Albums of the Year

So yeah, most other people (like pitchfork) would do this in several segments; however, I thought of putting it up here a little too late, so I'm just doing it all as one big post: THE TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2008 (AND HONORABLE MENTIONS)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

-IN RAINBOWS - RADIOHEAD
The only reason this album does not make my top 10 was the fact that it was technically released last year. Yes, the physical copy was put out this year, but the actual music was released (legally, not leaked) in 2007. Sorry Thom Yorke and crew, it was still an amazing album.

-CHINESE DEMOCRACY - GUNS 'N ROSES
This album was painful. It hurt to listen to and made me cringe every time I heard Axl Rose's voice. The only reason this album gets an honorable mention was the fact that, with it's release, Dr. Pepper gave everyone in America a free Dr. Pepper. Since it is the greatest soda on the face of the earth, I had to mention this album somewhere.

-THA CARTER III - 'LIL WAYNE
This album is not so much good as it is catchy...I have realized that my musical tastes are far too white and this was my way of getting more "cultured"

-808S AND HEARTBREAK - KANYE WEST
see "Tha Carter III" review

-VIVA LA VIDA OR DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS - COLDPLAY
I've always wanted to like Coldplay. There was something about them that was appealing, something that I just couldn't put my finger on. This is the first Coldplay album that I can say I actually enjoyed...to an extent. There were many things wrong with it, but my desire has been quenched.

TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2008
25.ARM'S WAY - ISLANDS

24.MODERN GUILT - BECK

23.WATERSHED - OPETH

22.EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS WILL HAPPEN TODAY - DAVID BYRNE AND BRIAN ENO

21.FEED THE ANIMALS - GIRL TALK

20.SATURDAYS=YOUTH - M83

19.REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH - STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS

18.BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS: NICENE CREEDENCE EDITION - PAVEMENT

17.IN GHOST COLOURS - CUT COPY

16.MICROCASTLE - DEERHUNTER

15.VAMPIRE WEEKEND - VAMPIRE WEEKEND

14.WEEZER (THE RED ALBUM) - WEEZER

13.THE BEDLAM IN GOLIATH - THE MARS VOLTA

12.HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR - HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR

11.Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (With Buzzing in Our Ears We Play Endlessly)
- Sigur Rós

10.HIDEAWAY - THE WEEPIES

9.NARROW STAIRS - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

8.AT MOUNT ZOOMER - WOLF PARADE

7.CHRISTMAS ON MARS - THE FLAMING LIPS

6.AT THE ROXY - PHISH

5.EVIL URGES - MY MORNING JACKET

4.DEAR SCIENCE - TV ON THE RADIO

3.RABBIT HABITS - MAN MAN

2.FLEET FOXES - FLEET FOXES

1.PARADISE LOST - ERIC WHITACRE

I will post more short reviews of these albums later, but it is snowing outside, so I must go get warm.

Man Man Live at the Heirloom Arts Center, Danbury, CT

So yeah, this was a while ago, but I realized that I had never posted anything up here about seeing Man Man.
First off, it was the most amazing show I have ever seen and would urge everyone on the internets to go see them. I have posted a few pictures below, but if you want to see more, just go to My Picasa Page


Cheers!



Tim Fite






Tim Fite






Man Man






Man Man






Man Man






Man Man (and one of the greatest drum kits ever!)






Man Man

Abbey Road - The Beatles

The Beatles - Abbey Road (Apple, 1969)

When one mentions the Beatles, you usually think of "Yellow Submarine" or "Help!" or maybe, MAYBE, "All You Need is Love". Despite all of their pop-hits, the Beatles were an extremely talented group of musicians...they didn't become "Bigger than Jesus" for nothing. So here we go...

