My Soundtrack For 2008

All December I was excited to write this article. Sadly, my site was disabled around the beginning of the year so this post was delayed until now. Last year at about this time I created this soundtrack for 2007 packed with the twelve songs that impacted me the most during that year. It’s been one of my most viewed posts since, so I figured I’d create a new one for 2008.

I have a few rules when picking the songs for my soundtrack. First, I limit myself to twelve songs, which was done last year somewhat arbitrarily and this year for consistency. Second, I limited myself to one song per artist. This made for a couple of really difficult decisions, as you’ll soon discover. Third, I used both quantitative and qualitative data to make my decision. The quantitative data is how many times I played the song (I used Last.fm to keep these stats). The qualitative data is how the song impacted me personally. And I added one new rule: I didn’t allow myself to repeat a song from my previous soundtrack. Something else to keep in mind is that these songs weren’t necessarily released in 2008; they are songs that impacted me in 2008.

So, that said, here are my selections:

1. Home (To Be Alive) by Phillip LaRue from online – I don’t quite remember how I rediscovered this guy. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s he was part of the brother-sister act LaRue. Now he’s doing his own thing, but he hasn’t released a CD yet. I downloaded this track off of his MySpace profile and I think it’s great. Sadly, it’s no longer there for your listening pleasure, but I did find it in this YouTube video. The song is about wandering and trying to find out what is really important.  “You only have one life to try to find out what it means to be alive.” [Download unavailable]

2. Can’t Be Without You by Derek Webb from The Ringing Bell — I’m a big Derek Webb fan. It was a quite a shock to go from the call to social action found on Mockingbird to the love songs on The Ringing Bell. But in both he shows his ability to make you take a fresh look at old ideas. I particularly liked this song where he recounts the internal torment of unrequited love. “Love it hard, especially when you’re not mine. So here’s to you! You can take my heart ’cause I lost my mind.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

3. Somethin’ More by andi and i from Days Like This — I first heard this duo while on the Nav spring break trip to Chicago. My friend Larry arranged for them to perform for us. To be honest, I was a little nervous because I didn’t know anything about them or if they were any good, but I trusted Larry’s judgement. And they blew us away. Al is an amazing guitarist and Andi has an incredible voice. I picked up one of their CDs after the show, listened to it a couple times on the way home and many times since. I particularly like this song because it has a distinct Chicago flair (the first verse is about Chicago parking tickets) but it also asks questions about whether there’s more out there to be had than a so-called normal life. “Somewhere deep inside this cynic’s heart miracles and wonders abound.” [Download unavailable]

4. Love Song for a Savior 08 by Jars of Clay from Closer EP — This has always been one of my favorite songs ever since it was first released back in 1995 on Jars of Clay’s self-titled CD. This year they put out a five-track EP with three new songs and two redone oldies. The new tracks are good, but I found myself looping this track over and over this summer. The lyrics haven’t changed, still offering a thoughtful look at our relationship with our Creator. But the music is a good bit different. They’ve moved the song to a higher key, added heavier bass and show off some excellent finger-picking in the verses. It’s a great song with a new twist. “Someday we’ll trust Him and learn how to see Him. Someday He’ll call us and we will come running and fall in His arms.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

5. Blue Eyes by Cary Brothers from Garden State Soundtrack — My sister got the Garden State soundtrack for me for Christmas last year. I had recently become aware of Cary Brothers (by the way, Brothers is the guy’s last name; it’s not two people) and had completely forgotten this song was in that movie. I listened to it a lot in the early part of 2008. This is a love song about that girl who’s across a crowded room, the one you’ll never have the guts to speak to. “Blue eyes, you’re the secret I keep.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

6. Whistle for the Choir by The Fratellis from Costello Music — I’d heard a few songs by The Fratellis without ever knowing it was them, including the music for this iPod commerical. I heard this song for the first time at my cousin’s wedding, but didn’t find out who it was until hearing this song played in a local coffee shop last spring. I consider this a song in the same vein as the previous one, only now you’ve managed to talk to that girl yet everything about the situation is driving you mad. “So if you’re crazy, I don’t care. You amaze me! But you’re a stupid girl. Oh me, oh my. You talk, I die. You smile, you laugh, I cry!” [iTunes]

