2008: A Midyear Report

We're 6 months in to 2008 now, so here are five albums that I think you will want to know by the time we get to "Year-End List" season.  Most of these will probably get overlooked by the Grammys, but don't be surprised to find most of these on the December Top 10 list of your favorite music publication.     

The "Ghostly, Acoustic" Album of the Year

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

Bon Iver's debut is a spectacular mix of acoustic guitars, adventurous production, enigmatic lyrics, and tight vocal arrangements.  The tone and structure of the album reminds me of Antony and the Johnson's I am a Bird Now, but the vocal style reminds me of a far different modern masterpiece: TV on the Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain.  This influence is also brought to bear in the little flirtations with electronics and pure sound that creep up and add depth to the album's production.  I may not understand any of the lyrics, but much like an early R.E.M. album, the words themselves are hard to make out by just listening anyway.  But music has enough emotional power that the words don't even matter, the voices become just another instrument in the magical mix of the music.  If I had to pick right now, this would be album of the year.  Absolutely beautiful.   

The "Unbelievable on the First Listen, Pretty Stale by the Tenth" Album of the Year

 Feed the Animals by Girl Talk

Mash-Up albums are one of those post-Hip Hop oddities that are difficult to judge artistically. They are almost all derived from DJ Shadow's landmark Endtroducing... the first album to contain only sampled sounds.  Part of what made that record so successful critically was that the samples he took were from old soul records nobody remembered.  Taking sounds nobody cared about before and making them exciting takes a great ear and real talent.  With Feed the Animals, it's a different story.  These are some of the most recognizable songs from all different eras and genres.  The Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix, Kelly Clarkson, Lil' Wayne, Nirvana, Radiohead, and "Jessie's Girl" all poke their heads out of the frenetic, unpredictable flow of this album.  As a result, the first time you hear it, the random blitzkrieg of songs is stunning. However, upon further inspection, you realize that speeding up "The Weight" so that Levon Helm sounds like Alvin of the chipmunks cheapens what for many people is a very emotional song.  Similarly defiled classics include "God Only Knows" and "The Message".  While some of the combinations of verse with background are inspired, like the way that the cadence of the opening verse lines up with the bass from "Gimme Some Lovin'", but more often than not, there is no evident method to the madness, and what you're left with is the hip-hop equivalent of a great bar band with an identity crisis.   

The "Brian Wilson Meets Nick Drake on the Farm" Album of the Year

Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes

With an emphasis on big vocal harmonies and lush arrangements, this album proudly bares the influence of Beach Boys' mastermind Brian Wilson.  But there hasn't been an album this joyful with lyrics so dark since Nick Drake's dying masterpiece, Pink Moon. "White Winter Hymnal" perfectly exemplifies this dichotomy because, like most of the tracks on Pink Moon, the lyrics are terse but evocatively tragic; meanwhile, the voices move almost as if in a jubilant round, like a playground sing-a-long.  As a result, the album can suit a variety of moods and deliver on multiple levels.

The "Summer on the Quad at Columbia" Album of the Year

Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend

I swear this is not a joke.  The best album of effervescent, sunshine pop for this summer was made by five sweater-vest wearing Ivy Leaguers called Vampire Weekend.  The album recalls Paul Simon's afro-pop masterpiece Graceland, but also mixes in elements of Western chamber music.  They even brought a string quartet to their SNL appearance earlier this year.  And the quirky lyrics, dealing with everything from random bus rides to the veracity of rapper Lil' John, are just the perfect level of nonsensical for when you're sitting on the grass, soaking in the sun.

The "OMG!  That Dinosaur Skeleton Just Ate Fall Out Boy!" Album of the Year   

Accelerate by R.E.M.

If I told Peter Buck in 1983 that R.E.M. would make the most dynamic and thrilling mainstream rock album of 2008, he would have slapped me upside the head faster than you can say Murmur.  But R.E.M. have taken a rather serpentine career path.  Just when many were ready to put their career to rest, they return with their most assured, propulsive set since Bill Berry's departure from the drum stool.  R.E.M. have finally woken from their slumber Around the Sun and remembered what it takes to be a great rock band.  Fortunately, they decided to Document it so that the rest of the world can remember, too.    

Five Others to Think About (expect some more verbiage on the subject later):   

The "This Guy Must Write Songs Like He Breathes" Album of the Year 

The Age of the Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets

The "Small Sounding Guitars and Banjos" Album of the Year 

Visiter by The Dodos   

The "You Mean These Guys Are Still Alive?" Album of the Year 

Boo! by Was (Not Was)  

The "Brian Eno Makes Every Band Better" Album of the Year 

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay   

The "Seriously, You're Going to Love It When It Come Out" Album of the Year 

This is a Concept Album by Big Roy and the Twigs