Yes, the year is almost over (just two days left!! Make sure you do a lot of bad things before your “new years resolution”), and as I look back on this year, I have to say something that I haven’t said in a long time: this was a REALLY good year for music.
A lot of cool, innovative stuff came out this year — from both new and old, American and import, indie and mainstream. And as they say, the best music comes from pain, poverty, and suffering, so 2009 looks like it should be even better than ever. Recession, here we come!!
Without further ado, I give you my Top 10 albums of 2008….
10. Weezer - “Red Album”
I should first put an *asterisk on this pick by saying that it’s only a top 10 album if you count the 4 bonus tracks that you had to pay extra for (shame on you Weezer). Half of my favorite songs on the album (Mrs. Sweeny and King) were buried on the back end, in the bonus section. For this 6th studio album, Rivers Cuomo has clearly been listening to a lot of gangster rap (Tupac, I’m looking at you), which is painfully obvious in the pompous and shitty lyrics. But trivial lyrics aside, Weezer rocks as hard as ever, and the album stands up as a solid effort.
Why it’s awesome: I Am The Greatest Man That Ever Lived. This was my unofficial anthem for 2008 — and Weezer’s Bohemian Rhapsody, if you will. It showed an epic side of the band that has yet to be seen.
Tracks to Listen For: Mrs. Sweeney, Greatest Man That Ever Lived, Dreamin’, Pig
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9. Darker My Love - “2″
Put this CD on and close you’re eyes, and you’ll swear you’re at ‘73 Pink Floyd concert with a head full of acid. This LA local band is one you’ve probably never heard of before, but that just adds to their allure (I’ll make sure to trash-talk them when they blow up and say they “sold out”).
Why it’s awesome: 70s rock n roll is not dead. The Beatles, Pink Floyd, My Bloody Valentine — all clearly huge influences — would all be proud as a peacock at the airy vocals, epic guitar builds, and old-school rockin’ put forth in “2“. This one is a surprise stunna.
Tracks to listen for: Talking Words, Two Ways Out, Northern Soul, Pale Sun
8. Girl Talk - “Feed the Animals”
If you ever drink beer, go to parties, or like to bob your head, this might be your kryponite. This Pittsburgh-based DJ blew up this year — his specialty: the hotness, otherwise known as “sample-based remixes”. Basically, he takes samples from about 15 different songs and mashes them up into one huge, f**king awesome “new” track. This is an amazing party CD; also great for killing time at work, or for making your heart race (drink some Red Bull with it).
Why it’s awesome: Two reasons: 1) He samples and mashes up everything. Beats, hooks, riffs — no music or genre is safe from the epicly rad dance mashups. 2) It’s FREE. Because he samples about 1000 artists in these 12 tracks, the music is technically “illegal”. So you can still click here and pay $00.00. So you have no excuse to not get it.
Tracks to listen for: They all blend into one huge mash-up, so just pick one and see where it takes you.
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7. TV on the Radio - “Dear Science”
I was really hesitant to pick this album up. Up to this point, I’d heard TVOTR a bunch of times before and I decalred it “too indie” for my pallet. But after hearing so much hoo-ha about Dear Science, I had to pick it up. And I’m really, really, really glad I did. It’s not that this isn’t still “indie” or “experimental”, because it is, but it’s a fully-realized, beautifully-done album. It goes from dance-floor-ready hooks on Dancing Choose to plucked-string ballads like Stork and Owl in the span of a few tracks. I will no longer look at these Brooklyn underground rockers with that indie-BS stigma anymore. Shame on me.
Why it’s awesome: Best album with a drum kit. These guys have come up with a pretty dope mix between rap and dance and rock and experimental who-knows-what. Sure they use synthesizers and layer tracks like whoa, but rappers make note — this is how you make an interesting album.
Tracks to listen for: Dancing Choose, Crying, Stork and Owl, Family Tree
6. Cold War Kids - “Loyalty to Loyalty”
After the brilliance of their debut Robbers and Cowards, CWK came back swinging hard. Loyalty to Loyalty is chock full of percussion-heavy, tinny-guitared gold. I’ve never heard a group before that TRIES to make their songs sound like they’ve been recorded straight off of the radio with a tape recorder. And I had the pleasure of seeing these guys live in August — every band member plays at least two or three instruments, sings, and goes crazy. F-in’ great.
Why it’s awesome: Because every track is so damn different and interesting. You can go from dance-floor ready Something is Not Right With Me to airy-and-emotional Every Man I Fall For, and others like Dreams Old Men Dream still give me goose-bumps. It’s definately one of those albums that grows on you and grows on you. Depending on your mood, you could love one song the first time you hear it, then a different the next time.
