Review of 2008
Jan. 5th, 2009 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magictreehouseI've read over my journal entries for the past year and on the whole I have to say that it wasn't particularly eventful. This is by no means a bad thing of course. In fact, I realised that all of the misery I felt during 2008 was caused by one thing - my job. So although I don't make resolutions I do intend to do two things. Desperately find another job, not even in libraries. I can't afford to be picky but I do need to get out. And the other thing is stay detached from my current job. If something doesn't work out then fuck it. If there's a rush on, fuck it, take the dinner hour. My job became too much of my life last year and that should never ever be the case. Even if you have the best job in the world it is not your life. So yes, my life will be reclaimed!
Crapiness aside I did realise that I had seriously developed a new interest in 2008 without really realising it. I really became interested in animals. Now I've always been reluctant to call myself an animal lover because that sounds so wishy washy and cliched but I think my interest lies more in conservation and evolution specifically although there's a lot I've learnt to like throughout the year. I've been lucky enough to see a tonne of animals having visited four zoos (London, Edinburgh, Leeds Tropical World and Chester twice!), two sea life centres (Edinburgh and Scarborough) and the bird sanctuary at Harewood House in Leeds. It comes to a lot! Although I doubt I could continue to visit that many animals parks in 2009 I do plan to continue to educate myself and hopefully see more animals. I guess visiting Kew Gardens for the first time too could be included as a highlight here. And the botanic gardens in Edinburgh too.
I didn't manage to get abroad last year but I did my fair share of getting around this country. London and Edinburgh are well documented highlights but there were other places too. I had mucho fun in Nottingham for example and went to wonderful places in my own county too such as Scarborough, York and Ilkley.
Although I didn't get out into the world of libraries last year I did further my career in other ways. I started volunteering with the local library over summer and I got my first set of MSc results which I was very surprised with, and pleased with obviously.
So although the year wasn't filled with major events I did do a good job of getting out and about and doing stuff that I really wanted to. I saw lots of great stuff too. Apart from some great films I saw Wicked, Cabaret, Hayfever, Salonika and Rich Hall of course which were all great so more of that in 2009 please. I'll go into any more detail in the quiz tomorrow...
Music
I've been thinking about music this year and I think that this year was officially the year the CD single died. I'm less sad about its passing physically than I am bothered about the loss of the mighty B-sides. I think that album projects need a 'Find Out More' bonus content type affair to make up for the loss. Woolworths and Zavvi dying also show an industry in trouble. I don't know where this will all end up to be honest but as long as there are still CD albums I will still be buying music.
Saying that though, I thought I bought a lot of music in 2008 but it turned out to be the first year since I started this blog in 2003 that there hasn't been a clear amazing album so in the list below there could have been a few albums that could have made the top spot. As it happens I've gone for Ladyhawke as it's a wonderful album that I've kept coming back to throughout the year. It's how guitar music should be sounding in 2008 rather than Kings of Leon. It both knowledges music history and yet adds something to it. It's more than a guitar album, it's a push forward in many ways. So yeah, good stuff.
There were also some surprises. Madonna released the dire 'Hard Candy' of course and who would have thought that Cyndi Lauper would have released the better album of the two in 2008? The B-52s came back with a wonderful sexy bang. I was tempted to crown them the kings and queens of 2008 actually. And although I was glad to have Goldfrapp back I wasn't all that fussed by 'Seventh Tree' and Girls Aloud played it very safe as well. So it's been an up and down year for albums really. At one visit to Crewe in the year my brother said that he was sick of, what he described as, 'kiddy music'. By which he meant stuff like The Ting-Tings with their awful lyrics and Noah and the Whale with their pinky plonk indie which did make me laugh. I dunno if that's the best way to describe the last year but I do see it as the year in which re-releases of popular albums with three extra tracks were laboured hard (Leona, Duffy, Rihanna) which I do think hampered things a lot and says a lot about where we are right now with music.
