The Top 10 Albums of 2008

Below are my picks for the top 10 albums released in 2008. Personally, nothing really blew me away in 2008 aside from the #1 album of my year. Here's to hoping 2009 will offer more to select from. Below each choice is a short sentence of two describing the pros of the disk and why they made the list.

1. Intimacy - Bloc Party

A blend of the bands previous two albums make up 'Intimacy' and see the band continuing on the trend set by 2007 single, Flux. Aggression and strangely engrossing songwriting are sometimes dampened by poor mixing. Songs such as Halo and Trojan Horse are less effective as they could be because of this.

2. Pretty. Odd. - Panic at the Disco

A bizarre shift from the emo scene they embraced with their breakthrough album. The band has ditched the synths for acoustic guitars and have created a folky circus.

3. Fast Times at Barrington High - The Academy Is...

In a boring year of music, I turned my attention to power pop and this album was head and shoulders above any other power pop heard in the year. The best high school album written by a group of mid to late 20-somethings since Blink 182's self-titled.

4. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab For Cutie

On their self-proclaimed breakaway record from mainstream, DCFC didn't do all that much to change their sound. A consistently solid record full of mood, elegance, and power. As a side note, this record features my pick for producer of the year, Chris Walla. Incredibly clean production allows for a wider range of dynamics.

5. Raise The Dead - Phantom Planet

An album that never highlighted any point of the year for me but was consistently drawing me back. Raise The Dead, mixes folky acoustic guitars with heavy electric riffs and bass. A mixture of their previous work makes this the band's best work to date and perhaps ever after they announced their indefinite hiatus late in '08.

6. The Age of the Understatement - The Last Shadow Puppets

Alex Turner continues his streak of number one albums (3 #1's before he was 23 years old) by combining fantastic lyrics while hiring the album's ace in the hole, Owen Pallet of Final Fantasy/Arcade Fire fame. A disc full of epic songs with an occasional break in consistency.

7. Whisper War - The Cab

Accidentally downloaded this when looking for a 'Death Cab' leak in April. A mixture of piano pop, pop punk, soul, and alt rock. Not a completely consistent record but the high points were a welcome surprise in a surprisingly bland year.

8. Sleepless Nights - Rediscover

Immediate comparisons will be to Hellogoodbye, but think more aggressive and in my opinion, much better. The album is a great soundtrack to a night out with most songs about alcohol and the consequences of drinking too much. Great fun and a great album.

9. Brain Thrust Mastery - We Are Scientists

As a whole, the album scores weaker than the predecessor. However, a handful of songs on the new record triumph over any individual tracks found on the first album. Gone is the offbeat drumming and the danceable pop found on 'With Love and Squalor'. Instead, the band has grown up a little bit which can be heard on fantastic lead single 'After Hours'.

10. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends [Prospekt's March Edition]

This package of two discs includes their LP released in the summer which was solid but slightly underwhelming, and their EP released in late 2008 which is fantastic. Together it adds up to 15 new Coldplay songs and at least 10 are worthy in the Coldplay catalogue.