Best Music of the Decade

For the past few months I have been thinking long and hard about this list. I've added songs, deleted songs, changed my own rules for the list and so on. Music is a huge part of my life and I often identify certain events in my life with a song. This list is my way of reflecting upon the music that helped shape my decade.

For a lot of the artists mentioned, I could have listed whole albums and been okay with my decision. I included honorable mention next to some of the songs to show that those songs could just have easily been on my list - but how interesting would a list full of David Gray, Coldplay, Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks really be?

After reading this list, please tell me what I left out.

50 - La Cienega Just Smiled - Ryan Adams
49 - Van Lear Rose - Loretta Lynn
48 - I Always Liked That Best - Cyndi Thomson
47 - What It Feels Like For A Girl - Madonna
46 - Feels Like Today - Rascal Flatts
45 - Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
44 - Paris - Faith Hill (Honorable Mention: Where Are You Christmas - yes, I'm serious)
43 - Wait My Turn - Moses Mayfield
42 - California - Rufus Wainwright
41 - Cable Car - The Fray
40 - Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
39 - Daughters - John Mayer
38 - I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
37 - Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
36 - You're Beautiful - James Blunt
35 - Forever and For Always - Shania Twain
34 - Ms. Jackson - OutKast
33 - Nothing Left to Lose - Mat Kearney
32 - I Don't Want To Be - Gavin DeGraw
31 - What Was I Thinkin' - Dierks Bentley
30 - Safe and Sound - Sheryl Crow (Honorable Mention: Soak Up the Sun, Good Is Good)
29 - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
28 - What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake
27 - I'm With You - Avril Lavigne
26 - Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
25 - If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keys
24 - Crystal Village - Pete Yorn (Honorable Mention: Ice Age)
23 - This Love - Maroon 5
22 - Grace Kelly - MIKA
21 - When You're On Top - The Wallflowers
20 - Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
19 - Paper Planes - M.I.A.
18 - Lose Yourself - Eminem
17 - Jolene - Ray LaMontagne (Honorable Mention: Let It Be Me)
16 - Things Have Changed - Bob Dylan (Honorable Mention: Mississippi)
15 - Hey Ya - OutKast
14 - Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
13 - Travelin' Soldier - Dixie Chicks (Honorable Mention: Not Ready To Make Nice)
12 - Babylon - David Gray (Honorable Mention: Nemesis)
11 - Umbrella - Rhianna
10 - I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
9 - Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
8 - Irreplaceable - Beyonce
7 - Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
6 - Mr. Brightside - The Killers (Honorable Mention: All These Things That I've Done)
5 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
4 - My City of Ruins - Bruce Springsteen
3 - Walk On - U2 (Honorable Mention: Beautiful Day)
2 - Float On - Modest Mouse
1 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (Honorable Mention: Yellow, Clocks, In My Place, The Scientist)

Best Music of 2008

I can't believe it's time once again for a year-end best of list. Time sure does fly. A lot happened in 2008 - historic election, a deepening recession, Britney's supposed comeback - and the list goes on. Whatever you feel about this past year, I think we can all agree that a lot of great music was made. The following are my favorites of the year.

Albums:

10) Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, Raising Sand - I bought this album, not knowing what to expect, after hearing "Killing the Blues" on JCPenney ads early on in the year. My favorites turned out to be "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" and "Please Read the Letter." Krauss has the voice of an angel and compliments Plant's gruff vocals and raw style.


9) John Mayer, Where the Light Is (Live) - I'm a huge Mayer fan and have been since his debut album. While this live set lacks some of his earlier work, it does a good job of capturing the energy and true musicianship that Mayer brings to the table. The nine-minute version of "Gravity" alone makes this an album worth remembering.


8) Taylor Swift, Fearless - It's no secret that I have some qualms with Swift, especially when it comes to live vocals, but this album is full of great songwriting and catchy hooks. Some of the lyrics are a little trite, but credit her for writing or co-writing every track on the album and remember, she is only eighteen. "White Horse," "Fifteen" and "The Best Day" are among my favorites on this album.


7) Flight of the Conchords, Flight of the Conchords - So, I'm cheating a little on this pick because I didn't actually buy the album, but I've seen all of the episodes of this duo's show on HBO, own the DVDs and watched as many of the live concerts on YouTube to know that the songs are absolutely hilarious. All must bow down to the awesomeness of "Bowie," "Mutha'uckas" and "Business Time." That's why they call them business socks, ya know.


6) Jason Mraz, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things - I was so happy to hear that Mraz would be releasing his third studio album this year, though a little disappointed that his first single was a re-recording of a B-side from his so-so sophomore effort. But the new "I'm Yours" worked, and actually seemed even more relevant since he'd been out of the spotlight for a while. It also brought some freshness and relevance back to the vocally gifted singer-songwriter. Check out "A Beautiful Mess," "Details in the Fabric" and "If It Kills Me" if you have some time.


