Top Music of 2008

Now is the time to put in my two cents and lists for the top cds and singles for the year 2008. Towards the end of the year, I discussed with my fellow music friend Matthew out in San Francisco that 2008 would not go down as one of the best years in music, and that I was having trouble even coming up with 10 cds or singles to list. Oddly enough when I came to make my lists I found I had much more than 10 and expanded my lists to 25. In those lists I struggled to come up with a definitive order because there were so many cds that I really loved and hated having to place lower than they deserved. With that said, here are the lists.

Top 25 CDs of 2008

1. Deerhunter – Microcastle: I'm biased because they are from Atlanta, but aside from that this was the one cd released this year that I honestly listened to more than any other. Bradford Cox and company first came on my radar the year before with the confounding Cryptograms. That cd was split between ambient noodlings and more focused songs. The two sides never seemed to coalesce until the release of the Fluorescent Grey ep when it all made sense. Seen as a tryptic, the middle section bridged the two outer sections. A lightbulb went off. I bought Microcastle digitally before the physical release and unfortunately missed out on the extra cd Weird Era Cont., which apparently has the same effect as Fluorescent Grey, however, in this case, I don't think it is needed. Opening with a brief instrumental call to arms, Microcastle settles into "Agoraphobia" with its pleas to be left alone, either from the perils of fame or from some more personal affliction...the haunting lyrics saying "Come to me, comfort me, cover me..." It signals a more direct sound that doesn't let up over the course of the cd. My friend Matthew, who was more partial to Cryptograms, didn't like the simplicity of the new sound. I think it makes them sound tighter and more focused. The cd does have some faint traces of the ambient sound, but instead of trailing on for 5 minutes or so, they make their point and move on. Deerhunter showcase their new focus on several brilliant songs, "Never Stops," "Nothing Ever Happened," "Saved by Old Times," and "Twilight at Carbon Lake." By resisting the urge to throw in meandering passages, Deerhunter follow a distinct purpose and reinvigorate its sound, and makes it, for me, the best cd of the year.
2. Hercules & Love Affair – Hercules & Love Affair: I was not old enough to be around for Studio 54, but listening to this music makes me feel like I would have understood what all the commotion was about. Effortless updating of the disco sound, given heft by the otherworldly voice of Antony Hegarty. From the call to the floor of "Hercules Theme" to the haunting "Blind" through the sinister robo funk of "You Belong," Andy Butler (aside from being adorable) leads his band and us on a wonderful journey.
3. Portishead – Third: The cold, oppressive industrial beats opening lead single "Machine Gun" herald a new Portishead. No longer the avant-salon trip hop of Dummy or the blues from hell of Portishead, Third shows a band in complete control of their sound. "Machine Gun" hits like one. Beth Gibbons vocals wail from the depths of despair. It is frightening yet completely entrancing. Echoing krautrock, afro-pop, psych folk, and industrial music, all within the same song sometime, Portishead reinvent themselves again. Almost ten years passed between the last cd. I am already breathless thinking what will happen next.
4. M83 – Saturdays = Youth: The best pop record of the year. A soundtrack to a lost John Hughes movie. Grand, overwrought, petulant, romantic, starry eyed, and brilliant. Anthony Gonzalez knows what he is doing. Not a note out of place. What might have seemed, in lesser hands, a dated pastiche of 80s synths and drum kits, instead evokes nostalgia while all the while shooting forward to the future. Simply breathtaking.
5. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours: The second best pop record of the year. Taking a simple update of the New Order template and backing it up with killer hooks and melodies, Cut Copy transcended what could have been a bland genre exercise. A lot of credit should go to DFA's Tim Goldsworthy for focusing their sound and making it warmer and more inviting. Guitars sparkle, synths glisten, beats move your feet, and the choruses invite shoutouts. A DJ record that doesn't feel the slightest bit overdone.
6. TV on the Radio – Dear Science: Another TVOTR cd and more and more accolades, ho hum. Most of my friends who have listened to them have said that they are more a band to admire than to love. I could probably have agreed with that had they followed up Return to Cookie Mountain with a more densely produced cd. Instead, producer and band member David Sitek strips away the layers and layers of murk and sound and cleans everything up. Who knew that a cleaner TVOTR could be more immediate, more devastating, sexier, and funkier?
