TRAYB

Cute but a Little Too Wooden?

2009-06-30T06:41:00.007-04:00

Over the past year I've been addicted to Bill Willingham's Fables, a truly epic comic series that puts a modern spin on dozens of familiar fairy-tale characters like Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf. I'm thinking that the story arc involving Pinocchio played a big role in this week's illustration for the Loaf. Yeah, probably.

Blotter: A man said he and his wife were kidnapped at gunpoint one morning – and they were forced to get in a blue van and held in Piedmont Park until almost 11 p.m. ...

Run Through the Jungle

2009-06-19T03:35:00.003-04:00

This week's illustration for Creative Loafing's crime report ended up feeling like a page from a children's book. Granted, a pretty twisted children's book, one where shoplifting trannies run half-naked through the zoo.

Blotter: A 24-year-old man wearing a dress allegedly shoplifted from a drugstore on Boulevard. ...

Paper Cuts

2009-06-09T05:18:00.003-04:00

This month's drawing for AirTran's Go Magazine goes with a column on cutting paper usage in the office. Kind of a vague concept, I thought, so I attempted to come up with an image that put a human face on, um, paper reduction.

Hillary? Hell.

2009-06-09T05:10:00.002-04:00

I had some fun coming up with this week's illustration for the CL crime report, which featured a shout-out to our current Secretary of State. Here's the Blotter item:

"An officer was patrolling Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard when he noticed a woman near a vacant house. She wore a black hoodie, jeans and white sneakers. “As I passed the house, [the woman] started heading toward the rear of the vacant property,” the officer wrote. “I stopped the woman, who stated her name was Hilarey Clinton, with a date of birth of 03-14-1965."

Holmes, We Hardly Knew Ye

2009-06-05T04:58:00.003-04:00

I've been reading some Sherlock Holmes short stories — which no doubt inspired this recent illustration for AirTran's Go magazine. The tech column for May offered tips for inspecting new software packages. The guy with the magnifying glass started out as more of a Sherlock caricature, but later evolved into more of a regular dude.
Meanwhile, I've been shocked by some of the revelations of the short stories. Dirty stuff! Maybe this is old news to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fans, but I never realized Holmes was a coke head. Here's a bit from "A Scandal in Bohema":

"...Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug and fierce energy of his own keen nature."

Yikes. So maybe we'll see Robert Downey Jr. blowing rails in the new Sherlock Holmes flick?

Adios, Gato: Now a T-shirt!

2009-06-02T12:52:00.008-04:00

"Why don't you ever make any TRAYB T-shirts?" many folks have asked me over the years. (OK, mainly just my mother, but who's counting?)

Well, the long wait is finally over.
Today I posted what I hope will be the first of many TRAYB designs over at MySoti.com, a very cool site for buying quirky shirts and prints. Get yours today!
(If nothing else, go to the site and give my gato a positive vote. He could use the moral support.)

Meanwhile, I'm weighing options for the next T-shirt design. Any requests?

Breast Wishes

2009-06-01T07:41:00.002-04:00

I know next to nothing about tattoo art, but I spent a lot of time scouring the internets to find the perfect specimen of a tattoo to reference for this week's crime report drawing. I wanted a rose that had a classic jailhouse sort of feel, not some tribal B.S. or anything too abstract. Ditto with the font. I'm pleased with how it all turned out.

The item: A 25-year-old man said he was walking in Buckhead around 1:30 a.m. when a blond woman — with a tattoo possibly of a rose on her left breast — pulled up. He said the woman seemed distraught — she said she was lost and needed directions. The woman said she was staying at a hotel downtown and asked him if he could get into her car and help her find the Rio Bravo restaurant on Roswell Road ...

