Most people these days look at music as single songs, they show up on the radio for a few months and eventually they disappear and no one notices. This is why iTunes and co. have been so successful, people can pick and choose what they want to buy. Record companies for the most part don’t seem to care, they don’t generally push for solid albums, they just need 2 good songs and they’ll keep the artist around until they can no longer produce that bare minimum.

I’ve always been an album kinda guy. It’s not that I always think albums are better (because sometimes there really are only a couple good songs) but that a) the album should always be given a chance and b) I’m a bit of a completist. I don’t just want albums, I want entire discographies and EPs and who knows what else. I’ll leave live albums for the most part though.

Anyways, the point is music isn’t an experience for people, it’s just something they do. It’s something to shake your ass to, it’s something to put on while you do your homework. That’s not what music is for. Good music is written as an album, to be enjoyed as a whole. It deserves your attention. Not to say that music isn’t good for dancing too, or putting on while you do other things, but I think people should pay attention to music. Music is not there for you to use at your disposal, for you to be a passive consumer. Music should evoke an emotional response. Put on an album and listen all the way through, if at no point you feel a certain stirring in your chest, I suggest you try a different album. It doesn’t mean that the album you listened to is useless, it maybe something like the Crystal Castles album which I keep just because it’s fun. I’ve never really found it to be particularly moving.

I had a hard time coming up with that example though because most albums I have, have at least one tiny part where I go “oh yeah” and I remember how fantastic it is. Anyways, if you’ve read this far you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. Which is nowhere. Basically. Although, I’m sure someone would dispute this album theory so I’m going to challenge you to do what I’m about to do which is compile a list of your top 10 albums of 2008. Whole albums only, you need to be able to justify your decision as an entire album (I’ll let EP’s slide I guess, although… less than 3).

Anyways, here is my top 10 of 2008 (I realize it’s a little early, I will amend if something awesome comes out)
1.Protest the Hero-Fortress
I had to fight between the top 3 albums to decide what came where. I ended up going with this one because both Wolf Parade and Girl Talk made albums which were really logical progressions from their previous ones. Lots of people say the WP disc was worse than their debut, lots of people say the GT album was better than the last. Whatever. The point is that the leap from Kezia to Fortress was huge, and not in a bad way.
This is the album that pushed PTH from being a punkband turned into the punk-metal version of Rush to being possibly the best group of prog-metal songwriters. I mean, sure the music is technically very impressive; so is Dream Theater. What Protest has done is learn to write songs which sound like 5 angry ADD inflicted musicians. Which is probably what they are.
It lacks one moment as defining and emotional as the second half of Kezia’s She Who Mars the Skin of Gods, the album as a whole is so much better organized and still full of enough energy and passion that I can forgive it. I can’t even think of how to express the sheer awesomeness of this album; it’s the best metal album that’s come out this year and possibly one of the best metal albums of all time. Everything is spot on, everything is well written, the production is top notch. If only they hadn’t let the dick from Dragonforce spew keyboard solos all over Limb From Limb, it would be pretty much perfect.
Can’t Miss Moment: I’m having a hell of a hard time picking one. So either Spoils from 1:30-2:36 or Goddess Gagged from about 2:40 till the end when the whole thing just reaches critical mass and you start the thing over from the beginning.
2.Wolf Parade- At Mt. Zoomer
I don’t know why everyone says Apologies to the Queen Mary was better. I don’t know why this album got neglected by a lot of other best of lists. The midsection of Kissing The Beehive alone was better than a lot of the stuff that got released this year. Not to mention Language City and the fantastic California Dreamer. Everything else is pretty good too.
Can’t Miss Moment: Kissing the Beehive from 3:56-7:00. Basically just fantastic. Energetic and theatrical, I saw this live and it blew my mind.
3.Girl Talk- Feed The Animals
This album cannot be summarized well enough in such a small space. So I won’t even try, look forward to my upcoming post- the 10 best parts of Feed The Animals.
Either way it’s amazing, innovative, a history of modern music, and a party. All in one. And it’s free.
Can’t Miss Moment: Set it Off from 0:20-1:21. Paranoid Android and Jay-Z, there are about 10000 Jay-Z mashups in existence and I don’t think any of them are as cool as this. That’s saying something. Or not?
4.She&Him- Vol.1
I’m not going to lie, I really just like Zooey Deschanel’s voice. That and the songs are sublime little pieces of pop perfection. They’re basically nice folk songs but they remind me a lot of music from the 1950′s; I can’t really explain it. Some songs are guitar based, some are piano based, I don’t really care. My biggest problem is I don’t know whether I find the album uplifting or sort of upsetting, anyways it’s really good and I like the artwork too (not that that really counts)
Can’t Miss Moment: you know, I’d really like to put one down but all these songs are fairly short little pop ditties so it’s tough to narrow it down. I really like the song Change is Hard though. It’s hilarious that I like this album so much.
5.Italian Edition- Luddites
You’ve probably never heard of Italian Edition, unless maybe you listen to CBC radio 3 A LOT. or maybe someone somewhere told you about them. Anyways, their second release is everything that is good about a certain style of alternative rock/post-hardcore that you hear from Incubus or Minus the Bear or something that sounds like a blend of the two. Which is kind of what Italian Edition sound like. The songs range from the energetic opener “The Compulsion” to the Def Leppard meets Grizzly Bear layered vocal part on Pete’s Oil pt.1. Either way, if you like rock without distortion, guitar parts which weave together until they are inseparable, or you simply want a good time, this is one hell of an album.
Can’t Miss Moment: From 4:30 on of The Cheque’s in the Mail. After the sweet harmonica part the song is infused with so much trance-inducing gravitas you’ll wonder if it was the same band that rocked so hard only moments earlier (and will do so again before the album is over).
6.Man Factory- Street Fight: Round 1
This album is just fun. I’m tempted to make a “Most Fun Albums” list just so that this can take number one (or fight it out with Feed the Animals). Anyways, uh Man Factory is from Texas and they’ve done something that so much music (pop, or indie, or rap etc.) has been unable to do as of late. Which is remember how the hell to write a good melody. Not to mention that this album is part one of a three part series on Street Fighter II.
Anyways, the music is poppy and rocky and sometimes bombastic. Othertimes it’s just kind of weird, or touching, or something else. The lyrics are sometimes not so good, sometimes really clever, like when they reference dancing with the stars. Sweet. This album has it all and I listen to it a lot. They really show a lot of songwriting ability, but I wish the production was a little better although perhaps they aimed for the kind of sound that it has? Whatever, it’s worth downloading especially since you can get it for free from a link on their myspace. DOWNLOAD IT!
Can’t Miss Moment: The beginning of Balrog 24/7 or perhaps the last half of Good Grief Zangief!
7.This Will Destroy You- s/t
For some reason it seems more difficult to use words to describe an album without any. It’s sort of like Explosions in the Sky, Do Make Say Think, or any other sort of grandiose instrumental band. Anyways, it’s powerful, ambient, haunting, and loud. Not all at the same time. I listened to this a lot during the summer, I should really revisit it. I’m still kind of upset I missed them when they played Ottawa a while back.
8.MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
Does anything really need to be said about MGMT? I almost didn’t put them on this list because, well, it’s on everyone else’s list. I still think the daft punk/mgmt mashup of time to pretend is better than the original. Sue me.
9. Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
This is another album that’s on everyone else’s best of lists. I’ll avoid drawing a large number of City&Colour comparisons because they’ll largely be focused on the 1 flannel wearing, bearded, unaccompanied acoustic aspect of the whole thing. Bon Iver writes nice songs, they have hooks but none of them seem to get stuck in my head which is something that I wish more people could do. Plus his voice is really nice.
Can’t Miss Moment: The layered vocals about 3 minutes into The Wolves where the song starts to build up.
10.The Raconteurs-Consolers of the Lonely
This is just the best straight up rock album of the year. I don’t see The Raconteurs as a huge, important, revolutionary musical force. Nope, they just write good rock songs.
Can’t Miss Moment:You Don’t Understand Me isn’t the strongest track on the album but I really really like the part starting at 3:30 till the end.

