2008 Year-End List #4: Favorite Albums #40-21

Finally, it starts: My 40 favorite albums of 2008. This year was shockingly good. 2007 was outstanding, and I was expecting barely anything great to come out this year. I was terribly wrong.

While several albums were released in 2007 that came to be potential life long classics, and I was completely confident in my top 20 list, this year there is so much more. Only one classic, but 19 other albums that I absolutely flipped out about, and 20 others that I simply loved or had a strong liking for.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling and begin with numbers 40 through 21.


(40) Sea Lion - The Ruby Suns (Sub Pop)
I did not spend nearly enough time with this record. I love the blatant calypso feel of the first three tracks and the sudden shift to synthier, more grandiose lo-fi pop. "Morning Sun" is truly bizarre.
Top jam: "Tane Mahuta"


(39) Fate - Dr. Dog (Park the Van)
My passion for this record has gone back and forth, and most recently I have not been as impressed with it as I was back in say, October. That's not to say I don't like it anymore or anything. It is obvious that these guys love The Beatles, and that's a good thing, duh. Nothing original, but still a nice, solid pop album.
Top jam: "The Rabbit, the Bat and the Reindeer"


(38) Chemical Chords - Stereolab (4AD)
Back in May my friend Anthony subjected me to Stereolab for the first time, and I was floored. I figured Chemical Chords would without question be a bone blower. I was sadly mistaken. I am most bummed about how the record is a little too cohesive: most of the songs run together in a sort of monotony. Fortunately there are some redeeming characteristics that still merit this at the 38th position on my list, namely the vintage analog love the band have given to these recordings and the Brian Wilson-esque arrangements.
Top jam: "Self Portrait With Electric Brain"


(37) I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke and Laura - Pas/Cal (Le Grand Magistery)
Truly a mind boggler on first listen, this came to be one of two entirely overwhelming-yet-good albums that were released this year. For one, most of the songs are too long (no song as poppy as any of these should be any longer than four minutes, and a lot of these are five). Secondly there is just way too much going on. Too many instruments and an overabundance of sections per song (in 2007, Field Music had mastered this within a three minute timeframe). In spite of all of this, I am still infatuated by how lush and complex these songs are, even after I just finished complaining about it. The songs are beautiful elaborations on piano-driven indie pop, and the band's skill level is top notch.
Top jams: "The Truth Behind All the Vogues She Sold," "Cherry Tree (Suite Cherry Pt. 2)"


(36) Something for All of Us - Brendan Canning (Arts & Crafts)
I believe the Broken Social Scene guys are losing it. To this day, You Forgot It in People is one of the greatest albums I've ever come across. The self-titled is a great follow-up and all, but in my opinion, is nowhere near as good. And, this extended break they're taking to record all these solo albums is getting tiresome. Kevin Drew's sounded more like YFIiP than Broken Social Scene did, but it was painfully long and masturbatory. With Something for All of Us, Brendan Canning has recaptured that energy that was the reason us fans originally loved BSS, but still, something just isn't right. Maybe it's too straightforward? I think that is the main issue here. There are good rock songs like "Churches Under the Stairs" and "Hit the Wall" (which is especially awesome), and a few pretty tracks, but what is missing is true inspiration. Still, it's music written and recorded by guys in Broken Social Scene, and I will continue to buy into that.
Top jam: "Hit the Wall"


(35) Phylactery Factory - White Hinterland (Dead Oceans)
This came out of nowhere. I don't even remember what initially peaked my interest, but Phylactery Factory was a welcome surprise. Some moments are reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi's piano work, and every song is aurally attractive. It's lengthy for a nine track album, and pretty much everything is a little too drawn out, but I can forgive that due to its simplistic beauty.
Top jams: "Dreaming of the Plum Trees," "Hometown Hooray," "A Beast Washed Ashore"


(34) The Devil, You + Me - The Notwist (Domino)
Nothing on The Notwist's long awaited return comes even close to touching anything on their magnificent Neon Golden. Originally I thought "Good Lies", which was the first track released, was a sure sign of good things to come, but The Devil, You + Me is a total snoozer. However, much like Phylactery Factory, the beauty found deep within was enough to sway me into digging it.
Top jam: "Gloomy Planets"