7. Tell Her This by Del Amitri from Twisted — Remember this band? They had that one hit Roll to Me way back in the mid 90s. I heard this song on an episode of Scrubs (entitled “My Sex Buddy” — watch the scene here) where it was used so perfectly. Even though it has one of the absolute silliest lyrics in the history of songwriting (the line about clowns), it’s still a song that speaks to me. It’s as though the guy is singing to himself. There’s so many things he wants to tell this woman, but he isn’t strong enough or brave enough or something enough to do it. “I sometimes think too much but say nothing at all.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

8. The Cure For Pain by Jon Foreman from Fall EP — Maybe you think you’ve never heard of this guy, but he’s the lead singer for Switchfoot. In the past year he’s released four EPs, all titled after the seasons. (He’s recently released a compilation disc that includes twelve of the twenty-four songs.) Foreman describes a universal human endeavor in this song: the desire to avoid pain in life. He’s brutally honest in this song, which is one of the reasons I was so drawn to it. “I’m not sure why it always goes down hill. Why broken cisterns never could stay filled.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

9. Nervous in the Light Of Dawn by Leigh Nash from Blue on Blue — I’ve never been a huge fan of Leigh Nash’s band Sixpence None the Richer, but this solo CD has some real winners. I first heard this song on Pandora. It’s about the fear caused by the reality of how needy we are as imperfect people. “Silence all around me, I was wandering alone. And I realized there is nothing anyone can really own.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

10. The Sun Will Rise by Brendan James from The Day Is Brave — I eagerly awaited the release of this CD after finding his four-track EP in 2007. I think Brendan James has an incredible voice. (Check out his YouTube channel to hear for yourself.) It was difficult to pick a favorite, but I settled on this track. It’s a song full of hope, that even though today has left you looking for answers, tomorrow brings a fresh start. (Oh, and his album The Day is Brave is only $7.99 on iTunes, which is a total steal.) “The light is low, the night is burning. My head is still, but my mind is turning, turning ’round again.” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

11. Swing Wide the Glimmering Gates by Andrew Osenga from Letters to the Editor, Vol. 1 — Before this year I only knew Andrew Osenga as Derek Webb’s replacement in Caedmon’s Call. But this summer, my friend James Barr introduced me to his solo work. Let me tell you, my soundtrack could have easily been all twelve songs from Letters to the Editor, Vols. 1 and 2. They’re that good. Better still, all twelve of those songs are available for free on his website (here’s Vol. 1 and here’s Vol. 2). This song is about longing to be loved for who you are and for that day we’ll be all that we were created to be. “One day, I believe, I will open up my eyes just to see the work that was begun. And I’ll be the only things I’ve ever wanted to be. And I’ll know that I belong.” [Download for free]

12. Where We Gonna Go From Here by Mat Kearney from Nothing Left to Lose — I first found this song on Pandora, but then to my delight heard it played on the seventh season premiere of Scrubs last spring (“My Own Worst Enemy” — watch the scene here). I think it’s a very appropriate way to end this year’s soundtrack. This year I’ve found myself questioning what I should be doing with my life. And at this point I really don’t have a great answer, if by “great answer” you mean like a five-year plan or something. I’m still moving in a positive direction, but I’m not sure where I’m going. “All of your ways and all your thunder got me in a haze, running for cover. Where we gonna go from here?” [iTunes] [Amazon MP3]

That’s the list. Songs by Chris Rice, Joshua Radin, Ingrid Michaelson, Priscilla Ahn and Coldplay just missed the cut. This year I chose not to make an iMix since three of the twelve songs are not sold on iTunes.

Let me know what you think of my soundtrack in the comments. And if you’re ever curious about what I’m listening to these days you can check out my Last.fm profile, which lists the music I listen to in iTunes and on my iPod.