Chris Sisson's Best of 2008

Here it is boys and girls! Better late than never right? As always Chris Schuck's Annual Surprise Birthday Bash for Jesus features selections from my favorite albums (19 this year) of the year. I've included some links to webpages where you can hear more tunes from these artists. Please enjoy.

1. Sigur Rós – “Gobbledigook”
Album: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
www.sigurros.com/
In english the album title translates to With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly. I’d say this is the most accessible album by my favorite Icelandic quartet. I couldn’t decide which song to choose so this year’s Birthday Bash is bookended by Sigur Rós. Leanna and I saw them at the Uptown this summer and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Also check out: "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur " "Við spilum endalaust"

2. Los Campesinos! – “Death to Los Campesinos!”
Album: Hold On Now Youngster
www.myspace.com/loscampesinos
Last year the Birthday Bash brought you “You! Me! Dancing!” which was on the Campesinos! Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP. This year they released two full length albums, the first of which being Youngster. I love the energy on this record. It was hard to leave track 5, “My Year In Lists” off the Bash for obvious reasons, but no song made me happier in 2008 than “Death to….”
Also check out: “My Year In Lists” “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks”

3. Erykah Badu – “The Healer/Hip Hop”
Album: New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)
http://www.erykahbadu.com/
This lady’s got herself some soul. The New Amerykah is the first album of a trilogy. Part Two comes out in early 2009 so watch out for that. If you’re ever in need of some good cruising around with your windows down music, pop this one in.
Also check out: “Soldier” “Twinkle”

4. The Black Keys – “Oceans and Streams”
Album: Attack and Release
www.myspace.com/theblackkeys
I am amazed this record isn’t all over the year end lists. It’s definitely in my top 3, although to be honest, I fell in love with it before I ever heard a note. It was going to be a Dangermouse produced Ike Turner record with the Black Keys as the session band. Unfortunately Ike passed away last December leaving the ‘Mouse and the Keys with a bunch of tunes that became Attack and Release. If you’re unfamiliar with the Black Keys, they’re a two piece garage rock band out of Akron, Ohio. Make no mistake, this is the Black Keys, but there is a bluesy soul element that sets this one apart from their past releases. It sounds pretty normal until 2:18 into "All You Ever Wanted" and then this organ kicks in that gives me chills and sort of announces that this is not your father's Black Keys.
Also check out: “I Got Mine” “Psychotic Girl”

5. Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”
Album: For Emma, Forever Ago
www.myspace.com/boniver
For Emma was actually released independently in ’07 but was formally released by Jagjaguwar in February. Critics absolutely love this record, but I have to admit, I was slow to warm up to it. As you can hear, it’s a lot of guy and a guitar, sad bastard type music which I have a hard time getting into. In the end though, it won me over because the songs are just so pretty. Bon Iver is the stage name of Justin Vernon. He wrote and recorded For Emma in a cabin in rural Wisconsin after, what else, his girlfriend dumped him. I would suggest putting this on if you’re stuck inside on a really cold snowy evening, or when you want to be sad.
Also check out: “Flume”

6. TV On The Radio – “DLZ”
Album: Dear Science
http://www.myspace.com/tvotr
It seems like TVOTR have been indie darlings for like 10 years. It helps that they keep getting better with every release. Dear Science is probably their most listener friendly album to date. I chose “DLZ” basically at random because just about every song on it deserves to be heard.
Also check out: “Dancing Choose” “Shout Me Out” “Red Dress” “Halfway Home”

7. Gnarls Barkley – “Going On”
Album: The Odd Couple
www.myspace.com/gnarlsbarkley
Here’s the second Dangermouse album on my list. The Odd Couple doesn’t have any “Crazy”-type hits, but is overall more solid than St. Elsewhere. It showcases Cee-lo’s voice a little more, and most of the songs are built around 60’s soul samples.
Also check out: “Run(I’m a Natural Disaster)” “Who’s Going To Save My Soul”

8. K’naan – “My Old Home”
Album: The Dusty Foot Philosopher
http://www.myspace.com/knaanmusic
I need to thank Jim and Greg at Sound Opinions for bringing Somali-Canadian rapper K’naan to my attention. This album has been around for a while, but didn’t come out in the US until this April. K’naan was born in Somalia and lived there until the still ongoing civil war broke out. The story is that his family made it onto the last commercial flight out of Mogadisho when he was 13. They settled in Canada where he learned English and started rapping. “My Old Home” is obviously about his childhood in Africa, but the subject matter of Dusty Foot Philosopher is all over the map. What I like most of all though are the beats. You’d never hear any of these songs on Hot 103 Jamz (don’t forget to slam that Z), and that’s a good thing. He has a new record coming out in February called Troubador. Should be real good.
Also check out: “Smile” “Voices In My Head” “In The Beginning”

