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So it appears 2008 is in the books. What started out a year with promise ended up being a slight disappointment as my most anticipated releases of the year were almost uniformly letdowns (save Portishead). There were some great albums, but probably only the top two on this list would have made my top ten from 2007 (http://www.cougarboard.com/noframes/...tml?id=3280688). And, as per usual, when I sat down to compose this list I lamented how many albums I didn’t have a chance to hear this year. Principal among them would be new releases from Metallica, Blitzen Trapper, B.B. King, Anathallo, Rosebuds, Brian Eno + David Byrne and the Killers. 2009 is on its way and there are already several albums I’ll be looking forward to, and of course I'll be trying to catch up on those 2008 albums I missed.
50. Second Original Silence by Original Silence – These guys are a jazz/rock/improvisational outfit led by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and legendary producer Jim O’Rourke (Sonic Youth, Wilco). I gave this a good effort, and maybe I just don’t get improv music, but I could never figure out what the hell was going on in this record.
49. Street Horrrsing by F*** Buttons – Um…what to say about this one? Lots of noise and some interesting moments, but mostly I just found it unlistenable.
48. The Red Album by Weezer – I haven’t listened to anything by these guys since Pinkerton, and now I realize why. A couple of decent songs, but mostly just plain awful.
47. Viva La Vida by Coldplay – More middle-of-the-road rock from these guys. Will they ever get tired of playing it safe? Apparently not. I’ve always had high hopes that at some point these guys would really challenge themselves, but it doesn’t look like that’s ever going to happen.
46. Nouns by No Age – This was proclaimed a Sub Pop classic from about the moment it was released, but I just don’t think their sound is my thing. Lots of noise accented by pop melodies and vocals low in the mix. A couple really great songs, but overall I didn’t love it.
45. Jukebox by Cat Power – An album of covers I heard several times due to the wifey. I enjoyed what were some very different takes on classic songs (like New York).
44. Elephant Shell by Tokyo Police Club – Another in a long list of disappointments for me. After their terrific EP in 2007, I had high expectations for their full length debut. Unfortunately, they lost their punky energy and replaced it with their best Decemberists/Death Cab impersonations.
43. Offend Maggie by Deerhoof – Not quite up to par with last year’s Friend Opportunity, but definitely a few gems mixed in here.
42. Loyalty to Loyalty by Cold War Kids – A mildly disappointing follow-up to their terrific 2006 debut. There was some good stuff here, but on the whole it lacked the immediacy and standout singles of Robbers & Cowards.
41. Narrow Stairs by Death Cab Cutie – I always feel bad that I don’t like these guys more given that they’re from Seattle, but for some reason they just never really do for me. Like most Death Cab albums, there were a few songs I really enjoyed and a few where Ben Gibbard’s voice/delivery just ruined it for me.
40. You & Me by The Walkmen – A very melodic post-punk record that also tends to be quite nuanced and atmospheric. This is my introduction to these guys, so I don’t really have a point of comparison to their previous work, but I enjoyed this one.
39. Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs – I typically prefer Jack White with the Stripes, but his work with this side project has yielded two solid albums and a handful of great tunes. As per anything involving White, this album is loaded with big riffs and hooks.
38. Skeletal Lamping by Of Montreal – This album is totally schizophrenic, though I appreciate what Kevin Barnes was trying to accomplish: trying to challenge our notion of what a song should constitute. This album was packed with ideas, and when one idea had run its course, it was onto the next, even within the same song. That made for some decidedly mixed results.
37. Songs in A&E by Spiritualized – When I heard this album I was kind of caught off-guard. Given that I knew nothing about these guys and had no expectations, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. An album full of minimalist guitar work, sparse drums, and great backing vocals.
36. Visiter by The Dodos – Who knew you could rock so damn hard on just acoustic guitars? I hear pieces of different bands in these guys – The Long Winters and Magnetic Fields come to mind – but they carry off a sound that feels their own. A bit overlong and could have used some editing, but some real stunning tracks on this one including the one-two punch of Fools and Joe’s Waltz.
35. Antidotes by Foals – I saw these guys play a great this summer show and picked up this, their debut, sometime thereafter. Their sound has kind of that precision of math rock but has more hooks and grooves.
