The Top 10 Albums of 2008

[Tim-Æ]

It's official, nothing else even remotely decent is coming out the rest of the year. So after much deliberation, I've compiled my top ten of the year. This was a very hard lis to do, so please bear with me as I struggled on what should be cut and what should be preserved. Hopefully ya'll will find something worth listening to in this list. Enjoy.

10.   Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul â€" I used to hate this band so much. They appeared to me as a cheap Radiohead rip off always, and the Gallagher’s singing always irritated me. It still does slightly. But I can’t deny catchy tunes when they are presented to me. That’s what I got the minute I listened to “Bag It Up” which hooked me on this record instantly. A lot of times that’s what it is for me. An album has to catch me in the first few seconds, otherwise I’m libel to lose interest quckly, but Oasis did it successfully here and I’m glad I kept listening. My only problem with the album is the lyrics really. Everything else seems to be very tight but I notice a word showing up too much. The word “rapture” pops up far too much, and even in the title of the third song. That bothers me. Other than that, I love this record, and it’s a good appetizer until the new Radiohead comes out. I still consider them slightly “Radiohead-lite” the same way I vew Muse. But there’s nothing wrong with it, and the band certainly has come a long way from that period of like 6 or 7 years of total crap. If only we could eliminate the ego. A-

Recommend Downloads: “Bag It Up,” “Waiting for the Rapture,” and  “(Get off Your) High Horse. ”

9. Blitzen Trapper: Furr â€" Imagine that…a country rock album in Tim’s top 10. That’s a first. But really, my biggest beef with country music is that it’s all the same â€" lots of talk about patriotism, boring twang about how bad it hurts to be left by your woman and/or dog. It’s garbage. Blitzen Trapper doesn’t waste time talking about that kind of shit. They start with some pop jangles in “Sleepy Time in the Western World” and instantly there’s a feeling that “oh shit, what am I listening to?” It’s country rock pop but they don’t sing about stupid crap which as I said was my main beef with country. Most of the record flows just like a country album would do, but then the guitars get crunchier and more arena rockish like on “Gold for Bread,” but then a huge turnaround to some old acoustic country rhyming on the title track. The highlights of the album come from “God + Suicide” which is nothing like a country song in my opinion. I compare these guys to The Old 97s who seem to do the same thing, only Trapper does it better with less country influence noticeable. There’s rich diversity on this record and that’s what I tend to lean towards. No two tracks are the same in sound, and if you think they do, wait till you get to “Love U” which showcasing some true love for garage rock. Now as the record teeters off towards the end it becomes apparent their roots are strongly in country music, and that’s ok. But for what its worth, the band presents a very under appreciated effort here, mixing indie rock, pop, and country together successfully. A

Recommend Downloads: “God +Suicide,” “Love U,” and “Fire + Fast Bullets.”

8. No Age: Nouns â€" I used to hate lo-fi rock. The distortion of the guitars, and the barely decipherable lyrics just pissed me off. It was considered noise rock, and noise rock in my book had no use to be heard. So after falling in love with Deerhunter, I decided to give Nouns a shot. I had downloaded it a few months back but never listened to it. I was sincerely missing out many moments of enjoyable rock. Last year the duo released Weirdo Rippers and I never listened to that really, but now that I’ve heard Nouns I’ve downloaded it and enjoy it quite a bit. I won’t lie, it’ll be very hard for many to get into this album. It’ll start out sounding like pure noise with “Miner” the opening track. It’ll deter a lot of people from even finishing the album. The majority of tracks are shorter than 3 minutes which makes this a brisk listen. But half way through “Eraser” I busted out jamming to it because it was so driving and so rhythmic. And half the time you can’t understand what they are saying, but that’s just something you have to take into consideration with lo-fi rock. This isn’t for everyone and I won’t try to push it on anyone. If any of these records will be the hardest for you to digest, it’ll be Nouns because of how abrasive it can be, and how polarizing it may be for some. But after listening to it, the music became pop to me. Pop is catchy, it’s pleasing to the ears and that’s what I found with songs like “Teen Creeps” and “Here Should Be My Home.” The people at work loathe this kind of music, and it’s understandable. But there’s no denying the talent of these duo and how much love of music they do display here. It’s borderline noise rock/pop. A

Recommend Downloads: “Teen Creeps,” “Eraser,” and “Here Should Be My Home.”

