Needles in the Hay Issue #38

Lost albums of 2008

By Venus Zine Staff
Published: December 1st, 2008 | 12:00am

Sure, we review dozens of bands in every issue of Venus Zine, and hundreds more on venuszine.com, but we still miss things from time to time. Sometimes the release date gets away from us, sometimes the inept U.S. postage system wins, and sometimes we’re just too busy dancing around the office to the Ting Tings to get around to reviewing them (that one hurt). But we’re big girls — we own up to our mistakes. Here, in no particular order, our critics’ choices for the top 2008 albums we loved and lost. — K. Tighe

Star Anna
Crooked Path
(Malamute)
With a fiercely loyal regional following around her home state of Washington, Star Anna may well be Americana’s next country heroine. Crooked Path blazes the typical mournful trail of heartache and resolve, but this songstress plays within lyrical element and tradition so skillfully, any casual listener is immediately drawn in. — Leah Urbom

Snowblink
Long Live
(self-released)
Nestled among the many out-folkies of the San Francisco Bay Area, Snowblink possessed a raw magic that caused campfires to burn a little brighter, impromptu outdoor shows to grow a little cozier. Alas, Daniela Gesundheit’s move to Canada led the group’s fragmentation — coming just at the time of this debut. — Kimberly Chun

Mirah
The Old Days Feeling
(Modern Radio)
The Old Days Feeling collects a selection of hard to find and out-of-print Mirah releases in a range of styles from Reggae (“Slighted”) to ‘60s Girl Groups (“Don’t”). Without a throwaway in the bunch, The Old Days Feeling is pleasingly old-fashioned, with just enough edge to cut through its own sentiment. — Emily Becker

Haley Bonar
Big Star
(Afternoon)
Having collaborated with the likes of Alan Sparhawk (Low) and Andrew Bird, Bonar’s northern roots ring clear in her unembellished solo albums. Break out Big Star during the winter months to hear Bonar’s plaintive and poetic lyrics, folky guitar strumming, and Stevie Nicks-like voice in satisfying tunes that warm the heart.— Erica Phillips

Gaby Hernandez
When Love
(Armed Orphan)
Los Angeles performer Gaby Hernandez offers a bewitching melange of Free Design-esque sophisticate folk, Judee Sill-ish music of the spheres, and Cocteau Twins-style dream-pop. This is the blissful sound of floating through a sea of grass, tethered only to Hernandez’s gracefully unfolding imagination. — KC

Headlights
Some Racing Some Stopping
(Polyvinyl)
If Jenny Lewis had formed a band with Ben Gibbard instead of Blake Sennett they might have sounded a lot like Headlights. The memorable single “Cherry Tulips” creates the year’s best wall of sound, and the rest of the album alternates between the richness of Erin Fein’s vocals and the subtlety of Tristan Wraight’s. — EB

Evangelista
Hello, Voyager
(Constellation)
Evangelista is yet another project spearheaded by composer and multi-instrumentalist Carla Bozulich. Gothic art rock meets classical, as a variant of sounds crescendo, curl up, and die into sparse instrumentation and hollow space — Hello, Voyager is thoughtfully vacant. Looking for something catchier to start? Try jarring yet jazzy “Lucky Lucky Luck.” — LU

Mia Doi Todd
Gea
(City Zen)
Though the sonorous singer-songwriter had already established herself with six previous releases, Gea finds Todd riffing off Nick Drakeisms on “River of Life/The Yes Song.” Despite her clear influences, Todd manages to mark her songs — laced with hand drums, harmonium, woodwinds, and strings — with a palpable confidence and voice all her own. —KC

Baskervilles
Twilight
(Secret Crush)
Twilight collects songs that the Baskervilles originally self-released online and offers a worthy follow-up to their Midnight EP. The Baskervilles music is finely crafted and intuitive, whether focusing on Stephanie Finucane’s sugar plum fairy vocals (“Sweet and Sour”) or the careful balance of riffy horns with boy-girl harmonies (“Smash”). —EB

Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby
(Stiff)
Allow your ears to be soothed by Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby’s eponymous release. Stand-out tracks “First Mate Rigby,” “I Still Miss Someone,” and gospel of truth, “Men In Sandals,” fulfill and amuse. Besides, doesn’t anyone who pens a love song for a Chevy Astrovan deserve a listen? — LU