7. Robyn – Robyn: Ok, this cd technically came out three years ago but was never officially released in the US. I have both the import and domestic versions; it's that good and that vital. She richochets from rap, electro, synth pop, r&b, acoustic ballads and back again without taking a breath. My friend Matthew, who resisted her charms for so long, called me one day and told me that the song "With Every Heartbeat" had moved him inexpressibly. Robyn has that way about her.
8. Madonna – Hard Candy: My friend Chris and I were dancing at the Eagle one Saturday night and the music, while good, was not really bringing people to the dancefloor. A new song emerged from the previous song and I recognized the lyrics to "Give it 2 Me." Within seconds the dancefloor was packed and a sense of euphoria flooded the darkened room. I leaned over to Chris and said, "What would we gays do without Madonna?" Chris, as usual replied, "I'm saying!" That is all that needs to be said.
9. Bloc Party – Intimacy: Bloc Party's first cd Silent Alarm was a breath of fresh air a couple of years ago, a modernization of 80s post punk. I had strong expectations for the follow up Weekend in the City, and was surprised at how listless and affected it was. I basically gave up on them. Prior to this cd, they released a single called Flux which hinted at a new, more electronic based sound and it was, while not their best single, an interesting new direction. I had no intentions of purchasing this cd, specifically because of the mixed reviews it received. Something told me to get it and for a week I could not stop playing it. It is dense and oddly, for them, highly personal; a technological breakup record. Whereas before they would turn up the angular guitars, here several songs go by before any guitar makes an appearance. Half the songs seem like the band is hiding behind banks of keyboards and samplers trying to escape from the pain.
10. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles: I had this cd on at home one evening and a friend asked me who was bludgeoning an old nintendo game. The music is very minimal, brutal and confrontational but oddly catchy too. I'm not sure how this sound will translate over multiple releases; it would tend to wear. However, for this, their first release, it is stunning.
11. Flying Lotus – Los Angeles: The most densely programmed and produced electronic release of last year. Difficult and challenging with no real "songs" per se; more a series of moods and textures. You feel this cd coming through your speakers; a guest slithering across the floorboards. This is the type of record that feels effortless but obviously took painstaking time to craft. The type of record that makes you want to buy a synthesizer and sampler and get to work yourself.
12. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend: The most consistent release of 2008; each song is practically perfect. The trite comparision is of course to Graceland era Paul Simon, but it is much more than that. Nerdy, preppy, too educated for their own good, the boys you'd want to beat up on the quad; but their humor would snap the tension and get you smiling. An afro-pop Belle and Sebastian. Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma, indeed!
13. Santogold – Santogold: Remember in the 80s when artists used the long form album to showcase a variety of styles and not just one genre of music? You would go from rocker to ballad to reggae to dance track without blinking an eye. I miss those days. Santogold's first release reminds me of those times. It's not an 80s sound though; Santogold is too smart for that. It is definitely a modern record, but with endless variety.
14. Coldplay – Viva La Vida: Even I am bugged and annoyed by Coldplay, wishing sometimes they would just go away. Could a more wimpy band lay claim to biggest band in the world? Thank God for Brian Eno. Just what these wankers needed to jumpstart their sound. He broadened the sound and made them less insular. And catchier. Who would have thought?
15. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak: Yes, I realize this is probably the most polarizing cd of last year, and it nowhere reaches the brilliance of his first cds, but why did I keep playing it over and over and over? Lyrically it is not challenging and musically it is very minimal, in keeping with his decision to only use the outdated Roland 808 drum machine for the beats. But it is raw and unflinching, and quite honestly the most off the rails cd released last year. It's a train wreck, a car crash, an autopsy. You can't look away. Everything is summed up by the last lines of "Street Lights" in the most trite lyric of the year, but sung with such resignation you can't help but be moved..."Life's just not fair."
16. Lykke Li – Youth Novels: This year's Scandinavian breakout star partners with Peter, Bjorn, and John to create the most eclectic female solo release of the year. She moves effortlessly between kiss off songs such as "I'm Good, I'm Gone" and "Complaint Department" to songs about the pain and weirdness of love like "Little Bit." The music is practically perfect; no extra instrumentation where it's not needed, nothing missing.
