looking back on '07, looking forward to '08

it has been an incredible year in a lot of ways for me. musically, i'd have to say that this has been the best year i can ever remember. this year being the first full year of sand is overrated has made my obsession with music that much deeper, so it's probably no surprise at all that there were so many bands that i love that had new releases this year. and as strong as 2007 was, 2008 looks perhaps just as promising. hopefully the new year will bring new full-length albums from sigur rós, sufjan stevens, death cab for cutie, alexi murdoch, joanna newsom, my personal favorite m. ward, and my favorite from 2006, camera obscura.

on a personal note, most of 2007 was a great time for me until i kind of staggered towards the finish line these past few months. but, looking forward to 2008, i have the most clearly defined goals i've had in perhaps a decade and am brimming with excitement over what may come in the months ahead. it promises to be a very busy year for me and i just hope that i can sustain some semblance of regularity on here. i'll be coming back in the new year with hopefully a new wrinkle or two, including one that i've been thinking about for a while: i've become increasingly uncomfortable putting up download links to the songs i post, so my next post and on will contain only streaming links. the point is, after all, just exposure and promotion, not a place where you can download music for free.

with that, i leave you the same way i left last year, with "one more goodbye" from m. ward. i probably could have come up with another song to close out the year with, but it just still seems like the perfect way to close what was nearly a perfect year, and welcome what will hopefully be a nearly perfect year. happy new year to you and yours!

m. ward : "one more goodbye" mp3
from the compilation old enough 2 know better - 15 years of merge records (merge records, 2004)

one more chance before the end of the year
one more time for me to make my letters clear
well i found a pen and wrote these words in your ear
"one more goodbye"

one more chance to terrorize my aching head
reconsider in your soul what you read
well i found a crayon and wrote these words on your leg
"one more goodbye"

one more chance to throw your party by the lake
reconsider in your soul your mistake
well i found a match and wrote these words on your cake
"one more goodbye"

well i slipped and fell between the rocks and i got stuck
but i found a vine and i climbed my way up
and then i found some soap and wrote these words on your truck
"one more goodbye"

so i dreamed a train and away did i ride
well i cleared a place on that wooden floor where i could lie
and then i found a plane and wrote these words in the sky
"one more goodbye"

my final vision as i rattle down the track
as far away from me across the leaves and grass
i caught my guardian angel haulin' ass
"one more goodbye"

one more goodbye
one more goodbye