This Top Ten list of albums from 2008 was due yesterday, but I waited until today to post it. Let’s pretend it was a tribute to “Chinese Democracy.” I want to let it go …. but I just can’t.
2008 sure was a fantastic year for music. For context, the mythical griffin, “Chinese Democracy” came out, and it wasn’t the best album of the year. Hell, it wasn’t even the best album released that day. But, I digress. Also, I didn’t have nearly enough money to buy all the ones I should have. So, no Bon Iver or Deermilk or M83 or Beyonce or Lil Wayne. Excuses, I’ve got a milli.
Regardless, here it is. The third in Sod Blog’s trifecta.
10. We Are Scientists — “Brain Thrust Mastery”
We Are Scientists go all Bloc Party on this, settling in from their post-punk thrash and concentrating on pop appeal. Sure, they lost an awesome drummer, but “Brain Thurst Mastery” is wholly satisfying, and the remaining two guys seem like pretty awesome guys. You think we could ever be friends?
9. Wolf Parade – “At Mount Zoomer”
Wolf Parade’s first disc was Scarlett Johanssen. First time you saw her in “Ghost World,” you didn’t know who she was, but you knew right off that a near-criminal obsession was at hand. Wolf Parade’s second disc, “At Mount Zoomer,” is Zooey Deschanel. You took notice of her as the sister on “Almost Famous,” then you marveled at her voice in the ending credits of “Elf,” and after repeated appearances in film, over and over, you finally figure out Zooey’s got Scarlett totally outclassed.
Maybe I should’ve put She and Him’s album on this list.
8. My Morning Jacket — “Evil Urges”
You know the first few, discombobulating minutes you experience after you walk into a crowded bar, and all your senses are just on overload, what with the stench of cigarettes and testosterone, sights of humanity spinning all around you and the sounds of all these assholes screaming at each other? And you realize there’s a band playing in the corner, all scraggly and bearded, dressed like they should be unloading a truck at Wal-Mart? Based just on their appearance, you assume they’re playing “Midnight Rider” or “Black Betty,” but then your bearings come rushing in and it hits you … “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”? Prince? Your ears and your eyes are locked in a struggle to the death. “Touch me; I’m going to scream,” you whisper to the closest possible stranger, before you run out, crying.
Yeah, I suppose not. But this album jars my equilibrium to the point of ecstasy.
7. Kanye West — “808s and Heartbreaks”
I’m just fascinated by this guy. He takes all the shit in the world for making these grand statements about how important he is to the press, and makes a spectacle when he doesn’t get his just due. Someone like this can’t possibly be real, can’t possibly be a fully functioning human being with insecurities and feelings and all that. Most likely, he’s Britney Spears. And then he releases “808s and Heartbreaks,” which on its face sounds like the most ridiculous concept possible — No rapping? Just singing and Auto-Tunes? Really? — and it’s the most authentic, painful expression of breakup and remorse since Beck did it.
In other “psychological analysis of a megalomaniac” new, “Chinese Democracy” might have been in this spot, but I can’t have too heads as big as Axl’s and Kanye’s on the same list. Too top-heavy.
6. Kings of Leon — “Only By the Night”
Seems like every year, somebody’s gotta get the “trying to be U2″ tag, and this was the Kings’ turn. So every song’s an anthem? Big deal. It’s not as strong a total effort as their previous, “Because of the Times,” but “Sex on Fire” rocks harder than anything on that album, and there’s plenty of other gems on here, “Use Somebody,” “Reverly” and “Notion” … oh, and “Cold Desert” … plus “Closer,” which is actually the opener. … Fuck it; the whole album’s killer.
5. Vampire Weekend — “Vampire Weekend”
Who gives a fuck about an oxford comma? I do; I’ve got to correct at least one of those goddamn things out of copy daily at my day job. Nobody nerds quite so strongly as these guys, and yes, I get that they’re probably the whitest band on the planet right now (sorry, All-American Rejects). But it’s inoffensive indie rock that makes me feel all worldly and book-smart. My self-esteem could use that kind of boost.
