Blake Solomon
11/30/08, 11:36 PM
So here we are again. Another year has ended and I still have no idea who I am. Should I be a world class Formula 1 driver or just an astronaut? MILF's or Cougars? Bright pink hoodie or bright green hoodie? Still, one thing I'm completely sure of is how much I love this site, 85% of its users and 100% of its staff. From putting me in my rightful place to humoring me when no one else would, the people frequenting this little magical cupboard of the Internet are some of the greatest ever. I am continually blessed to be associated with AP.net in any way. We're growing at an amazing rate, and I hope I can keep up.
During this special time I wish you and yours the most wonderful of holidays and the most successful and happy new year anyone could ever hope for. Take a look at the below lists and let's talk about music, maybe some television and definitely boobs.
-BLAKE
Top 30 Albums of 2008
1.) WHY? - Alopecia
2.) Lydia - Illuminate
3.) Foals - Antidotes
4.) Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free
5.) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
6.) This Will Destroy You - S/T
7.) La Dispute - Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair
8.) Sleepmakeswaves - In Today Already Walks Tomorrow
9.) Son Lux - At War With Walls and Mazes
10.) I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini?
11.) This Town Needs Guns - Animals
12.) Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
13.) Valencia - We All Need A Reason to Believe
14.) Forever the Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater
15.) Followed By Ghosts - Dear Monsters, Be Patient
16.) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
17.) Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up 'Til It Was Light
18.) Giants - Old Stories
19.) Culture Reject - Culture Reject
20.) Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
21.) Crime in Stereo - Selective Wreckage
22.) Brightwood - Wake
23.) The Maine - Can't Stop, Won't Stop
24.) Jon Foreman - Fall and Winter
25.) Enjoy Destroy -Little Dreams
26.) The Kooks - Konk
27.) Anberlin - New Surrender
28.) Kyte - Kyte
29.) Lipona - Atlas
30.) The Dodos - Visiter
I'd like to think this is a fairly varied list. Sure, a few in the latter stages are interchangeable with rankings, but without a doubt no album hit me like Why?'s Alopecia. Yoni Wolf's lyrical darts hit my lame metaphorical bullseye every time. In fact, I listened to the album 5 times today. It's December. There hasn't been a single week since this leaked in January that I haven't listened to at least some of these songs. The band's take on hip-hop or rock or crazy instrumental sections continually wow me just on a creative level. How do they come up with this stuff? Seriously, this is amazing music.
Honorable Mention (in no order)
Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
The Streets - Everything is Borrowed
Sinaloa - Oceans of Islands
Ryan Adams and The Cardinals - Cardinology
Russian Circles - Station
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
The Cast Before the Break - As Your Shoulders Turn On You
David Karsten Daniels - Fear of Flying
El Ten Eleven - These Promises are being Videotaped
More Amor - More Amor
Able Baker Fox - Voices
House of Heroes - The End is Not the End
Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone
More music for you to check out. Especially The Streets, El Ten Eleven, Good Old War and David Karsten Daniels. These records lacked a bit of a punch when it came down to it, but they are still better than whatever your dad listened to at this age.
Best EP's of 2008
1.) The Jealous Sound - Got Friends
2.) Monument Monument - Sleep Well When You Get There
3.) You, Me, And Everyone We Know - So Young, So Insane
4.) The Avett Brothers - The Second Gleam
5.) Dananananaykroyd - Sissy Hits
6.) Dropout Year - On A Lighter Note
7.) In Harbour - The Hardest Part is Learning to Swim
8.) Kyte - Two Sparks, Two Stars
9.) Alaska & Me - I WIll Die in the West
10.) The Gaslight Anthem - Senor and the Queen
Just hearing new TJS stuff is enough to make it the best EP of this year. 3 great songs, one great remix and one so-so remix is a recipe for success. Blair sounds great and his lyrics connected with me (and my cohort Richy "Dunk My Donuts" Duncan). Other than that, MonMon gave away their EP for free and it's definitely worth a listen if you like slightly sissy, really pretty tunes. EP's weren't a huge part of my life this year, but when one stuck, it stuck hard. All of these are worthy of your time and money - sleazebags!
Songs of the Year
La Dispute - "Said the King to the River"
Bon Iver - "RE: Stacks" and "For Emma"
The Maine - "This Is The End" (This song is now my "most played" on itunes.)