The Lightning Round

2009-05-07T04:46:00.004-04:00

Cranking out a weekly drawing for Creative Loafing's crime report is such a strange and occasionally tense assignment. I never know what material I'm going to get. The Blotter Diva, Lauren, sends me the text on Tuesday or Wednesday. I have until Friday to whip up a doodle. Sometimes the Gods of Crime are feeling generous and I'll receive maybe five or six items to choose from. I love those weeks.
Lately, though, I've been getting just one. Which is like the Blotter Lightning Round, especially when the item is as distasteful as this week's:

A 73-year-old woman said a man grabbed her right buttock while she was walking on University Avenue. Then, the man reportedly stuck out his tongue at her, grabbed his crotch and shook it.

Um, wow. Classy!
(As a side note, I was happy to see that Blotter got top billing on the Loaf's site today. Love it when that happens.)

Grand Theft Uh-Oh!

2009-04-16T09:30:00.006-04:00

During my time in NYC, I had the pleasure of getting to know Robert W. Richards, a talented illustrator whose work is nothing if not provocative. I was surprised to learn that he'd done some of the original art for the Grand Theft Auto posters and packaging -- worlds away from the lusty-eyed twinks and scruffy man-meat seen in his (NSFW) book, Allure.

I was thinking of Robert when I saw this week's crime report. The item had to do with an apparent marketing kit for the latest Grand Theft title gone way wrong. I couldn't resist cranking out a parody cover of the newest game, but I knew better than to try and mimic the realistic style that's become the GTA trademark. (Robert no longer does the game art, but it retains plenty of his sensibilities.) The result is above, and it made me smile.

The Blotter item:

SEEING BLOODY RED: At Chastain Square Shopping Center on Roswell Road, a 29-year-old woman said she went to the Dumpster to throw away some cardboard and discovered a box on the ground filled with bloody clothes. So she called police. An officer arrived to investigate. “As I approached the box, I noticed what appeared to be bloody clothing inside,” the officer wrote. Then, he looked closer. “The suspected blood appeared to be some type of red syrup. It also had a sweet smell to it. … To make sure that the substance was not blood, I [got] an ID unit to come out and take pictures of the scene before I started removing contents of the box.” After photos, the officer fully opened the box. “Inside the box was a plastic fake head, pants, a white shirt, and rubber flies and worms. It appeared that someone may have used the items to advertise a game of some sort. The reason for this assumption is because I also found a Chinese to-go box with a bloody fake hand inside. On the box, it advertised a game called ‘Grand Theft Auto in China.’ The game is believed to be full of blood and gore from the display on the box.” The officer discarded the fake bloody contents and filed a police report.

Clothes Encounters

2009-04-08T06:06:00.003-04:00

I know, I know: I still haven't updated the inside pages of TRAYB.com with the new header and layout. More updates are coming soon, so hold yer horses.

Meanwhile, here's my new drawing for the weekly crime report. The item this time had to do with a guy staying at a hotel who "feels that someone is coming into his room and wearing his clothes and then returning his clothes unwashed."
You'd think the intruder could at least launder the clothes after wearing them, no?

New Month, New Look

2009-04-02T20:10:00.005-04:00

Here's the latest illustration for AirTran's Go magazine. The tech column this month dealt with recent advancements in laptop technology. I was pleasantly surprised when the mustached strongman appeared on my page. He really came out of nowhere.

And speaking of new things, I'm changing things up here on TRAYB.com, aiming to give the old site a fresh new look for springtime. Let me know if you like the direction of it.

grow the money tree

2009-03-20T15:22:00.003-04:00

I'm tired of reading about all the economic doom and gloom.
My new illustration for AirTran's Go magazine takes a more optimistic approach to penny-pinching and tightening budgets, I hope.

priscilla hits a bump in the road

2009-03-19T09:58:00.005-04:00

Working with drag queens is usually a real bitch. But it's got to be doubly hard when the star of your show weighs a ton and refuses to perform.

Last night's preview of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical," newly arrived in London's West End from Sydney, had to be postponed due to technical difficulties with the title "character," the bus that dominates the set from about the fifth scene forward. Apparently the old girl stopped cooperating and, based on my guess, wouldn't rotate properly for the show to go on. Talk about a pissy queen.