4. Murder By Death — “Red of Tooth and Claw”
Why do I love this band so much? Is it the cello on every song? Yes. Is it the lead singer’s Johnny Cash baritone? Yes. Is it the literary themes? The concept albums? The visage of “B” movie westerns and film noir? Yes, yes and yes. “Red of Tooth and Claw” has a storyline like “Who Will Survive ..” did, but it’s less dreary. The songs rumble and chug, sharp like a razor, steady as a train. And there’s never any lack for details in a Murder By Death disc. Rich instrumentation. Rich songwriting. Best of all, it’s a bloody, horrific ordeal.
Once again, no one bares their guts quite like Murder By Death.
3. Paul Westerberg — “49:00”
Westerberg could read classified ads out of the City Pages for 49 minutes, and I’d put it in my Top Ten, so don’t anyone look surprised. On “49:00,” he doesn’t venture too far from his home base. All the songs are ragged and unproduced and just adorably amateur, like all his material in the ’00s. The difference this time is that all the songs are blended together into one track (which doesn’t actually run 49 minutes, but that’s a different story for a different time) and was made available for download for a mere 49 cents. Excited? Don’t be; it’s not available anymore. Again, another story.
Like the running dialogue in your head during any 49 minutes of your day, the songs shift tones and subject at the drop of a hat, sometimes two different songs play in opposite speakers, everything moves along a distinguishable string of logic, but the string is tied in knots. Just hit play, and let your mind wander.
2. “The Gaslight Anthem — “The ’59 Sound”
Did you know the Gaslight Anthem sound like Springsteen? No, it’s true. They picked the A-perfect time to be doing so, too. Just like the Boss stood up and stood out from the pack during tough economic times in his and the Anthem’s home state, New Jersey by so perfectly capturing the struggles of the blue-collar worker, eking out a living to support his family while his hometown and surroundings disintegrated, the Gaslight Anthem is stepping into the worst economic crisis of a generation. So, maybe borrowing Springsteen’s echo and drawl just lends enough credibility to every lyric, every note, that you know these guys are for real.
Contagious energy, unforgettable hooks, a reverence for rock’s roots and sincerity. This one is a landmark.
1. TV on the Radio — “Dear Science”
We all get that this band is two or three planes of existence above the rest of us. So, yeah, their first two albums are brilliant works of art. But can you enjoy either disc all that much? Not really. Appreciate, yes. Enjoy? Except for impossibly-catchy “Wolf Like Me” on “Cookie Mountain,” not as much. But, here it is, third time and they put it together. Genius songwriting, exquisite layering, art that will outlive any of us, and you can pop it on at your next party. No one will even look up from the bowl of Cheez-Its to notice you took MGMT out of the rotation. Equal-parts literature, politics and ass-shaking. It’s perfect.
Also, it’s quite apparent that they can never follow this up. Where can they possibly go from here? Can’t get higher than the mountaintop.
Goodbye, TV on the Radio. I love you.
Best song:
1: Paul Westerberg – “49:00″ (Screw you; it’s one track. That counts.)
2: Weezer – “The Angel and the One”
3: TV on the Radio – “DLZ”
4: Kings of Leon – “Sex on Fire”
5: Murder By Death – “Ash”
6: The Gaslight Anthem – “The Backseat”
7: Vampire Weekend – “Oxford Comma”
8: Wolf Parade – “Language City”
9: Bloc Party – “Signs”
10: Kanye West – “Love Lockdown”
11: We Are Scientists – “After Hours”
12: Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines”
13: My Morning Jacket – “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream”
14: Sigur Ros – “Gobbledigook”
15: Mike Doughty – “Fort Hood”
16: The Black Keys – “Strange Times”
17: Elbow – “Grounds for Divorce”
18: The Walkmen – “In the New Year”
19: She and Him – “You Really Gotta Hold on Me”
20: Nine Inch Nails – “Discipline”
21: The Hold Steady – “Slapped Actress”
22: The Whigs – “Like A Vibration”
23: Alkaline Trio – “Calling All Skeletons”
24: The Bronx – “Knifeman”
25: Hayes Carll – “Drunken Poet’s Dream”
