Compiling a "year-end best of" list has been a long time tradition of music-obsessed fans. Lucky for me I work in the music business as a writer and publisher, therefore I get a lot of free music. But there is still so much more out there with the advent of the computer and the networking sites. Everyone with a guitar and a computer thinks they are a musician and can "produce" their own music. You have to weed though the sea of meritocracy to find a hidden gem. Even when you do that, you will still miss a lot of great releases.
I am not for the "best of" title because I don’t feel you can really judge anyone’s creative vision. That being said I still have to do my year-end column for the newspaper. These aren’t necessarily the best releases of 2008, just some that I liked very much and played over and over again. They are in alphabetical order:
Ani DiFranco - Red Letter Year (Righteous Babe)
Singer/songwriter, record label owner and Queen of all that is indie, Ani DiFranco has released her umpteenth studio record "Red Letter Year." The album, like the majority of her work, finds DiFranco evolving with her music, her lyrics and even her looks. Gone are the dreads replaced by a very hip and sexy haircut. The hair is a metaphor for where she is in her life – less is more.
The dozen cuts on "Red Letter Year" are more relaxed than DiFranco has been in years. She is spacious with her arrangements but she is still pushing the envelopes in her lyrics. DiFranco continues to confront political issues head on and also sings of the love in her life and the love of being a mother.
Juliana Hatfield - How To Walk Away (Ye Olde)
Like DiFranco, indie icon Juliana Hatfield has formed her own label – Ye Olde Records - out of her Boston home and released her ninth studio album "How To Walk Away." In her 40s now, Hatfield continues with her mysterious allure adding a deeper tone to her pixie singing voice. The 2008 release is a sincere confessional which flourishes with self-examination. It's an album where Hatfield about a failed relationship. But the singer/songwriter chooses to focus on the actions that led to the end of the relationship rather than the aftermath. She channels her emotions of love, lust and loss in poetic fashion.
Hamel on Trial - Rant and Roll (Righteous Babe)
Righteous Babe Records describes Ed Hamell, better known as Hamell on Trial, music as "loud, fast music informed by politics, passion, energy and intelligence, played by a guy with a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humor." On his website, Hamell calls his music "anti-folk" and others dubbed him at "punk acoustic."
In 2008 Hamell released a DVD/CD combination "Rant and Roll." The DVD is from his biographical theatre tour entitled "Terrorism of Everyday Life" and it chronicles his life as a struggling musician back in the day, being a father and a husband. He also confronts his demons of a car accident that nearly left him paralyzed, the nights working at a crack bar slinging drinks and the murder/suicide of his parents.
All these subjects and a few more are in his "one-man play" if you will mixed with songs that tell the wild tales, thrown in by his biting humor, comedic personality and pure punk showmanship.
King's X - XV (Inside Out)
I was 17-years-old when I discovered King’s X and more than a dozen albums later they are still one of the best hard rock bands today. With the same three members, Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor, and Jerry Gaskill for more than 25 years, King’s X continues to motor on with their latest album "XV." With their new album, King’s X is as thought provoking as ever and they tap into musical immediacy without sacrificing the lyrical sophistication.
Shawn Smith - The Diamond Hand (Sound Vs. Silence)
If there was ever an independent version of Prince, it would easily be Seattle’s own Shawn Smith. You may not know the name, but you have certainly been privy to his musical talents in outfits like Pigeonhead, Satchel and Twilight Signers. But he is best known as the front man to Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard’s side project simply titled Brad. And if that wasn’t enough Shawn Smith on your table he also has a very impressive solo career spanning nearly a decade.
With his funk rock, ballad-based sound, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist has offered up his fourth solo effort "The Diamond Hand." The album continues Smith’s love for Sly and the Family Stone-esque groves penetrated heavily with some of the sweetest melodies you ears will hear. "The Diamond Hand" has laid back, chilled out grooves which get your head bobbing and your toes tapping. There is nothing heavy about this record and that is perfectly fine. The songs are littered with beautifully orchestrated piano pieces provided by Smith and pop-sensible guitar from his guest musicians. There are layered moments filled with bursts of ambient synths and even trumpets.
