BOT's Year in Review: Eggs' Top 20 Albums of 2008

What a great year for album releases. Many of the bands that I knew would be in my top twenty (My Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend) made the cut, but this year's list prominently features bands that I started listening to in 2008. There were many great albums that I didn't have room to include this year, but that was bound to happen with the number of great releases that hit shelves in 2008.

Take a look at what albums have had the biggest impact on me this year after the jump

20. Islands - Arm's Way

Of the three albums released by Nick Thorburn's different projects (Human Highway, Reefer, Islands), Arm's Way was the by far the best. The album follows a trajectory from quirky to even quirkier, with the theme of life and death prevalent throughout, especially during "Creeper" and "J'aime Vous Voire Quitter." It's a great sophomore release that perfectly compliments their debut album, Return To The Sea.

Recommended songs: "Creeper," "The Arm," "J'aime Vous Voire Quitter"

19. Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Hip-hop didn't have the strongest of years in terms of new releases, but there were still a few exceptions. My second favorite hip-hop effort of the year came from none other than A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip and his solo effort, The Renaissance. While several recent albums in the genre have relied on heavily guested upon/overproduced tracks, Q-Tip took the minimalistic approach by only having four choice collaborations surrounded by a group of tracks that solely feature The Abstract. It's a return to form for the Queens-based MC, and is Tip's strongest effort since his days with Tribe.

Recommended songs: "Manwomanboogie," "Official," "Life Is Better"

18. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

This was the first album from Death Cab that made me want to re-listen to it. While many fans are slandering, moaning that it's a change for the worse for the emo poster children, I find it to be quite inviting and very well put together. "I Will Possess Your Heart" was a fitting choice for their first single, and is even better in the long format version that is included on the album. The difference must have stemmed from frontman Ben Gibbard thinking happy thoughts while making this album – evidently thanks in no small part to fiancee/songstress/actress/hottie Zooey Deschanel. Soon he'll be making records with a sunny disposition a la Jack Johnson, rather than the sad songs of yesteryear. What a change of pace that would be!

Recommended songs: "I Will Possess Your Heart," "No Sunlight," "Cath"

17. The Walkmen - You & Me

You & Me is an all-around great rock-and-roll album full of anthem after anthem. It's a grand piece of work, with "In The New Year" featured as its opus. Fortunately for us, though, they are relatively unknown outside of the indie-rock spectrum. We got shut out of their performance at a small club a couple months ago, but I'm determined to see the genius of their studio work displayed in a live format sometime next year.

Recommended songs: "Donde Esta La Playa," "In The New Year," "Four Provinces"

16. Sigur Ros - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

I can't understand a damn word that comes from the mouths of these Icelandic psychedelic rockers, but the music these guys make is absolutely brilliant. The lead track "Gobbledigook" is one of the jammiest songs I've heard in quite some time. If only all the hipsters realized that they were listening to a jamband...

Recommended songs: "Gobbledigook," "Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur," "Við Spilum Endalaust"

15. Spiritualized - Songs in A & E

Probably the most soulful of my top twenty, Spiritualized's Songs in A & E is loaded with inspired psychedelic indie rock. From the sing-a-long "Soul on Fire" to the heavily distorted rocker "You Lie You Cheat," there is truly something for everyone on this eighteen track effort.

Recommended songs: "You Lie You Cheat," "Baby I'm Just A Fool," "Soul On Fire"

14. The Dodos - Visiter

The Dodos are electrifying on record, and even more so live. The energy that radiates from both guitarist/vocalist Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber is what truly makes them one of the best new bands of 2008. After buying the album from Long at their Houston gig in April, it slowly unveiled its magnificence over the course of the next few days. "Fools" remains my favorite on the album, but Visiter has its fair share of delectable goodies.

Recommended songs: "Jodi," "Fools," "Red & Purple"

13. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Very creative, very fun. MGMT have been making a pretty big name for themselves over the past year with the release of Oracular Spectacular and high-profile gigs throughout the U.S. and abroad. While their energy is not consistent during their live performances, their studio work is spot-on and filled with sounds that I'm still picking through a whole year later.

Recommended songs: "Kids," "Time To Pretend," "Electric Feel"

12. Nas - Untitled

In my opinion, Nas' 2008 untitled release was the strongest effort of the year from the hip-hop realm. The album is filled with incredibly smart rhymes about more than the normal gangsta fare. At times humorous ("Fried Chicken"), at other times serious ("N.I.G.G.E.R." (The Slave and the Master)), this album is his best effort since 1994's Illmatic. Seriously good shit.

Recommended songs: "Fried Chicken," "You Can't Stop Us Now," "Make The World Go Round"

11. The Whigs - Mission Control

Mission Control is full of straight-forward garage rock, hitting my speakers at a volume just a bit higher than the rest of the albums on my list. "Right Hand On My Heart" is the scorcher, but every other song holds its own on the Whigs' 11-track breakout album. We had the chance to see the Whigs at both the beginning and end of the year, and both times they tore it up. We even caught them play an acoustic set, and that was just as good as their plugged-in version. Hopefully we'll see another great release from the Athens, GA-bred trio in the very near future.

Recommended songs: "Right Hand On My Heart," "Need You Need You," "Hot Bed"

10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

The buzz surrounding Vampire Weekend pegged them as one of the best bands of 2008 even before the actual release of their eponymous debut. While it turned out to be a pretty damn good album, as you can tell, it wasn't the best of the year. It is full of songs that go well with frozen daiquiris and beaches, and other such summer fare. I like that even though it's a hipster's wet dream, it has touches of some of my favorite jambands, particularly Phish. "One (Blake's Got A New Face)" is my favorite because of its closeness to a few tracks off of Phish's most recent studio album. Even though it sits at number ten on my list, I can see this album having some serious staying power in my rotation over the next few years.

