The Best Albums of 2008

[CFH]

All right b1tches, post your favorite albums from the past year. I tried to pick ones which I felt were great albums, from front to back. I limited myself to four (for now) because I didn't feel like writing this out until 1am. I'll probably add more later. The Bon Iver album really deserves it's own write up as well; it's as good as any of the others I listed.

Mine are:

1. Flogging Molly - Float.
-Their best album ever in my opinion, certainly their best since Drunken Lullabies. Politically charged and infused with the bands unique mixture of punk, folk, and celtic sounds, this was my favorite album of the year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsJz2NmMm6ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o3RN7-7ijwOther standout tracks: No More Paddy's Lament; You Won't Make a Fool Out Of Me; From the Back of a Broken Dream.


2. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
-An amazing album from a genre defying band. I guess alternative-country would be the best way to describe their sound on this album, but that's not wholly accurate. Regardless of the terms used to describe the music, this is a great album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvnHBcvbV0ghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-i1Js32hCAOther standout tracks: Sleepytime in the Western World; God & Suicide; Not Your Lover.

3. Jazz Liberatorz - Clin D'oeil
-When I think of innovative hip-hop, France is the first nation that springs to mind. Ok, maybe not, but this Paris-based ensemble put out what is in my opinion the best hip-hop album of 2008. Fused with jazz, the beats on this album are some of the best I have ever heard. I heard this album for the first time yesterday, and already it is one of my favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfSW2p4dHs4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqmcP...eature=relatedOther standout tracks: I Am Hip Hop; Indonesia; Clin D'oeil.

4. Meshuggah - Obzen
-You knew I wasn't going to make a list which was completely metal free, didn't you? Meshuggah is a fascinating band; always metal and always experimental, their style shifts from album to album. On Obzen, they rediscover their groove/thrash roots. A technically and musically brilliant record, precise rythems (Thomas Haake is the best drummer in all of metal), churning guitars, and gutteral vocals all combine to produce the best metal album of the year. If you think Metallica is metal, you need to listen to this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc98u-eGzlchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J4Ye7nRT0sOther standout tracks: Electric Red; Lethargica; Obzen

Honorable Mention: Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

[Trainer Monkey]

I can only tell you in advance what the best record of next year is going to be,Sour Jazz-American Seizure
Some older stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYX8eF13rLo

[kingfrnk]

The Carter 3. its also the highest selling album of 08

[killersheep]

Ok let the old man try this.

Cynic - Traced in Air ( 11/24/08 )
My favorite band of all time, definately an acquired taste. The band got together after their last release in 1994, back with the same style. A jazz/death metal crossover band the pioneers of that genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fhVLykF3nU

The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Ocean and the Sun ( 9/9/08 )
A mixed band project featuring members of Circa Survive, RX Bandits, Chiodos, The Autumns, Finch, Saosin and others. Progressive psychedlica, often times sounding like three or more songs at once, definately not for the uninitiated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgXx5...eature=related

Calexico - Carried to Dust ( 9/9/08 )
Sometimes I need to relax, this is a great album for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCA0_bNXAao

[Mikkel_K]

Sadly, I haven't really been listening to that much new stuff this year. Therefore, this is really a shortlist of a few albums, I did indeed like a lot (random order):

- Glasvegas - Glasvegas
- Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
- Santogold - Santogold
- Portishead - Third
- Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
- Volbeat - Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood

Happy new year!

[OumaFan]

I didn't pay much attention this year honestly, I've lost touch, spent most of the year listening to older stuff. Really its only been in the last few weeks I've been listening to new stuff, I'm sure I missed a lot.

I actually liked that Glasvegas album, most years it probably wouldn't make my top list but don't have a lot of choices. Didn't really get that into the Kings of Leon album. Fleet Foxes self titled album was good, its real laid back so I tend to just listen to it when I'm sitting around, reading or something but its real good.