17. Autechre – Quaristice: Since Confield, Autechre have drifted towards random, abstract beats. The programming wonders of Tri Repetae++ were left far behind and I wondered whether they would ever be able to grab my attention again. After the relative return to form of Untilted, Autechre returns to amazing form. Replacing the long form songs of past releases with a concise set of songs, few of which pass the 4 minute mark, Autechre revel in making their point and then moving on. Are there really two more gorgeous tracks released this year than the bookend tracks "Altibzz" and "Outh9X"? I think not.
18. Grouper – Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill: Liz Harris, the lone member of Grouper, creates hazy, Mazzy Star meets This Mortal Coil cum 4AD drone pop. Her earlier releases swallowed the songs in echo and reverb to the point of no return. The haze remains, however, the mix is corrected and allows her gorgeous melodies and ethereal voice to shine through. A lonely, forlorn cd, the music is a perfect accompaniment to a long drive through Pacific Northwest corridors.
19. The Mae Shi – HLLLYH: This cd was the evil cousin to Max Tundra's cd. Replacing British wit and theatrical musicality with American swagger, beat up Casios, and a brio worthy of Barnum and Bailey, Mae Shi finally met the expectations of their previous releases. The cd moves at a quick clip until the middle when, inexplicably, an 11 minute techno megamix of every song on the cd stops the process cold. It is a pure train wreck. But pure Mae Shi. Brilliant.
20. F**k Buttons – Street Horrsing: Many of my friends, upon listening to the majority of my music, dismiss it simply as "noise." Well, yeah, isn't most music just noise? It's what the artists do with that noise that matters. This Bristol, England duo manipulate, expand, contort, each sound and just plain turn up the volume. It reminds me of a more in your face Disco Inferno. One of the most exciting releases of the year, this cd always reveals a new avenue to me upon each listen.
21. Max Tundra – Parallax Error Beheads You: This album is the aural equivalent of a Looney Tunes cartoon. The musicality and wit blind side you at every turn. I will admit the first few listens left me dizzy and with a headache and no idea how to put my arms around it. Once you give in to it and stop fighting the urge to understand it and wrap it up with a nice bow, it envelops you and that smile on your face won't subside.
22. Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel: Bradford Cox, lead singer of my number one cd faves Deerhunter, again shows his chops with his first solo outing. The solo moniker allows him to indulge (and yes the cd is frequently indulgent, but never less than fascinating) in a more personal approach. The music is insular and haunting, and the lyrics frequently touch on expressions of being imprisoned either physically or within the confines of a body. A touching, emotionally frank release.
23. Air France – No Way Down: Light, airy and breezy sundrenched pop/electronica from Sweden. The appropriation of disparate elements into a fresh sound is consistently dazzling, as is the verbatim drawing from artists as diverse as Lisa Stansfield and Happy Mondays.
24. David Byrne/Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today: The one true surprise of last year. Expecting something akin to My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, I was taken immediately by the simplicity and catchiness of this record. Beautiful melodies and wonderful lyrics from Byrne highlight this wonderful release. Try to listen to "Strange Overtones" without singing the chorus at full blast. I dare you.
25. The Bug – London Zoo: Whereas Untrue, my favorite cd of last year from British dubstep artist Burial, was an inner sound world of lonely, dissaffected people facing cold, rainy streets and empty buses and metros, London Zoo is the polar opposite. A brutal, punishing world of tension and danger on every corner. A vital update of dancehall, ragga and dubstep.

Top Singles of 2008

1. Hercules & Love Affair – Blind: As catchy as measles.  A four to the floor masterpiece of energetic neu-disco.  Andy Butler and crew fashion a tight effortless single that would be simply great if not for the other-worldly vocals of Antony Hegarty who shoots the song into the stratosphere.  
2. Portishead – Machine Gun: A cold, relentless single grounded by one of the most intense, spare industrial drumbeats.  Beth Gibbons wails in her unparalleled fashion what appears to be a rant about a lover that has betrayed her, but it also seems to be a political song about a soldier who feels betrayed by his country.  Meaning aside, it is one of the most striking singles I have ever heard.  
