Last year I compiled a list of my favorite albums of 2008. I have decided to do that again this year for 2009.
It’s been a great year of music with some great rising artists and plenty of talented new ones. But some of the best music of this year were new releases from old bands and artist.

So this is a list of my favorite picks from this year. I also awarded Best Song of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Rising Artist. And if you have any albums that you think i’ve looked over, please tell me. More wonderful melodies are always welcome.

Best Album of the Year

10. "Lungs" - Florence + The Machine	9. "Troubadour" - K'Naan	8. "Stockholm Syndrome" - Derek Webb
7. "Up From Below" - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros	6. "Far" - Regina Spektor	5. "The Resistance" - Muse
4. "Strict Joy" - The Swell Season	3. "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" - Phoenix	2. "I and Love and You" - The Avett Brothers
1. "The Hazards of Love" - The Decemberists All of these picks on this list were hard to nail down in numerical order. I didn't really know what to determine one album being better than the other. So it just came down to this: what I listened to the most. The album I listened to the most this year was definitely The Decemberists' album, Hazards of Love. I just kept coming back to it. I didn't really like The Decemberists until they debuted this record at SXSW 2009 and it was love at first listen.

Best Song of the Year

Best Song of the Year: "My Girls" - Animal Collective

Ok. I must confess, I didn't like this whole album. I just couldn't get into Animal Collective as much as I wanted to when I first heard about them. I guess they are too weird for me. But I really loved this song. I couldn't stop listening to it this year. This song gives me hope for more Animal Collective. See for yourself.

Best New Artist

Best New Artist: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

I first heard these guys on a Tiny Desk Concert on NPR's All Song's Considered Podcast. I saw at least eight or nine people playing instruments. What a large band. What was even better was their enthusiastic sound. This is a band I'm really looking forward to hearing more of.

Best Rising Artist

Best Rising Artist: Phoenix

Their poppy synth leads and catchy guitar riffs caught me instantly off guard. I didn't know what to do: sit there in astonishment or dance? This is music you want to move to. Every time I saw the new Cadillac commercial I had to turn up the TV and pause what I was doing to bust a move. This band got huge fast. And they will only get better.

It’s that time of year of again. Fall 2009 has begun and I will share my schedule with you. I like my classes so far and have a feeling they will go just as well tomorrow. Without further to do, here’s my weekly schedule for the next 15 weeks:

Monday
9:00 - 9:50 Writing For Print Media, Eller, MC116
10:00 - 10:50 Chapel
11:00 - 11:50 Graphic Design 1, Eller, MC116
12:00 - 5:00 Work Study, Eller
6:30 - 8:45 Oral Communication, Johnson, ADM-214

Tuesday
9:25 - 10:40 Marriage & The Family, McManus, SCI-211
12:15 - 1:30 Spanish 3, Walker, LC-BRS1
1:30 - 3:30 Work Study, Eller
3:30 - 5:45 Typography, Hance, RUNON-201

Wednesday
9:00 - 9:50 Writing For Print Media, Eller, MC116
10:00 - 10:50 Chapel
11:00 - 11:50 Graphic Design 1, Eller, MC116
12:00 - 5:00 Work Study, Eller

Thursday
9:25 - 10:40 Marriage & The Family, McManus, SCI-211
12:15 - 1:30 Spanish 3, Walker, LC-BRS1
1:30 - 3:30 Work Study, Eller
3:30 - 5:45 Typography, Hance, RUNON-201

Friday
9:00 - 9:50 Writing For Print Media, Eller, MC116
11:00 - 11:50 Graphic Design 1, Eller, MC116

"Designing With Type" by James Craig

So i’m moving back in to school in five days. Classes start next Wednesday, and honestly I’m quite excited. I just looked over my course schedule and so far, I really like it. Though not having yet been to any of the classes does sort of skew the meaning of that.

I am particularly excited about one class: Typography. Typography is the study and art of arranging type and type design. Type has always been something that as intrigued me and I’m glad I’m taking a course to learn more about it.

I’ve already received the textbook for the course and found I’ve already read the first five chapters. At this rate I’ll have the book read before I attend the first lecture. Which I’m fine with. It’s a great book. In fact, it’s one of the best design books I’ve ever bought.

The book is called Designing With Type, written by James Craig. So far, i’ve learned many technical terms as well as why a lot of things are the way they are today. Very Interesting. If you are anywhere interested in design or visual communication, I strongly urge you to buy and read this book!

At any rate, I move back in Sunday and I’m excited to get back. I hope to do more reading–even more than I’ve done this summer, more studying, and ulitimately I hope my grades will turn out just as well as they did this summer. That’s not too much to ask for, now is it?

I decided to describe my life only using songs by the band, Death Cab For Cutie.

