Top Ten Albums of 2008

Cafe Society
61

I thought Paste had a decent list, the albums were just way out of order :smiley:

IMO, the problem with the lists from magazines is they are all an amalgamation of a bunch of people’s opinions, so they never have a clear voice and it shows. I’d be much more interested to read the lists broken down by category. How can you really say that Kanye West’s album was better or worse than MGMT?

And I just remembered another candidate for most overrated: Chemical Chords by Stereolab. How this band continues to get critical praise is beyond me. Their songs all range from forgettable to annoying.

62

Not that it’s exactly new music, but any top ten list this year would be sadly wanting if it didn’t include the brain melting awesomeness of Just Look Them Straight In The Eye And Say…Pogue Mahone. Box sets can be middle of the road or downright boring sometimes, but aside from a few flyers there is some incredible stuff on there.

63

That’s one of the ones I was thinking about upthread when I said “Don’t even get me started on re-issues”. The Replacements, New Order, La’s, Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine re-issues are worthwhile, as well.

64

CRACK!!! ::: Moderator breaks vinyl record for attention :::

OK, I’m getting to this several hours too late, and the thread has moved on, but… < shrug > better late than etc.

SuntanTigerTamer: If you think someone is thread-shitting, the proper response is to hit the REPORT button (little ! in red triangle in upper right corner of thread) and let the moderators handle it. Throwing around accusations of thread-shitting and indulging in personal insults are NOT appropriate behaviors, and you know it. Restrain and refrain. Please don’t do this again.

Also, I think you are misreading (and certainly paraphrasing poorly.) Both Cisco and msmith537 said something along the line of “I must be old and out-of-touch.” That’s not saying anything derogatory about those who are young-minded or in-touch. It’s self-awareness, and reasonably appropriate comments. I don’t think that’s thread-shitting.

The thread-shitting has been the totally gratuitous asides and snipes at each other, and those will stop NOW on all sides.

65

That had better have been Manilow man.

66

Any Top 50 of 2008 that includes Death Cab, My Morning Jacket, Mates of State, The Hold Steady, REM, and a few others simply isn’t credible. I could possibly see The Hold Steady, even though it’s completely not my thing, but Death Cab, MMJ, REM, and Mates of State are on there through name recognition only.

Another album that’s on right now that’s pretty superb but isn’t gaining widespread coverage is Fucked Up’s Chemistry of Common Life. Almost anytime a hardcore record can gain widespread attention among indie kids (*Milo Goes to College, Rise Above, Zen Arcade, *etc) is something special indeed.

67

So much for my list then, because I liked the new Mates of State. I agree with your other mentions, but I found the MoS album very solid. None of the songs would make my top 10 of the year, but very few dogs. The title track regularly gets stuck in my head, too.

I just picked up the F’d Up’s album but haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet. Heard good things tho, and its been a while since I’ve heard a good hardcore album so I will definitely listen with interest.

68

I agree on the Mates of State album, too - I actually thought it was one of their most solid releases. I thought the R.E.M. album was even decent, though undoubtedly that’s because I was comparing it to their last few (Five? Seven?) shit-storms.

I, as well, just got the Fucked Up album, and am excited to listen to it. I think the last supposedly hardcore punk album I got was “The Shape of Punk To Come” by Refused, which was pretty good, but a lot closer to metal than punk IMO.

69

Be forewarned: It’s very, very Husker Du. If you like them, you’ll probably love it.

70

If you look at my e-mail address in my contact info, I think you’ll see I am indeed a huge Husker Du fan. That’s pretty much all the recommendation I need.

71

That just sold me. I’d been hearing a few good things about this album but was kind of non-committal about checking it out. However, I freaking love Husker Du and think that they, along with Killing Joke and The Replacements, were one of the best bands of the '80s.

This last year was kind of blah for me, partly because I wasn’t really excited about many new releases and partly because I just bought a house so I’ve been really careful about my entertainment spending. Having said that, here’s my list, in no particular order:[ul][li] TV on the Radio - “Dear Science” (contender for my favourite. These guys are awesome)[/li][li] The Raconteurs - “Consolers of the Lonely” (kinda disappointed nobody else has mentioned them yet)[/li][li]Patricia Barber - “The Cole Porter Mix” (for lovers of sparse, cerebral jazz interpretations only)[/li][li] Eagles of Death Metal - “Heart On” (I think they’re starting approach party rock with a bit more seriousness now, which might explain some people’s disappointment)[/li][li]Portishead - “Third” (The weakest of their 3 studio albums, but still pretty damn good)[/li][li]Stanton Moore - “Emphasis! (On Paranthesis)” (kick-ass New Orleans-style afro-funk)[/ul]Actually, I can only really come up with the above 6 that really excited me this year. I was going to list Yeasayer’s magnificient “All Hour Cymbals” but it turns out it was released in 2007.[/li]
Disappointments: Mogwai, Destroyer, Islands.

Most over-rated: Vampire Weekend. Seriously, what the hell is the appeal? The massive acclaim really baffles me, here.

72

Just to let people know: some of the albums mentioned here are available for download from Amazon.com for $5 each (including the Lil Wayne, which I just bought).

73

Wow, that’s really cool. And they do that over every Friday? There’s a little something for the favorites list.

74

I’ve been a defender of REM’s Accelerate. It’s best to think of it not as a return to the glory of Document or Automatic for the People but as a successful take on what they’ve unsuccessfully been trying to do since New Adventures in Hi-Fi (their last album I liked). It has an energy they’ve been lacking at least since Bill Berry left. Certainly not in my top 10, but easily in my top 50.

