My Favorite Albums of 2008

[Derek]

As with film, 2008 was also a step down from 2007 for music, but that's not to say I didn't come across a lot of really good albums. While I gave out less than half as many 4.5/5's and not a single 5, there were nearly as many of those great, but not that great, albums out there - enough to still make it tough to widdle down to 30. I'm especially disappointed that the first two had to be left off, but c'est la vie. Here are the ones that didn't make the cut.

Honorable Mentions

1) Invincible – Shapeshifters

A white girl from Detroit put out not only the best rap album of the year, but one of my favorites this year, period? I wouldn't have believed it was possible, but the girl writes intelligent, socially conscious lyrics that balance rage with thoughtful, informed dissent. Mix that with a creative array of beats and sound effects and that's really I could ask for in a hip hop album.

Key Tracks: “Shapeshifters”, “Sledgehammer”, “Spacious Skies”)

2) Johann Johannsson – Fordlandia

I was underwhelmed by Johannsson's more lauded IBM 1401: A User's Manual, which is only slightly more interesting that the title leads you to believe, so I was caught off-guard by the staggering heights that this beautiful ambient/classical album reaches.

Key Tracks: “Fordlandia”, “Melodia (Guidelines for a Propulsion Device Based on Heim’s Quantum Theory)”, “How We Left Fordlandia” (only a brief snippet)

3) Wire – Object 47

Wire's still around? Wire's still putting out albums? Wire's a bit too slickly produced at times, but still some of the best post-punk around? Yes, yes and yes.

Key Tracks: “Patient Flees”, “Circumspect”, “Perspex Icon” (could only find very low-quality live versions of these)

4) Benoit Pioulard – Temper

I love the way Pioulard integrates ambient and folk into his sonic landscapes. Like Precis, this album is such a wonderfully smooth listen not because it all sounds the same, but because of the ease with which Pioulard ebbs and flows through different sounds. In two genres that can veer towards the dull or predictable more than others, this kid excels at both, furthering announcing himself as one of the most talented young musicians out there today.

Key Tracks: “Loupe”, “Brown Bess”, “Hesperus”

5) The Great Northwest – The Widespread Reign of the Great Northwest

Yet another Honorable Mention with a heavy dose of ambience, The Great Northwest's review risks alienating much of their potential audience due to a consistent reliance on repetition. I can understand why many, probably most, will find this boring, but songs like "Chief John" and "Reverie" suck me in like few others and are peppered with enough subtle touches and variations that they're not simplistic loops. Plus, "Know What I Mean" is a pretty sweet homage to My Bloody Valentine - derivative for sure, but awesome in it's own way.

Key Tracks: “Know What I Mean”, “Chief John”, “Reverie”


I'll get started with the main list (with longer write-ups) tomorrow. For now, enjoy the songs above.

[D_Davis]

Very cool.

Looking forward to the list!

[Derek]

#30



Spiritualized - Songs in A&E

Coming on the heels of Jason Pierce's near-death experience, Spiritualized put out their best work since Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating in Space. Pierce puts his voice up front, letting the emotion pour through him like never before, instead of drowning it in all the background noise. The choirs are still there, the guitars are often spacey, and certain songs reach the operatic grandeur that has defined there sound for the past decade, but Pierce and Friends have stripped some of the excesses that have marred their past two albums (each a step down from what came before it, though both still rather good), opting for a calmer, more intimate sound that doesn't try so hard to knock your socks off. What a treat to have a favorite band of mine manage to return to form while still pushing their sound into new dimensions.

Key Tracks: “Baby I’m Just a Fool”, “Sweet Talk”, “Soul on Fire”

[Derek]

#29



High Places - 03/07-09/07

Such simple, innocuous music that I was caught off-guard by how quickly I became addicted to it. High Places is a two-some relying on layered drum beats, ambiance and Mary Pearson's ultra-sweet, sing-songy crooning to create music that is upbeat and fun, yet still relaxing. There's no single song I can point to as a favorite since their music, whether this collection of songs from last year or their self-titled LP (which I don't like quite as much as this one), works much better if you let it wash over you for a period of time. Their sound is simple but completely fresh, playful and dreamlike. The sugary sweetness of the vocals and lyrics is perfectly balanced by the complexity of everything behind, creating a wonderfully unique blend of children's songs and manic psychedelic pop.