3. Deerhunter – Agoraphobia: A haunting song about the need to be away from, most likely in their case, the overwhelming press scrutiny about the band over the past couple of years. A beautiful refrain has the singer begging "comfort me, cover me, come for me" and wishing to be in a 6X6 concrete cell away from his antagonist. The directness of the music is in contrast with previous releases where songs could meander for long stretches with no focus. As striking as when Sonic Youth reeled in their squall.
4. The Rapture – No Sex for Ben: The Rapture are truly subverting their sound at every avenue and turn. Beginning their career as a bland post-punk ripoff, they hooked up with the DFA and added a more dancepunk sound to critical acclaim. Moving even further away at this point, they have hooked up, oddly enough, with Timbaland. Whereas his work with artists like Madonna, Bjork, and Nelly Furtado sounded forced and clinical, his playful beats and percussion and ancient synth sounds mesh perfectly with The Rapture for this one off single. Not sure if they intend to further collaborate, but on the basis of this funky, riveting single, I sure hope so!
5. Crystal Castles – Crimewave: Nintendo electro. Pulling the sounds from audio cards from video games, then fashioning them into the most subversive, aggro music out there. Crimewave was relatively sedate compared to the other songs on Crystal Castles. Taking a similar approach from The Knife, CC pitch shifts and mangles the vocals into almost its own instrument. Another song that makes little to no sense lyrically, it is of little consequence in context of the ending product. Check out the 100s of interpretations of the actual lyrics on songmeanings.net. It becomes truly ludicrous.
6. Cut Copy – Far Away: The catchiest synth pop single of the year, with a driving beat and hooky synth line. Cut Copy were definitely my guilty pleasure of the year. Lyrically, I am not quite sure what they are singing about, but could be about a troubled relationship and whether or not there is enough between the couple to continue on. But who really cares what they are singing about when you have music this catchy.
7. Kanye West – Street Lights: Kanye West went through well documented tragedies last year with the death of his mother and the dissolution of his relationship. Instead of taking time to process these events, he undertook a grueling tour and releasing his most bizarre release ever. This song was a definite highlight from a cd that was dually frustrating and one of the most honest, bare boned expressions of loss and anger. "Street Lights" appears to be Kanye ruminating that he got caught up in his destination and did not take the time to enjoy the journey. He finds himself all alone, realizing his life is passing him by. The final line, sung with such poignant resignation, quietly states "Life's just not fair."
8. David Byrne/Brian Eno - Strange Overtones: By Byrne and Eno's standards, this is melodically the most simple song of either's careers. A song detailing the creative songwriting process, sung with abandon by Byrne. To me this song is about giving into the creative side of yourself and not thinking too much about it, just letting the mood and emotion carry you away. There is not another chorus last year that caused me to sing out at the top of my lungs.
9. M83 – Graveyard Girl: A throw back to new wave 80s pop a la Modern English, Psychedelic Furs, and the Mighty Lemon Drops. M83 provide the hit single to a never released John Hughes movie. A moving chronicle for anyone growing up misunderstood and lonely in their teen years.
10. Lykke Li – Little Bit: A beautiful song about stinging from a breakup and not wanting to get hurt again, but meeting someone else and not being able to resist that pull to fall in love. Lykke's voice is so small and quiet, detailing the pain she is in and giving into her feelings. An exquisite love song.
11. Robyn – Cobrastyle: If you require your songs to make sense, please steer very clear of this one. "I press trigger I don't press people button," "Anytime they ready punahussy start a war." Wah? And her performance of the song on Letterman, with her band members wearing oversized bear heads, gave new meaning to the term Dada.
12. Madonna – Give It 2 Me: Slinky, Neptunes production gives this Madonna single legs. Over the course of last year, I never saw another song bring a crowd to the dancefloor as quickly as this one.
13. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes: Using a new wave guitar, synth, drum, and bass line as a base, Santi Williams tells the tale of making it in the music business writing songs for others, and losing a sense of herself, and hoping that "it will be worth what I give up." She realizes that she will only be happy making music she wants to make. A beautiful song about finding your voice.