The BF and I caught enough of the musical to get a sense of its campy extravagance, which just got more fag-tastic with every scene. (When a show begins with three sequined angels suspended from the ceiling belting out Petula Clark's "Downtown" while a guy throws on a wig, heals and makeup below, you know the night will be anything but subtle.)

Things were going fine through the first few numbers, including a crass take on "I've Never Been to Me" (which was so earnest in the film), a hilarious Tina Turner shtick and an über-gay "Go West," but then the curtain came down and an announcer asked the audience to be patient while the crew worked out some technical difficulties.
The delay lasted maybe five minutes, then the action resumed with Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette mary-ly driving across the Outback. Before the next song, the curtain fell again. This time director Simon Phillips came on stage and apologized for the set malfunction, noting that "although she may look like a bus, she's actually a very large and expensive computer" (aha--another drag queen!) which was, on this night, acting more like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, he said.
The show resumed one last time, but luck wasn't a lady tonight. Soon enough the curtain fell again, and this time one of the producers came out and announced that the show would be postponed. Apparently Priscilla's temper tantrums only started up in the last couple of days; the unnamed producer claimed that last week's performances went off without a hitch.

I can see why a broken down bus could be the death of this show; the piece itself--which cost a reported £1 million--stays in constant motion, spinning around like a "Price is Right" Showcase Showdown and opening up to reveal the leopard-print and fringed interior within. Did I mention that nothing about this show is subtle?

Knowing the film, Priscilla's troubles on stage happened minutes before the bus breaks down in the script, leaving the three queens stranded. Let's hope that's not a metaphor for what could happen with the show itself, which enjoyed a long run in Sydney. If the new West End production gets derailed by a piece of prickly hardware, well, that would be a real drag. Yuck yuck.

The show opens March 23 at the Palace Theatre in London.

soaper

2009-02-25T10:45:00.002-05:00

Here's the new drawing for the weekly crime report. The original item:

HARD TIME STAYING CLEAN? At a pharmacy on Cascade Road, the manager said a man was caught stealing three boxes of Tylenol PM. "He was known for shoplifting soap from the store and has been arrested in the past for shoplifting," an officer wrote. Apparently, the employees know him as the "Soap Man." On this day, the Soap Man "was observed walking to the soap aisle and bypassed the soap and continued to aisle 11, the medication aisle," the officer noted.

25 things I've learned by moving to London

2009-02-20T07:57:00.009-05:00

Greetings from Great Britain.

I've held off on writing about our recent move to the U.K. perhaps out of superstition. There was a part of me that didn't think this relocation would actually happen and didn't want to jinx it, just in case. But here we are, getting settled in a sunny new flat in Shoreditch, near Hoxton Square.
In the spirit of the recent "25 Things" meme that's been floating around Facebook, here's a Friday list.

25 Things I've Learned by Moving to London
(in no particular order)

25. You have to purchase a license (er, licence) to watch TV in the U.K. It runs about £130 and is good for a year.

24. I never realized it about myself, but I apparently have a tendency to hoard pocket-sized notebooks. I found probably 20 of these things crammed into odd corners in my office as we were packing, usually with only a few notes in each.

23. The Brits refer to a washer/dryer as a "kitchen appliance." This amused the BF and me. We were surprised when we moved into the new flat that the washer isn't located in the kitchen at all, but in a downstairs closet, American-style.

22. IKEA is hell whether you're in Georgia, New Jersey, or North London. (Possibly more on this later, once I've had some time to heal.)

21. I'm determined not to return to the States with an affected English accent. But I've already noticed a few very British-sounding words creeping in.

20. Broadband delivered via cable (as opposed to DSL via phone lines) seems to be novel idea here. One friend suggested this was a conspiracy to keep British Telecom in business.

