10 Greatest Albums of 2008

Alright Alright. I've had enough time with each album to throw my weight around. I think it's interesting that these magazines come up with their consensus top ten, even though you know they're restrained to pick within certain genres dictated by their target audience. You can't tell me that the only magazine that should have thrown Weezy a nod was the Village Voice? I have no restriction or obligation to anyone. I'm going to give you the best albums of 2008 with the one goal in the album being greatness. You know it when you hear it. The music that makes you want to go out and dance in the streets. Or the music that perfectly captures your bleeding heart. It's the sonic sound that reaches the purest ethereal experience. Beauty transcended through sound. Basically, if you don't have these albums, you need to get these albums.

10. Santogold - Santogold

Oh how I love this woman. Santi White better known as Santogold screamed her way into the scene with the infectious jungle-club suited single, "Creator." Her best single on the album, "L.E.S. Artistes," a pure 80s pop-hit, proved she could craft a hit. A song that I think is in the top 10 songs of 2008 as well. She is a strong female stepping down stereotypes in each song using pop, raggae, hip-hop, surf-rock, and techno-inspired grooves. You just get the feeling that this artist is uncontainable and she is welcome to do anything she pleases without raised eyebrow. Her guest spot on Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 on a track called "Brooklyn (We Go Hard)" just legitimizes her presence in the music scence.

9. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

What would we do without our lovable copyright marauder, Greg Gillis? The strange man with a nose for hooks dug out another illuminating album this year. Counting 25 samples in the first track of 4:33 alone, the man doesn't sit back on his laurels. There are tons of mashup artists dreaming of capitalizing off of others' finished works, but somehow it doesn't seem like crime when Gillis mans the tables. Pure. Art. Who else could seamless transition from Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strikes" to Birdman and Lil Wayne's "Pop Bottles"? The answer is no one. And that is why Gillis gets his credit here.

8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Ahh yes. The white boys with the African sound? With the album only lasting just over 3o minutes, it instantly became the summer soundtrack. Featuring African instrumentation such as congas, bongas, and other percussive instruments, Ezra Koenig and his fellow Columbia grads show off their degrees with this album being their disertation. Complex and interlocking melodies punctuated by strings tirelessly slice their way through the heart of this album. Around the third listen you start to get the idea that these guys aren't rock stars, but neo-Beethovens and Mozarts posing to get some more ass. I mean Ludwig had to know a guitar would have made things a bit easier on the dating side. These guys found the right sound for the right time and for that their sound identified a lot of 2008.

7. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Now this was a release I could really drop my head down and waggle my body slowly in a haphazard manner to. Perhaps the opus soundtrack to the 80s, Anthony Gonzalez managed to not only sonically shift decades, but the lyrics are truly authentic to the very last sigh. "Kim and Jessie" classically jives around harking every 80s love story never experienced. This French group explored every inch of this album with whispers that fall and rise with the mood. It may be a period project, but the structure from song to song are superb and exquisitely done.

6. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

The only hip-hop album to grace the top ten had to be from the syrup-addicted, wheezy man himself. From "A Milli" to "Lollipop" to "Mr. Carter", the man has set a precedent for every hip-hop album to reach in the future. In a little over a year, he has turned himself into a brand. In a mixtape song he so shrewdly comments, "I have a new nickname. It's called Feat. Lil Wayne." And why shouldn't he poke fun at the reality he now finds himself in. Every time he guest raps on a song, it's automatically supposed to be hot -- it's not even his song. His guerilla marketing scheme has paid off and now it's Weezy Baby standing with his hand on the ball. In "I'm Me" he raps about how last year they had the Grammys and left him home in Miami. Now leading the way with 8 nominations, he may finally add merit to the proclamation that he is heir to the throne.

5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Recorded in the Wisconsin backwoods, Bon Iver (pronounced Bohn eeVehr) went straight for the heart with this masterful album. Songs painted against stark backdops, but insulated warmly with Justin Vernon's knack for inducing positive pathos. This is the album for those that reminisce love. You can feel the cold pressing around the sides of each of these songs, and yet warmth radiate from the center and soul of each song. This is an album for eternal optimists. The nut can be found in "Skinny Love" that propels Vernon into reprimanding crooner. The song couldn't be more fun with intermittent yelps and hand claps towards the end, but listening to the words definitely throws in the cold again. A complex album that touches a bit of everything. A top five album for sure.

4. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

What a beautiful album. As glorious as a sunrise, so is this album. The melodies so tight, you could pluck a right pleasant tune to it. Robin Pecknold writes an incredible album set to gorgeous soundscape. From the opener, "Sun It Rises," it feels just as much barbershop quartet as it does folk. The acoustic guitar becomes a distant memory as Pecknold and Co. decide to infuse everything from the Beatles to the Beach Boys in this head-swaying collection of tunes that could be folk/pop's greatest hits. Everything from the maraca beat to crisp high hat seem to fall perfectly into place. Orchestrally, this may be the best bit of music to come in a very long time.

3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science

These boys from New York can't seem to make a bad album. This is their third critically-acclaimed album in a row and these last two could be argued as the best in 2006 and 2008 respectively. The experimental group has seemed to stay on the cusp of coolness while borrowing tactics from titans such David Bowie for vocals. You never will quite know what these guys will throw at you and that is the fun in peeling away at each song.

2. Portishead - Third

Some may have called Guns N' Roses the most awaited artist in 2008, but in my opinion, I could argue heartily for possibly the most ingenious band in history -- Portishead. Leaders of the trip-hop revolution, Gibbons resumes her spot as sultry seducer. This album was approached with an unbelievable mindset. Changing everything from their two previous works, the band works strings, synths, mechanical drums (layered over more drums) to create this unorganic album that haunts long after the album is through. In "Hunter," Gibbons asks, "If I fall, would you hold me?" This sweetly crooned lyric holds only for seconds before distorted guitars cut the serenity suddenly. This album proves to be the most difficult listen of all three, but the reward lay in the work. This is a terribly melodic album that preys on the senses given the focus. This may be the best Industrial Rock record of all time.

1. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Tadaaa! Brooklyn stand up! Your boys have created the most infectious, synth-heavy, ear-pleasing album since Favourite Worst Nightmare from the Arctic Monkeys. Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser comprise the band that is taking both music consumer and composer by storm. Ghostland Observatory feel hauntingly close this product while Brandon Flowers from The Killers said some of the songs off of Day and Age were channeled to be MGMT songs. There could be one hundred bands trying to duplicate this album and they could all fail miserably. There is a certain soul in this tandem, one that bleeds through the starchy, metallic-sounding anthems that pump through your speakers. In "Kids" Wyngarden sings, "Control yourself/Take only what you need from it/A family of trees waitin'/to be haunted." This layered over a sing-song keyboard and plodding drum beat creating psychadelic pop at its absolute finest. Not even The Killers' Hot Fuss managed to capture my need to get up and fling myself around as much as this debut. Like I said...beauty transcended through sound.



There were a couple of albums that I battled with a bit. There were a couple of albums I didn't give full attention to also, but I feel this is the list I would have settled on regardless.

Honorable Mention:

Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Beck - Modern Guilt
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Nas - Untitled
Kanye West - 808's And Heartbreak
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine
The Dears - Missiles
Deathcab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Cat Power - Jukebox
Dj Rupture - Uproot


This. Is. Truth.

My Favorite Time of Year

No, not Christmas.

Not even the holidays. It is the end of year awards doled out by every major music magazine/rag to the top 10 best albums of the year. Usually I get my kicks by seeing how many of them I owned BEFORE reading the lists. This year? 6 out of 10. Not bad right? I mean sure, if I had limitless funds, I'd have owned all of them...well except for one in which I had never heard of. In this article, I will give you the media's top 10 list and I will give you mine on my next post, which will be different, I assure.

10. - Kings of Leon's Only By the Night

I believe I threw up a review for this album, but if I did not, I couldn't quite get into this album. It's tough when you come off sounding less a rock band than even Coldplay. Something about that album didn't gel with me, but it certainly did with a lot of critics out there.

