Blowin' in the Wind

So, I'm a month late with this, but that's kind of how I roll. :) Here are my personal top 10 albums of 2008. It's just my opinion, yours might be totally different! Feel free to share any I didn't include, good or bad!!

10. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark: It's Astralwerks, so of course it's good! Hot Chip's 3rd album, and I would venture to say best so far. Takes more risks than their first 2, and those risks pay off. The Warning was a great album, but a little too poppy sometimes...This one learns from its overly popped predecessors & gets a little darker, which should also broaden the band's appeal to fans of just about any genre. Made in the Dark basically lives in my CD player.

9. Steve Winwood - Nine Lives: Not what I was expecting from Winwood's new release but perhaps that's part of the reason I love it so. Now I think this man could release an album of children's songs and somehow make it kick tall ass; he's just that awesome. At 60 years old, Winwood puts out this album that somehow manages to revisit all of the music he's already released, while still keeping it entirely different than anything he's come out with in the psat 45 years. I saw him with Petty in concert last year, and he was phenomenal. I love him so.

8. O.A.R. - All Sides: Upon first listen, I was not convinced. O.A.R. has been one of my favorite bands for ages, and originally was because of the jam band feel their music had. It seems with each new album they come out with a bit of that is lost. Seeing them live, they still rock it hard & improv some extended solos and such...but the albums just don't do that anymore. Nonetheless, once I came to terms with that and listened to All Sides for what it was, with its big name producers and terribly boring cover, it's actually a pretty solid album despite my first thoughts. There are no songs that I feel like I must skip, and while there is definitely a lack of Jerry DePizzo that saddens me, when he is playing he is kicking ass. That's what he does best.

7. Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts: I can't say I've ever disliked anything Cloud Cult has released, which is pretty impressive considering they've released 6 albums in 5 years...You'd think they would be subpar, but pretty much they're not. The album name is actually Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying through Tornadoes), and that pretty much sums it up. The album is about being happy despite what pitfalls you encounter on your journey through life, and when you listen to it, it's hard to be unhappy! The songs are beautiful and full, with such a wide variety of instrumentation happening that you feel like you have to really pay attention or you'll miss something. The orchestration is at times reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens, with the vocals sounding a bit like Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), minus his jaded world view (which, don't get me wrong, I love). It's gotten me hooked.

6. The Black Keys - Attack & Release: Every time I hear The Black Keys, I find it extremely difficult to believe that 2 people can do so much (I get this same feeling when I listen to Viva Voce). Attack & Release isn't for me quite what Thickfreakness was, with the stripped down old blues feeling. But it's exactly what I'd expect when you take that and combine it with executive producer Danger Mouse at the helm. A great album, but I wonder what could have been had Ike Turner not died & gotten to collaborate on the project as planned! No use dwelling, though - the fact of the matter is, another success for The Keys.

5. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line: Debut album for a band that's been together since (I think) 2006. Their founding member/drummer John Pike died in the summer of 2007, but the remaining member persevered & came out with this KICKASS album! Great new material, and even as strongly opposed to covers as I generally am, their cover of Kate Bush's "Suspended in Gaffa" is wicked awesome! Two thumbs up!

4. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: Most would probably call this THE debut of the year. While I'm not entirely of that mindset, this gets you from the beginning and keeps you hooked until it ends, which few records do anymore! Really great & catchy, but doesn't offer a lot musically. Perhaps its beauty lies in its simplicity. All I know is I love it. I am reluctant, however, to put it so high on my list. I saw them live and was wholly unimpressed... Anyway, get the record! Step aside, Weezer, our new nerd-rock heroes have arrived.

3. Metallica - Death Magnetic: Thank you God. Or Lars, or whoever needs to be thanked. I hate Lars so maybe I won't give him the credit...James, you can take it. ;) From the ashes of the unfortunate St. Anger rises Metallica's proverbial phoenix, Death Magnetic. Long songs, tasty guitar riffs - this album is what a Metallica album is supposed to sound like! Almost as good as Black....almost!

2. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping: This album has kind of an unfair advantage. I first acquired a digital copy of it (legally, mind you!), and listened to it on my work computer NONSTOP. I learned all the words & loved all the songs. Then I decided to put the songs on my mp3 player & something very strange happened - all the songs were completely unfamiliar. Yes, the words were the same, but where did all this crazy dance background music come from? As it turns out, my work computer is in mono, and I got to rediscover the whole album. I'd thought it was a bit strange for Of Montreal to come out with something so bare, but I was okay with it... Now I'm way more than okay with it!!

1. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today: There are just no words to describe David Byrne, and the magic that happens when he & Eno collaborate on a project. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this album in the roughly 3 months since it's been released...but I can tell you that I'm nowhere near sick of it. David Byrne is amazing as always, and the lyrics on this album are much simpler & straightforward than a lot of his previous material but that's part of what makes it what it is. I got to catch him on tour in October, and so I was familiar with some of the songs before it came out, and getting that little taste made me desperate for the full album. I'm not disappointed. Not at all.

