What follows is a list of albums released in 2008 that I am most excited about. These are the albums that I tried to get my friends turned on to, the names I would drop when people asked what I was listening to, the songs that were in heavy rotation in my Ipod and on my stereo. These are the albums that people should revisit five or ten years from now when they are revisiting the late 2000's.
Also, this list is about what I'm excited about, not rock snobbery. Music is a powerful, important thing, and it is too important to get bogged down in cooler-than-thou politics or the endless quest for the latest, greatest, and most obscure. I am not cool, and I don't have the energy to try to keep up with the hipsterati. I just love music, and I love discovering new artists and albums. With that said, here's my ten favorite albums of 2008:
10. She & Him Volume One I couldn't care less about Zooey Deschanel, or any other actress turned singer. They only thing I care about is the fact that she has a great voice, and this is actually a pretty good album. I particularly love "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here."
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - She and Him
9. Abe Vigoda Skeletons Angular guitar riffs with African polyrhythms? Yes, please.
Skeleton - Abe Vigoda
8. Vampire Weekend These guys did not deserve the obsequious praise heaped upon them, or the backlash against them for said praise. When all is said and done, they still produced a highly entertaining album. Think Paul Simon's "Graceland" done by preppy indie kids. This album is as enjoyable and consequential as a mojito on a hot summer's day.
7. Dodos Visiter The Dodos are a two-man indie folk duo from the Yay Area who make interesting and pretty music. Their single, Fools, is flawless.
6. Port O'Brien All We Could Do Was Sing Yet another indie-folk band from the Bay, Port O'Brien have a little more of Arcade Fire's multi-instrumentation and cacaphony. I loved "I Woke Up Today," but the album is full of many other fine moments.
I Woke Up Today - Port OBrien
5. TV On The Radio Dear Science A beautiful, beautifully packaged disc that contains layers upon layers of sounds. I think this is a grower, not a shower, because the more I listen to it the more I like it.
Halfway Home - TV On The Radio
4. Fleet Foxes I'm going to burn my mom a copy of this, because they sound a lot like the mellow sixties folk she was so into back in the day. Beautiful harmonies, bushy beards, slightly medieval instrumentation....what more could you want?
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song - Fleet Foxes
3. Fucked Up The Chemistry of Modern Life Husker Du meets My Bloody Valentine meets Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins meets hardcore punk. This is a gorgeous, intense album. How many hardcore songs do you know that start of with Middle Eastern percussion?
Magic Word - Fucked Up
2. Deerhunter Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. Deerhunter let their more melodic side shine through, and produce an album MBV, Sonic Youth, and Trail of Dead would be proud of. This is one of the few albums I have totally fallen in love with in recent years.
Never Stops - Deerhunter
1. Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago Any depressive asshole with an acoustic guitar and a decent computer can make an intimate break-up album, and tons of assholes do it every year. Very, very few do it well, which is why Bon Iver's debut is so spectacular. They are also a band who seem to have a sense of humor and not be totally stuck on themselves. I love this album, and I made it my mission in 2008 to make all of my friends love it. It is intimate, haunting, and gorgeous. Watch the live performance of "Flume" below. If it doesn't break your heart, you probably don't have one.
So there you go. My best of 2008. What did I miss?
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