5) Gavin DeGraw, Gavin DeGraw - I have some odd hangup when an artist (other than Sheryl Crow) self-titles any album other than their first. I don't know why and I can't explain it - it just irritates me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this album. Like his first, this collection can be listened to and enjoyed straight through. "In Love With A Girl" got me to buy the album, but "Let It Go" kept me listening for months.


4) The Killers, Day and Age - The Killers are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. Lead singer Brandon Flowers is definitely quirky, especially while performing, but that quirkiness does the band well on odd, but extremely catchy tunes like "Spaceman" and "I Can't Stay." I'm particularly fond of "This Is Your Life" and the hit single "Human".


3) Sheryl Crow, Detours - I'm a little surprised with myself that I didn't automatically catapult this album to the top of my list simply because of the Crow pedigree. My one qualm with the album is that it feels like two separate albums - the first half being overly political and the second half quietly introspective. All of the songs are great and the performance on tracks like "Diamond Ring" and "Make It Go Away (Radiation Song)" will break your heart. I would love it if Sheryl would throw her pop sensibilities out the window and make a true grungy rock record next go around.


2) Kings of Leon, Only by the Night - I had never heard of this band until their September 20 performance on Saturday Night Live. I loved what I heard and bought their new album days later. I love this album! It's quiet, but loud, familiarly melodic, but unexpected and full of some great (and naughty!) lyrics ("Your sex is on fire. Consumed with what's to transpire"). "Use Somebody" and "Revelry" are my personal favs. I can't wait to explore their earlier work in the year to come.


1) Coldplay, Viva la Vida - I just don't know what to say about this album other than it's awesome and you should be listening from start to finish once a day like I've been since purchasing it in June. In addition to this album, Coldplay also released the "Prospeckt's March" EP a few weeks ago, which delivers alternative versions to some of the tracks on Viva la Vida and a few others that didn't make the album cut ("Glass of Water!"). This is a fully realized concept album that will surely go down as one of the band's best career achievements. I'll certainly be routing for them when the "Album of the Year" category is announced at this year's Grammy Awards broadcast.

Favorite Singles (in no particular order):

Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis
In Love With A Girl, Gavin DeGraw
Shattered, O.A.R.
Human, The Killers
Live Your Life, TI Featuring Rhianna
I'm Yours, Jason Mraz
Chasing Pavements, Adele
Stop and Stare, One Republic
Broken, Lifehouse
Viva la Vida, Coldplay
Love Remains the Same, Gavin Rossdale
Last Name, Carrie Underwood
You're Gonna Miss This, Trace Adkins
Sweet and Low, Augustana
Nine in the Afternooon, Panic at the Disco

Officially Old

I realized tonight a very sad truth that I am no longer young. I suppose one could make the argument that the fact that I'm attempting to "live-blog" the MTV VMA Awards says something about my youth, but what's more telling is that I literally do not understand anything that is happening on this show!

Let's start with the host, Russel Brand. Who is he and why is he hosting this show? All I can say as I watch this show on TV is, "What is he saying?" or "Wow, this guy is saying some really inappropriate stuff about the Jonas Brothers and Madonna." The fact that I'm slightly offended by his attempt at humor is clue #1 that I am getting older.

Then there's the aforementioned Jonas Brothers. I don't really understand why they are famous, though, this is coming from someone who's been a Hanson fan for years. This means that I am being hypocritical just because a younger generation finds the appeal in something I don't and I'm criticizing something simply because I don't understand it, like parents in the 80s criticized hair bands or Miami Vice (thank you Youth and the Media classes at Ithaca). This is clue #2 that I'm getting older.

I consider myself a lover of all music. While rap isn't exactly my favorite music, I can appreciate some of it. Yet clue #3 that I'm getting old is that as Lil Wayne or Young Jeezy (they're both the same, right?) was performing all I could think was, "This is just noise," in the same voice my grandma would say it when I was listening to the Lion King soundtrack.

But, I don't feel so bad about all of this, honestly. See, as I write this, Slash just took the stage to present an award and my lovely wife said, "Is Slash still relevant? I mean, what's up with that hat?" Years ago we probably would have been all over that sh**. Now, we're just two old geezers who need to get to bed because it's approaching 10:15 p.m.

Note: Before I could save and post this, Pink took the stage to perform her new song, So What. The final clue that I'm not as young as I once was is that I thought to myself, "Hmm, I could get into this song," but then changed my mind after she stuck her tongue out and made a fart noise at the end of her song. Apparently, I found that wildly inappropriate.

