Derwin's 7th Annual Band(s) of the Year Award

To recap, the winner is determined based on the following criteria:

- Did the band play a major role in some of the best moments of the year?

- How do they rank in my iTunes “Most Played” column?

- How often were their songs in my head at any given point in the day this year?

- How many times did I see them live? (This one plays a lesser role this year since I moved closer to Hollywood. Not as much effort required to see live music.)

Nada Surf, who won the prestigous award back in 2006 in a landslide decision, came very close to winning again in 2008. I saw them twice in ‘08 and both nights were rediculous. They were heavily involved in two of the best moments of the year. However, their new album, “Lucky,” falls way short of their previous work and barely got any reps outside of the initial listens. It wouldn’t be fair to push Nada ahead of other contenders based on hearing songs from previous albums live while other bands produced better new material this year.

I’m not one of those music snobs (oh I’m a music snob, just not one of THOSE music snobs), that downplays the significance of a band just because mainstream radio picks it up and the band gets popular. I think it’s just as trendy to start disliking a band because casual music fans have heard of them and “like” them, as it is to like the band because it’s the #1 most requested song of the week. That said, my pick for Band of the Year 2008 is MGMT.

I don’t remember what day it was or what was going through my mind, but I do remember where I was when 103.1 played “Time to Pretend” for the first time. The way the synthesizers kicked in with the drums and the almost cult-like vocals hooked me from the start. I was in my truck and immediately said, “I need to go home and download this album.” I’m glad I did. As someone who appreciates more mellow music, having these guys in the playlist when people come over helps keep everyone awake. Almost every positive situation this year, MGMT’s music was somehow involved. Even after I’ve heard the album so many times, it still stands up. I think time will prove this album to be a classic and I hope these guys don’t become one album wonders.

Looking forward to new music in 2009!