Top Ten Albums of 2008
These are my favorite albums of 2008. Not a whole lot too it, probably won’t be a whole lot of nightclub music in these because I don’t really listen to bangers while im doing laundry or in the car.
People kind of bitched about 2008 not being all that great of a year for music but I found a lot of stuff I was really into. Maybe it wasn’t as exciting as 07′ what with the booming electro scene – but Disco, Indie, Folk and good ol rock n’ roll did it for me. Also I did this list off the top of my head in like 20 minutes so please feel free to TELL ME HOW RONG I AM & WHAT I’M FORGETTING in the comments.
10. Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires
Skeleton Boy started it all for me but as I dug deeper into this album I was left humming the whole thing day in and day out. Also who hasn’t had that aeroplane remix of Paris in constant rotation for the last month or so. It’s wicked good. Do yourself a favor and go buy this album.
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9. No Age – Nouns
Nothing makes me miss LA quite like this album. While most of you who visit LA will see the surface hollywood/venice beach stuff this album represents the part of LA i’ve come to love the most. Maybe i’m reading way too far into this album because I miss home so much, but Nouns feels like east LA so much. Not a whole lot of pretension not a ton of thought just go ahead and make fun music.
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8. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
Last year this time I didnt know who or what an MGMT was exactly I just knew I loved “time to pretend” beyond words. A full year later and they’re superstars. I’d say the superstar title is very well deserved, so many great tunes on this record “electric feel” was my jam for the longest. Kids is the club banger and the Soulwax remix might have been the most hyped remix of the year.
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7. The Kills – Midnight Boom
The Kills are all that is right with music – aesthetic, tunes, emotion. I love em top to bottom. My litttle tornaddddoooooo. They make me want do drugs and move to london real bad.
BONUS VIDEO Because this is awesome:
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6. Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
My favorite bed time album, just pop this bad boy on and zone out into my own little blissful world. Sonically this is the best record of the year just so many levels of sound at all times.
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5. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colors
Hearts on Fire is my favorite song to hear out at night. The tension and suspense in this song is unmatched. The stabs are so genius the saxophone OMG. There is no doubt that Cut Copy is gonna be one of those bands that will transcend our generation and be a staple of music taste makers for generations to come.
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4. Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life
Yet another reason to love Canada, this is the record I wish I wrote. There aren’t many records that match everything I love about music and jam it into one awesome hour. 7 minute songs jammed with rich sounds, tuff guy growls, music school prodigy riffs and teenage garage band powerchord breakdowns. Bands like these don’t come around very often and definitely don’t last very long so take it in now.
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3. m83 – Saturdays = Youth
God this record evokes so much emotion. I have a philosophy that this whole generation of “hipster-scenester-whatever-kids” are a product of childhoods that were cut short due to the emergence of the technology/communication whirlwind. All of a sudden this generation had access to adult ideas and problems that were censored to generations before them. Anyways that’s a whole nother rant but what i’m saying is this is a generation that is constantly clinging to their youth, through nostalgic 80/90s clothes. Vintage furniture, vernacular and icons. This is the album that speaks to that preteen angst that so many of my peers long forrrrrr. SUCH A BRILLIANT RECORD.
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2. Passion Pit – Chunk Of Change (EP)
This is what pop music should sound like in my opinion. Brilliant lo fi drum machine loops sitting in the background making room for the catchiest of percussion riffs and vocals that have so much soul. I feel like this is the kind of record timbaland could produce if he still cared. As a matter of fact if I was Kid Cudi or some other dope rapper with that “highly bloggable” swagger i’d be hitting up Passion Pit for tracks like NOW. Anyways you can’t go wrong with any song on this record Lo Fi pop GOLD.
Also lets go ahead and call Passion Pit as the next HUGGGE indie act in 09′.
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1. Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
This record is the most complete record of the year. Start to finish I had this thing on repeat, it literally was the only thing I listened too for my whole euro tour. There’s something so fresh but comfortable about this record, it doesn’t need 35 listens to understand; rather at first listen you get it. That’s not to say it doesn’t surprise me, there’s something new aurally in every take. Also big ups to my Scottish brethren doing me proud.
Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper
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Honorary Mention: Peter Bjorn + John – Writer’s Block hahaha
