What's the best album of 2008? - Page 3

So I've updated my signature accordingly, but, if anyone hadn't noticed, my annual descent into Music Marathon hell has begun here. Please don't be shy about commenting on how wrong I am. It's awfully quiet over there so far.

(Yeah, I know this is technically self-promotion, but it's topical, I don't profit in any tangible way, and I don't think it's worthy of its own thread.)

You're right. But Murray Lightburn needs to feel the world is against him to keep recording good music, so I'm going to stick with what I said (and encourage other Dears fans to lament they aren't as big as Arcade Fire).

I've heard mixed things about them live, but MGMT's Oracular Spectacular is on my top 10, easy. Dave Fridmann's controlled electro-noise production is a perfect match for MGMT's psychedelic pop influences. The songs are all there, and the performances are effortlessly pulled off.

Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak is growing on me too, despite all of the vocorder.

They meander a lot when playing live and it leads to surprisingly dull songs. Kids and Time To Pretend were the only songs they seemed to have any passion for.

I've been noodling around with the Fleet Foxes album several of you have already mentioned, and I just can't get into it for some reason. It just strikes me as a bit more twee rehash of what My Morning Jacket did on It Still Moves.

It helps if you approach it expecting excellent harmonies and melody or are a fan of stuff like the Beach Boys, The Zombies or any kind of baroque pop stuff.
As much as I love My Morning Jacket, the Fleet Foxes just have much better vocals. I guess there's a comparison to be made but I think it's a bit of a stretch.

DaveB, thanks for the link to your blog. Liked your music reviews last year.

Fleet Foxes do a lot more with harmonies, but I don't think it's much of a stretch at all. The MMJ comparison was automatically the first one I made when I heard the Fleet Foxes, too. The gobs of reverb, the roots-rock influence, and the vocals all point that way. Maybe it depends on whether you're thinking Z and Evil Urges or It Still Moves, At Dawn, etc. on which the rootsiness was more central.

Also, vocal harmonies aside, the music strikes me as too dependent on folk and country to square the baroque pop comparisons. Of the bands on the harmony-laden neo-Americana pop continuum (MMJ, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Blitzen Trapper, etc.), I think Grand Archives comes closest to earning that label.


Cool. Thanks for reading!

You're right, I was thinking more of MMJ's Z or Okonokos, which I play a lot more often. I have to go back and listen to some of their earlier stuff.

Still, while I wouldn't really put them in the genre, the orchestration, the melodies, all the "ooh's and "ahh's, and the softness of the music might be easier to get into when coming from an appreciation of stuff like baroque pop.

A great album I don't think has been mentioned that blew me away for I thought Randy lost his seething wit working so long with Hollywood.

Randy Newman - Harps and Angels

Well, well. It's that time again.

I just looked over my last.fm lists to see what my *real* top albums are for this year and here's my list (omitting the albums everyone's already listed a million times, MGMT, VW, ect)

1. Wild Beasts - Limbo, Panto

My favorite, by far. Brilliant and different, I really could not get enough of this album. The standout track "His Grinning Skull" is such an amazing piece of work.

2. Genghis Tron - Board Up the House

Plenty of amazing arrangements here, some great sounds I have not heard before. Standout track is "I won't Come Back Alive".

3. The Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded

Delicious garage straight from Detroit. Standout is ""Leopard-man at C & A" (Lyrics by Alan Moore!)

4. Glacier Hiking - Color By Number EP

Some excellent lyrics on here (imo). Standout is "Cried For You". OUCH! to whoever that's written about.

5. Rumspringa - Self-titled EP

Some excellent stuff here, really good guitar work (excellent tone!). Standout track is "Mind's Awake"...it's a goddamn shame it's only got 2k hits on their MySpace.

6. Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies

Everybody hates these guys, but I think they've got a lot of talent. But, then again, I'm a big T. Rex fan. I think they've kinda got away from that sound on the new album. Standout is "Tina". Again...OUCH!

In other news you won't believe how dismayed I was to find out Year Long Disaster's album was from late 2007.

I forgot about Pacific Ocean Blue too! I have a bootleg copy from a few years ago. I hope they get around to releasing whatever was recorded from his last album. I forget the name of it.

Hammers of Misfortune's double album Fields/Church of Broken Glass is great.

If you like things that sound like 70's prog with heavy riffs tossed in you probably already own it.

Narrow Stairs by Death Cab For Cutie is my pick of the year.

Kids Bop 14

I bought Dear Science by TV on the Radio this weekend and trying to listen to it every chance I get.

I agree that some songs are just amazing, but the ones that don't pop yet are the ones I need to listen to more.

12 Angry Months is alright, but the weakest record they've done, IMO. Where do you place it in all of their output so far?

Pack up the cats is probably their best release.

But I actually like the 12 month theme of "12 angry months" and the song Michele (again) is probably the closest thing to Bleach era Nirvanna you will ever hear.

after reading about some of the best Japanese music of 2008 at another website.. I've been checking out

the band apart

and I gotta say, this is truly awesome music. I might be plunking down the $30 for this import cd.

I can only ad Dig Lazarus dig !!! and Consolers of the lonely. These are magnificent albums.

Lisa Hannigan's Sea Sew is awesome. Fantastic voice.

The Mars Volta - Bedlam in Goliath
These Arms Are Snakes - Tail Swallower & Dove

I don't agree with some of Derogatis's picks, but I can easily see that West album as a top ten entry, minus any sort of hometown connection. Even if you don't like the songs (and I do), you have to admit that it's a pretty fascinating transition for the guy. It doesn't sound like anything he's released before.

I just got TV On the Radio's Dear Science,. I usually find it hard to like the albums that everyone likes, but so far this is great.

Just spun that record yesterday. It truly is their highest point.

Not sure why I just read this thread, but thanks a lot for that link. Definitely some Mats in them, and I'll probably go buy the CD (yes, I still buy CDs) at lunch to give it a better listen in the car. Read the whole page and now I guess I also need to hunt down the Spider Bags album from 2007 that they rave about.

There are times when DeRo makes me roll my eyes. But I listen to Sound Opinions weekly for recommendations like The Knux, a group I never would have heard of if it wasn't for them. What a fantastic debut. My knowledge of hip-hop is alarmingly shallow for someone who calls himself a fan, but it has touches of Aquemini-era Outkast and vintage A Tribe Called Quest. THen as the album goes on, it gets weirder with shades of Wu-Tang and NERD, but not really. Probably in my top 10 for 2008 also.

I just got around to listening to that album it does friggin rule. One of the things i love most about it is the pedigree: ex-GWAR and Pansy Division doing prog.

p.s.: If you like this you should check out Diagonal whenever or wherever it comes out. I just got a promo for it on Rise Above (Lee Dorrian's label) and it is a total prog/Harvest records love fest. It's one of the first contenders for album of the year for 2009.