Here we go once again… the season of “Best Of” lists! Here at SoundMojo I’ll throw my Top 20 Albums of 2008 into the never-ending pile of opinionated lists that inevitably feature a variation of the same 50 bands or so… Without further ado, here are the 20 albums that I enjoyed the most this year:
20. Metallica - Death Magnetic
It’s nowhere close to Metallica’s best album, but its Metallica back doing what they do best with long intro’s, long guitar solo’s and songs that are actually interesting! Finally.
19. Santogold -Santogold
Nothing this year sounded as varied as this album. Santogold had a bit of everything on this album and somehow it all sounds fantastic. An indie/new wave/rock/electro hybrid that does not disappoint. Check out LES Artistes.
18. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Anthemic Scottish indie rock. Sad songs that make you want to raise your fists in the air. “The Modern Leper” is one of the best songs of the year.
17. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
I’ve had my complaints about Coldplay in the past… I was a fan of the first 2 albums, but things then took a turn for the worse… Chris Martin was in the spotlight as much as Bono and their music took a nose dive. Enter producer Brian Eno and whammy! the band has its creativity and inspiration back. Viva La Vida expanded their sound and still left it accessible to the masses… a great album from start to finish.
16. Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Alright I’ll say it. Jack White is my hero. Consolers of the Lonely is a solid album of rock, hard rock, folk rock and garage rock. The band is somewhat of a side project from the White Stripes, but based on this album the Raconteurs are a force to be reckoned with and Jack could probably front another two bands.
15. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
While not as immediately grabbing as their 2005 debut, Wold Parade have crafted another classic album in At Mount Zoomer. The album does seem more mature, but everything you loved about Apologies to the Queen Mary is still there, its just a little harder to dig into. Once you do dig in, everything makes sense.
14. Constantines - Kensington Heights
This album seems to explode with the opening song of “Hard Feelings” and then steadily slow down with each progressing tune, but rest assured this is some of the steadiest songwriting the band has recorded. This band deserves to be much bigger than they are. “Trans Canada” is one of my favorite songs of the year.
13. Shearwater - Rook
Shearwater is made up of parts of Okervil River and Kingfisher, but based on this debut album the bands vision is unified and the creativity and potential seems huge. Dramatic and theatric vocals stand out, but the layered sound is equally as impressive.
12. The Verve - Forth
Another comeback album, this one was probably my most anticipated, and while not as spectacular is their older albums, Forth is pretty damn enjoyable. There was the obligatory single, “Love is Noise” which tried to recapture the mainstream glory of “Bittersweet Symphony”, and while the song was actually pretty good, it seemed a bit out of place on the album. More interesting were the psychadelic, spacey, guitar epics.
11. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Americana music with great story telling. This album sounds like it was recorded in the mid 70’s and tracks like “Furr” and “God and Suicide” are some of my favorite songs of the year. Sometimes it doesn’t get much better than acoustic guitars and tall tales.
10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
This was one of those albums that was buzzed about so much that I thought for sure I would hate it. Afro-pop infused indie rock from preppy college kids? Ya right… It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable albums of the year and probably one of the most unique debut albums in a while. Quirky songs and memorable vocals mixed with strong melodies, I guess the hype has to be right sometimes?
9. The War on Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues
For me this band came out of nowhere to be one of my most consistent listens all year long. With vocals that are a dead ringer for Dylan circa 1965 and melodies that will embed themselves in your head for days, I found this band incredibly interesting. With equal parts folk rock shuffle and shoegaze shimmer, I can’t wait to hear what these guys do next. Check out the song “Taking the Farm“.
8. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul
Comeback album #4 on this list… Ok, Oasis never really went away, but it seems that every album since “(Whats the Story) Morning Glory” has been a comeback album, and Dig Out Your Soul finally delivers. Gone are the acoustic guitars and blatant rips of classic tunes, but back is the intesity and confidence of a band that knows how to deliver rock and roll. Oasis won’t convert any new fans with this album, but they’ve realised that and its now one of their greatest strengths. Its also nice to hear Noel writing consistently and also have the rest of the band contribute quality tunes.
