Ross’ Top 28 of 2008: Albums (#1-10)

So, I’ve waited/slacked off until the final day of the year to finish my list of top albums.

With the exceptions of Calexico and Elbow pushing for inclusion, these 10 albums were the pretty clear cream of the crop for me, although ranking most of them in any kind of order was a bit difficult.

Here’s the playlist for those top 10 (I was unable to find any online tracks from album #10, so I included a b-side that was released in advance of the album).

I’m a die-hard fan of Secret Machines, but the departure of guitarist Benjamin Curtis from the group left me a little leary about the quality of this album.

Those concerns were largely brushed aside once I heard “Dreaming of Dreaming”, which was released a few weeks before the album came out and then left off the track list!

The first two albums from the band were peppered with 70s-style synths underneath their heavy guitars, rumbling bass and hella-loud drums. The major change for this album is the synths sound slightly more modern, as in the early 80s.

The band definitely continues their heavy, trippy prog rock on this album. I think it’s certainly worth a listen or two.

The album’s title means “with a buzz in our ears, we play endlessly.”

It was clear that this would be a different kind of Sigur Ròs album once anyone heard the first single, “Gobbledigook”, a 3-minute pop song.

This is easily the band’s most free-spirited and loose album to date. The epic emotional pull is still there in bunches, but there are touches of pop, folk and (dare I say) joy that are completely new.

Time will tell if this is a slight shift in direction or just a temporary diversion for the band.

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who noticed this fantastic album.

Lightspeed Champion is basically Dev Hynes, whose rail-thin frame and giant glasses, hair and headwear often make him look like a goofy indie rock bobblehead.

For me, part of the appeal of this album is the strange combination of elements: Hynes is a British dance-punk artist who recorded this album with the folks at Saddle Creek Records, famous for middle America sound of Bright Eyes.

The result is a beautiful hodge-podge of pop, country, folk and rock that really allow Falling Off the Lavender Bridge to stand out from the crowd.

Another thing I like is that Hynes really constructed this as an album. There are interludes, tracks flowing into each other and the epic, 10-minute centerpiece “Midnight Surprise”, which could’ve easily been 3 or 4 separate songs.

If you’d prefer something a little shorter, try “Tell Me What It’s Worth” or “Galaxy of the Lost.”

This might be my most under-the-radar pick of the entire list.

The Uglysuit is a young band from Oklahoma City that plays psychedelic indie pop. I hear shades of the Shins, Wilco and even bands like Coldplay and Counting Crows in their sound.

The band seems intent on creating a sort of sprawled-out beauty throughout the album, even on the more straight-forward pop songs like “Chicago.”

The bulk of the album consists of epic tracks like “…And We Became the Sunshine” and the shorter tracks that build up to them like “Elliot Travels.”

Hopefully this band will continue to produce quality music and escape obscurity.

This was BY FAR my most anticipated album of the year.

It had been a long 11 years since the band’s last release, so excitement was building in 2007 as rumors about the band’s return started to surface.

I listened to Third non-stop once it was leaked and I immediately loved it.

There are parts like “The Rip” that recall the beauty of the band’s first two albums. There are parts like “Machine Gun” that almost bludgeon you into a hallucination. And, there are parts like “Silence” that make you feel like you’re stuck in some kind of weird 60s European sci-fi/horror movie.

I was never really a big fan of The Black Keys. While I liked some of their songs, their two-man fuzzed-out blues rock seemed to sound the same on every track.

That all changed when they recruited Danger Mouse to produce their latest album Attack & Release, leading to a more full-bodied sound with organs, additional guitars and backing vocals adding an eerie feel to the album.

I feel in love with this album during a drive to Shreveport, speeding through tiny towns on a rural Texas highway. The spooky fuzz of the album seemed to fit the scenery perfectly.

“Psychotic Girl” sounds like it could’ve been recorded on the porch of a haunted, swamp-side brothel. “I Got Mine” rocks in a way that every fist-pumping Lynard Skynard fan should appreciate.

THIS is the kind of stuff “rock” fans should be listening to instead of crap like Nickelback and Hinder.

This is another band that I didn’t really get into until this year. I liked TV on the Radio, but didn’t really understand why so many music snobs creamed over them.

That opinion seemed to continue upon the release of Dear Science. I listened to it a few times and liked it well enough, but didn’t get why people were so in love with it.

THEN, I saw them at Voodoo and witnessed those songs coming to life. It put a whole new spin on songs like “Golden Age”, “Shout Me Out” and “Crying” for me. The appeal was undeniable.

I drove home and listened to that album non-stop for days. It’s rocking, haunting, soulful, emotional, political, angry, smart, funky and fun. Most of all, it’s really fucking good.

DeVotchKa just makes beautiful music. Like many others, I first encountered them when their trademark “How It Ends” was featured in two great 2005 films “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Everything Is Illuminated.”

The combination of Mexican, gypsy and folk music really set the band apart.

While I like just about everything that the band has ever released, there’s something about A Mad & Faithful Telling that seems bigger and better. Perhaps it’s the sound of a band settling into their style.

DeVotchKa’s style seems like a combination of a symphony and a circus…or maybe a designer circus that serves wine and has a coat check and valet parking.

I think a song like “The Clockwise Witness” perfectly embodies their entire sound, by asking you to clap along and participate in some parts of the song, while inviting you to quietly relax and relish the melody just moments later.

“Half nelson, full nelson, Willie Nelson!”

That line from Hot Chip’s “Wrestlers” cracks me up every time I hear it, marking the funniest moment of a song that makes the ridiculous comparison of love to professional wrestling.

It’s that kind of strange combination that propels Made in the Dark, as the band jam-packs several tracks with more than half a dozen hooks and leaving the listener thinking, “ooh! i like that part!” every 30 seconds or so.

Opening track “Out at the Pictures” builds for more than a minute before exploding into a hand-clapping beat that would make Gnarls Barkley jealous. “Shake a Fist” takes 5 or 6 awesome directions including an all-out rave.

Hit single “Ready for the Floor” plods along powered by cute nerd love. Slower jams like the title track and closer “In the Privacy of Our Love” add a little blue-eyed soul to mix.

Hot Chip allow you to nerd it out, wave your lighter/cell phone in the air and dance your ass off all within one album. So good.

Plants and Animals’ debut LP Parc Avenue is more beautiful indie rock from north of the border. Why does Canada get all the good bands?

There are pieces of this album that remind me of Arcade Fire, who topped last year’s list with Neon Bible, but the band also features a lot of hippie folk and classic rock on this incredible album.

The success of Plants and Animals lies in their ability to switch between their many styles mid-song in a fairly seamless fashion.

This is another band that has an affinity for epic songs. Excellent tracks like “Good Friend” and “Faerie Dance” expand long beyond 5 minutes and wind through several moods.

Another longer-than-normal track “Mercy” sounds like a mix between a jam band and the occasional cheerleader-stylings of Architecture in Helsinki.

Tracks like “Feedback in the Field” and “A l’Orèe Des Bois” have a pretty strong 70s retro feel to them.

All in all, Parc Avenue is a great listen, my favorite of 2008.