My Top 10 Albums of 2008

December 27, 2008

1. David Byrne and Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

Standout tracks: “Home”, “One Fine Day”

It’s not unusual for an album we eventually fall in love with to be challenging or even off-putting on the first listen, but my favorite album of 2008 was that rare collection of songs that I loved as much on the first listen as on the thirtieth. Equal parts art and pop, Everything elegantly balanced the weird and the warm by enveloping Byrne’s exultant lyrical proclamations in Eno’s grandiose pop sheen. These two wizards’ gloriously accessible collaboration reminded me of why Talking Heads and U2 were so incredible in the first place.

2. R.E.M., Accelerate

Standout tracks: “Man-Sized Wreath”, “Supernatural Superserious”

The most welcome return-to-form of the year, Accelerate ranks among R.E.M.’s best work—and when you’re talking about a band that’s made such classics as Out of Time and Automatic For The People, you know that’s no small feat. R.E.M.’s stripped-down and urgent “Fuck you!” to the Bush administration stands alongside U2’s All You Can’t Leave Behind and Elton John’s Songs From The West Coast as triumphant late-career albums by legendary artists striving to make waves in the wake of their best material.

3. Coldplay, Viva La Vida

Standout tracks: “Lost!”, “42″

I must admit, I didn’t like it at first. Some parts were too predictable, I thought, and others felt like they were just pieces of song ideas strewn together with a lack a cohesive vision. Then I finally submitted like the rest of the world, and now I just enjoy the hell out of it. Keep ‘em comin’ Coldplay—at this point they can do whatever they want.

4. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Cardinology

Standout tracks: “Fix It”, “Let Us Down Easy”

Another year, another Ryan Adams album (or four). This guy’s like the Woody Allen of singer-songwriters: different project, same story, always great. This one in particular has been growing on me since I salivated over it’s acoustic soft-rock when it came out two months ago.

5. Jakob Dylan, Seeing Things

Standout tracks: “Something Good This Way Comes”, “All Day And All Night”

Artists living in the shadow of the extraordinary accomplishments of their parents never have it easy, but surely none has had a tougher go than Jakob Dylan. You’d expect the son of Bob Dylan’s first solo outing to shock and awe its way into the limelight like a child desperate for attention; instead, the Wallflowers front man coolly delivers some quiet, straightforward folk that sounds not too unlike Bob’s first disc some fifty years ago. Yeah, you could accuse him of playing it safe, but since “Something Good This Way Comes” is my favorite song of the year, I like to give the guy a break.

6. Vampire Weekend

Standout tracks: “Oxford Comma”, “M79″

Oh how I wanted to hate these guys. The cover of Spin magazine some one month after they released their first album? The buzz is not to be believed, right? But dammit if their debut isn’t one of the most refreshing listens of the year, copping Graceland-era Paul Simon and early Talking Heads in equal doses, and proving that a “serious” indie record can still be joyously optimistic.

7. She & Him, Volume 1

Standout tracks: “Sweet Darlin’”, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”

This wonderful throwback to 50s era Doo-wop and Motown features the voice of Zooey Deschanel, whose innocent yet sexy crooning sounds so sweet and so sad all at the same time. Check out their stellar, slow-as-molasses cover of “You Really Got A Hold On Me”, which just happens to sound like it was recorded in a bathroom.

8. Mudcrutch

Standout tracks: “Scare Easy”, “Orphan Of The Storm”

Some suspected Tom Petty’s reunion with his old band from Gainesville would just be a subpar take on a new Heartbreaker’s record. Turns out Mudcrutch was the best Petty project since Wildflowers. Lead by a man whose age wears him well, Mudcrutch had a voice all its own due to Petty’s winning mix of Southern charm and backwoods wisdom.

9. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular

Standout tracks: “Kids”, “Time To Pretend”

“Kids” was the song for this and all summers, a breezy and affectionate ode to innocence that sported the catchiest synth keyboard lick since Van Halen’s “Jump”. Great to see “Time To Pretend” over the opening credits of the movie 21 too…too bad the rest of the movie blew!