19. John Lewis is a major department store (not to be confused with the Civil Rights hero and congressman from Atlanta).

18. Moving is a royal pain in the ass (arse), whether you're going across the street or across the planet.

17. Despite what Thomas Friedman thinks, I don't believe the world really is all that "flat" after all. For example, getting an American bank to communicate with a foreign bank remains a complicated, heartache-inducing affair. Ditto with making phone calls between countries or establishing an address for deliveries.

16. Then again, some of the crap we bought at IKEA is exactly the same crap we'd previously purchased in the States. It's a sort of eerie feeling to think how many countries are using those same oven mitts.

15. The system of using coins instead of bank notes for, say, £1 or £2 makes a lot of sense. Too bad America never got that memo. (Note: It's also hard for me to remember to use coins instead of breaking a £20 every time.)

14. "Cute" does not translate as a term for attractiveness. A hot boy might be called "fit," but "cute" is reserved for puppy dogs.

13. My new landlord found it funny that I asked a question about the "mailman." Apparently it's "postman" or nothing.

12. I get annoyed when Americans talk about how bad the food is in the U.K. So far the BF and I have had some fine meals here.

11. It also annoys me when Americans use the phrase "across the pond." I don't know why that bugs me.

10. I had a minor panic attack when I realized I had to leave my printer/scanner back in the States. It's just such an integral part of my weekly picture making; I feel like I've lost a finger.

9. Cabbies here look at you funny when you try to tip them. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

8. Dealing with utility companies so far has made me feel like a pushy American. We really are a culture of instant gratification. The odd hours kept by pharmacies and other shops inspires a similar exasperation.

7. I'm baffled as to why the lines in all of London's grocery stores are so long. What gives?

6. When ordering a sandwich at Subway, I was shocked when the counter person popped my cold turkey sub into the microwave. Nobody asked for that toasted!

5. Leaving a city makes you realize who your friends are. Though we were back in Atlanta for only two years this time around, I'd like to think I made some deep, long-lasting connections with people.

4. I never had trouble with jetlag until recently. Maybe it's a function of getting older.

3. Another neurosis I've discovered during this move: an irrational fear of running out of contact lenses, eye drops or contact solution. I had a contact-related issue during our honeymoon last summer and it's made me a nervous wreck about my eyes.

2. Looking out the bedroom window of our new flat, I can see the immaculately dressed mannequins in the men's shop window across the street. This reminds me of a scene in the '60s film adaptation of The Time Machine, which is a pleasant and appropriate association.

1. Although it can be intimidating being a foreigner living in London, I've noticed so far that almost every counter person, waitron, delivery guy and small shopkeeper I encounter is also of foreign descent. We're all strangers here.

stupid cupid

2009-02-12T08:10:00.006-05:00

Another Valentine's Day is upon us, and this week the Loaf's Blotter Diva opted for a special love-themed edition of the crime report. I've been illustrating the column for, gosh, six or seven years now, and have doodled many a domestic dispute in that time, but I think this is the first time Cupid has ever appeared in one of my drawings.

One a related/unrelated note, the single most popular post ever here at TRAYB.com remains my Valentine's Day missive from 2006. That post gets exponentially more hits than any other page in the archives, but not because of its brilliant prose or clever commentary on this most dreaded of holidays. No, it's the gods of Google who send lonely searchers my way, thanks to the post's inclusion of the term "Chrissy behind," quoted from the Peaches song.
And no, I still don't know what a "Chrissy behind" is, though years later the consensus seems to be that it has to do with Suzanne Somers. (An opposing, and minority, view references Chrissie Hynde. As much as I love the Pretenders, I can't imagine that's actually the case.)
So what is a Chrissy behind? Perhaps the world will never know.

doggy bag

2009-02-04T17:46:00.003-05:00

Looking again at my new drawing for Creative Loafing's crime report, I realized that there might be some ambiguity. I intended for the dog to be saying, "Don't look at me, I'm not the one who left the sack of poo on your porch."
Or perhaps he really was the one, and poochy doth protest too much. I guess it's up to you to decide. Either way, I was pleased by the simplicity of this one.

