My Favorite Albums of 2008: 29-23

Here are my favorite albums #29-23:

29. Noah and the Whale - "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down"

My favorite cheery pop album of the year. This joyful little album never ceases to put a smile in my face, no matter my mood. Songs like "2 Atoms In A Molecule" combine intelligent, cute lyrics ("If love is a game/how come it is no fun?/ If love is a game/how come I've never won?) with upbeat drumming and a fun chorus. But Noah and the Whale is not simply a one dimensional pop band. The title track shows a more sensitive side of the band and shows their ability to write good mid and low tempo songs. The two highlights on this album for me were "5 Years Time" and "Give A Little Love". "5 Years Time" is a great pop song about how we should enjoy every minute of our time together today because who knows where we will be in the future? "Give A Little Love" is a more mid-tempo track that combines the message of giving love unconditionally and trying to pursued a girl on the fence to not break her male lovers heart. This band has achieved a decent level of popularity in their native England and if they can keep the core the band together (especially Laura Marling who has a burgeoning solo career) then they could be a pop force for years to come.

Key tracks: "5 Years Time", "Give A Little Love", "2 Atoms In A Molecule"



Noah and the Whale - "5 Years Time"

28. Gus Black - "Today Is Not the Day...To Fuck With Gus Black"

Gus Black is an American singer-songwriter who has been around making songs for quite some time (he covered "Don't Fear The Reaper" for the Scream Soundtrack), he is also an actor having appeared on the television show "Californication" with David Duchovny. Black, unlike Noah and the Whale, seems to be a very unhappy man. Most of his songs are about being depressed or angry or both, but hot damn the man can write a killer lyric. Sung in a kind of hissed whisper the title track has killer lines like "Is she really that shallow/I heard she's sleeping with Vincent Gallo". The more I listen to this album, the more it reminds me of a darker "Boxer" with lyrics that touch the more surreal elements of our everyday experiences. Also, like "Boxer", "Today" didn't grab me at first as being particularly special, but the more you listen to the album and catch the lyrics the more impressive this album becomes. I would not be the least surprised if I was listening to "Out on the Amsterdam" and "Little Prince Town" ten years from now because good music and song-writing like this is timeless.

Key tracks: "Little Prince Town", "One For the Arrow"



Gus Black - "Little Prince Town"

27. Micah P. Hinson - "Micah P. Hinson and the Red Empire Orchestra"

Micah P. Hinson, a folk musician from Abilene, Texas, has one of the purest voices of any young folk singer. His deep baritone voice has a grainy texture that is not so clean as to be saccharine, but not so rough as to leave splinters. "Orchestra" is a marked improvement, from a songwriting perspective, compared to Hinson's earlier works. Still a few too many instrumental tracks on this album and the orchestration can get a bit masturbatory at times, but "Orchestra" has a smooth flow to the album where tracks seem to melt into one another. Songs like "Sunrise Over the Olympus Moons" have a pronounced Southern feel, but the string orchestration makes the track feel sophisticated and deep, a sentiment I rarely feel towards Southern music. Hinson, who has had a troubled past with substance abuse, with his recent engagement, seems to have finally found a stable, happy place in his life and his music is a reflection of the stability he has found personally.

Key tracks: "The Fire Came Up To My Knees", "Throw the Stone"

26. Fire On Fire - "The Orchard"

The latest release on this list, "The Orchard" is the first full length release by Portland-Maine-based Fire On Fire. After the release of their "5 Song EP" late last year, Fire on Fire have built up a cult following among folkies and indie rock bloggers. What's more, "The Orchard" did not disappoint. Certainly not as consistent as their 2007 EP, "The Orchard" is a very diverse record which picks influences as diverse as Eastern European folk music and Neutral Milk Hotel. At its core it is a jangly folk-rock record with joyously, crescendoing choruses and ragged, strained vocals. The album opens with a bang, "Sirocco" is one of the best songs on the record and it is reminiscent of their EP which should relate it to those who liked their previous stuff. "Hartford Blues" is another song in the same vein, which should immediately draw fans of indie rock as well as folk. Songs like "Toknight" sound like Eastern European Neil Young covers. Some may be turned-off by the Young-esque vocals, but for those who are used to modern folk and indie rock the vocals shouldn't be too radical (I mean it's no "Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah!"). The album is a bit over-long, clocking in at about an hour, but it is a great first effort for these guys. I expect these guys to gain a lot of popularity in indie rock circles in the next few albums.

Key tracks: "Toknight", "Sirocco"

25. Fleet Foxes - s/t

Everyone loooooves Fleet Foxes. I won't say too much about this album, since it has already gotten a lot of press and should be familiar to most of you. Fleet Foxes' first full length is folk inspired soft-rock album with a similar sound to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. "White Winter Hymnal" is one of the best songs of the year (awesome harmonization) and "Oliver James" is a great closing song. Just get the album, you'll be glad you did.

Key tracks: "White Winter Hymnal", "Oliver James", "Ragged Wood"



Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

24. The Moondoggies - "Don't Be A Stranger"

This is a deceptive album. At first, I was quick to categorize this album as another country-rock revival album along the lines of Elliott Brood's excellent "Mountain Meadows". However, upon further listens I began to hear to clear folk elements that seeped through the entire album. There are still the stomp along tracks on this album ("'Ol Blackbird" comes to mind), but the album is really anchored in slower lyrically introspective tracks like "Ain't No Lord" and "Old Hound". The album is rock solid, with the exception of the momentum killing "Night and Day". To be completely honest this album has just stuck around. I always want to listen to it and its diverse tempos and moods keep it fresh even with repeated listens.

Key tracks: "'Ol Blackbird", "Bogchiel Rain Blues"

23. Jacob Borshard - "A Glow In The Dark"

This album really snuck up on me at the end of the year. Jacob Borshard's release "A Glow In The Dark" is a diverse, ukulele centered pop masterpiece that was just the kind of album to bring some joy into a dreary year. From its first track, "Mary 2007", this album is clearly brilliant. Bringing together elements of indie pop with expressive ukulele playing, Borshard creates an album of joy. Sometimes the lyrics get silly, like on "There Was A Moon", but often the lyrics toe that fine line brilliantly ("Data And Worf" for example). There are some catchy songs on this album like "Hello Piero" and "In Love Again Again" which make the album stand up to repeated listens brilliantly. Possibly the best album of the last quarter of the year.

Key tracks: "Hello Piero", "Data and Worf"

More forthcoming! Including a review of a band we haven't heard from in awhile.