Here lies a list of what I consider to be the Best Albums Of 2008 . Now I didn't have the means to purchase all of the albums I wanted to hear this last year. So if you feel like an album is missing from the list, it could quite very well be because I never even heard it. With all that being said please look over the list. I hope I influence you to maybe check out one or two of these albums. All great in their own way....enjoy!
1. Kings Of Leon- Only By The Night
"Because of the Time" the 2007 release
saw the Kings of Leon become popular. But
it was 2008's "Only By The Night" that rocketed them to stardom. It's an
awesome addition to they're already good catalog. It's refreshing to
hear a rock act with a real vocalist, someone who sounds like he actually
means what he sings. The lyrics, in particular are really the only weak
spot, on this great great album.
(Crawl)
2. Coldplay- Viva La Vida Or Death And All His friends
When Coldplay released their much
anticipated 4th studio album "Viva La Vida
or Death and All Its Friends," I was
a little nervous because I was unsure in what direction they were headed in.
I liked their last album but felt it was way too loaded with ready-made
arena rockers. I was hoping with the help of U2's swingman Brian Eno that he
would help them uncover their experimental side. Guess what? He did just
that. "Viva
la Vida" turned out to be something quite satisfying. I would easily
consider this their shining moment as a band.
(Lovers
In Japan)
3. Snow Patrol- A Hundred Million Suns
Snow Patrol have returned with another
great album "A Hundred Million Suns."
In fact with what I would consider their best effort to date. I get the
sense of a band striving to be taken more seriously, with more artful
ambitions on this one. The band has really started to show its versatility.
Which would probably explain why it is easily the most played disc on this
whole entire list.
(Crack
The Shutters)
4. TV On The Radio- Dear Science
"Dear Science" marks
Tv On The Radio's attempt at a more
accessible mainstream sound. Whether that was their intention or not it
can't be denied. I for one am happy they are heading down this road. The
clean production is also a perfect fit. TV
On the Radio just might be the most musically proficient band on the
scene. Quite frankly this album should probably be first on the list. Why
it's not, I'm just not sure. Maybe it's the rebel in me. After seeing this
album on more best of lists than any other album and usually claiming the
top spot. Either way this is a brilliant album showcasing a band at the top
of its game. (Golden
Age)
5. The Verve- Forth
The Verve are back after taking a very
long break from the music scene. Ashcroft
shocked many fans when he rekindled the group for a reunion tour, and the
release of "Forth."
Unfortunately most people probably only know
The Verve through their epic hit
"Bittersweet Symphony." Which is really
a shame. They are easily one of the most essential groups to come out of the
UK in the last twenty years.
Many might not think this is the best album of their career. But no one can
deny that this is an instant classic. If this is their last hurrah then they
went out on the right note.
(Valium
Skies)
6. Gutter Twins- Saturnalia
Greg Dulli one of the soul men behind
The Gutter Twins, is easily one of my
favorite song writers of all-time. The
former front man of The Afghan Whigs
and the ever still present Twilight
Singers. If that isn't enough to sell you. Then let it be known that
former Screaming Trees front man
Mark Lanegan is the other half of this
duo. Predictably,
they've been labeled a 'grunge supergroup.
Don't mistake this
for a grunge album though.
Basically two dudes who
have made a career of making dark ass music.
Have joined
forces to release one heck of a record.
(The
Stations)
The most
striking characteristic of Friendly Fires
is that every track sounds like an indie club hit. The energy is non-stop
through out. The band recorded the entire album in the garage of
Macfarlane's parents' house, laying
down tracks on a laptop using "a crappy
microphone gaffer taped to a mic stand." That being said should tell you
right there how good this band is. If it was a perfect world
Friendly Fires would soon become a
household name, they are that darn good. Here's to hoping they hit it big.
(White
Diamonds)
8. Death Cab For Cutie- Narrow Stairs
After hitting it big with "Plans," an
album I have played way too many times. They show up with
"Narrow Stairs" a cluttered affair
that is all over the place. This is easily their most uplifting affair to
date.
By
far the most diverse Death Cab album
yet.
Death Cab's awkward position as one of
the few indie rock groups with a platinum record,
doesn't seem to faze them.
Leading to
Narrow Stair's
musical growing pains
somehow managing to get overlooked. This is an album not up to the standards
of Death Cab's last two releases, but
it's still good enough to surpass most of the music that was released in
2008.
(No
Sunlight)
9. Black Keys- Attack & Release
The
Black Keys are an outfit that has been around for awhile.
"Attack and Release" is their 5th
release. My first exposure to the band. This is a blues based affair with
some R&B and funk influences thrown in for good measure.
Attack & Release is just plain simply
delicious! Gritty yet reminiscent of the smooth grooves of the late sixties
and early seventies. All of the above qualifies for the makings of a great
album. I hope you agree with my assessment.
(Lies)
10. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
Andrew Vanwyngarden and
Ben Goldwasser a pair of hotshot twenty
somethings. Who are MGMT
(formerly The
Management.)
The pair met
while undergraduates at Wesleyan University and have since relocated to
Brooklyn, signed to Columbia Records, and now
find themselves
the owners of a
psychedelic-pop
album.
Considered by many one of the best albums of 2008. If you have managed to
listen to the radio at all this last year then you were sure to hear either
"Kids" or
"Electric Feel" and wondering to
yourself wow this is good stuff. Now trust your ears and pick this one up.
(Electric
Feel)