Here's the original item:

"On Garson Drive, a 29-year-old woman said she left her apartment at 9:05 a.m. to go to work. She said when she opened the front door, she found a bag of dog waste sitting there. She said the bag of dog waste wasn't there when she came home the night before. She wanted a police report, just in case the dog waste incidents continue in the future."

sell phones

2009-02-02T08:42:00.003-05:00

Here's my new drawing for AirTran's Go magazine. This month's business technology column discussed "mcommerce": using mobile devices for advertising and marketing. It was one of those illustrations that sort of created itself. Once I had the image of the red-haired kid down, the other characters all flowed out naturally. Seeing it now a few weeks later, I realize that maybe the guy in the upper left looks a little too hypnotized by the dollar sign, which is borderline creepy. The lady on the lower right was inspired by a photo of Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin. Now fix my pot holes, lady!

A technical question for you Adobe Creative Suite users: Although I'm pleased with how this illustration turned out, I have a nagging sense that the colors on screen appear less crisp and vibrant than they do in Illustrator. I'm using CS4, but the final image gets converted to a tif (and above, a jpeg) via Photoshop. Any thoughts on what I should be doing differently?

door, man

2009-01-29T15:03:00.002-05:00

Here's my latest illustration for Creative Loafing. The item from the crime report was pretty disturbing:

HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE: A 36-year-old man said he returned to his apartment and noticed that someone had kissed his door seven times. "This was known as the perpetrator was wearing lipstick at the time and the lip prints were clearly visible on the door," an officer wrote. "The victim had photographed the lip prints using his cellular phone and displayed the picture for me." The man said seven days later, he started getting lots of calls from a private number. He said he answered one call and a male voice asked over and over: "Do you want to suck my dick?" ...

bless us with tears

2009-01-20T12:40:00.003-05:00

I'm a bit miffed that Rev. Gene Robinson's inauguration prayer was cut from the HBO concert broadcast on Sunday. His words were fiery and urgent -- and such a welcome departure from the Jesus-centered invocation Rick Warren delivered today.

I had the chance to see Rev. Robinson speak a couple of years ago in New York, and it was truly a life-changing occasion. I was moved by his humility and presence. It's a real pity he was not invited to speak at today's ceremony instead of Sunday's.

Here's the full text of the prayer:

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

bushed

2009-01-20T08:59:00.006-05:00

In honor of George Dubya's final few hours in office, I'm reposting an illustration I did for Seed magazine a few years back. The article had to do with the Bush administration's resistance to converting all government vehicles to alternative fuel models.

I guess it goes without saying that I'm thrilled to see this ugly, petty presidency at last come to an end.

you pussy!

2009-01-14T16:33:00.003-05:00

Here's my latest illustration for Creative Loafing's weekly crime report. You know I always love to draw animals, so I couldn't resist a cute little kitty standing in for the bit of profanity in the original item.

happy new year!

2009-01-04T12:16:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to post this image for days now, but the rush of the holiday season got the better of me. It's the latest drawing for Creative Loafing's crime report, dealing with a drunk driver who had barfed on himself. Classy!

Happy 2009!

merry mixmas 2008: simple gifts

2008-12-22T11:48:00.004-05:00

It's time again for my annual playlist of holiday songs. I was late in mailing out the CDs, so I'm hoping folks can still enjoy the tracks by downloading them here.

Here are the liner notes:

In case you’re wondering, all the toys and gadgets that appear on the cover of this year’s Mixmas CD represent actual gifts I received as a kid. I can’t say for sure they were all Christmas gifts, but I know most were, and all of them became much-loved artifacts of my childhood.

Those toys came to mind after I started downloading holiday music this year. I happened upon Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” — a longtime favorite but not a piece of music traditionally associated with Christmas. I thought the message of “Simple Gifts” (the Shaker hymn quoted in “Appalachian Spring”) was a perfect reflection of the kind of year we’ve all just lived through and the scaled-back holiday season many of us seemed to envision for 2008.

