Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Best Albums of 2008

What better way to commence what will soon be known as "blog of the century" than taking a look back at the year that was...2008. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for a lot great albums released this past year. Mount Eerie and DeVotchKa fell short as did several others. That being said, here is an overview of the 50 greatest albums of the year that obviously did make it:



50. Times New Viking

Rip It Off


Times New Viking was successful in "accomplishing one very important thing: it destroyed iTunes’ shuffle. It’s impossible to rest easy knowing that your Bon Iver track might be succeeded by the hyper decibels of Rip it Off" (Tiny Mix Tapes) and that's enough for me.

Key Tracks: "My Head," "Drop Out"



49. Los Campesinos!

Hold On Now, Youngster


"There is no detraction from wonderful melodies and fresh approximation of the likes of Help She Cant Swim, Life Without Buildings and Yo La Tengo. Hold On Now, Youngster takes the listener close to comfort with break neck exuberance." - Treble


Key Tracks: "You! Me! Dancing!," "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks"






48. Crystal Stilts

Alight of Night


The Jesus and Mary Chain seem to be a popular touchstone this decade (and for good reason). Crystal Stilts represent the latest in a line of worthy successors, incorporating a little Phil Spector and Velvet Underground for good measure.


Key Tracks: "The Dazzled," "The City In the Sea"






47. R.E.M.

Accelerate


A return to form?! Maybe, it was just nice to have R.E.M. writing great songs again. I was pretty sure we had seen the end of that about halfway through my first listen to Around the Sun. Luckily, I was wrong.


Key Tracks: "Man-Sized Wreath," "Supernatural Superserious"






46. Stereolab

Chemical Chords


Another fine addition to the Stereolab catalogue. One of the sunniest records they've recorded to date.


Key Tracks: "Valley Hi!," "Three Women"







45. Flying Lotus

Los Angeles


The pops and crackles on Los Angeles are surprisingly warm. This is what electronic music build around texture should sound like.


Key Tracks: "Auntie's Lock/Infinitum," "Testament"







44. Crystal Antlers

E.P.


Key Tracks: "A Thousand Eyes," "Arcturus"










43. Titus Andronicus

The Airing of Grievances


Key Tracks: "Joset of Nazareth's Blues," "No Future, pt. 1"










42. Grouper

Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill


Grouper's latest seems like it was born in a haze. You can call it a mood piece if you'd like, but just don't let that detract you from the fact that there are some seriously great songs here.


Key Tracks: "Fishing Bird," "I'm Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill"






41. Evangelicals

The Evening Descends


I feel like this band would have received a lot more attention, had they not been so quirky. I suppose the same thing was said about the Flaming Lips at one point so maybe they'll see their day yet.


Key Tracks: "Party Crashin'," " Snowflakes," "Here in the Deadlights"






40. Nick Cave

Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!


Key Tracks: "Albert Goes West," "Today's Lesson," "Lie Down Here (and Be My Girl)"










39. Valet

Naked Acid


Not for fans of the accessable, Naked Acid a fabulous spaced-out mess of a record.


Key Tracks: "Kehaar," "Streets," "Fire"








38. Shugo Tokumaru

Exit


Key Tracks: "Parachute," "Green Rain"









37. Wire

Object 47


When will these post-punk legends run out of steam?!


Key Tracks: "One of Us," "Patient Flees"








36. Glasvegas

Glasvegas


This album holds the distinction of receiving this year's most underrated-in-the-US-but-overated-everywhere-else award. It's not hard to see why either. Glasvegas' singer can sure overemote with the best of them, can't he? Critics around the globe love that kind of, uh, passion, but it doesn't sit well with America's finest. I must say, even I was a bit put off by it. After a few spins, however, his yelp actually became endearing. That alone, of course, wouldn't make the album worthwhile if the music wasn't so captivating.


