So it appears 2008 is in the books. What started out a year with promise ended up being a slight disappointment as my most anticipated releases of the year were almost uniformly letdowns (save Portishead). There were some great albums, but probably only the top two on this list would have made my top ten from 2007. And, as per usual, when I sat down to compose this list I lamented how many albums I didn't have a chance to hear this year. Principal among them would be new releases from Metallica, Blitzen Trapper, B.B. King, Anathallo, Rosebuds, Brian Eno + David Byrne and the Killers. 2009 is on its way and there are already several albums Ill be looking forward to, and of course I'll be trying to catch up on those 2008 albums I missed.
50. Second Original Silence by Original Silence -- These guys are a jazz/rock/improvisational outfit led by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and legendary producer Jim ORourke (Sonic Youth, Wilco). I gave this a good effort, and maybe I just don't get improv music, but I could never figure out what hell was going on in this record.
49. Street Horrrsing by F*** Buttons -- Um...what to say about this one? Lots of noise and some interesting moments, but mostly I just found it unlistenable.
48. The Red Album by Weezer -- I haven't listened to anything by these guys since Pinkerton, and now I realize why. A couple of decent songs, but mostly just plain awful.
47. Viva La Vida by Coldplay -- More middle-of-the-road rock from these guys. Will they ever get tired of playing it safe? Apparently not. Ive always had high hopes that at some point these guys would really challenge themselves, but it doesn't look like that's ever going to happen.
46. Nouns by No Age -- This was proclaimed a Sub Pop classic from about the moment it was released, but I just don't think their sound is my thing. Lots of noise accented by pop melodies and vocals low in the mix. A couple really great songs, but overall I didn't love it.
45. Jukebox by Cat Power -- An album of covers I heard several times due to the wifey. I enjoyed what were some very different takes on classic songs (like New York).
44. Elephant Shell by Tokyo Police Club -- Another in a long list of disappointments for me. After their terrific EP in 2007, I had high expectations for their full length debut. Unfortunately, they lost their punky energy and replaced it with their best Decemberists/Death Cab impersonations.
43. Offend Maggie by Deerhoof -- Not quite up to par with last years Friend Opportunity, but definitely a few gems mixed in here.
42. Loyalty to Loyalty by Cold War Kids -- A mildly disappointing follow-up to their terrific 2006 debut. There was some good stuff here, but on the whole it lacked the immediacy and standout singles of Robbers & Cowards.
41. Narrow Stairs by Death Cab Cutie -- I always feel bad that I don't like these guys more given that they're from Seattle, but for some reason they just never really do it for me. Like most Death Cab albums, there were a few songs I really enjoyed and a few where Ben Gibbard's voice/delivery just ruined it for me.
40. You & Me by The Walkmen -- A very melodic post-punk record that also tends to be quite nuanced and atmospheric. This is my introduction to these guys, so I don't really have a point of comparison to their previous work, but I enjoyed this one.
39. Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs -- I typically prefer Jack White with the Stripes, but his work with this side project has yielded two solid albums and a handful of great tunes. As per anything involving White, this album is loaded with big riffs and hooks.
38. Skeletal Lamping by Of Montreal -- This album is totally schizophrenic, though I appreciate what Kevin Barnes was trying to accomplish: challenge our notion of what a song should constitute. This album was packed with ideas, and when one idea had run its course, it was onto the next, even within the same song. That made for some decidedly mixed results.
37. Songs in A&E by Spiritualized -- When I heard this album I was kind of caught off-guard. Given that I knew nothing about these guys and had no expectations, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. An album full of minimalist guitar work, sparse drums, and great backing vocals.
36. Visiter by The Dodos -- Who knew you could rock so damn hard on just acoustic guitars? I hear pieces of different bands in these guys -- The Long Winters and Magnetic Fields come to mind -- but they carry off a sound that feels their own. A bit overlong and could have used some editing, but some real stunning tracks on this one including the one-two punch of Fools and Joe's Waltz.
35. Antidotes by Foals -- I saw these guys play a great show this summer and picked up this, their debut, sometime thereafter. Their sound has kind of that precision of math rock but has more hooks and grooves.
34. In The Future by Black Mountain -- Follows the Pixies format of loud-quiet-loud, but has more of a retro rock sound (think Zep or Black Sabbath). Released in January, it was the first album of the year that really grabbed me.