9. What Made Milwaukee Famous – “Sultan”
Album: What Doesn’t Kill Us
www.myspace.com/whatmademilwaukeefamous
Here are some dudes from Austin who write really catchy songs. There isn’t really anything all that exceptional about this record, but quite often I find myself humming their tunes. I’d wager that after listening to the Bash this year, “Sultan” is the one that will be running through your head the next day. Consistently solid.
Also check out: “Resistance St.” “Cheap Wine”

10. The Hold Steady – “Sequestered In Memphis”
Album: Stay Positive
www.myspace.com/theholdsteady
I think my burned Hold Steady disc (Stay Positive + favorites from the past) owes me some rent because it practically lives in my Saturn’s CD player. Some of the best driving I did this year was summertime on I-70, Columbia to Kansas City with all the windows down and Stay Positive blasting at full volume. By the way, if you haven't noticed, how well a CD sounds while I'm driving around with the windows down is a huge factor in my opinion of it. Now, I'm not one of those people with a trunk rattling system in his car (you know, I don't hear as many of those as I used to) who wants everyone to be annoyed by what he's listening to. I just like the feeling of open air and good tunes. Really, what's better? This isn’t really a concept record, but a lot of the songs, like “Sequestered” involve murder mystery, John Grisham type stuff.
Also check out: “Constructive Summer” “Stay Positive”


11. Cloud Cult – “Everybody Here is a Cloud”
Album: Feel Good Ghosts (Tea Partying Through Tornadoes)
www.myspace.com/cloudcult
I had heard of Cloud Cult, but never really heard them until this fall when I was listening to The Current (Minnesota Public Radio) online while studying. Now I’m a little disappointed in myself for not having been all over them in the past. I love their sound. Cloud Cult is mainly the project of one man, Craig Minowa. Back in 2002, his two year old son passed away which has since become the subject of the majority of Cloud Cult songs. By the way, did anybody notice how we’ve grouped the two Minnesota artists together at 10 & 11? Pretty clever huh?
Also check out: “No One Said it Would Be Easy” “It’s What You Need”

12. Fleet Foxes – “Blue Ridge Mountains”
Album: Fleet Foxes
http://www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes
This may be the consensus album of the year, at least among my sources. People really love it, but like Bon Iver, it took me awhile to get into it. The whole spooky, wailing harmony, wispy sound just doesn’t do it for me that often, but when it does it really hits the spot. “Blue Ridge Mountains” became my favorite song on the record after I saw them play it on Letterman, but “White Winter Hymnal” is all over the best songs of 2008 lists.
Also check out: “White Winter Hymnal” “Quiet Houses”

13. It’s Over – “My Dear Wife”
Album: That Girl
http://www.myspace.com/itsoverkansascity
Kansas City’s own It’s Over (now on hiatus....how perfect is that?) finally came out with a full length record this year. They’ve been favorites around here for a while, and you can hear why. They're influenced by old school 50’s rock and they write songs about being married to serial killers. What’s not to like?
Also check out: “Hallelujah” “To Be In Love” “She’s a Killer”

14. Murder By Death – “Fuego”
Album: Red of Tooth and Claw
www.myspace.com/murderbydeath
Here’s another band I’d heard of but not really heard until this year. Track 5 (“Theme”) is an instrumental homage to Ennio Morricone (the guy who wrote all of those haunting soundtracks to spaghetti westerns), but I think they should have made it the first track because it really sets the tone for the record. Red of Tooth... is a concept record (I'm a sucker for a good concept record) about bad men in the old west and they have the perfect sound, with the baritone vocals and spooky cello, for that particular subject.
Also check out: “Theme” “Rum Brave” “Steal Away”

15. Drive-By Truckers – “A Ghost To Most”
Album: Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
http://www.myspace.com/drivebytruckers
Loyal Birthday Bash listeners will not be surprised by this pick. I’ve made no secret of the fact that the Truckers are one of my favorite bands, both live and on wax (well plastic or whatever they make CD’s out of). However, I am somewhat disappointed by this record. As you learned last year, Jason Isbell has left the band, taking his fantastic songwriting and guitar playing with him. They replaced him with John Neff who’s supposedly some kind of pedal steel virtuoso, but the end result is they went from a super tight three guitar attack to a two guitar and pedal steel band. In spite of all this though, there are some really great songs on this one, not the least of which is Cooley’s “Ghost”.
Also check out: “Righteous Path” “Three Dimes Down” “Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife”

