The end of 2008 saw me a bit heavier than usual (shirts curving at the buttons), happy to still have a job, but still wondering what the next era in my life will be. "Where do I see myself in five years?"
Top Tracks
However, amongst all those inner, personal conflicts, I don’t have to worry about remembering what music I’ve listened to thanks to last.fm (since 2004). It’s no surprise that The National were in the one and two spots…"Blank Slate" was the best song of the year, even if it may have come out in 2007. (I thought Ida Maria’s "Oh My God" would have shown up in my year end charts, since it was probably the second best song.) In an odd twist of NPR becoming tastemaker, All Songs Considered turned me on to the third and fourth most listened to songs, the reedy Chris Bathgate and the chaoticly soothing We Versus The Shark. The National’s "Secret Meeting" probably hasn’t moved from my most listened to songs since 2006, and it stands in good company: Jawbreaker did just write the dumbest song that was a sing-a-long, Of Montreal’s Hissing Fauna… has the best bass lines from the last few years, and Breadwinner wrote them short and complicated, which is all I can handle sometimes. Scott started a Mission of Burma renaissance when he bought me their reissues for my birthday; Cut Copy reveals the fingerprint of my wife’s influence and is really the only modern-ish song on this chart; I will always love the streamlined-era Modest Mouse, as long as I don’t have to see them live ever again.
Top Artists
Honorable artists mentions: Tobin Sprout, Chris Garneau (a top favorite in 2007), Death Vessel, Dan Deacon, and Bozart. Thanks to AJ, Scott and Nathan for the often excellent tips.
