Sonic Parthenon's The Year In Music 2008: Part 6

Pela
A spectacular live show at the Music Hall in February and the continued strength of "Waiting on the Stairs" really brought home the notion that Pela is one of the seriously good bands out there.

Jack Peñate
"Second, Minute, or Hour" and "Spit at Stars" were just two of the reasons that Jack Peñate was one of the good surprises of 2008 but they were all he needed. Insatiably catchy, Mr. Peñate's music should be a hit not just in his native England but here in the States as well. He ought to be bigger.

Ra Ra Riot
Without question one of the best albums of the year, The Rhumb Line showcased that the only thing more dramatic than Ra Ra Riot's story is their music. Picking up where Arcade Fire left off, these Syracuse cohorts may be even better than that generally considered Indie Pop Band of the Decade. So far, they've established a perfect record, nailing each and every one of their songs with the right texture, density, and pacing. Being one of the few genuine highlights of the Siren Festival this year certainly helped make their case.

Ray LaMontagne
"Meg White" was more creepy than good, but the soul-drenched "You Are The Best Thing" was one of the great stand-outs of the year.

R.E.M.
"Supernatural Super Serious" was evidence that R.E.M. was coming back in a solid way and their show at Madison Square Garden proved it. One of the all time great live bands and one of the few who can tame big, bad, hollow, MSG.

Raphael Saadiq
His 2008 record, The Way I See It, is a wonderful romp through vintage 60's soul and R&B. "Love That Girl" is not just the standout, it's the best Soul song of the year and frankly, of the decade. Vintage and retro sounds may be growing tired to some, but no one can deny the power, spirit, and execution exerted by Saadiq.

She & Him
Few had a year quite like Zooey Deschanel, and by extension Matt Ward. Actually, it's a safe bet that no one else did. Their meeting on the set of The Go-Getter led to the birth of She & Him and the exceptional Volume One LP. Crass cynicism dictated Zooey would be weak and Matt would suffer for it. It turned out that Zooey has a tasteful devotion to quality American music, and a knack for how to write it and sing it herself, aided by the surefire hand of Mr. Ward. They put on a couple of more-than-decent live shows to boot, at Webster Hall and Terminal 5 respectively.
If that wasn't enough, The Go-Getter is still the best movie I've seen all year, fueled in part by filmmaker Martin Hymes' excellent soundtrack (that included artists like the Black Keys in addition to Ward), to say nothing of Zooey's sharp performance (arguably her best work). Hell, she even made Jim Carrey's weak-looking Yes Man movie appear halfway decent with the jokey 80's pop novelties that were released in advance of the film. Now if only she hadn't also starred in the Worst Movie Ever Made that also happened to come out this year (The Happening) and her 2008 would have been perfect.
Late breaking gossip news: Apparently, Zooey is now to be hitched to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie who this year put out their first batch of music that did not put me instantly to sleep. It does seem now that with the exception of M. Night Shyamalan, Zooey indeed has the Midas touch.

Sons & Daughters
The great Scots came to NYC with some excellent shows in support of This Gift, and while "Rebel With the Ghost" was enough to keep people interested, it was "Gilt Complex" that cemented Sons & Daughters in our minds.

Submarines
"You & Me & The Bourgeois" from Honeysuckle Weeks was a track to remember and their live show at the Merc was one of the sweeter nights of a roller coaster year. Seriously, what a single though.

New (of sorts) from Pela - "Good Foot on a Bad Door Step"

After kicking around as a demo on their site, this song has been given the full band treatment and was recently the KEXP song of the day. It carries on the band's signature sound, and with McCarthy back to health (after that incident) and back on the road, expect a fine show on the 6th of June at the Bowery.

Poor Billy McCarthy

Just days after Pela's terrific show in Brooklyn, Billy took a glass-shattered tumble at the Chicago show, bringing an abrupt end to the tour. But look! He still has the fedora!:

Pela @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Pela; Apollo Sunshine
@ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY - February 27, 2008

Brooklyn's Pela came out a whompin' and a whoopin' with their thunderous pop-rock. When they are exquisite, they are the utter definition of it. Led by the whirling vox of Billy McCarthy (who boasts a fine fedora), the band hammers away like a construction crew, not unlike the National (whose drummer was hoppin' around the show) but with a concentrated effort to stomp and jig (and not pause for much else). It should be noted that after about half the set, it did start to wear down but this may have been more from Pennypacker's exhaustion than from the band's music. This was no letdown.
Apollo Sunshine, on the other hand, was bad. After starting off with a pleasant dream-rock song and then a rollicking power-chord ripper, it looked good. But the remainder of the set was drenched in prog-jam affairs that put the thing on autopilot and into snoozeville.
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