Tracks to Listen For: Something Is Not Right With Me, I’ve Seen Enough, Dreams Old Men Dream, Every Valley Is Not a Lake
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5. Kings of Leon - “Only By The Night”
After the past two “Meh” albums from the Kings, Only By The Night is a solid reaffirmation of why I got into these southern rockers in the first place. It’s not quite as hard-party-and-boot as their debut Youth and Young Manhood (still one of my all-time favorite albums), but songs like Crawl and Closer let you know they still got their chops. And tracks like Revelry and Manhattan explore a bit more heartfelt, spacey, and epic side than this band has shown before.
Why it’s awesome: Middle America. I dunno, there’s just something awesome/hick about 3 brothers (Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill) all playing together in a traveling rock band. From their southern drawl, to their KFC-crusted guitar riffs — every time I listen, I feel like I’m going to a concert in the back of the barn. And you know what they say about Barn Dances — Everyone gets laid.
Tracks to Listen For: Revelry, Crawl, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody
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4. The Courteeners - “St. Jude”
There’s something in the water on the other side of the pond. This is another sick, undeniably amazing album coming from those crooked-toothed Brits. Simply put, I love it. High energy, low -maintenance, and fucking solid. And from a man’s point of view, this guy talks about chicks like the way I feel. Songs like Not Nineteen Forever and Bide Your Time are instant classics, and Please Don’t is my new “hey bitch, don’t talk to me anymore” song.
I also suggested you man up and get the Deluxe Edition, which has a few bonus tracks and acoustic b-sides. Really makes me like the band even more.
Why it’s awesome: Because writing songs should be this easy as these guys make it seem. The beauty of the album comes in it’s simplicity. There’s no huge symphonies or drum beats, and rarely even a synth. It’s an old-school style of rock n’ roll that makes me think there is still hope for this mass-produced genre.
Tracks to listen for: Bide Your Time, Not Nineteen Forever, No You Didn’t No You Don’t, Cavorting
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3. Raconteurs - “Consolers of the Lonely”
I think it’s safe to say that this is no longer Jack White’s “side project” anymore. Consolers of the Lonley — the second album from this 5-man rock god band — is honestly comparable, if not entirely better, to the latest White Stripes release. Gritty guitars, gut-busting solos, and a rock-and-sing chorus style that only White can pull off. I also had the pleasure of seeing these guys in person, and it was hands-down the best show I’d seen all year. I can only compare Jack White’s performance to legends like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. The man literally makes the guitar sing. I think this is the beginning of something good.
Why it’s awesome: Jack White. I think at this point, I would listen to this guy take a shit — and it would still be more musically valid than half of the crap on the radio. This album grabs you from the title track and doesn’t stop until your ears are tired. But it’s not all teeth-gritting and solo-crunching. Tracks like Carolina Drama and You Don’t Understand Me show a fresh side of White’s tickling-ivory skills.
Tracks to listen for: Consolers of the Lonely, Solute Your Solution, Carolina Drama, Five on the Five
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2. Vampire Weekend - “Vampire Weekend”
Even if you’ve never visited Cape Cod, this high energy, bright-eyed debut album from Vampire Weekend is unmissable. Much like neophites Ra Ra Riot, these campus rockers have a fresh mix of string infused rock. And tracks like Oxford Comma are so simple and catchy, they make you wonder why any band would need more than 4 tracks in the mixer. But simplicity melts into symphonic complexity in the likes ofWalcott or Ramones-like ska in A-Punk.
Why it’s awesome: I feel good when I listen to it. It makes me want to get out and drive with the windows down, take a stroll, find a girl at a party, dance with her, and make her my wife. Yes, it’s that good. And then some. This is a must-have for parties.
What to listen for: Walcott, Oxford Comma, A-Punk, M79, One (Blake’s Got a New Face)
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1. The Kooks - “Konk”
Can I please get some extra Kook with this Konk Salad?!! This sophomore set from these British rockers is simply scrumtrelescent. And for an album that was largely ignored by the US markets (f**k us), it’s just too finger-licking good to not give it the full credit it deserves…Best album of 2008. Hands down. Saying that this is my “most-listened to album of the last year” is a huge understatement. Since I got my greasy little hands on this import 6 months ago, it’s been in constant, heavy, and necessary rotation.
Why it’s awesome: It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a “mainstream” rock album hit it so right-on the head — every track is both salty and sweet, rock ‘n roll Brit-style with lyrics that connect universally. Love lost, love had, sunshine, and good times. From the first licks of Down to the Market to the final acoustic sing-songy of Tick of Time, it’s a truly masterful set.
Tracks to listen for: Mr. Maker, Shine On, Do You Wanna, Always Where I Need to Be, Tick of Time — Hell, every track is amazing.
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Honorable Mentions:
Kate Nash - “Made of Bricks”
Death Cab For Cutie - “Narrow Stairs”
Coldplay - “Viva La Vida”
Lil Wayne - “Tha Carter III”
MGMT - “Oracular Spectacular”
