My Favorite Albums of 2008: 39-30

Hey everyone! Let's resume my top 50 albums of 2008:

39. The Felice Brothers - s/t

The first of several Dylan-sounding bands on this list. The Felice Brothers have a raw, old-timey sound which was popular this year. On their self-titled release, they build on the momentum from the solid 2007 release "Tonight at the Arizona" and get ever closer to that break-out album that could establish them as a crossover success. The album has a good balance between faster, jangly rock tunes ("Take This Bread", "Frankie's Gun") and slower melancholy songs ("Saint Stephen's End"). Though this album does have its high points, the second half is rather weak (with the exception of "Helen Fry") and the album lacks a real stand-out track. Furthermore, I just narrowly missed seeing them live so I didn't get to experience these songs live, which I think would do some of them more justice ("The Greatest Show On Earth" especially). But overall a very good album by a band that I think will release a fantastic album in the next few years as they perfect their sound.

Key tracks: "Frankie's Gun", "Helen Fry", "Take This Bread"



The Felice Brothers - "Frankie's Gun"

38. Tyler Ramsey - "A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea"

One of the great surprises from early 2008, Tyler Ramsey's first full length album is a great mixture of folk and Americana that is easy on the ears. Once a de facto member of Band of Horses, Ramsey's sound is clearly influenced by the Horses, yet it distances itself from the harmonies and rockier numbers that have made them famous. Unlike most folk albums from this year, Ramsey has a classically good voice which can be appreciated by those outside of the folk-set. He is also a damn good guitar player. Some of the songs (especially the title track) drag on for far too long, but some of the songs ("Once in Your Life", "Chinese New Year") are perfectly paced. The album can be a bit sleepy for some, but I found its laid back feel refreshing. A good album that could use a bit of a kick in some places and some editing down.

Key tracks: "Once In Your Life"

37. Langhorne Slim - s/t

No album has moved around more on my list than Langhorne Slim's self-titled release. Definitely his strongest album and one with some of the best songs of his career and the year in general. The album flies out of the gate with "Spinning Compass", "Rebel Side of Heaven", and "Restless" which are three incredibly strong, up-tempo tracks. After that there are a couple of medium paced tracks and then the absolute stunner "Collette". "Collette" is the perfect Langhorne Slim song: well-paced, great lyrics ("Collette I knew the second we met you'd go to my head"), and a lot of fun without being silly. Unfortunately, the second half of the album was a real let down for me. Slim seems more concerned about doing his best Dylan impression than sticking to what made the first half of the album so good: faster, fun songs. I love a good ballad as much as the next guy, but the second half of the album is just too slow. Though it is an unbalanced effort, it cement's Langhorne Slim as one of the best when he is on.

Key tracks: "Restless", "Collette", "Hello Sunshine"



Langhorne Slim - "Restless"

36. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Lie Down in the Light"

Will Oldham along with John Darnielle and Jason Molina forms a trio of singer-songwriters that have able to keep-up a consistently high level of production for almost two decades. Oldham seemed to be slumping however after "Then the Letting Go" failed to latch on with many previous fans and he continued to barrage his fanbase with frequent re-releases and re-recordings of old material. Thankfully, "Lie Down in the Light" represents a return to form for Oldham. Much more upbeat then much of his recent material. "Light" is almost a duet album, frequently paring Oldham's voice with female vocalist Ashley Webber. It might not be his best work (it's pretty hard to top "I See A Darkness"), but it is a rock solid album of Americana tinged folk songs that is both accessible to new fans and likely to bring a big ole smile to many of Oldham's devotees.

Key tracks: "For Every Field There Is A Mole", "So Everyone"

35. Slim Cessna's Auto Club - "Cipher"

The first true country record on the list, even if it is a fusion of country and punk rock. Slim Cessna has been one of my favorite Southern Gothic themed bands (joining The Handsome Family, 16 Horsepower, and Freakwater), but "Cipher" sees Slim and Co. heading in a new direction towards punk and even mainstream rock and away from their country roots. Their hit "Americadio" is case and point of this, as there is little in way of country music to see on this song. However, songs like "Children of the Lord" and "Red Pirate of the Prairie" are more country rooted. This album is full of hard-hitting rock songs that are just fun and often goofy. Slim has a way of skewering dogmatic religion that is humorous without being elitist and songs like "The Fierce Cow Is Common Sense In A Country Dress" illustrate this perfectly. Unfortunately, I fear that this might be the last country album (or last album period) in Slim's catalog, as Munly gains solo popularity and the band moves in a more mainstream direction.

