The Best of Times, The Worst of Times (Part 2)

Best Album Title of 2008:
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...You Paint That Shit Gold!

While admittedly I have yet to hear a note (much less song) off the long-awaited album from this Minneapolis hip-hop duo, I am now more inclined to based on the record's title alone. Someone was handing out promotional stickers of this album's potty-mouth phrase, and I gladly swooped up as many as I could. Words to live life by.

Worst Album Title of 2008:
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology

If you were to judge Ryan Adams' latest offering solely based on the cover/title combo, this one would end up in the stinker. The artwork looks like it was designed for an 8th grade science project on Miscrosoft Paint circa 1993. Fortunately, the music does the talking here. Great album; terrible artwork and title choice. On a good day, Prince can get away with naming an album Musicology. Not so sure if Ryan's got the credentials just yet to add the "-ology" suffix to any of his.

Most Improved Player of 2008:
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

While this one was in the running for Worst Album Cover of the Year, I couldn't resist giving the award to MMJ (even though this one gives me a headache when staring too long). Ok, so let me explain this award. While the sports metaphor doesn't quite fit here (I understand that album cannot physically change/improve once released), this is the record that just got better and better the more I listened throughout the year. I was completely wrong when I gave this one the measly 6.5 in April. Although I still stand by the fact that "I Will Possess Your Heart" was a terrble first single selection (to go along with it 8+ minute length), the follow-up singles (and videos) were brilliant. Way to pick it up boys.

Worst Dropoff of 2008:
N*E*R*D - Seeing Sounds

Like Death Cab's rating, this one clocked in at a respectable 6.5/10. However, if I got a re-do, this album's score would be much lower. I can't think of a record that plummeted so fast off my radar (and consequently iPod) than N*E*R*D's third release. In fact, this one was so forgettable that I have to think twice to remember that Pharell and crew even released an album this year.

Best Surprise of 2008:
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

Ok, so I'm talking about actual surprises here. Like having no idea about an album until it actually came out. This seemed to be a trend that got kicked-off last year with the now legendary In Rainbows experiement. Earlier this year, Trent Reznor gave us a freebie with the excellent single "Discipline." But little did we know that this was just the beginning. A couple of weeks later, he posted an entire album on his website as a gift to his fans with the simple message, "thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me." The most shocking part of all? This just happened to be his most focused effort since 1994's The Downward Spiral.

Worst Surprise of 2008:
Bloc Party - Intimacy

This one just goes to show that sometimes experiments don't always work out as planned. Bloc Party announced that they had entered the studio this summer with an expected 2009 release date for their third album. Then one day in August they surprised us all by announcing that the album would be ready for download by the end of that week. But unlike the Nine Inch Nails record, there were no freebies and apparently not much time thinking this through. Instead, we got a choppy record chock full of the experimental electronica bullshit that made A Weekend In The City so utterly dismissible. Sadly, this uber-talented band is now 1-2 in my book.

Best Album Hype of 2008:
Coldplay - Viva La Vida


I think I've made it abundantly clear that I didn't want to like the new Coldplay record. Considering how overrated and decadent this band has become, it makes it very easy to want to throw rocks at Chris Martin's head whenever he flamboyantly gallivants around the stage. But unfortunately, I gotta call a spade a spade and agree that this one lived up to the hype. Produced by Brian Eno, this one is better than anything U2 has put out in a very long time -- further proving that there's a new king in town. Rebounding from 2005's X&Y, Coldplay is a rare success story in the 2008 dismal realm that is mainstream music.

Worst Album Hype of 2008:
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

Now I'll be the first to admit that there's a thing or two I can learn about hip-hop, but I just KNOW this album is utter garbage. When I hear about albums that are terrible yet get almost universal praise, I begin to question the sanctity of this industry (like I didn't already). Sometimes critics are lemmings, and this is just another example of it. Now Wayne is everywhere --- from Kanye West's album to the new Fall Out Boy. This stinks to high heaven.