The AV Club wraps up it picks. Dear Science takes the crown. Love that joint, though I just can't keep up on the music like I used to. Anyway what were you guys rocking this year, mostly? For those who somehow missed out on TVoTR, below is a live performance of Love Dog.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
My 10 year old cousin wants me to shout out the Jonas Brothers. I will bring this up when she turns 20.
At the risk of sounding like a hipster (or whatever they call black hipsters) I thought the MGMT record was pretty good. Santogold really impressed me too, although I think that album came out last year. After 6 listens, I still can't find it in me to like 808s & Heartbreak, but I have to give Kanye his props for pushing himself. He could have remade Graduation and it would have been a hit. I also liked that Badu album.
TVOTR's Dear Science is really good though. They could have made 12 songs that sound like "Golden Age" and it would have been fine by me. Lil Wayne continues to be fun to listen to, even if some of his backing tracks make me want to go deaf. I didn't like the album, but I thought T.I. putting out a song called "Live Your Life" while looking at jail time was pretty funny. Some of my favorite singles (in no particular order) of the year include:
1. Young Jeezy (ft Jay-Z) "Put On"
2. Estelle (ft. Kanye West) "American Boy"
3. Lil Wayne "A Milli"
4. Duffy "Warwick Avenue"
5. Sam Sparro "Black & Gold"
It's nothing but Raisin' McCain for me. My goal is to play it on a continuous loop in the hopes that it will cause an out-of-body experience as my soul desperately tries to escape.
If this fails, I'm thinking of getting acquainted with Scat and Psychobilly.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good to have my own personal tastes validated by people paid to have good taste. Although its only a matter of time before the TVOTR backlash starts, if it hasn't already. A couple other of my favorite albums this year...
Dr. Dog- Fate
Gnarls Barkley- The Odd Couple
MGMT- MGMT
Beck- Modern Guilt
My Morning Jacket- Evil Urges (This didn't get a lot of love)
One name, two words: Jenny Lewis.
"Acid Tongue" *kills* me.
The one new album that stood out for me this year was Michael Franti and Spearhead's "All Rebel Rockers." Just an excellent album from this reggae/rock (hard to pin them down) group. Some political edge to the tracks, although not as in your face as the only previous song of theirs I knew, "Yell Fire," which is flat out awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7WASrQFg8o
Thanks for this TNC. I must have been in a cave all year, cause I'd never really heard any TV on the Radio before. A deep cave. Didn't hear about the Cool Kids either, but I'm definitely gonna check them out.
I spent most of '08 listening to The Cool and older stuff (some Jay-Z, some Mos Def, some Sevendust, and other randoms).
Any recommendations that didn't make the list?
I no particular order
-TVoTR
-Santogold
-MGMT
-Helio Sequence
-Fleet Foxes
-Vampire Weekend
-Eryka Badu (how does her work continue to fall through the cracks? Mama's Gun?)
-Girl Talk
-Black Keys (further proof that Danger Mouse is a genius)
-Raphael Sadiq (Completely derivative and completely better than any male R&B album I can remember since 07)
Anyone a Knux fan? They are on my list since they are apparently the new hipster-hop flavor of the month (oh farwell Cool Kids)....Is it worth the hype?
(or whatever they call black hipsters)
as per HRO, that would be "blipster"
i spent last year getting into some classic dance music (forgive me a shout for E2E4), but as far as modern stuff goes i was big on the mad decent podcast and all that b-more/philly club shit (no idea what scottie b counts for), some southern mixtapes and whatever else came down the pipe. this is the hotness though.
ahhh, forgot about Fleet Foxes and Black Keys. "Attack and Release" was not only an awesome album, but also an awesome name for an album.
Adele's album "19"
I've been much more of a reader lately, but this album is incredible. I've played it constantly--the way I use to play music when I was in highschool.
