David Jett's Top 10 Albums of 2008! Hells Yeah!
Oh, hells yeah! It's David Jett's Top 10 Albums of 2008! This is based on a lot of things, but mostly on how many damn times I played a particular cd/mp3/record in my car/home/shower/head. So there may a cd I listened to and thought, "wow, that's fucking brilliant!" And then I never listened to it again. It's kinda like the movie "Leaving Las Vegas." Or "Schinder's List." What great fucking films in every way. I probably won't watch either one a second time. Sometimes some things are so beautiful and sad and emotional that you can't take a second viewing. On another note, I have watched the film "Stripes" about 25 times. I hope my top ten cd list splits the difference somewhere in there...
The Ting Tings-We Started Nothing
I'll start out with some perfect pop silliness from this charming and feisty Swedish duo. Sure, it may not go down in music history with the same reverence as Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde," but this album can sit respectfully next to Blondie. That is to say, it may not be an instant classic, but I couldn't stop listening to this thing (ting.) In fact, the song "That's Not My Name," one of favorite singles of the year, was my ring tone for months. (ok, it still is. Shut up.)
Langhorne Slim-Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles
Langhorne Slim is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who is originally from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. I don't want to scare you off with the term "singer/songwriter," which usually means some dull guy strumming a couple of chords in a coffee shop while he moans about a girl. First of all, Langhorne is not dull...there's plenty of toe-tappin' songs here. In addition to strummin' guitars, there's a banjo, swirling organ, horns and more. (Alas, no cowbell.) He does talk a lot about girls: loves, lost loves, future loves. But there's no crying in baseball as Slim keeps things upbeat and earnest. Langhorne had been compared to Bob Dylan, but his lyrics are nowhere near as cryptic. In fact, they are very direct, such as in "She's gone; I'm staying." That's pretty clear. Or the lyrics "Sometimes I hate the things that you do; sometimes I hate the things you say." (Those last lyrics are from a very beautiful love song, believe it or not.) Slim's been compared to every other "folk/blues" singer since the dawn of time...Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Conor Oberst, Josh Ritter. But you know who he reminded me of most? Both in terms of song-writing, vocals, and attitude? Warren Zevon. Who else would you really think of when first hearing Langhorne's song "Rebel Side Of Heaven?"
Kaiser Chiefs-Off With Their Heads
Hey, we might have a band who made my list last year! As well as producer Mark Ronson, who also made last year's list. So what's the deal with The Kaiser Chiefs? Instantly catchy tunes? Check. Sing-a-long choruses? Check. Highly distinguishable Brit accents? Check. Irony-soaked lyrics? Check. Musical nods to The Kinks and The Jam? Check. At least one reference to the Queen? Check. At least one song that reminds me of an ex-girlfriend? Check. Adds up to a bloody brilliant album!
The Enemy-We'll Live And Die In These Towns
Take the last review and replace "Kaiser Chiefs" with "The Enemy." Saves me some writing. Except I want to say that their song "I'm Not OK" reminds me of Pulp's "Common People." (hey, don't blame me if the UK produces the best bands! What did you expect to be on my list...Nickelback and Dave Matthews? Please.)
Kasey Chambers-Rattlin' Bones
Seriously, did you think Kasey Chambers could put out an album that wouldn't make my top 10? You may know this Australian from her biggest US hit song "The Captain," which was heard on an episode of "The Sopranos." If you haven't heard her, you should. Voice like a country angel. With a little attitude. And one of her American idols is Lucinda Williams. Also, she can make you cry. Like a baby. Or a river. Depends on your mood. Or hers.
"Sometime's a place to live is just a place to hide." That's a line from her new song "One More Year." Then there's the song "Once In A While." I would quote some lyrics from this song, but I'm listening to it right now, and if I wrote those words from that song, I would cry. (Yes, maybe a river. I don't want to do that. Enough people from the southern states have gone through enough with hurricanes already...) Don't even get me started on the song "Sweetest Waste Of Time." (Ok, I'm crying. It's a happy cry. With a little bittersweet. FEMA, get ready!)
Ok, enough of that! How about some rock and/or roll? Hells yeah!
Supersuckers-Get It Together
Let's face facts. The Supersuckers, at their worst, are just good meat & taters, balls to the wall rock. At their best, they are the perfect inbred offspring of Social Distortion and Jason & The Scorchers. And these fuckers actually have guitar solos in their songs! Fucks yeah! Some bands make you want to drink a beer. This band makes you want to down a bottle of Jack Daniels. That's the power of rock, baby! Two of the more lyrically and musically brilliant songs on this shit-kicker are "She's Leaving (I'm Not Sure When)" and "When I'm Go, I'm Gone."