Mid-Year Music Checkup

Wow...this has got to be the most unoriginal blog post title to date. Anyhow, 2008 is almost halfway over so I thought it would be a good idea to check in on what's rocked my lobes so far this year. With most of my money going towards gas these days ("Don't get me started, don't even get me started"), I haven't had the chance to buy a lot of music this year. Luckily, Coldplay came to the rescue by giving their first single, Violet Hill, away for free. This brings me to my top pick of the year so far...

1) Coldplay! - I love this band, and from the sounds of the two songs I've heard so far, all of America is going to fall in love with them too (if they haven't already) with the release of their fourth studio album, Viva La Vida. Strings?? Church Bells??? Synthesizers???? Awesome!

2) Gavin Degraw - Not sure about the self-titled album title, but the material on his sophomore effort is rock solid. In Love with a Girl is as hooky, yet lyrically sound as ever, but the hidden gem on this record is Let It Go.

3) I'm Yours by Jason Mraz - If you bought Mraz's second album on iTunes in 2005, you likely know this song. It was included as a bonus track and among the better songs on the entire album. Remixed and with a more upbeat tempo, it's now the lead single on his third album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. Somehow the lyrics are more fitting now then they were when the song was originally released.

4) Sheryl Crow - I've blogged enough about Sheryl this year, but this album is definitely worth purchasing. Some of you may be shocked that she only lands at #4 on this list. To be honest, I've stopped listening to the CD and it's only been three months! I think I listened to it way too much the first month and needed a serious Sheryl break. I promise I'll start listening again soon. If you don't feel like buying the entire album, at least purchase Diamond Ring and Make It Go Away (Radiation Song), songs that will never reach radio but are definitely worth your hard earned 99 cents.

5) Singles - I'm digging Take A Bow (Rihanna), Sweet & Low (Augustana), Nine in the Afternoon (Panic at the Disco), Falling Slowly (Oscar winners Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova), Stop & Stare (One Republic), Realize (Colbie Caillat), Trying to Stop Your Leaving (Dierks Bentley), Laughed Until We Cried (Jason Aldean), Say (John Mayer), How Far We've Come (Matchbox Twenty).

Things I'm over:

1) Madonna and Mariah. Stop making music, please.

2) The word Shawty (Shorty, Shortie, etc.) in every freaking song! Having that word in your song does not make your song good. Stop using it. Immediately.

3) Taylor Swift. Such a dilemma here - she's a talented songwriter and pretty hot, but has anyone else noticed that she can't sing? Isn't that a problem for a professional singer?

4) Sara Bareilles' Love Song - She's awesome and the song is great, but that doesn't mean it needs to be used in every commercial, movie soundtrack, Valentine's Day highlight package, etc. The song is over. Move on, please.

5) British People besides Coldplay - Corrine Bailey Rae came along and sounded cool. Then Lily Allen, who wanted to be the opposite of CBR, came onto the scene. Then Trainwreck Winehouse won a whole bunch of Grammy's. Now there's Duffy and Adele. They are all the same person and all fighting to sound cool with a throwback sound. Newsflash - you all sound the same, which makes you uncool. How about some originality?

That's it for my half-year roundup. Feel free to leave me some comments and tell me what you are listening too.

Oscar Tops

I've found that it's really hard to watch the Oscar's when you aren't rooting for any particular movie. It's difficult to get excited about watching someone except an award when you've only seen two of the films nominated for Best Picture, one of which you thought really shouldn't have been nominated. Plus, the whole nominating and campaigning process is becoming way too political for me. It's almost like the winners have been determined months in advance. That said, there were plenty of moments that kept me entertained before and during the show this year. Below are my top five Oscar moments for 2008.

5) Seeing Diablo Cody win for Best Original Screenplay - NOT because I think she deserved to win, because she definitely did not, but because it gave America a chance to see just how much of a trainwreck she is. What was up with that dramatic exit?

4) Steve Carrell getting upset after finding out that he wasn't presenting an award for the gritty, meaningful Best Documentary, but rather for the Best Animated Movie. Anne Hathaway did a very nice job of consoling him.

3) The bazaar exchange between Jennifer Garner, Ryan Seacrest and Gary Busey on the red carpet prior to the awards. Garner looked scared for her life as an obviously drunk or drugged Busey went to hug and kiss her on the neck, while Seacrest had absolutely no idea what to do during the situation. How did Gary Busey even get in there?

2) Oscar's tribute to binoculars and periscopes as well as their moving "awakening from a bad dream" montage. This was supposed to give us a taste of what the show would have been like if if had been affected by the writer's strike. It would have been hilarious, that's what it would have been!

...and my number one Oscar 2008 moment...

1) Jon Stewart having Marketa Irglova from the movie Once come back to the stage and give her acceptance speech after the orchestra cut her off. Her partner, Glen Hansard, used most of the alloted time in accepting the Best Song award and the microphone was cut off as she began to speak. Her speech, which lasted just under a minute was the absolute best of the night:

The fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just proof that no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible," Irglova said during take two. "And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream, and don't give up. This song was written from the perspective of hope, and hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different we are.

