Top Ten of 2008
I've been posting pretty sporadically, but one of the things I missed doing, and one of the things that crocodile tells me he missed, was my top 10 albums of the year list. So I figured I'd get one together, belatedly. These are my 10 favorite CDs of 2008. Same rules apply, as always: it's MY favorite CDs list, not anyone else's. Honestly, I don't know how someone who doesn't work for Rolling Stone could possibly make a value judgement on the best CDs of 2008, with all the possibilities out there. In addition, I included a number of CDs that were actually released in 2007, but for whatever reason I didn't actually acquire and listen to them until 2008.
Previous years:
2006
2007
10. The Fratellis - Here We Stand, 2008
Favorite track: A Heady Tale
Yeah, I still like everyone’s favorite British pub rock outfit, and their most recent release was pretty darn catchy still. Not quite up to par with their classic debut, but some toe-tapping, sing-along songs remain, like A Heady Tale or Mistress Mabel, and some clever, funny lyrics remain, like Jesus Stole My Baby.
9. The Faint - Fascinatiion, 2008
Favorite track: The Geeks Were Right
8. Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem, 2008
Favorite track: Obsession
One of the things that started changing in 2008 was my increasing like for and desire for bands that melded electronica with rock without resorting to Auto-Tune or stupid studio tricks like that. (If Auto-Tune hadn’t nuked popular music as we know it, I’d probably still like bands that experimented with it legitimately, like The Secret Handshake and Rediscover, but listening to them now, I can’t stand the Auto-Tune anymore.) I’d had bands like The Faint on my periphery for a while, but what really got me started was Hellogoodbye. I needed more bands like them. And this year, I got that, in the form of Innerpartysystem, Metro Station, and The Faint’s new release. Two very underrated albums take my 8 & 9 spots.
7. Jesus H Christ & the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse - Happier Than You, 2008
Favorite track: Back Burner Guy
And yes, I know nobody’s heard of these guys still, but they’re still for my money the best “funny song” lyricists out there, and their music is still incredibly interesting thanks in part to the over-the-top horn section they employ. This release seems to be more mature in many ways, and I really think they’re getting better and better at what they’re doing, even a few serious songs slipping in like I Hope You’re Happy. This album's a great listen just about no matter what mood you're in.
6. Paramore - Riot!, 2007
Favorite track: When It Rains
Paramore managed to avoid my music radar during 2007, because even though I had their album, I just didn’t listen to it much. It was Rock Band 2’s release - with included That’s What You Get and the DLC Crushcrushcrush - that finally got me to give the album some listens, and then some more, and some more, and by the time I knew it, they’d managed to crack #6 on my top 10 of 2008 list. The first thing you notice is, yes, it’s a rock band full of kids fronted by a chick. The second thing, however, is that these kids are immensely talented at what they do, and they write some amazingly rocking songs.
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular, 2008
Favorite track: Kids
One of the hallmarks of a great band is being able to craft a song that gets horrifically overplayed on the radio and yet I still can’t get enough of it. When Kids or Electric Feel comes up on the radio, I still can’t turn it off, and I still sing along with it. This album is ridiculously catchy, well-crafted, and a really good listen. The fact that they obviously have a lot of fun making the music that they do helps me like them quite a bit.
4. Anberlin - New Surrender, 2008
Favorite track: Feel Good Drag
I’ve always had a soft spot for overwrought, in your face yet catchy alt rock. (See: #1 from 2006, My Chemical Romance, or #2 from 2007, Brand New.) I don’t even hold unoriginality against bands, as long as they do a good job summing up a genre I like in a way I like. (The Ataris’ “So Long Astoria” is still one of my favorite albums from the early 2000s pop-punk scene.) These guys aren’t particularly groundbreaking, but they have their own voice, and that voice is alternately catchy, angry, head-bobby, foreboding, and toe-tappy. I like that sort of variety. I feel like this album is likewise a good summation of the melodic, poppy emo of the late 2000s.
3. Ben Folds - Way To Normal, 2008
Favorite track: Dr. Yang (sorry crocodile)
Ben Folds worked his way back into my heart with this release, which looking back at Metacritic was surprisingly panned. I got into it much more than Songs For Silverman, which I didn’t even buy, and the somewhat scattered, hit-and-miss Supersunnyspeedgraphic. Picking the “favorite track” was ridiculously hard, between the hilarious Hiroshima, the biting and layered Brainwascht, the ridiculously upbeat Dr. Yang, and the quiet, surprisingly heavy Kylie from Connecticut. What stopped it from rising any higher too many glaring misses, like the grating Free Coffee, the lame-in-every-way Errant Dog, and the somewhat pointless Bitch Went Nuts.
2. Ludo - You’re Awful, I Love You, 2008
Favorite track: Go-Getter Greg
2008 was awash in two things I loved: electronic music fused with rock, and cleverly written, upbeat standard rock. Ludo was my standard-bearer for the latter. For me, a great clever song can make me want to simultaneously sing along and laugh, and Ludo did that better than anyone else this year. Anyone doubting me can go watch their video for Love Me Dead if they want to disagree. Since it’s dubious if Hellogoodbye will manage to put together another release, Ludo might be my next best hope for guys making great music and having a boatload of fun doing it.
1. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into, 2008
Favorite track: Dawn of the Dead
And for the second part of the above, this was by far my favorite electronic-rock album. You almost don’t need to remix half the songs on the album to be able to play them in clubs, particularly We Are Rockstars. It’s much fun to blare just about anywhere, and there are so many layers of things to listen to going on, it’s ridiculous. I couldn’t turn this CD off, and it’s rare when I don’t feel like listening to it. It just gets me going like no other album of 2008 did.
Previous years:
2006
2007
10. The Fratellis - Here We Stand, 2008
Favorite track: A Heady Tale
Yeah, I still like everyone’s favorite British pub rock outfit, and their most recent release was pretty darn catchy still. Not quite up to par with their classic debut, but some toe-tapping, sing-along songs remain, like A Heady Tale or Mistress Mabel, and some clever, funny lyrics remain, like Jesus Stole My Baby.
9. The Faint - Fascinatiion, 2008
Favorite track: The Geeks Were Right
8. Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem, 2008
Favorite track: Obsession
One of the things that started changing in 2008 was my increasing like for and desire for bands that melded electronica with rock without resorting to Auto-Tune or stupid studio tricks like that. (If Auto-Tune hadn’t nuked popular music as we know it, I’d probably still like bands that experimented with it legitimately, like The Secret Handshake and Rediscover, but listening to them now, I can’t stand the Auto-Tune anymore.) I’d had bands like The Faint on my periphery for a while, but what really got me started was Hellogoodbye. I needed more bands like them. And this year, I got that, in the form of Innerpartysystem, Metro Station, and The Faint’s new release. Two very underrated albums take my 8 & 9 spots.
7. Jesus H Christ & the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse - Happier Than You, 2008
Favorite track: Back Burner Guy
And yes, I know nobody’s heard of these guys still, but they’re still for my money the best “funny song” lyricists out there, and their music is still incredibly interesting thanks in part to the over-the-top horn section they employ. This release seems to be more mature in many ways, and I really think they’re getting better and better at what they’re doing, even a few serious songs slipping in like I Hope You’re Happy. This album's a great listen just about no matter what mood you're in.
6. Paramore - Riot!, 2007
Favorite track: When It Rains
Paramore managed to avoid my music radar during 2007, because even though I had their album, I just didn’t listen to it much. It was Rock Band 2’s release - with included That’s What You Get and the DLC Crushcrushcrush - that finally got me to give the album some listens, and then some more, and some more, and by the time I knew it, they’d managed to crack #6 on my top 10 of 2008 list. The first thing you notice is, yes, it’s a rock band full of kids fronted by a chick. The second thing, however, is that these kids are immensely talented at what they do, and they write some amazingly rocking songs.
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular, 2008
Favorite track: Kids
One of the hallmarks of a great band is being able to craft a song that gets horrifically overplayed on the radio and yet I still can’t get enough of it. When Kids or Electric Feel comes up on the radio, I still can’t turn it off, and I still sing along with it. This album is ridiculously catchy, well-crafted, and a really good listen. The fact that they obviously have a lot of fun making the music that they do helps me like them quite a bit.
4. Anberlin - New Surrender, 2008
Favorite track: Feel Good Drag
I’ve always had a soft spot for overwrought, in your face yet catchy alt rock. (See: #1 from 2006, My Chemical Romance, or #2 from 2007, Brand New.) I don’t even hold unoriginality against bands, as long as they do a good job summing up a genre I like in a way I like. (The Ataris’ “So Long Astoria” is still one of my favorite albums from the early 2000s pop-punk scene.) These guys aren’t particularly groundbreaking, but they have their own voice, and that voice is alternately catchy, angry, head-bobby, foreboding, and toe-tappy. I like that sort of variety. I feel like this album is likewise a good summation of the melodic, poppy emo of the late 2000s.
3. Ben Folds - Way To Normal, 2008
Favorite track: Dr. Yang (sorry crocodile)
Ben Folds worked his way back into my heart with this release, which looking back at Metacritic was surprisingly panned. I got into it much more than Songs For Silverman, which I didn’t even buy, and the somewhat scattered, hit-and-miss Supersunnyspeedgraphic. Picking the “favorite track” was ridiculously hard, between the hilarious Hiroshima, the biting and layered Brainwascht, the ridiculously upbeat Dr. Yang, and the quiet, surprisingly heavy Kylie from Connecticut. What stopped it from rising any higher too many glaring misses, like the grating Free Coffee, the lame-in-every-way Errant Dog, and the somewhat pointless Bitch Went Nuts.
2. Ludo - You’re Awful, I Love You, 2008
Favorite track: Go-Getter Greg
2008 was awash in two things I loved: electronic music fused with rock, and cleverly written, upbeat standard rock. Ludo was my standard-bearer for the latter. For me, a great clever song can make me want to simultaneously sing along and laugh, and Ludo did that better than anyone else this year. Anyone doubting me can go watch their video for Love Me Dead if they want to disagree. Since it’s dubious if Hellogoodbye will manage to put together another release, Ludo might be my next best hope for guys making great music and having a boatload of fun doing it.
1. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into, 2008
Favorite track: Dawn of the Dead
And for the second part of the above, this was by far my favorite electronic-rock album. You almost don’t need to remix half the songs on the album to be able to play them in clubs, particularly We Are Rockstars. It’s much fun to blare just about anywhere, and there are so many layers of things to listen to going on, it’s ridiculous. I couldn’t turn this CD off, and it’s rare when I don’t feel like listening to it. It just gets me going like no other album of 2008 did.