On the playlist, or wow, that year was fast

I guess the first quarter of 2008 was all the year had to offer. The upcoming quarters look pretty desolate in terms of releases interesting to me, and even my current playlist doesn’t have much luster.

Bang on a Can All-Stars & Don Byron, A Ballad for Many I’m only ever familiar with the Bang on the Can All-Stars performing heavily notated works, so to hear them cut loose on A Ballad for Many is refreshing. That’s not to say Don Byron’s work is no less challenging than said heavily notated pieces.
Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs I was right — Chris Walla’s solo album turns out to be the more interesting release.
Furukawa Miki, Bondage Heart There was a sparkle on Mirrors that seems missing on this album, despite being both heavier and sparse at the same time.
LOVE PSYCHEDELICO, This is LOVE PSYCHEDELICO I haven’t taken a look at the Romanized lyrics, but the bound packaging of this compilation is indeed quite attractive. Content-wise, nothing surprising.
Madonna, Hard Candy The more distance Madonna can put between her and American Life is a good thing indeed. I thought the Neptunes and Timbaland were so 2002, but they do right by her. Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, in particular, do a far better job with Madonna than with Duran Duran.
Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust (remastered) I’m overplaying this album all over again. I haven’t done an A-B comparison to see how the remastering rates, but I get the impression that the boost in levels hasn’t dulled the dynamic range of the original.
Mirah, Advisory Committee One day, I explored every artist listed in the Gay.com Rock Out archive, and only two artists struck a chord. One was Matt Alber (debut in August), and the other was Mirah.
Ned Rorem, Eleven Portraits for Eleven Players; Piano Concerto in Six Movements (Louisville Orchestra) Nice cover.
The Hidden Cameras, Mississauga Goddam I downloaded this from eMusic accidentally. I wish there was a way to get those credits back.