The album opens with a bluesy number, Come Together, which creates a very modern image of the Beatles. With a familiar bass-line and almost a complete absence of guitar until the chorus, "Come Together" certainly shows the Beatles taking their music in a different direction, seeming to imitate Jim Morrison and the Doors style of writing. Nonetheless, it has become one of Aerosmith's most famous songs after they covered it on the soundtrack to the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie.
Come Together transitions into "Something", one of George Harrison's several successful songs written for the Beatles.
"Something" is somewhat of a love-ballad, detailing the insecurities of the narrators relationship. Musically, the song is very ahead of it's time at some points, relying heavily on odd filters used on the guitars and strange keyboard effects.
Next up is one of the strangest Beatles songs ever. Personally, it is my favorite on the album (hm, that can't be healthy). Maxwell's Silver Hammer is a song about Maxwell Edison who goes around his town murdering people with his silver hammer, first a girl in one of his science classes, then his professor, and eventually the judge who was overseeing his murder trial. The song is very upbeat, almost one that would have a bouncing red dot moving over every word for karaoke. Regardless of the questionable subject matter, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is one of the more fun Beatles songs to listen to.
"Oh! Darling" is another love song, this time written by Paul McCartney. The song has a very strong relation to gospel music, mainly deriving from Paul's shouting of the lyrics at times. The song also shares styles with southern blues/R&B music, again referring to Paul's vocal work.
The next song on Abbey Road is Ringo Starr's only written contribution to this album, "Octopus's Garden". Another upbeat and happy song, this one talks about the singer's desire to live somewhere where there are no problems, no worries, somewhere where he can just be free to do whatever he wants. This is also Ringo's second time singing lead vocals on a Beatles song, causing the song to have a much different style than those of Lennon/McCartney.
One of the Beatle's more experimental songs of their career is "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". Ending the first side of the album, "I Want You" is a blues/progressive based song that was written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The song clocks in at 7:47, making it the longest on the album by over 3 minutes. Revolving around one hypnotic guitar riff, this song focuses more on the musical nature of the song than the lyrical (the song contains only 14 different words). Another typical contribution from Yoko Ono, "I Want You" in one of the odder tracks on the album.
"Here Comes the Sun" is arguably George Harrison's most successful foray into songwriting, even though it was not released as an official single. The story behind this song is one of the happier stories in Beatles history. George had grown tired of Apple Records (the Beatles record company), stating that it "was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen." One day, Harrison decided to go to a close friends house (Eric Clapton) and just walked around his garden, watched all of the plants begin to grow again as the ice melted away. Of course, this called for him to write a song. Overall a calm, relaxing song, "Here Comes the Sun" was recorded without the presence of John Lennon, who was busy recovering from a car accident.
The final "song" on the album before the "Abbey Road Suite" is "Because", another highly experimental track featuring a harpsichord, a guitar played through many filters, and a moog-synthesizer part, not to mention the three part vocal harmonies performed by McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison. A very interesting piece, "Because" closes up the true album before the epic suite.
The remaining 15+ minutes of the album are divided up among 8 songs, collectively known as the "Abbey Road Suite". There is no unifying theme to the suite, other than that the songs were all pieces written by either John Lennon or Paul McCartney and were never finished. Coming into the recording of Abbey Road, the band essentially knew that this would be their last album. All of these songs were ones that had been previously written, never finished, and somebody wanted them to be put onto the album. So, they were combined into one giant medley of songs that flow into each other. While the medley is musically fascinating, the songs have essentially nothing in common with each other. If you want the true experience, I suggest you buy the album and listen to it.
The only thing after the medley is a 24 second piece called "Her Majesty", a piece that was accidentally included on the album by a studio technician who was told not to ever throw any material out. He saw the piece of cut tape on the floor and decided to attach it to the end of the album. The song is what a 24 second song can be; a catchy jingle about wanting to marry the Queen of England.

In conclusion, Abbey Road is one of the greatest Beatles albums. It has such drastic musical differences in both theme and style and does not rely on one type of playing. The Beatles were the biggest band in the world, they were "Bigger than Jesus", and they went out with a bang.

Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst (2008)

Could Conor Oberst be the next singer-songwriter legend? Could he lead the world from the shitty depths of mainstream music into the land of pretense, bad haircuts tight jeans and quiet acoustic guitars.
NO
Conor Oberst Fails
Game Over

http://www.mediafire.com/?cxmvdgmddvc

0.420 out of 10

Matisyahu is Amazing

This isn't a review or anything. I would just like to go on record by saying that Matisyahu might be the singles greatest musician on the planet right now. Everything about him is amazing. He lyrics, his singing style, how GOD DAMN FAST HE CAN SING, everything. But the thing I love the most about him is how into his religion he is, while his lyrics never seem preachy or like he's trying to convert you. He's just a regular guy who has a talent for singing amazingly well. Thats about it. I'm trying to go see him the next time he comes near me. If I do, I'll write up a review of the show on here. For all of the people that read this...

