As far as I’m concerned, Grace (the album) is required listening for anybody who says they like music. Just look at how he completely explodes at the end:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P0NuSz3A7U]

He’s made five great movies, three of which are absolute masterpieces. And this video is an incedible tribute to those films.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD7i3hWM6FU]

Five Favorite Albums of 2008:

Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased – 1989-2008

Only Bob Dylan would leave masterpieces unreleased. The songs on these two songs showcase why Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all time. Songs like “Red River Shore” and “Cross the Green Mountain” tell stories full of painful memories and regret. Add in a couple of fantastic live tracks and covers and you have yourself another modern-day masterpiece from Mr. Zimmerman.

Sun Kil Moon – April

No one can write a long song quite like Mark Kozelek. This is an album full of songs so beautiful and painful and personal, it’s like listening to your best friend read his diary out loud to you. “Lost Verses” opens the album with the singer wandering through the streets of San Francisco after his death and watching all his friends and family. This leads into a journey through the interior of a mind haunted by memory and past regrets. With every song being a ballad and weighing in at nearly 80 minutes, this is not an album for the impatient.

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

This is one of the most wonderful debut albums I have ever heard. Full of expert songwriting and gorgeous harmonies, songs like “Meadowlarks” will leave you crying with their tranquil and simple beauty, while tracks such as “White Winter Hymnal” and “Ragged Wood” will take your breath away with their extravagance and power.

My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges

This is probably the album I’ve listened to most in 2008. It features some of the most fantastic instrumental and vocal performances I’ve ever heard. Try to listen to the breakdown in the title track without headbanging (or something similar), or the coda in “Smokin From Shootin” without leaving your mouth agape in astonishment. Even though it wasn’t all to warmly received by critics (thanks mostly to “Highly Suspicious”), that won’t stop me from calling this my favorite rock album of 2008.

She & Him – Volume One

She is actress Zooey Deschanel. He is producer M. Ward. Together they make an album that chronicles the history of popular song that’s very near perfect. Zooey is a wonderful singer, and M. Ward produces and arranges in a way reminiscent of the pop songs of the 50’s and 60’s. It’s an album you can sing along with over and over again without getting sick.

Great Movies of 2008:

Wall-E

The Dark Knight

Synecdoche, New York

U2 3D

One Movie From 2007 That’s Still Worth Talking About:

There Will Be Blood

One Album From 2007 That’s Still Worth Talking About:

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

Albums to Look Forward to In 2009:

Andrew Bird – Noble Beast (January 20)

U2 – No Line On the Horizon

Jars of Clay

Wilco

Derek Webb – Stockholm Syndrome

Radiohead (?)

Films to Look Forward to In 2009:

The Road

Up

It Might Get Loud

Not enough people know who Flannery O’Connor is. And that’s a very grieving thing, considering she’s the most important Christian writer of the past century and probably the greatest writer in history.

So in order to remedy this situation, I now provide you with a link to the full text of her second greatest short story (“Parker’s Back” is her best, but I couldn’t find it online). It’s called “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and it’s funny, moving, terrifying, violent, and deeply spiritual and complex. Usually all at the same time. So, the next time you have a spare twenty minutes on your hands, read and enjoy this story.

http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~surette/goodman.html

P.S. Did I mention she was a Catholic? Ohhhhhhh.

Seeing as the year’s a little over half over, I figure you can never go wrong with a list showcasing some of the best pieces of music released in the past seven months. So look these songs up if you wish, and watch the quality of your life increase greatly. Life’s more than politics, y’know?

• White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
• Moorestown by Sun Kil Moon
• Look At You by My Morning Jacket (really, the whole Evil Urges album could go here)
• Cape Canaveral by Conor Oberst
• 666: The Coming of the New World Government by Apollo Sunshine (don’t let the title scare you)
• The Birthday Wars by Oxford Collapse
• The Gardener by The Tallest Man On Earth
• Carolina Drama by The Raconteurs
• Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Valentine by Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken
• Burnin’ Up by Jonas Brothers
• 7 Things by Miley Cyrus

Happy listening!