Best Albums of 2008

1. Baseball Project - Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
   Just on the surface, this great album about baseball is worth hearing, but what it tells us on a deeper level is its (and baseball's) case for greatness.
2. Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows
   All that's grand gets both celebrated and criticized on this amazingly present retro album.
3. De Novo Dahl - Move Every Muscle, Make Every Move
   The year's most fun record. "Shout" is is pure joy.
4. Tippy Canoe and the Paddlemen - Parasols and Pekingese
   Yeah, she's playing a ukulele and it's amazing.
5. Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
   Why didn't anyone ever realize how well punk and Springsteen went together before this?
6. The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium
   The only band that matters show that even fame couldn't ruin them.
7. Tanya Tagaq - Auk ~ Blood
   This is an album worthy of Mike Patton's contributions, yet strong (and weird) enough not to be overshadowed by them.
8. They and the Children - Home
   The limits of intensity get pushed by this album. Incendiary would be an understatement.
9. Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
   Once again, the Mars Volta give us all that's cool about prog and nothing that sucks. Crazy talent mixes with crazy minds.
10. Sharks and Sailors - Builds Brand New
    The influence of 90s alt rock on this album goes in unexpected directions.
11. Spitfire - Cult Fiction
    Anger can be based on love just as easily as hate.
12. The Drift - Memory Drawings
    The Drift once again makes an indie rock record whose principal influence is Ornette Coleman.
13. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
    Is this the future of rock music? TV on the Radio get more accessible without compromising on innovation.
14. Mad Tea Party - Found a Reason
    Yes, another album which prominently features the ukulele made the list. These are great rootsy tunes with soul and a great sense of quirky fun.
15. Strangers Die Every Day - Aperture for Departure
    Godspeed You! Black Emperor is the best melding of classical and rock. This band is the next best.
16. Thursday/Envy - Split LP
    Thursday is a band that has progressed tremendously and Envy is the perfect compliment.
17. Hours and Hours: A Tribute to Seaweed
    The tribute album concept is old and tired, or so I thought until I heard this. No one, probably even Seaweed themselves, had any idea that their influence spread this widely. This is the way a tribute should be created.
18. The Devil and the Sea - Heart vs Spine
    The Devil and the Sea is another fantastic heir to Black Flag's free jazz approach to punk and metal.
19. Twilight Hotel - Highway PrayerThese Americana (or is it Canadiana) songs tell great human stories.
20. Gypsy Pistoleros - Para Siempre
    Yeah, I know it's essentially a re-release of last year's album, but a big step forward in production and a fine cover of "La Vida Loca" push this one into the top albums of 2008 whereas they just missed the year before.
21. Lady Lovelace and the Calculator Death Machine - Music for Two Musicians
    This has My Bloody Valentine, chamber music and everything in between...and it works.
22. Thao - We Brave Bee Stings and All
    Twee pop can be dangerous ground, but Thao navigates it successfully, making an album of strange, catchy tunes.
23. Buffalo Killers - Let It Ride
    Many of those treading the paths of 70s hard rock forget the soul. Buffalo Killers do not.

I saw a number of fine DVD releases in 2008, but three stand out:

About a Son was simply a series of Kurt Cobain interviews, but it was amazingly well-filmed in his old stomping grounds and rather than fill it with Nirvana's music, Death Cab for Cutie's Bed Gibbard supplies some great tracks that allow the focus to be on Cobain's words rather than the hype of Nirvana.

If All Goes Wrong is both a concert and documentary about Smashing Pumpkins two "residencies" in Asheville, NC and San Francisco. Rather than being a rehash of their hits, it is a bold artistic statement and the documentary is an interesting insight into it.

The very best DVD of the year though was The Who's Kilburn 1977, featuring both the Kilburn show as well as a rougher recording from 1969. Both shows demonstrate exactly why the Who was great.

With all this about the best, I should also include at least something about the bad albums. While there were a few real stinkers this year, they all pale in comparison to Judas Priest's Nostradamus. This album of ego-driven nonsense has all of the filler that is often a necessary evil on concept album, yet not a single track that makes the filler worth siting through. It's crap on all levels. Shame on Priest. They should have known better.

For some alternate views of what was great in 2008, check out these sites:
Heavy Metal Addiction
Hard Rock Hideout
Heavy Metal Time Machine
Bring Back Glam
All Metal Resource
Imagine Echoes
Metal Excess
The Ripple Effect
Rock Of Ages
Layla's Classic Rock
Hair Metal Mansion
The Metal Minute

Top 20 (or so) of 2007

I have to say that 2007 was a good year for my ears. I didn't spend a lot of time scouring the pop charts, but there's so much out there that one doesn't have to look very hard to find some good stuff just beneath the surface in just about any genre. (I didn't really stick to 20, because I'd basically be flipping a coin to see who made the list at the bottom. Why should split hairs like that to meet some arbitrary number?)

1. Frontier Folk Nebraska - The Devil's Tree: Of everything I heard this year, this is the album I came back to the most. "Kentucky Girl" is one of the most touching songs I've ever heard.


2. Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels: There was nothing wrong with Bedouin Soundclash's previous release, but this is a huge step forward. It's the subtleties that took them from good to great. Not only are the songs catchy, but they have a lot of heart that backs them up.


3. Chuck Ragan - The Blueprint Sessions: The only problem with the album is that it was such a limited release. It seems unfair to keep something this good from the rest of the world.


4. Various Artists - Down Home Saturday Night: Smithsonian Folkways has an uncanny ability to recognize that the connection between a group of songs is much more than stylistic. This one is an album of old school party music, but unlike today, even the party music had teeth.