9. Amadou and Miriam - Welcome to Mali

(Quickly purchasing just so I can point to it and say I have the most comprehensive music library on the block.)

8. Portishead - Third

I guarantee this album will be in my top 10 as well. I'm very happy they are getting press for this album.

7. Glasvegas - Glasvegas

6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Of course the boys from NY would be on here somewhere. If you've been living under a rock, crawl out and cop this shit.

5. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All of His Friends

God damn. Gotta give it up to Chris Martin and his crew. The one time I didn't rush out to grab a Coldplay album. I'm regretting it as I'm catching up on the rest of the world.

4. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

This album might have changed the world that I know it to be. Rightfully in the top 5, MGMT has done much to improve the music scene this year and will for years to come. I'll explain later.

3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

If you are a fan of neo-folk and you don't have this album...you are utterly utterly lost. The melodies are so intricate you might think this album took a lifetime to evolve into what it is.

1. TV On the Radio - Dear Science

As far as I'm concerned, they've done it again. The boys from New York have dug quite a nice homestead atop the best albums of the year as Return to Cookie Mountain was widely held the top album of 2006. I don't know if these guys will ever gain widespread success like Band of Horses was able to do, but it's amazing music that is definitely different.


I disagree with a couple of these and you can tell the media is partial to folk/alternative bands with hip/hop getting left on the list completely. That will change as Tha Carter III will hold a spot on my top 10. Check back soon to see how I shake it up a bit.


This. Is. Truth.

My Favorite Christmas Song...

A week or so back, I conversated with some friends over my favorite Christmas Song, "Ave Maria." You could argue the fact that it's not at true Christmas song, but that is what I associate the song towards. Honestly, everyone from Celine Dion to Stevie Wonder to Perry Cumo has made their version. I went on a true hunt for my favorite version of the song. I ended up buying six different versions while sampling around 25-30.

Now, there are several lines that you will fall on trying to decide which version suits you best. Do you appreciate the bravado of a man hammering out the sultry notes, or perhaps the delicate touch that only a female can bring to the song? Do you want a driving, forceful experience guided by cellos and up-tempo strings, or perhaps a more shallow experience exploring the singer's voice lucidly outlined with bare piano keystrokes.

For my dream "Ave Maria," I wanted something ethereal. I wanted lots of pathos. I wanted the the singer's voice to bleed through the melody while the orchestral melody rang clearly in sweeping crescendos. I'm a dramatic guy...what can I say? So after listening to recordings made in the 80s including Luciano Pavarotti's, I sifted through the Cranberries', Winona's, and Sarah Brightman's version to find a copy that caught my fancy. Essentially, it's not my cup of tea in the end, but if you prefer a more classic, Opera-like version of the song, you might want to check out Dame Joan Sutherland's version feat. Ambrosian Singers and New Philharmonica Orchestra. My only quaff with the composition was that the choir came in too late towards the end to really impact the song, but Suntherland's voice is bigger than life in this song and really drives the emotion.

Suprisingly, after listening to the same song for an hour, each variance kept it fresh enough for me to still become moved when listening to my favorite ones. I settled on a top four with MY favorite. I picked four versions that were a little different from one another so if you have a different preference than me, you might go for one of the other three.

#4 - Academy of Choir Art of Russia - feat. Andrea Bocelli and Moscow Radio Symphony.

This is the way the song was composed to sound according to Frank Schubert. Classic pacing with the remarkable Bocelli lending his expertise to the age-old tune. Again, more towards the opera sound, but it is a classical song. Very plodding and a slower tempo with not much building from the orchestra. Bocelli does a brillant job rising and falling to create his own resonance amongst the orchestra. If you're a Bocelli fan, this may be your favorite.

#3 - Christina England

This is the song used from the Hitman movie and trailer. England beautifully demonstrates great control in her upper registry and falsetto. This version is airy, elegant, and punctuated by the sliding strings. The song brings about the recognizance of a antique ballroom holding a magestrate masquerade. Paced exquisitely from beginning to end, this song could only have been sung by England.