Key Tracks: "Flowers and Football Tops," "Geraldine"




35. Atlas Sound

Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel


Key Tracks: "Recent Bedroom," "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel"









34. Shearwater

Rook


Key Tracks: "The Snow Leopard," "Leviathan Bound," "Century Eyes"










33. Marnie Stern

This is It and I Am It…


Key Tracks: "Transformer," "Vault"










32. The Walkmen

You and Me


Key Tracks: "In the New Year," "Four Provinces"










31. Beck

Modern Guilt


Key Tracks: "Chemtrails," "Volcano"










30. Goldfrapp

Seventh Tree


Key Tracks: "Clowns," "Little Bird"










29. Gang Gang Dance

Saint Dymphna


Key Tracks: "Vacuum," "Dust"










28. Coldplay

Viva la Vida


I will be the first to admit that I overrated Coldplay's third album X&Y. Coming off of A Rush of Blood high I just wasn't ready to admit that they were heading into mediocrity. Upon realizing that their best days may long be over, I was pretty nervous about this one. But hey, they tried out some new ideas with Brian Eno and made a really strong record. It may not give you A Rush of Blood to the Head but it's still satisfying to see a band so many music snobs unjustly hate returning with a damn fine album.


Key Tracks: "Yes," "Viva La Vida"




27. Okkervil River

The Stand-Ins


Sequels tend to be treated like second-class citizens . It's hard enough for an artist to follow a universally lauded near-masterpiece, throw in the fact that the follow-up is an extension of its predecessor and you have the makings of a fantastic album destined to spend it's time looming in the shadows of its' predecessor. The Stand-Ins definitely suffered such fate and it's a real shame considering the quality here.


Key Tracks: "Blue Tulip," "Starry Stairs"





26. The Raveonettes

Lust Lust Lust


Key Tracks: "With My Eyes Closed," "Blush," "My Heartbeat's Dying"










25. MGMT

Oracular Spectacular


These guys sure got a lot of hype, didn't they? Even still this is surely a great, if somewhat overrated record.

Key Tracks: "The Youth," "Electric Feel," "Pieces of What"







24. The Ruby Suns

Sea Lion


Key Tracks: "There Are Birds," "Remember"










23. Plants and Animals

Parc Avenue


Key Tracks: "A Loree Des Boise," "Faerie Dance"










22. Last Shadow Puppets

The Age of Understatement


"Bustling with horns, strings and elaborate percussion tracks, the whole record has a broad, cinematic feel that spectacularly outshines the compressed, modern rock sound of Arctic Monkeys. Here's hoping Turner packs in the day job and explores this apparent side project further." - No Ripcord. Word.


Key Tracks: "Meeting Place," "Standing Next to Me"





21. Hot Chip

Made In the Dark


Key Tracks: "Made in the Dark," "One Pure Thought"










20. The Week That Was

The Week That Was


Key Tracks: "The Story Waits For No One," "The Airport Line"










19. She and Him

Volume 1


"Maybe it’s just a sweet little folk record—a tiny, flawless diamond. Or maybe it’s a pristine distillation of harmony and craft; 50 years of songwriting experience served up on a spinning silver platter." - Paste


Key Tracks: "I Thought I Saw Your Face Today," This is Not a Test," "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"





18. Spiritualized

Songs in A&E


Key Tracks: "Sweet Talk," "Soul on Fire," "The Waves Crash In"










17. The Bug

London Zoo


Key Tracks: "Poison Dart," "Judgment"










16. Sigur Ros

Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust


Key Tracks: "Goddin Daggin," "Vid Spilum Endalaust"









15. The Dodos

Visiter


Key Tracks: "God?," "Ashley," "Undeclared"










14. Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles


Key Tracks: "Untrust Us," "Crimewave," "Vanished"










13. Hercules and Love Affair

Hercules and Love Affair


Key Tracks: "Hercules' Theme," "Athene," "Blind"










12. Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Lie Down in the Light


Key Tracks: "Lie Down in the Light," "I'll Be Glad," "What's Missing Is"










11. Santogold

Santogold


Key Tracks: "L.E.S. Artistes," "I'm a Lady," "Starstruck"










10. Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend


"This record was officially released in January, but at this point it seems like we've had it-- and the hot-fuss backlash that accompanied it-- for years...At the end of the day, all they've done is craft an album of crisp, endlessly replayable guitar pop songs with expressive, detail-heavy lyrics and charming music that serves as a welcome antidote to today's more overly compressed sounds. How dare they." - Pitchfork


