Best of 2008... So Far & Opinions on My Morning Jacket

Jim and Greg love lists so much they can’t wait until the end of the year to make them. Tune in to hear their lists for the Best Albums of 2008...So Far. Then stay tuned for their review of the new album from My Morning Jacket.

2008
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06.27.08

00:01:45 Dr. Claudius Conrad, a physician at Harvard University Medical School recently conducted a study that examined the relationship between pain, healing and music. Jim and Greg talk to Dr. Conrad, a classically trained pianist, about his findings, which were published in the journal Critical Care Medicine. He found that playing music for patients recovering in the ICU reduced certain hormone levels that paradoxically caused the lessening of pain symptoms. Dr. Conrad specifically used Mozart in his study, but he believes that any music a patient found pleasurable might have the same effect. He also imagines this would be the case during surgery itself.

The Best of 2008... So Far

Hard to believe it's almost the midpoint of 2008, but lucky for Sound Opinions listeners, that means it's time for a list! Here are Jim and Greg's lists for 2008's mid-year best.

Jim

  1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
  2. Weezer, Weezer ("The Red Album")
  3. Local H, 12 Angry Months
  4. Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
  5. Lupe Fiasco, The Cool (Yes, it's arguably a 2007 release. But in its infinite wisdom, Atlantic officially issued it on Dec. 18 last year, where it was thoroughly lost and quickly forgotten. It's an outstanding effort nonetheless, and I'd argue that it's only really started to make an impact in 2008 as Lupe has toured with Kanye West.)
  6. Tim Fite, Fair Ain’t Fair
  7. Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust (Originally issued as a pay-what-you-think-it's-worth download last November; now getting its official CD release on July 8.)
  8. The Black Angels, Directions to See a Ghost
  9. Portishead, Third
  10. Flight of the Conchords, Flight of the Conchords

Greg

  1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
  2. Portishead, Third
  3. Rhymefest, Man in the Mirror
  4. Santigold, Santigold
  5. Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight
  6. Disfear, Live the Storm
  7. The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
  8. Alejandro Escovedo, Real Animal
  9. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
  10. Lyrics Born, Everywhere At Once

Evil Urges My Morning Jacket

Evil Urges

My Morning Jacket has a new album due out this week called Evil Urges. The band has been hugely successful straddling the line between indie rock and jam band music. As Jim says, "They've been everything to everyone." But now they've given up the "backwoods" setting, and not for the best according to Jim and Greg. Both critics hear a ton of experimentation, but nothing that is impressive. Rather, they found themselves asking what My Morning Jacket was thinking. Songs like "Highly Suspicious" almost seem like a joke. Jim wasn't a big fan before, but he really hates this record and gives it a Trash It. Greg wishes there was a rating level below that, but he'll have to settle for Trash It.

Dear Listeners,

For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!

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