2008 Year-End List #3: Honorable Mention Albums

I did it. I comprised a top 40 albums of the year list. And honestly, I probably could have done a top 50, as here I am listing ten albums that didn't make it into the top 40, but that I still like better than the 100 other albums I listened to this year. My only excuse for not including these in a top 50 list is that I was struggling to put these in any order. So, I am just listing them in alphabetical. I hope that's okay.

Soon, my top 40 will be revealed, but first, here are 2008's ten honorable mentions.


Everything That Happens Will Happen Today - David Byrne & Brian Eno (Todo Mundo)
Whenever there is a reunion album, I automatically assume it will turn out pretty shitty (disregard Dinosaur Jr.'s 2007 return to glory, Beyond, for that is an exception). I'm not sure if I'd consider Everything That Happens Will Happen Today a reunion exactly, but it's close enough, and it sure ain't shitty. It isn't great or anything, but it is an acceptible return collaboration for these two behemoths of cutting edge music made in the late 1970s. As I stated on Christmas Eve, "Strange Overtones" is my favorite song of the year, and there are definitely some gorgeous tracks, but the rest is hit or miss. "I Feel My Stuff" is horse shit.
Top jams: "Everything That Happens," "The River," "Strange Overtones"


Fantastic Gusts of Blood - Child Bite (Suburban Sprawl)
Child Bite play weird, aggressive, fun, angry party music. Typically, that wouldn't really be my thing, but there is enough to like about these songs. There is quirky and intelligent drum banging that I drool over, and the warbled vocals are extremely entertaining. The guitars, bass, synth and various wind instruments each have their shining moments in which they arrive. And there are some simply good songs laced throughout.
Top jams: "Venom Bowl, Kids Guts," "Banana Gorgon," "The Rainbow Church," "Jewels Rules"


Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie (Atlantic)
At first, I liked this way more than I was expecting to. I was a huge Death Cab for Cutie fan for the vast majority of my young adult life thus far, and still hold three of their records very close to my heart, but in retrospect, Narrow Stairs is a major disappointment. It was time for them to make sure everyone knew they were on a major label, but were still artists and in charge, so they recorded "I Will Possess Your Heart," which is just pure garbage. Ben Gibbard's use of vibrato and way more falsetto have ruined him, but still, there are enough solid moments of Death Cabsyisms to keep the rest of the album out of the dumpster.
Top jams: "No Sunlight," "Cath...," "Long Division"


Trouble in Dreams - Destroyer (Merge)
It's true that Trouble in Dreams sounds just like the follow-up to 2006's Destroyer's Rubies, but I don't mind so much when bands do a repeat album as long as it's good. Here is a decent example, even though Rubies blows this out of the water. Maybe half of these songs are good, two of which are borderline great. The rest is too dramatic and just too much of the same.
Top jams: "Blue Flower/Blue Flame," "Dark Leaves Form a Thread"


The Evening Descends - Evangelicals (Dead Oceans)
What an insane record. It's all over the place and similarly weird to mid-to-late 90s Flaming Lips. The weirdness is pretty overbearing at times, and all the songs are jumbled together, but if you can weed through all of that and get to the instances of brilliance, well then, there you go. I caught some of those moments, but not enough due to the lack of time I spent with this. One last thing: Singer dude reminds me of my boy Kevin McGorey a little bit.
Top jam: "Bloodstream"


Keep Your Eyes Ahead - The Helio Sequence (Sub Pop)
I became interested in The Helio Sequence after I found out that this is the drummer who played on Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News. He's still got it, and this album is actually pretty good, but it's just too safe, especially for a Sub Pop release.
Top jam: "You Can Come to Me"


High Places - High Places (Thrill Jockey)
Now this is a cool sounding record! I get a little lost in the African and Caribbean pulses and the blandness of Mary Peason's voice (although I have grown accustomed to it as it is charming and inoffensive, and also I am in love with her). But, there are a lot of neat, original ideas here. The synthetic sounds mixed with random, household percussion is one of them.
Top jams: "The Storm," "From Stardust to Sentience"


Lovers Prayers - Ida (Polyvinyl)
This is an Ida record. It is mellow, at times a little boring, really pretty and (way) too long. What more do you expect?
Top jam: "Worried Mind Blues"


Pershing - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Polyvinyl)
SSLYBY play pop music too perfectly. There is no room for error, which is kind of a shame. Sure, some of the songs are structured in interesting ways, and their talent is undeniable, especially when it comes to melodies. My main concern is that dude's voice is way too nice and pretty. It makes me think of Christian bands like Switchfoot and Copeland and stuff, which is unfortunate.
Top jams: "Dead Right," "Modern Mysteries"


Elephant Shell - Tokyo Police Club (Saddle Creek)
Part of the reason I really wanted to like Elephant Shell is because I feel like it's a little bit of a black sheep. I will not deny this. Thankfully, I ended up very far from hating it in spite of its slight nu-emoness (which is still too much). These kids definitely are talented and I'm interested to see what they come up with next. If Hot Topic gets behind them though, we're through.
Top jams: "In a Cave," "Nursery, Academy"