Narrow Stairs - Death Cab For Cutie

Fear not Death Cab fans, Ben Gibbard and crew have not sold out. While many feared that after the more mainstream "Plans" was released on a (gasp) major lable, that Death Cab for Cutie would be lost into the mainstream forever. As I said, fear not! Bellingham, Washington's biggest indie act has taken one huge leap away from the mainstream with their latest release, Narrow Stairs.
Narrow Stairs' first single, the 8-and-a-half-minute tune that is "I Will Possess Your Heart", is possible the best indicator of this experimentation. With a 4-and-a-half-minute instrumental intro, this song truly epitomizes the effect that DCfC wants from this album. And to top it off, they even made a video for this song. Clocking in at 8:35, it is Death Cab's longest video to date. And it's a darn good 'un too.
The rest of the album follows suit. While many of Gibbard's lyrics retain the angst-filled, melancholy tone as previous works, the music does give some songs a much happier feel (No Sunlight, Cath..., You Can Do Better Than Me). However, there is no mistaking it, this is Death Cab For Cutie. With an album that critics said will either revolutionize their career or destroy it, Death Cab has definitely revolutionized their career in my eyes.
With such a great album, however, does come one complaint. After the first two tracks, DCfC appears to shift back into their old, indie pop style. While there is a significant difference between the two eras of DCfC's music, it almost seems as is they took old songs, put weird effects over some of the songs and had some fun with the production.
Nevertheless, Narrow Stairs is arguably Death Cab's best work. Transitioning from poppy to dreamy to melancholy all while remaining distinctly Gibbard, Narrow Stairs is definitely in the running for "Album of the Year".

9.7 out of 10

Hideaway - The Weepies

Wow. That's what I have to say. After downloading this album for a friend, I decided to give it a listen. I was completely blown away. When someone mentions alt-folk, I generally think of fairly chill, Sufjan Stevens-esque music. While I do love Sufjan Stevens, his music can only be taken in small doses. The Weepies, however, combine elements of "pop" music without straying too far into the "pop" realm. They have several down-tempo songs that are reminiscent of Sufjan, but many of the tracks have an extremely upbeat feel to them.
Attempting to follow up their biggest success to date (2006's "Say I Am You), Deb Talen and Steve Tannen had some work to do. However, I can say without a doubt, they more than surpassed their previous album. Songs such as "Old Coyote", "How You Survived the War" (One of my personal favorites), and "Can't Go Back Now" offer quiet moments of reflection, while "Not Dead Yet", "Antarctica", and the title track, among others, are just more songs that bring a smile to your face. With fairly simple instrumentation (Acoustic Guitars, Drums, Bass), The Weepies have succeeded in creating another indie masterpiece that will be remembered for years.
Maybe it is because they are now married and have a child. Or maybe it is because they have just grown a little older. Whatever the reason, The Weepies' latest foray into the recording world seems much more mature than their previous effort. However, they do not forget to remind us that, once in a while, life is fun, so enjoy it.

9.5 out of 10

Alive 2007 - Daft Punk

Genre: Dance/Techno/House

There are three things you need to do be able to fully appreciate this album
1. Go buy/download/whatever copies of both Discovery and Homework (daft punk's first two albums) (Human After All is optional)
2. Listen to them and absord all of their goodness
3. Go buy/download/whatever Alive 2007, and listen
Now, Alive 2007 is a live album by Frech techno duo, Daft Punk, and is an intersting concept for a live album. When many bands play live, they will combine several songs into one to make for a more intersting experience. However, Daft Punk completely remixed their songs and mashed them up together to create music that is truly amazing. There is no other way to put it, it is truly musical genius. From the more mainstream songs like "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and "One More Time" to songs that were more unknown but still equally as amazing like "Around the World" and "Crescendolls", they are all mixed together into 13 tracks on this album that do not fail to impress. Whether or not you are a fan of techno music, or if you consider youself too good to enjoy listening to French dance music, this album is a must-have. I'd give it an 9.11.

This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You

Genre: Post-Rock

This Will Destroy You is one the latest Post-Rock band to come out of Texas, sharing their home state with the likes of Explosions in the Sky, The American Analog Set, and Pretty the Quick Black Eyes. When I first heard this album, I was very dissappointed. The concept of post-rock is that it is supposed to sound light and airy or motivating, but not complicated and busy. That's exactly what the first half of the first song on this album, A Three Legged Work Horse, was. It seemed as if the band had crammed every idea that they ever had for a song into those four minutes. However, the song settled down, and the album moved on. The next song, Villa Del Refugio, had a completely different feel. The first two minutes were made up of simple notes palyed over one another, giving that peaceful feeling as I mentioned above, but being almost too boring. After this intro, there comes a constant noise that sounds like a few hundred violins repeatedly playing the same note or almost like waves coming up against a shore. This noise just keeps building, becoming more intense as every second passes. The song then gets eerily quiet as it fades to nothing and then ends. The album did improve after these two songs; the rest of the album was very well crafted and a prertty well done effort. However, as musically well done as these songs were, they could become boring, repetitive, and predictable at times. Overall, I would give this album a 8.4. It was very well made but like I said, it began to get very repetitive and boring.

