Music Music Music.

I've been listening to music a lot recently. More so than normal. I guess if any of you knew me, you would know that that means I am listening to an insane amount of music, since I already engage in music listening on a fairly large basis. So when I say a lot, I mean I'll take around 5 albums, and listen to each one of them, all the way through, atleast 3 or 4 times a day.
Crazy, I know. But, I got reasons. Mostly because I simply enjoy furthering my musical tastes, and discovering new music. But, it is also the end of the year, and its time for me to decide my favorite, or "top" music of the year. I will usually write a small article of sorts on the albums/bands that I have chosen. I haven't got that far yet, but here is a bit of what I've been listening to in the last couple of days. The first two albums are in my consideration for favorites of 2008, while the final selection is much older.
Most of you have probably heard the singer on this album sing before, though not in a traditional music setting. If you have seen the movie "Elf," then you have heard the wonderful voice of Zooey Deschanel. Deschanel, the "She" of the title, is accompanied by the "Him," of folk/country act M. Ward. Though Deschanel takes most of the album, as she does almost all vocals, and wrote most of the songs, M. Ward provides great arrangements, solid piano rythms, and excellent backing vocals. The sound itself is very pop, with a lot of soul. It is very Shangri-Las, or Gram Parsons, and drives off influences from classic California pop music of the 60s. Standouts include the Smoky Robinson cover, "You Really Gotta Hold On Me," and "I Thought I Saw You're Face Today." For all that, the music can be sort of simple, and mediocre at times. But the fact that Deschanel has such a great voice, and the tracks are all still rather entertaining makes this album worthwhile.
Will Oldham has been consistently releasing great folk music for some time now. He also usually sports a killer beard. And with the right amount of vocal harmony, steady guitar licks, and a proper dose of beard, Oldham releases stellar music under the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. This album, his most recent to date is no exception. It is much lighter than his other stuff, in that generally much more upbeat, and less haunting, which is a nice change. This album is warm, enchanting, and did I mention he has a beard?
Not much to say about Leonard Cohen, other than he is one of those songwriters that everyone should listen to, if at least even heard of. The cold fact there is that, though many of you may not have heard of him, I can almost guarantee that you have heard one of his songs. Probably the most popular of what he has wrote has been featured in TV shows, movies, and the like. Popularized by artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Buckley, and many others, the song "Hallelujiah" that found its way into film and television shows, was originally written and performed by Leonard Cohen. Cohen has a great repertoire of folk and classic stylings. His dark, deep voice is the driving force for much of his recordings, and his lyrics are grave and enlightening at the same time. Along with his raw presentation and recording, these things come together to form music worth the music of many ages.