(33) Plunder, Beg, and Curse - Colour Revolt (Fat Possum)
Finally, Colour Revolt have backed up the promise of their self-titled debut EP, and it is a terrifying doozy. Within, one will find a bad ass three guitar attack, some great rhythmic decisions from a good drummer and some of the most intense and intimidating vocals of the year. All of this is spiced up with a taste of the south and some frightening fire 'n brimstone quandaries. It took me a while, but I get it. Now I have these guys to thank for instilling in me the fear of God yet again.
Top jams: "Moses of the South," "Swamp," "Ageless Everytime"


(32) Women - Women (Jagjaguwar)
I am confident that if I started listening to this record earlier than I had, it would be ranked at a higher position on this list. There are a few noise tracks that are barely tolerable, but "Cameras," "Black Rice" and "Group Transport Hall" are phenominal pop songs with some nasty, lo-fi production via Chad VanGaalen. "Shaking Hands" is a fantastic tribute to 90s midwest emo, which was the most pleasant surprise amongst several pleasant surprises.
Top jams: "Black Rice," "Group Transport Hall," "Shaking Hands"


(31) In Ghost Colours - Cut Copy (Modular/Interscope)
I don't consider In Ghost Colours so much of a dance album as a really fun, mostly electronic pop album. The first half consists of straightforward, almost mainstream radio pop songs. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as these are solid. The dancier tracks start trickling in during the second half, and there are some prize jewels. Sure, "Hearts on Fire" obviously is a great song, but "Far Away" and "Strangers in the Wind" are even better.
Top jams: "Far Away," "Strangers in the Wind"


(30) The Globe - The Silent Years (Defend/First Date)
I'm not entirely familiar with The Silent Years' debut album, but I can still tell that adding three members of Detroit's defunct Rescue as their base instrumentation was the best idea. The result is great pop songs, a plethora of intriguing textures and some mind-altering structural and rhythmic trickery. Throw in Radiohead's The Bends and even some Sunny Day Real Estate for good measure, and you have one of the best albums to come out of Detroit in recent memory. Two complaints that aren't crucial at all: there are no real standout cuts, and Josh Epstein's voice may be a little too good.
Top jams: "Ropes," "Goddamn You!," "The Axiom"


(29) April - Sun Kil Moon (Caldo Verde)
I was extremely weary at first when I found April's 11 tracks clocked in at almost 80 minutes. Miraculously, the songs seem to fly by in nowhere near that amount of time. I don't know how that works. I could see how this could be considered boring, but every song is gorgeous enough and Mark Kozelek's guitar playing great enough for no real dull moments, at least for this listener. And, in spite of the title, with every listen I can't help but reminisce about all my favorite fall memories, which always makes for a nice, bittersweet experience.
Top jams: "Moorestown," "Tonight in Bilbao"


(28) Swimming - French Kicks (Vagrant)
I have two issues with this, French Kicks' fourth full length. First off, I miss Doug Boehm's production work. The band recorded Swimming on their own, and the production is uneven, to say the least (and I'm not going to get into it). Secondly, they seem to be known as this bland and boring band (which I have always disagreed with), and I cannot deny that this is their most boring record. This said, it is still a French Kicks album, and it has most of the elements I anticipate from a typical French Kicks release, just done in a different way. The fact that most of the songs are so slow (boring) and the way everything sounds so distant puts a spin on their sound that caught me off guard. Unlike their past two records, Swimming was a grower, and when I finally got it, I really got it.
Top jams: "Abandon," "Over the World," "All Our Weekends," "Sex Tourists"


(27) Stars of Stage and Screen - The Pop Project (Suburban Sprawl)
Put simply, this is an awesome pop record. The band's name says it all. The Pop Project take different sub-genres of pop music and either fuse some together all in one track, or switch things around from song to song. "Secondary Players," "House of Books" and "You've Won the Lottery" are prime examples of the former, and "Coerce," "Another Kind of Love" and "Stand In" the latter. The geekiness put on display throughout is very charming, and what a bonus that all four members are absolute masters at their craft.
Top jams: "Never Got the Breaks," "The Longest Time," "House of Books," "You've Won the Lottery"


