Top Albums of 2008 #s 11-20
Last week I listed my top 10 albums of 2008. There was an amazing amount of great music this year and some of these releases were very close to making the Top 10. Again, these are in no specific order.
The Damned – So, Who’s Paranoid? (English Channel)
The Damned’s best album since 1982’s Strawberries, this is a welcome surprise and return to form after 2001’s Grave Disorder. Despite having some fine music on it, that album was held back by some truly abysmal lyrics. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue on So, Who’s Paranoid?. It’s especially not an issue when tunes as strong as the poppy “Little Miss Disaster,” the anthemic opener “A Nation Fit for Heroes,” and the closing track, the over 14-minute epic “Dark Asteroid” (recalling the 17-minute “Curtain Call” on The Black Album) are present. Stylistically, this is much more like The Black Album and Strawberries than their early punk stuff, so fans of that period will rejoice!
Larkin Grimm – Parplar (Young God)
One of the most common things I’ve read regarding this album is that Larkin Grimm is “freakier” than other artists playing her kind of spooky, psychedelic-flavored folk. While it’s true that her background reads like a female DEVENDRA BANHART, the real reason to listen to this is because of the music. So yeah, while Grimm has a voice that’s at times terrifying and spooky, it’s a powerful instrument that can also express everything from fear and vulnerability to doom and foreboding, sometimes in the same song. As such, this isn’t for the faint of heart, as such songs as “Ride that Cyclone” and the opener “They Were Wrong” alternately take you on a whirlwind ride and break your heart.
Neil Halstead – Oh! Mighty Engine (Brushfire)
To be honest, I have a lot of catching up to do regarding Halstead’s back catalog, but after we saw him open for his label mates ROGUE WAVE over the summer, I loved his set and a few months later I picked up his new album and I love it. This is quite, hushed, introspective stuff that’s perfect for listening late at night or when you’re trying to wind down in the evening with a nice, hot cup of tea or hot chocolate. It’s even great dinner music and if at first it comes off as mellow and unassuming, it offers rewards upon multiple listens.
British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? (Rough Trade)
It’s interesting to note that unlike virtually all of the other British post-punk bands whose debuts have come out in the last five years, British Sea Power seem to be getting better with time. Then again, British Sea Power have been unlike all of those other bands from the start. Though they no longer don elaborate costumes or have plastic birds on the side of the stage, they remain committed naturalists, recently playing a show in a remote British countryside. In any case, from the opening, chanted “All in It” (which there’s a reprise of at the end), this album is a tour de force. Its inarguable highlight, though, is “Waving Flags”, a potent anti-nationalist screed. Nods to JOY DIVISION, early ‘80s ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN and others are apparent, though it never feels nostalgic or retro. It also nicely fuses the experimentalism of their debut with the stronger songwriting of their previous album, Open Season.
Spiritualized – Songs in A&E (Sanctuary)
I was disappointed in Spiritualized’s last album, 2003’s Amazing Grace, at the time of its release. Although I like that one more now than when it came out, I liked this one right away and I think it’s as strong as 2001’s Let It Come Down if not 1997’s incredible Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space.
Much has been made of the foreboding themes of songs such as “Death Take Your Fiddle” coinciding with leader JASON PIERCE’s near-death bout with advanced periorbital cellulitis. While that’s definitely a heavy presence here, there are also six tracks entitled “Harmony” (all inspired by the director HARMONY KORINE, for whose film Mr. Lonely Pierce wrote the score along with SUN CITY GIRLS). “Soul on Fire” is the “obvious” single, if you will, but others like “Sitting on Fire” and the aforementioned “Death Take Your Fiddle” are more affecting.
Be Your Own Pet – Get Awkward (Ecstatic Peace/XL)
It’s a shame that this band is no more, but at least they left with a great record before their demise. Coming off as a cross between YEAH YEAH YEAHS (a band they often get compared to, though not without some justification) and THE AVENGERS (my wife’s comparison, and it’s not a bad way to describe their sound), Get Awkward’s themes, much like those of their self-titled debut, concern food fights, lost friendships, fantasies of juvenile delinquency, and other tales of immaturity. The best track, though, is “The Kelly Affair,” which is a straight-up homage to the awesome 1968 cult film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
After their breakup, singer JEMINA PEARL promised that on her upcoming solo album, the themes will be more mature. While this is welcome and understandable, I just hope that she doesn’t lose the sense of exuberance and fun found throughout this record.
The Night Marchers- See You in Magic (Vagrant)
The latest project of JOHN REIS’ (i.e. SPEEDO) is an all-out scorcher. Tracks such as “Whose Lady R U,” “In Dead Sleep,” “I Wanna Deadbeat You,” and “And I Keep Holding On” are all snotty, ultra-catchy garage punk that’s even more potent live.
Robert Forster – The Evangelist (Yep Roc)
Although I love this record, I haven’t ended up playing it as often as I thought I would when I first got it. It’s not a case of quality. This is, in some ways, more like Forster’s old band THE GO-BETWEENS than any of his previous solo albums. Perhaps that’s because the influence of his late, great Go-Betweens partner GRANT MCLENNAN is felt deeply here, both in terms of lyrics he penned for certain songs and others that started out as his songs but were finished by Robert. There’s also a sense of mourning here and understandably so, as this was recorded quickly and only a year or so after Grant’s passing in May 2006.
She and Him – Volume One (Merge)
Perhaps the year’s biggest surprise, this is no vanity project for actress ZOOEY DESCHANEL. She can really sing, and it doesn’t hurt that the “him” part is M WARD, who produced and arranged this gorgeous, ‘60s inspired sunshine pop record.
However, it may surprise some to note that Deschanel herself wrote most of these songs, so perhaps she really is talented at anything she does or in multiple artistic mediums, unlike so many actors and actresses who moonlight in music and make hilariously bad records.
Nevertheless, when you listen to “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” and revel in its exquisite catchiness, you won’t really care.
Fujiya and Miyagi – Lightbulbs (Full Time Hobby)
Although I liked their 2006 debut Transparent Things, and although this album doesn’t vary at all stylistically from it, I like this one much more. I don’t know why, but the repetitive, Krautrock-like grooves in such songs as “Knickerbocker,” “Uh,” and “Pussyfooting” really jumped out at me when I first heard this.
While lyrically there doesn’t seem to be too much going on here, it’s so infectious, danceable and catchy that it doesn’t really matter too much.