I know I’ve had an introspective year, a time when I’ve learned a lot about myself. I would like to say that I’ve learned to not to take the simple pleasures of life for granted, but I think that’s a lesson we all have to hear over and over again.

That said, I didn’t want my annual holiday mix to be the Debbie Downer Christmas CD, so I hope I was able to mix in enough silly with the somber to keep things light and fresh.

Happy Christmas and good luck in 2009!

1 Intro: Simple Gifts (Appalachian Spring) — Aaron Copland

2 Jolly Old St. Nicholas — Ray Conniff & The Ray Conniff Singers
I’m shocked that this song has never shown up on a previous Mixmas
collection. It’s a kitschy classic.

3 Over the River and Through the Woods — The Chipmunks
My first draft of this year’s cover featured a Mrs. Claus/Grandma type baking cookies, which was inspired by this song.

4 Darlin’ (Christmas is Coming) — Over the Rhine
One of the few new(ish) tracks on the playlist. This one really grew on me.

5 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen — Bright Eyes
My friend Jeff P. got me into Bright Eyes this year. I love Conor’s seriousness here.

6 Simple Gifts — Kevin Roth

7 Must Be Santa — Mitch Miller and the Gang
There’s something about this song that I find both fascinating and borderline scary. It’s like a “Murder She Wrote” take on St. Nick.

8 Why Can’t It Be Christmastime All Year — Rosie Thomas
Another new song, and a keeper.

9 Angels We Have Heard on High — Sixpence None the Richer
This has never been one of my favorite carols, but I like this version a lot.

10 I Saw Three Ships — Sufjan Stevens
It wouldn’t be Christmas without Sufjan.

11 Cha-Cha All the Way — Capitol Studio Orchestra
This one makes me giggle.

12 Reprise: Simple Gifts — Aaron Copland

13 Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney — Ella Fitzgerald
Cracks me up every time.

14 Christmas Ain’t Christmas (Without the One You Love) — Aretha Franklin
Poor Aretha. She tries, really she does. Her holiday CD was ... well. It was something. I did like this song.

15 Rebel Jesus — Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Remember my comment earlier about “somber”? That was mostly about this song. Listen to the lyrics.

16 Children Go Where I Send Thee — Johnny Cash & June Carter Brings back happy memories of Men’s Glee Club at UGA (yes, I’m talking to you, Joseph).

17 Dejlig Er Den Himmel Bla — Garrison Keillor
What are they saying? Who cares? It’s lovely.

18 Zither Carol — Kathleen Battle
I love the energy of this track, which is such a weird blend of playful and restrained.

19 Deck the Halls — Jennifer O’Connor
Love some Jennifer. Her other Christmas track that I came across this year is a real buzz-kill, but I like this one a lot.

20 Simple Gifts — Judy Collins
Turns it out it’s tough to find a version of “Simple Gifts” that actually includes
vocals. Judy does it beautifully, as she does everything.

21 Funky Christmas — James Brown
I thought this was a great note to end on, because I love just how unrehearsed and emotional this song is. James Brown sounds like your drunk cousin at the family gathering who starts telling everyone, “Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I love ya!”
Ditto.

Download: Merry Mixmas 2008: Simple Gifts

change is hard: favorite songs of 2008

2008-12-15T07:55:00.002-05:00

When I started my list of favorite songs from 2008, two things struck me. First, I noticed that this was a year when I liked a lot of songs, but not a lot of the albums they came from. Obviously we're seeing a real shift in the music world with digital downloads—which is a beautiful, wonderful thing, I think—but perhaps it's leading to a lack of well-crafted albums. There are exceptions: My top three songs on the list all came from amazing albums. But my most-played tracks in iTunes seemed to give a lot more love to singles than CDs this year.

Second, I noticed this was a great year (for me, at least) for new artists. There's not a lot of established names here, even though I did very much enjoy new material from a few chart-toppers (Mariah, The Killers, a couple of the new Kanye tracks, even some of the Coldplay).

