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Bears - “Never Have to Guess”
With it being the last day of the year and all, I guess it’s time to share my list of best albums from 2008. All of my top 5 albums have been featured on Tuneage at one point or another so I am forced to repeat an artist. I chose to re-share Bears because I don’t feel that I did them justice with my first post. This time around I went for the poppier “Never Have to Guess”.
So, with 2009 just around the corner, here’s my best of 2008 list:
- Bears - Full Length EP (previously on Tuneage)
- Koufax - Strugglers (previously on Tuneage)
- Dr. Dog - Fate (previously on Tuneage)
- Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing (previously on Tuneage)
- Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (previously on Tuneage)
Enjoy, and happy 2009!
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Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
For my top 5, I decided to take a note from Rob Gordan and go autobiographical. Each album in my top 5 represents a certain point during the year that was not only memorable, but also very fun. When I hear Saturdays = Youth, I remember bumming around the park when I should have been in class. Lil Wayne, Santogold, and Girl Talk were staples of every summer party on the beach. And as for Fleet Foxes, well, that’s personal. I’d actually be curious to see what everyone else’s autobiographical top 5 is for 2008, so reblog/comment and let us know.
I hope everyone has fun on New Years listening to great tunes and reminiscing about 2008. Here’s Russell’s Best of 2008 list:
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The Submarines - “Brightest Hour”
This song is so light and airy that the ethereal sound is all twinkling Christmas lights and snowflakes to me. “Brightest Hour” is two and a half minutes of twee bliss and The Submarines’ entire album definitely ranks among my favorites for the year.
In general, I was a bit underwhelmed by music in 2008. Maybe that’s my fault, as I had less time to dig for gems than I used to. That said the year’s standouts are exceptional and I especially found myself gravitating towards chick croons and synth-filled dance jams. So, here are my picks for the top five albums of the year, in no particular order:
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HEALTH - “Triceratops (Acid Girls Rmx A)”
Richard’s Top 5 Albums of 2008
Time for my best of 2008 list. This year saw me getting back into drum and bass, which made High Contrast’s fantastic Watch The Ride mix an easy number one choice. My other four choices, ranked in no particular order, are perhaps more expected and familiar to regular Tuneage readers. Here’s the full list.
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TV On The Radio - “DLZ”
2008 was the year that TV On The Radio finally fulfilled the raving of their fans and music critics everywhere with the release of Dear Science. Their third album was one that made everyone else finally get it: that there is this quirky band from Brooklyn that is breaking genres down and redefining rock bands.
Dear Science is hauntingly dark and angry in a “so bad but good hate-fuck” sort of way. That depth is backed by the right chords and emotional build up to make every song accessible for the size of audience TVOTR has always deserved. “DLZ” will give you a hint of everything you can expect from the band, and is by far my favorite track from the album.
Courtney’s Top 5 shapes up like this:
- TV On The Radio - Dear Science (previously on Tuneage)
- Metaform - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (previously on Tuneage)
- Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
- Bonnie Prince Billie - Lie Down in the Light
- Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (previously on Tuneage)
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Ponytail - “Sky Drool”
“Sky Drool” is from my favorite album of the year, Ice Cream Spiritual, by Ponytail, who were also named Baltimore’s Best Band.
Ponytail is completely unbridled, unpredictable, and aggressively fast. The band formed as part of a school assignment during which the members were randomly grouped together. Ice Cream Spiritual is a little shameless and animalistic, but I don’t mean any disrespect. Molly’s voice is sweet, yet kamikaze, and somehow her voice and spastic guitars converge into a durable sound that’s hopefully not too fast for you. If you want to know the lyrics, you’ll have to ask her because even the other members of the band only half know what she’s saying. I don’t think it really matters anyway because this band is really more about being in the moment.
You can check out Ponytail’s recent Daytrotter acoustic session; it sounds way different, but I think it’s one of Daytrotter’s most playful sessions.
So, with that out of the way, here are Heather’s top 5 albums of 2008:
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Beach House - “You Came to Me”
Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t we? It’s time for Tuneage to share our favorite albums of 2008, only we’d like to do it a bit differently. Tuneage discussed doing a single list of the group’s favorites, but ultimately decided that individual lists from each contributor would be more interesting. So, over the course of the next week or so, keep your eyes peeled for everyone’s lists, and feel free to tell us in the comments if you think we left something out or picked something you didn’t like. Anyway, enough with my yammering, on with the list!
Bill’s Top 5 Albums of 2008 (in no particular order)
- Beach House - Devotion
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Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (previously on Tuneage)
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Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (previously on Tuneage)
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She and Him - Volume One (previously on Tuneage)
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Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (previously on Tuneage)
Nothing particularly shocking in my top 5 if you’ve been following music this year, but I chose these albums because I was able to get something new out of each one every time I listened to them. And to me, that’s the mark of a great album.
