Following the Heard - 2008 continues

Finally, enough new music for another mythical mix of notable ear-pieces heard by me in 2008. While waiting on the new stuff I've been moving my lists for the old stuff, the previous 50 years, to another blog: followingtheheard.blogspot.com.

Really trying hard to give one track per artist this year, though if like Lil Wayne they come out with more than one album in a year they can qualify for more than one spot.

Double Dee and Steinski are the exception. They get two for their one album, mainly because ten years ago I never thought they would team up again, nor that their club date in Manhattan would be so easily available.

I also never thought there'd ever be a collection like What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective -- collecting 42 pieces of Steinski's work, solo and with partners like Double Dee. Without access to his work, I was unable to add him to previous annual mixes. We can thank the small-press called Illegal Art -- based, strangely to some, in the wilds of central Illinois -- for the long-overdue release, and you can read about others like it here in a 1986 article by Robert Christgau.

Steinski also just finished off a 12-minute mix of Sinatra tracks, mashing the Chairman of the Board's music with dialogue from several of his films, including The Manchurian Candidate. "Candidate" gave mind to a title for the new concoction: What Was Raymond Doing With His Hands?

You can download Raymond from the 'Raymond' link above (it's at the Village Voice site) along with a pretty good retrospect interview with Steven.

Anyhow, the "winners" of this 2008 round are, in order of their appearance here:

1) We're In A Lot of Trouble - Double Dee and Steinski
2) Get Up! - Earthworms
3) A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
4) Love No - The Teenagers
5) La La La - Lil Wayne
6) Ragged Wood - Fleet Foxes
7) The Ditch - Blood on the Wall
8) Joke About Jamaica - The Hold Steady
9) Caravan - Cassandra Wilson
10) Tape Song - The Kills
11) Brain Burner - No Age
12) In Step - Girl Talk
13) I'm Wild About You - Al Green
14) Little Toy Gun - honeyhoney
15) I Feel Like Dying - Lil Wayne
16) Lights Out - Santogold
17) The Kelly Affair - Be Your Own Pet
18) America - Nas
19) Strange Overtones - David Byrne & Brian Eno
20) Who Owns Culture? #2 - Double Dee and Steinski

Congratulations to all!