In a club scene filled with Rihanna, Madonna and Britney, it's really really nice to listen to someone who can sing. A female artist who doesn't have to dance on stage half naked.
Love the blog, but your musical tastes are too North American centric. Lots of good music coming from Africa (Kwaito, Rai, Morna, Kuduro, etc..). You should go on Youtube and check it out.
5. The Clipse -- Road to Til the Casket Drops
What can you say? The Clipse always bring it. Always. I think they're the best lyricists in the game right now, even if all they ever rap about is selling cocaine. Their shit is just impeccable.
4. Mark Ronson presents Rhymefest -- Man in the Mirror
This hip hop tribute to Michael Jackson is so damn hot. If you only check out one album here, make it this one. I don't care what kind of music you like, you will love this mixtape.
3. Nas & DJ Green Lantern -- The N***er Tape
The Nas Untitled album got good reviews, but I thought it was kinda bland. Not this mixtape, which was released around the same time. This should have been the official album. You know, I have to say, almost all the interesting hip hop these days is on the mixtape circuit, while the official releases are generally subpar. I listened to more hip hop this year than I had in ages, mainly because of all the great mixtapes out there.
2. Jay Electronica -- What the F**k is a Jay Electronica
You know, generally, I only like rappers who are my age. The ones who came up listening to the same stuff I grew up listening to, watching the same TV and movies I watched, and generally have the same frame of reference that I do. I don't hate the younger cats, but they're music generally isn't my thing. There are a few young cats I'm checking for, though: Joell Ortiz, Blu, Sha Stimuli, and most notably, Jay Electronica. I remember back when Nas first came out, people were calling him The Second Coming (Rakim being the First, of course). Listening to Jay Electronica, I want to proclaim him the Third Coming. Dude is a beast. If you don't believe, just check out this joint he dropped after the election.
1. Heltah Skeltah -- D.I.R.T.
I used to love the Boot Camp Clik back in the 90s, but I stopped checking for them ages ago. Even after Buckshot and Black Moon hooked up with superproducer 9th Wonder, I was still left unimpressed. Then Sean Price, one half of Heltah Skeltah, released a couple of solo albums that I liked. When I heard Heltah Skeltah was getting back together, I was cautiously excited. They were always my favorite of the BCC groups, but their previous album, Magnum Force, was a disappointment. Plus, I hadn't heard anything from Rock (the other member) for years. Did he still have it? Would they be able to match those old "leflaur leflah eshkoshka" days?
Yes. Oh my God, yes. This album wildly exceeded my expectations. And I'm willing to say they're both better MCs than they were back in the day. Their skills made a serious leap, and they were pretty good before that already. This album was so good, it even got my wife listening to hip hop again. I have to warn you, though--this album isn't for everyone. If you're not into grimy, violent Brooklyn hip hop, you're not going to like this. But it's just perfect for my tastes. I'm no thug, but hearing Ruck rap "rap ain't sellin/ crack ain't sellin/ so it's back to armed robbery, my bat stings melons" made me want to go out and beat people in the head. And really, what more can you ask for from an album?
The TVotR album was great. Other stuff that stood out this year:
- Fleet Foxes
- Plants & Animals 'Park Avenue'
- Q-Tip 'Renaissance'....the song 'Move' gets you doing just that, instantly
- Adele '19' (skip the Duffy album, and listen to this one instead)
- the new T.I. album (can't help it...i'm from the ATL)
- Blitzen Trapper 'Furr'
- Nas
Also,I don't think the Vampire Weekend hype is justified...I really don't. But I guess that's just me. Oh, and whoever mentioned the Raphael Sadiq album...kudos. I heard that one for the first time last week & enjoyed it.
"Love the blog, but your musical tastes are too North American centric. Lots of good music coming from Africa (Kwaito, Rai, Morna, Kuduro, etc.."
Man, I would love to get into more stuff like this, but really, who has the time? Unless your job allows you to listen to music all day,(mine doesn't)I just find it frustrating that there is SO MUCH good music out there. What's a boy to do?
