Music
Motivation
Due to the sheer amount of great content that came out in 2008, The Annual Top 10 list was challenging to put together this year. So I’m going to attempt to catalog what’s spinning on my ipod here and keep a running rank, quarter-by-quarter. I’ve survived 3 years as a blogger, so let’s see if I have the discipline to keep this updated.
Like the wise old owl who knows how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, I’ve often wondered how many releases I consume on a yearly basis, and this year we may get that answer (at least for 2009).
Running Rank of Eligible Releases
| Artist | Release | Notes |
| Roger Powell | Blue Note Ridge | This is a rare treat….one of my favorites on just a piano. He sounds great. This is one of those discs that’s good while working, or with an adult beverage…or both if you’re so inclined. |
| It Bites | The Tall Ships | Not yet available in the US, and darned hard to find, this one actually came out in 2008 in Europe. But the fact that it’s not yet released in the US still qualifies it for a 2009 Top 10 list. Really like this disc from this Cubrian Progressive Band that was formerly led by Francis Dunnery. |
| Francis Dunnery | “Tell It Like It Is” (Single) | “Why’s our streets full of red…instead of pale.” |
| Tim Christensen | Superior | Crystal clear, solid songs |
| Halloween, Alaska | Champaign Downtown | I haven’t listened to this one all the way thru yet, so it’s likely to climb in ranking. Like this band a lot. |
| Bob Mould | Life & Times | I haven’t listened to this one all the way thru yet, so it’s likely to climb in ranking. |
| Scott Simons | Start of Something | Good disc. Some tunes are radio-friendly. I’ve been listening to this one a lot lately. Favorite tune is Sorry In Advance. |
| Jeff Litman | Postscript | Only once through on this one. Needs another good listen. |
| The Honeydogs | Sunshine Committee | Excellent musicicianshipI love the smart songs, but this disc hasn’t grabbed me yet. Will be giving this a few more listens. |
| Canadian Invasion | Songs for the Atco Ghost | A few tunes I liked (e.g. Swim Club), pretty mellow for the mood I’m in. |
Purchases
| Date Added | Artist | Release | Notes | Links |
| 6-Apr-2009 | It Bites | The Tall Ships | After months of hunting, and failed attempts at ordering this online, I found this in a Helsinki indie record shop. | Official Homepage |
| 10-Apr-2009 | Bob Mould | Life and Times | Long awaited follow-up to District Line. I didn’t care much for District Line so I was hoping he’d get back to more of a “Workbook” styled disc. He did. | Official Homepage |
| 10-Apr-2009 | Halloween, Alaska | Champaign Downtown | I’ve been waiting for this follow-up to “Too Tall To Hide.” Ev’s not in this incarnation, but the new guy seems to channel him well. | Official Homepage |
| 07-Mar-2009 | Jeff Litman | Postscript | Got this tip from powepopaholic. On first listen, it reminds a bit of Brian Lovely-style pop melodies. | Official Homepage |
| 06-Mar-2009 | Roger Powell | Blue Note Ridge | Roger and his piano. Who could ask for more? | Myspace |
| 01-Mar-2009 | The Honeydogs | Sunshine Committee | “10,000 Years” and “Amygdala” still get very frequent spins on the ipod. From info I’ve seen to-date, this one’s a little lighter, probably needed in these chaotic times. I haven’t yet received this CD, but I’m expecting it to show up any day. | Official Site |
| 14-Feb-2009 | Tim Christensen | Superior | I like this guy. I’ve now picked up 3 of his solo discs. I don’t know much about him, but I like all the stuff I’ve heard so far; very clean, very clear, very simple tunes. And that’s the beauty. He reminds me of a European version of Mike Viola (Candy Butchers). He’s based out of Copenhagen, Denmark. This one will likely take awhile to get to the US, so I ordered MP3 version from his site directly. A bit of a hassle to download, but certainly better than waiting  . |
Official Site |
| 23-Jan-2009 | Canadian Invasion | Songs For the Atco Ghost | Sort of country/pop-ish. I think this is a Philly-band, but they sound anything but Philly to me — in a good way. Nice, listen. | Not yet |
| 06-Feb-2009 | Francis Dunnery | Tell It Like It Is | Francis has started releasing some rare recordings. The first of these is a song called “Tell It Like It Is,” which was recorded in the “Fearless” timeframe (1992). It’s a very thought-provoking track. Not one my kids will get to listen to until they’re much older. | Time Machine |
| 23-Jan-2009 | Tim Christensen | Honeyburst | I really liked “Secrets on Parade” so I thought I’d give this one a try too. | Not yet |
| 23-Jan-2009 | Scott Simons | Start of Something | I really liked The Argument’s disc. So I thought I’d check out this solo offering. | Not yet |
| 19-Jan-2009 | Tim Christensen | Secrets on Parade | Wow. This is some really good sounding Power-Pop. I’m a sucker for analog synths, and this has loads of them. | Not yet |