7. The Black Keys: Attack & Release â€" Well you should have seen this one coming. The Black Keys rank as one of my favorite rock duos. After multiple albums, and lots of comparisons to more popular blues rock pairings (*cough* White Stripes *cough*) the Keys are finally getting the exposure they deserve. I was planning to see them in July with Gnarls Barkley, not a huge fan of them, but still it would have been a killer show. Alas it was canceled. Back to the album. It’s a fairly short record which hurts it but with blues albums you can’t have extremely long songs or albums. After awhile some of their last albums started to run together. Thankfully that’s not the case on Attack & Release. Here the boys bust out some incredible riffs and pounding drums that take you back to the porches of the bayou, with vocal similarities to John Fogerty. The main stand out here is obviously the production of Danger Mouse. A big time producer like Mouse forces the duo to really make the jump into mainstream. So the stripped down sound of past albums like Rubber Factory and Thickfreakness are almost nonexistent. In place are new elements that are different at first but very warming. This is obvious on “Psychotic Girl” the most to me because you can hear sounds that aren’t typically made by just a guitar and drums. What really rockets this album to the list is that it contains the gem of Black Keys songs, the unforgettable “Strange Times” which is probably the best song of 2008 in my book. The albums an improvement over Magic Potion but not nearly as good as Rubber Factory. That being said, it was definitely one of the most memorable of 2008. A

Recommended Downloads: “Strange Times,” “I Got Mine,” “Lies,” and “Remember When (Side B).”

6. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig! â€" Another one of those records that set into motion the evolution of my music tastes. Nick Cave is one of those prolific musicians, not in the same vein as Trent Reznor, but definitely a man that sees his fair share of projects. It seems to be a trend lately. I’ve never listened to anything by Nick Cave before 2008 so when I took heed of the recommendation from Pitchfork to give it a shot, I was pleasantly surprised. A more spoken word album that offers a lot of catchy tunes, but more importantly â€" biting commentary on religion. This is a concept album folks, one that follows the story of Lazaraus (or Larry), with a modern twist to it. There’s a lot of stylistic changes throughout the album, leaving no two tracks similar. At times they sound like a jam band, other times they delve into some pretty psychedelics, and even touch on ambient but always maintaining the story of Larry, at the same time keeping each track as a standalone track. There’s a lot of garage rock influence as well on this record, which surprised me but its not overly evident upon the first listen or even second. It takes full digestion of this album to catch all of the bits. Definitely a huge surprise for me this year, and one of the best albums of 2008. A 

Recommend Downloads: “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!” “Today’s Lesson,” and “We Call Upon the Author.”

5. TV on the Radio: Dear Science â€" I wouldn’t have pegged myself for a TVOTR fan at all. I listened to their last album Return to Cookie Mountain and I never really got into it. In recent years I’ve strayed away from stuff that’s more beat and hip-hop influenced. There was quite a bit of falsetto vocals and I’m not entirely sold on those unless they’re coming from Thom Yorke. In light of this, I heard “Dancing Choose” on the radio one afternoon (not in my car that is) and for some reason I enjoyed it. I can’t really say why, but it stuck with me and as soon as I got home I downloaded this and I’m actually very glad I did. I think what put me off of their last album was the lightness to it. On Dear Science there’s a lot of bleak lyrical arrangements. A lot has happened since 2006 when Cookie Mountain was released, so this album has far darker outlook than the previous endeavor. I think that’s what’s most appealing, as well as how catchy it is. I’ve gone back to Cookie Mountain and found very few redeeming tracks on it, so maybe it’s just too obscure for me, I don’t know. Either way, “Dear Science” is clearly one of the best albums of the year. A+

Recommended Downloads: “Halfway Home,” “Dancing Choose,” “Golden Age,” and “Love Dog.”

4. Vampire Weekend â€" Vampire Weekend: This will be credited as my official change to different music. I never thought in a million years I’d enjoy an album based in “afro-pop,” but Vampire Weekend hooked me with their hella catchy “Oxford Comma,” right from the first line of “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma?” This writer, knowing what an Oxford Comma is, gets a chuckle out of it. But that’s not the only reason I love this album. It’s a tad short, but that makes it easy to digest in one setting. You can pick out your favorite parts quickly and while sometimes the chamberlain playing can get a little irritating, the most clever lyrics of the year are present on this disc. There’s no political undertones at all, and what we do get to relish in is pure pop that isn’t convoluted by image or commercials. While its all product, rest assured that Vampire Weekend isn’t dripping from the MTV or Fuse teat, they are simply rocking out for 34 minutes on their own piece of plastic, and doing a damn fine job of it. A+

Recommend Downloads: “Oxford Comma,” “M79,” “Walcott,” and “A-Punk.”

