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Ben's End Of The Year (Part 3)

Well, I've been agonizing over this list much more than necessary. I've finally reached the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to do a top ten, and am switching it to a top five plus a boatload of honorable mentions. There were a ton of records I really enjoyed this year, but not many that really compelled me through and through. There's something a bit intangible that really gets me about these, more so than the rest of the contenders.

Anyhow, about my favorites:

1. Great Vengeance And Furious Fire
by The Heavy
Hands down, my favorite of the year -- despite the fact the release date is a bit of a grey area (as I understand things, it came out at the end of 2007 in the UK, and super early 2008 in the US). Nevertheless, I have listened to this album more than anything else this year, and I just do not tire of it. I started listening to it early in the year when we got the promo in at Ear Candy. I listened to it a ton this summer -- it became one of my default make-me-feel-good records. As the year closes out, I can still listen and still fall right into the fantastic dirty-garage-soul vibe.
Great Vengeance... is a goddamn sexy record. It sweats cool and swagger and sex without simply feeling exploitative. In part, I'm sure it's related to the way in borrows from 70's soul. It may talk a little coy and dirty to you, but it doesn't make you feel gross in the process -- which is a nice change of pace.
Part of the reason it has had such longevity throughout the year is that it doesn't just stick to one note. It'll go from head-bobbing tracks, thick with horn stabs and dirty guitars, and then drift into the slow and soulful. One could make the argument that The Heavy owe a little bit to Gnarls Barkley -- despite making very different records, there's a common ground in their production techniques, walking a fine line between retro and modern.
Bottom line, this record makes me feel good, and there's a hell of lot to be said for that.

2. Santogold
by Santogold
You may have noticed that a hell of lot of records that do not appear in my top five have cover art that does not feature anyone spewing glitter, whereas Santogold's self-titled debut does. Coincidence? Possibly. Don't rule it out as a factor, though.
I've spent a fair amount of time debating the spot of this album, and as a result of said consideration I've been spending a ton of time with the album again. Much like CSS' Donkey, the more I re-listen the more I love it -- enough so to bump it to the number 2 spot this year. I keep finding new things to latch on to. It's really a surprisingly diverse record. It seems to me that most of the hype she received was a result of the track "Creator" -- basically, because it's a track that screams "Hey, I can do M.I.A. at least as well, if not better than M.I.A. herself." That's true, and I even like the track, but frankly it's nowhere near the high point of the record. In fact, the B-side of the "Creator" single is album opener "L.E.S. Artistes" which plays like a New Young Pony Club track with a slower vibe. That's followed by "You'll Find A Way" which is sort of like a harmonious blend of The Police and Blonde Redhead. I initially tended to think of the album as a bit top-heavy, with the first half being stronger than the end, but that's not true. It's that I liked the vibe of those early songs so much, that I would sometimes forget about how good it it is when the tone switches to the flighty pop of "Lights Out" or the slow and dirty electro-fuzz of "Starstruck" or the Pixies-esque bassline that drives "I'm A Lady." There's just so much done exceptionally right on this record.

3. Microcastle
by Deerhunter
Cryptograms and the Flourescent Grey EP made my list last year -- perhaps, in retrospect, something that wasn't exactly deserved. It was on the strength of the EP, which was better than the full-length, as well as an awesome live show that really sold me. When I actually listen to Cryptograms, I like it a just a little less than I think I do when I'm not listening to it. However, Microcastle is solid start to finish, and really builds on the promise showed by Deerhunter. I often hate when this word is used, but it's definitely more accessible than past releases. I'm not sure that I have all that much to say about it, to be honest, other than "Yup, this is a fuckin' damn good record." Not so eloquent, but that's just going to have to be good enough.