Little Jackie-The Stoop
Let me state that from start to finish, this is the best female R&B album since "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill." Yes, it's that good. Secondly, "Little Jackie" is Imani Coppola. If you're not familiar with Imani Coppola, she's the gal from the 90's who had a minor hit with "Legend Of A Cowgirl." She's gone on to put out great albums, including last year's "Black & White Album." Her albums usually have a mix of genres: rock, hip-hop, soul, experimental. Her lyrics are smart and she surrounds herself with other great musicians. She's created an album that harkens back to the day when soul music wasn't just about what happened between the sheets, but what happens between the lines. "The Stoop" is an endearing tune about sitting on your front porch and being part of the community. "28 Butts" hits on some of her bad habits which she might not be ready to give up right now (tell me about it.) There's the song "Cryin' For The Queen" which is a thinly veiled reference to Amy Winehouse. (It's "thinly veiled" because Amy's actual name is never mentioned. Outside of that, not very subtle, but it's a very smart, catchy tune.) And then there's "The World Should Revolve Around Me." What a great song. And it's true. By that I mean that the world should revolve around me. And if it did, everyone would listen to this cd.
The Rosebuds-Life Like
This relatively obscure band made my list last year. I had trouble trying to describe them then. Same story this year. All I know is that they made the list again. And they have both a female and male singer. Ok. The closest comparison I can make is that The Rosebuds are like indy-critic darlings The Fleet Foxes, except they are better. Much better. Meaning I don't think they suck. (Actually, I hear a little Cure in there. Just a little.)
Blackstrap-Steal My Horses And Run
Jesus and Mary Chain. My Bloody Valentine. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Brian Jonestown Massacre. And now we have Blackstrap. Alas, no free tambourines with purchase.
And now we get to the last cd in the list. As usual, I just list my top 10 albums, in no particular order. But this one really is number one. I want to take this album out to dinner and then marry it. Curl up in bed and watch movies with it. Walk in the park with it. I might even consider having kids with this album, although California voters may come up with a prop against marrying a cd. But even if I break-up with this album, I still want visitation rights to listen to it from time to time.
Amy MacDonald-This Is The Life
The first week I heard this cd, I wrote a review of it for my store's website. Here it is:
Let's discover something together, like two lovers walking on the beach at sunset and finding a beautiful shell. Or going out on a first date and laughing at the same parts in your new favorite movie. Or shopping hand-in-hand on opening day at your cities first Super Target. Are you ready, my cheeky monkeys? ("cheeky monkeys" being a phrase used by talk show host Craig Ferguson, on whose show I saw Amy MacDonald for the first time the other night.) I've seen her cd at our store, but I didn't know anything about her. Until I saw her on The Late Late Show. And then I knew two things. She has an accent that makes her sound like the lead singer for The Cranberries, minus the shrieking parts. Secondly, the song she performed, "Mr. Rock & Roll," had me captivated two lines in. (I'll post some lyrics to that song at the end of the review.) Also, she's really cute. Ok, that's three things. But that's all I knew. Let's find out about her together, shall we?
We're checking out her bio from allmusic.com and other sources. She's Scottish...from Glasgow. Well, we know how Craig Ferguson knows about her. What else here? She's 21. Wow. Really young for such a confident voice and lyrics. She started playing guitar at the age of 12 after being inspired by Francis Healy. Who the what? Crap. Now I have to google Francis Healy (sounds like an indy film... "Googling Francis Healy." Is Judy Greer in that one?) Ok, Francis Healy is a guy. And he's the lead singer/songwriter for the Scottish band Travis. Hey, that's a good band! Glen Campbell just covered their song "Sing" on his new album.
Back to Amy (which also sounds like an indy film title. Starring Amy Adams.) She taught herself how to play guitar by using info on the internet instead of taking proper lessons. Her first gigs were in coffee houses, but she soon gained slots opening for, ahem, Travis and Paulo Nutini. She then got signed to the same label as The Killers (one of her favorites) and Razorlight. She also wrote a song, "Poison Prince," which was about Pete Doherty, formerly from the Libertines and currently from drug arrest rap sheets. How about this: at one point in the UK, her debut album knocked Radiohead's "In Rainbows" out of the top position. She's also performed on the same stage as other female UK artists Duffy and Amy Winehouse.
I'm totally sold now. (Ok, I was sold the minute I saw and heard her on Ferguson. But this additional info doesn't hurt any...)
