Top Ten 2008: Albums
I’m sticking to a strict methodology here, that precludes any posing or faux claims to obscure musical taste. This Top Ten is ranked on the number of plays for the least played song on each of these albums, divided by the months since I added it to my iTunes library. If you’d like to verify the findings, you can compare against my LastFM page.
1. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
This tops the table by a factor of ten. For months after it was released I played it on rotation in the car, worked to it, worked out to it, and sneaked it on at parties so that everyone could marvel at it. Fimoculous called it the Finnegan’s Wake, of pop, which obscures the fact that this is a record that shouts with joy in the common musical language of the last 50 years.
2. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular Somehow MGMT manage to combine the whimsy and humour of Architecture in Helsinki, with the slamming dance riffs of Iglu and Hartly. This is probably where my Top Ten begins to descend into Billboard MOR hell.
3. The Streets - Everything is Borrowed It gladdens the heart to see little Mikey Skinner all growed up, making big songs about something more real than the perils of fame.
4. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend If you can look beyond the terrible lyrics of Oxford Comma, this is a great cohesive atmospheric album.
5. Portishead - Third So much better than I feared it was going to be.
6. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple I heard that Dangermouse made so much money off of Crazy that he never has to work again. That’s practically permission to go and download this from Limewire right away.
7. Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely This is the only out and out rock album on the list, but mein gott it sounds fresh. Of every artist on my list, I think Jack White is most likely to be still listened to it 50 years.
8. Ting Tings - We Started Nothing Loathsome shark jumping hipster artifice, but catchy like nothing else.
9. TV on the Radio - Dear Science It’s bittersweet when a band you really love totally crosss over and get the recongition they deserve.
10. Black Kids - Partie Traumatic I’m too old for this record, but INGTYBHTDWY is an instant anthem.
