Yeah, I know – we just did Top Fives in honor of our showing of High Fidelity. But this is different… this is the end of the year… and record store geeks like us (with the exception of Kristian, who must be dragged into this sort of activity) simply MUST weigh in on the stuff we think is great. (Say this in the voice of the Comic Book Store guy in the Simpsons) It is our duty.
OK, it’s not a novel idea of anything (in fact, at the end of this post, we’ll provide links for all sorts geeks like us… from the across the spectrum of “I know good entertainment” self-righteousness), but you have to admit it gets you thinking about good music, and after all, isn’t that what it is all about? If you’re soul is like my soul (and it must be if you are taking the time to read this babble)… you know it is.
Anyway, here are the top picks from the hoodlums (both current and past) at Hoodlums. Feel free to weigh in by commenting on the blog (better yet, in person at the store).
Don’t forget – many of these titles are in listening posts at the store. All of them are available – either in the bins, or via special order (for some of the inevitably weird shit on my fellow employees’ lists).
Steve’s Picks
Top Records of 2008 (in no particular order)
Roy Hargrove – Earfood
Calexico – Carried to Dust
King Khan and the Shrines – Supreme Genius of..
Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
James Hunter – The Hard Way
Charlie Hunter – Baboon Strength
McCoy Tyner – Guitars
Taj Mahal – Maestro
Alejandro Escovedo – The Real Animal
Kings of Leon – Only By the Night
Top Movies and TV Watched This Year (again, no order)
Wall-E
Dark Knight
Kung Fu Panda
Ladies and Gentlemen… the Rolling Stones
30 Rock: Season 1 and 2
Bill Maher – Real Time
Election Results in November
No Country for Old Men
Actual bootleg footage of Allman Brothers at Fillmore
Daily Show coverage of the election
Top 10 Older Albums Discovered in 2008
Meters – Fire on the Bayou
Laura Nyro – Eli and the 13th Confession
James Gang – Rides Again
James Gang – Thirds
Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
Nilsson – Schmilsson
Fleetwood Mac – Then Play On
Patti Smith – Horses
Nick Lowe – Jesus of Cool
Clifton Chenier – Boogalusa Boogie
Kristian’s Picks
Top Records (five’ll have to do ya… and these are in order)
Alejandro Escovedo – The Real Animal
Jolie Holland – Living and the Dead
Eugene Blacknell – You Can’t Take Life For Granted
Calexico – Carried to Dust
McCoy Tyner – Guitars
Joe’s picks
Top Music
1. Virus- The Black Flux
2. Gas- Nah und Fern box set
3. Sea & Cake- Car Alarm
4. Loquat- Secrets of the Sea
5. Cynic- Traced in Air
6. Pluramon- The Monstrous Surplus
7 Enslaved- Vertebrae
8. Krallice- s/t
9. Leviathan- Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
10. ECM Touchstone reissues
Wasef’s Picks
Top Ten Records of 2008
Velocifero – Ladytron
Feed The Animals – Girl Talk
Los Angeles – Flying Lotus
Saturdays = Youth – M83
Top Ranking – Santogold/Diplo
Lay It Down – Al Green
In Silico – Pendulum
You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into- Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Alopecia – Why?
Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
Top Ten Films of 2008
Wall-E
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Synechdoche, New York
Iron Man
Kung Fu Panda
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Doubt
The Dark Knight
Top Ten Live Shows of 2008
1. Prince – Coachella, Indio California, April 26th
2. Sigur Ros – Marquee Theatre, Tempe, September 30th
3. Six Organs of Admittance – The Modified, Phoenix, January 11th
4. Dan Deacon – The Modified, Phoenix, January 14th
5. Holy Fuck – Club Congress, Tucson,February 2nd.
6. I’m From Barcelona – Coachella, Indio California, April 27th
7. Diplo – Club House, Tempe, March 1st
8. Living Legends – Blunt Club (Club Red), Tempe, March 16th
9. Deadmau5 – Myst, Scottsdale, December 5th
10. Jamie Lidell – Rialto Theatre, Tucson, May 31st
Top Ten Records of 2008 I Have Yet To Listen To:
1. Beck – Modern Guilt
2. The Black Keys – Attack and Release
3. Lykke Li – Youth Novels
4. Brian Eno & David Byrne – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
5. Santogold – Santogold
6. Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
7. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
8. No Age – Nouns
9. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
10. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Andy’s Picks
Albums
The Gaslight Anthem – The 59 Sound
Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
Jakob Dylan “ Seeing Things
Nada Surf “ Lucky
Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
Millencolin – Machine 15
Dear and the Headlights -Drunk Like Bible Times
John Mayer – Where The Light Is
Wood Brothers – Loaded
Movies
1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
2. Role Models
3. Zack & Miri Make a Porno
4. Pineapple Express
5. Iron Man
6. The Dark Knight
7. Wall-E
8. The Wackness
9. Horton Hears A Who
10. Drillbit Taylor (mediocre movie, but best fight scene ever)
TV shows
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
3. 30 Rock
4. Scrubs
5. South Park
Songs
1. “Great Expectations” by The Gaslight Anthem
2. “Your New Man” by Mason Jennings
3. “War Is Kind” by Jakob Dylan
4. “Whose Authority” by Nada Surf
5. “Calling All Skeletons” by Alkaline Trio
6. “Bad News” by Dear And The Headlights
7. “Conviction Notice” by Less Than Jake
8. “Meet Me By The River’s Edge” by The Gaslight Anthem
9. “Already Gone” by Limbeck
10.”Washington Square” by Counting Crows
11. “I Still Care For You” by Ray LaMontagne
12. “Postcards From Hell” by the Wood Brothers
13. “Benson Hedges” by Fun
14. “The Resolution” by Jack’s Mannequin
15. “Detox” by Millencolin
16. “Crystal River” by Mudcrutch
17. “High Lonesome” by The Gaslight Anthem
18. “Wish I Could Fly” by What Laura Says Thinks And Feels
19. “(Coffee’s For Closers)” by Fall Out Boy
20. “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver
Maria’s picks
MUSIC
1. “Melody”-Sharleen Spiteri
2. “Donkey”-CSS
3.”Mediocre”-Ximena Sarinana
4. “Funplex”-B-52′s
5. “Santogold”-Santogold
6.”Renaissance”-Q-Tip
7. “MTV Unplugged”-Julieta Venegas
8.”Rio”-Aterciopelados
9.”In Our Space Hero Suits”-Those Dancing Days 10.”Sol Angel and the Hadley St.Dreams”-Solange Knowles
DVD
1.Sex and the City
2.Kung Fu Panda
3.Rear Window (Jimmy Stewart)
4.12 Angry Men (Henry Fonda)
5. Sweeney Todd
6.Michael Clayton
7.Persepolis
8.Juno
9.Family Guy Blue Harvest
10.American Gangster
Justin’s Picks
Top 11 of 2008, in no particular order:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Anti)
Jolie Holland – The Living and the Dead (Anti)
Okmoniks – Party Fever (Slovenly)
Nobunny – Love Visions (Bubbledumb)
Hold Steady – Stay Positive (Vagrant)
Sloppy Seconds – Endless Bummer (Kid Tested)
Blacklisted- Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God (Deathwish Inc.)
Krallice – S/T (Profound Lore)
Jay Reatard – Matador Singles ’08 (Matador)
Deerhunter – Microcastle (Kranky)
Gridlink – Amber Grey (Hydrahead)
Of the five movies I saw this year, I’ll put two on my top ten list:
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Rambo
Top 10 I want to see really bad:
Milk
Synecdoche, New York
Gran Tornio
The Wrestler
Wall-e
Tropic Thunder
Burn after Reading
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Defiance
W
Heath’s Picks (Heath is a hall-of-famer who submitted from NYC)
TOP 11 2008 RECORDS (NO PARTICULAR ORDER)… note 11
Son Lux “At War With Walls and Mazes”
Flying Lotus “Los Angeles”
Atlas Sound “Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can’t See”
Fucked-Up “The Chemistry of Common LIfe”
Marnie Stern “This is It & I am it &…”
Fennesz “Black Sea”
Grials “Doomsdayer’s Holiday”
Harvey Milk “Life… the Best Game in Town”
GZA “Protools”
Chip the Ripper & Kid Cudi “Can’t Stop Me/Bitch I’m from Cleveland/ A Kid Named Cudi Mixtapes”
The Clipse “Road To Till the Casket Drops Mixtape”
ANTI-JOE TOP 5 (NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
No Age “Nouns”
Crystals Castles “S/T”
Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”
Lil Wayen “The Drought 6 (the Rebirth) Mistape”
Mogwai “The Hawk is Howling”
TOP 10 MOVIES (NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
Taxi to the Dark Side
Happy Go Lucky
Counterfitters
Wall-E
Dark Knight
Benjamin Button
Walz with Bashir
Burn After Reading
Son of Rambow
Pineapple Express
Domenic’s picks (Dom is a hall-of-famer submitting from Seattle)
1. TV on The Radio – Dear Science,
2. Leviathan – Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
3. Flying Lotus – Los Angeles
4. Cursed – III
5. Young Widows – Old Wounds
6. Capsule – Blue
7. Gang Gang Dance – Saint Dymphna
8. Q-Tip – The Renaissance
9. Shugo Tokumaru – Exit
10. Wetnurse – Invisible City
Here’s a list of movies that I viewed last year, but are not exclusive to 2008:
1. Milk
2. The Face of Another
3. Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters
4. Black Orpheus
5. The Dark Knight
6. Ratatouille
7. Crumb
8. Man Bites Dog
9. The Thing
10. Young Torless
You want more? Here’s some critic’s lists:
AllMusic Guide. Our favorite reference site for music, and a truly diversified list of all genres. We may have to do a special order or two to get ‘em all – but we’d be glad to do it.
Pitchfork’s 50 Best Albums. A true critic’s list. Not many popular bands allowed… and hardly any “mature” artists.
Phoenix New Times. This is a list of the best from Valley of the Sun bands.
Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Albums. This list has a lot more popular bands than Pitchfork.