4. Dear Science
by TV On The Radio
I know this is on most of our lists, and is probably a shoe-in for the vast majority of best-of lists that will appear in the press. As such, I don't feel I need to say too much about it. I'm still getting fully aquainted with the album, though I'm definitely comfortable enough to put it on this list. (It's not just peer pressure!)
I will say that as of late I've been just obscenely obsessed with the track "Love Dog" -- the delayed rhodes; the opening vocal "ooooooh" melodies; that moment where the horns first come in; the build into chaos... fuck... I love so many songs on this album, but there's something about "Love Dog" that catches my attention. It's lonely and beautiful and wintery and intense. Perhaps my affection for it does not say good things about my own mental state.

5. Donkey
by CSS
I was, I suppose, a little bit late to the party on CSS -- in part avoiding their 2006 debut because I couldn't dodge the huge amount of press it got. I know... it's snobby bullshit, but so it goes. When I finally gave it a real listen, I was drawn in. Even after I had fallen for it, I wasn't quite sure exactly why. Sure, "Alala" was a hot track, but CSS still felt like a guilty pleasure.
Nonetheless, I was excited when I heard they were doing another record.
I was surprised, though, when the first track that was leaked from the album was "Rat Is Dead (Rage)" -- loaded as it is with guitar hooks that seemed like they wouldn't be out of place on some girl-fronted alternative band from '97. Funnily enough, I actually quite dig the song now, but at the time I definitely was surprised, and fairly unsure of what to think. So, I put off giving Donkey serious listen when the album was released -- which was a mistake because, when I finally gave it a chance, it became clear that it was, in fact, immensely better than their debut. It just keeps growing on me more and more.


Alright, and now for the Honorable Mentions:

The Matador Singles '08
by Jay Reatard
This would have, no question, been in the top ten if I had decided to make a top ten. In fact, it was fighting pretty hard to be in the top five, but ultimately I had more to say about the other records. Please, Markley... still love me.

Volume One
by She & Him
Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward. Who knew it'd be so darn good? I don't even like M. Ward on his own, and I'm always skeptical of music projects by actors or actresses. Yet here comes this quirky and sweet throwback to the 60's. I'm surprisingly fond of this record.

Lightbulbs
by Fujiya & Miyagi
I continue to love Fujiya & Miyagi and that's that.

Antidotes
by Foals
Listened to it a lot. It cribs a bit from Q And Not U, but so what?

Third
by Portishead
Took ya long enough, but hot damn.

Made In The Dark
by Hot Chip
Might be rated higher if only it didn't take "Out At The Pictures" a minute forty-four to start to get good. But it does take that long, and I'm petty.

Worldwide
by The Death Set
"Motherfuckin' Death Set! Motherfuckin' Death Set!" Absurdity. I love this record far beyond what reason dictates.

Stainless Style
by Neon Neon
Tied with Dykehouse for the gayest thing I love this year -- which is funny on less-than-or-equal-to two levels.

Crystal Castles
by Crystal Castles
Oh, if only this record was edited down just a bit... When it's on point, it's one of my favorite records of the year, but when it misses -- which happens just a bit too often -- I get frustrated. If I was doing a list of best hooks and loops, this might be way up there in the running for the top spot.

Oracular Spectacular
by MGMT
I feel like we're all supposed to be molecules within the wave of hipster backlash, or maybe we were never supposed to even like this record in the first place. It's a record that emphasizes just how much the grey area between indie and mainstream (stylistically, at the very least) has grown. It also is a reminder that I have absolutely no need to spend time contemplating what that grey area means. Anyhow, I've listened to this record a hell of a lot this year, and, it's still damn good -- or at least, the first two thirds of it are. It definitely falls apart a bit towards the end. It's going to be interesting to see what they do in the future. Perhaps they've got more fuzzy keyboard hooks and psych-weirdness that'll be worth not being too cool for.

Ben's End Of The Year (Part 2)

Really... I'm almost done with my list.. but while I put the final polish on it, here's part two of the miscellaneous bullshit:

11. Worst Album That I Secretly Hoped Would Be Actually Awesome -- A Hope That Stemmed Solely From My Love Of The Song "Le Disko" -- That, Thank God, I Didn't Buy On A Whim, Because Wow, It Really Is Just Awful:
Season Of Poison
by Shiny Toy Guns
Sigh. Oh, "Le Disko," at least we'll always have each other.