Here are the lyrics I promised:
So called Mr Rock And Roll
Is dancing on his own again
Talking on his phone again
To someone who tells him that his balance is low
He's got no where to go
He's on his own again
Rock chick of the century
Is acting like she used to be
Dancing like there's no one there
Before she never seemed to care
Now she wouldn't dare
It's so rock and roll to be alone
And they'll meet one day
Far away
And say "I wish I was something more"
And they'll meet one day
Far away
And say " I wish I knew you, I wish I knew you before
Oh, hells yeah! It's David Jett's Top 10 Albums of 2008! This is based on a lot of things, but mostly on how many damn times I played a particular cd/mp3/record in my car/home/shower/head. So there may a cd I listened to and thought, "wow, that's fucking brilliant!" And then I never listened to it again. It's kinda like the movie "Leaving Las Vegas." Or "Schinder's List." What great fucking films in every way. I probably won't watch either one a second time. Sometimes some things are so beautiful and sad and emotional that you can't take a second viewing. On another note, I have watched the film "Stripes" about 25 times. I hope my top ten cd list splits the difference somewhere in there...
The Ting Tings-We Started Nothing
I'll start out with some perfect pop silliness from this charming and feisty Swedish duo. Sure, it may not go down in music history with the same reverence as Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde," but this album can sit respectfully next to Blondie. That is to say, it may not be an instant classic, but I couldn't stop listening to this thing (ting.) In fact, the song "That's Not My Name," one of favorite singles of the year, was my ring tone for months. (ok, it still is. Shut up.)
Langhorne Slim-Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles
Langhorne Slim is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who is originally from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. I don't want to scare you off with the term "singer/songwriter," which usually means some dull guy strumming a couple of chords in a coffee shop while he moans about a girl. First of all, Langhorne is not dull...there's plenty of toe-tappin' songs here. In addition to strummin' guitars, there's a banjo, swirling organ, horns and more. (Alas, no cowbell.) He does talk a lot about girls: loves, lost loves, future loves. But there's no crying in baseball as Slim keeps things upbeat and earnest. Langhorne had been compared to Bob Dylan, but his lyrics are nowhere near as cryptic. In fact, they are very direct, such as in "She's gone; I'm staying." That's pretty clear. Or the lyrics "Sometimes I hate the things that you do; sometimes I hate the things you say." (Those last lyrics are from a very beautiful love song, believe it or not.) Slim's been compared to every other "folk/blues" singer since the dawn of time...Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Conor Oberst, Josh Ritter. But you know who he reminded me of most? Both in terms of song-writing, vocals, and attitude? Warren Zevon. Who else would you really think of when first hearing Langhorne's song "Rebel Side Of Heaven?"
Kaiser Chiefs-Off With Their Heads
Hey, we might have a band who made my list last year! As well as producer Mark Ronson, who also made last year's list. So what's the deal with The Kaiser Chiefs? Instantly catchy tunes? Check. Sing-a-long choruses? Check. Highly distinguishable Brit accents? Check. Irony-soaked lyrics? Check. Musical nods to The Kinks and The Jam? Check. At least one reference to the Queen? Check. At least one song that reminds me of an ex-girlfriend? Check. Adds up to a bloody brilliant album!
The Enemy-We'll Live And Die In These Towns
Take the last review and replace "Kaiser Chiefs" with "The Enemy." Saves me some writing. Except I want to say that their song "I'm Not OK" reminds me of Pulp's "Common People." (hey, don't blame me if the UK produces the best bands! What did you expect to be on my list...Nickelback and Dave Matthews? Please.)
Kasey Chambers-Rattlin' Bones
Seriously, did you think Kasey Chambers could put out an album that wouldn't make my top 10? You may know this Australian from her biggest US hit song "The Captain," which was heard on an episode of "The Sopranos." If you haven't heard her, you should. Voice like a country angel. With a little attitude. And one of her American idols is Lucinda Williams. Also, she can make you cry. Like a baby. Or a river. Depends on your mood. Or hers.
"Sometime's a place to live is just a place to hide." That's a line from her new song "One More Year." Then there's the song "Once In A While." I would quote some lyrics from this song, but I'm listening to it right now, and if I wrote those words from that song, I would cry. (Yes, maybe a river. I don't want to do that. Enough people from the southern states have gone through enough with hurricanes already...) Don't even get me started on the song "Sweetest Waste Of Time." (Ok, I'm crying. It's a happy cry. With a little bittersweet. FEMA, get ready!)
Ok, enough of that! How about some rock and/or roll? Hells yeah!
Supersuckers-Get It Together
Let's face facts. The Supersuckers, at their worst, are just good meat & taters, balls to the wall rock. At their best, they are the perfect inbred offspring of Social Distortion and Jason & The Scorchers. And these fuckers actually have guitar solos in their songs! Fucks yeah! Some bands make you want to drink a beer. This band makes you want to down a bottle of Jack Daniels. That's the power of rock, baby! Two of the more lyrically and musically brilliant songs on this shit-kicker are "She's Leaving (I'm Not Sure When)" and "When I'm Go, I'm Gone."