A note: I just got the new Jamie Lidell album as the new Constantines album. I really like the Jamie Lidell one so far, therefore it might jump onto this list soonish?

Anyways, uh boy. I feel like I don’t have anything really blogworthy to say. Which means that everything in my life is really insignificant. How I Met Your Mother this week was about “woo girls” which are young girls which “woo” at insignificant things. Knowing some woo girls I found this particularly funny although it has lead me to ask “has no sitcom ever explored this phenomenon before?” Perhaps it’s a relatively recent phenomenon that the sitcoms of olde could not have ever covered due to the absence of these modern banshees.

I saved this post and waited for the day to end to finish. A couple things from before to be wrapped up: the shape of things and my international relations paper, both done. One made me happy, one made me sad. What else happened today? Ryan and I (The Morgan Freeman Experience) played a generally well received song about zombies at a benefit show, it also marked the 1 year anniversary of the MFE. I also spent part of the day trying to think of other types of people that didn’t exist in the past like woo girls and couldn’t really come up with many. I think it’s because I didn’t live way in the past so I don’t know who did. Maybe woo girls did exist back then… maybe there’s an episode of Seinfeld I haven’t seen (definitely likely).

I have nothing really worth saying.
Except that I got 2 midterms back today and I killed them both (91% and 94%).
Hooray.

Anyways, I can’t believe I’ve started this. Especially because I decided my new goal was to spend less time on the internet but now I have a blog. I just need to sign up at lastfm, twitter, and … I don’t know, some other ridiculous internet service that lets everyone know more about me than they need to know. Speaking of things you don’t need to know, some people have websites that just give you information that you didn’t need to know (although I guess twitter and lastfm fall into that category as well). Although it’s more so of a facebook status thing. For example, my page would read:

Spencer can type 78wpm

Spencer likes orange juice with extra pulp

Spencer is curious where the “extra” pulp comes from. The depulped orange juice?

You know, things like that. I enjoy things being in sync, so I feel I should completely line my life up with the internet, I know it’s coming anyway and I don’t want to be some sort of neo-luddite (is that redundant?). Although, I do feel that by even knowing what twitter is I’m already a little ahead of the curve.

This whole post has just lead me to ponder, why have I started blogging. I will probably never have an answer. I think it’s for me to muse about things and other people to never really care and or answer. I like that. It’s solipsistic and I think deep down, I am too.

Now that I’ve started writing I feel like I have a lot to talk about but it’s late and I have to do things tomorrow. So, my last thought is, apparently the theme for wordpress that I have is called Kubrick which makes me wonder: does that mean reading a blog post takes 3.5 hours and is filled with elaborate costumes and well done soundtracks?

I still haven’t watched Barry Lyndon.