2008 in music
I like to write out my thoughts at the end of every year. Skip to the good parts if you want, and I won't be offended, but it's fun for me to write about music I love, so I do it. Plain and simple.
Before we start with the list, these are the records I considered for the top 10 that didn't make the final list. These are all very worthy of your time, if perhaps shallower pleasures than some of the stuff further down the line.
In no particular order:
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams
Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd.
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
The Last Shadow Puppets - Age of the Understatement
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Bun B - II Trill
Islands - Arm's Way
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Beck - Modern Guilt
Ron Sexsmith - Exit Strategy of the Soul
Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
She & Him - Volume One
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Sloan - Parallel Play
of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
T.I. - Paper Trail
Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Ludacris - Theater of the Mind
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
The Fireman - Electric Arguments
Leaving these 10:
10. R.E.M. - Accelerate
Yeah, they're a sentimental favorite of mine, but it's comforting to know that they can still rip out a rock record. Having slogged in increasingly maudlin midtempo stuff for three albums, Accelerate proves that the band that made Lifes Rich Pageant isn't quite down for the count yet, channeling that urgency into an angry, 34-minute blast. Great to hear them like this again.
Track picks: "Living Well Is The Best Revenge," "Sing For The Submarine," "I'm Gonna DJ"
9. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
The Dresden Dolls (Palmer's main outfit) have been on my radar for a while, but I've never checked them out for some reason. This one jumped onto my radar after I learned that Ben Folds was producing, and his ear is well-suited for Palmer's melodrama. A lot of this record is big, swooning orchestras and pounding on a piano, but Palmer's voice and lyrics lend themselves so easily to the tunes that the wave of emotion becomes not comical, but overwhelming. Granted, I have a bit of a weakness for chicks with pianos (see also Fiona Apple, Tori Amos), but the sound on this album is startlingly unique.
Track picks: "Ampersand," "Have To Drive," "What's the Use of Wond'rin'?"
8. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
On the surface, it's not that much different from Night Ripper, granted. The difference is that while Night Ripper was about Gregg Gillis's considerable skill as a technical DJ, Feed The Animals represents the more gregarious and partygoing side of his DJ personality. Night Ripper suffered from a difficult middle slog of 15 minutes; Feed The Animals never suffers for more than a couple of minutes. Who knew that Soulja Boy just needed to hire Thin Lizzy as his backup band, or that the perfect beat for Jigga's verse in Roc Boys was actually Paranoid Android? As a party record, as a "spot the sample" game, and as a technical marvel, this is Gillis's greatest achievement yet.
Track picks: "Set It Off," "Hands In The Air," "Here's The Thing"
7. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Sure, the songs lose a little bit of their luster without the proper context of the TV show, but that just serves to bring more focus to Bret and Jemaine's considerable musical prowess. Sure, every FotC fan will find one or two songs that they miss (Bret, You've Got It Going On or If You're Into It), but everything presented here is immaculately clean, and every punchline finds its mark. I've listened to this record many times over the course of the year, and I still crack up regularly on certain punchlines. Bottom line: it's the funniest record of the year with longetivity to boot.
Track picks: "Inner City Pressure," "Robots," "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)"
6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
These guys have been around forever, but I only just discovered them this year. This is one of their groovier records to date, with Cave's barking stream of prose filling in the space not taken up by the propulsive nature of the band. It's a creative mix of grooves, too, finding some songs with a typical rock groove, others dominated by buzzing basslines, and still others that qualify as ballads. Cave's delivery may turn some off, but this is one of the more consistently enjoyable rock records of the year.
Track picks: "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!," "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)," "Jesus Of The Moon"
5. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
I've sung The Hold Steady's praises before, but some of the stylistically different tunes on this record really push them to a new high. They still do bar-rock better than anyone around, but who knew they had towering arena-rock ballads and Cars-style pastiches in them? This may win best outro of the year, as well. Again, Craig Finn's vocals may seem abrasive at first, but keep a close ear to the stories he's telling and there's no doubt that these guys are one of the premier American rock bands working today.
