Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

We started our annual Carl Sandburg’s Top 20 Albums of 2008 yesterday (with a bang?), and today we continue with albums #11-#15.  Where as the first batch of contenders consisted mostly of folk oriented artists, I think you’ll find that the following bands/artists are a little more diverse.  And so here they are….

11.  Milosh – iii

Abstract yet disciplined, the electronic style of Milosh is unique in its own right.  Critics have found a need to personify this album, or give it some sort of subtler meaning in order to grant it greater importance.  This is ultimately the problem with electronic music – people haven’t figured out how to interpret it quite yet.  But there’s no bones about it.  This album is a goldmine of intricate rhythms, and Mike Milosh actually shows his penchant for songwriting here as well.

Listen to Milosh – “Remember the Good Things”

12.  Jamie Lidell – Jim

Jamie Lidell is as good a singer-songwriter as he is eccentric.  And he’s plenty eccentric.  Lidell’s Multiply flew under the radar but received critical acclaim (especially here on CSV!), and so my anticipation for this album was of course quite high.  Lidell delivers more catchy soulful funk that will harken the days of motown through your speakers.  If you’re not dancing along with Sir James, well then you’re crazy (still probably the good crazy).

Listen to Jamie Lidell – “Another Day”

13. Delays – Everything’s the Rush

This UK collective released two of the best things in ’08: 1) The most infectious album and 2) The most infectious video (“Hooray!”).  The presence of this album on this list is perhaps the most surprising for me, because I somehow let this album go deep in to the abyss of my music collection, only to be miraculously retrieved and exposed for everyone to see now. Shame on me.

Listen to Delays – “Hooray”

14.  Amos Lee  – Last Days at the Lodge

Grade school teacher turned folk singer extraordinaire.  But this ain’t children’s music, my friends. Last raps in baseball or last wishes with genies-these are good ‘lasts’.  Amos Lee may not be a genie, but his Last Days at the Lodge is sure to be added to the list.  His silky smooth vocals and his smoky acoustic guitar accompany lush instrumentation make this album one of the best of the year.

Listen to Amos Lee – “Listen”

15. Jason Collett – Here’s to Being Here

His third LP and he hasn’t lost a step in his progression to becoming a folk-pop mastermind.  Building off the bombast of Idols of Exile, Here’s to Being Here shows Collett has his most comfortable.  He serves up delicious rolling guitars and Dylanesque vocals, allowing the momentum of the songs to carry the various ditties to their peaks. Cheers.

Listen to Jason Collett – “Out of Time“