I've got more top ten lists in mind, but in the interest of time I am going to skip right ahead to the grandaddy of all top tens: the best albums of 2008. Please bear in mind that I am well aware that my initial ratings of these records might differ from their final year-end positions. Albums, you know, naturally grow on people as the year moves along. I am no exception. But if you've been following this blog for the past 11 months, none of these will really come as a shocker:
Top 10 Albums of 2008Honorable Mention: Santogold (Self-titled)
Well, I was wrong about "rarely hearing" "LES Artistes." We couldn't get this song out of our collective minds this summer.
From June 3rd, 2008: "With great opportunity comes great expectation. And considering Santogold's former day job as an A&R rep for Epic, her collaborations with GZA and Lily Allen, and her connections to M.I.A., this Brooklyn-based songstress has a lot of people expecting big things. Does she pull this one off? Well, her first single "L.E.S. Artistes" may very well be the catchiest single you'll rarely hear. Because quite frankly, I don't know to classify it. Her penchant for freely experimenting with dub, new wave, punk, hip-hop, ska, and grime (sometimes all at once) is admirable, but this unfortunately may spread this NYC socialite too thin on her self-titled debut. And despite already having a slew of supporters south of Houston Street, Santogold bites the very hand that feeds on "Artistes" -- serving up a can of whoopass to the Lower East Side too-cool-for-school hipster class."
Honorable Mention: Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
And for the mother of all miscalls, I give you the fine words I said about
Narrow Stairs. Please review and discard:
"There are some highlights on this album, but unfortunately they are few and far between. The upbeat "No Sunlight" shakes things up a little bit despite its repetitiveness. The unquestionable standout track on
Narrow Stairs is "Long Division" -- Gibbard's most ambitious attempt to develop as a musician. And don't get me wrong. Musically this album is not bad, but it really doesn't show the progress that many could have otherwise hoped for after disappointing on
Plans. There is no doubt that Gibbard is as a talented singer/songwriter as it gets. But in order to make the next great (and I mean GREAT) Death Cab album, he needs to get over his obsession with looking at the past for inspiration."
10) Coldplay - Viva La Vida
From June 5th, 2008: "The thing that I find most admirable about Coldplay is their willingness to not get comfortable in making this album. After what was considered to be a lackluster follow-up to the acclaimed
Rush of Blood, the band still managed to sell millions of copies of 2005's
X&Y. Rather than settling in with their bankable mediocrity as so many one trick ponies have done, Coldplay took the high road to meticulously create one of the year's surprises. For me, this band is back on the radar, and who knows, if they maintain this consistency on future albums, maybe I'll actually root for them."
9) Blitzen Trapper - Furr
This might be the only album sneaking into the top ten that I have yet to gush over/discuss in length. That's because I've only recently started falling in love with these guys. Blitzen Trapper is yet another band signed to Sub Pop that just happens to be from the Pacific Northwest. Story sound familiar? Unlike comrades Fleet Foxes, these guys have been around for years and have only recently been hitting it big --
Furr happens to be their fourth release. Evoking everything from early Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty, The Shins, and Modest Mouse, this band is well-versed in the art of genre-straddling. They're embarking on an early 2009 club tour and will be playing a couple of great shows in the NYC area. I'll be there.
8) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Technically released in 2007, this brilliant record hit wider distribution this year and is thus considered a 2008 release by many critics. Being the lemming I am, I'm following suit. If you are fan of indie rock and still don't know the story behind this album, you have obviously been living under a rock. Just to summarize, Justin Vernon's life hit the shitter (band breakup, girlfriend breakup, and pneumonia) so he retreated to a cabin in the Wisconsin woods and wrote and wrote and wrote. The finished product is
For Emma, Forever Ago -- a heartwrenching collection of songs that kicks the ass of any Iron & Wine album that's ever come out. If you suffer from album ADD you only need one song to become hooked -- "Re: Stacks."
7) Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
From June 24th, 2008: "Don't be fooled by the intricacy of Sigur Rós' obscenely long new album title,
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Compared to the aural complexity of some of the band's prior albums, this one is all about simplicity. Audiophiles who rejoiced the post-rock production knick-nacks scattered throught Ágætis byrjun and ( ) might be a little disappointed with how much the band really pulled back on this effort. However, despite the countless mispronunciation botches this one will invariably suffer, Með suð... will be on the minds of fans and critics alike for quite some time."
"And whether or not you've become accustomed to sudden foray into unexpected normalcy, this can either be considered good or bad. Taking a page from every other critic who has compared Sigur Rós to Radiohead,
Með suð... is this band's
The Bends -- except they've already made their own
Kid A and
OK Computer. I guess they do things differently in Iceland, which is perfectly fine in my book."