16. Whiskeytown – “Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart” featuring Alejandro Escovedo
Album: Strangers Almanac Deluxe Edition
http://www.losthighwayrecords.com/whiskeytown/
So Ryan Adams released yet another album this year called Cardinology, but for my money, the best Ryan Adams release of 2008 was the reissue of Whiskeytown’s Strangers Almanac. It’s a two disc set with all of the original material plus a whole bunch of in-stores, acoustic performances, radio appearances and b-sides. I was a little on the fence about whether to include it in the Birthday Bash since the original came out in 1997, but since Strangers Almanac is my all-time favorite record and since it’s my list, I put it on there.
Also check out: “Houses on the Hill” “16 Days” “Waiting To Derail”

17. Why? – “Fatalist Palmistry”
Album: Alopecia
www.myspace.com/whyanticon
Indie hip-hop fans may recognize Why?’s lead singer, Yonni Wolf as one half of the duo CloudDead. Released on the supercool Bay area label, Anticon, Alopecia is one of those genre smashers that really sticks to your ribs if you know what I mean (if you do would you explain it to me because I have no idea what I’m typing right now). I was driving around in a snowstorm last night and found Alopecia to be the perfect soundtrack.
Also check out: “The Hollows” “The Vowels Pt. 2”

18. Rhymefest – “Thriller” (skit)
19. Rhymefest – “Get Up” featuring Wale
Album: Mark Ronson presents Rhymefest: Man In The Mirror
www.myspace.com/rhymefest
This is a “Michael Jackson tribute album” by Chicago rapper Rhymefest. You can download it for free from Rhymefest’s website. Here’s a link. http://rhymefeststore.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=page&id=1 They dug up some old MJ interviews and spliced ‘Fest (aka El Che) in with them to produce some pretty funny skits in between a bunch of really good songs built around MJ samples. I think it’s fantastic.
Also check out: “Can’t Make It” “Breakadawn”

20. Blitzen Trapper – “Black River Killer”
Album: Furr
www.myspace.com/blitzentrapper
Blitzen Trapper, one of about 12,000 hip bands from Portland, OR showed up last year with the self released Wild Mountain Nation, which got some good reviews due to its varied styles although I thought it was completely unmemorable. They’ve since signed to Sub Pop and this year they gave us the much more focused Furr. It’s pretty folky and the singer is doing his best Bob Dylan impression, but in a good way.
Also check out: “Saturday Nite” “Furr”

21. Sigur Rós - "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur ”
Album: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Here you go. We’ve bookended the Bash with Sigur Rós.



I hope you’ve enjoyed the Birthday Bash. Did I leave something out? MGMT? Vampire Weekend? Metallica? Nickelback? Are you outraged by my selections? Let me know what you think. Until next year, keep your ears to the ground and keep reaching for the stars!

-Team Sisson

If you've navigated your way to this webpage, then you must have received "Chris Schuck's Sixth Annual Surprise Birthday Bash For Jesus." For those of you new to the mailing list, the birthday bash started out six years ago as the result of my learning how to burn CD's on my new computer as well as my girlfriend (now wife) teaching me how to use Photoshop. In the six years since then it's turned into an audio Christmas card/Best of 200? compilation, which I guess is really just a display of my music geekery/snobbery. So, below you'll find the track listing of the CD (which I'm sure by now you've enjoyed listening to time and time again), some of my very insightful comments, the "Almost Made It List", and the hightly anticipated special holiday message from the Sissons. Please enjoy.


1. Los Campesinos! "You! Me! Dancing!"
Album: Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (EP)
These seven kids hail from Cardiff, Wales and have been one of this year's internet buzz bands. This song will be on the full length album they are putting out in early 2008 so look out for that. I think in five years I'm going to wonder why I liked this band, but right now I don't see how it is physically possible to disslike You!Me!Dancing!.

2. Beirut "Elephant Gun"
Albums: Lon Gisland (EP), Flying Club Cup
Ok ok, you got me. Yes, I know Lon Gisland came out in December of 2006. Believe me, I was originally going to give you "Nantes" from Flying Club Cup, but for my money, "Elephant Gun" is the best song I've heard this year. Plus, I noticed that several other music publications were including it on their best of 2007 lists so there you go. If you still have a problem with it, send the CD back to me and you'll get a full refund.

