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