6) The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
From August 26th, 2008: "As awfully emo-suggestive as their name is, New Jersey's Gaslight Anthem is a rock band that's as pure at heart as it gets. Forget the label they're signed to, their meticulously coiffed punk hair, their age, and their sleeve tattoos. This band is living proof that, thankfully, you only need to leave it up to the music to do the talking. If their appearance screams Fall Out Boy, then you will pleased to know that their music evokes Bruce Springsteen more so than anything else. And yes, this is a very good thing. Growing up in New Brunswick-- not too many turnpike exits away from The Boss' stomping ground -- it's pretty apparent that these guys have been down Thunder Road, lived not too far away Jungleland, and have witnessed the darkness on the edge of town."
"Although I am well-aware that naysayers will knock this record for being contrived and unauthentic, I'm willing to overlook these inevitable criticisms. While most young pop-punks bands would opt to replicate the now tired verse-chorus-verse formula of cohorts Panic At The Disco, Boys Like Girls, and Plain White Tee's, these guys are digging a little deeper. I may be wrong here, but I'm willing to bet that Springsteen and Tom Petty tunes will outlast the latest Fall Out Boy offerings. Mix in the Gaslight Anthem's penchant for precocious songwriting, and you get a band that's on a whole different level."
5) TV On The Radio - Dear Science
From September 16th, 2008: "If I had any complaints about the last TV On The Radio record, I'd say there was bit of a consistency problem. And yeah, I know I might be alone here. The high points, which obviously outweighed the low, made
Return To Cookie Mountain hands down one of the best records of the decade. However, the album wasn't without its faults -- the less-than-stellar spastic moments were nothing to write home about. Well, it appears that Tunde Adebimpe and crew have learned a thing or two in two years that have passed since
Mountain's release. Tweaks have been made here for the better which will only accelerate this band's already rising stock. I'm happy to report that you'll be hard pressed to find a flaw on the new record,
Dear Science. And as always, you'll be even harder pressed to put your finger on a specific genre here. This new oeuvre spans everything from hip-hop, trip-hop, shoegaze, funk, electronica, punk, and everything in between. If you thought these art rockers were out there before (in a good way), you really ain't seen nothing yet until you've experienced
Science. Bottom line, this is the record Bloc Party tried to make if they had this Brooklyn quintet's talent."
4) My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
From April 30th, 2008: "The thing that is so admirable about
Evil Urges is how it manages to perfectly combine the experimentation so prevalent on their last effort,
Z, with the avant-garde, yet classic Southern guitar sound most associated with earlier albums
It Still Moves and
At Dawn. Jim James and gang take us for a ride during the first several tracks, which seem as if they could have easily been remnants from
Z based on their respective falsetto vocals, schizophrenic tempos, and genre-straddling guitar riffs. "Highly Suspicious" is just that, and is hands down the band's weirdest track to date, sounding somewhere in between Prince and Gwar. The change is like night and day when we reach "I'm Amazed" -- a classic rock tune that couldn't have been done better by Skynyrd if they tried. This is when things start to sound a little more familiar to longtime MMJ fans. James' voice soars on the gorgeously sincere 1-2 punch that is "Thank You Too"/ "Sec Walkin'". We are then treated to the band's closest encounter to the radio-friendly world with the poppy "Two Halves" -- a apparent nod to early rock influences along the likes of Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers."
3) Sun Kil Moon - April
From August 15th, 2008: "The current band from Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters fame, this is Sun Kil Moon's second body of completely original material. And much like
Ghosts of The Great Highway, this one is a masterpiece. Admittedly, though, this is an acquired taste. Fans of upbeat, fast-tempo indie-rock need not apply. This one's a downer -- inspired by failed relationships, the passing of loved ones, and imagery of American landscapes. Kozelek's brilliant lyrical sense gets a little lost through his hypnotically mumbling singing style, but take my word for it -- this is one of the most talented singer-writers at his best."
2) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
From May 28th, 2008: "It's hard to have negative feelings for an album as optimistically titled as
Stay Positive. Throw in The Hold Steady's track record of releasing some of the more exceptional studio albums of the past few years and this becomes an even more daunting task. Even so, considering the sheer genius that was 2006's
Boys And Girls In America, The Hold Steady are surely destined to disappoint on their follow-up, right? I can safely answer this with a resounding WRONG! It's almost fitting that I happened to get my hands on
Stay Positive the day after Memorial Day. Because more so than anything else, this is absolutely a summer record."
"All I have to say is there is a reason why The Hold Steady was the the first band in 15 years to grace the cover of
The Village Voice. This bands brings an excitement to music that is unparalleled (just check them out live). And although the guys kind of reinvent the wheel on
Positive (lyrically, this disc is very similar to
B&IA), they prove that they can consistently make a musically complex record all the while incorporating themes that don't seem to get tired. Hey, if the Boss can make a career out of this, why can't these guys? For me, this is a stellar effort and shows progression of a band that you can bank on."