Key Tracks: "Head Spins", "Banana Slugs/Cosmonaut", "Shared Island"

[D_Davis]

I haven't liked Spiritualized since Fucked Up Inside. They got too big - not in popularity, but in their sound and arrangements. Bloated is a good word to describe them. I haven't even listened to this latest album, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

[Derek]

I haven't liked Spiritualized since Fucked Up Inside. They got too big - not in popularity, but in their sound and arrangements. Bloated is a good word to describe them. I haven't even listened to this latest album, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

I don't know how much you'll like this album then. There are some short ambient pieces peppered throughout the album and more of the songs are softer and toned down, especially compared to the last two albums, but I'm guessing you wouldn't be much of a fan of this one. I would base your decision to listen to whole thing on three songs I linked.

But that's cool, I'm fine with simply agreeing with you on the awesomeness of Spacemen 3, Spectrum and early Spiritualized.

[Derek]

#28



Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Wolf Parade's firecracker of a debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, set the indie music world afire 3 years ago leaving Spencer Krug, Dan Boeckner & Co. with the unpleasant task of following it up. The influx of wolf, deer and various other animal-themed band names only served to send misdirected hatred their way by people and musicians who want to lump indie rock into a conglomerate. After all, if you're an indie band not bending your sound to fit the mold of today's corporate rock, surely you're reading Pitchfork and taking notes on how to become the next great thing. Fortunately for Wolf Parade, the 3-year layoff didn't find them sitting idly by waiting for their stock to drop, but instead was spent, gasp, making music. Boeckner put out a solid LP with his wife under the name Handsome Furs and Krug was busy with his other band Sunset Rubdown putting out the best album of last year, as well as a mixed bag of songs for Swan Lake with fellow Canucks, Dan Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers) and Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer. By the time they finally regrouped, the hype around them had died down and they could get right to the business of making music. And while At Mount Zoomer doesn't quite reach the consistent heights of Queen Mary, which was almost a given, the album reminds me how well Boeckner's rock edge and Krug's mad indie pop work so well together. The album sags a bit in the middle, but picks up quickly with "Fine Young Cannibals" and "Animal in Your Care" before exploding with the epic, 3-part "Kissing the Beehive". This final track is 11 minutes that exhibit everything great about Wolf Parade (okay, except for the brevity they often showed on Queen Mary) from the patient, but hard-rockin' part 1, to the instrumental showdown in middle segment and the wicked prog finale in the last few minutes. It's expansive yet packed to the brim with musical ideas and while charges of excess can't be denied, the song is so self-assured and always heading in a specific direction that I can't be bothered to take it too seriously. Krug is simply one of those musicians who I can appreciate no matter what he tries and I like that he wasn't content here to pop out a dozen 3-minute no-brainers and instread worked to broaden the bands horizons. Not a complete success, but a great album nonetheless.

Key Tracks: "Kissing the Beehive", "An Animal in Your Care", "Soldier's Grin"

[Winston*]

Don't think that much of that Wolf Parade album. Much prefer the original Wolf Parade and the two Sunset Rubdown albums.

Actually I'm not sure if I've actually made it through the whole thing yet, I'll check out that last track later today.

[Derek]

Don't think that much of that Wolf Parade album. Much prefer the original Wolf Parade and the two Sunset Rubdown albums.

Actually I'm not sure if I've actually made it through the whole thing yet, I'll check out that last track later today.

I like it a tad less than the first Sunset Rubdown, but I also like Apologies and Random Spirit Lover a lot more. This one took a few listens to grow on me, but I like their sound too much to not eventually be won over.

[Melville]

I like it a tad less than the first Sunset Rubdown, but I also like Apologies and Random Spirit Lover a lot more. This one took a few listens to grow on me, but I like their sound too much to not eventually be won over.

I'd say Shut Up I Am Dreaming > Apologies to Queen Mary > Random Spirit Lover > At Mount Zoomer. But they're all awesome. Probably my favorite current band(s), though I'm pretty clueless about music compared to a lot of people here.

[keyinblack]

oh sweet.

edit: i'm actually really looking forward to this, great start.

[Derek]

#27



Mlle. Caro & Franck Garcia - Pain Disappears

I've always had a problem with vocals and techno. Last year, Matthew Dear's Asa Breed and Ulrich Schnauss's Goodbye had their moments but I often felt like the integration of vocals hindered the songs and what the music gained in originality, it lost in effectiveness. Pain Disappears, on the other hand, gets it right on just about every song. Caro and Garcia are not merely tacking lyrics on top of beats but work with a band to create fully fleshed out songs that give room for every instrument and sound to breathe without forcing every song to include every instrument. The more rock-based sound on "Dead Souls" and "I Don't Want" have a completely different sound than the microhouse grooves of "Lost" and "No Name", but the album remains a cohesive vision. It begins with a wave of melancholy that carries the first third before slowly branching out in various directions and Caro and Garcia have such a great feel for all these variations that the tonal shifts are hardly noticeable in the context of the album. It's one of those albums that I constantly undervalued throughout the year, wondering if I was giving it too much credit until each time I sat down to give it a spin and found I never had to wait too long to get to another great track.

Key Tracks: "Always You", "Dead Souls", "Lost"

[Derek]

I'd say Shut Up I Am Dreaming > Apologies to Queen Mary > Random Spirit Lover > At Mount Zoomer. But they're all awesome. Probably my favorite current band(s), though I'm pretty clueless about music compared to a lot of people here.

I love them all, so I really can't argue much with your order. I'm always glad to see Sunset Rubdown love too!

oh sweet.

edit: i'm actually really looking forward to this, great start.

Sorry if it seemed like I'm stealing your thunder, although it looks like you may have listed people out for a few days. I'm home for a couple weeks like last year, so this is the best time to get this kinda thing going.

We definitely have a bit of overlap, but I'm really interested to hear what you think of the ones that didn't make yours, whether you disliked them or haven't heard them.

[keyinblack]

the wolf parade album is good, but it was a non-event, unfortunately, and i could never remember to listen to it.

language city is a really neat song. i couldn't get behind krug's offerings as much.

edit: random spirit lover is your favorite of 07? wow, interesting pick.

[Derek]

#26



The New Year - The New Year

Finely crafted and thoughtful pop albums are few and far between. Even rarer are ones steeped in conventional sounds that still manage to head in surprising directions on nearly every track. The New Year's self-titled album has a relatively innocuous sound that make them easy to dismiss as just another indie rock band with a pleasant but unchallenging sound. But where accessibility and conventionality lie, there is also efficiency and subtlety. The album is full of great hooks and wonderful rhythms, yet they are structured in slightly unexpected, offbeat ways. Their sound doesn't exactly match, but I can't help being reminded of Fog's Ditherer, from last year, in the way the chord changes often create a strange atmosphere amidst a seemingly normal song. I'm thinking particularly of the way "The Door Opens" builds to guitar and bass riffs that are in perfect rhythm yet played in opposition, threatening to tear the song in two. This sense of misdirection within the traditional is most effective in the albums greatest track and centerpiece, "Seven Days and Seven Nights". The first 40 seconds of this song are absolutely nothing special, consisting of a simple acoustic guitar with a basic slow drum backing. Once the electric guitar riff kicks in, the riff kicks in, establishing a strong post-rock feel creating the expectation of crescendo towards an explosive finale. The song does build, but the riff repeatedly goes through its three chord changes, never expanding into the cathartic outburst we expect. Instead of building within the single instrument, The New Year create a complex web of sound around it, adding other simple riffs, ambient noise and even the feint sounds of a dial tone that lead to an emotional release while the song remains contained in itself. This is the kind of restraint we don't see enough of in music and while I'm an admitted fan of more than a few post-rock bands, this blend of traditional pop and post-rock is satisfying in an entirely different way. The New Year are clearly a band full of talented musicians, yet are no point do any of them feel the need to flaunt it. They're content to let it flow naturally through one great track after another.

Key Tracks: "Seven Days and Seven Nights" (live, 1.5-2 minutes shorter and not nearly as good as the album cut ), "The Door Opens", "Folios"

[Derek]

#25



The Instruments - Dark Småland

Led by cellist/singer Heather Mackintosh, The Instruments are a collective of former members of Elephant 6 bands with a few other musicians thrown in the mix for good measure. Hell, Jeff Mangum even shows up on vocals on this album, but despite the familiar faces, this band has a sound all their own. The soundtrack for a walking through a park on a cold, wintry afternoon to admire the bare trees and frosted grass, Dark Småland is full of dense, textured and melancholy music that is so skillfully rendered that I am rejuvenated by its melodies rather than saddened by them. The times that the band relies on repetition, be it riffs or motifs, surprisingly make for perhaps the most emotionally engaging sections of the album, as the haunting melodies grasp a hold of you, leaving no room for escape. Mackintosh's voice, often layered with one or two other singers backing her up, is absolutely transfixing, consistently drawing you into the thick, complex music behind it. There is enough variation (a couple of slightly more upbeat tracks, a few instrumentals) to keep you on your toes, yet tonally, this one remains pretty dark, so keep some hot cocoa or a funny movie on-hand to turn to after this one finishes.

Key Tracks: "Ode to the Sea", "First Signs", "Sounds Electric"

[Derek]

the wolf parade album is good, but it was a non-event, unfortunately, and i could never remember to listen to it.

