What was the best album of 2008 that you heard this year? Quick which one stood out? Did you hear ten albums that you would feel good about composing a list of?
If you are like me perhaps you look forward to this time of year. It is a time of reflection about most things in life for many of us, and this for me includes a look back at all the albums I heard this year. It all got started with a couple bands from Athens GA this year when the Drive By Truckers and The Whigs released albums in January. It did not stop there though I heard old favorites from Mudcrutch, Beck, REM, Weezer, & Black Crowes this year. There were the highly anticipated albums of favorite bands like The Mars Volta and My Morning Jacket, and bands i checked out for the first time like the Silver Jews, Frightened Rabbit, No Age, She & Him, Girl Talk and the Fleet Foxes. Let us not forget the Metal Monster albums this year from bands like Opeth, Meshuggah, & Amon Amarth.
Those are just a few of the albums from 2008 I took a close listen to this year. Every year i keep track of every album from that year that has come out so at this time i can go back and review and form an opinionated list of what I liked the best. This year i think i heard about 35 new albums. For most music enthusiast that probably is a small number. I know a lot of folks who check out well over a 100 albums a year but i don’t know how they have time to really absorb that many. Generally i check out 30-40 albums in a typical year. By the end of the year i usually feel pretty good about at least ten of them to form a top ten list, but not this year.
This was a very disapointing year for me in music. I would usually want my top ten to be composed of albums i would rate at least a 3.75 or higher on a 5 star scale. Maybe a few 3.5’s at the back end. This year though only three albums really seemed to stand out to me above the rest that I would probably grade that high. Maybe 2007 was so good my expectations were too high. I mean there were two albums from 2007 in my top 12 of the decade thus far. So perhaps I was just waiting for the great albums again because last year was so strong.
At any rate i wish i could give you 10 albums i felt were list worthy, but I’ll give you the three that really got me going and I enjoyed the most. The first two i went back and forth on for some time while the third is probalby more of a 3.75 rated album that squeaks into this list. Here are the albums from this year that I was impressed with from start to finish and feel have long term re-listens in their future:
3. Raconteurs- Counselors of the Lonely
Jack White and company are back and they are one of the few bands out there keepin rock alive! Where as many bands that come together start out strong with their first take together and then slowly fade (um audioslave prime example) the Raconteurs come back strong and show they are not a one trick pony. Jack still over shines the rest of the band with his immense songwriting and guitar talent but the others are doing more then just coming along for the ride. They add flavor and Jack really seems to enjoy being in a real band on this album. Many stand out tracks but for me it comes down to the final track as my favorite “Carolina Drama”. If you don’t believe me this album rocks just “go ask the milkman!”
2. TV on the Radio- Dear Science
This album hit me immediately. It perhaps is what sets this one apart from the previous TV on the Radio albums. They have all been enjoyable, but this one did not take multiple listens to her the brilliance. There was an immediate connection, but none of the depth that they captured on previous albums were lost due to that immediacy of this album. A trait I always look for in great albums is the flow of the album and it’s ability to be put on and play all the way through and the guys in TV on the radio deliver this. I can’t say I’m surprised to see this one on my list but I am happy that one of the most creative bands making music today is still on the top of their game. I like all the songs on the album but i think Red Dress really gets me going the most. Roll the windows down and jam out to that one when you are checking the album out!
1. Fleet Foxes-Self Titled & Sun Giant EP
I could really almost do 1A and 1B for Dear Science and the Fleet Foxes self titled album. It was a competition that I went back and forth on up until two days ago. With a 5.5 hour drive i decided to listen to both albums back to back to determine the champion. Perhaps the scenery helped usurp Dear Science because as I drove the back country roads and listened to songs like “Tiger Mountain Peasant Road” and Blue Ridge Mountains” it just seemed to fit so perfectly. This is just another band in a long line of bands that have come out of the pacific northwest in the past 20 years that knows how to make good music. Most folks stopped paying attention after Grunge wore off but Washington and surrounding areas has remained a hot bed for wonderful music. I include the EP with the album because for me they should go together. The music is simple, the harmonies are soaring, and these guys just make beautiful music. I know i’ll be listening to this band for some time and I can’t wait to hear how they grow as a band with their second album. If I had to choose one song off the album for someone to hear it would be “Your Protector”, but my favorite from them is probably “Mykonos” from the EP.
I hope you disagree with me maybe you can turn me onto and album I missed. I do have some 2008 albums I’m hoping to get still for Christmas to check out most notably the new Kathleen Edwards, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, as well as the Gaslight Anthem album.
So that’s how they line up for me. What albums made you go crazy this year?