Key tracks: "Boom Magalina Hagalina Boom", "Children of the Lord"



Slim Cessna's Auto Club - "Americadio"

34. The Gunshy - "I Gave Too Much Time To The Wine"

Every year needs a Tom Waits album or at least a Tom Waits sound-alike. Matt Arbogast sounds eerily like Tom Waits and his spoken-word songs as well as his regular songs are very much in the Waits vein. Usually, something this close to Waits would pale in comparison, but the songs here are very good. Certainly there a few ill-fated forays in ska-esque rock ("The Darling Days"), but when Arbogast slows it down "Wine" is a great folk album. This album isn't for everyone, especially those who hate Wait's gravely voice, and it is too long, but if you are looking for a collection of good folk songs and just need that Waits sound, this is your album. The flirtations with punk and ska should also draw some listeners in who have no interest in the ballad portion of the album, but I personally found those elements a distraction to the singer-songwriter portion of the album.

Key tracks: "I Gave Too Much Time To the Wine", "For Julia"

33. Beatbeat Whisper - "Wonder Continental"

A brother-sister duo that releases melodic nature folk isn't an exactly groundbreaking idea. However, if those siblings are Ayla and Davyd Nereo, then they might just make one of the most beautiful folk albums of the year. At points Ayla sounds similar to folk starlet Joanna Newsom and Davyd's vocals are melodic, singer-songwriter sounding. I really like nature-folk music so I might be a bit biased towards this album, but up-tempo songs like "Mismanaged Skies" could appeal to any audience. Also, this is their first major release, so there is lots of room to grow and improve, which is scary to think of when you hear how crisp the instrumentation and vocals are. If you like the Bowerbirds and albums in that genre, you should like this album. Oh yeah, there is also a song called "A Childhood of a Playful Heart" where they sound like The New Pornographers. It's weird, but better than "Challengers".

Key tracks: "Mismanaged Skies", "Tennessee"

32. Misophone - "Be Glad You Are Only Human"

Another late year release from Misophone who ended 2007 with "Where Has It Gone, All The Beautiful Music Of Our Grandparents? It Died With Them, That's Where It Went...". "Human" is a carnival themed album, which often sounds like weird background music at a fair from the 1920s. I personally find the first half of the album too cutesie and even a bit annoying, but I think fans of The Boy Least Likely To will eat it up. The second half of the album distances itself from the carnival atmosphere and more in the realm of whisper folk. "Been in the Storm" is the highlight of the album, with a steadily building chorus garnished with lush instrumentation and an almost operatic background chorus. "Homeward, Gone" though a bit on the carny side, manages to balance the carnival elements with a strong crescendo at the end of the song. There is a lot to like here, however this is a love it or hate it kind of album and fans of more mainstream music should steer clear.

Key tracks: "Been in the Storm", "Homeward, Gone"

31. The Hold Steady - "Stay Positive"

Another disappointing album that has moved around a lot on my list. I expect an awesome release from these guys every time they put out a record and at first listen I thought this was more of the same great stuff from "Boys and Girls in America". However, this album did not stand up like past Hold Steady albums to repeat listens. There are some great songs for their catalog like "Magazines" and "Constructive Summer", but there are also some crappy songs like "Navy Sheets" and gimmicky songs like "One For the Cutters". Also characters like Charlemagne are gone from this album. That might be a minor point, but it takes away an element of familiarity that I came to enjoy in Hold Steady albums. It seems like even Hold Steady fans are split on this album, some love it (especially songs like "Joke About Jamaica") and others, like myself, were disappointed. Overall, "Stay Positive" has some good songs, but is a disappointment compared to recent Hold Steady albums.

Key tracks: "Stay Positive", "Lord I'm Discouraged", "Magazines"



The Hold Steady - "Stay Positive"

30. Eef Barzelay - "Lose Big"

Eef Barzelay, former frontman of Clem Snide, released his second solo album of 2008 and it was almost universally panned by reviewers. Even with the bad reviews, I really enjoyed this album. At first I agreed with the reviewers like Pitchfork that thought that this album was abysmal. The addition of electric guitar and the often dorky lyrics were off-putting to someone who loved his first solo release "Bitter Honey". Yet the more I listened to this album the more I liked it, especially the back-end. Tracks like "Lose Big", "Make Another Tree", and "True Freedom" are among the best in Eef's catalog. Sure the beginning of the album is kind of boring, though fans of Clem Snide might like it, but even it offers more than meets the ear upon initial listen. Eef Barzelay is one of the underrated song-writers making music right now and if you like "Lose Big" you should really check out his first solo album and Clem Snide's work because Eef's ability to create characters and sing from odd perspectives (a stripper, covering a Christian Aguilera song, etc.) can be really interesting.

Key tracks: "Girl's Don't Care", "True Freedom"



Eef Barzelay - "Lose Big"

More coming up in the next couple days. Happy Holidays to all!