Honorable Mentions:
Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Amos Lee - Last Days at the Lodge
Tech N9ne - Killer
The Dodos - Visiter
Ben Folds - Way to Normal
The Kooks - Konk
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
French Kicks - Swimming
TV On the Radio - Dear Science
Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Matt Costa - Unfamiliar Faces
City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Beach House - Devotion
Sia - Some People Have Real Problems
Sun Kil Moon - April


...And my personal 10 biggest disappointments of the year

10. Beck - Modern Guilt: Maybe this is blasphemous...But that's never stopped me before! The thing is, when you set the bar as high as Beck has in the past, it's just hard to live up to. I would be inclined to think that getting Danger Mouse on board would be an easy way to help that along, but for me this just didn't work. The album is not bad, but it's just not great. There are just a few standout tracks... I get the impression I'm in the minority here, but I just felt a general disappointment after listening to this one.

9. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cardinology: Let me preface this by saying that Ryan Adams has never, for whatever reason, been my cup of tea. Perhaps it's due to the buildup that surrounded him before I heard it. Because my general reaction was "That's it?!" Then there was this album, that got the same buildup - people telling me it was his best yet, etc. So I gave it a try. Same reaction. I guess I just don't get it. I do know that people making claims that he's the next Neil Young make me angry. THAT is blasphemy.

8. AC/DC - Black Ice: Can I call this a disappointment when my expectations weren't all that high to begin with?! As a matter of fact, this album might have even exceeded my expectations...sadly enough. The good news - it sounds like old AC/DC...The bad - it sounds like old AC/DC. There is, predictably, nothing unique about it. Even more irritating than the album itself is the fact that it was released as a 'Wal-Mart Exclusive'. Um....

7. Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings: Simply put, this album broke my Counting Crows-loving heart. It's good, there's no denying that, but it's not spectacular. When I hear a Crows album I expect nothing short of spectacular. It felt a little overproduced or something...just not the raw emotional Counting Crows that I know and love. :(

6. ZOX - Line in the Sand: I just like bands more when they're still under the radar, I guess. This is their first album to really attract much attention, and I'm happy for them as far as that goes...but what I loved about ZOX was their ska/reggae vibe, and that's went from being their main vein to a nearly ignored background influence. Sad face for that.

5. Flogging Molly - Float: Sorry Side One Dummy, you're 0 for 2 with me... And apparently all of my disappointments were bands changing up what they usually do. Maybe it's because I'm a crochety old man, but I say if it ain't broke don't fix it. I'm all for experimenting I suppose, but not for leaving behind everything that you once were or stood for! So anyway....focus Angie....Lyrically, I think Float is a great album. They've grown past just being a bunch of Irish drunks, and while I doubt I will ever cross that threshold personally I can appreciate that they have. I, however, can not appreciate the fact that musically I find this album boring. For Flogging Molly.

4. Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger: Yeah, we get it. You have cancer. You have one testicle. But you shall overcome. This album....well, it's no Everything in Transit. And it doesn't even have going for it that the band's transcended some lyrical boundaries...nothing like that. It's just not that good. While Andrew McMahon is undoubtedly a talented musician who has seen more of life than he should have ever had to, I don't feel like there's anything on this album that hasn't already been done.

3. Weezer - 'The Red Album': Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is their third self-titled album? And the second one to not do their name justice. I hate to be one of those people, but I just feel like Weezer has completely sold out. Once upon a time, if you would have asked me who I wanted to some day marry, I would have answered Rivers Cuomo without a start. Now he's higher on my list of people I want to punch. Weezer has continually let their rockin' awesomeness go by the wayside & instead settled for catchy radio-friendly music. I understand that's what makes the money, and I won't hate them for that. I won't even really hate the album. I'll just be disappointed in it.

2. R.E.M. - Accelerate: I am genuinely surprised at how well-received this album was. I didn't like it. At all, really. The lyrics are good, of course. Stipe wouldn't be Stipe if the lyrics weren't good...and also political & relevant. I particularly liked "Living Well is the Best Revenge"...It is a rockin' album, which is a welcome change after Around the Sun, but it's just all been done. AND it's only 35 minutes long! Did someone say gyp?!

1. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch: I remember vividly when I was told that Tom Petty was doing an album with Mudcrutch, his band prior to the Heartbreakers. I was so stoked! I love the Heartbreakers, but felt like it would be awesome for Tom Petty to revisit those days. Well, this sounded nothing like the original Mudcrutch, which was disappointing, even when you consider that they basically sounded like the Heartbreakers. I like the style of music they're going for here, and I like how each band member has a chance to stand out. But I think all in all the musicians on this album are overqualified for what the album is...mediocre.

Dishonorable Mentions:
Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Lykke Li - Youth Novels
CSS - Donkey