3. Okkervil River "Our Life Is Not a Movie Or Maybe"
Album: The Stage Names
This makes two straight very solid albums from these very nice boys from the very nice Austin, TX.

4. Arcade Fire "Intervention"
Album: Neon Bible
I'll bet you wondered if Arcade Fire could possibly top 2004's beautiful Funeral. Wonder no more, this album is fan-freaking-tastic. My favorite song on the album is "No Cars No Go" which was on their self-titled 2002 EP and was re-recorded for Neon Bible. Anyway, in the interest of getting as many tunes as possilbe on the bash, I had to give you the equally excellent "Intervention." As you may know, the absolute zero coolest tour this year was the Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem tour. They only played ten or twelve dates and amazingly one of those was at Starlight Theater here in Kansas City! Unfortunately, Leanna came down with a migraine the afternoon of the show, so my friend Jessica and I saw what was in my opinion the hands down best show of the year. If you ever get the chance to see Arcade Fire live, you know, do it.

5. Jason Isbel "Dress Blues"
Album: Sirens Of The Ditch
This is kind of a sad album for me. Jason Isbell was the third guitar player/songwriter for one of my favorite bands, the Drive-By Truckers. This year he left the band to start his solo career. Adam and I caught the Truckers sans Isbel a couple of months ago in Lawrence and they are just not the same without him. On the bright side, Sirens of the Ditch is really good. If you hadn't noticed, "Dress Blues" is about a friend of his who died in Iraq. I have literally teared up more than once listening to that song.

6. Battles "Race:In"
Album: Mirrored
This is one of those records that is kind of hard to get into, but when it hooks you, it really hooks you. Here's a tip, turn the volume way up when you listen to it. One of my biggest regrets of the year is not going to see them when they played at Record Bar this summer.

7. Kanye West "Stronger"
Album: Graduation
I didn't really want to like Graduation. Not because I have any strong personal feelings toward Kanye, but I just don't think he's much of a rapper. As it turns out though, the beats on this record are just what the doctor ordered. I hope you aren't sick of hearing "Stronger." I heard them play it on a top-40 station once so I'm sure they played it once an hour for a few months.

8. Radiohead "Bodysnatchers"
Album: In Rainbows
In another year of buzz bands, one of the most well-established and, dare I say, revered rock bands in the world created the biggest buzz by selling their new album on their website, charging you the customer a scant whatever you wanted to pat for it! Now I'm not going to tell you how much I shelled out, but I am going to tell you that the record is outstanding. I think at this point, after OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief, Radiohead is in kind of a can do no wrong situation with me so my opinion might be a little skewed, but probably not in this case. I've seen In Rainbows all over the year end lists. "Bodysnatchers" is the most upbeat track, but certainly not the prettiest.

9. Wilco "The Thanks I Get"
Album: Sky Blue Sky
Even if you've never heard of Wilco, I'll bet you've heard a couple of songs from Sky Blue Sky on Volkswagen commercials (they sold the rights to six tunes to be used this way) this year. Did Wilco sell out? I don't know. I do know that there is not a single commercial radio station in this country whose format allows them to play this kind of music. Anyway, who cares? Wilco is another one of those can do no wrong bands for me, but I really wasn't all that impressed with this one at first. I thought it was slow and boring, but after several listens it has really grown on me. I got to see them play live twice this summer, once out on Ninth St. in Columbia, and once at the Crossroads venue in Kansas City. Wilco always brings the groceries, and these shows were no exception. The Kansas City show was actually just a few blocks away from the grand opening of the Sprint Center which was an Elton John concert. That was a good night. By the way, "The Thanks I Get" is actually on the Sky Blue Sky bonus EP you can get from http://www.wilcoworld.net/ if you have Sky Blue Sky.

10. Bettye LaVette "Before The Money Came"
Album: The Scene Of The Crime
What is soul legend Bettye LaVette doing on my list? Well, I probably never would have listened to this CD had I not known that she was backed by, among others, the Drive-By Truckers. She went back to Muscle Shoals to record this one, and Scene of the Crime refers to her 1972 recording, also made in Muscle Shoals that was to be her masterpiece, but was inexplicably shelved by Atlantic Records. Between acts at the Truckers show mentioned above, they played this record in its entirety over the monitors between acts and I was blown away. "Before the Money Came," is the only original song on the CD (the rest are a nice assortment of covers), and is sort a telling of her life story.

