10. Thao (with the get down stay down) - We Brave Bee Stings and All & Katy Perry - One of the Boys
- I know what you're thinking -- what a cop out; two bands get to share the tenth spot on this list? Well, I wanted both of these albums to make it on the top ten, but I just didn't have the space for each to have their own spot
- We Brave Bee Stings and All and One of the Boys are two completely different albums, of completely different genres, but I stand by them because these albums are doing/did something incredible for music this year. Thao isn't just showing that the face of female fronted indie bands isn't just Jenny Lewis, she's also showing that Asian Americans know how to shake it. I know that gender or race shouldn't play a factor in judging someone's music, but I can't help but think Thao is doing something so monumentally big for Asian Americans, and women, in the music industry. We Brave Bee Stings and All is just so well crafted, a great sing and jam-a-long from start to finish. listen to: Beat, Health, Life, and Fire & Swimming Pool
- The same goes for Katy Perry and One of the Boys. Katy Perry's commercial debut shows the world of pop that our generation won't just be remembered by the overly processed mega hits of Britney Spears. No disrespect to Britney, but Katy Perry exudes something so much more, something so much more positive and raw for mainstream Pop music. Some people argue that Katy Perry and her music are obnoxious and trite, but I'm going to guess it's these same people who secretly sing and dance to I Kissed A Girl when no one's watching.
9. Joshua Radin - Simple Times
- Thematically, one of the most versatile albums of the year. It's the perfect "pick and choose" album for those who have the habit of listening to one song over and over depending on their mood. Whether you miss someone, or are in love, or are grateful for a friend, or have had a rough stretch but are ready to start over, there's bound to be one song on this album to help you out. It may not pan itself out like a book from start to finish, but think of it as a good compilation of short stories where chapters are best enjoyed not in succession but in intermittent bursts. listen to: One of Those Days, Sky [featuring Ingrid Michaelson], Brand New Day
8. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
- I think I'll just always have a soft spot for Snow Patrol. I've followed their sound change from Final Straw to Eyes Open and now to A Hundred Million Suns, and I've loved each album. A Hundred Million Suns came out while I was in London, and I can't even begin to count how many times I walked the streets or stood at the bust stop just listening to this album and busting out a kick or fist pump to a beat or two. Listen to: If There's a Rocket, Tie Me To It, Crack the Shutters, and Please Just Take These Photos from My Hands
7. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
- The best electropop album of the year. If Lights and Music doesn't get you to dance, I'm not sure what will.
6. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
- Girl Talk does it again! If I had the power to crown Greg Gillis the master of mash-ups, I would...I really would. My favorite track, Here's the The Thing, somehow gets McHammer, Blur, Kelly Clarkson, Rick Springfield, Chris Brown, and Three 6 Mafia to all magically make sweet musical love to one another.
5. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night
- I'll admit I was completely skeptical of this album even when it was getting all of its buzz. I'll even admit I bought it after all the hype (or maybe at the height of it). Maybe it's because I was only mediocrely impressed with their previous albums, or only mildly entertained by their show at the Wiltern that I attended a few years ago (really, to see Shout Out Louds open for them). Well, this album kicked me in the face and completely blew me away. Sex on Fire is probably the second best song that we jammed to in clubs at the UK, and Manhattan is probably one of my favorite songs released in the entire year. What can I say, "I like to dance all night".
4. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
- I know this was digitally released in 2007, but I like to think it was one of the best albums of 2008. Sex on Fire took the spot as second best song to dance to in the UK, because Kids obviously takes the top spot. That track makes the boys and girls go NUTS, and with good reason. I don't know what the hell lyrics mean, but I sing them anyway. The beats and melody are so damn addicting that the second the songs kicks in, you can't help but throw your fists in the air. With only ten tracks, honing in on a total of roughly forty minutes, the album is short and soso sweet. If you don't find something you like in Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, Kids, or Of Moons, Birds, and Milkshakes, then I really have nothing more to say to you.
3. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
- There are so many reasons this is one of my top 3 albums of 2008, but to avoid being verbose, it might be because Bixby Canyon Bridge, Cath..., Grapevine Fires, and Your New Twin sized Bed automatically joined the list of my all time favorite Death Cab songs, within my first few rotations of playing them. It might be because I Will Possess Your Heart has one of the most repetitive but addicting bass lines in Death Cab history. Or, maybe it's the fact that I love these guys to death, and they could put out steaming crap, and I would still buy it, love it, and support it like it's my job.
2. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
- The PERFECT sing and dance-a-long from start to finish. Lyrics are easy to remember, beats easy to jam to, and songs are lighthearted. I was fortunate enough to see these guys play the entire album (and some) in Seattle at the Capitol Hill Block Party, and it was nothing short of the bomb-diggity-bay...the music had people of all ages doing their own little jig, and that's always priceless. Listen to: Oxford Comma, M79, and I Stand Corrected. Actually, just listen to the entire thing: it's only 34 minutes, and I promise for those 34 minutes, you'll either be snapping, singing, dancing, or wiping a giant grin off of your face.
1. Colplday - Viva La Vida
- This takes the top spot for 2008 for so many reasons, and most of these reasons I've already written about before. So, even if I am taking the lazy way out, for my justification, please see me blog about Viva La Vida here.
With that said, I look forward to another great year of music in 2009!
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