musical numbers made me very, very happy. I listened to the soundtrack for weeks after finishing the episode.


6. Dickhead / Kate Nash / Made of Bricks


This song is one of those that I refer to as the “glue” that holds this Top 15 together. It's simple, yet fantastic. I thank Jesse Hubbard for this one. He was like, “Hey, I think you'd like this chick” one day, and he's right. Made of Bricks is a good album; I could've picked a number of songs that would've fit nicely on this compilation. However, this is the one song that I can't get out of my head after I hear it. The lyrics are hilarious, and Nash's sexy voice makes it even better.


7. Atlas / Battles / Mirrored


I owe my gratitude to Virginia Seale for “Atlas.” She showed us the video for the song, with the band members performing this crazy “math rock” number inside a glass cube. It was very, very cool, and amazingly tight. I encourage you to read the lyrics for the song. The first lyric is, “People won't be people when they hear this song.” Very cool seeing as how the song is freaky enough and makes me feel more like a robot than a human. Makes sense. Since this is math rock, it really puts me in tune with my zeroes and ones.


8. Heart Design / Aqueduct / I Sold Gold*


Aqueduct knows the darkest recesses of my soul, me thinks. He sings with such sarcasm and cynicism that I can't help but simply bow down to David Terry, the front-man of the one-man band. This music is best described as piano rock. I chose “Heart Design” mainly for the awesome piano melody near the end of the song. It sounds like it came straight out of a Kirby Nintendo game or something. I heart it very much. However, I pondered putting “Growing Up With GNR” on here. Every damned song on that album is a treasure to me, so just go ahead and listen to the whole thing if you get a chance. :)


9. The Next Messiah / Jenny Lewis / Acid Tongue*


I've been a Rilo Kiley fan for a while now, but I still just can't get enough of Jenny Lewis. Lucky for me, she put out a solo album this year, and every song on the piece is phenomenal. I recently told Nick that if Jenny Lewis wanted to marry us, she totally could. The red-headed fox tries her hand at a variety of musical styles on this album, and is accompanied by artists like Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen and Zooey Deschanel (isn't that a dreamy duo?!). My second fave on the record is “Jack Killed Mom.” There's just something about Jenny Lewis belting out tunes church-choir-style that gets me all excited. However, “The Next Messiah” will take you on a crazy roller coaster ride of musical composition. It changes three times, and is quite long, but very well worth it. Hold on!


10. I Will Possess Your Heart / Death Cab for Cutie / Narrow Stairs


I liked this song from the moment I first heard it. It's beautifully composed, and was irresistible to my ears from the beginning. Want to hear something funny? The complete version of this song is about 8 minutes long, with the first four devoted to instrumentals. I LOVE that version of the song, but could not use it because space on a CD would not permit it. I seriously had to cut this song down to the shortened version just so that this entire mix would fit on a disc. Damn. So, I recommend you listen to the longer version. It takes four minutes to get vocals, but I think it's worth it. I normally don't care for long instrumentals in songs (That's why I'm not a Pink Floyd lover.), but this totally works for me. We were lucky enough to catch them in concert along with Tegan and Sarah this year. Despite getting drunk after one and a half wine coolers, it was a nice time. Narrow Stairs is worth checking out in its entirety as well.


11. The Most Beautiful Plague / Say Anything / Was a Real Boy


I remember listening to this song one night while driving to The Neals' house for a jam session. I had heard this song a hundred times before, but this particular night, it was like hearing it for the first time. The powerful climax at the end is just what I long for in any epic ballad. I knew I loved Say Anything, but this song is a testament to those that you learn to love over time, or that you suddenly, one day, see in a light different than any other day. Their recent single, “Tickle Me Red” almost made this cut as well.


