Yeah, every critic site has one of these posts, so I can too. Let me tell you some of my favorite music albums that were released in 2008. This year was a pretty good year for music overall, especially considering I got into a couple bands I haven’t heard of before. I am getting exposed to artists I have never heard of before through friends like my good friends Bobby and Dave Weigel who are well versed in music culture. I hope to continue my music education in 2009. But that is for another post. Lets dive into it.
R.E.M. – Accelerate
Let me start off by saying no other album on this list has gotten more play than this one. R.E.M. was being panned by critics left and right for their previous release “Around The Sun” claiming the band was washed up, internal strife was within the band, and they were has-beens. R.E.M. made a fool out of every critic on April 1st, 2008 when Accelerate was released in the United States. An album with as much punch that hasn’t been seen since Monster, the band had truly come back to their quick-paced form seen in the 80’s and 90’s. Just shy of 35 minutes, the album comes out in full force with the lead off song “Living Well is the best revenge” and closes with the live favorite “I’m Gonna DJ.” This album is chock full of R.E.M.’s traditional hidden political overtones, which includes Hurricane Katrina, the Music Industry, President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and more.
Accelerate has sold over 312,000 copies in the U.S. since August 6th, already outpacing the total number of 240,000 copies of Around the Sun. It was on the Billboard 200 charts for 18 weeks, peaking at the number 2 spot. According to my iTunes, which has only installed in August when I got my Mac, has my favorite track “Man-Sized Wreath” played a whopping 17 times (Now 18 since this review started), which is incredible because I know I listened to that track much more when the album first came out. I bought this the day it came out. Top of the list.
The Killers – Day & Age
Earlier in 2008 I heard that the Killers were coming out with a new album in the Fall. This had me both excited and worried, because let’s face it, “Sam’s Town” wasn’t all that good. I am going to chalk it up to the sophmore slump theory, and hoped that whatever they released on Day & Age better be good or they are done for. Brandon Flowers knew this too, as he has written some of his best material to date. I wasn’t completely sold on Day & Age after hearing “Human” but the selling point for me was hearing them on Saturday Night Live, performing both “Human” & “Spaceman” projecting the excitement that I once heard from the album “Hot Fuss” Spaceman for me is the real single on this album, a catchy pop-rock song about alien abduction, that shows Flowers has both a sense of humor and can bellow out those notes. The rest isn’t filler either. Make sure you check out “Joy Ride”, “Neon Tiger”, and “A Dustland Fairytale”. All excellent tracks that will keep you coming back for more. In short, if you liked Hot Fuss, but were somewhat unimpressed in Sam’s Town, I highly recommend that you give Day & Age a chance, you won’t be disappointed. I received this for Christmas by my good friend Dave Kibler.
Kings of Leon – Only By the Night
Okay so if you just said to yourself “WTF? Who the heck is this?” don’t worry, I did the same thing when I saw them on Saturday Night Live back in the Fall. I honestly had no idea who these guys were, but apparently the whole band is related by blood in some way or another. Let me just say if you took southern rock and infused pop into it, this is what you get. The two singles “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” are just simple pop songs that don’t sound like anything else on the radio today. Caleb Followill is trading in his indie fan base for a more popular one with both simpler lyrics and catchy hooks despite criticism from it’s hardcore fans. (Doesn’t every artist go through this?” Anyway, I like it. The whole album is good, make sure you also check out “Manhattan” & “Cold Desert”.
Weezer – The Red Album
Alright, stick with me on this one. Most people don’t like this album. But I am not most people. There is an issue with this album. See, Rivers Cuomo and crew thought it would be a good idea to let the rest of the band sing their own tracks on the second half of the album. Very nice of Rivers to do that, there is just one problem. It doesn’t work very well. Those tracks have to be some of the worst in Weezer history. So why is this on my list? It also has some of the best in Weezer history. Let’s start with the flagship single Pork & Beans. If you think this is just a goofy pop song, get this. The reason this song was even written is because Geffen Records sat in on the Red Album studio sessions, and executives claimed there was not enough commercial material on the record. Rivers Cuomo wrote this song as a big “screw you” to the music industry. Just take a look at the lyrics:
I’mma do the things that I wanna do. I ain’t got a thing to prove to you.
I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans. Excuse my manners if I make a scene.
I ain’t gonna wear the clothes that you like. I’m fine and dandy with the me inside.
One look in the mirror and I’m tickled pink. I don’t give a hoot about what you think
On top of that you the catchy “Troublemaker”, insightful “Heart Songs”, upbeat “Everybody Get Dangerous”, and the epic “Greatest Man Who Ever Lived” which combines every type of music imaginable. This album is a great purchase, if you just buy it for the first five songs, and just think of the rest as an “experiment.” I purchased this on June 3rd, 2008, release day.
Beck – Modern Guilt
This kind of flew by my radar, and I am sad in retrospect that I didn’t acquire it sooner. I am a huge fan of Beck, and love his last effort “The Information” which got much play by me. Modern Guilt was released on July 8, 2008. I want to say I was away on vacation, or had no money, because I don’t understand what the real reason was for me not picking this up on release. I did look for this at every used CD shop I came across, and struck out every time. I finally heard this last weekend when my friend Bobby put his iPod on, and played through the whole album on my drive back to Delaware from the mountains. Modern Guilt has been Grammy nominated for best Alternative Album and is produced by both Beck and Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame). This one is sure not to miss, I’m just sorry I didn’t get to it sooner.
Best Reissue – R.E.M – Murmur (Deluxe 2-Disc Edition)
I don’t want to spend too much time on this one, but this reissue of Murmur is incredible. Totally remastered, includes a second disc from a Live 1983 show in Toronto, and includes live versions of older tracks such as Harborcoat. It is also the first time an official full R.E.M. concert has been released on CD. Listening to Murmur again, I can hear all the sounds that were blurred or muffled from the original recording. Some remasters I am not fond of because it sometimes makes the songs lose their original appeal, but this remaster is one of the best I have heard in awhile, and is long overdue. Let’s be honest, the entire R.E.M. catalog could use a remastered overhaul. I’d buy them all.. If you were a fan of R.E.M. before, this is a must have, and if you have never heard this Alternative album, this is the best place to start for something as timeless as Murmur.
Honorable Mentions: Rivers Cuomo – Alone II, Mark Kozelek – The Finally LP, Sun Kil Moon – April, Coldplay – Viva La Vida, Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs: the Bootleg Series Vol. 8
Well there you go, there are my best music picks of 2008. Make sure you check them out! Also, let me know what you think of these selections and the list overall down in the comment section below. -C
