I know it’s extremely predictable to make a Top list of 2008, but I felt compelled to do so. These have been rolling around in my head for a month or so now.
My Three Part Disclaimer:
a.) You may disagree with this… and that’s fine.
b.) No, I have not heard every album in 2008.
c.) I’m not saying my musical preference is better than yours, but this is my own personal opinion and take on the albums.
5.) She and Him: Volume One
Two of the biggest factors as to why Volume One makes the cut:
a.) Zooey Deschanel
b.) M. Ward
Actors turned musicians tend to not… well, make good music. That is unless the actor turned musician was already a talented musician.
And that IS the case here.
An unlikely pair, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward combined their lifelong affinity for 60s and 70s pop music and created an ethereal album of revival-folk-pop - and did so flawlessly.
Deschanel's incredibly beautiful vocals, the subtle guitar playing of Ward and the layered harmonies which resemble that of the Supremes are just a couple examples as to how She and Him took a retro music trend, expounded on it and sent it to a whole new level of unexpected poppy, feel good music. They ultimately left their, now patented, throwback style on the top shelf - just out of reach from any other trendy wannabe artists.
www.myspace.com/sheandhim
4.) Thao Nguyen - We Brave Bee Stings and All
Running across Thao Nguyen was un-doubtedly one of the most surprising events of 2008. At the time she had just entered the Hotel Cafe' Tour roster (which the H.C. is currently my
Regardless of my attraction to chicks with red hair, Thao Nguyen is a tiny glint of hope for innovative new music. It equals that of throwing your grandmother’s china cabinet out a three story window, but with an effervescent, youthful melody.
She's scrappy, sexy and can play the shit of a guitar with a rockabilly flair that would make the Reverend happy.
We Brave Bee Stings and All is tattered pop/rock; combined with "confessional cannon" lyrics and happily disjointed emotions, Nguyen creates a punch-drunk-love affair.
Her voice assails over lyrics that go straight for the kidney punch. Nguyen generates the ferocious notion that her youthful tendencies are nothing to be taken lightly. With disparaging words and fashioning images of frenzied youths taken too lightly, she took the unorthodox route to adulthood.
www.myspace.com/thaomusic
3.) The Avett Brothers – The Gleam II (EP)
The Avett Brothers is simply one of the most talented bands out there and they've been recognized as such.
Delivering one of the best live shows and always coming back home to North Carolina to play, they’ve garnered a following of fans ranging from 76 year old bluegrass junkies, frat boys, neo-hippies, etc - all sharing the same... 'tree' during the show.
The band has truly changed since releasing their first album in 2000. The Avetts', made up of Scott and Seth Avett, Bob Crawford, and occasionally Joe Kwon, are pure ecstatic energy, the closest thing to a nuclear reactor you can get without growing a banjo out your ass.
Within a matter of seconds The Avett Brothers flow from a ferocious punk energy to twangy likings of Chet Atkins to the concise love of lyrically strong tunes as the Beatles.
The Gleam II is not quite an LP, but more of an extension of 2007's Emotionalism. It's solid groundwork for a constantly maturing and changing band that is bound to a natural sense of the music they create.
This band is creating a following that will note it, “one of the the best things to happen to music since the beach guitar.” (Maybe that statement won’t be as well received as I perceive it, but the beach guitar is badass.)
Either way, I've never met a person who dislikes the Avett's.
www.myspace.com/theavettbrothers
2.) Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
This is the epitome of why I think the
They create some of the best music.
It's an album that has no need for the buffer effect. It's direct and has no need to play with euphemisms.
Lyrically, it has the same consistency as wet concrete and is sly enough to make its way into a subconscious dive, sticking with you long after the last guitar riff in "Heads Roll Off" fades out.
As vocalist Scott Hutchinson's chew toy, Frightened Rabbit's sophomore album is brutal, stripped down and personal. It's lyrically as close to emo as you can get without eyeliner and ambiguously 'feminine' band members. This is mature, personal and is something everyone can connect with.
www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit
1.) Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
There’s a tranquil ripple effect within music composed with the same archaic and soothing qualities equating that of a religious experience – it’s rare and is a bit like petting a unicorn - you instantly think to yourself, “Did that just really happen?”
Fleet Foxes’ self-titled album is a feat of some opulent love and passion for a universal language, often taken for granted.
Vocalist Robin Pecknold’s shy demeanor and ‘skinny kid’ syndrome (allergies) were cause for an awkward teen to stay indoors and submerse himself in all things melodic and compelling. A fondness of some of the greats: Young, Dylan, Cash, among others, factored into a withdrawn kid spending more time with his guitar than breathing between measures.
Fleet Foxes is a product of a folk movement throughout the
Lyrically, Fleet Foxes captures a supernatural essence of a world completely secularized. It’s the sort of experience that comes along very rarely in a lifetime and, as cheesy as it sounds, can completely transcend day to day lifestyles.
The album catches the same organic, acoustic resonance as harmonies recorded in a medieval cathedral. It’s haunting, harmonious and utterly refined. It’s the work of understanding a medium often littered with factory produced facsimiles - and doing everything opposite of that.
More than anything, they have a respect for it.
www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes
Honorable Mentions:
William Fitzsimmons - The Sparrow and the Crow
Rise Against - Appeal to Reason
The Black Keys - Attack and Release
Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static
2 comments:
While those are all good albums, shouldn't a mainstream album be included in the list? Maybe a Carrie Underwood, Kanye West etc?
Maybe the correct title should be like, "Top 5 Albums of 2008 Under-the-Radar" or something like that.
Love the blog btw and its title.
i dig the She and him CD
Jimmy
welome back to blogland
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