favorite music of 2008

[Cruelty]

so 2008 is coming to a close, and i figure now would be a good chance to ask what your favorite albums of 2008 were!

on top of your favorite albums that were released this year, i thought it'd be cool to ask what albums you were into that may have been out for any length of time, but which you hadn't heard until this year. also you could toss in a few tracks you think stand out on the album to make it extra awesome <3

my favorites this year:

Ra - "9th"
goa trance! '9th' was undoubtedly the coolest goa trance album of 2008. everything was super oldschool with a modern productions standard, and a great egyptian pharaoh kinda vibe. i doubt any of you guys are into this kinda music tho :{

standout tracks:
"octagon"
"expand consciousness"
"time current"


ferbi boys - "dizzy factory"
full-on trance; 'dizzy factory' is really quirky full on. its SO quirky, in fact, that it kinda gives off more of a suomi trance vibe. this is probably one of the most original-sounding full-on this year.

standout tracks:
"cops"
"drug n base"
"guitar heroes"


taylor swift - "fearless"
yeah so probably nobody here likes this either. its allegedly country-pop, but i think the label is kinda bogus. the reason this album was so cool for me was that it reminds me of the folkish alternative pop of the 90s that i love so much. you'd also not expect an album from such a young girl to be this mature (not like explicit, but rather its not all girly and silly/childish). it actually sounds like a serious effort, and it contains a surprisingly little amount of 'filler' for a mainstream 'country pop' album. in fact i like all of the songs quite a bit!

standout tracks:
"hey stephen"
"tell me why"
"fearless"


honorable mentions (aka i dont feel like typing up details about them!)
dragonforce - "ultra beatdown"
pandemonium - "Muinomednap"
wizack twizack - "dead end"
boondox - "krimson kreek"



older albums which i discovered this year;


john mayer - "room for squares"
so i loved this album. up until this year, i'd never even really payed much attention to john mayer. i always wanted to give him a listen, but i never did. until recently. room for squares if probably one of the most solid album i've ever heard. every song is just really really good, and consistent. zero filler. lots of diversity in the sound throughout the album, and just very likable!

standout tracks;
"neon"
"my stupid mouth"
"83"


devil sold his soul - "a fragile hope"
i think this as released in 07? didn't miss the margin by much, i guess! anyway, i liked this album a lot. i can listen to this on repeat for several hours before wanting to hear something else. the screams are awesome, the long ass droning guitar chords are awesome, the sparse drumming.. its all really cool to hear. the songs aren't very diverse, but it doesn't seem to hurt this style of music at all.

no standout tracks as i dont even know the track names, nor do i pay attention.


the order of the fly - "an exquisite state of decay"
horror punk. REAL horror punk, and not just silly psychobilly (dont get me wrong, that stuff is cool too). the order of the fly is like borderline hardcore punk/metal, but mostly just hardcore punk. the dudes vocals took some getting used to, but the music was too awesome to be turned off by his odd vocal style.

unfortunately, i dont know the tracks by name, other than 'burn the witch' and 'succubus'. :{ burn the with is awesome tho.





so what were you guys into this year?

 

[Anonymous]

i didn't really have internet for most of this year so i'm TOTALLY OUT OF THE LOOP with new music goddamn

released this year
EARTH, "The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull"
okay so i love Earth they are probably my FAVORITE BAND EVER aide from maybe The Number 12 Looks Like You and mùm. this album is pretty much the coolest thing ever. think COUNTRY MUSIC and gospel and shit but instrumental, really slow, and really heavy without being metal. it is the most badass thing i love the direction they are going in. it's cowboy twang and rhodes and fuzz and ambience and DESERT i am not sure what else to say.

notable tracks
fuuuuuck all of them. if i had to pick a few "Omens and Portents I: The Driver", "Rise to Glory", and "Hung from the Moon" are probably the strongest, but they're all really tight there's not a weak track on this album!!

EMFRIK, "Respite EP"
this is a really good album! it's glitchy ambient hiphop shit that is also free to download download it now you have no excuse not to download it. it sortof feels like i am BIASED or whatever because i know the dude but really it is an amazing album and probably my favorite release overall this year. get it!!

notable tracks
"First Fiddle", "Letters Home", and "And They Flew".

stuff i've gotten into
STEVE BURNS, "Songs for Dustmites"
this has been out for a long time but i never really got around to checking it out until a few weeks ago and goddamnit i wish i'd gotten it sooner it is an amazing album. it's INDIE, which i've never really been big on, but it's really good. it's STEVE, the old host of blue's clues, so i was sort of expecting KIDS TUNES or gimmicks or something but no this is a really solid, mature release. it reminds me a bit of Lightbulb Sun-era Porcupine Tree at times and Elliott Smith at others. check this out it is really really good.

notable tracks
out of all of them, "Mighty Little Man", "What I Do On Saturday", "Stick Around", and "A Reason" are probably my favorite tracks.