Stay Positive is The Hold Steady’s weakest album, with a lot of huge missteps. (Harpsichord? Really?) But I’m such a big fan that the bad parts couldn’t kick it out of my top 10.

75

Upon further review, here are some more awards for the year:

Biggest Surprise:
Negativland - Thigmotactic This is a band I have heard of over the years but never really listened to. Came up on this album and was totally caught off guard. For some reason I had them logged in my brain as a noise band a la Einsturzende Neubaten, but now I realize they are much closer to Ween. This album totally caught me off guard and I love it.

Biggest Letdown During My First Listen:
Megapuss - Surfing After I heard the first song on the album, I was ready for the best album of the decade. Didn’t happen.

Best Band No One is Talking About:
OK they didn’t have an album this year, but I saw Bishop Allen again a couple weeks ago and am still surprised they aren’t getting a bigger buzz. Their songwriting is as good as anyone out there.

Best Album That I Would Have Liked 10 Times Better Had I Heard it 10 Years Ago:
The Cute Lepers - Can’t Stand Modern Music Solid, catchy pop-punk.

Ambient Album of the Year:
Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline OK it was also the only one I heard all year, but it was fantastic. BTW I mean Brian Eno-ambient not techno-ambient. It annoys me just a little that I have to clarify that.

Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album that isn’t Rap/Hip-Hop but for Some Inexplicable Reason got Labeled that Way:
Alias - Resurgam This is a fantastic electronic dance album, but for some reason Allmusic has it listed as"Underground Rap/Left Field Hip-Hop. Go figure.

Best Album I Liked Despite My Best Efforts:
Ladytron - Velocifero For reasons I can’t really explain, I never really wanted to give this album a chance. Despite that, I rather like it. Not many albums can overcome that kind of prejudice on my part.

Best Album that I Can’t Quite Explain Why It Is So Good:
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles I just can’t exactly put my finger on what is so satisfying about this album. There is something about the production quality that just makes it sound so rich, it oozes through my eardrums like butter. I’m sure someone more savvy about the music tech side can explain it better.

Albums that I Might Like More 2 Years From Now:
Rafter - Sex Death Cassette
Tilly and the Wall - O
Cheap Time - Cheap Time
Electric Six - Flashy

That will do for now.

76

What, no Gnarles Barkley?

Weak, people.

77

One last one:

TOP 10 SONGS OF THE YEAR

  1. Jason Mraz - I’m Yours
    Say what you want. It’s an almost flawlessly constructed pop song. You WISH you could write something this catchy.

  2. MGMT - Kids
    Two songs on my top 10 are why MGMT was album of the year for me. It is, as mentioned earlier, somewhat uneven.

  3. Vampire Weekend - M79
    If ever a band was damaged by it’s own hype, this is the band. Look past that though, and you will find a well crafted album. This song lodged itself into my brain for a solid month.

  4. TV On The Radio - Golden Age
    Blew me away from first listen.

  5. Raveonettes - Hallucinations
    Ditto.

  6. MGMT - Time to Pretend
    Re-Ditto.

  7. Islands - Vertigo
    I love their songwriting style.

  8. Flight of the Conchords - Think About It
    Gotta throw some love to FotC, even tho I don’t feel enough credit is given to Tencacious D for paving their way. Cant wait for season 2 premiere.

  9. ** The Fratellis** - * A Heady Tale*
    Creators of my 2k7 album of the year couldn’t match the quality of Costello Music, but this song is as good as any on their first album and gives me hope for their future.

  10. Megapuss - Crop Circle Jerk '94 -
    The #1 Song I Wish I Could Karaoke for 2008.

78
  1. Dear Science - TV On The Radio
  2. Funplex - The B-52’s
  3. Volume One - She & Him
  4. Havilah - The Drones
  5. A Mouthful - The Do
  6. I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too - Martha Wainwright
  7. Oracular Spectacular - MGMT
  8. Rattlin’ Bones - Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
  9. Heretic Pride - The Mountain Goats
  10. Dig, Lazaris, Dig!!! - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Plus I loved, loved, loved the albums by Death Cab For Cutie, Portishead, The Last Shadow Puppets, Goldfrapp, St Vincent, Billy Bragg, Joan As Police Woman, Augie March, Kings Of Leon, Sparkadia, Spiritualized, Amanda Palmer, The Presets, Delta Spirit, End Of Fashion, The Grates, Hercules & Love Affair, and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

With some links there to promote some local Aussie talent. Get it up ya!

79

Totally agreed. The Broken String is about as perfect an album I’ve ever had the joy to listen to. (Repeatedly. Very, very repeatedly. I’ve got everyone at work hooked on them as well now… possibly just through sheer bloody-minded repetition, but still)

80

Okay, I’ll give it a shot. I first picked up the CD after reading a few good reviews, but before the hype machine was in full swing. And what immediately struck me was how it came at such odd angles. You had the clean, poking rhythm section up high in the mix, like you were listening to The Feelies 20 years ago. And then you had the charming, vaguely exotic-sounding melodies. But on top of that you had lyrics from white kids from affluent backgrounds who weren’t trying to pretend that they weren’t white kids from affluent backgrounds – honest and witty to boot (“Walk to class / In front of ya / Spilled kefir / On your keffiyah” – what’s not to love?)

All of this was good, and made for an unexpectedly enjoyable listen. But what really got to me, and what elevated this to Top 10 status, was just how damn catchy the songs were. They stayed in my head for days and days, and without the annoying quality you usually associate with such ear worms. I caught myself singing “Oxford Comma” to myself when no one was around with a big goofy grin on my face.

The album just made me happy, in ways I’m probably not explaining too well. But that’s one of the great things about music – it hits different people in different ways.