Finally, this was a year when I didn't fall head-over-heels in love with any one artists (see: Feist, 2007). But enough ruminating; here's the list. I'm curious to hear about other favorites in the comments.

Oh, and here are the previous lists: 2007, 2006, 2005.

1. "Change Is Hard"
– She & Him
This duet with M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel is probably my favorite album of the year. It's like AM radio country gold with a dash of Dusty Springfield. Great for singing in the shower, too.

2. "Campus" – Vampire Weekend
The band got a lot of hype in certain circles, and I think they very much deserved it. Almost every track on their debut is stellar, a very cool blend of Paul Simon, The Police, world beats, and New England privilege.

3. "American Boy" – Estelle Feat. Kanye Wast
My BFF Seany gave me this CD back in the springtime and I fell in love. One of the rare albums from '08 on which almost every track is a keeper. I hope this London chick goes on to greatness.

4. "White Winter Hymnal" – Fleet Foxes
Full disclosure: I'd never paid attention to this band until they started showing up on lots of year-end lists. "White Winter Hymnal" has been my song of December, played on repeat.

5. "Ready For The Floor" – Hot Chip
This ditty gets the distinction of the being the song that got played the most often in my iTunes library this year. Which says a lot. The video is also awesome.

6. "Gold" – Emmylou Harris
In a year when I wasn't listening to much country, Emmylou still stole my heart. I debated about which track to pick and almost went for "Broken Man's Lament," but opted for this duet with Dolly Parton.

7. "Soldier" – Erykah Badu
"What am I talkin' about? Everybody know what the song's about ..."
Um, actually Erykah, I have no frackin clue what your song's about, but I still loved it—especially the shout out to "all my girls in therapy, see I'mma tell you this for free." The rest of the disc, not so much.

8. "A&E" – Goldfrapp
Say it with me: I liked a few of the newly pastoral Goldfrapp songs, but not the album. "Caravan Girl" almost made the favorites list, but this track reminds me (in a happy way) of the hazy days I had just after my sinus surgery. Mmm, Vicodin.

9. "Bruises" – Chairlift
Thank you, iPod Nano commercial.

10. "That's Not My Name" – The Ting Tings
I was surprised this British band didn't get more love in '08. "Shut Up and Let Me Go" got some traction Stateside, but not nearly as much as in the UK. This song is a delicious throwback to early '80s girl-band cattiness, "Hey Mickey" by way of Joan Jett.

11. "Can You Tell" – Ra Ra Riot
I'd downloaded this song back over the summer, but it didn't grow on me until a few months later. Just fun.

12. "Hometown Glory (Axwell Original Mix)" – Adele
Yet another English lass on our list—a real trend. My buddy Lucas turned me on to Adele's debut album, 19, which is a slice of heaven. This remix doesn't reflect the somber, soulful mood of the CD, but I love it.

13. "My Joy (M&S Sure Epic Klub Mix)" – Quentin Harris feat. Margaret Grace
I was sure I'd heard this dance track before, and finally figured out it's a cover of a Leela James song from 2005. Which is awesome.

14. "Like You'll Never See Me Again (Jony Rockstar Remix)" – Alicia Keys
Alicia's amazing CD As I Am dropped in late '07, and Sean kept raving about it. It took me a few months to see how right he was. This is an unexpected remix of one of my favorite tracks. I kept thinking she was singing "I don't want to forget the presidential gifts." Yeah.

Honorable mentions:
• "Lights Out" – Santogold
I also really liked "You'll Find a Way."

• "Blind" – Hercules and Love Affair
Antony's vocals get on my nerves after a while, but this CD got a lot of play over the summer for me.

• "No Air" (Tiesto Mix) – Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
Definitely one of my favorite remixes of the year.

• "Pocket" – Sam Sparro
Another act that I think was a victim of too much buzz. Still, the CD has a couple of keepers.

Download the playlist: Favorite Songs of 08 (77MB)

Update: You can also purchase many of the songs in this iTunes iMix.