12. I've Seen Enough / Cold War Kids / Loyalty to Loyalty*


Lord have mercy, I cannot express how important it is that you 1) listen to the Cold War Kids' first album, Robbers and Cowards*, and 2) immediately follow it up with the new album, Loyalty to Loyalty*. The new record is a much more grown-up version of the first, and much more than I had anticipated. I adored Robbers, and had no idea that the CWK could pull off what they did with the new project. I listened to it over and over again, and it hasn't gotten old yet. Fabulous stuff. I can't gush any more.


13. Kids / MGMT / Oracular Spectacular


Yes, like every other Indie lover, I've fallen for MGMT this year. I wasn't necessarily a fan of the entire album, but “Kids,” “Electric Feel,” and “Pieces of What,” particularly caught my ear. It's just good beats. Stuff that makes you want to dance. And pretty cool lyrics to boot. Credits here first to Virginia, and then to Ashley. Because Virginia recommended them to me recently and I actually liked it, but I think Ashley recommended them some time ago and I didn't. Hmm. I changed. That happens often. Thanks, gals.


14. I'm a Garbage Barge, You're a Dream Boat / The Gay Blades / Ghosts*


The Gay Blades were my musical event of the year. Period. I am forever in debt to Adam Neal for passing on this great recommendation. When I first listened to the mixed CD he bestowed upon us, I think it was also while driving to The Neals'. I was listening to this very song, and I looked over at Nick and said, “What the hell is this stuff?” He called it “trash pop,” which I found both confusing and intriguing. Each and every song had its own unique style and sound, but I freaking loved every one of them. I couldn't get enough. It was literally the sexiest, most rocking music I'd ever heard. I love it more than any other. Above Arcade Fire. Above Jenny Lewis. Above Say Anything and even Aqueduct. (The latter's a hard one for even me to swallow, but it's true.) TGB is my new favorite band of all time, and I certainly hope you give their entire album a go. I could have put any single one of their songs on my Top 15 and been completely happy. While I claim that "Garbage Barge/Dream Boat" is on Ghosts, it actually isn't. Ghosts was rereleased WITHOUT this effing fantastic song, and I'm not sure why. I guess it's a big TGB4N secret. But I loved this song this year, so it's going on my Top 15.


My musical highlight of the year? Driving four hours to Cleveland with Nick and Ashley so that TGB could practically play a private show to us and the six other people that showed up at the Agora Ballroom. I have no idea why no one turned out for this show. Five great bands played and no one was there. Our gain, everyone in Cleveland's loss. While they were on the stage, we let them know we drove such a long way, and they asked us for our requests for the last two songs. After they rocked the hell out of us, we had the opportunity to talk with Clark and Puppy, the dynamic duo that comprises TGB. We also met the musicians from The Young Coyotes from Denver and local bands Waco Day Camp and Saint Ohio, ALL great guys. It was a super-fun time, and my ears are grateful for it.


15. Cold Desert / Kings of Leon / Only By the Night*


This year, I gave in. For awhile now, Nick has been listening to Kings of Leon, and I've been ignoring them. Until now. See, their new album is gaining a lot of criticism from their previous fans because it's their first attempt to breakthrough to the mainstream music industry. "They've gone 'Nickleback'," they say. The sound is much more polished than previous material, but that's exactly why I like it. The instruments are perfect, the vocals are phenomenal; it's just really groovy music. Now that I've given in to KOL, I've started listening to some older stuff, too, which is also really good, just more rugged and chaotic, which, according to Nick, is what old KOL fans were used to. “Cold Desert” is just about as beautiful as it gets. The lyric, “Jesus don't love me / No one ever carried my load / I'm too young to feel this old,” makes my eyes all salty every time. (Kate Fyffe says this is the saddest song in the world.) I know I've felt that way one too many times.




NOTE: I apologize for the intense emotional reaction that may be caused by this compilation. I understand how incredible it becomes as it progresses, how each song is either better than the last or pretty darned close. If you are crying by the end of the mix, I'm sorry, and you're welcome.


I love you all very much! Happy Holidays!



* Denotes album you really should listen to beginning to end. You should really listen to all of the albums represented on this compilation from beginning to end, but above all else, listen to these.