2008年 12月 20日 土曜日 22:00

I thought I'd make an entry of my favorite releases of 2008. Post what you think the best albums were. :)

Forgive Durden - Razia's Shadow

This album is a musical that features members of various bands. I love the whole idea of telling a story through a record and I love that Thomas Dutton (the lead singer) did something completely different for this record than Forgive Durden's other albums. I highly recommend this album if you haven't heard it.

Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger

The Glass passenger was definitely an album I was really looking forward to this year. I always liked Something Corporate a little more than Jack's Mannequin, but I'm really happy with how this album turned out. There's so many catchy and beautiful songs on here. I love “Hammer and Strings”, “Annie Use Your Telescope”, and “Orphans”.

We Shot the Moon – Fear & Love

We Shot the Moon is an artist I discovered this year. This album is a feel good album for me and I love their catchy songs. The lead singer was in Waking Ashland, which I had heard a couple songs by, but never really got in to. My favorites are probably “Julie” and “Hope”.

Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs

Death Cab for Cutie is one of my favorite bands and I was excited for this album. I like that they didn't just make a continuation of their last album, “Plans”, and tried to go more for the sound on their older albums like “You Can Play These Songs With Chords” (which is one of my favorites by them, I love the rawness of it). Though I don't feel like I got in to this album as much as some of their others, such as “Transatlanticism”, I really like it. Some songs I liked a lot better than others, my favorites are “Cath…” and “Your New Twin Sized Bed”.

Chris Walla – Field Manual

This is the solo album of the guitar player and producer of Death Cab for Cutie. I like that he put out a solo album because I've always loved the albums he's produced. Though I prefer Death Cab, I like this album a lot and “Geometry &C” is one of my favorite songs that came out this year.

Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us

Mates of State is a husband and wife duo that make beautiful, catchy songs that always get stuck in my head. I love male and female vocals together. This was probably one of my top favorite albums this year and I think I might like it more than their previous albums (their older albums are a lot different and I'm still kind of getting in to them, but I think I like this one better than “Bring it Back”). This albums makes me optimistic and happy.

Straylight Run - Un Mas Dos

So this is an EP and not an album, but I thought it was good enough to go in my best albums of the year. The female vocalist, Michelle Nolan, left the band and even though I didn't generally prefer her solo songs compared to the rest, I like how she sounded with John and was curious how the band would sound without her. I thought this EP came out really good and I can't wait to hear more by them (I think they are releasing some other EPs next year). It's hard to choose a favorite because all 3 songs are great, but I love “Try” right now.

TV On The Radio - Dear Science,

I love TV on the Radio and that they're not afraid to experiment with sounds and music. I heard a lot of rave reviews about this album and I think it's an amazing album. It's still growing on me, but “Golden Age” is great.

Fall Out Boy - Folie a Duex

This album came out last week. I'm a big Fall Out Boy fan and even though I've only listened to it once, I love it. I don't know if it's too soon to say this, but I like it better than Infinity on High and From Under the Cork Tree right now. The ending to “What a Catch, Donnie” is amazing with it's guest vocals and I love how the last little clip of their songs is “growing up” because it kind of feels like I grew up with them.

Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.

I love that Panic at the Disco tried something different for this album. Even though I really like their first album, I like this one more right now and I think it has some really pretty songs. I think it would have been boring if they released an album just like their first album and you can tell they matured a lot. I love “Mad as Rabbits” (great way to end the albun), “That Green Gentleman” and “Northern Downpour”.

Punchline - Just Say Yes

Punchline was originally on Fueled by Ramen, but left (I'm assuming because they didn't really promote them a lot) and released their new album on their own record label, Modern Short Stories. I really like the songs on this album. It sounds like their previous records and I'm not sure yet which I like better. There's still some songs I haven't really listened to a lot and they grow on me a little every time I listen.

The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

The Hush Sound is another band on Fueled by Ramen. I mentioned I like female and male vocals together in my Mates of State description and that's one thing I like about this band, even though this album features Great, their female vocalist, more than Bob, their male vocalist. Their previous albums featured more of Bob's songs, so I like that they decided to have more of Great, but I kind of wish there were more songs that featured him. Besides that, I really enjoy this album and it's sort of old fashioned vibe and inspiration. I like “Medicine Man”, “As You Cry”, and “That's Okay” the best.

Brand New Day
Love Me I'm Liberal
Love Love, Kiss Kiss
Marriage to Millions
Pretty in Pink
Bring Back Love (Year 2020)

Top Scrobbled Artists This Year:
Death Cab for Cutie
Elliott Smith
The Format
Stars
Mates of State
Punchline
Metric
Dashboard Confessional
The Starting Line
Dntel