Popshifter‘s Best Of Lists

Music: Best Of 2008

By Adam McIntyre

Hands Down Eugene, White Stone/Black Witch: Good lord, did I play this record a lot. When I was a kid, I’d invite a friend over to listen to a record with me, and things like that really don’t happen now that I’m a grown-up; if I’m listening to music, it’s because I’m in the car with my kid or on the road in the van with my band. However, I invited people over specifically to listen to this with me. 2008 was largely enjoyed with this album turned up loud enough to reveal every sound, with a couple friends and me occasionally saying either “wow” or “woooow” . . . or giggling. I’m glad I knew these boys in Nashville because I never would have heard of this album otherwise. Released for free on the Internet in June, White Stone/Black Witch sounds like a lost landmark album from 1972 without trying to be retro. It’s rootsy, psychedelic indie rock that’s just plain enjoyable to a guy who likes interesting arrangements, solid lyrics, and breathtaking chord changes.

Hands Down Eugene

Man Man, Rabbit Habits: Man Man sound like they were locked in a small room together as children and given unusual instruments with no instructions—in other words, they’re original, tight, and deliriously satisfying if you’ve been looking for “something else.” During the making of Rabbit Habits, the band referred to it as their “pop album.” If there are pop influences on Rabbit Habits, they’re twisted and mutated; there are moments that simultaneously evoke Carl Wilson, Sparks, and Devo, but. . . not really. Not at all. They like being heavy without any distorted guitars (or synths for that matter) and rely on carefully orchestrated chaos to jolt their audiences into action; it’s actually easier to give in to the music and dance around like a demon than it is to stand still. The best part is that Man Man are clearly having fun. They never take themselves seriously, and yet have never been more serious about their mission. I suppose that mission is to inspire hot women to wear fake moustaches.

Radiohead, In Rainbows: Most of you have it, so I won’t get into it too much, but watching Scotch Mist on IFC last New Year’s Eve last year and witnessing Thom Yorke do that thing where he wiggles against the beat of the music totally sold me. That guy has FUN. One thing I’d missed in Radiohead for years was a sense of humor and fun but with In Rainbows it seems to have finally sunk in that they’re actually pretty playful while still being intense. It’s the wiggle that makes the ache a lot more poignant.

The Black Keys, Attack & Release: Damn yes. The Black Keys are used to playing Hill Country Blues (a bizarre jook-joint-based dialect of Blues that focuses on a hypnotic groove with no chord changes), but on Attack & Release they took their hypnotic grooves and got creative. Danger Mouse produced it without the usual “guitar and drums” constraints of the Keys’ live shows, and the arrangements benefit from flutes, mellotrons, and keys. The result isn’t groundbreaking or even pretentious; it’s just really good. I headbanged to “Strange Times” more times than could possibly be healthy, unless you count music that makes you jump and shout as medicine. . . which I do.

Queens Of The Stone Age, Era Vulgaris (2007): Oops. This one’s from the year before, but it took me forever to get around to buying it. There are two MTV-ready tracks, “3s & 7s” and “Sick Sick Sick”—my play list omits them, and without them, this album is so ridiculously up my alley that I don’t even miss them. The Queens most of you know are modern rock (or more accurately, stoner rock from the desert), but the Queens I love are more like a creative and inexplicably heavy Indie Rock band with hollow body instruments. I have this mental image of Josh Homme in high school: looking like a jock but being smarter than the valedictorian. He’s dangerously brilliant, brutally sarcastic, and capable of more than he initially lets on. I felt like Era Vulgaris was this “letting on.” Helluva performance on this record, and produced a bit like Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti. . . if it had been recorded in the desert on peyote.

Mostly Bears

Mostly Bears, The Ed Mitchell Clinic: Space rock! I enjoyed their August show in Atlanta, but was sort of shocked at how quickly this CD grabbed me. It stayed on a loop in the car for about a month and a half. “Melancholyism” is my favorite track, and a lot more fun than the name suggests. I like the bombastic drums and ominously grinding bass. Their singer, Brian Lopez, puts some beautiful, dreamy guitar over that bedrock and. . . how do I even categorize his voice? It’s almost reminiscent of Matt from the Features but more varied, sort of a frantic Jeff Buckley in a Mars Volta-type situation. I still get texts from Brian that simply read “I’m Old Gregg!” Good people. Go see them if they play in your town.

Girl Talk, Feed The Animals: Short attention span theater for folks who are profoundly amused by hearing tons of mashups. New and old, black and white, demure and vulgar are constantly being juxtaposed on Girl Talk’s fourth album. If you don’t like what you’re hearing, just wait fifteen seconds for something completely different to take over. I absolutely loved hearing a young Michael Jackson singing over “Bohemian Rhapsody” (once I figured out what I was hearing). The high points of this record are pretty astounding, and it’s immensely satisfying to hear all of these hit songs playing nicely with each other regardless of genre or age. My only complaint (and the main one you’ll hear) is that some of the 15-second mashups on Feed The Animals are so good, you’ll wish you could hear more. You should listen to it on the way to work. You’d be a lot more amused with life.

To go back to the list of contributors, click here.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19