(26) Furr - Blitzen Trapper (Sub Pop)
Furr is not as zany or all over the place as last year's Wild Mountain Nation, and I think that's what makes this the better record. Blitzen Trapper's overall sound is still intact (backwoods country music mixed with your modern indie pop), but it is more contained and mature. It's missing a mega-jam like WMN's "Futures and Folly," but there are still some monumental peaks, and the album's consistency is a plus.
Top jams: "God + Suicide," "Saturday Nite"


(25) For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar)
Yes, yes. I know Bon Iver blew Pitchfork's mind with this little record a year ago. I wasn't born under a rock. Lay off. Don't you know it was re-released by Jagjaguwar this year? That's when I finally decided to see what all the hype was about. It turns out For Emma, Forever Ago isn't stupid boring folk fluff like I was expecting. The songs are totally good, and this dude's voice is awesome. I don't usually get into the whole cabin-porch-in-the-woods production (of course Nick Drake nailed it on Pink Moon), and I know it's a folk mainstay, but it is what makes this record.
Top jams: "Lump Sum," "Skinny Love," "Re: Stacks"


(24) Soft Airplane - Chad VanGaalen (Sub Pop)
Soft Airplane is another album where more time spent with it would have led to it ranking higher on the list. There are some regrettable tracks like the maddening racket of "Frozen Energon" (and I think "TMNT Mask" is fairly obnoxious), but most everything else is pure gold. VanGaalen plays weird and inspiring bedroom pop, showcasing a balance between pure indie rock and expansive folk music. Soft Airplane also completed the task of forcing me to pay attention to the lyrics (which so rarely happens), which encourage the listener to use their imagination, yet still exhibit mesmerizing visuals. A lot of the words are eerie, morbid, violent and extremely fascinating. About a month ago I saw a video for "Molten Light," which is probably the most morose song, musically and lyrically, and it forever creeped me the fuck out.
Top jams: "Willow Tree," "Inside the Molecules," "Molten Light," "City of Electric Light"


(23) Your Anchor - Lackthereof (Barsuk)
Lackthereof is the side project of Menomena's Danny Seim. I have this to say about his 2008 record, Your Anchor: I like it a lot more than I did his band's critically acclaimed 2007 release, Friend & Foe. I'm not exactly sure how, or why. Your Anchor lacks variety, and it is an incredibly sparse record; there is not much going on. There is just some inexplicable charm about it. I know I like these songs better than Friend & Foe's (which I also thought lacked variety, in a way). The drumming and the lo-fi production sound good. There is a cover of The National's "Fake Empires," and it's kind of shitty (and also too soon). I just don't know what to say. I really enjoyed this quirky pop record that doesn't really have much to offer, and I can't clarify why. Sorry.
Top jams: "Chest Pass," "Last November"


(22) In Ear Park - Department of Eagles (4AD)
I was really excited about In Ear Park the first few times I heard it, then it struck me: "Wait just a minute, this is tiresome." I took a break from it, and came back again fairly recently, and changed my mind again. I mean, it's a little sluggish, but completely original. A lot of the songs are set to this beautiful fantasy world mood, and are a bit wintery, which is very cool. These are olde towne songs. Whatever that means. Lastly, three of the guys who played on the record are in Grizzly Bear (one of which is a real member of Department of Eagles), so in all honesty, this really just sounds like an in-between Grizzly Bear album. Obviously, I am fine with this.
Top jams: "Teenagers," "Floating on the Lehigh"


(21) The Week That Was - The Week That Was (Memphis Industries)
My boys, the brothers Brewis, have supposedly all but killed Field Music (the band who recorded and released my second favorite album of 2007). I am still disheartened, but this year they have been trying to make up for it by splitting in two and recording separate projects. Peter's The Week That Was proves that he was Field Music's Paul McCartney, while David is maybe John Lennon. His self-titled debut (featuring friends, like HIS BROTHER AND EX-BANDMATE DAVID) is a much more straight and narrow affair than FM, and highlights the lush string arrangements and pop simplicity he offered his old band (the simplicity only slightly). What's interesting about the album is that about half of it brings to mind pop acts like The Beatles and later XTC, while the rest sounds like pieces to an original film score (not a specific one). Like I said in my top 20 songs of 2008 list, as long as Peter is writing songs like "The Airport Line," (and also as long as the Brewis bros. are creating music in some capacity), I think I can cope. It's just not the same.
Top jams: "The Story Waits for No One," "The Airport Line," "Come Home"