10. The Raconteurs, Consolers Of The Lonely

Standout tracks: “Old Enough”, “Many Shades Of Black”

Jack White, you are the savior of rock n’ roll for our times. While the first Raconteurs record’s saving grace was the killer single “Steady As We Goes”, their second outing was the album that indicated that The Raconteurs are not just Mr. Black’s one-off experiment, but a band with a singular sound that could stand on its own. Meg, who?

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The Christmas Song

December 24, 2008

Happy Holidays everybody!

Much love,
David

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Cafe du Nord SOLD OUT! Video, Pics & Setlist (San Francisco CD Release Party, 12/6/08)

December 9, 2008

Nothing To Fear - David Baron Live at Cafe du Nord (San Francisco CD Release Party, 12/6/08)

2 for 2! My San Francisco CD Release Party was another SOLD OUT night on the west coast! Thanks so much to everybody for making it such a special night. It was wonderful to come back to my hometown of San Francisco to share my new music with so many friends, including many great musicians and artists in the Bay Area who came out to show their support.

This time around the band featured James Deprato on guitar and Jerry Becker on organ, both of whom tour with Pat Monahan of Train. The crowd was especially amped up tonight, singing along and dancing their asses off all the way to the back row. So cool that after only 2 shows so many people already know the words to the songs off the EP…the choruses to “Love Is Just A Lie” and “Nothing To Fear” were particular fan favorites tonight, where the singing along from the crowd nearly drowned out own my voice.

I was blown away when I saw 5 girls in the front row had made T-shirts from the some of the dirtier lyrics of my songs. Nothing like reading “Nothing To Fear…But his giant piano” and “I was Just Getting Off” sprawled across the front of girls’ shirts while you’re rockin out . Keep a lookout for the T-shirt Girls at upcoming Bay Area shows–I love you guys!

Props to Brad Wolfe, Eoin Harrington and Mike Gibbons, 3 excellent artists local to the Bay Area who brought the fire that night. Eoin and I had a blast performing guest spots in each other’s sets…we dueted on Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” with my saxophonist and Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” with Eoin’s band.

Huge thanks to Laura for flying 637 miles to see the show (it said so right on her T-shirt), my folks from Florida (dude, family’s so cool), and hundreds of others who made my first hometown show as a solo artist an incredible night to remember.

It’s been a big year guys…and I can’t wait for what’s in store in ‘09!

Peace,
David

Setlist and pics below:

1. Love Is Just A Lie

2. Standing Still ->

3. Don’t Stop Believin’

4. When The Stars Go Blue

5. Kids

6. New York State of Mind (w/ Eoin Harrington)

7. Shadows On The Inside

8. Nothing To Fear

9. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (w/ Eoin’s band)

Photos by Chris Lambert

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/davidbaron
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Baron/17844526299
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=292543683&s=143441

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Viper Room SOLD OUT!! Video, Pics & Setlist (LA CD Release Party, 11/22/08)

December 5, 2008

Don’t Stop Believin’ - David Baron Live at The Viper Room (LA CD Release Party, 11/22/08)

What’s up guys! My LA CD Release Party was an unreal SOLD OUT night at the Viper Room! The band kicked ass, the Bryan Brothers sat in with us to play Tiny Dancer, and the performance was rock-solid. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better show to kick-start my solo career!

Hats off to the Bryan Brothers for not only playing their hearts out, but for being all-around just the nicest guys in the world. I got to hang with Bob & Mike all weekend, and we had so much fun playing together that the three of us are going on tour as a trio to play at tennis tournaments across the U.S.! Keep a look out for upcoming tour dates in ‘09 with both the Bryan Brothers and my full band, including CD Release Parties on the east coast.

A huge thank you to people like Stacy who drove 300 miles to see the show, my brother and the rest of my family for coming out from Florida, and to everybody who came out in support to make the Viper Room the most rockin’ place to be in LA on November 22, 2008. Will see you all tomorrow at my San Francisco CD Release Party, then on TV at Sundance in January and on the road in ‘09!