Float - Flogging Molly

Genre: Punk/Celtic-Punk

It has been four years since Celtic-Punk band Flogging Molly has released new material. However, let me tell you that it was worth the wait. Famous for combining traditional Irish and Celtic folk melodies with the more modern sounds of punk and alternative rock, Flogging Molly does just that on their latest album, "Float". By sticking to a sound that works for the band, they are not only able to guarentee a steady fan-base, but are able to improve musically upon their older material. They have clearly done this on their latest album. This album does have it's share of imperfections. While most of the songs sound different, I could not help but think "Wait, have I heard this song already?". That is because, in sticking to their original sound, the band has simply replicated what they already have done, albeit more musically complicated. Some of the songs on the second half of the album definitnely feel as if they were "stolen" from the bands earlier releases. I would reccomend the tracks "Requiem for a Dying Song", "Float", "Us of Lesser Gods", and "Paddy's Lament" if you want to hear the traditional sounds of Flogging Molly, with a newer twist. Even with it's imperfections, this album gets a 8.2.

Wii Codes

Because I'm cool

Wii Code: 6821-2978-0895-2842
Brawl Code: 1332-7477-6830
Guitar Hero 3 Code: 335123471526
Strikers Code: 081736-266330
Battalion Wars 2 Code: 262-124-893-100
Medal of Honor Account Name: underdog720

Scoring/Grading

As I posted my last post, I realized that some of my scoring may be confusing to you. Well, let me explain. It's not like how they would trasitionally do it in school, 9.7-10.0 is an A+, 9.4-9.6 is an A...etc. No, my grading system is different. Since there are many albums that are lower on the scale, such as 6's and 5's, the system goes like this:
A+ :::::::::::9.5-10.0
A::::::::::::::9.0-9.5
A-::::::::::::8.5-9.0
B+::::::::::::8.0-8.5
B::::::::::::::7.5-8.0
B-:::::::::::::7.0-7.5
C+::::::::::::6.5-7.0
C::::::::::::::6.0-6.5
C-:::::::::::::5.5-6.0
D+::::::::::::5.0-5.5
D::::::::::::::4.5-5.0
D-:::::::::::::4.0-4.5
F::::::::::::::Below 4.0

That's pretty much how my system compares to others.

Even if it Kills Me - Motion City Soundtrack

Alright, so, this album is a little older (summer '07), but i felt the need to put it out there. When I first reviewed this album (not on this blog), I was not very nice. I gave it a B- which, on my new numbering system would translate to somewhere between a 6.5 and an 7.3. After listening to it again (right now, basically) I have decided that it deserves more than that. It is not a great album, but it is much better than about a 7.0. So, I would like to change my score of the album to a solid 8.0

The Bedlam in Goliath - The Mars Volta

Now, usually I don't rant and rave about albums. Which is why I'm not going to. The Bedlam in Goliath is the best album of 2008. I know critics are divided on this album, some say it is genius, others say it is just pointless dribble. However, I am right, as my opinions are always correct. This album is amazing. Whether you like the Mars Volta or not, you should go out and buy it. Now, I like the Volta, but I can usually only take them in small doses. I was able to listen to this album three times in one car trip, the only stopping being getting out to pump gas for 5 minutes. Some great songs include "Goliath", "Soothsayer", "Metatron", and "Wax Simulacra" (the official single). I find that the new drummer that the Volta acquired, Thomas Pridgen (who recieved a full, four year scholarship to Berklee at the age of 15) is possibly the greatest drummer to play rock music since Neal Peart, and he is on par with Peart at this point. Cedric's vocals reach new heights on this album, as does Omar's guitar work. Truly a masterpiece.