3. The Raconteurs â€" Consolers of the Lonely: At around April this was working its way into my favorite albums of the year list. I was not a fan of the first Racontuers album “Broken Boy Soldiers” but this is nothing like it. The poppish sound of Soldiers is gone, and Jack White and Brendan Benson are top notch form here as they bounce off each other with remarkable rapport. Both are equally affective in their roles and neither outshines the other. This is evident in the first single from the album “Salute Your Solution” as the two ricochet off each other repeatedly with the chorus and verse back and forth. There’s a garagy-blues rock feel to this that reminds me slightly of classic 70s rock that you won’t find done so well these days. White is obviously a fan of that era and pays homage to it on nearly every track, from “Many Shades of Black” to “Old Enough,” the Stripes frontman wears his influences on his sleeve well. Every great album has a drawback and this one’s is clear â€" it sounds too much like a White Stripes album. It’s obviously not, but on the last Raconteurs album they distinctly made it different than the Stripes, but here it sounds like “Icky Thump” Pt. 2. That’s fine, but it doesn’t really make anyone want to continue listening to the Racontuers if they sound just like White’s other band. The best part about the band is that it gets the truly underrated Brendon Benson into the spotlight. A+

Recommended Download: “Consoler of the Lonely,” “Salute Your Solution,” “Five on the Five,” and “Old Enough.”

2. Fleet Foxes â€" Fleet Foxes: This was really a tough choice. Until October, I didn’t think anything would top the Fleet Foxes self titled release. It’s track by track one of the most solid albums I’ve heard in recent years. It flows perfectly and the vocals are soothing and very settling. It’s never violent or pulsating, it’s just background music really and it’s very affective as just that. Once referred to as “swing dancing” by someone I know, the Fleet Foxes mix folk rock and blues, making a Zeppelin like conglomeration of the two without the screaming or even getting above a 6 in noise level. It’s mellow, this is true, but anyone can enjoy this really. They bellow out and sing oddly enough like angels to me, I catch a hint of choir-esque rhymes in it. I struggled with knocking this down to second place because honestly I had it pegged as the best album all summer long. I don’t listen to it nearly as much as I was because honestly you must be in the mood for the Foxes, usually when I write, or if I’m trying to unwind after going for a run or something, they come in very handy for that purpose alone. That’s not to discredit the power of the disc, as a standalone album its far greater than anything I’ve already mentioned simply because of its raw talent being so cohesive. The only drawback to the album is that there’s a lack of actual tracks, it seems that some of them are merely segues to transition into larger songs, but this is a minor set back when you listen to the album as a whole. Very few tracks standalone in my opinion, with the exception of “Ragged Wood” the albums major highlight. If it hadn’t been for number one, this would surely be the best album of the year. A+

Recommended downloads: “White Winter Hymnal,” “Ragged Wood,” and “Your Protector.”

and....

1. Deerhunter â€" Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. : There’s not much that can be said about this album. This time last year was about when I downloaded their last full album which was Cryptograms and I wasn’t that stunned by it. But this was physically released at the end of October, and I have listened to it every single day. I’m not kidding. I listen to it first thing in the morning while I get ready, and then I listen to it at least twice at work, then before I go to bed its on my playlist while I sleep. That’s how good it is. I haven’t listened to a record this much since Tool’s 10,000 Days in May of 2006. And this is nothing like it. It’s smooth and chaotic, with soft vocals that are distorted at times but very mood setting. I didn’t know who Bradford Cox was before this record and now that I do know, he’s absolutely one of my favorite musicians. This record is near perfect with the only exception being that it is over far too quickly. The companion piece “Weird Era Cont.” isn’t nearly as good as Microcastle but it is a worthy B-side basically, (though not really), that offers some good tunes but nothing nearly as amazing. There’s something very rewarding about the disc while listening to it, and you can really just kick back and absorb far more easily than some other music out there. This record isn’t meant for people that like MTV, in fact far from it. This disc represents hope for music, really. I literally cannot say enough good about this, I can’t compliment it enough, especially when I listen to it like I am right now, I’m speechless with how captivated I am by this album. If I were to compare it to last years top album in my opinion (The White Stripes Icky Thump) I’d cearly rule in favor of Deerhunter’s magnum opus here. There’s something about it that isn’t like anything else I’ve ever listened to it, and in light of that, I award it the useless honor of being the absolute Best Album of 2008. A+

Recommended downloads: “Agoraphobia,” “Never Stops,” "These Hands," and “Nothing Ever Happened” from Microcastle. From Weird Era Cont. “Backspace Century,” "Operation," "Vox Humana," and "Focus Group."