Albums of 2008
1. Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
2. The B-52s - Funplex
3. Martina Topley-Bird - The Blue God
4. Ladytron - Velocifero
5. Sugarush Beat Company - Sugarush Beat Company
6. Alphabeat - This Is Alphabeat
7. Aimee Mann - @%£*# Smilers
8. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
9. Santogold - Santogold
10. Girls Aloud - Out Of Control
11. Cyndi Lauper - Bring Ya To The Brink
12. The Saturdays - Chasing Lights
13. Manda Rin - My DNA
14. Kelli Ali - Rocking Horse
15. CSS - Donkey
16. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
17. Britney - Circus
18. Pink - Funhouse
19. Neon Neon - Stainless Style
20. Portishead - Third
Crapiness aside I did realise that I had seriously developed a new interest in 2008 without really realising it. I really became interested in animals. Now I've always been reluctant to call myself an animal lover because that sounds so wishy washy and cliched but I think my interest lies more in conservation and evolution specifically although there's a lot I've learnt to like throughout the year. I've been lucky enough to see a tonne of animals having visited four zoos (London, Edinburgh, Leeds Tropical World and Chester twice!), two sea life centres (Edinburgh and Scarborough) and the bird sanctuary at Harewood House in Leeds. It comes to a lot! Although I doubt I could continue to visit that many animals parks in 2009 I do plan to continue to educate myself and hopefully see more animals. I guess visiting Kew Gardens for the first time too could be included as a highlight here. And the botanic gardens in Edinburgh too.
I didn't manage to get abroad last year but I did my fair share of getting around this country. London and Edinburgh are well documented highlights but there were other places too. I had mucho fun in Nottingham for example and went to wonderful places in my own county too such as Scarborough, York and Ilkley.
Although I didn't get out into the world of libraries last year I did further my career in other ways. I started volunteering with the local library over summer and I got my first set of MSc results which I was very surprised with, and pleased with obviously.
So although the year wasn't filled with major events I did do a good job of getting out and about and doing stuff that I really wanted to. I saw lots of great stuff too. Apart from some great films I saw Wicked, Cabaret, Hayfever, Salonika and Rich Hall of course which were all great so more of that in 2009 please. I'll go into any more detail in the quiz tomorrow...
Music
I've been thinking about music this year and I think that this year was officially the year the CD single died. I'm less sad about its passing physically than I am bothered about the loss of the mighty B-sides. I think that album projects need a 'Find Out More' bonus content type affair to make up for the loss. Woolworths and Zavvi dying also show an industry in trouble. I don't know where this will all end up to be honest but as long as there are still CD albums I will still be buying music.
Saying that though, I thought I bought a lot of music in 2008 but it turned out to be the first year since I started this blog in 2003 that there hasn't been a clear amazing album so in the list below there could have been a few albums that could have made the top spot. As it happens I've gone for Ladyhawke as it's a wonderful album that I've kept coming back to throughout the year. It's how guitar music should be sounding in 2008 rather than Kings of Leon. It both knowledges music history and yet adds something to it. It's more than a guitar album, it's a push forward in many ways. So yeah, good stuff.
There were also some surprises. Madonna released the dire 'Hard Candy' of course and who would have thought that Cyndi Lauper would have released the better album of the two in 2008? The B-52s came back with a wonderful sexy bang. I was tempted to crown them the kings and queens of 2008 actually. And although I was glad to have Goldfrapp back I wasn't all that fussed by 'Seventh Tree' and Girls Aloud played it very safe as well. So it's been an up and down year for albums really. At one visit to Crewe in the year my brother said that he was sick of, what he described as, 'kiddy music'. By which he meant stuff like The Ting-Tings with their awful lyrics and Noah and the Whale with their pinky plonk indie which did make me laugh. I dunno if that's the best way to describe the last year but I do see it as the year in which re-releases of popular albums with three extra tracks were laboured hard (Leona, Duffy, Rihanna) which I do think hampered things a lot and says a lot about where we are right now with music.
Albums of 2008
1. Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
2. The B-52s - Funplex
3. Martina Topley-Bird - The Blue God
4. Ladytron - Velocifero
5. Sugarush Beat Company - Sugarush Beat Company
6. Alphabeat - This Is Alphabeat
7. Aimee Mann - @%£*# Smilers
8. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
9. Santogold - Santogold
10. Girls Aloud - Out Of Control
11. Cyndi Lauper - Bring Ya To The Brink
12. The Saturdays - Chasing Lights
13. Manda Rin - My DNA
14. Kelli Ali - Rocking Horse
15. CSS - Donkey
16. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
17. Britney - Circus
18. Pink - Funhouse
19. Neon Neon - Stainless Style
20. Portishead - Third
