Thursday, July 10, 2008

Best Of '08 - Midway Point

We're through half of the year, time for a quick round-up of the best of the best so far.
I think I'll split it up into a few categories.

BEST OF '08 (SEMESTER 1).
Best EP (because it's not fair to pit EPs against LPs)
The Black Noise Party Boys - Party All The Time
Jan. 18, 2008 - Holdfast Records

Fun, fast, hard, southern metalcore. No, not the Eddie Murphy song of the same name. Just a buncha rednecks making party music. Maylene, much? Who cares, all the songs are about parties!

Best Folk/Acoustic
City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Feb. 13, 2008 - Dine Alone Records

Singer/songwriter Dallas Green's second solo record, it's a beautiful look at the man's soul from the inside out. Dallas has a way of gently implanting his feelings into you with his voice, and this record is great to mellow out to and enjoy. The harmonica helps, too.

Best Hip-Hop
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Apr. 22, 2008 - Rhymesayers Entertainment

Slug and Ant do it again. Another Rhymesayers masterpiece. Not much else I can say, it's classic Atmosphere awesome, it's well written, the beats are tight and the message is still personal. boycott cocaine

Best Metal
Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal AND Protest The Hero - Fortress
July 22, 2008 - Metal Blade Records / Jan. 29, 2008 - Vagrant Records/Underground Operations

Toss up. I can't really decide. ADM is pure laughter while still being amazingly proficient musically, while Fortress is a lyrical and instrumental tour-de-force through the high points of modern metal(-prog-tech-math-core). ADM has you laughing at Arnold one-liners in the breakdowns, while Fortress is just plain badass. I think Fortress takes it, but the pure laughter ADM provides keeps it in there.

Best Rock/Pop
Run Kid Run - Love At The Core
Apr. 29, 2008 - Tooth And Nail Records

This one really caught me off guard. I had downloaded it a while back and thought nothing much of it, but the other day I was looking for something new and I flicked them on. I was really impressed. The music is smart, inspiring, fast, and fun. Very strong the entire way through, never relenting or letting you down.

Best Indie
Alexander - White Flags And Silver Spoons Will Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms
Apr. 8, 2008 - The Militia Group

This is by far my favorite record so far. Deep, heartfelt lyrics and powerful musical arrangements mesh into a musical experience unrivaled this year. I was taken aback at how complex the music can be while still maintaining a very calming quality. It's fantastic all around, whether it's the synthy opening two, the jazzy, upbeat bass of "I'm Not Right," or the acoustics of some of the alter tracks, Ryan Alexander and his gang keep the record in ship shape. This is one act you don't want to miss.

Best Overall
Alexander - White Flags And Silver Spoons Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms


Honorable Mentions:
Genghis Tron - Board Up The House
Search/Rescue - The Compound
Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground - s/t
Lydia - Illuminate
Foxy Shazam - Introducing Foxy Shazam
Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs


Disappointments:
A Skylit Drive - Wires....And The Concept Of Breathing
May 20th, 2008 - Tragic Hero Records

Weezer - Weezer (The Red Album)
June 3, 2008 - Geffen Records

From First To Last - From First To Last
May 6, 2008 - Suretone/Interscope Records

Testament - The Formation Of Damnation
Apr. 29, 2008 - Nuclear Blast Records

Quick summary: I really expected more outta Weezer after hearing Pork and Beans. Guess not. A Skylit Drive, what happened? FFTL...I didn't really have high hopes but I had the smallest sliver of hope that they'd do something good without Sonny. Testament...just kinda fell flat. I was expecting a metal masterpiece, but they just...didn't deliver.

That's it for this half of the year, check back in like, December or something.
Peace.

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