I liked the new Q-tip album as well as Erykah Badu's new one. Unfortunately with a three year old I heard more disney sing-alongs than anything else. :/
@Stacy
-----------
I don't surf the internet all day, have a job :P!
But take few hours on a weekend or whatever, and read european newspapers (online) and they will expose you to a broader cultural world. Love the old stuff too (BB King, John Lee Hooker, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, etc..). What ever happened to Cody Chestnut?
I was also warmed to hear some new Spearhead this year (though I can still play "Stay Human" and "100,000 Miles" on a loop and be content). But recently, I've been knocked by some bands new to the 00's: a sort of Dixieland klezmer outfit and these guys, who call themselves "gypsy punk" but I prefer to think of as If Joe Strummer and Borat Staged CABARET. (About every ten years I need to get jostled like that into paying attention. Maybe you guys can help me make it last.)
I understand the skepticism abuot Vampire Weekend and the overhype. But I think people are kinda hating. The album is real good.
Yes, it's Ivy League white boys who dress like characters from Rushmore, co-opt Afro-pop sensibilities, and have clearly listened to a lot of English Beat and the Specials.....but none of that really seems all that bad to me.
If one could listen to the album and divorce themselves from whatever hype, class, race, hipster authenticity issues they are bound to have, I bet they'd like it....
But that's just me, and Stacy, I am sure you have better reasons than those I listed above.....
Sorry, not trying to dominate the comments section, but to Anoine Larotre:
Cody Chesnutt is living in ATL now and is reportedly still making music. I saw one of his last national solo shows back in late 03 or early 04 I think (S.O.B.'S!).
Guy put on a great show, and clearly has talent and vision, but from our point of view in the crowd, he was a few bread loafs short....
Maybe that's what made his album so much fun....It would be nice to hear him put out an album that was made with recording technology better than what Elvis used....
Vampire Weekend is horrible. Thirty seconds into my first listen and the phrase "too clever by half" popped into my head and wouldn't leave.
Sorry Antoine, hope you didn't think I was implying you were umemployed!!
I just don't see how its possible to call Vampire Weekend horrible by any objective measure. That surely has something to do with the image you had of the band before you started listneing to them. I mean, we're obviously only talking about subjective opinions here, but if "too clever by half" popped into your head halfway through the first song, I'm guessing you already had a pretty good idea of how you would feel about them.
@Stacy:
Not hating on Vampire Weekend at all. It's enjoyable when I hear it. I just didn't understand how they were hyped as being one of the 'best' of 2008. They'd probably be great to see live (I'm a 'washed-up 30-something' that doesn't go to shows anymore, so i wouldn't know)... but i see it as being a forgettable album in a few years. One of those "of a moment" bands. Kind of like a cherry danish....tasty while you eat it, gone in a flash, and you're hungry about an hour later.
@Hill Rat: "too clever by half"...LOL.
Actually, I saw them live this year. They were pretty boring, and it made me like them a bit less. They pretty much just played their album straight through. They sounded good, but there wasn't much to it.
And yeah, a cherry danish might be about right. I think they just really good,interesting pop songs. If you're looking for a deeper meaning, you won't find it there...
Yeah, I think Stacy (who I believe said she's not even all that impressed with VW) is spot on.
Hill Rat (with all due respect) your comment pretty much epitomized what I was getting at above. You listened for 30 seconds and thought, "too clever by half?" That seems a fair assessment. Kinda like those that listen to Kid A the first time and said, "noise."
This is all subjective, and this is certainly not my own personal music message board, but I'd like to read criticisms on VW that weren't along the lines of "they think they're too cool" or "too clever" or "hipsters frauds" and would prefer to hear the why actual content sucks....
Better yet Hill Rat, what did YOU like in 08?