Describe yourself:
Long Division

How do you feel?
A Lack of Color

Describe where you currently live:
My New Twin Sized Bed

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Where Soul Meets Body

Your favorite form of transportation:
Passenger’s Seat

Your best friend is:
A Talking Bird

You and your best friends are:
Brothers on a Hotel Bed

What’s the weather like?
No Sunlight

Favorite time of day?
The New Year

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called?
A Movie Script Ending

What is life to you?
Expo ‘86

Your relationship:
I Will Possess Your Heart

Your fear:
The Ice is Getting Thinner

What is the best advice you have to give?
Someday You Will Be Loved

My soul’s present condition:
Transatlanticism

You can call me the ultimate multi-tasker. I think the title fits pretty well… Above is a picture of my workspace in the mass comm department. I was working on the new website for the student newspaper of North Greenville University, The Skyliner. I don’t always use three computers; it just made that specific job easier. I didn’t design this. Praise God for Wordpress theme designers. They make my life a lot more enjoyable and a lot less time-consuming; that way i can get on to other better and interesting things like building and designing better and bigger websites. Yeah, i know. I’m a nerd. It’s ok though. I love it. You will thank me later. So feel free do check out the website over at nguskyliner.net. I’m working on getting all the kinks out and some little things here and there, but you should like what you see.

Also, i’ll let you guys and gals in on a little secret. Yes. A secret, and i’m only telling you, my fellow blog readers…

Sometime in the distant future you shall be expecting a miraculous rebirth of brentalexander.net. That’s right. I’m designing a whole new layout. I have no clue on where i’m going with it. But your eyes shall be amazed. In the meantime go check out the skyliner.

Until next blog… Namaste.

Why do we talk so much?
Why do we try so hard?
Why do we plan so much?
Why do we do the things we do?
If we truly love Jesus, why do we love ourselves?
Why don’t we give more?
Why don’t we share more?
Why are we so selfish?
Why can’t we look at life as if it wasn’t our own?
Is it our own?
Who brought us out of death?
Who gave us life?
Why don’t we want to read the word of God?
Why don’t we desire to pray?
Why don’t we love to love?
Why don’t we love to give?
Why do we teach evangelism?
If we truly loved Jesus, would we have classes on evangelism?
Why don’t we stop talking?
Why don’t we stop trying so hard?
Why don’t we stop planning?
Why don’t we stop doing?
Why don’t we start praying?
Why don’t we start loving?

I’ve compiled a list of my favorite albums from 2008. Now i cannot argue that these are the absolute best, considering i’m not an expert in the field. Neither have I considered every album that has been produced this year. These are simply the albums i have come across that have given me great pleasure in listening to them. I hope you enjoy them as well. If you have any albums that you think i’ve looked over, please tell me. I’ll love to hear even more good music. Without further to do… Here we go.

10. "A Hundred Million Suns" - Snow Patrol	9. "This Is An Outrage!" - Capital Lights	8. "Rebel" - Lecrae
7. "This Is Our God" - Hillsong	6. "You Are My Sunshine" - Copeland	5. "For Emma, Forever Ago" - Bon Iver
4. "HAARP" - Muse	3. "Limbs and Branches" - Jon Foreman	2. "Narrow Stairs" - Death Cab for Cutie
1. "Viva La Vida" - Coldplay

Best New Artist: Bon Iver (For Emma, Forever Ago)

I heard the name, Bon Iver, early on in 2008. I never listened to his stuff til December of this year, and I fell in love. It’s simplicity. A guitar and your voice is really all you need. This is the kind of music you want to crawl up in your bed and fall to sleep to. I like it. I like it a lot. I cannot wait to hear more of this guy.

Other Notable Albums:

Worship:
- “The Bright Sadness” - Charlie Hall
- “Remedy Club Tour” - David Crowder Band
- “You Have Loved” - Travis Taylor

Folk/Acoustic:
- “Gold And The Sand” - Corey Crowder
- “Fleet Foxes” - Fleet Foxes
- “Sleep Through The Static” - Jack Johnson

Indie/Rock:
- “Re-Arrange Us” - Mates of State
- “Oracular Spectacular” - MGMT
- “Evil Urges” - My Morning Jacket

Rap:
“Our World Redeemed” - Flame
“The Chop Chop: From Milk To Meat” - Ambassador

Pop/Punk Rock:
“Underdog Alma Mater” - Forever The Sickest Kids
“The Glass Passenger” - Jack’s Mannequin
“Till We See The Shore” - Seabird

GloriaHiatt.com is finally in it’s final stages. I’ve been working on this project for awhile, and am really happy to get this one done with. I feel very accomplished after putting so much work into it. I did all of the design, graphics, and coding. I even did some php and javascript on this one. It was a beast. But it’s turning out great.  Check it all out here: www.gloriahiatt.com.

I had to design some banners and flyers to advertise a contest that the vibe is hosting on their website. This is what i ended up with. For more information on the contest, or to enter for a chance to win, visit wngrradio.com

Once again, i have way too much time on my hands. Or maybe, i’m just addicted to designing eye-catching, jaw-dropping, and mouth-watering graphics. What can i say; it’s fun. So i was just playing with some colors, gradients, and well, the good-ol vibe logo, and what resulted was incredible. I really dig what i see.