This Will Destroy You - "A Three Legged Workhorse"
You, Me, And Everyone We Know - "I Can Get Back Up Now"
The Jealous Sound - "Got Friends"
Brightwood - "Dreamer to a Dream"
Mason Proper - "Fog"
The All-American Rejects - "Another Heart Calls"
This Town Needs Guns - "Panda"
Marry A Thief "Every Little Star (Remix)"
3OH!3 - "Still Around"
Anberlin - "The Resistance"
More Amor - "Little Bit"
Ghost of a Stranger - "Fight It Out"
Search The City - "The Rescue"
Noah and the Whale - "2 Atoms in a Molecule"
The Streets - "Everything Is Borrowed"
Set Your Goals - "The Fallen"
Lady GaGa - "Just Dance"
Why? - "By Torpedoes or Crohn's" and "These Few Presidents"
This list could go on and on, but I thought it would be telling to pick these songs off the top of my head alone. So it's not necessarily in order, but these are songs that easily stick out in my scattered mind. Mason Proper, Brightwood, The Maine; you know some of these and others you hate, but it's hard to deny the emotional impact I received at just the right times. That's what a song can do. It might be on a dud of an album, but when that one song describes a moment in time or a section of your life, you take notice and take hold. So this isn't so much a "Best Of" list, this is a "My Life in 2008" list. And if I say so myself, it's been a pretty good year.
Biggest Disappointments of 2008
Anberlin - New Surrender
Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty
(like everyone else) Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Emery - While Broken Hearts Prevail
and of course
The Killers - Day & Age
LOL
Best Television Shows of 2008
1.) 30 Rock
2.) Lost
3.) Kitchen Nightmares
4.) Californication
5.) Smart Guy (catch the reruns on BET every weekday at 4 CST!!!)
6.) The Mole UK Season 1 (youtube ftw)
30 Rock hasn't let me down yet. This season has been consistently funny and the cameos have rocked every time. Lost still has me intrigued - unlike Heroes, which fell off completely in my eyes - and Gordon Ramsey could yell at me all day and I woudln't even cry. Also, if you're looking for some intrigue. Catch any season of The Mole on youtube. You'll get hooked again.
Best Websites that aren't AbsolutePunk.net
1.) www.cokemachineglow.com
2.) www.cracked.com
3.) www.adsoftheworld.com
4.) www.hulu.com
Go to the first for well-written music reviews, the second for funny lists, the third for cool ads and the fourth for all the television you missed out on that week.
Reviews You Shouldn't Have Missed
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=491321)
Takka Takka - Migration (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=508821)
The Kooks - Konk (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=314521)
The Morning Of - The World As We Know It (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=289023)
Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=525521)
Things That Will Dominate 2009
1.) Moving Mountains
2.) Blake's Graduation from the University of Missouri
3.) Blake's Entrance into Advertising Portfolio School
4.) Moving Mountains
5.) Inkwell
6.) More Amor
7.) Lady Gaga
During this special time I wish you and yours the most wonderful of holidays and the most successful and happy new year anyone could ever hope for. Take a look at the below lists and let's talk about music, maybe some television and definitely boobs.
-BLAKE
Top 30 Albums of 2008
1.) WHY? - Alopecia
2.) Lydia - Illuminate
3.) Foals - Antidotes
4.) Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free
5.) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
6.) This Will Destroy You - S/T
7.) La Dispute - Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair
8.) Sleepmakeswaves - In Today Already Walks Tomorrow
9.) Son Lux - At War With Walls and Mazes
10.) I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini?
11.) This Town Needs Guns - Animals
12.) Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
13.) Valencia - We All Need A Reason to Believe
14.) Forever the Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater
15.) Followed By Ghosts - Dear Monsters, Be Patient
16.) Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
17.) Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up 'Til It Was Light
18.) Giants - Old Stories
19.) Culture Reject - Culture Reject
20.) Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
21.) Crime in Stereo - Selective Wreckage
22.) Brightwood - Wake
23.) The Maine - Can't Stop, Won't Stop
24.) Jon Foreman - Fall and Winter
25.) Enjoy Destroy -Little Dreams
26.) The Kooks - Konk
27.) Anberlin - New Surrender
28.) Kyte - Kyte
29.) Lipona - Atlas
30.) The Dodos - Visiter
I'd like to think this is a fairly varied list. Sure, a few in the latter stages are interchangeable with rankings, but without a doubt no album hit me like Why?'s Alopecia. Yoni Wolf's lyrical darts hit my lame metaphorical bullseye every time. In fact, I listened to the album 5 times today. It's December. There hasn't been a single week since this leaked in January that I haven't listened to at least some of these songs. The band's take on hip-hop or rock or crazy instrumental sections continually wow me just on a creative level. How do they come up with this stuff? Seriously, this is amazing music.