14. TV On The Radio – DLZ: Icy, cold, and sinister as hell. Slowly building from a sultry, trip-hop beginning and building into a swirling mass of drums, synths, organs, doo-wop background vocals, and wailing guitars, TVOTR evoke a world quickly spinning of its axis. A haunting centerpiece to their latest classic Dear Science.
15. Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma: "Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?" I just loved this song the first time I heard it. Poppy, preppy, snotty, and blue collar; the singer bemoans the fact that his girlfriend looks down on him and is embarassed because he is not upperclass like she. He eloquently rips her a new one.
16. Annie – Loco: Label troubles have kept Annie's follow up to Anniemal off the shelves. Annie, being the savvy internet diva she is, dropped several singles last year to whet her fans' appetites. "Loco" was my favorite. Using a "Blue Monday" beat and bassline, the song throbs and pulses while Annie coos about a lover that all of her friends say is too crazy for her, but drives her wild in bed. Just a fun song.
17. Flying Lotus – GNG BNG: Under a combo Indian tabla/Jamaican ragga beat, Flying Lotus weaves a hypnotic pan-international spell of dense beats and intricate electronics. Liquid and fluid you can drop some headphones on and be transported to a head bobbing inner world, or turn it up on the stereo for a booty shaking time. A highpoint on a brilliant electronic release.
18. Killers – Spaceman: Another song with probably multiple meanings. I take it as literally a man talking about being abducted my aliens. The metaphorical meaning, which can be many, is to me, a man who has dreams that seem a little out there and he is being told they are unrealistic and for him to put his feet back on the ground. He goes back to the normal existence but he "hears those voices at night sometimes" and wonders what life would be if he chased those dreams. Wonderful pop song with a great chorus.
19. Lady GaGa – Just Dance: No big meaning to this song. Just a killer hook and the proclamation that whatever your problem "Just dance, gonna be ok."
20. Coldplay – Viva La Vida: As infectious as the common cold. I wanted to hate it, but it kept creeping up on me. Damn you iPod commercials!
21. Bloc Party – Mercury: Featuring a pro-tools cutup of his singing "My Mercury's in retrograde," pummeling Chemical Brothers big beat drums, eerie sampled orchestrations, and a air raid style bass line, "Mercury" signals a new sound for Bloc Party. The lyrics have duel meaning, literally appearing to be a dissection of a new relationship and how astrologically it is not a time to be starting one, but the second more political meaning starts to appear, showing that narrator believes the world is in a state of flux and it is not a time to beginning anything.
22. Hercules & Love Affair – You Belong: Slinky and sexy, with a killer synth bass track. The song could have many meanings. The obvious one being a sexual meaning, that the narrator belongs to his lover and is powerless to overcome his feelings. It also seems to be about a dancer at a club letting himself go and being overtaken by the DJ, giving into the beats, the lights, the heat of the club. "You belong to him tonight. There is nothing I can do."
23. Sam Sparro – Black and Gold: Over a shuffling beat reminescent of "Tainted Heart," Sparro voices a quest for answers to his existence. He questions the existence of God and without proof wants to be black and gold like the stars in the sky and not to have to live life in fear. Sparro's soulful singing, touching lyrics, and minimal instrumentation capture a feeling that most of us have had at one point in our lives; pondering our existence amidst the vastness of it all.
24. Deerhunter – Nothing Ever Happened: The music is fresh and dare I say happy for Deerhunter, which is in direct counterpoint to the lyrics of the song, which appears to detail someone allowing life to pass them by, then something, be it a sudden illness or even sudden death takes them. "I never saw it coming, waiting for something, nothing." Perhaps the music is supposed to represent ignorance is bliss.
25. The Verve – Sit and Wonder: After a long hiatus, The Verve returned with Forth. First song on the cd is "Sit and Wonder" a welcome return to the swirling, shoegaze sound they started with on A Storm in Heaven. Backed by a Stone Roses-esque backbeat and druggy baseline, Nick McCabe sets his guitar effects on stun and lets loose with a bluesy squall. Richard Ashcroft lets his voice growl and swagger, detailing a relationship that is one sided on his part, lamenting that he is "falling into the black hole and I can barely feel the sun." I only wish the rest of Forth held up to the first song. I guess I can hope for the next release.