10 OTHER NOTEABLES
Tim Barry – Manhattan (Suburban Home)
The Bruises – Connected (Self-Released)
Dropsonic - The Low Life (Ascetic)
Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers (Zoe)
Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal (Back Porch)
Mudhoney - The Lucky Ones (Sub Pop)
FAVORITE LOCAL RELEASES
Beaujolais - Love at Thirty (Parasol)
Technically not based in Champaign-Urbana, Beaujolais is the brain child of former The Like Young, Busytoby and Wolfie co-founder Joe Ziemba. The singer/songwriter has been a fixture in the local music scene since his early bands and with Beaujolais’ "Love At Thirty" chronicles cheating, lying and breaking up all in a concept album. Beaujolais is Ziemba’s emotional outlet after cutting ties with music partner and wife Amanda Ziemba.
Though he completed the album just a few months after making a marriage-ending discovery, Ziemba shows a mature ability to write lyrics that are creative rather than self-therapeutic. Ziemba ensures that his grieving album is also a catchy piece of artwork with Ziemba’s loud punk-ish vocals, poignant lyrics, and realistic preoccupation with dates and details.
Delta Kings – 13 Years of Friday Nights (self released)
With their bluesy bar rock, the Delta Kings continue to soldier on as one of the hottest bands in Champaign Urbana. Doing it the way they want and for the passion of music, Cody Sokolski, (vocals, guitar); Bill Humphrey (bass); Terry Hawkins (drums, back-up vocals) released their fourth proper full length record. Despite a lineup change, the Delta Kings didn’t miss a beat throughout the year rocking crowds nearly every weekend with their no nonsense flair.
Gazelle – Sunblown (Hidden Agenda)
"Sunblown" is the first album from Gazelle, a duo of Jeff Dimpsey (Hum, Honcho Overlord, and Poster Children) and Adam Fein (Absinthe Blind), but the two musicians sound like they could have been playing together for years. The album is full of beautiful arrangements of electro-pop, mixtures of electronics and keyboards that flow together like a soundtrack to an artistic film. Although the music is atmospheric, it sometimes builds into danceable parts with dramatic peaks, inducing an electro-psychedelic exhilaration.
There are so many different sounds, done with keyboards, piano, guitar, synths, midis, and various other noise machines, that it might be tempting to call this an experimental album. However, everything on "Sunblown" fits together so naturally and easily, and there’s not a single place that sounds like the experiment "didn’t work."
OTHER NOTABLE LOCAL RELEASES
George Faber - Wounded Sky (self released)
Carl Hauck - Counter Intelligence (self released)
Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping (Polyvinyl)
DEATHS IN MUSIC FOR 2008
Every year the music industry loses some very influential people and 2008 is no different. The music business saw a lot of great loses in all genres of music. I would be remised if I didn’t mention some of them, one I was lucky enough to call a friend - Utah Phillips. Thank you all for the great music.
26 February - Buddy Miles, 60, American drummer
28 February - Mike Smith, 64, British singer and producer (The Dave Clark Five)
2 March - Jeff Healey, 41, blind Canadian musician and actor.
20 April - Bebe Barron, 82, American electronic music pioneer
8 May - Eddy Arnold, 89, American country music singer
23 May - Utah Phillips, 73, American folk singer-songwriter
24 May - Jimmy McGriff, 72, American jazz organist
2 June - Bo Diddley, 79, American rock and roll and blues singer, songwriter and guitarist
10 August - Isaac Hayes, 65, American rhythm and blues musician
18 August - Pervis Jackson, 70, American R&B singer (The Spinners)
19 August - LeRoi Moore, 46, American saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band)
31 August - Jerry Reed, 71, American country musician
15 September - Richard Wright, 65, British keyboardist (Pink Floyd)
31 October - Frank Navetta, American punk rock guitarist (Descendents)
1 November - Jimmy Carl Black, 70, American drummer (The Mothers of Invention)
12 November - Mitch Mitchell, 61, British drummer (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
22 November - MC Breed, 37, American Rapper
24 November - Michael Lee, 39, British drummer (The Cult)
30 November - Munetaka Higuchi, 49, Japanese drummer (Loudness)
2 December - Odetta, 77, American folk musician