This time around I put together my favorite songs from the year. Not all of them came out in 2008, but I listened to each about a million times over the course of the last 12 months. I don't have the time to do the usual commentary, so you can just make up the reasoning for why a U2 b-side would become my favorite song this year on your own. Weird, I know.

Download Really Let's December mix (right click and 'save as')

1.  The Walkmen - In The New Year
2.  Why? - Fatalist Palmistry
3.  Esau Mwamwaya ft. M.I.A. - Get It Up
4.  Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
5.  Q-Tip - Move
6.  Superchunk - Driveway To Driveway
7.  Portishead - The Rip
8.  Modeselektor - The White Flash
9.  Will Oldham - I Send My Love To You
10. U2 - Unchained Melody

Yeah, I'm a little late on this one, but wow. 

It's been raining nonstop in LA this week, which means that every time I venture outside everything has that great overcast and gloomy look that makes me feel like I'm living inside a Cure album (let's say Head On The Door to be specific) or a Johan Renck video. It's perfect weather for a week of last minute editing and color correcting, and a great opportunity to wear all of my clothes at once to stay warm. Seriously, LA isn't supposed to be this cold.

Promo News gave me a little shout out for the latest Rosie video, and it's nice to see Camila and Stein get a mention too. With those guys it's impossible to make anything bad. Also, Abduzeedo, a German design site, was nice enough to post a little piece on me a few months back and I forgot to mention it. Thanks Alexis.

I had to fend off a lack of sleep and a nasty case of Thai-related food poisoning to finish this album cover, a Griffith Park foliage tribute for an indie rock band from Kansas. I'm really happy with it, but I'm afraid I'll never be able to look at it without being reminded of Chicken Phad Thai.

I should mention that the Draw Pictures holiday dinner on Monday night was a great opportunity to see everyone who made this such a fun year, and a humbling reminder of how many people it takes to make my ideas look good on film. Everything I did in 2008 wouldn't have been possible without tons of hard work from Steve, Marc, Corban, Bjorn, David Torno, Daniella, Sebastian, Jessica, Joaquin, Ariana, Scott, Justin, Bro Zealand, Camilla, Lisa, Phil, Jen, Stein, all of the interns, and everyone in the London and LA offices who either let me sleep on their couch, their editing bay floor, or their shoulder during long flights. Thanks everyone.

Wait, one more non-sequitur before I go sleep for 20 straight hours: How amazing is this?



Dave and I used to have an ongoing discussion about what song would play when we approached the plate if we were pro baseball players. I used to say either MOP's Ante Up (c'mon, tell me that isn't the perfect choice) or DJ Shadow's The Number Song (also, c'moooon). But after watching this, I'm afraid I would just have to request that my walk from the dugout take exactly 6 minutes and 12 seconds so that the whole stadium could feel the hair stand on the back of their collective necks by the time I was ready to strike out. It's so good it almost hurts to listen.

Thanksgiving weekend was perfect in every way. I slumbered. I drank grapefruit juice.

I saw Deerhunter, who was brutally loud (and who quite possibly sent me a subtle message of support via a t-shirt). I tagged along as Dave shopped for Christmas while out of his mind on Vicodin, which was brutally funny. And I read about Brutalism, which is quickly becoming an unhealthy obsession (who knew concrete could be so fascinating?). In summation- brutal, so very, very brutal.

Also, we recently finished the edit on the Nintendo spot I directed last month. You can see it here.