Monthly Archives: January 2009

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Song of the Day #178: ‘Family Tree’ – TV on the Radio

tvotrTen Best Songs of 2008 – #4

This was probably my hardest pick in the top ten… not because I wasn’t sure if a TV on the Radio song would make it but because I couldn’t decide which one.

‘Family Tree’ was my first choice but then I decided to switch it up for a couple of reasons. First, it isn’t really representative of the album (Dear Science) as a whole. It’s far mellower than, and lacks the wonderful grooviness of, every other track on the CD. And it’s also a grower… I didn’t really “get” it the first two times I heard it, and I hesitated to put a song out there that might not grab people instantly.

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Song of the Day #177: ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ – Lucinda Williams

lucinda2Ten Best Songs of 2008 – #5

Any new Lucinda Williams album is a special treat, and 2008’s Little Honey proved to be her strongest collection since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Much was made of the “happy” Lucinda that showed up on this album, as love songs filled the grooves usually occupied by hard luck tales. And to be sure, the album does contain some of her most lyrically upbeat material.

But the song that hit me the hardest on this album isn’t a love song or a happy song, and it’s not even a new song. It’s a somber ballad of regret written way back in 1985 but reaching the light of day for the first time last year.

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In praise of Rihanna and ‘Disturbia’

rihanna2Halfway through presenting my countdown of 2008’s top ten songs (which has already been signed, sealed and delivered) I realized I committed a major blunder in overlooking one of last year’s gems, Rihanna’s ‘Disturbia.’

I bought her multi-platinum album Good Girl Gone Bad toward the end of December but didn’t consider it for my year-end list because it was released in 2007. However, three bonus tracks on the edition of the CD I have were released in 2008. Silly me.

First, let me sing the praises of this album. I know I’m a year and a half late to this party, but that’s not gonna stop me from raiding the snack table and jumping in the pool with my clothes on. Good Girl Gone Bad is, put simply, the best album of its kind I’ve heard since… maybe ever.

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Hear new Neko Case single, help some animals

nekocase2In a nifty marketing move, Neko Case is donating $5 to Best Friends Animal Society every time somebody posts her latest single on his or her blog over the next two weeks.

Now I don’t particularly care about animals, but I will jump at the chance to focus some attention on Neko Case. I’ve been eagerly looking forward to new music from her since her wonderful 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. She has one of the very best voices in popular music today and the songwriting chops to match.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

benjaminbuttonI have mixed feelings about this film — much of it is very powerful and affective but just as much of it is borderline lousy. Ultimately I can’t help but see it as a failure, but it’s one of those films that makes you wish its creators could get another shot to make the wonderful film that was within their grasp.

From a special effects standpoint, the film is peerless. Through some combination of digital imagery, makeup and black magic, the filmmakers have managed to seamlessly render Brad Pitt as everything from an 85-year-old man to a 17-year-old kid. It’s astounding what they pull off here, and all the more impressive for being completely organic to the film — there’s nothing showoff-y about the effects, they’re just what was required to tell this story.

(Mild spoilers follow, major spoilers in the comments)

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