Single of the Year:
Once again, there was a large amount of great singles released in 2008, even though there was not a lot of great albums released. Here are my top 5 singles of the year:
1. Viva La Vida – Coldplay
A lush, haunting song that builds up the aural pressure and never lets go. The most haunting song of the year, that would continue to echo in your mind all day long. The only drawback was that the song became so popular and fit into so many genres & formats, that for a few months, at any given moment the song was being played on the radio or TV. It led to an extreme burnout, but that didn't deter me from handing the Larzie over to these Brits for this fine 4 minute masterpiece.
Runners Up:
2. Always A Friend - Alejandro Escovedo
A rare rock & roll single that grabbed me the moment I first heard it. I could listen to this song for hours on end and not be burnt out on it. That does not happen very often – maybe once a year. Raw, pure & rockin'. A simple, but fantastic rock single, the likes of which are (sadly) rarely heard any more.
3. Mercy – Duffy
There were a handful of Amy Winehouse wanna-bes that released CDs in 2008. While Duffy is no Amy Winehouse, this amazing single was easily one of the best songs of the year. Like an Aretha Franklin classic from the early 70's, the song had many soulful layers. It also contained terrific vocals, terrific production and a terrific hook.
4. All Summer Long – Kid Rock
This song had so many elements that I normally dislike. It contained heavy samples of two classic rock songs: Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynryd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." Yet the song was not about England or the South, it was about growing up in Michigan. It contained lyrics that were purposely placed to illicit a calculated emotional response. I should have hated this song. Except for one problem... I absolutely loved it. It was the song of the summer of 2008. Only Kid Rock could have pulled that one off.
5. Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
This song gets a nod because of the huge impact it made on music in 2008. Beautiful vocals by a beautiful new artist. The biggest problem with the song has to do with overkill. Like Coldplay's Viva La Vida, this song was everywhere constantly. It still is today. I would be fine if I didn't hear the song again for a years, until a 2008 retrospective came on the radio. However, when that happens, I know that I will remember this song as one of the year's best pop singles.
Other notable singles that made the year fun:
You Are The Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne, Use Somebody & Sex On Fire - Kings Of Leon, Pork And Beans & Troublemaker - Weezer, I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry, I'm Amazed - My Morning Jacket, You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring, Psycho - Puddle Of Mudd, Real Love - Lucinda Williams, Mother Mary - Foxboro Hot Tubs, Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution - Black Crowes, A-Punk - Vampire Weekend, I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie, Fake It - Seether, Dirty City - Steve Winwood w/ Eric Clapton, Strange Overtones - David Byrne/Brian Eno, Boots of Chinese Plastic - The Pretenders, Don't You Evah - Spoon, Freeway - Aimee Mann, Sex & Gasoline - Rodney Crowell, Rock and Roll Train - AC/DC, Many The Miles - Sara Bareilles, Sister Lost Soul - Alejandro Escovedo, Did You Miss Me - Lindsey Buckingham.
Album of the Year
Real Animal by Alejandro Escovedo
This was an easy pick for me this year. While I knew I loved the lead-off single, Always A Friend, I was not expecting to be blown away by this album like I was. Raw, gritty, straight-forward, rootsy rock & roll done by an artist who excels in this area. The album pays homage to his idols, with songs sounding like Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and even a Scary Monsters-era David Bowie, yet never becoming imitations of them and always sounding like Alejandro Escovedo. The lovely & intelligent lyrics are very personal, yet identifiable. The album almost works as an autobiography set to a rock beat, with so much of his life touched upon within these songs: his struggles, his successes, his health scares, his former band Rank & File, his start in the music industry, failed relationships and his inner emotions brought to the surface. A masterful rock album by a masterful rock artist.
Runner up:
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - Coldplay
Most Fun Album of the Year:
Worst Kept Secret Of The Year:
Stop Drop And Roll - Foxboro Hot Tubs
Green Day had their fill of being one the biggest bands in the world, so they decided to change who they were and become a 60's garage band. They made up fake names & personas for themselves and called the 5 piece band, Foxboro Hot Tubs (making the 2 background touring members of Green Day into full-fledged band mates). They toured the country in a simple tour bus, with a trailer attached to carry their basic equipment. They played only small bars in smaller towns across the country. No big road crews, no entourage, no pretensions, no frills. They played the small stages, mingled with small crowds, had fun and made no money. Just like old times. Best of all, they released the album Stop Drop And Roll, which contained 12 upbeat, quick tracks, all sounding like they just came out of a late 60's K-Tel record. They paid homage to many British Invasion bands like The Kinks & The Yardbirds, as well as such diverse 60's artists as The Supremes and The Monkees. (One of the stand-out tracks, "Sally," borrows heavily from The Monkees classic "Stepping Stone.") Since the band wasn't really "Green Day," they were able to self-release it, with no big label pressure to promote it or over-expose it. It was made just for themselves and their die-hard fans. Most of all, it was made for fun. It was impossible to keep the true identities of Foxboro Hot Tubs a secret, but it didn't matter. Green Day set out to accomplish something small, but thoroughly enjoyable for all involved. They accomplished that mission.