9.5 out of 10

The Matches - A Band In Hope

Ah, The Matches. Where to begin with these pop-punkers turned progressive-punk musicians. Well, their first album was released and was a significant pop-punk success. A bunch of good songs, and a pretty cool cover. Next album: Decomposer. A much more avant-garde shift, 90098583423 millions producers, and it is amazing. The new album, A Band In Hope, is arguably as good as, if not better than, Decomposer. They again have many producers on this album, and is pretty reminiscent of Decomposer. However, while Decomposer felt too busy, as if they tried to put everything into all of their songs, ABIH takes a new direction. There are still the traditional pop-punk songs, such as "We Are One" and "Point Me Toward the Morning". The album also contains what is the happiest song ever written, "Wake the Sun" I found myself wanting to dance around down a sunny street. I had not been that happy since I first listened to "The Soft Bulletin". Shawn's vocal work on this album is simply amazing, namely on songs such as "Darkness Rising" and "Yankee in a Chip Shop". While listening to this album, I found myself concentrating on trying to pick out every flaw in it. The only on that I could come up with is that some of the songs sound like "The Black Parade", except that they don't suck. Its as if you take every good thing that My Chemical Romance has done (both of them) and make it a little punkier and a little stranger. Definitely an amazing album, and if not for the new Mars Volta, definitely a candidate for album of the year.

8.5 out of 10

The Pumpkin Head Express Rides again

OK, so here's the deal. There's this new band that I heard about the other day called the Pumpkin Head Express, or the PHE for short. They play a style of music that I cannot even describe to you. The only way that I can begin to talk about this music is by saying that it is godlike, in the most textbook definition of the word. Go listen to them now, they are amazing. http://www.myspace.com/pumpkinheadexpress

Adios

Just needed to update...

Ok, so it's been a crazy week, I just need it to end. I'm taking mid-terms right now, just figured I'd post a list of some of the albums that are getting me through all of this stress. Enjoy:

Daft Punk - Discovery

• Yay for poppy techno!

Wilco - Yankee Foxtrot Hotel

• I just got into Wilco a while back. This is their Magnus Opus, and it is well deserving of that title

The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

• Arguably the greatest album of all time.

Sum 41 - Underclass Hero (Hey, it's a good album!)

• Don't dis them just because they're punk. It's a really good album.

The Postal Service - Give Up

• An amazing album, a sort of more techno-based Death Cab

Ayreon - The Human Equation

• Good if you like prog/classical rock operas...or even if you dont. It's pretty amazing.

Draco and the Malfoys - Draco and the Malfoys

• Don't dis wizard rock until you've really given "99 Dementors" a listen

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

• A close second for greatest album ever

Streetlight Manifesto - Keasby Nights

• My friend and I just started a ska band. Streetlight is one of our main influences.

Muse - Absolution

• Muse has redefined prog and brought it back into the mainstream

Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory

• Another amazing prog album, but not as mainstream or poppy as Muse, but, if not as good, a million times better.

Okkervil River - The Stage Names

• One of 2007s best indie albums

Sleep Tight and I recommend you listen to all of this. If you need other suggestions, try what I'm listening to right now.

Just letting everyone know...

If the reviews that I write sound a little...simple, that is because I am writing them for my school newspaper, so I have to explain what some things mean and not give my true opinion about other things.

Hvarf/Heim - Sigur Rós

Rare is it that a b-sides E.P. is worthy of being reviewed. However, it is equally as rare to have an E.P. of b-sides and live tracks be as aesthetically pleasing as Hvarf/Heim, the latest release from Icelandic Post-Rock band Sigur Rós. For those of you who do not know what post-rock means, I will explain. A very broad term, Post-Rock is a genre that usually involves a sense of ambience in the music; it has a sort of calming effect. Now, back to Sigur Rós. A two disc album, with about 5 songs on each disc, Hvarf/Heim is, for lack of a better word, amazing. The first disc, Hvarf, contains demo versions of several songs, and other songs that were simply not good enough to be put onto their albums. While these songs are truly amazing, it is the second disc, Heim, that impressed me the most. A live assemblance of songs from their four studio albums (Von, Ágætis Byrjun, Takk... and "()"), Heim is one of the strongest CD's I have heard all year. The disc is not, however, a live album in the traditional sense. Heim was recorded by the band, in a studio. However, the band did not record each instrument at a different time and make sure everything sounded OK. Sigur Rós went into the studio with acoustic guitars, played and recorded their songs, and made a cd out of the recordings. That CD was entiteld Heim. This album deserves a solid A, and amazing effort by Sigur Rós.

HOLY F**KING SH*T BATMAN, SWEENEY TODD IS THE MOST AMAZING MOVIE EVER!!!

I actually saw this movie about a week and a half ago, but I would just like to say that this movie was absolutely amazing. That is all.