2008 – The Soundtrack

Each year I take pleasure in collecting my own personal soundtrack. I then exercise blatant self indulgence and edit those songs onto one good-old-fashioned CD and force them upon my closest friends.

I package them up with the help of the folks at 5inch and make the theme as topical as possible, but the songs are usually just the ones that will forever bring back each very strong memories, places, dusty windshields, and particular vantage points, physically or emotionally during the past year. Lots of people do this sort of thing, and likely with more thought and critique than I do, but here is my track list for 2008 – The Soundtrack. 17 Songs for The American Dream & All Her Consquences :

1. Old John Chapman Takes a Good Long Walk – These United States
2. Furr – Blitzen Trapper
3. Sausalito – Conor Oberst
4. Sing! Captian – Handsome Furs
5. Colette – Langhorne Slim
6. Hallelujah – The Helio Sequence
7. American Hearts – AA Bondy
8. Murder in the City – The Avett Brothers †
9. Act IV – Roddy Woomble
10. Milk Thistle – Conor Oberst † †
11. Meadows – Porlolo
12. Bible Days – Jessica Lea Mayfield
13. Marry Song – Band of Horses
14. Ballad in Open D – Timothy Seth Avett
15. Delia’s Gone – Johnny Cash sung by Ben Nichols † † †
16. Dandy Lusk – Pert Near Sandstone
17. Plan to Marry – Lucinda Wiliams

† – One of the best musical outfits I’ve heard in my ears ever. I discovered them this year.
† † – There are two songs by Conor Oberst on this. Because they are both really good.
† † † – This song is one of the best ballads ever. And now Ben Nichols goes and gives it all kinds of pain.

Posted by Todd Roeth on December 13th, 2008