11. Spoon "The Underdog"
Album: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
If I were ranking these albums I think I'd have to put Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga at #1. I've been a huge Spoon fan ever since I heard "The Way We Get By" on a CMJ sampler back in college. Since then they've been getting better and better. All their songs are kind of simple, and I was wondering what I liked about them so much until I heard somebody point out how the band approaches rythym. Every single instrument, including vocals, is used to push the songs forward, which makes for a really nice, toe-tapping groove.

12. Mac Lethal "Backward"
Album: 11:11
11:11 is the Rhymesayers (super influential independent hip-hop label in Minneapolis) debut from, here it is Jessica, the lone local artist to make the cut. I won't say it was a weak year for local music, but it was definitely a weak year for local music making its way into my ears. Now, having said that, Mac didn't just make the list because he's local, although that did help. I really really like this album. The lyrics are smart, funny, nicely articulated, and filled with both subtle and not so subtle references to Kansas City. But what really impresses me are the beats. At one point on the record, he points out that what we're hearing is not an independent rap beat ("listen to that bass!"), and he's right. There's a lot of different stuff going on with the music, and most of it is good.

13. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club "Took Out A Loan"
Album: Baby 81
Baby 81 makes the list based on the strength of the first three songs on the CD. Maybe I'm crazy, but when I listen to something brand new to me, I always get an intial impression and then hope that the music does something, which almost never happens. (I just read that last sentence back to myself. You guys must think I'm really high right now.) The first three tracks on this one do exactly what I want them to. You know the other thing is, I've always liked BRMC's sound, but thought their songwriting was too boring and didn't really make use of that great sound. They still aren't there in my opinion, but with this record, they're getting close.

14. El-P "Up All Night"
Album: I'll Sleep When You're Dead
This is by far the most hard to listen to/get in to album on my list. I wouldn't be surprised if not a single Birthday Bash recipient enjoyed the track I've selected or any other on I'll Sleep When You're Dead. I think it came out back in April, and I remember that I loved it right away. Anyway, after maybe July I didn't listen to it at all until I started putting this list together and honestly, at first I had a hard time remembering what I liked about it so much. Then I figured it out that it is just really really freaking good.

15. Flight of the Conchords "Business Time"
Album: The Distant Future
Favorite TV show of 2007? Flight of the Conchords! In case you were unaware, Flight of the Conchords are the self-proclaimed "fouth most popular two person novelty band in all of New Zealand." This astonishing level of fame netted them an HBO series that is both built around their songs and hilarious. The Distant Future is just a hastily produced EP (I think the show's success was a little unexpected), but look for a full lenght album to come out next year, as well season two.

16. Lucinda Williams "Come On"
Album: West
West came out early in the year, and when it did I thought it was really good. Since then I saw her play live (not impressive) and heard a lot of other really good music so I came close to leaving her out. But in the past couple of years I've been criticized for not including enough women in the Bash, so here you go Caryn with a K. Don't get me wrong, it is a very good album, and her live show wasn't that bad either. I was just turned off by the fact that she was reading either music or lyrics out of a three ring binder for most of the show. I think a professional musician should memorize those kinds of things, but who am I to judge. At least it was an outdoor show, and there was a pretty cool electrial storm going on all around us.

17. LCD Soundsystem "All My Friends"
Album: Sound of Silver
Sound of Silver is probably the consensus album of the year judging by all the lists I'm looking at. I wouldn't put it at #1, but I obviously have put it in my top 17. As I mentioned above, Jessica and I got to see LCD open up for the Arcade Fire at Starlight Theater. There were some sound issues during the first two songs, but from then on they played a killer set, although I think they'd be much better at a venue that wasn't all bolted seats. Yes, "All My Friends" is 7+ minutes of repetitive keyboards, but stick with it. It builds to a great crescendo that I think is just fantastic.

The Almost Made It List
*Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
*Art Brut - It's a Bit Complicated
*Lupe Fiasco - The Cool (just came out last week, but probably belongs in top five)
*Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams (also just came out last week)
*The Hives - The Black and White Album
*Buck 65 - Situation
*Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

Special Holiday Message From The Sissons:
I didn't get the early edition of the Bash mailed out until Christmas Eve, so you all will have received it a little later than usual. So, we hope you have/are having/have had a happy and safe holiday season. Much luck in 2008, although with Gary by your side you won't need any. Remember, Gary has a plan for all of us.