Triangle's 40 best songs of 2008: Lost in the Trees and The Physics of Meaning

The Independent has released their list of the Triangle's Top 40 Songs of 2008 and we are happy to find our own Lost in the Trees and The Physics of Meaning on the list. Here's the nice things they had to say:

LOST IN THE TREES

Download "Walk Around the Lake"

(from All Alone in an Empty House; Trekky Records)

Much like Thad Cockrell's "Pride (Won't Get Us Where We're Going)," Lost in the Trees' "Walk Around the Lake" reflects the realization that the world is bigger than one's own woes and will. Ari Picker—formerly of The Never and now the leader of the more orchestral-minded Lost in the Trees—not only admits his problems and the pain they've caused people, but he also thinks about what he can do to help the next generation skip his steps: "Late at night/ I stay up and write a book about my life/ So no one would ever make all of my mistakes." Picker's sentiment is a welcome break from the oft-solipsistic perspective of orchestral indie rock this decade. Another welcome diversion comes with the strident strings that cut across this acoustic jangle. Much like Bowie & Eno's use of strings in Berlin (see "D.J."), they bend a pop moment just enough to eliminate any sense of listener listlessness. —Grayson Currin

THE PHYSICS OF MEANING

Download "Why Can't We Fall in Love Forever? (Anything is Possible)"

(from Snake Charmer & Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight; Trekky Records)

What makes Daniel Hart's new record so enjoyable is in part what it isn't —no conspicuous Eastern exotica, no round-the-clock ragas, no enigmatic yogi bromides. This mid-record cut is instead rooted in chamber rock's tradition of indie exuberance-meets-actual chops. That's what tethers Snake Charmer's ambitious musical conceits to our own worldly experiences, even as the novella-inspired concept threatens to soar off with our disbelief. On this song, these charging guitars, gypsy strings, thumping kicks, cymbal explosions, dustings of glockenspiel, and "Clap your hands/Stomp your feet" imperatives all rush toward an out-pouring of choral joy—a wish fulfilled, love's promise invoked. "There's more to us than just surviving," Hart sings. Halleluiah for that. —John Schacht