12. Absolutely Most Useless Guest-Drop Within An Unnecessary Remix Included On A 25th Anniversary Re-Issue:
(Tie)
Fergie on "Beat It" from Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition)
&
Kanye West on "Billie Jean" from Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition)
Why did these things happen? Why?

13. Stupidest Remix Move Apart From The Atrocities Listed Above:
"Paper Planes (DFA Remix)"
by M.I.A. (and, you know, that James guy that kinda looks like Markley)
Why in the name of fuck would you take the gunshots out of the chorus? Seriously? The chorus doesn't even make sense without them. I know, I know... who fucking cares anymore? We've all gotten absurdly sick of the original song anyway, but still. It's so clearly phoned in that it gets under my skin a bit.

14. Favorite Guilty Pleasure:
You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
by Does It Offend You, Yeah?
There was no doubt when this came out. It was a fun record but not a brilliant record. But hey, sometimes you don't take a record home to meet the family -- doesn't mean you can't have some fun some night when you're both drunk. There's no denying that "We Are Rockstars" and "Let's Make Out" were great spring flings.

15. Artist Who Desperately Needs To Wait Until 2010 To Put Out Another Record So They Can Really Get It Right, As Opposed To Releasing The Merely Okay Skeletal Lamping:
Of Montreal
Yeah, Skeletal Lamping's okay. Not bad. Not great. Take a year off, Kevin. We get the Bowie thing you're doing, and it's cute and all. If you have a power animal, imagine it constantly whispering "Substance over spectacle."

16. Album That, While It Is Totally Good, I Can't Get Excited About Putting In The Top Ten, Or Even The Honorable Mentions, Mainly Because It Just Feels So, So Much Their First Record -- And Also Happens To Have A Really Dumb Title:
Directions To See A Ghost
by The Black Angels
Man, I loved Passover so much, and accepted that The Black Angels (much like fellow pysch-rockers Vietnam) were not really setting out to break any new ground. That's all well and good. But, for reasons I can't explain, I can't seem to get excited about their follow-up. I still intend to buy a copy on vinyl one of these days, but... I dunno... it just doesn't excite me at all, and I've spent most of the time since it was released forgetting that it exists. Also, it happens to have a really dumb title.

17. Artist Who I Feel Compelled To Hate On Some More:
(Tie)
Fleet Foxes
&
Vampire Weekend
God, I hate you both so much.

18. Stupidest Use Of Alliteration In A Band Name:
Fleet Foxes
Plus, it's the dumbest use of F's since the Foo Fighters.

19. Stupidest Use Of Vampires In A Band Name, As Well As Stupidest Use Of The Second Word In Said Band Name Happening To Start With The Letter That Consecutively Follows The Letter That Begins The First Word Of The Band Name:
Vampire Weekend
Yeah, take that. Fucking boat-shoe wearing dicks.

20. Length I Was Willing To Stretch For That Last One:
Fairly far, it appears.
Yeah... well... yeah.

Ben's End Of The Year (Part 1)

Christ, is it really time for the end of the year wrap up already? I mean, on the one hand, thank god, because it means this year is nearly over. On the other, I feel as though a myriad of events and dramas have managed to get in the way of enjoying that much about this year, including music. Even as I write that, though, I can't escape the fact that what I've just written isn't exactly true -- it just feels like it is at moments. That's a bit backwards, I know. It's just part of the way the brain can sometimes stubbornly (it seems) get odd, particular facts wrong -- like those words that you always, always misspell; or singing the wrong lyrics to a song because it's how you first heard them.

Anyhow, since everyone else is beginning to weigh in on this, I thought I'd take my turn. I'm still finalizing my top ten, so before I get to that, I present the following miscellaneous bullshit:

1. Best 12-Inch Single That Should Have Been A Precursor To A Full-Length, But Said Full-Length Did Not Materialize:
Day 'N' Night B/W Dat New New
by Kid Cudi
Seriously... those two tracks are the fucking jam, but where's the rest? Gimme gimme gimme.

