It is still early in the year, but I can confidently predict that Tift Merritt’s new album Another Country will be on my 2008 best of list. She has a great roots sound and an amazingly engaging voice. Her first two albums were very good as well.
Feist (Leslie Feist) is a Canadian singer/songwriter whose infectious song “1234″ is used on the Apple Video iPod commercial. Take a look at the whole video, it will bring a smile 
One of the best parts of this time of year is “best of” lists. I love finding new music from these lists. So here are two fun lists of best of lists. Careful, you might not be very productive if you venture on:
Largehearted Boy: 2007 Year-End Online Music Lists
Fimoculous: Best of lists for lots of things
Here are a few of my favorites from this year:
The Avett Brothers – Emotionalism
Josh Rouse – Country Mouse, City House
Feist – The Reminder
Jason Ibell – Sirens of the Ditch
Iron and Wine – The Shepherds Dog
Neil Young – Chrome Dreams II
Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger
Son Volt – The Search
Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter – Like, Love, Lust & The Open Halls Of The Soul
Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin
This is a fun flash-based game. Be careful, it is a bit addictive.
The Internet has done many wonderful things for us: great shopping, easy access to information, finding communities of interest. But maybe the best benefit is the democratization of talent. Wha? Talented people can get exposure via the Internet very easily, bypassing the traditional gatekeepers. Here is a great example of someone who traditional media wouldn’t touch, but he deserves attention because this is true talent:
Vimeo / Reggie Watts: Out Of Control video clip (from Jakob Lodwick)
Jodi was persistent and I finally relented to read Life of Pi by Yann Martel, a book she heartedly recommended. Boy, am I glad she is persistent! Life of Pi is about a young man in India, the son of a zookeeper, who decides that he wants to be Christian, Muslim and Hindu because he loves God and sees value in all these religions. At 16, Pi and his family attempt to immigrate to Canada, taking a ship across the Pacific with many of the zoo’s animals on-board. The ship sinks and Pi continues his travels in a lifeboat with a few other passengers. The story is really about stories, and how the telling of a good story can illuminate greater truths. Wonderful book.
