THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2008

1. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive: It's one thing to follow up a classic album (Boys and Girls in America) with one that is arguably better than its predecessor. It's another to include three bonus tracks that rank with the best songs the band has written.

2. Amadou and Mariam, Welcome to Mali: The duo's first album in three years hasn't yet North American shores, but the hype it has generated on the other side of the pond is well-deserved. World music that is accessible, enthralling, and enlightening at the same time. Sheer genius.

3. Southside Johnny. Grapefruit Moon: The Songs of Tom Waits: It's all about the horns. Southside Johnny Lyons' interpretations of classic Tom Waits tracks benefits from LaBamba and the Hubcaps rich horn section. The disc crackles with an energy nearly unmatched by any band recording this year.

4. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend: One of the most-hyped new bands of the year lived up to expectations on their thrilling debut, which channeled mid-1980s, Graceland-era sounds with erudite, but not impenetrable, lyrics.

5. Kaiser Chiefs, Off With Their Heads: On their third album, Kaiser Chiefs return with an edgy, tight, 11-track collection, which expertly produced, and chock full of potential radio hits. Or else they would be if you could find a radio station that still played music.

6. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cardinology: The prolific Adams has had some hit or miss releases over the past few years, but his latest, Cardinology is a masterpiece. It's country beats flow like a cool river and bathe you in a haunting pool of spirituality.

7. Hot Chip, Made In the Dark: The band's third album is, quite simply, a dance classic – one that you'll hear at parties for the next decade. It's that rare combination that makes you want to move as much as it makes you want to think.

8. Al Green, Lay It Down: With some artists, it's just enough that they get into the studio and sing, because you know that whatever they do is going to be memorable. Al Green is one of those artists and the right Reverend transports listeners back to 1970s R&B heaven.

9. The Killers, Day and Age: The year's most underrated record. The Killers suffer from unrealistic expectations. After their legendary debut, the bold follow-up, Sam's Town, was a complete departure and that terrified and upset the lemmings who wanted Hot Fuss: Part II. But that's not The Killers, who clearly see themselves being in the music business for the long run. On their third album, the band returns with a different sound, less bombastic, less Springsteen influenced, and just as compelling.

10. Ponytail, Ice Cream Spiritual: Fun. That's what this album is. Fun. It's a pop pleasure, that captures the band's essence. Known for their energetic live shows, this album nearly captures that experience.

11. Jody Porter, Close to the Sun

12. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals

13. Bob Dylan, Tell Tale Signs, The Bootleg Series, Volume 8

14. Spiritualized, Songs in A & E

15. Santogold, Santogold

16. TV on the Radio, Dear Science

17. Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst

18. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III

19. The Walkmen, You and Me

20. Rick Springfield , Venus In Overdrive

21. Travis, Ode to J. Smith

22. Local H, 12 Angry Months

23. Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!

24. Tokyo Police Club, Elephant Shell

25. Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul

26. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours

27. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

28. Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I – IV

29. The Clash, Live At Shea Stadium

30. Nada Surf, Lucky

31. Portishead, Third

32. The Streets, Everything Is Borrowed

33. Randy Newman, Harps and Angels

34. Drive-By Truckers, Brighter Than Creation's Dark

35. Pat Monahan, Last Of Seven Acoustic

36. Various Artists, Imus Ranch Record

37. Coldplay, Viva La Vida

38. Kings of Leon, Only By the Night

39. Neil Young, Sugar Mountain, Live at Canterbury House 1968

40. Guns N' Roses, Chinese Democracy

Comments

[ASBURYJUKES.NET]

>> Now, this is short and sweet: The "500 WORDS" blog nominated the best 40 albums of 2008. And Southside Johnny & La Bamba's GRAPEFRUIT MOON finished 3rd on the list. You have to see the full album list ranking to realize with what exceptional good company GRAPEFRUIT MOON has been competing. <<

[Kelly W.]

It is nice to see Pat Monahan "Last of Seven Acoustic" on the list! It was my favorite of the year!

[SS]

Some of my personal faves made the list:

Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Coldplay, Santogold, Cut Copy, The Killers and Al Green.