34. In The Future by Black Mountain – Follows the Pixies format of loud-quiet-loud, but has more of a retro rock sound (think Zep or Black Sabbath). Released in January, it was the first album of the year that really grabbed me.
33. Devotion by Beach House – Some may call this the soundtrack to a nap, but I guess that’s why they call it dream pop. Great melodies, great arrangements, and full of contrast. It times it feels delicate and light, while at others dark and heavy.
32. Only By The Night by Kings of Leon – These are definitely not the Kings I fell in love with and this album was another of the year’s major disappointments. What happened to the rockers from the Dirty South? Instead we were treated to a bunch of mid-tempo ballads that came of sounding like uninteresting Coldplay songs (yes, I realize the use of uninteresting and Coldplay is redundant). There were definitely some great songs in there, but as a whole this just wasn’t nearly as good as any of their first three albums.
32. The Slip by Nine Inch Nails – While With Teeth and Year Zero had their moments, I found this album to be more consistent and an improvement overall. Loud, fierce, angry…you probably know Reznor by now.
31. Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Who Cannot Feel by Atlas Sound – This is Bradford Cox’s (Deerhunter) debut solo album. While some similarities persist between this project and his main outfit, here he dives a bit deeper into melancholy, ambient pop.
30. Lost Wisdom by Mount Eerie and Julie Doiran – Mount Eerie has put out a couple of albums that I really dig, and this release in conjunction with Julie Doiran was very enjoyable. There’s something very unique about Eerie’s acoustic arrangements that kind of sounds like a shadow chasing itself. The melding of voices here was also really terrific.
29. Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend – One of the year’s most hyped bands, I initially didn’t care much for this album. By the time summer rolled around (this just feels like a summer record) my wife was playing it constantly and there were a number of songs I began to really enjoy.
28. The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit – For whatever reason, these guys always remind of what the Counting Crows would sound like if they were from Glasgow instead of San Francisco. Their 2006 debut was a solid effort and this album was a nice improvement.
27. Glasvegas by Glasvegas – This record was a very interesting combination of sounds. It has a bit of that wall-of-sound touch to it a la The Jesus and Mary Chain, but there’s definitely some 60’s doo-wop at work here. However strange that sounds, it works. A debut proving that this band has a bright future.
26. Where You Go I Go Too by Lindstrom – I suppose you could kind of lump this in with some of the year’s disco revival albums, but for the most part this is just a bold, ambitious and impeccably crafted advant garde electonica album.
50. Second Original Silence by Original Silence – These guys are a jazz/rock/improvisational outfit led by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and legendary producer Jim O’Rourke (Sonic Youth, Wilco). I gave this a good effort, and maybe I just don’t get improv music, but I could never figure out what the hell was going on in this record.
49. Street Horrrsing by F*** Buttons – Um…what to say about this one? Lots of noise and some interesting moments, but mostly I just found it unlistenable.
48. The Red Album by Weezer – I haven’t listened to anything by these guys since Pinkerton, and now I realize why. A couple of decent songs, but mostly just plain awful.
47. Viva La Vida by Coldplay – More middle-of-the-road rock from these guys. Will they ever get tired of playing it safe? Apparently not. I’ve always had high hopes that at some point these guys would really challenge themselves, but it doesn’t look like that’s ever going to happen.
46. Nouns by No Age – This was proclaimed a Sub Pop classic from about the moment it was released, but I just don’t think their sound is my thing. Lots of noise accented by pop melodies and vocals low in the mix. A couple really great songs, but overall I didn’t love it.
45. Jukebox by Cat Power – An album of covers I heard several times due to the wifey. I enjoyed what were some very different takes on classic songs (like New York).
44. Elephant Shell by Tokyo Police Club – Another in a long list of disappointments for me. After their terrific EP in 2007, I had high expectations for their full length debut. Unfortunately, they lost their punky energy and replaced it with their best Decemberists/Death Cab impersonations.
43. Offend Maggie by Deerhoof – Not quite up to par with last year’s Friend Opportunity, but definitely a few gems mixed in here.
42. Loyalty to Loyalty by Cold War Kids – A mildly disappointing follow-up to their terrific 2006 debut. There was some good stuff here, but on the whole it lacked the immediacy and standout singles of Robbers & Cowards.
