The Post-Rockist continues its Third Annual Listgiving with a set of favorite records from our Bay Area correspondent Dan. For more, in case you haven’t already had more than you need, don’t forget to check out our earlier ‘08 lists:
Day One – Scotter
Day Two – E. Kula
Day Three – Amy
FANCY DAN’S 10 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2008
10. MGMT –Oracular Spectacular
Equally tongue-in-cheek and sincere at the same time, MGMT managed to craft an album that captures the spirit of being young. Every song on this record is catchy enough to be a hit, but there is a surprising amount of depth and feeling that lurks beneath the surface. On Oracular Spectacular, MGMT combined influences ranging from disco, glam, funk, psychedelia, electronica and rock, creating a sound where bits and pieces seem familiar, but as a whole it is totally unique. Their music proves that these guys know how to be adventurous and have a great time, but they are also serious about creating music with memorable melodies, convincing performances, detailed arrangements and ornate production, that will make this record hold up over time and will make MGMT an exciting band to watch in the future.
9. Santogold –Santogold
After initially being touted as a former A&R Rep who became an M.I.A. copycat, Santogold proved with her debut album that she has far more to her than any one-dimensional label could ever define. On her self-titled release, Santogold goes from genre to genre without skipping a beat as one minute she’ll be cooing over new-wave guitars, the next she’ll be belting at the top of her lungs over ferocious tribal beats, and then out of nowhere she’ll be doing a dub-inspired indie rock song. Even though there is so much variety in the songwriting and arrangements, somehow it all comes together as an album. Every song is filled with interesting rhythms, strong hooks, heartfelt vocals, and memorable melodies, making Santogold one of the most exciting new artists to watch just to see what she’ll come up with next.
8. Adam Balbo –Big Kid Now EP
“Big Kid Now” (buy / myspace)
Like a cross between Woody Guthrie and Eminem, Adam Balbo is an indie-folk singer who uses traditional melodies and phrasing, but sings about unsacred topics with irreverent humor and plays around with language in a way that would make most folk purists cringe. On Big Kid Now, Balbo sings with a child-like casualness that makes it sound like he’s making this stuff up on the spot, even though his lyrics are so cleverly constructed and the arrangements are well put together that this EP is certainly not as tossed off as it sounds. Rough around the edges in all the right places, Big Kid Now is focused and consistent in its vision as Balbo uses just a twangy acoustic guitar or a cheesy sounding keyboard, backed with minimalist drumming, to innocently describe the contents of his head. Like childhood, it’s random and profound and trivial and playful as he uses all kinds of 1980s references to Teddy Ruxpin, He-Man, Gremlins, and many more, which makes Big Kid Now the perfect soundtrack to growing up in 1980s America as well as just what it sounds like to be a kid.
7. Bob Dylan –Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8
The most recent bootleg series installment from the archives of Bob Dylan offers a fascinating look into Dylan’s late career rebirth that has resulted in some of his best music yet. Starting with 1989’s “Oh Mercy,” Dylan’s approach to songwriting shifted as he began to work towards making archaic music that blended forms of traditional American music into something that felt deeply rooted in the past, but that applies to the present as well. Tell Tale Signs offers a combination of demos, alternate takes, songs from soundtracks, and live performances from the past two decades that somehow make up a complete work that is surprisingly consistent and satisfying as an album, all while proving Dylan’s continued relevance in modern times.
6. Vampire Weekend –Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend’s schtick of being ivy league-educated young white boys in country club sweaters, who happen to have an affinity for African music, wouldn’t go very far if it weren’t for their ability to write such good songs. Their first full-length album plays like an amalgamation of Paul Simon’s Graceland and The Strokes’ Is This It, which works surprisingly well as Afro-pop hasn’t been combined with a punk sensibility too often before to this great of an effect. The drums and bass lock into a danceable groove while the clean electric guitar nimbly bounces around singer Ezra Koenig’s stream-of-consciousness vocals, where he muses on a variety of white boy topics that rarely make much coherent sense at all. At a mere 34 minutes, the album is a tight collection of songs with a consistently unique sound, making it instantly memorable and a total blast to listen to.