It's moments like this that make staying up late to watch the Oscar's well worth it.

Ferras Fever

The side of me that is susceptible to hooky pop songs has once again resurfaced! Today, I can't stop humming Hollywood's Not America by Ferras, otherwise known as the lucky bastard who's song was hand-picked by American Idol producers as the sayonara song, as I like to call it. I'm assuming the message of the song is that Hollywood isn't the only place where you can live the American dream, so failing of not making it in that town isn't the end of the world. But, frankly, for a song like this I don't really care much what the message is. All I care about is hearing, "So long, put your bluejeans back on," otherwise known as the hook. I fall for the hook every time! Damn the hook!

The real question is, why does American Idol do such a good job of picking the sayonara song (remember Daniel Powter's Bad Day and Chris Daughtry's Home?) but such a terrible job picking the song that will eventually become the winner's first single (remember, This Is My Now and Believe...didn't think so)? American Idol needs to recruit some new talent to write a song with relevance and a good hook for this year's finale and ditch once and for all those stale songwriters who regurgitate the same song year after year.

That said, I am looking forward to this year's Idol competition. The talent seems much stronger than in year's past and a lot of the contestants are also quite impressive musicians. Let's hope the song in the finale does the eventual American Idol some justice. If not, you can always tune in just to hear Hollywood's Not America every week.

Detours Gets Reviewed

Mmmm, the smell of sweet music is in the air. Sheryl Crow's Detours is two weeks from arrival, and from some of the editorials coming out, it sounds like it's going to be a good one! Check out the review below from Amazon.com.

Sheryl also posts that her web site will be revamped as well. Hopefully that means a boatload of Sheryl pics will be posted. Ahhh, the next two weeks can't come fast enough!

Thematically, Detours may not seem like much of a detour to Sheryl Crow fans. Her politics pour out of these songs the way you might expect them to if you caught wind of her epic cross-country bus trip, with the activist Laurie David, to promote environmental awareness months prior to this release. From the quiet, faraway-sounding opener "God Bless This Mess"--a novel in a song--to the catchy but thought-provoking "Gasoline," it's clear that Crow has more on her mind these days than soaking up the sun or having a little fun, à la the Tuesday Night Music Club era. Yet there's not a groan-worthy song on this standout rock/pop/folk/blues album. If the themes are heavy (in addition to the political songs, there's an almost painfully tender lullaby for her son Wyatt and one, "Make It Go Away [Radiation Song]," that touches on her breast-cancer experience), the mood is cathartic, determined, hopeful at times and sad at others. "Now That You're Gone" grabs at clarity through the clouds of a devastating love affair and gets it, and "Peace Be Upon Us" picks apart pettiness and arrives at a wide-minded beauty. George Harrison seems present in some of these songs, especially the more personal ones ("Drunk with the Thought of You," "Love Is All There Is"). And that may be the highest compliment that Sheryl Crow, who seems to admire his gentle soul and shares his big heart, could ask for. --Tammy La Gorce

"Hey, what do Juno?"

I saw my first critically acclaimed movie of the season this past weekend, and I have to be honest and say that it's not all it's hyped up to be. Don't get me wrong, Juno, starring Ellen Page as the titular pregnant teenager, was a very good movie. Page did an excellent job of playing a modern teenager who gets pregnant out of boredom and deserves all of the attention that she is getting for this role. I'm extremely surprised that Jennifer Garner isn't receiving just as much praise for her understated turn as a frustrated housewife desperate for a baby. The art direction and overall tone of the movie was also well executed. I particularly liked the opening title sequence.

All of the good, however, is overshadowed for me by one unexpected bad - the writing! I had very high expectations after reading that screenwriter Diablo Cody has become the go-to writer to capture the voice of the modern woman. I felt like there were moments of dialog that were just so forced and so unnatural that it ruined the movie. Maybe it's because I'm no longer a teenager and am having trouble relating to that world now, but I found it hard to believe that anyone says "wizard" instead of awesome. And when a gas station attendant uttered, "That ain't no Etch-a-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet," I almost lost it, and not in a good way.

I also had a problem with the lack of a dissenting voice in the film. Everyone, including Juno's parents, were pretty cool with her being pregnant at 16. For the movie to feel real to me, it would have been nice to see one disapproving character, one who was genuinely concerned with how life-altering this pregnancy would be for such a young girl. Instead, everyone just thought it was cool.

Don't let my review deter your from seeing this film. It really was a good film. I think it's important that a small film like this has had such a mainstream following. It also really boosts the presence of indie music that, without a movie like this, would most likely go unheard. I guess what I am most disappointed with is the hype. Something so hyped rarely lives up to the expectations you create for it in your mind.