33. Devotion by Beach House -- Some may call this the soundtrack to a nap, but I guess that's why they call it dream pop. Great melodies, great arrangements, and full of contrast. It times it feels delicate and light, while at others heavy and dark.
32. Only By The Night by Kings of Leon -- These are definitely not the Kings I fell in love with and this album was another of the years major disappointments. What happened to the rockers from the Dirty South? Instead we were treated to a bunch of mid-tempo ballads that came of sounding like uninteresting Coldplay songs (yes, I realize the use of uninteresting and Coldplay is redundant). There were definitely some great songs in there, but as a whole this just wasn't nearly as good as any of their first three albums.
32. The Slip by Nine Inch Nails -- While With Teeth and Year Zero had their moments, I found this album to be more consistent and an improvement overall. Loud, fierce, angry...you probably know Reznor by now.
31. Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Who Cannot Feel by Atlas Sound -- This is Bradford Cox's (Deerhunter) debut solo album. While some similarities persist between this project and his main outfit, here he dives a bit deeper into melancholy, ambient pop.
30. Lost Wisdom by Mount Eerie and Julie Doiran -- Mount Eerie has put out a couple of albums that I really dig, and this release in conjunction with Julie Doiran was very enjoyable. There's something very unique about Eerie's acoustic arrangements that kind of sounds like a shadow chasing itself. The melding of voices here was also really terrific.
29. Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend -- One of the years most hyped bands, I initially didn't care much for this album. By the time summer rolled around (this just feels like a summer record) my wife was playing it constantly and there were a number of songs I began to really enjoy.
28. The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit -- For whatever reason, these guys always remind of what the Counting Crows would sound like if they were from Glasgow instead of San Francisco. Their 2006 debut was a solid effort and this album was a nice improvement.
27. Glasvegas by Glasvegas -- This record was a very interesting combination of sounds. It has a bit of that wall-of-sound touch to it a la The Jesus and Mary Chain, but there's definitely some 60s doo-wop at work here. However strange that sounds, it works. A debut proving that this band has a bright future.
26. Where You Go I Go Too by Lindstrom -- I suppose you could kind of lump this in with some of the year's disco revival albums, but for the most part this is just a bold, ambitious and impeccably crafted advant garde electonica album.
25. Journey To The West by Monkey (Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett) -- Damon Alburn (Blur; Gorillaz; The Good, The Bad & The Queen) is among my biggest musical crushes, so its no surprise that another one of his projects would make its way onto my list. This collaboration with the Chinese National Orchestra fuses traditional Eastern sounds with Western pop melodies/structures. While not the type of album that you repeatedly want to listen to, it was challenging, daring and audacious.
24. London Zoo by The Bug -- First rate grind and dubstep production accompanied by a host of dancehall and ragga MCs. This album is packed with killer tracks
23. Volume One by She & Him -- While not the album-of-the-year as proclaimed by Paste (admit it, that was just a cheap ploy to get a date with Zoey Deschanel), this was a surprisingly good album full of gems. One of those records that both Stacy and I really enjoyed.
22. Mountain Battle by The Breeders -- Their first album in six years, it contained a lot of what we've come to expect from them: noisy and abrasive rock punctured by sweet and melodic pop. A welcome return.
21. Grand Archives by The Grand Archives -- These guys, along with the likes of Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes and The Moondoggies, are redefining the sound of Seattle. Gone is the grunge of yesteryear and in its place pastoral folk/pop/rock. GA's debut had some inconsistencies, but it was certainly a solid effort and established them as a band to watch.
20. Do You Like Rock Music by British Sea Power -- And the award for best guitar work not by Jonny Greenwood goes to...British Sea Power! This was my introduction to the beloved English group, and this collection of anthemic rockers was thoroughly enjoyable.
19. Modern Guilt by Beck -- Throughout Beck's career we have come to see two distinctive sides: the fun-loving hipster of Odelay, and the more thoughtful, introspective singer-songwriter of Sea Change. Here he seems to run the gamut between both and with Danger Mouse producing turns out another solid record.
18. Feed the Animals by Girl Talk -- I usually have a difficult time ranking albums that don't consist of original material this high, but this album is just too much fun. Mashing up classic songs from the last couple decades, this record turns into a collage that has something all its own to say.
17. Acid Tongue by Jenny Lewis -- As much as I like a good Rilo Kiley record, there's just something about Jenny's country accented solo efforts that I love even more. Here she moves into a bit darker territory and adds some blues and jazz elements. Pretty Bird (with M. Ward on guitar) is one of my favorite things she's ever done.
16. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver -- Took me awhile to come around to this record, and I never really fall in love with records from the sensitive guy with guitar genre, but there were definitely some great songs on this one. I really enjoyed the use of hollow and abstract sound, and For Emma is one of the years great songs.
15. Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket -- My first major disappointment of the year. Not because it wasn't a solid record (it was), but more because of my expectations. This was one of the albums that I really expected to carry the year for me and it just didn't meet the level of their last two offerings (Z and It Still Moves).
14. Stay Positive by The Hold Steady -- These guys don't drive me to superlatives the way they do Johnny and Aaron, but I do enjoy them and think they put out very solid classic rock records. This was another in a long line of consistent outings.
13. Hold On Now, Youngster by Los Campesinos! -- I described this band to a number of people as Arcade Fire on a million packs of Smarties, and I guess Ill stick to that. High-energy fun that never lets up.
12. In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy -- My favorite throwback album of the year. Packed with synth hooks, sing-along choruses, and a new-wave revivalist mentality, these songs bring back everything from the 80s you didn't know you missed.
11. Santogold by Santogold -- There is always an album or two every year that Stacy and I love equally. Last year it was Rilo Kiley, Feist, and The Rosebuds. This year that album came courtesy of Santi White. On her debut she adeptly maneuvers through a variety of genres including -- but not limited to -- new wave, electronic, alternative and ska.
10. t (cross) by Justice -- I' m taking a mulligan on this one since it was released in 2007. However, I didn't get it until this year and my list wouldn't be complete without this record given how many times I listened to it. There is this point in every Justice song where the music slows, the tension builds, and the burst of sound that I know is coming makes me want to throw my body into the most spastic and unsightly dance moves you have ever seen. But knowing my limitations on the dance floor, I instead opt to furiously nod my head and tap my foot to the beat. The most blazing techno/IDM/dance/house album I heard all year.
9. The Stand Ins by Okkervil River -- Not quite as good as last year's The Stage Names, though quite impressive in its own right. The back-to-back sequence of Starry Stairs (those horns!) and Blue Tulip (that guitar!) were as good as it got in 2008.
8. Microcastle by Deerhunter -- Dense shoegazey guitar work and heavily reverbed vocals abound. As per usual, these guys excel in the melancholy, but Bradford Cox and co. really hit their stride on some of the albums more uptempo tracks (Nothing Ever Happened, for example, which is among my favorite songs of the year).
7. Attack & Release by The Black Key -- Less bluesy than some of their previous work, but still the same great Ginger Baker style drumming and rocking riffs that we've come to expect.
6. Rook by Shearwater -- Perhaps the most gorgeous album I heard this year outside of the Fleet Foxes. Terrific piano and guitar melodies and Will Sheff's operatic voice (always reminds me of a more theatric Morrissey). The title track was one of the year's best songs.
5. Dear Science, by TV On the Radio -- This album is everything we have come to ex'pect from these guys: eclectic, energetic, artistic, and just a plain ol' good time. Its also a bit more accessible and universal than some of their previous albums and in many ways captured the current state of the country (war, transition, etc.).
4. The 59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem -- This album is the result of some Jersey kids growing up on classic punk and a lot of Born To Run era Springsteen. The opening track establishes the albums frantic pace and for 12 tracks it never lets up.
3. At Mount Zoomer by Wolf Parade -- The sophomore album from the Montreal band was another stellar effort and featured several standout tracks, including two of my favorite songs of the year in Fine Young Cannibals and Kissing the Beehive.
2. Portishead -- A re-debut of sorts since this is their first record in nearly decade, Portishead emerged with an album that not only captured what was great about their 90s sound, but also felt updated and adapted to the current state of music. Dark, moody, atmospheric and Beth Gibbons otherwordly voice...everything I love about these guys.
1. Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes -- A prominent local DJ called this album our city's Pet Sounds. While any comparisons to one of the great records in music history are probably unwarranted, the Fleet Foxes did make a fantastic top-to-bottom album that felt like a classic from first listen. It became my favorite album of the year when it was released this summer and was never displaced.
*After I put this thing together, I realized I had made a glaring omission. Oracular Spectacular by MGMT arguably contained three of the year's ten best singles in Time to Pretend, Kids and Electric Feel. It probably would have placed in the 10-20 range had I remembered.
**Damn it, I am now realizing that I also left off Made in the Dark by Hot Chip. What I terrible list I've made.
4 weeks ago
