Special Feature

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It’s been a pretty good year for music in 2008. To celebrate the range of releases, the JamsBio Magazine contributors have selected a variety of favorites, listed in no particular order. We threw in a track with each one for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!


Black Milk

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Great Hip Hop Song

“Give the Drummer Sum” by Black Milk (from Tronic)



It starts with a horn blast, and if Q-Tip’s father is still listening to hip hop, he might say that “Give the Drummer Sum” reminded him of be-bop. It even has organ and trumpet solos. From the sped up vocal sample to the tightest drum loop of 2008, Black Milk threw everything he had in his studio into this production, a blunted banger that will still be on headphones ten years from now. (Rick Sawyer)


Proem

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Great Electronic Album

A Permanent Solution by Proem



I could have picked one of a dozen, but I’m going with fellow this Texan for putting out yet another unconventional release that stands apart from the crowd. More than being danceable, good electronic music should push the sound to new places. This album finds a nice balance between accessibility and creativity. (Sandeep Ghael)


Jay-Z

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Great Concert by a Supposedly Retired Artist

Jay-Z at House of Blues, LA



Hova took the whole American Gangster thing as far as he could, looking dapper in a suit and later all ‘blinged out’ as he took the stage for a few solid hours with no breaks, no missteps and with the backing of an amazing and huge band. (Clint Schaff)


Cut Copy

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Great Dance Punk Album

In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy



I never got tired of Cut Copy’sIn Ghost Colours. It’s an album that perfectly blends indie and dance without it treading the annoying, computerized sounds of electro. (Julianne Agno)


Katy Perry

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Great Song Used in an Apple Commercial

“New Soul” by Yael Naïm



We can’t deny that Apple has changed the way we listen to music. Heck, they’ve even pushed the success of some songs, such as Feist’s “1 2 3 4.” And this year’s hit, despite competitions from the likes of Coldplay, goes to Yael Naïm’s “New Soul.” It’s like a little marching parade on your iPod. (Hieu Tran)


David Byrne & Brian Eno

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Great Studio Reunion

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today by David Byrne & Brian Eno



Thirty years after their first big successes together, Byrne and Eno have released a futuristic album of secular gospel music that may be one of the most important recordings of the year. Byrne and Eno have produced something here that challenges our assumptions about pop music, showcases their immense talents, and is instantly listenable for people of all walks of life. (Brian Castleberry)


Anthony Braxton

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Great Jazz Reissue Box Set

The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton by Anthony Braxton



Sprawling, inscrutable, intimidating, but breathtaking, Anthony Braxton’s 1970s recordings for Arista are a must-have for adventurous jazz fans. Mosaic’s handsome box set features 8-discs with music ranging from Braxton’s explorations on unaccompanied alto saxophone to two full CDs dedicated to a performance of a piece for four 39-piece orchestras. (Douglas Newman)


John McCain

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Great Political Musical Dynamic

McCain Aversion



I love how seemingly every recording artist ever had to scold the McCain campaign for using their music without permission, while Obama had Stevie Wonder and Will.I.Am managing the campaign. The iTunes vote must have been 90-10. At least we’ll never ever again have to hear the sad country anthem “Raising McCain.” (Clint Schaff)


Duran Duran

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Great Rock Star Diva

Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran



It’s been ages since I’ve seen him live but he’s still got the loveable asshole vibe. At a recent show he spit an entire bottle of Evian on the audience, demanded a drink of tequila from backstage and then handed it off to a fan when it was brought in an unacceptable coffee mug and demanded that the audience chant “SIMON!” for a good 10 minutes near the end of the show. (Nancy Litchenstein)


An England Story

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Great DJ Compilation

An England Story released by Soul Jazz



An important corrective to the Western hemisphere’s history of the DJ, this compilation proved that the British can toast and rap alongside the best Jamaicans and New Yorkers.(Rick Sawyer)


Moonbeams

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Great Album Cover

Throw Me the Statue by Moonbeams



Carefree and sexy and sunny — the cover of the Moonbeams’ Throw Me the Statue perfectly matches the album’s glowing late-summer-afternoon sound. Check out the track “Lolita” to see what I mean. (Lauren Maas)


The Walkmen

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Great Lyric

“In the New Year” by The Walkmen (from You & Me)



“I know that it’s true/It’s gonna be a good year/Out of the darkness/And into the fire/I’ll tell you I love you/And my heart’s in the strangest place/That’s how it started/And that’s how it ends.” The Walkmen present a chorus that draws on a relationship that’s hopeful and doomed all at once. Hamilton Leithauser’s urgent, near-scream of a voice is epic, and the lines sound like they’ve always existed somewhere out in space, waiting for them to be sung. (Lauren Maas)


Girl Talk

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Great Mash Up Take 1

“Give Me A Beat” by Girl Talk (from Feed the Animals)



Ms. Spears’ synthesized voice with Air’s sexy boy? Oh so wonderful. (Nadia Collado)


Colbert Christmas

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Great Christmas Song

“Little Dealer Boy” by Willie Nelson & Stephen Colbert



Willie Nelson smoked all the other holiday songs on the Colbert Christmas special, while suggesting a nice solution to awkward time with family. (Clint Schaff)


Emma Pollock

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Great Overlooked Album

Watch the Fireworks by Emma Pollock



The Scottish singer-songwriter, formerly of the acclaimed Delgados, doesn’t disappoint with her first solo record since the band’s demise. More clever, twisted pop songs delivered with Pollack’s always pleasing finesse. (Douglas Newman)


The Joker

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Great Leitmotif

The two-note on-screen intro for the Joker in The Dark Knight



Begun by Richard Wagner, the leitmotif is a staple of movies, calling heroes and villains onto the screen by their respective musical themes. And this year, one of the best goes to the two-note ear-splitter for the Joker in The Dark Knight. It made the Joker the creepiest guy on screen this year. But really, if you had that kind of theme music accompanying you, you’d be pretty creepy, too. (Hieu Tran)


Nigeria Disco Funk Special

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Great Compilation Series

Nigeria Rock Special; & Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound of the Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-79



Soundway deserves a Nobel prize for the amazing reissues of timeless African recordings found in the Nigeria Special series. We were treated to two stellar collections in 2008, one that dug deep for JB-inspired funk tracks from mid-1970s Lagos and another that offers a West African spin on Hendrix and Santana. Both are essential listening. (Douglas Newman)


The Bird and The Bee

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Great Cover Song

“How Deep is Your Love” by The Bird and The Bee



The Bird and The Bee revive the BeeGee’s timeless love song in this sweet, light, and poignant version. (Julianne Agno)


Guns N' Roses

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Great Unintended Humor

Axl Rose & Chinese Democracy



Suddenly, groups like Def Leppard and Motley Crue seem classy and accomplished. Nice job, GN’R. (Clint Schaff)


My Bloody Valentine

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Great Shoegaze Reunion

My Bloody Valentine at All Tomorrow’s Parties, Monticello, NY



I’ll just say now… I’m flat out jumping on this bandwagon, ’cause I wasn’t even there. But how could it not be MBV performing at All Tomorrow’s Parties NY? (Sandeep Ghael)


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Comments (3)

Add a Comment
COMMENTS (3)
Diego21 said:

One Day as a Lion by Zack de la Rocha and Jon Theodore description is doubled on Erykah Bahdu’s album comment on the first page

Heather said:

I don’t know about your iPod commercial song. I thought Bruises by Chairlift for the Nanochromatic was pretty good. It’s on my iPod right now. Great list though

Milena said:

That was a pretty fantastic list and I learned so much. Thank you for putting it up.
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