My Favorite Albums of 2008

I'll be the first to admit that I did not keep up with the indie music scene very well this year. I partially blame this on the fact that I've spent the last 6 months apart from my beloved radio station, the Current. I've resolved to begin listening to it online more often. I've never done a "Top Albums of [Insert Year]" list, but this year I felt like it. There were a lot of good albums put out this year, and I'd probably have more to tell you about if I'd been paying attention. It's not a coincidence that most of these were released before June of this year. So here they are, my top albums of 2008, in no particular order:




Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...

I've never been a fan of rap, but indie rap I can handle. I got to see Atmosphere live in May of this year, and even though I initially went for Ben, I ended up enjoying a lot of the music. There's no doubt that Slug is a lyrical genius, which is all the more reason to pick up this album. This is probably as far as my rap fandom will take me... so all in all the fact that I enjoy this album says a lot about it.



Radiohead - In Rainbows

What a catchy album. I've heard bits of Radiohead here and there over the years, but passed them off as overrated. I heard the first single off of this album and decided to give it a chance. It's one of those albums that I have to listen to all the way through, and the songs flow together very well. What can I say? It was just time for me to become a Radiohead fan.



MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

These guys are weird, and I like it. Their music is more upbeat and much different than what I'm used to. It'll be interesting to see where this band goes, because they are still young and have a lot of strange and interesting creative energy. This is an album with a lot of good singles on it.





Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

The story goes that Justin Vernon locked himself in his cabin in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for three months, and that this album is a result of that. The album has all the elements of a dramatic break-up; it's beautiful, tragic, romantic, and nostalgic all at the same time. The emotion he pours into this album seems slightly reminicent of Elliott Smith to me. If I did, per say, put my top albums of 2008 in order, this just might end up on the top of the list. It's breathtaking.

Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning

I was introduced to Liam Finn when I saw him perform live, opening up for Laura Veirs at the Echo in L.A. in May. He's an unlikely opener for her, as his music has a lot more energy. His live performance was impressive, so much so that I bought the CD. Once again I found each song just as good as the last, and once again it's one of those rare CDs where I rarely skip a track. Liam Finn has the kind of sound that lends itself to obscurity, so I expect that I'll need to make an effort to keep up with his music. And if I can, I'm going to make sure I can catch another live performance in the future.

Devotchka - A Mad and Faithful Telling

I'd heard a few of Devotchka's singles on the Current before catching a live performance on a random college radio station on my way from Missouri to MN. They remind me just a bit of the Arcade Fire in that they beautifully pull together an array of instruments. Violin, accordian, sousaphone, and trumpet are just a few of the instruments included in the ensemble. The music is unique and well put-together. I'd be interested to see a live performance just to see how the instruments mesh together on stage. Overall a very worthy album-- I'm looking forward to the next release.

Insomnia, I did not miss thee

My latest kick is the show Animal Cops on Animal Planet. The show documents various Animal Control units in different cities and shows them seizing animals that have been victim to abuse or neglect. I also watched an Oprah special on puppy mills, so these are the reasons my mind has been wandering into this ethical area.

Culturally, our society is the exception. It is mostly in affluent societies (or affluent sectors of societies) that the luxury of pet ownership exists. In many other countries, pet companionship is a bizarre concept. In many cultures, what we would view as animal cruelty or neglect is normal.

My friend Trish has stepkids who get new puppies, play with them for a few months, and then neglect them until their mother (not Trish) gets tired of taking care of the dog and surrenders it. After awhile, the process repeats itself all over again. My reaction to this was obviously negative, since I own a dog who was severely neglected. But Trish said that she remembers growing up the same way, and that in her culture animals are viewed as disposable, and are never regarded as members of the family.

Organizations like PETA advocate for the humane treatment of animals everywhere. And though I don't necessarily disagree with that, I don't think I agree with it either. First and foremost, I do believe that God gave man dominion over animals. And I do believe that human life is more valuable than the life of an animal. There's a part of me that could really throw myself into animal advocacy work, but that is what's stopping me-- the fact that there are too many suffering people in the world. With a limited amount of time and money, I think I have an ethical obligation to direct my resources toward things like poverty, hunger, homelessness, AIDS, ect. I don't mean to say that it's ok to abuse an animal. I certainly treat Charlie like a member of my family, and to me he is. But I believe first and foremost in the value of human life, and I have difficulty making judgements on cultural views different than my own that I don't understand.

Perhaps my rambling has confused you. Sorry about that. I am also dealing with a little insomnia at the moment, which allows me to lay in bed and think. My sleep had regulated for quite a few months since I moved to California, and I had even stopped taking melatonin because I didn't need it anymore. But I'm back on it now, because it's just not normal to wake up at 2:30 am for work. Hopefully my body starts to regulate itself again soon.

Resentments

I haven't heard from a particular friend of mine in almost 3 months. I saw him when I went back to MN and we had a blast together. All of the sudden he stopped answering my texts and phone calls-- something very out of character for him. He's told me before that he is bad at long distance friendship, and that he tends to detach when friends move away for reasons of self-preservation. He assured me that our friendship was too valuable, and that he wouldn't do that to me. I believed him.

The suddenness of all of this is what caught me off-guard. Part of me is worried that he relapsed, and that's why he's avoiding me. It's possible. But I have to admit that most of me is incredibly resentful. I don't know what to do with the resentment building up inside me. I've never been one to move on easily from lost friendships, and apparently this is a trait of mine that isn't going away anytime soon. I've also never been one to avoid feelings, but my instinct on this is to avoid thinking about it, because whenever I do I just stew in the resentment.

Charlie peed in Petco today. Yep. He's a charmer.