1) Fleet Foxes (Self-titled)
Here you have it folks. The Fleet Foxes were able to dethrone mighty favorite The Hold Steady. I think the tipping point for me was, of course, the live show. I cannot wait to hear what these guys have in store for a follow-up. This is arguably the best debut album of the decade. Pretty huge accomplishment for a group of shaggy early twenty somethings.
From August 21st, 2008: "Seattle's Fleet Foxes are perhaps the most exciting new band of the year (yes, more so than Vampire Weekend). And sure, it might be a little bold to throw these guys in the top 20, but I have this much faith that we are going to be hearing great things from this band for years to come. If you take a listen to their self-titled debut, you'll discover that this band is mature beyond their years. They've definitely done all their homework in Neil Young 101, and have already learned to perfect a country/folk sound that rivals even the mighty My Morning Jacket. Combine this with the songwriting sincerity of Mark Kozelek, and you get a band that's pretty difficult to criticize."
You can take the kid out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the kid. The first (and only) concert I've ever seen on the West Coast was Gogol Bordello -- a band of immigrants from the the Lower East Side. Go figure. I heard great things about Gogol Bordello's live show, and they totally lived up to the hype. They've branded themselves as "gypsy punks", but this term doesn't even do them justice. You couldn't put a finger on the kind of music they play if you tried -- an nice attribute to the band's collective diversity.
Sujfan Stevens is perhaps the most meticulous man in indie rock. I witnessed this firsthand this fall during his MHOW/Bowery Ballroom stint. Whether it's confessional solo piano / banjo ballads or all-out opuses, Mr. Stevens is one of the few artists who is not afraid to stop mid-song if all is not right. At one point, Sufjan had 16 musicians playing different instruments on the cramped Music Hall of Williamsburg stage -- each playing his or her part in creating the masterful sounds of 2005's masterpiece, Illinois.
Same venue as #9, much different show. Sonic Youth has always been one of those Bucket List groups -- the kind of band you must witness before you die or they dissolve. I got my wish last month at the Hall, where they played a blistering set of songs from The Eternal (with some other gems tossed in). The band appears to be living up to its name -- the songs have matured; the band remains, well, youthful.
Dubbed a 9/11 benefit show, this was really a party at the Garden to celebrate Jay-Z's highly anticipated return to form. Although he was listed officially as the only man on the bill, every song he played more or less featured a special guest. Backed by a full band, surprise artists popped in an out throughout the night to contribute. You never knew who was going to come out next -- kind of like the Royal Rumble. We got appearances from Kanye West (2 days before meltdown), Beyonce, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, John Mayer, Santigold, Puff Daddy (I refuse to refer to him by anything else), and Mary J. Blige among others.
Arguably my favorite current band playing at arguably the best venue in New York City. It doesn't get much better than this. The last time I saw The Hold Steady, they shared a billing with Art Brut at Terrminal 5 and the sound simply sucked. The second time around was infinitely better, as the band brought along with it a kind helping of Stay Positive songs. I have never seen a performer seem to enjoy what he does for a living more than Craig Finn. All smiles, all the time.
Seeing one breakout band is a special thing. Seeing the two breakout bands of 2009 perform at the same show is epic. Who says you need guitars to rock out? This was a holiday dance fest at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The synthesizers were in full force on an evening that featured all that is exciting about rock music these days. Understandably, this show sold out in like 10 minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if either of these bands play a much larger stage the next go around.
Last year I saw TV On The Radio at a masonic temple in Brooklyn. This year I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play at a synagogue on the Lower East Side. There's something about playing at ironic locations that just adds to the element of seeing a hipster-friendly bands play live. I knew about this show literally the afternoon of the performance. Thanks to one of my favorite co-workers (thank you, Bianca), I was able to get in WITH special access to an open bar throughout the evening. Although the YYY's only played for an hour, I heard the best of the first three albums. Karen O. reigns superior as the sexiest woman in rock.
Branded the "Doolittle Tour," The Pixies reunited for the first time in five years to play a string of shows to "celebrate" the 20th anniversary of their alt-rock masterpiece. By "celebrate," I mean cash in, of course. After warming up with some b-sides that even Kim Deal was admittedly challenged by, the sold out crowd was treated to the familiar opening chords of "Debaser". The next 14 songs were expected sequencing bliss. I heard "La La Love You" and I la la loved it. The encore included "Where Is My Mind?". My answer: anywhere, just officially blown.
You know a show is BIG when a band that sells out arenas is OPENING for the headliner. I was admittedly as excited to lose my Muse virginity as I was for U2, and would have been just as happy if the night ended when the "openers" left the stage. The production of this show left me in awe. 50% of the credit goes to the stage designers and 50% goes to the talent itself. U2 played a strategic mix of the old and the new, rendering the 85,000+ in attendance speechless -- suggesting that just maybe Bono can save the world some day after all.
No openers needed for the Boss. U2 might have taken the top spot, had it not been for some Springsteen circumstances:
