There were a lot of “good” new discs released this year; Tons of stuff that I enjoyed listening to and would recommend to anyone. That said, much of my regular rotation this year was made up of revisiting material from previous years; Only a few new discs were able to crack that lineup and truly standout.
As I was making my “Top 10″ list I started to realize that what I really had was a Top 5 + 1 disc that just had to be mentioned + 30 discs equally deserving of the rest of the spots. Instead of (fairly) arbitrarily picking the bottom half of the list, I’ve skimmed things down and present you with my…
Top 5 of 2008
6. Girl Talk, Feed The Animals
Yes, my “Top 5″ starts with #6. This is unlike almost anything I’ve dared to like. The artistry is in piecing together the music of others to form a new picture. If I hadn’t heard it, I would dismiss that last sentence as BS and spend the rest of this paragraph wondering how this guy isn’t being sued for copyright infringement (or successfully sued anyway), but give this a listen and like it or not: You will be convinced that the end result truly is a completely new creation… Another side effect will be a smile that you simply cannot wipe off your face.
5. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
A very good CD, but with plenty of “pretty good” songs how did it make the short list? It has a couple of real standouts, including “Time To Pretend” which was my favorite song for a good 5 months this year. When it comes down to it: if you listen to a song once a day for 5 months… it’s hard not to have the album on your “Best of” list.
4. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Every year there is a band that flashes onto the scene suddenly with an incredible number of people touting them as the next big thing. Inevitably, when they actually start to gain mainstream traction, those same initial supporters notice that they’re no longer the “unknown great band” and do a 180. This year, that band was Vampire Weekend. I’m still with you guys.
3. Dr. Dog, Fate
The only band on my list composed of canines with medical degrees, this band was first introduced to me by famed music promoter David Letterman. They have a great sound, pop-y but somehow a little dirty at the same time. I think I watched their Tiny Desk Concert about 50 times in a 3 day period.
2. Blitzen Trapper, Furr
This doesn’t make any sense but I actually was disappointed when I saw Ryan Matteson have this disc go #1 on Muzzle of Bees. I wanted to be the guy with them high on my list! … I swear I didn’t downgrade them though: #2 was always their slot. Love the lyrics. Love the sound (and the variety therein).
1. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Girl Talk was a clear #6 for me, 4-5 could have been in either order, 2-3 could have been swapped too, but now we’ve returned with another “sure thing”. This is clearly my #1 album of the year. Four-part harmonies are one moment uplifting and the next crushing. I’ll be recommending this one for a while.
Fleet Foxes is a great album and the band is just as good live. Such a great sound. I don’t know exactly why I didn’t make a spot for them on my top 10. If I’d made the list on a different day, they probably would have been on it. Looking forward to their next album – you just know it’s going to be good.
my top 5 (as someone with no musical talent or knowledge).
#6 the barenaked ladies with “snacktime”. kids music that doesn’t sound like barney.
#5 hank williams 3 with “damn right, rebel proud”. it is either the greatest or worst thing i have heard in a looong time. genre aptly title “hellbilly”.
#4 kayne west with “808s and heartbreaks”. the critically reviewed equivalent of weezer’s pinkerton LP. i predict it will have the same cult following.
#3 atmosphere with “when life gives you lemons you paint that shit gold”. slug/ant continue to evolve and the deluxe version comes with a dvd and a children’s book.
#2 cat power with “jukebox”. favorite female singer right now.
#1 atmosphere with the sad clown bad summer/fall/winter/spring #9-12 EPs. released 8/07 – 4/08. when put together are the best atmosphere collection (20 songs) i have ever heard.
I haven’t listened to any of your above mentioned albums except for Fleet Foxes, but I would have to agree that the album is absolutely amazing. I have been listening to it non-stop since I got it. The First Aid Kit cover of Tiger Mountain Peasant Song on YouTube is pretty addicting as well.
“Pretend” was great in the movie 21. I haven’t heard the Fleet Foxes but sounds like I should.
re: Paul.
That Atmosphere disc was definitely in that group right after these 5, although I didn’t get the new Sad Clown installment… I’ll definitely have to check that out.
Nice list. We share a lot of favorites.
I see your tastes have matured through the years, Halberg, not sure about #4 though. I have to bump Dr Dog and Fleet Foxes up in the “to listen” queue.
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