If I were to do a top twenty, the following would be in there, but I'm not sure where

Atlas Sound â€" Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Firewater â€" The Golden Hour
Abe Vigoda - Skeleton
The Bound Stems â€" A Family Afloat
Locksley â€" Don’t Make Me Wait
The Kooks â€" Konk
R.E.M. â€" Accelerate
The Parlor Mob â€" And You Were A Crow
Fucked Up â€" The Chemistry of Common Life
Elbow â€" the Seldom Seen Kid



Biggest Disappointments of 2008: Weezer - The Red Album, Rise Against - Appeal to Reason, and Taproot - Our Long Road Home

Biggest D-Bag Of 2008: Axl Rose

Best Song of the year: "Strange Times" by the Black Keys

[Kendell Smith]

Vampire Weekend was definitely a good choice. Really into them this year. Surprised the Kooks are up there, never really got the hype behind them. I would have slotted in Kings of Leon - Only by the Night not their best album but definitely worth a mention, MGMT - Oracular Spectacular because in this day and age where everyone sounds like fucking Bowling for Soup or carbon copies of the Arctic Monkeys they came out with something fresh.

[Duckman]

Alright if we put our own top tens in this list Tim? 

Peace

Duckman

[Rob]

Well just cause it's fresh in my mind i'll put my top 10 list. Feel free to delete it if ya dont wanna hear it!


10) The Cure - 4:13 Dream
9) Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
The Script - The Script
7) TV On The Radio - Dear Science
6) Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
5) Noah And The Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
4) Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
3) Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim
2) MGMT - Oracular, Spectacular
1) Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

[Tim-Æ]

Please, by all means put your top ten in this thread, thats what the purpose of it is.

[Kendell Smith]

1. Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
2. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
3. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
4. The Wombats - A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation
5. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
6. Oasis - Dig out your Soul
7. The Verve - Forth
8. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death to All his Friends
9. CSS - Donkey
10. Bloc Party - Intimacy

[Duckman]

1.  Only By The Night - Kings of Leon
2.  Dig Out Your Soul - Oasis
3.  Glasvegas - Glasvegas
4.  All Or Nothing - The Subways
5.  Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
6.  Coldplay - Viva La Vida
7.  Started Out With Nothing... - Seasick Steve
8.  The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
9.  The Signature LP - Sway
10.  Accelerate - REM.

Peace

Duckman

[Rob]

Wow looks like a lot of people agree that Only by the Night was one of, if not THE best album of 2008.

[Adam Michaels]

Mine's a little outside what would be considered mainstream, but here's my top 10...

10. Kamelot- "Ghost Opera: The Second Coming"
9. Lordi- "Deadache"
8. Firewind- "The Premonition"
7. Royal Hunt- "Paradox II: Collision Course"
6. Helloween- "Gambling With The Devil"
5. Judas Priest- "Nostradamus"
4. Symphony X- "Paradise Lost"
3. Edenbridge- "Myearthdream"
2. Testament- "The Formation Of Damnation"
1. Disturbed- "Indestructible"

[Sgt. Josh Underpants]

The Offspring- Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace
Ultraviolet Sound- O.C.D. (Obsessive Compulsive Dancing)
Taylor Swift-Fearless
Killola- I Am the Messer
The Ting Tings- We Started Nothing
Nine Inch Nails- The Slip
Duffy-Rockferry
Marie Digby- Unfold
Chrissy DePauw- Self titled
Prima J- Prima J

Biggest Disappointment: Akaline Trio- Agony and Irony

I really didn't go for too much of the mainstream music this year outside of some of my favorite bands

[Tim-Æ]

A lot of year end lists are out with their top 10 albums. Here are some of the notable ones I saw.

