Taking Notes
My Favorite Records of 2008 (and then some) 12.02 • written by Mike G.
For the first time since the last decade the end of the year is rolling around and I am not involved in the music community in a capacity larger than just a fan. Whether it was as a community radio music director, a label owner, an mp3 blogger, a podcast host or a musician, I’ve had my ears dipped in the music scene for longer than I remember. As I look back over the past year, I realize that taking that step back has drastically changed how I, as a listener, actually listen to and appreciate albums. Of all of the top 10 lists I’ve done, I think this is the most significant one I’ve put together, as it’s the most pure. I wasn’t listening with the intent of dislodging a previously hidden gem. I wasn’t constantly searching for something newer and edgier than what I discovered last week. I simply sat down to work and listened to the albums that made the day that much more enjoyable, and these 10 albums (and then some) are at the top of that list.
10: Bloc Party – Intimacy amazon
I’ve always been a fan of Bloc Party. They’ve been able to walk a fine line between overtly catchy while challenging (relatively I guess) the accepted basic structure of pop music. That being said, until now, they’ve always been a “single” band to me. For instance, Helicopters was great, but as a whole, “Silent Alarm” didn’t hold up that well on extended listens. That’s changed with “Intimacy”. In a reversal, the album seems to be void of any obvious singles, strengthening itself when you sit down to listen from start to end. It’s a huge advance in the band’s maturity and makes me really look forward to what they toss out in 2009.
9: Rise Against – Appeal To Reason amazon
Ever since I first heard Tim McIlrath screaming behind the mic with his first band, Baxter (not to be confused with the mediocre UK pop group), I’ve been a fan for life. However, Rise Against was always the weaker spot in his discography. That is, until The Killing Tree broke up and Rise Against signed to a major label. The albums the band has put out since have been nothing short of stellar, and fly directly in the face of conventional wisdom (that a band lightens up on the politics and waters down the sound when they jump ship to the big leagues). “Appeal To Reason” is full of anger, heartfelt passion, sweat and aggression while not skimping on the melody; all of which are key ingredients to making a top notch punk/hardcore record.
8: CSS – Donkey amazon
Friends of mine may be scratching their head at this one, but damn if this isn’t one of the catchiest, most hummable disposable albums around. Sure, I know it’s nothing but fluff, but lord help me if even a single riff from Left Behind lodges itself in my internal monologue, as I’ll be humming it for days.
7: Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer? amazon
It’s not Amanda’s voice that sucks me in to this one, nor is it the top notch production from Ben Folds. What instantly made an impact with me is the sheer contradiction that runs through the entire album. The lyrics are dark, touching on controversial topics (well, amongst certain circles at least) and quite heavy handed. However, they are paired up with some of the lightest, bounciest piano-pop this side of… well… a Ben Folds record. Nowhere is this more evident than on the track Oasis
6: Santogold – Santogold amazon
Santogold’s debut album is a complete 180 from the Bloc Party album I mentioned above in that it’s nothing but singles. Every damn song is radio worthy, and if lazy music director’s would get off their ass and start playing some of these tracks I could almost guarantee that I’d listen to the radio more often. However, don’t be fooled, “Santogold” is as enjoyable as an album as it is when it comes up on random.
5: Fight Like Apes – and the Mystery of the Golden Monkey iTunes
I’ve got to thank my friend James for this one. His review of the album on Musebin caught my eye, so I checked it out, and holy shit if it wasn’t so great that I honestly could not work while it was playing, it was just too fun. That inevitably led to me write, “Who the fuck can work when all my feet want to do is dance? This album should come with the warning, ‘Weekends Only!’”
4: Ben Folds – Way To Normal amazon
I’ve been extremely disappointed with Ben Folds solo work. “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messer” was flawless in my book, so when he went solo, I expected him to continue on his path of taking pop music by the throat and shaking it, the way a magician shakes a handful of foam balls, until it turns into something completely new, blowing your mind in the process. However, he went on to revel in mediocrity. That is, until “Way To Normal” hit the shelves. This album is what I’ve been waiting for from Ben Folds since “the Five” broke up. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s also done the best production work of his career this year as well.
3: The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound amazon
Who’d have thought the classic “American” rock album would have been reinvented in 2008 by a New Jersey punk band rocking out the basement circuit? I sure as hell didn’t, but by the time the first verse hit my ears I had those shivers running up my arms that so few albums are able to produce. Seriously, we’re talking Springsteen/Dylan/Young caliber writing, molded in a way that’s suited perfectly for the first decade of the new millenium.
2: Dillinger Four – Civil War amazon
What do you get when you combine six years of piled high expectations, one of the most adored bands in all of punk rock, one that has constantly improved with each of the three previous albums, and a bass player that’s far more comfortable out of his clothes than he is in them? The opportunity for the biggest disappointment of the year. I’m happy to say that not only did Dillinger Four live up to the heightened expectations surrounding “Civil War”, they smashed them, raising the bar and once again showing that pop-punk is not limited to bubble gum melodies and songs about your girlfriend. This would have been my favorite album of the year, had it not been for…
1: Off With Their Heads – From The Bottom amazon
There you go. The torch has been passed. That’s all there is to it. In any other year, Dillinger Four’s newest album would have been atop the mountain, but even their best work to date can’t hold a candle to the new album from the other “pride of Minneapolis”, Off With Their Heads. “From The Bottom” is everything that is right about DIY punk, packaged in 12 short blasts that clock in at just over 30 minutes. But behind the bombastic, melodic bursts cranking from the speakers hides writing that can’t help but make even the saddest bastard amongst us feel good about their life. The album is equal parts punk rock anthem, basement show sweat lodge and cheap therapy.
Honorable Mentions
Tom Gabel – Heart Burns amazon
Tom Gabel’s solo effort is a nice little EP that I’ve listened to quite a bit. It picks up nicely where “New Wave” left off, experimenting a bit more with structure and instrumentation than he can with Against Me!. However, there’s just something about it, and perhaps it’s the fact that it’s almost over before it even begins, that kept it off this year’s list.
Emperor X – The Blythe Archives Vol. 1 12” amazon
This will be the first year that Chad Matheny/Emperor X released a record that did not have a spot on my top 10 list. It’s not for lack of good songs, as Volume 1 of the ambitious “Blythe Archives” keeps reminding anyone that’ll listen that Chad is one of the most inventive and talented song writers making music at the moment. No, it simply suffers from length. There was just too much good music released in 2008 that resulted in this EP barely missing the list.
Gods Reflex – When It’s Down To This website
If you lived in the Chicagoland area from 1995-2002, then no doubt you probably saw Gods Reflex play a show. The band was one of the most talented bands to emerge from the region, always suffering from just enough bad luck to hold them out of the national spotlight, but never enough to discourage them. Earlier this year I got an instant message from my friend Joe with a link to the band’s new website, and I quite literally squealed out loud with the knowledge that after being broken up for the better part of the decade, they had reformed and were working on a new album. Listening to it, it’s as if they haven’t missed a beat. This one’s well below the radar, but really worth checking out.
Bomb The Music Industry – Get Warmer” amazon
Bomb The Music Industry is the epitome of the modern day DIY punk scene. Recording all their albums on the cheap, releasing them all for free online, and encouraging community participation over consumerism. Add to that some of the best punk rock this side of the Mississippi and you may be wondering, “Mike, what kept this from making the list?” Good question, and the answer is that even though I didn’t first hear it until early in the year, it was released in 2007.