The Best Albums of 2008

New wave, modern disco, punk rock, Graceland; all of it means nothing now. At least, it did to me, regardless of how many morons listened to that stuff in 2008. It got infuriating (as every year does), but I managed to trudge through the year without actually acting on my urges to murder everyone with an asymmetrical haircut or an impeccably-tailored "ironic" appearance.

Oh, and I listened to some records.

Here are the really good ones.



10. The Gang-Zero Hits

I can probably count all the people reading this who have also heard of The Gang with one hand. It shouldn't be like this. A band with such energy and vibrancy would never be ignored if this were a fair world. Then again, nothing's fair, so the raucous anarchy of "Sea So" and "Fits and Shadow Fights" will continue to be overlooked by every rock publication in the country. Bullshit.

The Gang-Sea So (Myspace link)



9. David Byrne and Brian Eno-Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
They just beat out R.E.M. for the Old Respected Dudes Get A Sympathy Award title. I kid, of course; the album's great. Granted, it's no My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, but you can only make a groundbreaking, genre-defining album a couple of times. Here, I'll settle for "really fucking good" over "revolutionary." For once, David Byrne seems relaxed on record, and he's all the better for finally losing his jitters.

Brian Eno & David Byrne-"Everything That Happens"



8. The Mae Shi-HLLLYH
With all the attention paid to No Age's debut, people seemed to forget that The Mae Shi are the best band to come out of Los Angeles since X, and-unlike No Age-they did it without ripping off of My Bloody Valentine and releasing their worst song as a single. The album re-defines relentless, as it takes off in a wave of synths and guitar noises and never lets up. Yet, it remains immersive, making sure that the listener never loses attention. It's bloody great fun from start to finish, and coming from a hateful curmudgeon like me, that means something.

The Mae Shi-"Run To Your Grave"



7. Los Campesinos!-Hold On Now, Youngster...
Americans can't seem to find a balance between being ironic and not being a total dickhead. The British, however, seem to have found that balance, and they have Los Campesinos! to show for it. For every lyric that tries to say too much, the music that comes with it is an effortless sample of guitar pop not heard of since the last two Pavement albums. It's a record that comes across as needlessly complex, yet it's simple and easy to enjoy, much like watching a hipster justify LC's tourmates Titus Andronicus...ugh...

Los Campesinos!-Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Break Beats



6. Fucked Up-The Chemistry Of Common Life
Hardcore still exists, but it stopped being listenable back around 1995 or so. Fucked Up hearken back to a simpler time, when one could call Husker Du a "hardcore" band without being called a pussy. Unlike most modern hardcore, Fucked Up find angst in the trials of tribulations of the working man, hence the title. There's no teenage angst and misdirected anger here: the anger on this album has a purpose. It's directed at growing up, getting a job, paying your bills, and realizing that your life is nothing like you hoped it would turn out to be. It's hardcore for grown-ups.

Fucked Up-"Crooked Head"


5. Portishead-Third
Yes, trip-hop still exists, and Portishead have re-entered our lives to remind us. The genre itself is of minute value, yet Portishead always seem to work the best out of it. Third isn't a groundbreaking record the way Dummy was; it's merely Portishead being Portishead. Not much else to ask for, really.

Portishead-Machine Gun




4. Times New Viking-Rip It Off
It's good to see that the spirit of Guided By Voices is alive and well long after Robert Pollard told everyone to piss off and decided to be boring. Times New Viking recall a much simpler time, when recording quality meant diddly squat, so long as the songs were good. And short. And loud.

Times New Viking-"(My Head)(mediocre live rip)"



3. M83-Saturdays=Youth
John Hughes created a generation of sappy romantics with keyboards, one of which appears to be Anthony Gonzalez, since M83's latest could have appeared on the soundtrack to Pretty In Pink. The album's songs mirror the themes of the director's work: "Highway of Endless Dreams" recalls that youthful desire to run away from home and one's troubles, while "Graveyard Girl" portrays the teenage depression of many a goth kid. It's nostalgic, but it never gets sickening, and Gonzalez steers away from any rose-colored glasses. If only The Killers could learn...

M83-"Graveyard Girl"



2. Deerhunter-Microcastle
After turning out a dud with his debut album as Atlas Sound (disagree with me all you want, but the record sucks), Bradford Cox crafted a near-masterpiece with Microcastle. Some would chastise it for having "sonic consistency", an overly fancy way of saying that all the songs sound alike. I feel that it is more of a collection of ruminations on a single theme, which is probably loneliness or ennui or whatever depressing thoughts Bradford Cox thinks when he is writing. I'll keep listening, though, as long as his songs are as superb as they are here.

Deerhunter-"Nothing Ever Happened"



1. TV On The Radio-Dear Science
Yes, I went with the least-original choice for Album of the Year in existence. Hell, even Rolling Stone agreed with me, and I didn't have to bring up some old classic rock cash cow who is way past their prime. Regardless, I stand by my pick. I mean, can you really blame me? Forget about the hype and publicity for a second and actually listen to the damn record. "Crying" and "Golden Age" are the hallowed return of soul to indie rock. Need I mention that "Family Tree"-a heartbreaking ballad that is as majestic as it is gut-wrenching- is the best thing they've done since "Ambulance"? I can't force anyone to like anything, but if I could, you would all have had Dear Science playing on repeat since October.

TV On The Radio-"Crying"
TV On The Radio-"Family Tree (Cool Youtube video I found)"