Track picks: "Constructive Summer," "Lord I'm Discouraged," "Slapped Actress"
4. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War)
It's hard for me to pinpoint Erykah Badu's style; she incorporates elements of R&B, soul, hip-hop, and some spots of just plain weirdness together. I'd never heard anything like it, and it definitely took more than one listen to grow on me. The tapestry of great soul singing, deeply felt political and social commentary, and great production (from Madlib and ?uestlove, among others) is slow to be realized, but grows more and more intoxicating with each listen. Part 2 was also supposed to be released this year, but I'm still eagerly waiting.
Track picks: "The Healer," "That Hump," "Telephone"
3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science,
No strangers to strong critical praise, TVotR finally found their way to more mainstream success with this album. It's easy to see why; though the lyrics and singing remain largely in the same path as their previous excellent releases, the sound around them has sharpened into a much clearer focus, so that every beat and layer of the sound can be heard. While this makes the album more immediately likable than Return to Cookie Mountain, it remains to be seen whether it will hold up over time as well as their previous highs. Now, though, it serves as a great entrance point to anyone who might have missed this band before.
Track picks: "Halfway Home," "Golden Age," "Family Tree"
2. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Imagine the Shins' Chutes Too Narrow as a disco-flavored sugary pop record, and that's the immediate touchstone for this album. Working with the DFA's Tim Goldsworthy definitely worked wonders for these guys, as the overall sound never falters, and the big choruses hit harder and harder as the album cruises along effortlessly. It drops off a bit towards the back, but the front is so very good that I don't care. This is the album I'd recommend for everyone to check out, if you haven't heard it yet.
Track picks: "Out There On The Ice," "Hearts On Fire," "Far Away"
1. Portishead - Third
The biggest return from years of inactivity belonged not to Guns 'n Roses, but Portishead. Eleven years removed from their last record, this practically served as a reboot for the former trip-hop group. Almost all traces of their original sound were purged in favor of a more eclectic mix of sounds. The payoff is immense; Beth Gibbons' fragile vocals are instantly recognizable, but the music behind her is now coiled and tense, with new surprises (ukelele? horns?) waiting at the beginning of every track. Front to back, no record was quite the trip that this was in 2008.
Track picks: "Silence," "We Carry On," "Machine Gun"
Before we start with the list, these are the records I considered for the top 10 that didn't make the final list. These are all very worthy of your time, if perhaps shallower pleasures than some of the stuff further down the line.
In no particular order:
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams
Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd.
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
The Last Shadow Puppets - Age of the Understatement
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Bun B - II Trill
Islands - Arm's Way
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Beck - Modern Guilt
Ron Sexsmith - Exit Strategy of the Soul
Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
She & Him - Volume One
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Sloan - Parallel Play
of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
T.I. - Paper Trail
Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
Ludacris - Theater of the Mind
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
The Fireman - Electric Arguments
Leaving these 10:
10. R.E.M. - Accelerate
Yeah, they're a sentimental favorite of mine, but it's comforting to know that they can still rip out a rock record. Having slogged in increasingly maudlin midtempo stuff for three albums, Accelerate proves that the band that made Lifes Rich Pageant isn't quite down for the count yet, channeling that urgency into an angry, 34-minute blast. Great to hear them like this again.
Track picks: "Living Well Is The Best Revenge," "Sing For The Submarine," "I'm Gonna DJ"
9. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
The Dresden Dolls (Palmer's main outfit) have been on my radar for a while, but I've never checked them out for some reason. This one jumped onto my radar after I learned that Ben Folds was producing, and his ear is well-suited for Palmer's melodrama. A lot of this record is big, swooning orchestras and pounding on a piano, but Palmer's voice and lyrics lend themselves so easily to the tunes that the wave of emotion becomes not comical, but overwhelming. Granted, I have a bit of a weakness for chicks with pianos (see also Fiona Apple, Tori Amos), but the sound on this album is startlingly unique.
Track picks: "Ampersand," "Have To Drive," "What's the Use of Wond'rin'?"
8. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
On the surface, it's not that much different from Night Ripper, granted. The difference is that while Night Ripper was about Gregg Gillis's considerable skill as a technical DJ, Feed The Animals represents the more gregarious and partygoing side of his DJ personality. Night Ripper suffered from a difficult middle slog of 15 minutes; Feed The Animals never suffers for more than a couple of minutes. Who knew that Soulja Boy just needed to hire Thin Lizzy as his backup band, or that the perfect beat for Jigga's verse in Roc Boys was actually Paranoid Android? As a party record, as a "spot the sample" game, and as a technical marvel, this is Gillis's greatest achievement yet.
Track picks: "Set It Off," "Hands In The Air," "Here's The Thing"
7. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Sure, the songs lose a little bit of their luster without the proper context of the TV show, but that just serves to bring more focus to Bret and Jemaine's considerable musical prowess. Sure, every FotC fan will find one or two songs that they miss (Bret, You've Got It Going On or If You're Into It), but everything presented here is immaculately clean, and every punchline finds its mark. I've listened to this record many times over the course of the year, and I still crack up regularly on certain punchlines. Bottom line: it's the funniest record of the year with longetivity to boot.
Track picks: "Inner City Pressure," "Robots," "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)"
6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
These guys have been around forever, but I only just discovered them this year. This is one of their groovier records to date, with Cave's barking stream of prose filling in the space not taken up by the propulsive nature of the band. It's a creative mix of grooves, too, finding some songs with a typical rock groove, others dominated by buzzing basslines, and still others that qualify as ballads. Cave's delivery may turn some off, but this is one of the more consistently enjoyable rock records of the year.
Track picks: "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!," "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)," "Jesus Of The Moon"
5. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
I've sung The Hold Steady's praises before, but some of the stylistically different tunes on this record really push them to a new high. They still do bar-rock better than anyone around, but who knew they had towering arena-rock ballads and Cars-style pastiches in them? This may win best outro of the year, as well. Again, Craig Finn's vocals may seem abrasive at first, but keep a close ear to the stories he's telling and there's no doubt that these guys are one of the premier American rock bands working today.
Track picks: "Constructive Summer," "Lord I'm Discouraged," "Slapped Actress"
4. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War)
It's hard for me to pinpoint Erykah Badu's style; she incorporates elements of R&B, soul, hip-hop, and some spots of just plain weirdness together. I'd never heard anything like it, and it definitely took more than one listen to grow on me. The tapestry of great soul singing, deeply felt political and social commentary, and great production (from Madlib and ?uestlove, among others) is slow to be realized, but grows more and more intoxicating with each listen. Part 2 was also supposed to be released this year, but I'm still eagerly waiting.
Track picks: "The Healer," "That Hump," "Telephone"
3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science,
No strangers to strong critical praise, TVotR finally found their way to more mainstream success with this album. It's easy to see why; though the lyrics and singing remain largely in the same path as their previous excellent releases, the sound around them has sharpened into a much clearer focus, so that every beat and layer of the sound can be heard. While this makes the album more immediately likable than Return to Cookie Mountain, it remains to be seen whether it will hold up over time as well as their previous highs. Now, though, it serves as a great entrance point to anyone who might have missed this band before.
Track picks: "Halfway Home," "Golden Age," "Family Tree"
2. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Imagine the Shins' Chutes Too Narrow as a disco-flavored sugary pop record, and that's the immediate touchstone for this album. Working with the DFA's Tim Goldsworthy definitely worked wonders for these guys, as the overall sound never falters, and the big choruses hit harder and harder as the album cruises along effortlessly. It drops off a bit towards the back, but the front is so very good that I don't care. This is the album I'd recommend for everyone to check out, if you haven't heard it yet.
Track picks: "Out There On The Ice," "Hearts On Fire," "Far Away"
1. Portishead - Third
The biggest return from years of inactivity belonged not to Guns 'n Roses, but Portishead. Eleven years removed from their last record, this practically served as a reboot for the former trip-hop group. Almost all traces of their original sound were purged in favor of a more eclectic mix of sounds. The payoff is immense; Beth Gibbons' fragile vocals are instantly recognizable, but the music behind her is now coiled and tense, with new surprises (ukelele? horns?) waiting at the beginning of every track. Front to back, no record was quite the trip that this was in 2008.
Track picks: "Silence," "We Carry On," "Machine Gun"