Four Takes on the 10 Best Albums of 2008
In 2008 Culture Bully began a recurring segment which collected four unique voices in an effort to provide a broader perspective on album reviews, aptly entitled Four Takes. This week Culture Bully is transferring that spirit to its year end wrap-up, offering a weeks-worth of lists to help celebrate the year that was. Throughout the week, if you feel that our selections are off base, please set us straight. And if we’re on the money, we’re always down for some comment-love. Either way, we’d like to extend our thanks to you for checking the site out and we hope you enjoy Four Takes on the 10 Best Albums of 2008.
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[The 10 Best Albums of 2008 by Jon Behm]
#1) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Dig, Lazurus, Dig!!!
In 2008 Nick Cave caught Rock n’ Roll listening to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, so he brutally sodomized it. Then he whispered a poem into its ear. Rock hasn’t been the same since…
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#2) Department of Eagles In Ear Park
Grizzly who…? I just can’t decide which of Daniel Rossen’s two main projects is better.
Department of Eagles “No One Does It Like You” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#3) Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple
There are some haters out there concerning this album. They’re dead wrong.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia | Facebook
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#4) Blitzen Trapper Furr
Their last album wasn’t bad, but Furr is to Wild Mountain Nation what Obama is to George W. Bush (WAAAAY better).
Blitzen Trapper “Furr” (mp3)
Blitzen Trapper “Gold For Bread” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#5) Lykke Li Youth Novels
Every year brings us a new Swedish wonder, this year it is pop princess Lykke Li.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#6) Flying Lotus Los Angeles
Normally I don’t like instrumental albums, but this one is right up there with J Dilla’s Donuts in sheer awesome-ness.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#7) King Kahn and the Shrines The Supreme Genius Of
A crazy overweight Canadian-Indian who channels James Brown and has an awesome German garage band. The premise sounds weird but it’s great.
King Khan and the Shrines “Torture” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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Technically came out last year, but whatever. This guy is poised to explode on the Hip Hop scene in a huge way – it’s just a matter of time.
MySpace | Wikipedia | Facebook
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#9) Atlas Sound Let the Blind Lead Those Who Cannot See
Bradley James Cox is a machine who somehow managed to release two of the best albums this year. For me this one edged out Deerhunter’s Microcastle by a couple places.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#10) Beach House Devotion
Has been giving me an ear-boner all year long.
Beach House “Gila” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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[The 10 Best Albums of 2008 by Chris DeLine]
#1) TV on the Radio Dear Science
If Desperate Youth was good, and Return To Cookie Mountain, better – Dear Science is most definitely best.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#2) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Dig, Lazurus, Dig!!!
Last year’s Grinderman album and this year’s Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! prove that Nick Cave shows no signs of slowing down… guess there’s life after 50, after all.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#3) M83 Saturdays = Youth
The entire album feels like a welcoming sunshower, comfortable yet completely refreshing.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#4) The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely
It will probably reflect poorly on my perceived taste, but Jack White could take a dump on a snare drum and I’d probably like the sound of it. Come to think of it… he kind of did… and, yeah, I kind of liked it. Jokes aside, Consolers of the Lonely was a magnificent expansion on Broken Boy Soldiers, with White and Brendan Benson to both proving to be in as fine form as ever.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#5) Deerhunter Microcastle
This album is a warm blanket for anyone tired of whatever today’s modern rock is. My suggestion is to wrap yourself in Microcastle, turn on Hype!, and pretend like Hinder never existed.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#6) Portishead Third
On par with fans expecting Chinese Democracy to sound like Appetite For Destruction, many were expecting Third to sound like Dummy. And many were mad when it didn’t. But through that process we were given one of the best listening experiences of 2008.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#7) Black Mountain In The Future
If you were to meld Jefferson Airplane, drone, and the Rocky Mountains – you’d get In The Future. Black Mountain did, and what they got was the best heavy album of 2008.
Black Mountain “Tyrants” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#8) Sigur Rós Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Offering itself as both inspiring and devastating, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (try saying that five times fast) is simply the most recent in a long chain of remarkable recordings from the Icelandic group.