Fleet Foxes - get the full length and the ep
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins is great, but go back to the Stage Names to get your mind blown
Vivan Girls - riot grrls are back!
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive was maybe even better than Boys and Girls in America and when you get sick of them you can listen to all the Lifter Puller albums
Girl Talk - Feed the Animals, nothing makes me feel as much like I'm 17 again and sneaking into clubs and parties.
Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit - The Very Best, Malawi + London + MIA + Vampire Weekend = all day every day awesome
Weakerthans - Reunion Tour, yeah it was released in 2007, but everyone should have a Weakerthans album on their list every year.
Twenty-six posts and no one's dropped Bon Iver yet? For Emma, Forever Ago is a fantastic, fantastic album. Me too, on Fleet Foxes, Girl Talk and The Hold Steady.
Well TNC, when you get a 4 in the first position of your age it's even harder to keep up with the musical trends of the year...
But I agree on TVoTR... the Hold Steady record (see, I'm old, I have to call them that) is pretty damn good, as is Q-Tip's newest. I don't own the pretty-widely disputed Vampire Weekend record, but I saw them live this fall and they were way too twee, but they put on a good enough show that I had to respect. Afropop for folks who don't know who Franco and Rochereau (et al) were.
But like uncular I've got a youngster (4 not 3... not that it matters) so I am rocking a lot of kid music. Which makes me glad that there's a Yo Gabba Gabba album out this year -- it's fun, the Roots song is amazing , and Mark Kozaelek (of Red House Painters) has a song on there that is way too good (and way too bittersweet, naturally) for a kid's record.. but there it is :)
1) Saul Williams - "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!"
http://bringnumchucks.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/the-multifarious-awesomeness-of-niggytardust/
IMO, the most timely and meaningful album of the 2008. Plus the live show is bananas.
2) Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
If this ain't lit. on wax, well ...
"Between tweaks, he sweeps at Home Depot and reads
Mostly biblical, but not 'cause he believed
But found the lexicon of Jesus-heavy literature fly
Feverishly sponged up the information high"
- from Fumes
I have a bad long term memory for this sort of thing, so I'll have to make arbitrary categories.
The Walkmen's You & Me is the best album for getting too drunk and then wandering around a city.
Fleet Foxes is the best album for driving around the mountains of Wyoming.
Neon Neon's Stainless Style is the best '80s-styled concept album.
Richard Swift's Ground Trouble Jaw has the best twisted doo wop of the year.
no one else seems to love cut copy's in ghost colours here, so that should get thrown out there.
wale's mixtape about nothing was really fantastic too--again, i'm surprised no one mentioned it, especially since he's from the dc/pg area. also, it's free.
Shearwater's "Rook" is a remarkable album. Think Fleet Foxes but more powerful.
hurls,
Thanks for the heads up on the Yo Gabba Gabba album. I love it when Biz teaches the kids how to beat box....adorable.
I was a pretty engaged indie hipster as recently as four years ago, and now I'm totally severed. I liked that song, though. Can't get over the resemblance to Posdnous from De La Soul.
Damn jenawesome, you beat me to talking about The Hold Steady. I like their new album (Slapped Actress may actually be my fav. song on that album), but it isn't nearly as good as any of their previous albums. Their live show in Baltimore was great, as always.
Along with that I liked some songs by these bands:
Fucked Up (though I don't really care for the hardcore/metalish vocals all that much)
No Age (Yeah, I'm big on "Eraser")
Oxford Collapse
Lil Wayne (couldn't stop listening to most of the album, especially "Let the Beat Build")
Animal Collective (their new EP is pretty good)
Santogold (getting more and more into it)
Silver Jews(my favorite band, though their latest was just ok)
I got to admit, the mainstream hits were much better than most of the indie stuff. Such as "Single Ladies", "Live Your Life" and "Flashing Lights". Cut Copy? Fleet Foxes? Can't really get into Bon Iver, but I see why people like him.