7. The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
The Stills have been up and down over the last few years. Their debut was acclaimed, the follow up was different and thus confused fans, so they had decisions to make for album 3. They either regress back to their initial post-punk sound, continue in the rootsy sound of their second album, or combine everything and hope for the best. I’ve enjoyed everything the band has released and thankfully they chose option 3. With Oceans Will Rise they’ve crafted an expansive album of sounds and styles that flows together very nicely. Check out “Hands on Fire” and “Everything I Build” for an idea of the bands current sound.
6. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
There is an interesting back story to this album that includes a secluded cabin in the woods, but I’ll let you look that up yourself. Whats important is that this is one of the prettiest albums of the year with falsetto vocals that should knock you flat. This is beautiful, melodic, acoustic-based music that you won’t soon forget. Listen to “Skinny Love” for an idea.
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Another album that rode the hype wave for a while before I finally listened to it. Another pleasant surprise. This one was hipster art students creating psychedelic electro indie-pop. Ya right again… wrong, awesome. The songs on this album are like an explosion of colour in your brain. Endlessly catchy, but at the same time interesting and layered this band is definitely on to something. “Time to Pretend” might be the song of the year.
4. Cut/Copy - In Ghost Colours
In Ghost Colours is an album that I slowly came to love over the year. One by one I would hear different songs on the album until I finally realized that all of them were fantastic. This is the best combination of Indie rock and Electro-dance music I’ve ever heard and fans of either genre would have no trouble getting into the album. Its like the band takes all the good parts of both genres and builds an exciting, creative and multi-dimensional style of their own. Check out “Feel the Love” or “So Haunted”.
3. The Black Keys - Attack and Release
God I love the Black Keys. Dirty, minimalist blues-rock from 2 dudes from Akron, Ohio that will make you wish you played guitar. Attack and Release sees the band fleshing out their sound with more texture and space as opposed to the blast of distortion that dominated their early music. Adding Gnarls Barkley mastermind Danger Mouse as the producer was a genius move and his hazy production elevates the Black Keys into new territory. A band that seemed so restricted by its 2 instrument delivery now seems like it has unlimited potential. Check out the song “I Got Mine“.
2. Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue
Is it possible for Montreal to continue producing such great bands at such a consistent rate? I was skeptical at first, but after one listen I was sold. Parc Avenue is a shambolic indie masterpiece of an album that takes cues from classic rock and progressive rock, folk and roots. Where this band goes next? I have no idea… but I’m looking forward to it. Check out songs like “Faerie Dance” and”Feedback in the Field” for an idea of the range on this album.
1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
What is there to say about this band. If you haven’t listened to them then you have no idea what your in for. The song “White Winter Hymnal” stopped me in my tracks. Upon hearing it I had to immediately had to stop everything and find out more about this band. With nothing but an earlier ‘08 EP, the band is brand new. The music sounds like its from another era and the vocal harmonies are so rich and beautiful it will blow your mind. The band is drawing from a multitude of Folk and Rock influences, but its takes a fresh and direct vocal approach that fills the album with such grandeur that its hard to believe this is a debut album. Like I said, what is there really to say… listen to “White Winter Hymnal” and you should get it.
Thats it! On to 2009. Some notable bands releasing albums next year include:
- Midlake
- Arctic Monkeys
- Superdrag
- Phoenix
- Muse
- Grizzly Bear
- Beirut
- The Strokes
Maybes: Arcade Fire, Wilco, Daft Punk???
