A little bit country, a little bit rock n roll

Well 2008 is coming to a close and every where I look I see another top 10 list for the year. Movies, books, music, people etc, everyone has an opinion on what the best things of the year were. So I got to thinking about what would make my top ten list if I were going to make one, so I decided I would do just that. This top 10 is going to be the top 10 songs that I loved this year and listened to over and over and over. My list is a little different, though. This is a list of songs that I personally discovered this year and does NOT mean that they were released this year. So if you read my list and think, 'man that song is OLD', well that's fine. It may be, but it was new to me this year so oh well. I do not claim to be very hip or up on music. =) Here goes!



Runners Up - I wanted to mention a few songs that didn't make the top 10 but were in the running because they also were loved this year. They were Cath by Death Cab for Cutie, Falling Slowly by Swell Season, Watching Airplanes by Gary Allen, and Gone, Gone, Gone by Allison Krause and Robert Plant. Now on to the official list...

10. Garth Brooks - Ireland
This was neck and neck with Watching Airplanes, but ultimately won out. This song is pretty old, and I used to be a huge Garth Brooks fan, but somehow I just never heard it. On our road trip to the river this year, KC and I played several rounds of iPod jukebox and she introduced me to this song. It had apparently been the theme song for the year before and so we listened to it several times in the car, on the river, on the way home, and I have loved it ever since.

9. Natalie Grant - Held
As most of you know, the beginning of 2008 started out a little shaky and there was a lot of pain in my life. This is a song about leaning on God in times of trouble and the lyrics are just beautiful. I heard Natalie sing at Prestonwood Baptist one Sunday and this song just got me. So I listened to this song a lot the first half of the year when I felt like I needed a little strength and help from above.

8. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
So in the past year or two I have read a bunch of historical fiction. A lot about Henry the 8th and French Revolution and also studied a lot about these periods in my Shakespeare class. So this song caught my attention because of the interesting thoughts on revolution and rulers, and besides that it is darn catchy. I have probably heard this song more than any other on the list simply because they played it on every radio station a hundred times a day, but somehow I never got sick of it!

7. Eli Young Band - When It Rains
Another one that I know came out a while back, but I reallllly loved this song this year. Going along with the theme of having some dark times, I felt comforted listening to the depressing lyrics. "Start out depressed, and everything comes as a pleasant surprise" =) Love it.

6. Mates of State - The Re-Arranger
Alright, so this is a band that I 'discovered' early this year by a strange sort of happenstance, but I guess it was just meant to be. I only have a few bands/artists that I would consider my favorites, but this band has now made my faves list. This song is the title song from their latest CD and I am sometimes guilty of putting it on repeat a few times before I play the rest of the album...not that the rest isn't also great. This song is also my default ring tone right now and it makes me want to never answer the phone!

5. Charlie Robison - El Cerrito Place
This song is wonderful, plain and simple. It is beautiful and slow and sweet and makes you want to grab your best guy or gal and dance. "I've been looking for you baby" over and over is so simple, but just gets me. It is a country song and my husband actually likes it so what does that tell you...must be good right?

4. Mates of State - Goods
Congrats to my new favorite band and the only band to make the list twice! The first song I heard by this band was actually a cover of Phantom Planet's "California", which is how I discovered them on my space in the first place. I liked that cover and so I listened to all their songs on their my space page. This song I just loved so much, I have no idea how many times I listened to it and made Jason listen to it before I broke down and bought just about all of their CDs. I now love all their music, but this is the song that really brought me to them. Thank you Goods.

3. Counting Crows - Cowboys
Adam and his band put out a new CD this year after a looooong time without a new CD with all new songs. They had a couple new songs here and there to tide us fans over between their 2002 Hard Candy and now, but this was very long awaited. This is my favorite song from their new album and I was really hoping to hear them play it at their show in September, but that didn't happen. Either way, this song is high energy and there are a couple of stretches of lyrics that are so good they take my breath away literally. Thanks guys for some new music finally!

2. Brandi Carlile - My Song
I got her CD because I loved the song The Story. But this is the song that I have sung so loud in the car passerbys must have thought I was screaming. It is another dark one that seemed to fit my mood so often in the last year and the lyrics are, literally, sharp. One of my faves? "If you only knew my mind was full of razors" Ugh, that girl can write.

1. Drum roll please.......

MGMT - Time to Pretend
This is another band that really impressed me this year and a LOT of the songs on their album are worthy of this list, but I just picked this one because it was the one I loved that made me buy the CD. The lyrics are almost funny and almost sad, but the music is so unique as is their style, it is nice to find a band that doesn't sound like every other new alternative band out there today. And not to diminish their talent by using a word like 'catchy' but this song is freakin catchy. Do yourself a favor and listen to it now.

Ok, well that is my list for the year. Feel free to comment away and let me know what you think. Do you think my songs are awful or awesome? What is your top ten? I am interested and would love to get insight on new music.