Years Ending Require Lists

2008 was a good year for indie rock, and reissues as well though most of those i've left off this list to make room for the indieness. nothing dominated my stereo this year but lots of highly enjoyable stuff flowed through...here's what comes to mind immediately...

Son, Ambulance - Someone Else’s Deja Vu
Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life
Jay Reatard - Matador Singles
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Santogold - Santogold
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
Nigeria Special -Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds, & Nigerian Blues 1970-76
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
No Age - Nouns
Hot Chip - Made In the Dark
Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs
Jamie Lidell - Jim
Orchestra Baobab - Made in Dakar
Vampire Weekend - s/t
Stereolab - Chemical Chords
Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago
Anthony Braxton - Complete Arista Recordings
Surf City - Surf City EP

of course what i listened to the most was all the stuff that came out on Merge, but if i included that here there'd be no room for anything else.

and #1 on all lists for the year of course is OBAMA...

happy holidays everyone!

GMObama? Tom Vilsack .... Change I Don't Want to Eat, Much Less Believe In

Former Iowa governor (and oft-mentioned possible VP choice for Kerry in 2004) Tom Vilsack was announced to be Obama's choice for Secretary of Agriculture today and it's the first cabinet choice that to me is beyond "questionable and centrist but hey, we'll give them a chance" and more along the lines of "this stinks now and means bad things for the future of the nation and our food chain."

He's a friend to Monsanto, a friend of GMOs, and an ethanol junkie. I know Obama (and other appointees) have said that the policies and ideas will be Obama's not theirs, but if Vilsack's ideas are even in the same vein as the President elect's then this is a real let-down. It's not just bad for small farmers and the ecosystem, it's also bad for people who eat food, and i count myself in that demographic!

There's a run-down of the GMO issue over at Daily Kos that's pretty comprehensive.

The Organic Consumers Association has a petition up to stop the nomination.

And another petition worth reading (and signing) at Food Democracy Now.

Wednesday listening:
Santogold
Amadou and Mariam
Nicky Siano's Legendary The Gallery
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Tones - Naturally
John Coltrane - First Meditations

Cy Tunes Launch!

all the info over here at Merge...Superchunk "request night" and Rosebuds live sets up among many others...


Mid Week Listening / Reading

Orchestra Baobab - Made in Dakar
Various Artists - Teenbeat No. 1 Record Label
John Coltrane - Sun Ship
Fennesz - Venice
Drug Rug - s/t
No Age - Nouns

also just finished reading The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, which is a depressing and exciting book about what would happen on earth if humans suddenly disappeared.

i read that book to myself but i read a couple things out loud for the Bookery feature over on Daytrotter. like most people i am not a fan of my speaking voice recorded, but there it is on the internet. lots of other fun stuff as usual there, too.