Key Tracks: "Walcott," "Mansard Roof," "A-Punk"




9. Cut Copy

In Ghost Colours


"Orchestrated scientifically for maximum effect, the album contains a glossary’s worth of tiny phrases, micro-bridges, and measured textures that cite the ghosts of the stroboscopic dancefloor past (Doo-wop backup crooning, house vamps, Britpop distortion effects, etc.). But none of that really matters, because the record’s compulsive beats and mindlessly catchy vocals will hook and infect any random passerby." - PopMatters


Key Tracks: "Feel the Love," "Unforgettable Season," "Far Away"





8. Bon Iver

For Emma, Forever Ago


"A few months of solitude in blustery Wisconsin and Justin Vernon had himself a stunning album. While his personal tribulations reverberate throughout For Emma, Forever Ago, they do so in an unobtrusive, poignant way. Vernon combines grainy falsetto and lonely acoustic guitar for spot on, lovely melancholia sans the maudlin affect." - Lost At Sea


Key Tracks: "Skinny Love," "Re: Stacks," "Creature Fear"




7. Beach House

Devotion


"Devotion ebbs and flows effortlessly from one track to the next over simple drum machines, understated guitars and swathes of organ, perfecting a totally relaxed aural mood. It's easy to get lost in the rich voice of Victoria Legrand, especially in the dreamlike workings of 'Gila' or 'Heart of Chambers'." - No Ripcord


Key Tracks: "Darling," "Gila," "All the Year"





6. Frightened Rabbit

The Midnight Organ Fight


"Although there are tinges of folk and anthemic rock, this is pop music at its finest. Brutally honest, incredibly catchy and one of the finest albums I've heard this decade." - Lost At Sea

Key Tracks: "Keep Yourself Warm," "Floating In the Forth," "Poke"







5. M83

Saturdays = Youth


"M83's Saturdays=Youth is a nebulous haze of an adolescent fairy-tale nightmare, beginning with a wispy cloud of a song ("You, Appearing") and the repeated refrain "It's your face/Where are we?/Save me," moving fluidly into the dreamy detachment of "Skin of the Night" and the exuberant "Graveyard Girl," and ending with a somber Lynchian drone. Anthony Gonzalez's most mature and accessible album to date perfectly embodies the drama and the heightened sense of practically everything that defines youth." - Slant

Key Tracks: "Kim and Jesse," "Highway of Endless Dreams," "Too Late"





4. TV on the Radio

Dear Science


"What is surprising—almost baffling—is that after wowing with an arty experimentalism just barely kept in check by solid editing and an ace producer (the band's own David Sitek), the Brooklyn quintet succeeded this time by making a slick album. The "s" word is typically a pejorative in music criticism, but Dear Science proves that it doesn't have to be." - AV Club


Key Tracks: "Family Tree," "Halfway Home," "Golden Age"




3. Portishead

Third


"Portishead have created a truly remarkable album with Third. Some people had to practically invent a new genre for Portishead in 1994, and the band has again defied classification with this collection of songs, three years in the making and eleven years in the ether." - Treble


Key Tracks: "The Rip," "The Hunter," "Small"





2. Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes


"The threads of Brian Wilson's intricate coastal pop, Appalachian folk, modern indie rock, Grateful Dead jams, and other influences are masterfully synthesized in the band's harmonies and simply orchestrated but constantly shifting instrumental arrangements." - Pitchfork


Key Tracks: "White Winter Hymnal," "Ragged Wood," "He Doesn't Know Why"





1. Deerhunter

Microcastle/Weird Era Continued


"Ultimately, Microcastle was a gloating study in the oft attempted but rarely effective art of reconstruction, each song culling influential elements and merging them into one experimental dovetail, simultaneously dismantling and assembling every sound in order to demarcate a distinct identity for each track...Microcastle’s year-end standing largely hinges on this dazzling exposition of brilliance, a procuring of this racking susceptibility from razor-sharp aesthetic." - Tiny Mix Tapes

Key Tracks: "Agoraphobia," "Little Kids," Nothing Ever Happened"