Honorable Mention (in no order)
Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
The Streets - Everything is Borrowed
Sinaloa - Oceans of Islands
Ryan Adams and The Cardinals - Cardinology
Russian Circles - Station
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
The Cast Before the Break - As Your Shoulders Turn On You
David Karsten Daniels - Fear of Flying
El Ten Eleven - These Promises are being Videotaped
More Amor - More Amor
Able Baker Fox - Voices
House of Heroes - The End is Not the End
Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone
More music for you to check out. Especially The Streets, El Ten Eleven, Good Old War and David Karsten Daniels. These records lacked a bit of a punch when it came down to it, but they are still better than whatever your dad listened to at this age.
Best EP's of 2008
1.) The Jealous Sound - Got Friends
2.) Monument Monument - Sleep Well When You Get There
3.) You, Me, And Everyone We Know - So Young, So Insane
4.) The Avett Brothers - The Second Gleam
5.) Dananananaykroyd - Sissy Hits
6.) Dropout Year - On A Lighter Note
7.) In Harbour - The Hardest Part is Learning to Swim
8.) Kyte - Two Sparks, Two Stars
9.) Alaska & Me - I WIll Die in the West
10.) The Gaslight Anthem - Senor and the Queen
Just hearing new TJS stuff is enough to make it the best EP of this year. 3 great songs, one great remix and one so-so remix is a recipe for success. Blair sounds great and his lyrics connected with me (and my cohort Richy "Dunk My Donuts" Duncan). Other than that, MonMon gave away their EP for free and it's definitely worth a listen if you like slightly sissy, really pretty tunes. EP's weren't a huge part of my life this year, but when one stuck, it stuck hard. All of these are worthy of your time and money - sleazebags!
Songs of the Year
La Dispute - "Said the King to the River"
Bon Iver - "RE: Stacks" and "For Emma"
The Maine - "This Is The End" (This song is now my "most played" on itunes.)
This Will Destroy You - "A Three Legged Workhorse"
You, Me, And Everyone We Know - "I Can Get Back Up Now"
The Jealous Sound - "Got Friends"
Brightwood - "Dreamer to a Dream"
Mason Proper - "Fog"
The All-American Rejects - "Another Heart Calls"
This Town Needs Guns - "Panda"
Marry A Thief "Every Little Star (Remix)"
3OH!3 - "Still Around"
Anberlin - "The Resistance"
More Amor - "Little Bit"
Ghost of a Stranger - "Fight It Out"
Search The City - "The Rescue"
Noah and the Whale - "2 Atoms in a Molecule"
The Streets - "Everything Is Borrowed"
Set Your Goals - "The Fallen"
Lady GaGa - "Just Dance"
Why? - "By Torpedoes or Crohn's" and "These Few Presidents"
This list could go on and on, but I thought it would be telling to pick these songs off the top of my head alone. So it's not necessarily in order, but these are songs that easily stick out in my scattered mind. Mason Proper, Brightwood, The Maine; you know some of these and others you hate, but it's hard to deny the emotional impact I received at just the right times. That's what a song can do. It might be on a dud of an album, but when that one song describes a moment in time or a section of your life, you take notice and take hold. So this isn't so much a "Best Of" list, this is a "My Life in 2008" list. And if I say so myself, it's been a pretty good year.
Biggest Disappointments of 2008
Anberlin - New Surrender
Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty
(like everyone else) Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Emery - While Broken Hearts Prevail
and of course
The Killers - Day & Age
LOL
Best Television Shows of 2008
1.) 30 Rock
2.) Lost
3.) Kitchen Nightmares
4.) Californication
5.) Smart Guy (catch the reruns on BET every weekday at 4 CST!!!)
6.) The Mole UK Season 1 (youtube ftw)
30 Rock hasn't let me down yet. This season has been consistently funny and the cameos have rocked every time. Lost still has me intrigued - unlike Heroes, which fell off completely in my eyes - and Gordon Ramsey could yell at me all day and I woudln't even cry. Also, if you're looking for some intrigue. Catch any season of The Mole on youtube. You'll get hooked again.
Best Websites that aren't AbsolutePunk.net
1.) www.cokemachineglow.com
2.) www.cracked.com
3.) www.adsoftheworld.com
4.) www.hulu.com
Go to the first for well-written music reviews, the second for funny lists, the third for cool ads and the fourth for all the television you missed out on that week.
Reviews You Shouldn't Have Missed
Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=491321)
Takka Takka - Migration (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=508821)
The Kooks - Konk (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=314521)
The Morning Of - The World As We Know It (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=289023)
Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free (http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=525521)
Things That Will Dominate 2009
1.) Moving Mountains
2.) Blake's Graduation from the University of Missouri
3.) Blake's Entrance into Advertising Portfolio School
4.) Moving Mountains
5.) Inkwell
6.) More Amor
7.) Lady Gaga