2. Worst Mainstream Single And Worst Music Video, Which It Will Be Good To Forget About Entirely:
"4 Minutes"
by Madonna
How many crimes against humanity does this video commit? You be the judge:


3. Track That Was Pretty Decent But Totally Should Have Been Better, Because It Definitely Fell A Bit Short Of Being The Jam:
"Run (I'm A Natural Disaster)"
by Gnarls Barkley
So close, and yet...

4. Album That I Really Should Get Around To Listening To Before The Year Closes Out:
Best Pyramid
by These New Puritans
Literally haven't heard a single second of this, but y'all seem to like it a bunch.

5. Album I've Simply Got To Say Something About:
Feed The Animals
by Girl Talk
The more I listen to this, the more problems I find. It's got moments where it's strange combinations are truly brilliant, but if I start analyzing it with any depth, the holes become apparent. Sometimes the schizophrenia just isn't that smooth -- one section goes to the next often just on the basis of matched BPMs but with no other genuine connecting thread. Perhaps, it's just having heard it so much that it's easier to pick apart the flaws, and one can certainly make the argument that it's rarely a good idea to delve too deeply into a dance record. All I know is that it's not getting anywhere near my top picks of the year.

6. Album That, Upon It's Release In Just A Few Days, Will (Hopefully) Be The Last Straw Before We Collectively Turn Against Auto-Tuned Vocals:
808s And Heartbreak
by Kanye West
Seriously, can we be done with this trend? Yes, every once in awhile it can be cool, but for the love of fuck, knock that shit off already.

7. Favorite Vinyl Re-Issue Of The Year:
(Tie)
Signals, Calls, And Marches
by Mission Of Burma
&
Black Star
by Mos Def & Talib Kweli
I kept trying to work out a joke about the Mission Of Burma re-issue, some play on "That's when I reach for my revolver," but I couldn't make it work. I kept writing down "That's when I reach for my revolving credit line" and then staring at it and thinking "That's definitely not funny, but there should be some play on this concept that is funny." You know what's worse than just not being able to put a joke together that your brain, against all reason, believes should really work? Wasting all this space talking about it just because I don't really feel like writing anything about either of these fucking amazing records.

8. Artist Who, In Theory, Should Have Been Awesome, But Wasn't Actually Even A Little Awesome After All:
Hercules And Love Affair
What a suckfest.

9. Artist I'd Be Super Pleased To Have Disappear In 2009:
(Tie)
Fleet Foxes
&
Vampire Weekend
Double suckfest.

10. Artist I Hated Last Year, Then Began To Like This Year, And Am Now Back To Not Giving A Shit About:
M.I.A.
I hear her dad is a Onitsuka Tiger. What's that? Those are shoes, you say? Hmmm.... then what the hell kind of tiger is her dad?

top ten albums of 2008

some difficult decision making, yet the top five were all no brainers.  all i can say is despite everything else, it was a good year for music.  

1.  jay reatard- matador singles '08

2. no age- nouns

3. tv on the radio- dear science,

4. deerhoof- offend maggie

5. hot chip- made in the dark

6. deerhunter- microcastles/weird era continued.

7. wolf parade- at mt. zoomer

8. ponytail- ice cream spiritual

9. these new puritans- beat pyramid

10. dirtbombs- we have you surrounded

honorable mentions- (which were all fighting for the last two spots on the list, except king khan which would have been number two or three, yet it's previously released material so i didn't feel that was right)

king khan and the shrines- supreme genius of (best of)

crystal castles- s/t

girl talk- feed the animals

ratatat- LP3

foals- antidotes

cheap time- s/t

mae shi- HLLYH

hipsters....

read the adbusters' article linked below ...

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

i would write more but this might say it all.......

(also this is why i chose the name dead hipster for my music promoting co-op.....the whole thing was supposed to be a joke......)