The Top 8 of 2008

Under normal circumstances, this would be a longer post. And would have arrived much more promptly seeing as it’s a “best albums of 2008″ list and here we are already a month into 2009.

But I just couldn’t bring myself to disappoint this blog’s legion of dedicated readers, nor could I stomach the idea of breaking my steady stream of content by say, going over 4 months without an update.

Plus, I just like ranking things for no reason.

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8. Lil’ Wayne- Tha Carter III
Welcome to essentially the biggest ruse in new millenium hip hop. Lil’ Wayne goes from generic gangsta bullshit rapper to post modern, mind boggling word maestro in the span of about 3 years. And along the way convinces the world that he is a bonafide pop star. Not that he shouldn’t be, but listen to album cuts like “LaLa”, “Let the Beat Build” and “A Milli” that are less songs than they are stream of conciousness meanderings. Then there’s “Phone Home” in which he plays the part of rap extraterrestrial here to conquer us puny humans or “Dr. Carter” where Wayne scrubs up to play doctor on some lame MC’s who are dying as a result of a lack of originality and respect for hip hop.

The album drifts back and forth between high concept and virtual incoherence. But Wayne carries it effortlessly on the strength of his over the top personality.

Sounds like a pop star to me.

7. The Secret Machines – The Secret Machines
It’s fitting that this third album from the New York/Dallas based trio should be self-titled. Not only is it a new beginning in that they lost and replaced a founding member since 2006’s Ten Silver Drops, but the sounds of this darker and heavier third outing are distinctly different. The vaguely psychedelic atmosphere remains, as do the bridges that tend to spiral past the 7 minute mark.

But there’s new ground covered as well. For starters, there are startling moments of precision. “Atomic Heels” is the most concise song they’ve ever written. And it still manages to pack the feel of a Pink Floyd sized epic into 3 and a half minutes. Then there’s behemoths like “The Fire is Waiting” and “The Walls are Starting to Crack”- the latter being the most aptly titled track on the record. Mid-way through it abruptly veers into a bridge of noise and ambience before the ground literally comes out from under the song and it explodes into a massive, Earth shattering breakdown. “Last Believer, Drop Dead”, the album’s best track, at once recalls both Led Zeppelin and Rush while still sounding unmistakably present day. But then again, retro without cliche has always been The Secret Machines’ strong suit.

6. Atmosphere- Strictly Leakage
This is not technically a 2008 release but dropped so close to the end of 2007, I hadn’t had the time to dive in and thus omitted it from my best of ‘07 list. When I finally did give it a spin, I found one of the most entertaining, clever and just plain fun hip hop records in a long while. Ironic considering it’s a product of Atmosphere, reigning champions of cry-me-a-river rap music.

Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Atmosphere. Seven’s Travels and You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having are great records. And let’s not forget their near endless stream of additional material (b-sides, ep’s etc.). But this internet only/100% free LP is a much needed breath of fresh air. Endlessly silly, authentically old school and completely unpretentious- this album even trumps (in my opinion) Atmosphere’s 2008 LP When Life Gives You Lemons… which marked a return of the “tales of when life sucks” motif.

If these guys could find a happy medium in there somewhere, they’d really be on to something.

5. The Roots- Rising Down
On the pulsating lead single “Get Busy”, Dice Raw raps “I’m kinda like W.E.B. duBois / Meets Heavy D and The Boys”. Interestingly enough, that’s a pretty accurate assessment of the Roots career. Politically minded hip hop has recently become an oxy moron, which leaves them somewhere in the middle of cult following and mainstream radio… of rocking the block party and the vote.

However, as time goes on, each album brings them closer to the dark side. With the exception of the funk driven “I Will Not Aplogize” and the closing “Rising Up”- this is some serious shit. Rapper Black Thought opens his first verse on the album by stating quite simply that “The Earth is spinning off it’s axis”. Interestingly enough, this album predates the global economic meltdown by 6 or so months, making it’s precognitive nature that much more captivating. Then again, maybe things just suck that much.

4. Beck- Modern Guilt
There are seemingly no better artist/producer pair-ups out there than Beck and Danger Mouse. The key word here is “seemingly”. That is because I initially heard the news of their collaboration and expected the most outrageous funk/hip-hop/soul/rock supernova. I expected this album to put Midnite Vultures to shame in the “overproduced” department. Instead, we were given what is basically the most restrained Beck record since 2002’s Sea Change. Not that this is a bad thing. Because with Beck there’s always sub-text, there’s always nuance- both musically and lyrically.

