Best albums of 2008 revisited

gabers

Okay, it's 2009. Our heads have cleared, there's a respectable man in the White House. What's your five best albums of 2008? I've reconsidered mine. And piss off if any are from 2007. :P

1. MMJ - Evil Urges
2. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
3. KOL - Only by the Night
4. Ray Lamontagne - Gossip in the Grain
5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

The MMJ album gets better with each listen. They've been growing on me the way the White Stripes and Wilco did. Slow and steady.

Flagg

I only bought two:

The Black Crowes - Warpaint
Metallica - Death Magnetic

I still listen to them quite a bit.

mavi

The Racounteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Grand Archives - The Grand Archives
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Stu42

keeping it to a top 5...
in no paticular order

Modern Guilt - Beck
Attack and Release - Black Keys
Consolers of the Lonely - Raconteurs
Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket
Warpaint - Black Crowes
Hernando - North Mississippi Allstars

i guess thats 6, but I couldn't leave any out.

restlesssoul

what, nobody said Chinese Democracy yet?

Evil Urges is EASILY the best record of the year for me, in it's entirety. Beck really grew on me in the end, that album is wicked. Strength in Numbers was my album of the summer, many hours spent hackey sacking to that high energy stuff, The Music rocks. Black Keys is just throwback, cool bluesy stuff. Can't stop listening to Same Old Thing from that album, the guitar is so groovy and bad ass. The Raconteurs album is instant classic. What more needs to be said about that one. Carolina Drama.


1. Evil Urges - MMJ
2. Strength In Numbers - The Music
3. Beck - Modern Guilt
4. Black Keys - Attack and Release
5. Raconteurs - Consolers

Honorable Mention to the Hometown Favs:

Ladyhawk - Shots
Black Mountain - In The Future

Waiting in 2009:

New Yeah Yeah Yeah's
New Tragically Hip
New Pearl Jam (are they still around)

EquallyWorthless

Consolers of the Lonely is up there, top 3.

Did I'll be Lightning come out in 08? That is on there too if it did but it could have been 07, top 3 also.EDIT: It came out in NA in 08 so it counts.

Nine Inch Nails-The Slip would be in my top 10 maybe not my top 5 though.

Does In Rainbows count, technically it was released in stores on January 1, so that is in my top 3.

The Sword-Gods of the Earth fucking kicked ass, top 5 I guess.

Metallica-Death Magnetic, Trivium-Shogun and Unearth-The March were also awesome.

intodeep

1. Fleet Foxes- s/t
2. TV On the Radio- Dear Science
3. Racontours- Counslers of the Lonely
4. Stephen Malkmus &the Jicks- Real Emotional Trash
5. No Age- Nouns
6. She & Him- Vol 1
7. The Sword- Gods of Earth
8. Gaslight Anthem- '59 Sound
9. Opeth- Watershed

I picked up 31 new albums last year and those stood out to me. Some good but disapointing albums from Ryan Adams and MMJ in my opinion. They were both okay, but did not blow my doors off.

soclose

gabers wrote:

2. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

You might need to rethink the title for this one.
I will refrain from posting my feeling regarding Mr. Adams' recent output.

My list:

Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Calexico - Carried to Dust
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Sigur Ros - (won't even bother trying)

I'm going to add Bonnie "Prince" Billy's Lie Down in the Light as an honorable mention. I just bought this one a week ago, but I have the feeling it's going to turn out to be a favorite.

Lot's of good stuff in 2008, but there were plenty of disappointments for me as well. Many of my favorites are releasing albums in this year, so I've got higher expectations for 2009

PJGARDEN

Mine favs in no particular order are

Gutter Twins Saturnalia
Portishead - didn't get enough credit IMO
MGMT
KOL
TV on the Radio

These albums really stood out to me. I still have Bon IVer and Fleet Foxes album sitting at home waiting for me to listen.

intodeep

soclose wrote:

Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
Blitzen Trapper - Furr

I am having a hard time with the Edwards album I got it for christmas. I like the second half alright but as a hole it sounds too polished to me. I hope it will grow on me

I liked Blitzen Trapper but for some reason it has not blown me away.. i know a lot of other folks are big fans of the album.

soulsinging

1. TV on the Radio- Dear Science
2. Gutter Twins- Saturnalia
3. Black Crowes- Warpaint
4. Kings of Leon- Only By the Night
5. Hold Steady- Stay Positive
6. Guns n'Roses- Chinese Democracy
7. Conor Oberst- s/t
8. Genius/GZA- Pro Tools
9. Roots- Rising Down
10. Local H- 12 Angry Months

gabers

EquallyWorthless wrote:

Consolers of the Lonely is up there, top 3.

Did I'll be Lightning come out in 08? That is on there too if it did but it could have been 07, top 3 also.EDIT: It came out in NA in 08 so it counts.

