The 7th Best "Best Music CDs of 2008" List Ever.
Sure as Champagne, as the flow of new releases freeze, the “best of” lists froth forth and fimoculous spills them on your new carpet.
Are there ever enough lists?
Thanks to Radio Lab’s “Choice”
episode, and the number 70 bus, I learned of the 1950’s work of,
Princeton Professor of Psychology, George A. Miller, who argued that
seven is the magic number, a “pernicious, Pythagorean coincidence,” of ideas we can juggle in our brain at once. Miller wonders:
"What about the magical number seven? What about the seven wonders of the world, the seven seas, the seven deadly sins, the seven daughters of Atlas in the Pleiades, the seven ages of man, the seven levels of hell, the seven primary colors, the seven notes of the musical scale, and the seven days of the week? What about the seven-point rating scale, the seven categories for absolute judgment, the seven objects in the span of attention, and the seven digits in the span of immediate memory?"
I have my own “best of” list of music CDs released in 2008. As do you, undoubtedly. Is some psychology of seven at play within the empirical trifle of our music lists?
1. Joan As Policewoman To Survive
2. Christian Prommer's Drumlesson s/t
3. José James The Dreamer
4. Calexico Carried To Dust
5. Roy Hargrove Quintet Ear Food
6. School of Seven Bells Alpinisms
7. SSM Break Your Arms For Revolution
The above represents my “heavy rotation” for 2008. Or does it? Easy to remember them, though, for, like, dinner parties, and Entertainment Tonight interviews, and stuff.
8. Erykah Badu New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War
9. Chairlift Does You Inspire You?
10. Ruby Isle Night Shot
11. Woven Hand Ten Stones
12. Vinicius Cantuaria Cymbals
13. Atmosphere When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
14. Ida Lovers Prayers
The preceding seven were plugged into the 8-track player a lot, and I still enjoy them all--but what led me to position Budu and Chairlift, specifically, up top? You’re thinking, “well, Patrick, obviously you’re a guy with diverse listening habits and his ear to the ground.” Obviously. And, without naming names, this is where recordings by friends show up--all world class, but suspiciously clustered here like salty peanuts in the fudge.
15. The Sound of Animals Fighting The Ocean and the Sun
16. Nostalgia 77 One Offs, Remixes and B Sides
17. Dirtbombs We Have You Surrounded
18. Foreign Exchange Leave It All Behind
19. The Fiery Furnaces Remember
20. Stereolab Chemical Chords
21. Dub Trio Another Sound Is Dying
Ah, the magic, closing seven. If we were able tabulate actual number of plays, the Nostalgia 77 and Dirtbombs releases would take some of my top slots, easy. Curious. As for the rest of it, coulda been any of twenty or thirty other CDs. Too much list, already.
The lesson: stop at seven.
In 2009, Who Will Put out the best albums? on January 05, 2009 at 09:21 PM
New Discussion Forum! All Music! All Day!
Wang Xiaoya on January 05, 2009 at 05:11 AM
Dear Mr Chord,
I want to introduce a famous composer of China Daniel Deng to you.His English website is http://www.danielmusic.cn/en. All of his new age music DSDs here. I would like to know how can we sell these muisc DSDs on http://www.amazon.com/?
Plese answer me soon if you are free.Best wishes to you!
Yours Sincerely,
Wang Xiaoya
E-Mail:agwxy@126.com
Blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/wangxiaoya
Patrick Whalen on January 03, 2009 at 03:26 PM
Ya got me. Northern cardinal sin. :)
JayJay on January 02, 2009 at 11:52 PM
Champaign... I went to school there. Go Fighting Illini!