Sigur Rós “Gobbledigook” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#9) Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak
(Hopefully this album doesn’t sound like crap a year from now, but for the time being) 808s & Heartbreak is the most unique album by one of Hip Hop’s most charismatic individuals.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#10) Drive-By Truckers Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
Jason Isbell who? If you haven’t heard “The Righteous Path,” “Daddy Needs a Drink,” Self Destructive Zones,” “Bob,” “Home Field Advantage”… actually, just listen to the whole thing. For anyone who has the smallest bit of country in their heart, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark will tear you apart.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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[The 10 Best Albums of 2008 by Josh Keller]
#1) TV on the Radio Dear Science
A breathtakingly strong and diverse album, Dear Science is the culmination of what TV on the Radio has been building over the last couple years and shows the amazing results of art and rock and roll.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#2) Dodos Visiter
The Dodos dabble in making amazingly dense yet simple music. Sounds confusing, right? In reality it sounds like a less scattered, more acoustic/pop orientated version of Animal Collective. They also played one of my favorite shows of the year at the Triple Rock last spring.
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#3) Beach House Devotion
A shimmering album that is beautiful without being cheesy, and delicate without sounding brittle. It sounds like someone recorded the most glorious pop music in a studio underwater.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#4) Paul Westerberg 49:00
One of the great songwriters of our time comes with one of his strongest sets of songs in the last decade. His one track, songs-bleeding-into-other-songs layout only adds to the greatness of this amazing “album.”
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#5) Plants and Animals Parc Avenue
A dramatic pop album in the vein of Arcade Fire, this band created a stirring debut full of long songs that you never want to end.
Plants and Animals “Faerie Dance” (mp3)
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#6) Dr. Dog Fate, Blitzen Trapper Furr, Backyard Tire Fire The Places We Lived
The reason I felt like I was able to cheat a little and put three albums under selection was that I loved all of the albums for similar reasons. They all find that hard to master formula that lets bands take the best of music from years gone by and make it sound new and original. These bands touring together would be a dream come true for me.
Backyard Tire Fire “The Places We Lived” (mp3)
Dr. Dog: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Blitzen Trapper: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Backyard Tire Fire: Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#7) Cut Copy In Ghost Colours
Cut Copy make dance music exactly the way I like it. Their sophomore CD features lots of guitars and some real songs hidden underneath the heavy beats and synths. Their album holds up whether you are listening for the music and lyrics or if you just want to shake your ass.
Cut Copy “Lights & Music” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#8) Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Dig!!! Lazurus Dig!!!
I have said this before, but if I am one tenth as cool as Nick Cave is at 50, I will be a happy man. Nick Cave and his trusty Bad Seeds can do no wrong on this great disc and they give lots of aimless young bands a lesson in how to create an amazing rock and roll album.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#9) Lindstrøm Where You Go I Go Too
This swirling three song electronic album is a great mix of dense layers and pulsing beats from one of the best in the business.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#10) Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life
Is it their best work? No. Is it still more grinding, melodic and inventive than almost any other release this year? Yes. The band continues to stretch out and make music that is so much more than the Hardcore label they’ve been branded with.
Fucked Up “No Epiphany” (mp3)
Fucked Up “Twice Born” (mp3)
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[The 10 Best Albums of 2008 by Erik Thompson]
#1) Sun Kil Moon April
A lush, gorgeously subtle record, stunning in its intimacy and depth, both lyrically and musically. Haunting and uplifting, April is damn near a perfect record.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#2) The Kills Midnight Boom
The sexiest album of the year, Midnight Boom mixes the sounds of nightlife in both New York and London into a volatile and extremely catchy cocktail that sounds like city streets at night.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#3) Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid
This year’s Mercury Prize winner finally got this Manchester band the recognition they deserve, but this is just another in a long list of passionate and penetrating records from these guys.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#4) TV on the Radio Dear Science
TV on the Radio give us a soundtrack to dance to while the world around us crumbles. Taking chances as always with their music (some of them not working), they always seem to be the sound of tomorrow.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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Using influences as wide ranging as nursery rhymes to Brit Pop to Doo-Wop, Glasvegas crafted a thoroughly modern debut record with arching choruses and massive rifts. The hype was well founded, for they are the real deal.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#6) M83 Saturdays = Youth
A sprawling, sonic journey, hearkening back to the 80’s while still looking forward. Anthony Gonzalez created a unique blend of electronic music and shoegaze rock that sounds distinctive and hopeful.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#7) Spiritualized Songs In A & E
A record a long time in the making, Jason Pierce (Spaceman) fought through perhaps more than any other artist to realize his vision, finally finishing this record after five years. It’s fraught with optimism as well as despair, and is as interesting and abrasive as any of his albums.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#8) Mercury Rev Snowflake Midnight
A beat-heavy, electronic soundscape that sounds more like the Flaming Lips than the Lips do themselves these days, with nuances and quirks that become more apparent and enjoyable after repeat listens.