Nine Inch Nails-The Slip would be in my top 10 maybe not my top 5 though.

Does In Rainbows count, technically it was released in stores on January 1, so that is in my top 3.

The Sword-Gods of the Earth fucking kicked ass, top 5 I guess.

Metallica-Death Magnetic, Trivium-Shogun and Unearth-The March were also awesome.

If In Rainbows counted, I'd probably put it at # 5.

Gardenparty

1. Evil Urges - A consitant "grower" album. May be my favorite of theirs now
2. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - this suprises even me but the album was so damn catchy
3. Modern Guilt - Beck - not his best. not what I was hoping for. but such a great summer album and a nice change from the last two
4. Memory Drawings - the Drift - amazing instrumental record. think Do Make Say Think
5. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie

i'm sure i'm missing 1 or 2.

violetpsyche

1. KOL - Only By The Night
2. The Kills - Midnight Boom
3. Opeth - Watershed
4. Metallica - Death Magnetic
5. Slipknot - All Hope is Gone (this one surprised me because, once upon a time, I couldn't stand them and their silly mask-wearing nonsense. Perhaps they've 'matured' a bit. Like cheese. That's flattering)

I can't decide whether I hate MGMT. I kinda want to hate them but I keep singing along when they come on the radio. I am confused :? . I'm liking Ladyhawke but haven't heard the entire album yet, so that one remains to be seen.

jimed14

not mentioned ...

The Duke Spirit - Neptune

Yellow Ledbelly

Stu42 wrote:

keeping it to a top 5...
in no paticular order

Modern Guilt - Beck
Attack and Release - Black Keys
Consolers of the Lonely - Raconteurs
Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket
Warpaint - Black Crowes
Hernando - North Mississippi Allstars

i guess thats 6, but I couldn't leave any out.

I'm not a Beck fan but the other five are in my top 10.
Others on my list would include:
Kings of Leon
BB King
Gaslight Anthem
Hold Steady
Metallica
DBT
Rise Against
Oasis
Hell, I would even put AC/DC in there....good album
....and the late discovery of Alejandro Escovedo's "Real Animal"

smithnic

My top ten of 2008
Side note ~ Many count the JagJaguar Release of Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago" as 2008. I had it 2007, but if we were to count it as 2008, it would be number 1 by far!)

1. David Byrne & Bryan Eno ~ Everything that happens will happen today
2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds ~ Dig Lazarus Dig
3. Bob Dylan ~ Tell Tale Signs
4. Blitzen Trapper ~Furr
5. TV on the Radio ~Dear Science
6. Jenny Lewis ~ Acid Tongue
7. The Raconteurs ~ Consolers of the Lonely
8. The Fleet Foxes ~The Fleet Foxes
9. Joshua Radin ~Simple Times
10. (tie) Saul Williams ~ The Inevitable Rise of NiggyTardust
10 (tie) MGMT ~Oracular Spectacular

chimpat

10. MY MORNING JACKET - EVIL URGES

9. THE WHIGS - MISSION CONTROL

8. SANTOGOLD - SANTOGOLD

7. MGMT - ORACULAR SPECTACULAR

6. THE BLACK KEYS - ATTACK & RELEASE

5. FLEET FOXES - FLEET FOXES

4. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - VAMPIRE WEEKEND

3. MATTHEW GOOD - LIVE AT MASSEY HALL

2. KINGS OF LEON - ONLY BY THE NIGHT

1. BON IVER - FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO

deadmosquito

seven mary three - day & nightdriving
tv on the radio - dear science
death cab for cutie - narrow stairs
kathleen edwards - asking for flowers
drive-by truckers - brighter than creation's dark
my morning jacket - evil urges
nada surf - lucky
metallica - death magnetic

out of albums that i physically purchased, i'd say these are my favorites of 08, in no particular order.

soclose

intodeep wrote:

soclose wrote:

Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
Blitzen Trapper - Furr

I am having a hard time with the Edwards album I got it for christmas. I like the second half alright but as a hole it sounds too polished to me. I hope it will grow on me

I liked Blitzen Trapper but for some reason it has not blown me away.. i know a lot of other folks are big fans of the album.

Regarding Ms. Edwards, I agree that it's a bit polished, but I've got no problem with that. I see it as a sensible evolution from her previous albums. I love every song on there, and that's enough for me. Her voice and and lyrics add enough edge to keep me happy.

And regarding Blitzen Trapper, I wasn't terribly impressed at first myself, but I think it's a fun, catchy take on rootsy music. It doesn't quite compare with the albums I placed above it, but it's a strong record that grew on me after a few listens.

CB206820

It's a tossup between Consolers of the Lonely, Asking for Flowers, and Warpaint.

All are fantastic!