I am only ranking music that I have purchased. There are a few albums that I'm pretty sure that I'd like but haven't yet bought or given a thorough listening. (I'll list these later in the post.) My ranking is purely subjective, based on gut feeling and how much I like the record overall.
So, without further ado:
Mike's Top Ten Albums of 2008:
#10: Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vio Spilum Endalaust
I'm not going to attempt to pronounce the name of this. This band hails from Iceland, and is known for its intense, brooding, atmospheric post-rock sound and unintelligible lyrics (sung in Latin, Icelandic or their made-up language of "Hopelandic"). This album marks a major shift toward accessibility. The lyrics are still in Icelandic, and the music retains its atmospheric quality, but the atmosphere is now of open sky and possibilities. The songs are upbeat, fresh, and radio-friendly. The opening track, "Gobbledigook," conjures images of open fields and running streams under a crystal-blue springtime sky. At least, that's what I feel, since I don't speak Icelandic.
#9: Parts and Labor - Receivers
I came to this album late in the year, and haven't listened to it as much as the other albums on the list, but it has to be here. I don't know very much of this band from Brooklyn, but their music speaks volumes. The music combines punk and arena-rock elements with a strong beat and driving melodies. I think this album would be an ideal soundtrack to a summertime road trip with the windows rolled down.
#8: Greg Summerlin - All Done in Good Time
I'm cheating a little with this one. The album came out in October 2007, but didn't make it onto the radar of any music critics. I had never heard of this guy until until a couple of tracks started to show up on my Pandora playlist, and I just loved it. Apparently, it got a little bit of regional play in Summerlin's stomping grounds of Minneapolis. This is a catchy, guitar-focused rock-and-roll album with strong songwriting. The liner notes say that this is a concept album about a year-long love affair, but I just hear an album's worth of strong, catchy, poppy rock-and-roll. This album deserved a much higher profile and much more radio play.
#7: Dengue Fever : Venus on Earth
What is it with me and songs in obscure foreign languages? This LA-based band combines 60's-era San Francisco psychedelic rock with contemporary Cambodian pop. Songs are in both English and Khmer. Lead singer Chhom Nimol's voice is arresting and angelic, and the songs have the capacity to get stuck in your head even if you don't understand what she's singing.
#6: Vivian Girls : Vivian Girls
The debut full-length album from this Brooklyn-based all-girl trio is just spectacular. They have a low-fi, unpolished punk sound combined with beautiful melodies and thought-provoking lyrics exploring the excitement and terror of growing up in a beautiful yet unfriendly world. I think we'll hear a lot from these women in the coming years.
#5: Shearwater : Rook
I fell in love with this band from Texas two years ago after one hearing of "Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five" off of their 2006 album Palo Santo. The band formed as a side-project for some members of Okkervil River, and then became its own full-fledged band in its own right. John Meiberg, the leader of the band, is a professional ornithologist, and there are many references to birds in the lyrics. Their music is dense, layered, and intense, and it soars like a raptor in flight.
#4: Cloud Cult : Feel-Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
The music of this band is a study in contradictions. Whimsical then profound, light and airy then dark and dense, amusing then deeply philosophical. This album needs to be experienced to be believed, and then savored.
#3: Black Mountain : In The Future
You can't have an indie-rock top-10 list without a representative from Canada, eh? Hailing from Vancouver, Black Mountain is a prog rock-influenced heavy metal band with two lead singers (one male, one female). Their sound evokes early Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, with the latter's heavy organ from the depths of Hell. Great stuff.
#2: Death Cab for Cutie : Narrow Stairs
Death Cab never disappoints me. What I love about Death Cab is their strong songwriting, and how each song spins a dark yet compelling story with great guitar-driven alt-rock. You really want to know what happens to the characters in each song, from the bride at the altar having cold feet ("Cath"), to the man who traveled to the site of a friend's suicide ("Bixby Canyon Bridge"), to a stalker ("I Will Possess Your Heart"). This is an album that I know that I'll be listening to for years and years to come.
And, my favorite album of 2008:
#1: Okkervil River : The Stand-Ins
Another band from Austin (and the band that spawned Shearwater), this album is a direct follow-up to last year's The Stage Names, which was my pick for best album of 2007. The theme of the album is rock and roll, and the influence of rock and roll on individuals and society. The songs themselves are guitar-heavy straight-up rock-and roll, and are filled to the brim with references and allusions to the last 50 years of rock music. The highlights of this album are the send-up of a chart-topper "Pop Lie," and the Al Greene-influenced soul number "Starry Stairs," about the life and death of '90s adult film star Savannah. This is another record that I can listen to over and over again.
My lunch hour is now over, so I'll end it here. Later this week, I'll post my honorable mentions, biggest music disappointments, my favorite great song from an otherwise middling album, and my top three "Well, They're New to Me!" albums (i.e. albums that came out in the past that I completely missed the first time around and heard this year for the first time).
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