#2 - Celine Dion

The Canadien Diva herself comes in at two with this haunting version. Playing up her voice (which in most of her tracks is the best instrument being used) in sonc reverberance, the song is composed in stages. Starting out starkly barren with only the marching harpischord outlining each beat, the second stage brings in the classic strings. Rising and falling with the melody, Dion's voice sounds the best over this soundscape. The way her voice can switch between subtle and vulnerble to strong and resilient draws the ire of even Toni Braxton. If you're looking for a female fronted version of this song -- pick this one.

#1 - Josh Groban

This even surprised me. Josh's album Noel came out a year ago in 2007 and it was the highest selling album of last year. I have owned this album since then, but was hesitant to declare it the best until I truly listened to all of the others. The composition and production is unparelled in terms of capturing the energy and not letting it go. From the original beginning of using a choir to a flowing piano, Groban takes this song from the first note in a different direction. Where Bocelli might have a better grasp on this song vocally, Groban's isn't a showcase for his voice -- it's a song. From the resonating cymbals, to the staccato cellos, to the swirling cries emitting from the strings, the pacing is best in this version above all others. The last minute (which should be the standard for rating a great "Ave Maria") renders me speechless every time with the power of a lion winding down to a whisper. As much as Groban deserves the credit, so does the producer of this gem. Truly inspiring.


This. Is. Truth.

The Queen Reclaimed

I tried.

Let me just start out with that phrase. I tried to think of a million reasons why I shouldn't like this album. She is a puppet. She can't really sing. She doesn't really have any real influence over her sound other than picking the men that make it happen. She doesn't even naturally own that head of hair that she is sporting. But...

This shit is crunchy, loud, and the best stuff she's put out since 2003's In the Zone. From the outset, you can already hear the difference between Blackout and Circus. Her vocals in "Womanizer" sound forceful and resoundingly clear. And if you read my review, I found the construction of that song absolutely amazing even though it was produced by industry newbies, The Outsyders. I find it no coincidence that it was the first single to top the Billboard Top 100 since "Baby, Hit Me One More Time" almost a decade previously.

She is realizing that she can't do this alone. And with the myriad of top-notch producers, she reinforces that statement fullboard. Dr. Luke, who also crafted "Toxic," is here for the searing, pop/electro/deathly-infectious pop smash "Circus." The bass-heavy diddy begs to played at full blast and while it feels that Britney has never moved away from her home base (at least lyrics-wise), it feels oddly different. These are the type singles that harken classic hits from ultra-divas Madonna and Miss Janet.

The highlights from this album reside in the two singles, "If You Seek Amy (sound it out and spell it out)," "Shattered Glass," "Unusual You," and "Lace and Leather." If there is one fault in this album is that Guy Sigsworth's immense talent was wasted on two of the three Britney ballads. The curse of her montonous voice is that her ballads really depend on the production for range since she has virtually none. Although she has had some successful songs in that category, "Out From Under" and "My Baby" fall dramatically short. She will forever be cast into the up-beat dance realm and I think that is fine with her. It should be. The major genre move to electro-pop/synth isn't just coordinating with the industry, but also helps mask the one true flaw in her game: her voice.

The one ballad that worked for me was "Unusual You." Also probably the most pure electronica-style song on the album, the breathy gasps combined with the brooding, aggressive drum track really shows a different side of Britney. The piano plots the structural outline of the song much like a pre-Vida Coldplay. More than anything, these producers definitely creating a higher form of artistic expression for Britney's usual thoughts on sex, boys, and relationships.

Throughout her successful career, this may be her best album to date musically. While it isn't revolutionary, it is a remarkable collection of infectious, energy-fueled pop hits that will undoubtedly prove their worth in 2009. She self-identifies herself as the Queen of Pop now claiming maturity. Time will only tell if she can escape the depression, mental fatigue, and drugs, but if this album is any forecaster -- she may have just turned the corner we were all waiting for.


Best Tracks - "Circus", "Womanizer", "Shattered Glass", "Unusual You", and "Lace and Leather"


7.5/10


This. Is. Truth.