Biggest Surprise of the Year:
Only By The Night - Kings Of Leon
This band of brothers (and 1 cousin) always sounded good, but never grabbed me to the point I felt like buying a CD of theirs and listen to it over & over again. That changed with their newest release, Only By The Night. It seems their time touring as an opening band for U2 may have rubbed off on them or maybe it was just a natural growth for the band, but the new album is miles above anything they have done before. The two singles, "Sex On Fire" and "Use Somebody" are standouts, and easily among the best singles of the year. "Use Somebody" borrows heavily from the U2 book on songwriting & production – and that's not a bad book to study from! While the album still wasn't perfect and there are some songs that sound too similar to others, too one-dimensional or missing the proper hook, this band is clearly moving in the right direction. If they continue to improve like this, they could become the next U2, something many US bands have tried to do and failed (The Alarm comes to mind). The Kings of Leon were the biggest & best surprise of 2008.
Local Indie Release of the Year:
Electroluv - The Handcuffs
The most entertaining drummer alive and his talented lady love make up the nucleus of this Chicago band. Electroluv is the 2nd release for the Handcuffs (4th if you count their 2 releases as the band Big Hello) and it is another winner. Chloe F. Orwell has an incredibly lovable voice who can rock out like Debby Harry in her prime, sound sexy & sultry like Terri Nunn in the next song, sweet & lovely like Gwen Stefani the next, only to blow your hair back with her Joan Jett-like rock chops yet again. Brad Elvis, the uber-talented drummer who has worked with The Elvis Brothers, Three Hour Tour, The Romantics and so many others, is also a great power-pop song writer, who along with Chloe, have made another stupendous collection of catchy songs. This CD came out on the tail-end of 2008, so I am expecting it to stay hanging around my CD player for much of 2009, as well. The fact that this is only an independently released CD is a shame because the album and the band deserve a much, much wider audience. In a perfect world, The Handcuffs would be superstars. In my world, they already are.
Indie Release of the Year (Non-Chicago):
Transatlantic Suicide - Crash Street Kids
This is the third installment of a trilogy of theme albums called "The Supersonic Star Show," a look at the ups & downs of rock & roll life. However, the albums stand alone just fine and there isn't a need to hear all three to "get it." Arizona's Crash Street Kids are glam-rock goodness. Sounding like Enuff Z’Nuff, if EZN were as equally influenced by Mott The Hoople & T-Rex as they were by John Lennon. A very polished, professional album by a band ready for their turn in the spotlight.
(Two other great Indie releases are Sweat it Out by The Pink Spiders and
Stop Drop & Roll by Foxboro Hot Tubs, but since The Pink Spiders already had a major label release and since FHT is really Green Day in disguise, they were eliminated from winning this Larzie.)
Best CD packaging:
ONXRT: Live from the Archives - Vol. 11
One of the negatives to the death of the vinyl LP, was the loss of holding a 12x12 album cover in your hands that was sometimes a brilliant work of art. One of the negatives of the soon-to-be death of the CD is the loss of holding a small brilliantly designed package. Each year, one package stands out above and beyond the rest. This year, it was Chicago's own WXRT-FM with the latest version of their ONXRT CDs. LFTA #11's box was skillfully made to look just like a pizza box from your neighborhood pizzeria. The worn cardboard, the rectangular holes for folding the box into shape, the grease spots from the pizza -- every possible detail was worked into it. The CD itself looked like a Chicago stuffed pizza with 2 slices already eaten. When the CD is removed from the package, it looks like you just picked up the pizza. Just an amazing job of packaging! It is impossible to hold this CD package in your hand and not have a dastardly crazing for some pizza. This was just an amazingly well done digi-pak. (The CD was pretty good, too.)
Best New Artist:
Vampire Weekend
If they are able to avoid the one-hit-wonder/flash-in-the-pan pothole on their road to success, these young men have the potential to be a Talking Heads for the 21st Century.
Guilty Pleasure of the Year:
I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
There is nothing to dislike about this song, unless you are in the small minority who have a problem with the idea of two girls quickly kissing and one singing about it. (*cough* *cough* *Bonneville Radio stations* *cough* *cough*) Pure sugary pop -- pure entertainment.
Best non-Dylan Dylan song:
There was a huge pool of songs to choose from for this category. So many artists put out Bob Dylan sounding songs this year: Tom Petty & Mudcrutch, Bruce Springsteen, Alejandro Escovedo, Jacob Dylan (understandably so, in this case), but the most Dylan-like non-Dylan song was "Sex & Gasoline" by Rodney Crowell. Great song, but when listening to it, it is hard to picture Rodney Crowell singing, when all you can picture in your mind is a scraggly early 70's Bob Dylan at the microphone.
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