Pitchfork (predominantly independent music)

10. Dj/Rupture - Uproot
9. Hercules & The Love Affair - S/t
8. M83 - Saturdays=Youth
7. Vampire Weekend - s/t
6. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
5. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
4. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
3. No Age - Nouns
2. Portishead - Third
1. Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP/ s/t LP


Metacritic (review aggregator)

10. Robyn - s/t
9. Neil Young - Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House in 1969
8. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!
7. Fleet Foxes - S/t
6. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
5. Shugo Tokumara - Exit
4. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
3. Plush - Fed
2. The Bug - London Zoo
1. Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali

Amazon.com

10. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
9. Hayes Carll - Troubled in My Mind
8. Estelle - Shine
7. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah
6. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
5. Adele - 19
4. Al Green - Lay It Down
3. Fleet Foxes - s/t
2. Santogold - s/t
1. Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

Blender

10. Fall out Boy - Folie A Deux
9. Vampire Weekend - s/t
8. Randy Newman - Harps & Angels
7. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
6. Robyn - s/t
5. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
4. Metallica - Death Magnetic
3. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
2. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
1. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

NME magazine

10. Friendly Fires - s/t
9. Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
8. Mystery Jets - Twenty One
7. Santogold - S/t
6. Metronomy - Nights Out
5. Foals - Antidotes
4. Vampire Weekend - s/t
3. Glasvegas - s/t
2. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

The Onion

10. Portishead - Third
9. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
8. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah
7. Vampire Weekend - S/t
6. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
4. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster
3. The Walkmen - You & Me
2. Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

Rolling Stone

10. Vampire Weekend - S/t
9. Metallica - Death Magnetic
8. Beck - Modern Guilt
7. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
6. Santogold - s/t
5. John Mellencamp - Life Death Love and Freedom
4. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
3. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
2. Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vo. 8
1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

Spin Magazine

10. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
9. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
8. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
7. Deerhunter - MIcrocastle/Weird Era Cont.
6. Santogold - s/t
5. Fleet Foxes - s/t
4. Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life
3. Portishead - Third
2. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
1. TV on the Radio  - Dear Science

a lot of the smaller ones are putting Fleet Foxes and TV on the Radio at the top of their lists.

[Rob]

I hate that NME pretty much agree with me.

[Kendell Smith]

I hate that NME pretty much agree with me.

I agree. Although I woudn't put them in that order. Santogold seems to be doing the rounds, haven't heard any of it myself. Has anybody heard it? What's your thoughts?

[Shawn Tryant]

And just so we won't get pussyfooted about, here are two lists for the discerning metalheads for the good ol' '08:

Terrorizer Magazine Top 20 Of 2008:
01. ENSLAVED - Vertebrae (Indie Recordings)
02. CYNIC - Traced In Air (Season Of Mist)
03. NACHTMYSTIUM - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1 (Candlelight)
04. GOJIRA - The Way Of All Flesh (Listenable)
05. TORCHE - Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
06. MESHUGGAH - ObZen (Nuclear Blast)
07. OPETH - Watershed (Roadrunner)
08. METALLICA - Death Magnetic (Warner)
09. BLOODBATH - The Fathomless Mastery (Peaceville)
10. ESOTERIC - The Maniacal Vale (Season Of Mist)
11. EARTH - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull (Southern Lord)
12. AC/DC - Black Ice (Sony)
13. ASVA - What You Don't Know Is Frontier (Southern Lord)
14. HAIL OF BULLETS - ...Of Frost And War (Metal Blade)
15. SEPTICFLESH - Communion (Season Of Mist)
16. DARKTHRONE - Dark Thrones And Black Flags (Peaceville)
17. LEVIATHAN - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life (Moribund)
18. GRAND MAGUS - Iron Will (Rise Above)
19. HARVEY MILK - Life... The Best Game In Town (Hydra Head)
20. SATYRICON - The Age Of Nero (Roadrunner)

For the record, the top 10 features a lot of bands I'd feature myself personally, disregarding Metallica and Opeth for petty personal reasons and heavy dislike of the genres they represent. Despite the fact, I think that the Terrorizer "top albums" list has been the most accurate to reflect my taste the past year, insofar as it can be fit on a musical map. Also I would like to notify that I do not share the massive amount of chubby boners Terrorizer has for every Hydra Head release. Not that Satyricon's latest deserves the 19th place or anything, far from it, BUT IT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THING.

Bands and releases that I feel should have been mentioned this year:

The Monolith Deathcult - "Triumvirate"
Hayaino Daisuki - "Headbanger's Karaoke Dangerous Club Fire"
Gridlink - "Amber Gray"
Coffins - "Buried Death"
Canvas Solaris "The Atomized Dream"
Wold "Stratification"
Dismember - "Dismember"
Venetian Snares - "Detrimentalist"
Brain Drill - "Apocalyptic Feasting"
Cult Of Luna - "Eternal Kingdom"
Ufomammut - "Idolatry"