Top 10 Albums of 2008

Posted by Nick Meador on Dec 2, 2008 in Features, Records |

I’m not entirely sure why I’m posting a Top Ten Albums of 2008. I usually end up disagreeing with my choices a few months later. Maybe I’m going through with it this year because more than half of these were total no-brainers. Once it got to spot eight or nine, I finally had to make some decisions. But then again, maybe I’m just not getting so worked up about this, since – due to the ongoing low traffic levels on this blog – it’s mostly for my enjoyment.

Once I decided to go ahead, I just wanted to make sure to publish this before seeing anyone else’s list (plus, most labels don’t release albums in December). As of now I do plan to post some other year-end music wrap-up stuff, like Honorable Mentions, Biggest Disappointments, and 2007 Albums Still On Heavy Rotation. Well, enough talky talky. Here’s the payoff.

10. The Dodos – Visiter: The easy way to describe the Dodos is to imagine Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab and Postal Service) fronting a backwoods gang of acoustic rockers. It struck my fancy during a summer spent in northern Michigan. Just don’t expect a soft affair; it gets plenty rowdy at times.

9. Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head: Given that Scarlett’s voice isn’t technically remarkable, and all but one song on the album are covers of Tom Waits (who makes me cringe), I’d say it’s mostly Dave Sitek’s production work that secured this spot. It’s a dark, dense, autumnal trip of magically layered sound (and it helps that SJ is hot).

8. Deerhunter – Microcastle/Weird Era Continued: I’ve come to enjoy the rare occasion when my opinion of a band does a 180. This double album contains just the right mix of noise rock, dream pop, and oldies. Also, the lyrics and overall album feel suggest that members of the ADD generation can actually produce something coherent and relevant.

7. French Kicks – Swimming: I had almost become convinced that French Kicks were on the out path, an under-appreciated relic of the new millennium. Then came Swimming, which finds the band in what seems to be the most comfortable and convincing place they’ve ever reached. I’m still hooked on 2004’s Trial of the Century, but this might be the one that secures their place in this decade.

6. M83 – Saturdays=Youth: One of those albums that is exciting with the title and cover artwork alone. Luckily the music lives up to the concept: the inevitability of longing for innocence and simpler times. It’s indebted to the lushest of ’80s acts, Tears for Fears in particular. By the time Allison Goldfrapp arrives to sing on “Up!” the album is indisputable, despite only being halfway through.

5. Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood: These guys perfectly replicate their vocal harmonies and delicate instrumental parts on stage, which boosts their cool value. Furthermore, this album provides what I had hoped for (and more) from My Morning Jacket’s recent flop. Nothing cuts to the core quicker than humble musicians plucking acoustic guitars and singing in celebration of open spaces.

4. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours: I was among the fortunate few to see this one coming, having become addicted to their previous effort around late 2006. It works best as a dance party soundtrack, but they also appeal to people who shy away from electronic music. That’s likely due to their wide array of influences, from Fleetwood Mac to the somewhat obvious Daft Punk. And one gets the sense that this is still a stepping stone en route to something even more accomplished. Here’s hoping…

3. Beach House – Devotion: Me oh my, I need to get this one on vinyl. I think the band’s goal this time around was to develop more complicated arrangements, modeled after “Master of None” from their debut. They definitely accomplished that, while sacrificing none of what made their self-titled effort special. Of course, Victoria Legrand could sing over recordings of armpit farts and I’d probably still love it. Luckily Alex Scally focuses on making his guitar gently weep, and not…well…making his armpit fart.

2. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles: Last year I told my brothers that I thought a big “something” was coming in music that would shift the scales. Soon after hearing Crystal Castles, I was pretty sure that this was it. The album came in phases. I became so hooked on the first four songs that it took me weeks to get from #5 to #9, and maybe even months to get from #10 to #18. It felt like a fitting climax to the great dance music from 2007 like Simian Mobile Disco and Justice, while also asserting that – while we’re living in the Digital Age – young adults today have never known anything different. Those of us alive less than 30 years can describe the phases of our lives in terms of video game consoles, computer monitors, and peer-to-peer networks. I guess Crystal Castles are most in tune with video game music, since their sound fed a rumor that they had implanted an Atari chip in their keyboard (which they hadn’t). There was also a rumor that they hadn’t put any effort into the album, since the vocals on “Alice Practice” came from an actual practice session in which Alice Glass didn’t know she was being recorded. I personally think that is reflective of the musical liberation we saw earlier in the decade, only now there’s a greater potential for high production value. Also, the immediacy of the band’s music helped quicken their impact on the international scene. Yes, the beats are a bit samey, but too much tinkering might have ruined the overall energy. Seven months after our introduction, the album still makes me want to jump on couches, scream off of balconies, and head bang to strobe light effects.

1. Atlas Sound – Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel: “So what can beat that?” you might ask. Well, I’m not around strobe lights very often. I’m actually alone most of the time. And the album that made me cherish isolation the most came from Atlas Sound, the solo side project of Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox. It also – along with M83, Beach House, Goldfrapp, and a few others – solidified 2008 as a year of dream pop. Whereas 2007 was a big moment for European house and 2006 was a peak for indie pop, this year has been all about the sounds of serenity. Perhaps that was a natural progression, as more individuals started fulfilling their musical ambitions with home recording software, and songs have been increasingly composed with cut-and-paste methods. I saw Atlas Sound at Pitchfork Music Festival in July, and Cox pretty much just sang over pre-recorded samples. Usually I’d be critical of that sort of thing, but it was a strangely magical experience. This album is also one of the most obvious bi-products of Radiohead’s Kid A/Amnesiac phase. As an individual who feels that that phase was extremely short-lived, I’m practically starving for this sort of material. This is an icy exploration through an unpredictable realm of musical consciousness. I have a feeling it won’t even fully sink in until winter reaches full stride. And if the album still has more to reveal, it can only become more satisfying.