This album finds Beck in a new disguise- introspection. He is, for the first time, looking back at his oddball career. And the music itself matches the throwback concept. “Gamma Ray” and “Chemtrails” recall 60s psychedelia while “Youthless” is some kind of funk/soul/hip-hop hybrid. But make no mistake, you’re seeing it all through a Beck lense- where everything tends to look and sound better (and weirder).

3. TV on the Radio- Dear Science
It’s been fascinating to watch this band hone its sound over 3 LPs. Even more amazing is how they’ve managed to veer closer to pop sensibilites while keeping their core experimental side intact. “Golden Age” comes off like the victory lap of that accomplishment. A Prince-esque funk jam that is a dance party unto itself.

2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain is a masterpiece and would have been on that year’s list had I not waited until 2007 to purchase it. In many ways, Dear Science is the happy version of that record. Almost like “TV on the Radio: Dance Remix Edition”. In some kind of wacky, backwards universe, “Golden Age” and the equally danceable, equally soul infused “Shout Me Out” could be radio hits.

Not that that’s what TV on the Radio is after. But Dear Science leads you to believe that maybe they are, and beyond that- maybe it’s not such an implausible notion.

2. The Raconteurs- Consolers of the Lonely
This supergroup’s 2006 debut was a fantastic, rockin’ adventure. And this follow up makes it sound like a demo tape. It also brings the band closer to forming it’s own identitiy in between the Jack White swagger fest and the Brendan Benson alt-country/alt-rock-a-thon. The band needed to be more than a sum of its parts- and this excellent sophomore effort accomplished that, ironically, by letting them both just do their thing.

On Broken Boy Soldiers, songs flip flopped between being fronted by alternately Jack White or Brendan Benson. On this record, they’re doing that *inside* songs. The title cut literally shifts tempo back and forth between the two front men and on numerous other tracks, they trade lyrical and vocal duties to the point where it becomes almost impossible to tell their voices apart. Almost.

Luckily, they continue to avoid the supergroup trap of each song just sounding like a re-hash of one of the parent bands (though “Hold Up” comes close to White Stripes territory). But with the bluegrass tinged “Old Enough” and “Top Yourself”, they’re carving a stylistic niche all their own.

Stay the course, guys.

1. Kanye West- 808s & Heartbreak
First things first, this is not the “best” album of the year. In fact, it’s nowhere near as good as any of the other records on this list. Why, then, is it #1? Well, let’s call it my favorite of 2008, for one simple reason…

Kanye West has some balls on him for putting this album out. After back to back to back hip hop successes of his own and countless producer credits on a myriad of hits, he essentially pulled a 180 on par with Radiohead following OK Computer with Kid A. It may not match either of those albums’ quality- but it far exceeds the bravery.

The album, in a lot of ways, feels rushed and unfinished. But the “off-the-cuff” nature is part of the charm. “Amazing” could’ve used just a few more words in the chorus and “Welcome to Heartbreak” could’ve benefitted from a once over of the lyrics as a whole. But it’s these very blemishes that lend credibility to the album. It’s about love and hurt. Heartbreak and loss. So rather than agonize over what to say and how to say it- Kanye West just says it. It’s a snapshot of a time and place that we’ve all been emotionally at some point. “Heartless” is a near perfect portrait of the “on-again-off-again” game (it also boasts the most infectious groove on the album) and “Love Lockdown” builds to the boiling point using only the simplest of 808 beats, a minimal paino loop and a barrage of drums when the chorus hits.

Then there’s “Robocop”- a song that, by all conventional knowledge, should not work. But with it’s big strings and skittering electro beat it reveals itself to be the highlight of the album. It’s an accurate representation of the album as a whole: elements put together than shouldn’t be. Superstar rapper decides to to sing with the aide of crappy Auto-Tune software over near vacant production. Shouldn’t work. But does.

But it seems Mr. West likes the challenge. And more artists out there should be pushing their own envelopes in the same way. This style probably won’t stick and it will be mostly because Kanye likes to keep us guessing. As he says himself on “Amazing”…

“I’m a problem that will never ever be solved.”