This has been an interesting year for music. Despite the best attempts of the record industry to destroy itself, good music continues to come out at a breakneck pace. For all the talk about the record industry being in its last days, no one has bothered to figure out a better way, and pimping promo tracks to "tastemaker" blogs isn't going to do it. And for all the talk about how the internet is going to destroy the desire to pay for music, people like Lil Wayne has showed that you can release a boatload of free albums and still get people to pony up real cash and purchase an album.
My hope for 2009 and beyond is that the industry abandons its blockbuster mentality and actually works a record beyond its first week debut. So many great records get lost in the shuffle because they didn't hit the top ten. Radio needs a shake up too. Why can I still hear a Bush song from '94 on the radio, but have to beg to hear a record that's only a month old? It's maddening.
But there were good things about 2008. Lets break 'em down.
High Fives
• The upswing in popularity of the EP. A nice way to sample a band at a reasonable price.
• Weightless Records for consistently putting out interesting hip-hop records and being an active member of the Columbus Music community.
• More bands touring. Realizing that blog hype alone won't make a career, it seems like more bands are taking it to the road. Makes it feel like the early-90s all over again.
• The release of "new" records by Robyn and Kylie Minogue. Innovative pop records that never got their fair shake.
• While the superstar DJ is on the wane, the anything goes attitude of DJs raised on equal parts rock, electronic music and hip-hop are giving a shot in the arm to remix culture and giving the club scene energy it hasn't seen in ages.
A handful of some of my favorite concerts (all in Columbus, Ohio):
Flight of The Conchords at Value City Arena
Can two men rock an arena with two guitars, a drum machine, deadpan humor and questionable dance moves? If they're from New Zealand, then the answer is... probably.
The Police at Nationwide Arena
This was the unlikely reunion tour that was better than it had any right to be.
Gnarls Barkley at Newport Music Hall
If there were any doubts that Cee-Lo Green was anything less than a consummate soul man and that he and Danger Mouse couldn't bring it to the stage, then those were silenced. The re-interpretation of St. Elsewhere's "Transformer" was worth the price of admission.
Nine Inch Nails at The Schott
Probably the best use of lights, video and staging that I've seen in years. And the band was on their A+ game leaving the drama behind and instead focusing on the music.
St. Vincent at The Wexner Center
Pop, noisy, delicate, aggressive and perfect.
And while these may be like shooting fish in a barrel I'd like to give the middle finger to:
• That damn Kid Rock song that samples "Werewolves In London" and "Sweet Home Alabama." Not only is his song a pandering trainwreck he drags down two of my favorite classic rock sing-a-longs. Boo that man.
• T-Pain and that damn Auto-Tune. Not just for the fact that he's beat that horse until the flesh is falling off the bone, but he has the nerve to think that he's innovative and that it's some big secret. It's a preset in Pro-Tools. It's not like he discovered how to make gold from discarded popcorn kernels.
• The sad state of radio. It's either never hearing the records I want to or have the few I do want to hear being played so much that I grow to hate it more than a preacher hates sin.
Top 10 Albums
N.E.R.D.With all of the success of the Neptunes on the Billboard charts it's a surprise that their work as N.E.R.D. goes relatively unnoticed. However, instead of securing the artist of the moment for radio love, on Seeing Sounds they continue to mine their unique strain of rock-branded hip-hop that will move yer ass and give you something to talk about when you're taking a breather.
The RootsPeople who only think of the Roots as a novelty (hip-hop with a band!) have missed their evolution into one of the most dynamic acts in music both on stage and on record. Rising Down is an album that's aggressive and introspective, personal and political. Yet instead of being a heavy-handed with the "serious" nature of things, the Roots know when to lighten things up both lyrically and musically.
Santogold
Solange KnowlesWhen you're the kid sister of one of the biggest R&B stars on the planet, it seems like a gimmie to imagine you'd follow in her multi-platinum footsteps. Get together with some of the hottest producers and crank out something for the blazing hip-hop and R&B stations. Instead, Solange Knowles went the opposite direction, singing over everything from '60s girl-group inspired tracks to Thievery Corporation, laidback loungetronica. While missing the vocal acrobatics of her sister Beyonce, Solange has the perfect style for what's she's doing. So-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams may be the biggest surprise of the year.
TrickyWhen your sound is so strongly branded, the risk of recycling it to diminishing returns is great. Trip-hop pioneer Tricky arguably is the poster boy for that particular plotline. But just when he veered dangerously close to becoming an afterthought, Tricky took five years off and came back with the shockingly great Knowles West Boy. Sounding more confident and playful than he's been in years, Tricky shows he still has tricks up his sleeve.