41. Narrow Stairs by Death Cab Cutie – I always feel bad that I don’t like these guys more given that they’re from Seattle, but for some reason they just never really do for me. Like most Death Cab albums, there were a few songs I really enjoyed and a few where Ben Gibbard’s voice/delivery just ruined it for me.
40. You & Me by The Walkmen – A very melodic post-punk record that also tends to be quite nuanced and atmospheric. This is my introduction to these guys, so I don’t really have a point of comparison to their previous work, but I enjoyed this one.
39. Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs – I typically prefer Jack White with the Stripes, but his work with this side project has yielded two solid albums and a handful of great tunes. As per anything involving White, this album is loaded with big riffs and hooks.
38. Skeletal Lamping by Of Montreal – This album is totally schizophrenic, though I appreciate what Kevin Barnes was trying to accomplish: trying to challenge our notion of what a song should constitute. This album was packed with ideas, and when one idea had run its course, it was onto the next, even within the same song. That made for some decidedly mixed results.
37. Songs in A&E by Spiritualized – When I heard this album I was kind of caught off-guard. Given that I knew nothing about these guys and had no expectations, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. An album full of minimalist guitar work, sparse drums, and great backing vocals.
36. Visiter by The Dodos – Who knew you could rock so damn hard on just acoustic guitars? I hear pieces of different bands in these guys – The Long Winters and Magnetic Fields come to mind – but they carry off a sound that feels their own. A bit overlong and could have used some editing, but some real stunning tracks on this one including the one-two punch of Fools and Joe’s Waltz.
35. Antidotes by Foals – I saw these guys play a great this summer show and picked up this, their debut, sometime thereafter. Their sound has kind of that precision of math rock but has more hooks and grooves.
34. In The Future by Black Mountain – Follows the Pixies format of loud-quiet-loud, but has more of a retro rock sound (think Zep or Black Sabbath). Released in January, it was the first album of the year that really grabbed me.
33. Devotion by Beach House – Some may call this the soundtrack to a nap, but I guess that’s why they call it dream pop. Great melodies, great arrangements, and full of contrast. It times it feels delicate and light, while at others dark and heavy.
32. Only By The Night by Kings of Leon – These are definitely not the Kings I fell in love with and this album was another of the year’s major disappointments. What happened to the rockers from the Dirty South? Instead we were treated to a bunch of mid-tempo ballads that came of sounding like uninteresting Coldplay songs (yes, I realize the use of uninteresting and Coldplay is redundant). There were definitely some great songs in there, but as a whole this just wasn’t nearly as good as any of their first three albums.
32. The Slip by Nine Inch Nails – While With Teeth and Year Zero had their moments, I found this album to be more consistent and an improvement overall. Loud, fierce, angry…you probably know Reznor by now.
31. Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Who Cannot Feel by Atlas Sound – This is Bradford Cox’s (Deerhunter) debut solo album. While some similarities persist between this project and his main outfit, here he dives a bit deeper into melancholy, ambient pop.
30. Lost Wisdom by Mount Eerie and Julie Doiran – Mount Eerie has put out a couple of albums that I really dig, and this release in conjunction with Julie Doiran was very enjoyable. There’s something very unique about Eerie’s acoustic arrangements that kind of sounds like a shadow chasing itself. The melding of voices here was also really terrific.
29. Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend – One of the year’s most hyped bands, I initially didn’t care much for this album. By the time summer rolled around (this just feels like a summer record) my wife was playing it constantly and there were a number of songs I began to really enjoy.
28. The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit – For whatever reason, these guys always remind of what the Counting Crows would sound like if they were from Glasgow instead of San Francisco. Their 2006 debut was a solid effort and this album was a nice improvement.
27. Glasvegas by Glasvegas – This record was a very interesting combination of sounds. It has a bit of that wall-of-sound touch to it a la The Jesus and Mary Chain, but there’s definitely some 60’s doo-wop at work here. However strange that sounds, it works. A debut proving that this band has a bright future.
26. Where You Go I Go Too by Lindstrom – I suppose you could kind of lump this in with some of the year’s disco revival albums, but for the most part this is just a bold, ambitious and impeccably crafted advant garde electonica album.
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