Its that time of year again, the time when everyone tries to recap the year in a tidy little list of 20 items. This list is not neccessarily the 20 “Best” albums of the year, instead, they are 20 albums from 2007 that I personally have enjoyed the most over the course the year. I hope you enjoy the list and it at least inspires you to listen to a few new bands or albums that you hadn’t already. The easiest and best place to start for any of these bands is probably their MySpace page. Here we go:
20) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade: The ever dependable Steve Earle is back with perhaps his most distinct album in years. It still bears the quality songwriting that you’ve come to expect, but shows a new focus on his adopted city, New York, and incorporates some new sounds including his first use of drum loops. Don’t worry, its nothing too shocking, but it makes for a great album with some inspired tunes. Don’t miss “Satellite Radio” for a taste of the “new” sound.
19) Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War: Lush, atmospheric indie pop/rock music that is crammed with emotion. Stars are a great band that don’t seem to get much credit and this album will hopefully bring them some more attention. The male/female vocals seem to glow and are the perfect compliment to the muted theatrics of the music. Listen to “The Night Starts Here” for a good start.
18) Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice: Experimental indie rock band with odd time signatures, killer guitar sounds and catchy tunes. This is their 3rd full length and hopefully the one that gives them the break they need. The song that hooked me was “Throwin’ Shapes”.
17) The Shins - Wincing The Night Away: Another amazing album from probably one of the most well known indie bands around. This album has the band going in slightly new directions and it took some time for me to get into it, but now I can’t get the songs out of my head… in a good way. Check out the first track, “Sleeping Lessons” for a taste.
16) Bruce Springsteen - Magic: Wow, the Boss is back! The Rising was an ok album but it never really felt like the classic Springsteen albums of old. This one still has some of that old “magic”… wow, lame. Every song is like a lesson in what was great about the old stuff, yet feels slightly updated. Don’t miss the songs, “Living in the Future”, “Magic” and “Girls in their Summer Clothes”.
15) The Broken West - I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On: Falling under the always confusing category of Power Pop, The Broken West have made a fantastic debut album that sounds more to me like alt-countryish rock. The songs are filled with great harmonies and pretty much every tune is a winner. I must have played the song “Down in the Valley” over a hundred times since I first heard it.
14) White Stripes - Icky Thump: Between his other band, The Raconteurs, and being a general all around badass, Jack White had time to bang out another White Stripes album and Icky Thump is no worse for wear. Featuring Jack’s never ending parade of guitar riffs that you wish you’d written and Meg’s steady pounding there’s not much out of the ordinary, but it features some of their best songs yet. The title track is an undeniable blast of power that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of.
13) Iron & Wine - The Shepherds Dog: I only got into Iron & Wine recently but have done my best to get up to speed quickly and could not get enough of this album. Showing growth and maturity with a fuller, more developed sound The Shepherds Dog will reveal itself in layers and you’ll be left with something you can’t imagine having been without. Don’t miss “Innocent Bones” and “Boy with a Coin”.
12) Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger: Adams might be the most prolific songwriter in today’s music scene, and in the past that sometimes equalled inconsistency. Easy Tiger was his only full length of 2007 and it shows with his most consistent set of songs in years. He stays in the vein of alt-country which he’s mostly known for and his backing band, The Cardinals, play the perfect compliment to his sometimes ragged, sometimes soulful, always interesting songwriting. Check out “Pearls on a String”.
11) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: Consistently hailed as sellouts since their move to a major label, Modest Mouse have been given a crappy deal. They’re still one of the most original bands going in the mainstream and this album has provided me a lot of listening enjoyment. Plus I don’t see how anyone can deny “Dashboard” as one of the best songs of the year.
10) Feist - The Reminder: I want to marry Feist. I’ve been madly in love with her since I first saw her perform at the Juno’s and this album has appropriately vaulted her into the international spotlight… with some help from that Apple commercial. The Reminder is crammed with a creativity and catchiness that don’t come easy to any songwriter. Listen to “I Feel It All” and then try and not play it again immediately after.
9) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: Indie music and global stars don’t go hand in hand, but the Arcade Fire make it seem easy. Neon Bible is a darker and slower album than their debut, but that doesn’t make it any less amazing. I’ve been listening to it steadily since it came out and my favorite tune has changed about 9 times. The church organ and slow build on “Intervention” is worth it alone.
8. Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock: Plaskett remains relatively unknown in the States and is still making his name in his native Canada, but there’s no denying his talent and growth as a songwriter. Ashtray Rock is concept album about two young friends who form a band and everything else that goes along with it while trying to grow up. It reads like a nostalgia trip, but the songs are good enough that they hold up on their own. I love how the songs appear to grow in maturity as the main characters do themselves. Check out “Snowed In/Crusin” and “Soundtrack for the Night” to get an idea of the variation.
7) Daft Punk - Alive 2007: Not only is this the soundtrack to the greatest visual show of all time, its also the best thing Daft Punk has ever released. If you haven’t heard this or a variation of it that’s floating around the web, you will be amazed at how everyone’s favorite Robots can weave 2 and even 3 of their songs into one brand new version that somehow makes their music even more kickass. If you missed the 2007 tour you will unfortunately die a lesser person, but this live album will give you a delicious taste. Listen to “Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and prepare to transcend space and time.
6) Beirut - Flying Club Cup: Eastern European folk music made by a 20 year old guy from the States… bizarre, but somehow it works beautifully. This is Beirut’s second album and sees young Zach Condon spreading his influences to include more of a Parisian feel and it pays off. Horns, accordions, and ukuleles abound and tying it all together is Condon’s unique and amazing voice. Check out “Sunday Smile” and branch out a bit.
5) The National - Boxer: This is the kind of album you could give your Dad, your Sister, your annoying friend who only likes bands that nobody else knows about and pretty much everyone will love it. Its like they make low key, intimate anthems that everyone can identify with. The best way to describe the sound is warm… rich vocals, organic instruments and amazing songs that you’ll wish you’d been listening to for years. If there’s an album on this list I’d most recommend listening to, its this one. Listen to “Fake Empire” and you’ll know what I mean.
4) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky: This is almost a no brainer because I like everything Wilco has ever done, but this album has really grown on me. When I first heard it, it seemed like a bit of a let down after the experimentation they explored on the last two albums, but I soon realized that it was just as good to hear an awesome band just playing great songs. Another really organic sounding album, Sky Blue Sky has some of my favorite songs of the year on it and the addition of Nels Cline on guitar has made the band a lot more muscular when they stretch things out a bit. “Impossible Germany” might be the best song they’ve ever written.
3) Artic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare: I thought the Arctic Monkeys first album was decent, a few cool tunes and a sound that seemed to crib from some classic UK bands. This second album takes that “sound” and makes it strictly the Arctic Monkeys. Favorite Worst Nightmare is song for song a much steadier album than the first and the fact that they’ve been touring for 2 years straight has made them into tightly wound ball of energy. I absolutely love this album and can’t wait to hear what they do next. “Fluorescent Adolescent” is impossibly bouncy and catchy and “Do Me A Favor” explodes with an energy that I never expected from these guys.
2) Radiohead - In Rainbows: What can I really say about this album that hasn’t already been said. This is Radiohead’s most consistent and accessible set of songs since Ok Computer and showcases a prettiness that hasn’t been seen in a while from them. Every band member is on top of their game and Thom Yorke sounds reinvigorated. Strap on some head phones and be amazed. My favorite track is “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”, whats yours?
1) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: My favorite album of the year belongs to Spoon. This band seems to be getting better with age and each year that they release an album it seems to be at the top of my list of favorites. They make quirky, creative and inventive indie rock music that somehow stays accessible, yet nowhere close to mainstream. With every release their fanbase grows and this album has probably brought them their most attention yet and it is much deserved. Nobody sounds like Britt Daniels when he sings and really, nobody sounds like Spoon. Every song on this album brings something different to the table and in my opinion nothing beats it this year. Nothing bopped like “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”, nothing stabbed like “The Ghost Of You Lingers” and nothing soared like “The Underdog”…. but thats just my opinion.
Happy listening, bring on 2008.
Honorable Mentions:
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living with the Living
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Kanye West - Graduation
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Great Bloomers - Great Bloomers EP
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