5. De Novo Dahl - Shout: This record could make you get up and celebrate life even if you'd just lost your dog.


6. Tia Carerra - Heaven/Hell EP and You Are the War 7": Heavy and trippy. No current band is doing fuzzed out psyche better than Tia Carerra. (This is two records, but in their initial release, they came as a package.)


7. Titan - A Raining Sun of Light and Love for You and You and You: Titan puts the rock in progressive rock, correcting the errors of their predecessors.


8. Long Distance Calling - Satellite Bay: Whether you like the term post-metal or not, these guys are one of the subgenre's most adventurous bands.


9. Building the State - Faces in the Architecture: It's as smart as math rock without being too smart for its own good.


10. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles - Diamonds in the Dark: Sarah Borges recognizes that the road to the roots of rock n roll isn't the express train back to Hank Williams.


11. Pomegranates - Two Eyes: This off-kilter indie pop EP is both gentle and jarring at the same time.


12. Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water: Concept albums can be scary, but Thrice not only nails the concept, but stretches out musically and fulfills their early potential.


13. Avett Brothers - Emotionalism: The Avett Brothers get lumped in with a thousand other Americana bands, but it's their eclecticism that makes them stands out.


14. Hanoi Rocks - Street Poetry: After watching the genre they pioneered implode on itself and then make a mockery of anything that was good in its heart, Hanoi Rocks return to show not only that they were one of the few great glam bands from the 80s, but that they can actually play in that decimated genre with heart.


15. The New Dress - Where Our Failures Are: Billy Bragg is clearly an influence on their music, but also on their hearts.


16. Papermoons - 7" EP: This is a short one, but the songs were so perfect and moving.


17. Awake and Alert - Devil in a Lambskin Suit: Maya Peart's voice is amazing and behind it is music that's every bit as good.


18. Papertrigger - Riot Lovers: Papertrigger make their dark, seedy cabaret tunes rock in the truest sense of the word.


19. Towers of Hanoi - Paranoia for the New Year: They're as challenging as the best post-hardcore, yet as accessible as a hard rock band.


20. 31 Knots - The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere: Despite being almost completely devoid of hooks, this album walks the fine line between pop and insanity.


21. White Stripes - Icky Thump: What amazes me about the White Stripes is that they keep finding things that work and then push on to something new. They're never satisfied and yet they never fail to please.


22. Paschall Brothers - On the Right Road Now: This Gospel album isn't just R&B that sees the Light, it's a conversion experience.

There were many other releases that also deserve mention. Grayceon's self-titled album created prog that was oddly full of emotion. Magnet School's Tonight We Drink... expanded U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky" into a whole album without seeming like some music geek experiment. The Chesterfield Kings' Psychedelic Sunrise and Len Price 3's Rentacrowd both revived the 60s garage sound without being stuck in nostalgia. A self-titled 7" from Street Smart Cyclist picked up where the Minutemen left off. Picastro created a friend for the sad times with Whore Luck. The beautiful dissonance of Thrushes' Sun Come Undone was a strong contender as well. Even the Gypsy Pistoleros, a band working in the long played out glam genre, made quite a splash with their Latin-flavored sleaze rock. All in all, I'd say it was a fine year for anyone willing to look beneath the surface and find the other stuff that's out there.

Check out some other Best of 2007 lists:
Axeman
Bring Back Glam
Hard Rock Hideout
Heavy Metal Addiction
Heavy Metal Time Machine
Imagine Echoes
Layla’s Classic Rock Faves
Metal Minute
Raise your Fists
Rock of Ages

This one's a little different, because it's not made up of albums that came out this year, just ones Chuck reviewed this year:
Pratt Songs

The Worst of 2007

While I heard a lot of really good music in 2007, the year wasn't without its clunkers. Let's get them out of the way today and be free to enjoy the best 2007 had to offer tomorrow.

5. Mountain - Masters of War:

Why does Leslie West think Bob Dylan needs Mountain to prove his relevance? After this disaster of an album, one thing is completely clear: Mountin is NOT relevant.

4. Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque:

It was a bad year to do Dylan covers. Bryan Ferry commits an altogether different set of crimes against Mr Zimmerman and the results are even worse.

3. Superdude - Pothead Punk:

Spending time on the periphery of Andy Warhol's crowd 40 years ago doesn't necessarily translate to good music. In Superdude's case, it translates to crap.

2. Supagroup - Fire for Hire:

Isn't it bad enough that AC/DC is stupid and boring? Not in Supagroup's mind. They thought it was necessary to regurgitate Angus and company, only duller and dumber. This is perhaps the most moronic record I've ever heard. Maybe it would have been better if they'd spent more time writing and less time fantasizing about underage girls. Probably not.

1. Queensrÿche - Take Cover:

I really struggled with the number one spot. How could anything be worse than Supagroup after all? I think what put Queensrÿche over the top though is that they should have known better. Supagroup is a bunch of dummies, but Queensrÿche, despite years and years of soulless music, should have known better. Even for them, these covers are amazingly heartless and show no real understanding of the songs.

(Dis)Honorable Mention. Sebastian Bach - Angel Down:

While this isn't quite among the dregs of 2007, it was perhaps the year's most disappointing. I had read several good reviews and was expecting it to be decent. Instead, it was just s thin shell of an album and failed to live up to even my limited expectations. It seemed okay on first listen, but when I tried to really dig into it, there was nothing inside.

So, there you have it. The year's worst. Stop by tomorrow for a more positive list that better suits my sunny disposition!