2008 Albums of the Year. Five albums, not in any order. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, "They are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking them up." Click on any title to buy the album.
Fucking sensational; ten tracks of goodness. These guys know how to create a vibe, and they prove it with every note, beep, and echo on this skillfully crafted album. They do the indie synth-rock thing better than most, but are equally capable when they decide to break into '80s inspired psychedelics or 70's dance-funk. Check out "Weekend Wars," "Time To Pretend," and "The Handshake."
Crystal Castles "Crystal Castles"
One of the most unique and bizzarely exciting albums I got this year. Rick Rubin turned me onto this duo, music-maker Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. I think he described it as punk-rock dance music with distorted video-game noises. "Alice Practice" and "Untrust Us" are two standout tracks to get you started.
Amazing record, a killer debut. This year, she went from hipster name-check to singing the chorus on a Jay-Z single. Hype aside, the record is pretty incredible. She gets some comparisons to M.I.A., but there's an obvious place she bests this competitor: songs. Santogold does a lot of stylistic wandering on this record, and nails each one pretty solidly. Faves: "L.E.S. Artistes," "Shove It," "Starstruck," and "Creator."
Not much I need to say about this one. Metallica hath returned. \m/
Kings Of Leon "Only By The Night"
My friend Corey has been trying to get me into this band for years. This was the record to do it--their best album by far. A well-rounded album, smoothly traveling from dark and moody ("Closer) to uplifting ("Use Somebody") and fun ("Revelry") while maintaining an unmistakably unique and consistent sound--but Singer Caleb Followill's intense, impassioned howls take it over the top. Awesome.
Special mentions: The Roots "Rising Down," Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend," Lil' Wayne "Tha Carter III," Nine Inch Nails "The Slip," and Rise Against "Appeal To Reason."
Happy New Year, stay safe :)
mike
EDIT: I'm putting a video by each artist on the next page...