Jonny Leather’s Top 100 Albums of 2008
I've devoted a ridiculous amount of time listening to new music this year, seeing hundreds of records make their way in and out of my rotation. Though, I try to give every record I receive a full spin, some records are so immediately bad that I can't even make it through one song. The good ones, however, never fall out of rotation. Some are love at first listen, while others grow and grow, with a slow building love affair. While I understand the overabundance of year-end lists, I often find them to be helpful tools in what I may have missed, and I hope my own very lengthy list can provide that same helpful service.
1.Walking Bicycles - Go?
Sure, I'm a little biased with this choice, but really, this is the best album I've heard this year. It won't officially be released until December 16, but Go? is a dark, catchy onslaught of oddball rhythms and glassy vocals.
key track: Whirlin Dervish
2. The Walkmen - You & Me
A perfect record. The Walkmen's greatest triumph doesn't stray from their past sounds nearly as much as it builds off of them. Hamilton Leitheuser has never sounded so good or confident, and despite the slower pace, it feels as urgent as anything I've ever heard.
key track: In The New Year
3. Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
A breathtaking journey, Songs in A&E marks the return of Spiritualized and could be Jason Pierce's greatest accomplishment. It's a deep emotional trek that often feels like the product of a deep comatose dream.
key track: Death Take Your Fiddle
4. The Dodos - Visiter
Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this 2 man, mostly acoustic band. Though it's the simpler catchy songs that make first impact, it's the big long shapeshifters at the end of the record that make it such an amazing album.
key track: The Season
5. Motel Motel - New Denver
2008's best debut record. It's amazing it hasn't gotten more press. New Denver takes equal parts country songwriting and alternative rock style, and turns it into something unique and at times unpredictable. Despite it's length, it never lags, thanks to cohesive flow and great depth to the songs.
key track: Mountain
6. The Dears - Missiles
The Dears return to more epic cinematic songwriting is a huge romantic voyage. Murray Lightburn's Morrissey-like voice is still the key instrument, but the brilliant skyscraper-wall of guitars lullaby mix of "Lights Off" is the greatest moment of Missiles.
key track: Lights Off
7. Deer Tick - War Elephant
Originally released in 2007, War Elephant never got its due props, so it was re-released in 08 and is finally getting some attention for its rustic folk ballads. John McCauley's vocal delivery and literary lyrics are the biggest strength on this album that defines what modern country music should sound like.
key track: Christ Jesus
8. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
In the past, no matter how epic Sigur Ros albums could be, they had a tendancy to drag. From the moment opener "Gobbledigook" takes flight, it's obvious that this is a different Sigur Ros album. While "Gobbledigook" is not the template for the rest of the album, and the rest is pretty much classic Sigur Ros, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust is still the catchiest thing they've ever done.
key track: Vid Spilum Endalaust
9. Black Mountain - In The Future
Everything about this album is huge—the ideas, the riffs, and there's even a song that clocks in at over 16 minutes. Black Mountain has taken the grandiose ideas of the 70s rock gods like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and given it the new life that so many others have failed to do.
key track: Night Walks
10. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
The fuzz heavy sound of Chain Gang of Love is back, and the result is another great Raveonettes record that is equal parts The Jesus and Mary Chain and 50s rock & roll.
key track: Blush
11. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Some of the loveliest, broken-hearted male vocals ever layed down on record.
key track: Creature Fear
12. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Urgent Scottish folk-rock characterized by smart, honest lyrics.
key track: Old Old Fashioned
13. The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion
Eclectic worldly freak folk from New Zealand.
key track: Kenya Dig It?
14. Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
The combination of Dulli and Lanegan makes for a dark and dreary collection of tunes that's as good as anything either has even done.
key track: All Misery / Flowers
15. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
Dynamic production from one of the country's most inspired bands.
key track: Lover's Day
16. Man Man - Rabbit Habits
Sounding even more like the Star Wars Cantina band on this one, Man Man is making some of the wildest music around.
key track: Poor Jackie
17. Xiu Xiu - Women As Lovers
Not always an easy one to swallow, Women As Lovers is noisy and unpredictable with highly emotional vocals.
key track: No Friend Oh!
18. Deerhunter - Microcastle
With the quantity of music Bradford Cox is releasing to the world, it's hard to imagine that any would be as be as cohesive and brilliant as Microcastle.
key track: Never Stop
19. Evangelicals - The Evening Descends
This one came out of nowhere and was love at first listen.
key track: Party Crashin'
20. Bloc Party - Intimacy
After being unimpressed by their sophomore effort A Weekend In The City, I was blown away by the heavier overload that is Intimacy.
key track: Zephyrus
21. Islands - Arm's Way
22. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
23. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
24. Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
25. The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
26. Make Believe - Going to the Bone Church
27. DeVoctka - A Mad And Faithful Telling
28. Marnie Stern - 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
29. Parts & Labor - Receivers
30. The Secret Machines - Secret Machines
31. The Music Tapes - Music Tapes For Clouds And Tornadoes
32. Beach House - Devotion
33. Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In
34. Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
35. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
36. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
37. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
38. The Night Marchers - See You In Magic
39. Wilderness - (K)No(W)Here
40. Unicycle Loves You - Unicycle Loves You
41. Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight
42. Death Vessel - Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us
43. School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
44. Clinic - Do It!
45. Grampall Jukebox - Ropechain
46. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
47. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
48. Deerhunter - Weird Era
49. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
50. The Faint - Fasciinatiion
51. The Breeders - Mountain Battles
52. Kings of Leon - Only By Night
53. Au - Verbs
54. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
55. Ford & Fitzroy - Canyons
56. Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
57. Forward Russia - Life Processes
58. The Rumble Strips - Girls and Weather
59. Foals - Antidotes
60. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
61. Twi the Humble Feather - Music For Spaceships & Forests
62. Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
63. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
64. Ladyhawk - Shots
65. The Twilight Sad - Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did EP
66. Gza/Genius - Pro Tools
67. Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
68. Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
69. The French Kicks - Swimming
70. Wye Oak - If Children
71. The So So Glos - Tourism/Terrorism
72. Paramount Styles - Failure American Style
73. Ed Laurie - Meanwhile in the Park
74. sBach - sBach
75. Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night
76. Beck - Modern Guilt
77. La Scala - The Harlequin
78. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
79. American Music Club - The Golden Age
80. Army Navy - Army Navy
81. The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
82. Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle
83. O'Death - Broken Hymns, Limbs And Skin
84. Why? - Alopecia
85. The Constantines - Kensington Heights
86. Apes & Androids - Blood Moon
87. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Festival Thyme
88. No Age - Nouns
89. Say Hi - The Wishes And The Glitch
90. Cut Off Your Hands - You and I
91. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
92. Dragged By Horses - Deep in the Woods
93. The Shaky Hands - Lunglight
94. The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
95. Love is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night
96. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
97. Cut Copy - In Ghost COlours
98. These Are Powers - Taro Tarot
99. The Streets - Everything Is Borrowed
100. Bodies of Water - A Certain Feeling