Yeah, I was shocked how it almost flew completely under the radar. Only CMG seemed to love it and I can only wonder if they placed it so high in part because no one else seemed to give it much credit.

language city is a really neat song. i couldn't get behind krug's offerings as much.

edit: random spirit lover is your favorite of 07? wow, interesting pick.

I love Krug, but I prefer his offerings in Sunset Rubdown to Wolf Parade. And yes, I'm a huge fan of Random Spirit Lover and haven't listened to another album even close to as much as that one since it was released.

[Derek]

That (#25) will probably be my last entry until after Christmas, but I have a quick question. Is anyone using (or planning to use) the links I provide for the songs? I don't mind doing it at all if even one person finds them useful, but it gets pretty time-consuming since not every song is easy to find and I'd rather stop if no one wants them.

[Melville]

That (#25) will probably be my last entry until after Christmas, but I have a quick question. Is anyone using (or planning to use) the links I provide for the songs?

Most definitely. I've been listening to at least one per album.

[Boner M]

I haven't heard any of these. Been meaning to check out the Wire; I really dug Send.

Have to admit I'm still trawling through keyin's list (ps - Kingdom Shore sux, Vivian Girls rulz), so I'll get back to yours later.

[dreamdead]

Is anyone using (or planning to use) the links I provide for the songs? I don't mind doing it at all if even one person finds them useful, but it gets pretty time-consuming since not every song is easy to find and I'd rather stop if no one wants them.

I went through your '07 list sometime back in February and discovered 3 or 4 bands that I would have never found (A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Pantha du Prince, Sunset Rubdown) because of the audio tracks, so I find the links most helpful. Especially when I've got a little extra cash, I can wander these threads and find something that otherwise escapes my notice.

The Instruments have a tender sound from the samples. I like. Kinda wish some of these tracks were extended out, though, as it seems they're ending just as the melody settles in.

[Derek]

Most definitely. I've been listening to at least one per album.

Cool, then I'll keep them coming. I forgot to mention it, but I do put them in preferential order so the first track is always my favorite.

I haven't heard any of these. Been meaning to check out the Wire; I really dug Send.

Have to admit I'm still trawling through keyin's list (ps - Kingdom Shore sux, Vivian Girls rulz), so I'll get back to yours later.

I hadn't heard anything from Wire other than Pink Flag, but I read a great review of it on CMG. It was in my top 30 until I relistened to a few other albums on the brink and decided to include them as well. I'll have to check out a couple more of their older albums as well as more recent stuff like Send.

I didn't like Kingdom Shore either and found it too grating for the minimal payoff. I don't get the Vivian Girls love, but I wasn't big on Sleater-Kinney's The Woods (aside from "Modern Girl" which is head-and-heels above every other track) so maybe the lo-fi, garage rock girl groups aren't my thing. I really dig Marnie Stern, though she's doing her own thing with the finger-picking and all.

As for getting to my list, I'll be going pretty slow, so it'll probably take me another couple weeks to finish this.

I went through your '07 list sometime back in February and discovered 3 or 4 bands that I would have never found (A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Pantha du Prince, Sunset Rubdown) because of the audio tracks, so I find the links most helpful. Especially when I've got a little extra cash, I can wander these threads and find something that otherwise escapes my notice.

Awesome, I remembered you loved Sunset Rubdown, but didn't remember you loving Sunny Day or Pantha.

The Instruments have a tender sound from the samples. I like. Kinda wish some of these tracks were extended out, though, as it seems they're ending just as the melody settles in.

The whole album is really solid if you like their sound. Are there any songs that are incomplete aside from the ones I marked as "live" or "clip"? If so, list them and I'll see if there's anything else out there. Unfortunately, for the less mainstream stuff, a lot of blogs that had them linked no longer have them online.

[keyinblack]

i can relate to how time-consuming the links are, but I've been listening to all of them.

might want to try zshare and just uploading the songs yrself. that way there's no fear that the links may get broken.

[keyinblack]

Yeah, I was shocked how it almost flew completely under the radar. Only CMG seemed to love it and I can only wonder if they placed it so high in part because no one else seemed to give it much credit.

Yep. Glad to see someone else reading CMG. Although they more often than not have some of the worst written reviews (in terms of undergrad-english-major) and are a little too self-conscious they have very good taste. They seem to be the last outlet for me that highlights artists I would never discover, yet are aligned with my taste.

p.s. kingdom shore rox. but then again, i just envision it as a horror movie soundtrack and let my imagination run wild.

[keyinblack]

shame you don't like the woods, to me it's like top 5 rock albums of the decade.