As I sit in my living room , General Hospital plays in the background, and further proves to me that nothing good comes from mid afternoon television . This lovely 4 ish hour break from class has given me time to contemplate which albums released in the last year gave me the willies ( in a good way ) . And yet , after much deliberation , I cannot come up with a definitive and ordered list . Instead of lying and giving a list in order , I scoured my last fm and came up with the albums i listened to the most and then made a list of five that stood out the most as a whole . This last year has been amazing in terms of new music so narrowing it down was very tough , but I managed . Without further adieu :Chris' super awesome 5 album list for 2008 (in no particular order )
Okkervil River-The stand ins
Will Sheff's beautifully extrospective lyrics built loosely around the concept of theatrics soars into a spot on my list for many reasons . Some might call Black Sheep Boy Okkervil river's magnum opus but this certainly gives it a run for its money . With wonderfully captivating tracks like lost coastlines and pop lie , Okkervil River take you on a journey that begins with 2007's the stage names ends and ends things on an exuberant note with the song bruce wayne campbell interviewd on the roof of the chelsea hotel , 1979 ( a mouthful I know ). Listen to this album , you sha'nt regret it.
Young Jeezy- The recession
This one gets my favourite rap release for this year . Stand out tracks include by the way , amazing , and Put on (featuring kanye west) . There is something about Young Jeezy that just gets me everytime . His lyrics are as raw as his flow and hes never compromising . On this record we hear the same old rap game , but unlike other artists , it almost seems effortless for him , because his entire being emanates truth and honesty . Eat your heart out lil wayne , this is by far the best rap album of the year (at least in my opinion) . Also check out back up in da chevy by boyz in da hood .
Woodpigeon-Tresury library Canada
Mark Hamilton's canadian folk project woodpigeon will definately be something big in the near future . With his sufjan stevens-esque voice and melodies , he and his band of loveable creatures(band mates ...all eight of them ) attracted , without a label , the likes of andrew bird and samuel beam, scoring opening spots on their tours . This album gets a nod on my list because of not only its staying power in my listening repertoire but its ability to take me away from all those ugly ugly things in world , returning me safe and sound at the end of the night . Noteable songs include cities of weather , and I live a lot of places .
Bon Iver-For Emma , Forever Ago
Well technically released in 2007 independently . Wisconsin's Bon Iver's wide released in 2008 debut album contains the best thinking music of 2008. Justin Vernon's brain child was written over 3 months in a remote cabin , and the time and heart put into it shows . The ability for mr vernon's songs to affect each person differently is more than enough reason to give it a listen , because I promise you wont get the same thing twice . I have listened to the same song on seperate occasions and it has evoked completely different feelings each time , something that seldom happens .
Mother Mother- O My Heart
Last but certainly not least on my list is BC's Mother Mother . If you listened to this show at all this year , chances are you heard Mother Mother on numerous occasions . There is no end to the amount of amazing things I can say about this album and band . To put it simply , Mother Mother's sophomore album O My Heart is leaps and bounds ahead of their debut Touch Up. Now you might ask "Chris, why the fuck does that matter ?" and I will tell you . Anyone who has listened to Touch Up knows how amazing of an album it is . Furthermore, very seldomly do bands follow up an amazing debut album (see Sophmore slump ) with an even better album . I would tell you which tracks stand out , but there isnt one . Each track is as good as the last . The pulsing base , the ethereal vocals, the near masterful guitar , its all perfect . In my opinion , Mother Mother have released the best album of the year hands down ( commence boos and death threats now ) .
There you have it , My top 5 albums of 2008 . This list was very hard to put together , because so many great albums were released this year . Honourable mentions include :Coldplay-Viva la Vida, Death cab for cutie- Narrow stairs, William Fitzsimmons- the sparrow and the crow , Joshua radin-Simple Times , Frightened Rabbit- the midnight organ fight, Broken social scene presents...Brendan Canning ,Lydia-illuminate , Margo and the nuclear so and so's- Not animal , and many many more im sure .
Take care true believers , and stay honest :)
Sincerly , Christopher <3
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