Recommended songs: "One (Blake's Got A New Face)," "Oxford Comma," "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

9. Buxton - A Family Light

Like my top songs of the year, Buxton is again the only band featured from our fair city of Houston. With each run through the album, I'm more and more impressed with the quality of their songwriting and how well the songs were put together to create such a stellar debut. If that is not enough, the quality of their playing consistently improves each time we see them. They join a growing class of young indie-rock groups that are currently taking Houston by storm. If they are any indication of where our local music scene is headed, we're in for some fun years of show-going.

Recommended songs: "Mane Of Gold," "Westward," "Holy Water Revival"

8. Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park

In Ear Park is the prettiest album of 2008. The acoustic format matched with spacey vocal and instrumental harmonies make for an interesting debut from the Grizzly Bear side project. The album is a nice slice of 60s psychedelia that still manages to remain current with its indie-rock subtleties. It's the perfect album to fall sleep to, and I mean that in the absolute best possible way. I hope this isn't a one-off from Department of Eagles, as this album only left me wanting more.

Recommended songs: "In Ear Park," "No One Does It Like You," "Herringbone"

7. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

In the past few years we've seen a shift in popular music, melding together to form one extremely over-produced genre that I like to call C.R.A.P. (country, rap and pop... no wait, I mean shit). Bon Iver is the exact opposite of that. They keep everything simple, performing slow folk songs about love, happiness and sorrow. At times they add additional instruments to the mix, but the album's strongest points feature the almost-solo workings by frontman Justin Vernon. "Skinny Love" is the perfect love song, while "Flume" helps to make an immediate statement at the start of the album. Put this disc on, have a quick toke, and be prepared to bob your head.

Recommended songs: "Flume," "Skinny Love," "For Emma"

6. Apollo Sunshine - Shall Noise Upon

Even though Apollo Sunshine didn't crack my top thirty favorite songs, I could easily put just about every song on Shall Noise Upon at the number thirty-one position. Their quirkiness sends the album on a trip through genres that include raw funk songs, deep Elvis-like ballads, mariachi horn parties, and front-porch bluegrass burners. Out of the twenty albums on my list, Shall Noise Upon is definitely the most creative in songwriting and instrumentation. The most noticeable aspect of their music, and the reason I love this album, is that you can tell Apollo Sunshine truly has fun with what they do.

Recommended songs: "666: The Coming of a New World Government," "Money," "Honestly"

5. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

This album and BOT have some very strong ties. When MMJ came to Houston back in March to warm up for their SXSW appearances, they came equipped with an arsenal of new songs to unleash on an audience for the very first time. We were suspecting they might do this, so we came prepared with a camera to capture some videos to share with the world after the show was over. We did, and the songs were soon picked apart by fans and foes of the band throughout the interweb. Evil Urges is a departure from My Morning Jacket's early work, and builds on the experimental niche they established with their breakout album, Z. In my opinion, it doesn't touch Z's excellence, but it's still an extremely strong effort by the boys from Louisville.

Recommended songs: "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part II," "Highly Suspicious," "Smokin' From Shootin'"

4. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark

Hot Chip concocted the perfect formula for booty shaking. Made in the Dark flows from track to track winding through one amazing beat after another. "Ready For The Floor" is a piece of pop heaven, while "Bendable Posable" is optimally heard through headphones (the listener is actually instructed to don ear-buds near the beginning of the song). There are funky ballads interspersed with funky dance tracks; funky experimental tracks mixed with funky rock tracks. This is my go-to album for an instant dance party, regardless of the situation.

Recommended songs: "Ready For The Floor," "Bendable Posable," "One Pure Thought"

3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science

I have nothing but good things to say about Brooklyn's TV On The Radio. They've been making unique, outside-the-box music ever since the band's inception in 2001. Both albums prior to Dear Science were exciting and unique in their own ways, but this album brings everything together and illuminates the band's stance as maturing titans in the indie rock realm. Each track on Dear Science has its own particular sound, highlighted by the amazing talents of both Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. As is my test with every band, TV On The Radio also proved their worth live at last October's Voodoo Experience.

Recommended songs: "Golden Age," "Dancing Choose" "DLZ," "Red Dress"

2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes absolutely blew up in 2008. Even though some would/could argue that the Seattle-bred indie-folk group was overhyped, most would also agree that they deserved said hype. They released a five-song EP entitled Sun Giant at the end of 2007 that found critical acclaim. Around the same time, mp3's from their yet-to-be released album were making waves on the Internet. "White Winter Hymnal" was all I needed to hear to become completely hooked. Soon the full release was out, and the hype-makers proved why so many people were talking about them. For the Fleet Foxes, it was a successful year that led from them playing tiny 300-person venues to performing at major festival gigs with over ten thousand in attendance. They are the best new band of the year, hands down.

Recommended songs: "White Winter Hymnal" "Ragged Wood" "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"

1. Dr. Dog - Fate

From start to finish, Dr. Dog's Fate is absolute brilliance. Each song was craftily melded together to form the perfect pop album. I'd enjoyed their prior album on a minor level, but it wasn't until seeing them live and hearing Fate for the first time that I truly fell in love. It's one of the only albums this year that I can listen to all the way through without getting bored of any single track. The matching of clever instrumentation with a crisp, digestible vocal culminate to make my favorite album of the year.

Recommended songs: "The Rabbit, The Bat & the Reindeer," "The Ark," "From"


Are there any albums that you've loved or hated this year? Feel free to leave us a comment down below.

Happy New Year everybody, 2009 will be divine!

-Eggs