Blog → Top 20 Albums of 2008

2008 didn't have much going for it in the beginning, especially after such a stellar year like 2007. However it closed out strong, and definitely stepped up to the plate and will make a case of it's own in the future of great years of music. So here you have it:

20. Ratatat- LP3
I feel like just about anyone can gain something from listening to this, or any Ratatat album for that matter. Easy for anyone to embrace.
Favorite track: Shempi

19. Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
Watching them perform their Acoustic Mainline set at Coachella in April really showed me how emotional music could be, in a much greater light than I'd ever known prior.
Favorite track: Sitting On Fire

18. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
This is an album that barely made the list because it had the terrible task of having to hold up to Apologies. Expectations were high for this album, and although it fell short, it's still a very well constructed piece of music.
Favorite track: The Grey Estates

17. Lady Gaga - The Fame
Perhaps the most embarrassing thing I've put on any list, ever. I fell in love with "Just Dance" at work, and opted to get the album. I can't hide my adoration for this album. It always puts me in an excellent mood. The title track is marvelous as well.
Favorite track: Just Dance

16. Beach House - Devotion
This album still remains one of my favorite bedtime/rainy day albums. Beautiful yet haunting melodies.
Favorite track: Turtle Island

15. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
I refused to listen to this album for awhile for reasons unknown, but quickly realized the idiocy in my actions. Dare I say brilliant Nintendo-esque dance tracks.
Favorite track: Air War

14. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
I liked this album the first time I heard it, but watching them open for Mogwai really changed my thoughts on both the album and them. These two dudes really know how to layer a song with delicate precision.
Favorite track: Bright Tomorrow

13. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
The inescapable party album. It seems anytime I find myself having to provide music for drinking, it's been this album that's come to the rescue and captured the attention of most (if not all) in attendance. Far exceeds the greatness that was Night Ripper.
Favorite track: Still Here

12. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
The only reason this album isn't in the Top 10 is because I can't NOT compare it to Dead Cities and Before the Dawn, easily two of my favorite albums ever. An absolute shift in direction, I can't hide my excitement for all the great things coming Anthony's way.
Favorite track: Up!

11. Man Man - Rabbit Habits
Possibly one of the best live bands I've ever had the pleasure to witness. Packing more energy than their entire audience, these guys have been putting on brilliant shows for years. Remarkably, their albums capture that essence.
Favorite track: Top Drawer

10. Studio - Yearbook 2
I feel a little crappy putting a "compilation" or "remix" album on here, but I encourage everyone to listen to this album. From the opening notes of "Brown Piano" all the way to the final notes of the album, it's impossible to not bop your head and eagerly anticipate the next direction they're taking with each track.
Favorite track: Impossible

9. Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
I was fortunate enough to see them live twice this year, the only two times I've seen them in my life. And if you haven't seen them live, watch Heima so that you can get an idea of what an experience this band offers. I'm reliving the tears in my eyes just thinking about it. This album offers a great change in pace, with the highest possible pop concentration in SIgur Ros' library thus far.
Favorite track:Festival

8. Air France - No Way Down
Like Studio, I feel cheap putting an EP on here. However this album coaxed way too many plays out of me to not make a top 20 list. If this was an LP, it could easily be in the top 5. Their sound is so endearing to me, the ultimate mix between excitement and relaxation. It's length of twenty minutes does nothing but inspire you to hear it again.
Favorite track:June Evenings

7. Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot
Feel
Bradford Cox is pure genius, and as such everything he touches reflects that. To see how great this album is, how well it flows, how peaceful it makes me feel, and to know that this is only a glimpse of what he has to offer in his young and brilliant career. Not only is this album great, but practically every Atlas Sound b-side is great. I don't know how he does it but he does. He rocks well.
Favorite track: Recent Bedroom

6. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Quite possibly the best album I've ever liked that I felt I could classify as "pop". And really, it's hard to classify this any other way. Any song on this album could be a hit single, most of which inspire you to get up and move in some way. This has been a favorite of mine all year, and to this day I regret skipping them at Coachella.
Favorite track: Strangers in the Wind

5. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
This wouldn't have even made a list of albums I was excited for in 2008, because I'd never heard them at all. Fortunately for me, this is the first piece of their music I heard. I say fortunately because it is clearly (to a virgin listener such as myself) the better album. They found their craft in God's Money, but this is where they perfected it. Easily my favorite band that I was introduced to in 2008.
Favorite track: Blue Nile

4. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Having never been a fan of TVOTR, and always feeling they were overrated, I thought this album would fall on deaf ears. It did, for a couple listens. But then Lover's Day played for the second time, and it hit home so hard. Next thing I knew I found myself repeating it, and repeating it, and repeating it. And I still don't find myself a fan of their earlier stuff.
Favorite track: Lover's Day

3. No Age - Nouns
If you asked me if Nouns could top Weirdo Rippers, I'd have probably said "probably not." Reason being that I didn't think No Age would have an album like Nouns in them. Fortunately for us, they do. No Age are an absolute treat to witness live, although your eardrums would argue otherwise. Nouns is a constant loop of three minute ditties, fuzzed out guitars and singalong vocals. No Age, where a kid can be a kid.
Favorite track: Teen Creeps

2. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.
I can thank this album for getting me to go back and listen to Cryptograms and rediscover the brilliance that that album offers. But this album offers a piece of it's own. It starts off on a speedy dash but abruptly slows to a crawl only to surge back up in typical Deerhunter fashion. Bradford (and Lockett and company) working their genius into your bloodstream. In many ways I hate Deerhunter because if I REALLY listen to their music, I rarely find myself wanting to listen to anything else for the remainder of the day.
Favorite track: Twilight at Carbon Lake

1. Why? - Alopecia
This album started at number one when it came out, and it held that spot the entire year. For a minute I felt that Microcastle made a case, but unfortunately Alopecia has withstood the tests of time (considering that I got it in February.) Yoni has so much to say, and in the 45 minutes he shares with you on this album, he'll probably say more than you'll hear from anyone else in your life. Alopecia has so much insight to offer for anyone. With every fresh listen I find myself dissecting lines and interpreting them in ways I never had before, even though I've heard them hundreds of times. That is where the power of this album lies, Yoni's lyrics. Phenomenal stuff. Impeccable.
Favorite track: By Torpedo or Crohn's