5. The Hold Steady –Stay Positive
This is the first Hold Steady record where I totally believe them the entire time. On Stay Positive the formula of power chords and sing-a-longs doesn’t change much, although they add some new instrumentation such as a harpsichord, banjo, and talk box, but the songwriting has gotten tighter and more heartfelt this time around. Craig Finn is more convincing and inspiring than ever as he offers up more tales about disaffected American boys and girls who go to shows, drink too much, get in trouble, grow older and are ultimately saved by the healing power of rock and roll. The album plays as a tribute to the saints of rock and roll who gave us hope and something to identify with when all our other heroes let us down. No other band making music today knows the gospel of rock and roll better than these guys.
4. Kanye West –808s & Heartbreak
In the tradition of the great breakup albums like Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks and Beck’s Sea Change, Kanye West made a minimalist, pain-filled record of raw emotion, that is an incredibly bold statement, especially coming from the world of hip hop. Instead of rapping in his usual style, Kanye chose to sing using the much-debated Auto-Tune effect, which makes his voice sound especially vulnerable, behind tribal beats made from the classic Roland TR-808 drum machine. It’s a pop art experiment that could have failed miserably if not for Kanye’s complete dedication to his craft and willingness to go to a place that few artists would dare to go. As a result, 808s & Heartbreak isn’t as immediate and classic-sounding as his other records, but over time it will hold up as being one of the most unique and effective things he’s ever done, especially in a time when no one in popular music is taking risks like this.
3. Lil Wayne –Tha Carter III
The summer of 2008 belonged to Lil Wayne as this album pushed him into the mainstream and proved that he has the talent to be the next Biggie or Jay-Z, but with a style that is entirely his own. Tha Carter III has a little something for everybody as it is Lil Wayne’s first official release after a long line of mixtapes and guest verses that built up his reputation enough to get people interested and gave him the chance to prove himself with a proper album. Everything about this record feels classic, from the cover art that is in the tradition of hip hop classics such as Nas’s Illmatic and the Notorious B.IG.’s Ready To Die, to the pacing and song choice, to the variety of traditional breakbeats as well as modern production techniques, and above all a flow that is refreshingly creative and endlessly appealing. Often times Weezy raps with such a charming effortlessness, that you wonder how he managed to create this good of an album, especially since he sounds high all the time, constantly cracking himself up and making up words and bizarre rhymes, but that is exactly what makes him so much fun to listen to.
2. TV On The Radio –Dear Science,
With their third full-length album, TV On The Radio have managed to enter a whole new plane of existence and have become one of the most important bands making music today, rivaling the high caliber of a band like Radiohead. Dear Science, is certainly their tightest and most accessible album yet, but surprisingly that doesn’t water their sound down whatsoever and only makes it more interesting as they explore new rhythms, melodies and textures within the conventions of pop songwriting. The production is as dense as always, but within their wall of sound there are catchy hooks, soulful vocals, funky guitar lines and unexpectedly danceable rhythms that make the songs instantly memorable in a way that they haven’t been able to do on their previous albums. It’s essentially a dance record that’s the perfect soundtrack for the end of the world as well as the dawning of “the golden age,” which brilliantly captures the strange ambivalence of 2008, a year filled with dread and hope.
1. The Walkmen –You & Me
After hinting at greatness with their past few records, The Walkmen have made their first masterpiece that is one of the most rewarding listens in recent memory. It takes time to get to know You & Me, but once you do, it is shocking how many layers of emotion The Walkmen have been able to tap in to. They’ve maintained their sense of musical experimentation that has been present in their past work, but now they’ve embraced subtlety, where the songs gradually sneak up on you instead of hitting you over the head. For a rock band, The Walkmen use a variety of unconventional instrumentation including waltz rhythms, weeping horns, spaghetti western whistling, odd guitar strumming patterns, wobbly keyboard playing techniques, and out-of-range vocals, all while not calling attention to these elements, but instead using them to benefit the mood of each song and the record as a whole. You & Me is a tribute to the kind of vulnerability and love that is only possible between two people and with this album, you’ll be honored to be able to be on the receiving end of a relationship with The Walkmen.
One Comment
I agree with about 2/3 of your picks; however, I would argue that Santogold’s album should be ranked a little higher than Number 9.