 

[Grathea]

OK, bunch of stuff.

This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That by Marnie Stern
I've been a fan of Stern since I heard In Advance, her last album. So I was excited to hear about this. And a lot of the same stuff from before has been carried through, but she's gotten better and learned when to relax - some songs, including 'The Package Is Wrapped' and 'The Devil Is In The Details' are actually pretty mellow, comparatively, in terms of guitar, which is nice.
Basically, This is it... is an AWESOME album, and it's really redefined my faith in the indie community. She's got some wicked guitar playing, especially in 'Roads? Where We're going We Don't Need Roads' and 'The Crippled Jazzer', and the vocals are pretty cool, albeit a bit screechy.
notable tracks
They're all pretty good, but I'd have to pick The Crippled Jazzer and Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads as my favorite two.

Ladyhawke from Ladyhawke
Hey, remember the '80s? This album is RIFE with evocations of the '80s sound, and that's a good thing. This is one of the better pop albums I've heard, and that's saying something.
notable tracks
'Magic', 'Paris Is Burning', 'Manipulating Woman' and 'Another Runaway' dominate this album for me. But the whole thing is all pretty neat.

You Are My Biggest Fan by Letters Lost
I really like this album. Some neat stuff.
Notable tracks
'Wish', 'A Million Times Before', 'All For Free' and 'Eastern European Girls' are definitely the best tracks of this album, but like above, the rest are all worth a couple plays too.

 

[Mundane]

As for stuff released this year, only Russian Circles new album Station. In my favorite genres of music it was a dismal year of alternative rock that all sounds the same and has plain boring lyrics.

 

[Anonymous]

whoa what russian circles put out a new album?? fuuuuuuuuuck

 

[Justice]

Ladyhawke from Ladyhawke

yeah that's a decent album actually, didn't think she'd top Back Of The Van or Paris Is Burning but it's pretty neat in all, it's actually been a really good year for Modular considering they're basically bankrupt atm

one of my favourite albums this year was Metronomy's new one, it's a concept album about a crap night out which is brilliant in itself, and every song on it is a little colourful pop gem
i'd recommend the singles of this album of which there were many, particularly Heartbreaker and Radio Ladio although it's all good

my favourite track this year was possibly this, it's amazing

 

[second_crimson]

2008 albums that rock (in my humble opinion):


Circus by Britney Spears
A great dance album with only a couple duds. A definite step in a good direction for Miss Spears.

Favie Tracks: If U Seek Amy, Kill the Lights, Womanizer

The Fame by Lady GaGa
A fusion of so many different styles and yet unique in its own right. Like Roisin Murphy on crack, Lady GaGa sets up some really awesome beats with some amazing vocal styling. Her voice is like an additional instrument in addition to a vehicle for lyrics.

Favie Tracks: Poker Face, Just Dance, Starstruck

Fight with Tools by Flobots
Technically released in 2007, it was re-released in 2008 so I SAY IT COUNTS. The Flobots are an amazingly fresh hip-hop group with thought-provoking lyrics and every song is unique and full of flavour. The message might not be everyone's cup of tea, but the catchiness should be enough for even the most conservative listener.

Favie Songs: Combat, Handlebars, Mayday!!!

 

[Grathea]

Agreed, Flobots are some cool shit, but I'm not all that sold on Circus and The Fame - they seemed somewhat blah to me.

 

[Cruelty]

aside from what secondcrimson posted i have no idea who you guys are talking about . i feel like im in this thread illegally D:

lady gaga has decent music but that chick looks ROUGH when shes not super dolled up :crazy:

i was actually thinking about giving circus a listen, also. i like the new euro-club techno style that pop singers are adapting. is the rest of circus like womanizer at all?

 

[Anonymous]

you should check out emfrik i think you might like him!!

 

[Cruelty]

i actually downloaded it yesterday but i haven't listened to it as i've been spamming cheesy pop music for 3 days :0
i always get around to it soon enough tho!

 

[Terry Maker]

Santogold - Santogold

Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

El Motor - El Motor

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

Metallica - Death Magnetic

Protest the hero - Fortress

Estelle - Shine

Does It Offend You Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into

 

[Dark_linis]

Mindless self Indulgence - IF

N.E.R.D- Seeing sounds.


I think those were my favs for the year.