Gnarls BarkleyPeople looking for "Crazy—Part II" are missing the point. While there were songs just as radio-ready, The Odd Couple went more introspective and even more personal. The almost uncomfortable lyrical honesty was paired with Danger Mouse's alternative version of '60s influenced soul. And frankly Cee-Lo Green sings his face off on nearly every track.
Al GreenAfter his legendary career you couldn't blame Al Green if he just kicked back and collected royalties from his bulging back catalog. Instead the Memphis crooner joined up with the music backing of the Roots drummer ?uestlove and his production partner, keyboardist James Poyser. While the pair wisely keeps the music retro-leaning Lay It Down sounds like a continuation of his classic albums rather than a rote imitation. Add to the equation the well chosen guest vocalists and you have a record that sets the bar high, not only for Green, but for other classic soul artists wanting to comeback in the '00s.
PortisheadFor all the talk about the Axl Rose Medicine Show's Chinese Democracy the re-emergence of Portishead after an 11-year absence came relatively under the radar. Which is a shame because Third showed that a little downtime didn't dilute the group's power. It's a claustrophobic, fragile and emotionally aggressive record that was well worth the wait.
One Day As a LionWith the re-emergence of Rage Against the Machine world, it would have probably been a safe bet to imagine the band heading into the studio to capitalize. Instead lead vocalist Zach de la Rocha linked up with former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore to form One Day As A Lion. Their five song EP somehow manages to be drastically different yet not that different from RATM. The breakneck drums and de la Rocha's sledgehammer emceeing are Rage signatures. But One Day As A Lion replaces guitars with a distorted keyboard and adds de la Rocha singing. And even if a full-length never emerges, this EP is a well-timed glorious noise.
Saul WilliamsThere was so much that could have gone wrong with this record. First there was the pairing of Saul Williams with Trent Reznor. Just the idea of Williams' dense spoken word/hip-hop delivery meeting up with Reznor had to raise many an eyebrow. Instead it managed to be a perfect fit. The industrial clang provided by Reznor served as a new millennium version of the Bomb Squad's classic "noize." And Williams also has the chutzpah to cover U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday." If nothing else, you have to love the risk taking.
The Foreign ExchangeThe lead single from the duo's second album hits like an emotional atomic bomb. I play this song on repeat. If it gets played once, it gets played five times. I'm obsessed with it. And I'm clearly building it up beyond all reasonable expectations. But everything is dang near perfect: the production, the intertwining of the vocals, the lyrics, and the beat switch at the bridge. MAN!
Hercules and Love AffairHercules and Love Affair have been hailed for their modern take on '70s disco. With the help of unlikely collaborator Antony Hegarty, "Blind (Hercules Club Mix)" ironically strips away the Saturday night feel for a tense minimalist take that's more Portishead than Salsoul Orchestra. Yet the slow build and release still captures the essence of a classic disco track.
Lil Wayne
TV on the RadioThere nothing catchy about the song, and still it's damn catchy. It doesn't feel right to call it poppy but if the carbonation fits.... It's like dancing to a sociology paper, but from the second the beat drops to when the horns drop in, you're powerless to resist.
Estelle (featuring Kanye West)A simple frothy song about, uh, meeting American boys, it sounds like a modern take on "To Sir With Love"-era Lulu. Then you add an inspired, yet occasionally off-topic, verse by West and you have four minutes of audio sunshine.
Nick Cave & the Bad SeedsThis song wins for not only being strangely groovy, but also summing up the album's theme in less than four minutes. Add to that the loose and swinging vocal delivery by Cave and the gang vocals by the Bad Seeds, and you'd wish all Biblical re-imaginings were this happening.
AtmosphereAtmosphere has always excelled in creating really tight narratives, but "Shoulda Known" is a high point among their catalog. The slightly off-kilter bass line and the almost defeated vocals are the perfect vehicle for this one-sided love affair: boy loves girl, but girl loves drugs.
Sam SparroThis throwback to the days of white British soul boys is playful, longing and damn near impossible to get out of your head. It's a combination of Kylie Minogue and a jump back into a time when Al Jarreau or George Benson could have a pop hit. The approach is so retro it's brand new.
Death Cab for CutieAfter a few years in the soft as tissue lane Death Cab For Cutie came back like men with something to prove. And "I Will Posses You Heart" does it in spades. The whole idea of having an eight-minute long song where the vocals don't even come in until the halfway mark takes some stones. But the risk paid off for one of Death Cab's best performances in years.
Amanda PalmerWhen you think Amanda Palmer, she being one half of the piano and drums duo the Dresden Dolls, guitar hero isn't the thing that comes to mind. But the song is about being desentized to violence by video games, not about Jimmy Page or about the ubiquitous video game hit. The performance grabs you by the neck and is totally unhinged in the best of ways.