BEST MUSICK 2008

Yo, I love year-end music lists, despite all of them being littered with Bon Iver. So here is the REAL list of the best music of 2008. No Bon Iver, I promise.

10. Nada Surf, Lucky - I jammed this record pretty hard in early '08. Some good mid-tempo, make you smile stuff.



9. Silver Jews, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea - Though far from the best Joos release, it's still packed with genius, witty lyrics, dry delivery, and intricate guitar noodling. Perfect for sleeping in a grassy meadow.



8. Retribution Gospel Choir, s/t - Duluth legend Alan Sparhawk is back. A needed diversion from the quiet, bitter drone of Low, this album moves forward with rollicking drums, fuzzed-out guitars, and great harmonies. Long live local dive-club rock.


7. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Real Emotional Trash - Weirdo stoner guitar jamz to the max.




6. Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life - Grrrrrowl. In college my friends had this house where we'd just drink booze and break stuff. This reminds me of that.



5. Pavement, Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition - A re-release here, and a spectacular one at that. I'll admit I am a sucker for the super-mega-deluxe versions of any album, but they go above and beyond on these Pavement reissues. If you like reminiscing about the 90's, this is the favorite band you never knew you had.

4. No Age - Nouns - On the edge of "too abrasive", this noise-rock album is an immediate turn-off. But being the persistent person that you are, you decide to give it a go one more time. Once you finally see through the shrouded static guitar haze, you realize you've found a melodic indie-pop treat.


3. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago - Shit, I said I wouldn't include this... who was I kidding? Representin' E.C. Wisco, Justin Vernon just might have created the greatest lonely winter album of all time (or at least '08). Lush, in a good way. If listening to a packed room of lonely people shout out "What might have been lost..." doesn't make you (gulp) teary eyed, then maybe you're a gargoyle.



2. The Gaslight Anthem, The '59 Sound - As I write this, I know 80% of my office is rockin' this out on their iPods right now. Everyone and their mother is hoppin' onto this one, and for good reason. It's like listening to a familiar punk band that tweaked the formula just a bit, trading in a bit of the edge for nostalgic catchiness. It's punk rock Elvis. It's like listening to a fond memory of driving to the hop, hair slicked back, grabbing a few burgers and malts, then driving around chasing girls...then of course crashing the car and eating your last meal of metal and glass.

1. Dillinger Four, C I V I L W A R - After 6 years, D4 fans were finally awarded this long-overdue album, and disappointment was nowhere to be found. Some familiar things remain intact: the explosive poppy punk barrage, gruff vocals, socially conscious lyrical content, and of course those darn silly sound clips. However this album has ventured a bit further. It's not just about getting black-out drunk and taking off your clothes just to piss off "the man" anymore. Well, maybe. The album has a sense of maturity, yet not too much. CIVILWAR is for the crowd in their late 20's/early 30's who have been fed just a bit too much of the downer indie slow bullshit all year, and crave a much-needed energy burst. If 2008 was like spending all year at grandma's playing Cribbage with your family, this album is the moment you get in your own car, blast the stereo, and head back to Minneapolis. But be careful, punk air drumming will make you crash your car.

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So there ya go, the best of an interesting year of crap. If you don't agree, you're wrong. Oh, I should also mention to all those Fleet Foxes fans... I don't get it. Seriously, am I alone in thinking this band is overfuckinghyped? I mean like y2k over-hyped. Like Indiana Jones and the Bucket of Arabian Semen over-hyped. "Hey indie rock kids, do you like church music? Awesome!" Ugg.

On that note, tune in to 2009 to see if the radio can get much worse, if any hip hoppers will make a song without that auto tune bullshit, or if there will actually be 10 more albums put out that don't eat dong.