Oh and I got to say, the TVOTR album is pretty bad. I like the previous one. "Golden Age" just sounds like whining over a Gang of Four song. The chorus is horrific. They should call Spencer Krug in. They need help.
Matt,
The TVOTR album is pretty bad? They need help after having by far their most well received alubm? You really like Fucked Up? Okay, your hipster credentials are certainly in check. Well done. Now go back to the AV Club.
You're wrong about the Hold Steady as well. Stay Positive is better than Boys and Girls in America. But yeah, we get it, you've been into them much longer than everyone else.
"You should check out their early work, brah."
wb44, you still there? My 17 year old daughter (on whom I rely for new music; in return, I introduced her to the Velvets and David Bowie) played The Knux for me on a car trip recently. Pretty good stuff.
There are some VW songs I really like, but I can only listen to them in relatively small doses. And I always have to change the CD when it gets to that "Blake" song.
So it was well received. So are a lot of things. I'm sure you don't like a lot of popular things. But so long as you don't complain about them, no one will call you a hipster! MGMT is very well received and I love Electric Feel and Time to Pretend. It doesn't have to do with what other people like.
I don't read the AV Club. I used to like Stylus but they stopped, haha, how is that for hipster credentials? Why did you choose Fucked Up as my hipster credentials anyway? I would have guessed you would have went with No Age haha.
Stay Positive is not better because only half of the album is good. Constructive Summer, Sequestered in Memphis, Slapped Actress and Stay Positive are up there with their best tracks ever, but where Boys and Girls has only one Massive Nights, their latest has a handful. By Massive Nights I mean mediocre, almost filler stuff.
You can have Lord I'm Discouraged, I will take First Night. And so on and so forth. Then again, Party Pit is top three for me as far as Hold Steady songs go. Yes, that is right, a track from their third album in the top three, oh my!
I will argue this forever, but you can have the last word if you like and for the sake of Ta's comments section. Thanks Stacy, talking about THS makes my day!
Nah, its all in good fun, Matt. I actually really like the Chemistry of Common Life, even though getting past the voice takes a minute. But that's about all I know of Fucked Up. It just seems to be a hipster choice of late.
I don't mind you not liking 'Dear Science,' but to just come on here, and say their recent album is "pretty bad" just seems to be a bit too contrarian for me. To not like it, fine. It just seems to be the beginning of the backlash that I talked about earlier. I actually prefer 'Return to Cookie Mountain' as well. But I won't dislike their new one, just because it seems to be a bit more popular.
And yes, Slapped Actress is the best song of their newest album. We can agree on some things. I won't report you to the hipster police if you mess up, either!!
Best song off Stay Positive, that is.
Oh ha, Stacy, I didn't know Fucked Up was the big new thing. I figured it was just something hardcore dudes like and I surprisingly like it considering I cannot listen to most of that stuff. I'm out of the loop with indie these days. I checked back in and all of a sudden all this dance music is topping the year end lists and I'm like whaaat is going on???
Anyway, half the time I am the hipster police! Much more so the music snob police, which is different. But I know what you are saying. I really dislike the annoying side of the hipster persona. The kind that dismisses EVERYTHING all while trying to find the latest trend because the last one is a whole two weeks old and that much less ironic. It's a fleeting and disgusted-with-life lifestyle.
So I'll gladly be called a hipster because it shouldn't always be simply conflated with contrarian. Just don't tell me how good Navy Sheets or One for the Cutters is - St. Barbara don't let me explode!!
I offer up any sense of coolness I ever had: The three Violent Femmes' versions of "Crazy" as payback to Gnarls Barkley for "Gone Daddy Gone."
al green - lay it down
raphael saadiq - the way i see it
q-tip - the renaissance
beck - modern guilt
erykah badu - new amerykah
the foreign exchange - leave it all behind
gnarls barkley - the odd couple
seun kuti and fela's egypt 80
the roots - rising down
tvotr - dear science