"I need a Life"
Upon first listen this album might strike you as the most annoying thing since biting that same quadrant of your tongue over and over again because its super fat from biting it the first time. But, after 2-3 more listens you will come to realize that this is....THE BEST ALBUM OF 2008. This Toronto based band rocks hard with sing-along lyrics, choppy guitars, and experimental percussion. If anyone saw the extent to which I rock out in my car while listening to this album, they would probably no longer want to be my friend.
2) Common Market - Tobacco Road
"Winter Takes All"
Jazzy, meaningful hip-hop. I swear there isn't a bad track on the entire album. Common Market's flow entices the listener without demanding to be heard. Whether your kickin' back with some friends or on a long drive by yourself, you will find this album suitable for many occasions. Just another mossback doing his thing for NW hip-hop.
*The title of this blog actually comes from a Common Market track.
3) Black Mountain - In the Future
"Tyrants"
Rocks; epic-style in an era where epic rockers forgot how to be epic.
4) Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
"Lights and Music"
An album of self-indulgence (for me and the band). Electro-beats with that familiar uninterested, patient lyrical tone (best displayed by bands like Depeche Mode and New Order). At first the beats might strike you as too techno-y; but, if you'll just put down the ecstasy and that velvet body pillow for two seconds you'll see that the band incorporates as many breakdowns and changes of pace as it does synth-gasms. They also got 100,000,000 extra points for the Ace of Base-ish vocal sample used in "Heart On Fire."
5) Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim
"The Honeymoon"
The most equilateral album I've heard this year. Slow songs, upbeat songs, happy songs, sad songs, you can find them all here. The pace of the album works very well and its variety suggests that ol' Slim is far from his reaching his crescendo
6) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
"Oxford Comma"
You all know this album by now so I'm not even going to get into it. Paul Simon bliggity blah blah, harvard grads bloggity blah.
Honorable Mentions:
- Amadou and Mariam - Welcome to Mali
This album has a little something for everyone. The first track, "Sabali," is a Damon Albarn produced track that offers up exactly the kind of tone you would expect from such a collaboration. The second track keeps the train bound for glory with a guitar rift so warm you might just think you're laying on a beach somewhere next to your best friend's mom. The strength of the album seems to wane a bit towards the end, but if your looking for solid mood music that will cast you as a 'worldy listener,' look no further.
- Tom Gabel - Heart Burns
This album was everything that I wanted it to be, plus a little something extra. It saw our anal retentive Against Me! frontman grow into a more experimental, less bitchy musician. Some might hate the inclusion of the drum machine, but I really like it. Tom's best Bob Dylan impression, "Anna is a Stool Pigeon," works very well. Other tracks such as "100 Years of War" and "Cowards Sing at Night" return to Tom's formula of simple guitar and profound lyrics (although the album versions do contain some sonic experimentation). Really, I was just happy to see an Against Me! related project that was wholly enjoyable, rather than having to convince myself it was worth another spin.
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
I think my friend Evan put it best when he said that this album was judged unfairly because of all the hype surrounding it. Great album, but its not the folksy f#$-fest (complete with ball cupping) that Pitchfork seems to think it is.
Biggest Disappointments:
- Ratatat - LP3
Wow. What the $%# guys.....what the %@$#. At least by ripping off the X-Files theme song for your first track you let me know that the bar had been set extremely low on this one. If you hadn't given me two free remix tapes in the last year I would demand you give me the hard drive space back.
- Albert Hammond Jr. - Como Te Llamas
Not nearly as disappointing as the Ratatat album, but it still stung a little bit. I wanted to think that Albi was capable of doing this shit up right twice in a row. In my head I think I knew he just got lucky on the first one, but damn, he got REAAALLLY lucky. Next Strokes album, please.
Biggest Surprise (that shouldn't have been a suprise)
The Killers - Day and Age
My friend Kevin almost had me convinced that The Killers were an over-produced group of polystyrene transvestites that sang nothing but over the top Springstein-esque ballads. But then I came to terms with it. That is exactly what The Killers do...but they kick tons of ass at it. I love all three of full lengths this band has released and I am no longer going to be ashamed to defend them.
K-Zim, you have bad taste in music, a large carbon footprint, and over 55% percent body fat. None of that is true, but back up off The Killers, eh?
If you you would like to complain about my choices, feel free; but remember, it's just, like, my opinion man.
.ben.
All complaints can be officially filed at kyle.brannick@gmail.com