Little Jackie-The Stoop
Let me state that from start to finish, this is the best female R&B album since "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill." Yes, it's that good. Secondly, "Little Jackie" is Imani Coppola. If you're not familiar with Imani Coppola, she's the gal from the 90's who had a minor hit with "Legend Of A Cowgirl." She's gone on to put out great albums, including last year's "Black & White Album." Her albums usually have a mix of genres: rock, hip-hop, soul, experimental. Her lyrics are smart and she surrounds herself with other great musicians. She's created an album that harkens back to the day when soul music wasn't just about what happened between the sheets, but what happens between the lines. "The Stoop" is an endearing tune about sitting on your front porch and being part of the community. "28 Butts" hits on some of her bad habits which she might not be ready to give up right now (tell me about it.) There's the song "Cryin' For The Queen" which is a thinly veiled reference to Amy Winehouse. (It's "thinly veiled" because Amy's actual name is never mentioned. Outside of that, not very subtle, but it's a very smart, catchy tune.) And then there's "The World Should Revolve Around Me." What a great song. And it's true. By that I mean that the world should revolve around me. And if it did, everyone would listen to this cd.
The Rosebuds-Life Like
This relatively obscure band made my list last year. I had trouble trying to describe them then. Same story this year. All I know is that they made the list again. And they have both a female and male singer. Ok. The closest comparison I can make is that The Rosebuds are like indy-critic darlings The Fleet Foxes, except they are better. Much better. Meaning I don't think they suck. (Actually, I hear a little Cure in there. Just a little.)
Blackstrap-Steal My Horses And Run
Jesus and Mary Chain. My Bloody Valentine. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Brian Jonestown Massacre. And now we have Blackstrap. Alas, no free tambourines with purchase.
And now we get to the last cd in the list. As usual, I just list my top 10 albums, in no particular order. But this one really is number one. I want to take this album out to dinner and then marry it. Curl up in bed and watch movies with it. Walk in the park with it. I might even consider having kids with this album, although California voters may come up with a prop against marrying a cd. But even if I break-up with this album, I still want visitation rights to listen to it from time to time.
Amy MacDonald-This Is The Life
The first week I heard this cd, I wrote a review of it for my store's website. Here it is:
Let's discover something together, like two lovers walking on the beach at sunset and finding a beautiful shell. Or going out on a first date and laughing at the same parts in your new favorite movie. Or shopping hand-in-hand on opening day at your cities first Super Target. Are you ready, my cheeky monkeys? ("cheeky monkeys" being a phrase used by talk show host Craig Ferguson, on whose show I saw Amy MacDonald for the first time the other night.) I've seen her cd at our store, but I didn't know anything about her. Until I saw her on The Late Late Show. And then I knew two things. She has an accent that makes her sound like the lead singer for The Cranberries, minus the shrieking parts. Secondly, the song she performed, "Mr. Rock & Roll," had me captivated two lines in. (I'll post some lyrics to that song at the end of the review.) Also, she's really cute. Ok, that's three things. But that's all I knew. Let's find out about her together, shall we?
We're checking out her bio from allmusic.com and other sources. She's Scottish...from Glasgow. Well, we know how Craig Ferguson knows about her. What else here? She's 21. Wow. Really young for such a confident voice and lyrics. She started playing guitar at the age of 12 after being inspired by Francis Healy. Who the what? Crap. Now I have to google Francis Healy (sounds like an indy film... "Googling Francis Healy." Is Judy Greer in that one?) Ok, Francis Healy is a guy. And he's the lead singer/songwriter for the Scottish band Travis. Hey, that's a good band! Glen Campbell just covered their song "Sing" on his new album.
Back to Amy (which also sounds like an indy film title. Starring Amy Adams.) She taught herself how to play guitar by using info on the internet instead of taking proper lessons. Her first gigs were in coffee houses, but she soon gained slots opening for, ahem, Travis and Paulo Nutini. She then got signed to the same label as The Killers (one of her favorites) and Razorlight. She also wrote a song, "Poison Prince," which was about Pete Doherty, formerly from the Libertines and currently from drug arrest rap sheets. How about this: at one point in the UK, her debut album knocked Radiohead's "In Rainbows" out of the top position. She's also performed on the same stage as other female UK artists Duffy and Amy Winehouse.
I'm totally sold now. (Ok, I was sold the minute I saw and heard her on Ferguson. But this additional info doesn't hurt any...)
Here are the lyrics I promised:
So called Mr Rock And Roll
Is dancing on his own again
Talking on his phone again
To someone who tells him that his balance is low
He's got no where to go
He's on his own again
Rock chick of the century
Is acting like she used to be
Dancing like there's no one there
Before she never seemed to care
Now she wouldn't dare
It's so rock and roll to be alone
And they'll meet one day
Far away
And say "I wish I was something more"
And they'll meet one day
Far away
And say " I wish I knew you, I wish I knew you before