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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#9) Harvey Milk Life…The Best Game In Town
Bringing the heaviness far better than any other band out there (looking right at you Metallica), this record has the forceful sound of a seething band finally unified, and ready to pillage your village at any time.
Harvey Milk “Decades” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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With stunning harmonies and terrific songwriting, this Seattle band crafted an exquisite record that impresses more with each listen. A great Sunday morning record.
Fleet Foxes “White Winter Hymnal” (mp3)
Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
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(Year End Banner Credit: Ian Zuppan)
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Hmm, just a general observation, 2008 was a pretty good year for US and UK female artists/vocalists………….
that it was.
not everyone is enamored with them however
Other than Estelle, and I only really know of “American Boy” – I’m drawing a blank on UK female artists. Take That had a new album…
From the UK side alot of people liked Adele’s “19″ release, 4 Grammy nominations
recently announced.
ah yes.
the Grammy’s… the bastion of good music
Three albums for your #6 choice, Josh. I’ve got to call shenanigans on that-essentially you got a top 13 list
Does this mean I can add three more to my list as well? Nice work on the lists fellas. Looks like TVotR would probably win album of the year, if you took an aggregate of our lists, and I have no problem with that. A great year for music.
I also wanted to make mention that this is one of the whitest lists I’ve seen.
i see how it is Chris… don’t invite El Guante and you get more whitebread indie-centric lists
nah, great lists… i def am with you guys on a handful of the records.
i’d argue about the King Khan record since it’s a compilation and none of it is new music, but alas, it’s great nonetheless
Speak for yourself, my list is 33% Black, 10% Indian, and Bradley james Cox may or may not be some race of super-robot
Speaking of female UK/US artists – I really don´t think that the year was that great for the UK variety. In the U.S. though there are several that rated highly on my extended list, including Jolie Holland, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Jenny Lewis, Janelle Monae, Vivian Girls, and possibly more that I am forgetting
Jon’s list is full of holes… Dig Lazarus, Dig!!! at #1, instead of #2… and the lack of inclusion of the other 9 albums on my list. I don’t know what that guy’s thinking.
oh – and I thought that Jenny Lewis album was bubkas
Kyle, I had that thought about including Kahn as well, but decided to include it anyways…well, just because I wanted to I guess. I don´t have a good reason but it seemed like the right thing to do…
Whatever Chris – You guys can all go listen to your Dear Science and leave me alone. You´re all biased anyways.
Oh, I will admit that Jenny Lewis album wasn´t Super terrific or anything, but I thought it was pretty good.
At least I had a female artist in my list you sexist pig
yeah, the Lewis was good, but not nearly as great as her first solo album imo.
kinda shocked Jolie didn’t make your top 10 Jon! she almost made mine and i just got into the album over the last month and a half
as for female UK singers… best for me would have been Laura Marling, whose album is in my top 30 or so, then Adele (just missed my top 50).
overall female singer/songwriters just don’t do it for me all that much usually… have a hard time relating to their lyrics vs. their male counterparts often, and i prefer male vocals most of the time. it’s not a sexist thing, just simply a preference.
hell i know a bunch of girls who can’t stand female vocalists, lol.
Erik- rules are meant to be broken, right?? I sent it in as is half expecting to get it back with a “10 is the limit” slap on the wrist. The funny thing is that I think my list has already changed. As much as I loved the albums on the list…there are a a bunch that nearly made it and now may have moved in.
okay solace, here’s mine. i opted out of doing this for culturebully since i’m not very good at top ten lists. mine is really informal, but here’s the link:
http://elguante.blogspot.com/2008/12/informal-top-10-of-2008-list.html
With your permission, i will be using the word “ear boner” on a daily basis.
Anyway, good call on Black Mountain. The album is sick in 40 different ways. Don’t make me name them!
Kata – my hope is that one day “ear boner” makes it into the cultural lexicon so feel free!