Here it is, my best of 08 list! There are some movies and albums that may have made it on to my list if I saw/ heard them, but I didn't. So after my lists I included a "Wish I would have..." list.
Top Albums 1. "For Emma, Forever Ago" Bon Iver - A break up album for the ages. Not a minute on this record doesn't deserve to be on it. The songwriting is so intimate, the heartbreak is so palpable, and the instrumentation achieves such rich musical textures with a very acoustic sound. As far as I'm concerned, there is no better place to be than wintry Wisconsin.
2. "Robyn" Robyn - Everything pop music should be. Before this album I always considered pop music with violins to be a recipe for sappy disaster, but the strings in "Be Mine!" and "Handle Me" cut to the heart like a razor. This album is catchy, funny, danceable, sometimes delicate, and always impeccably performed. The vocals on "Eclipse" are especially top-notch.
3. "Departure" Jesse McCartney - My guilty pleasure pick. This guy got good in a hurry. He has a bright future ahead of him as an R&B artist. He puts the vets (Usher) to shame. I love the peppy songs, I love the serious songs, I can't wait to see what he does next.
4. "Saturdays = Youth" M83 - The French electronic shoegazer outfit has done it again with its most complete album to date. You will be hard-pressed to find more tender music these days, especially amongst such distortion. The gorgeous "Graveyard Girl" mixes dark lyrics like "she worships Satan like a father" with music that brightens up the like the sun ringing in a brand-new day.
5. "Dynamo" Faded Paper Figures - Imagine The Boy Least Likely To and Stars birthed a musical lovechild. The result: Faded Paper Figures who put together a light, fun debut album. Standouts "Logos," "I Fell Off My Name," and "North by North" really rock in a laid-back sort of way.
Wish I would have...
"Dear Science" TV on the Radio
"Elephant Shell" Tokyo Police Club
Top Singles
1. "Whatever You Like" Weird Al Yankovic- #1 if only for its timing. With T.I.'s song of the same title at the top of the charts and the U.S. economy in the toilet "Weird Al" delivers a hilarious parody about thrifty living. This song and "White and Nerdy" are the only two songs of his to make me laugh out loud since 1999. Maybe he should look into the rap thing. I also think Weird Al achieved a level of musicality superior to T.I.'s original.
2. "Crush" David Archuleta - I didn't regard either David as champion material on this past season of American Idol, but Archuleta's first single is terrific. From the heavy opening piano riff to the chorus that you can't help but sing along with (or at least attempt to) this song is a winner. I can confidently say that my crush on this song 'aint goin' away.
3. "Sirens in the Deep Sea" Longwave - Maybe it's because I've only recently discovered it, but maybe it's because the chorus is just rousing enough to give me a reason to believe in the indie rock scene when I am finding so little to listen to.
4. "I'm Not going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" Black Kids - One! Two! Three! Four! It sounds like the chant of high school cheerleaders, but don't be fooled, this song can bring the inner-child out of any listener.
5. "Disturbia" Rihanna - What can I say about this song other than for however many times I've heard it I still refuse to turn it off. It makes me want to move like no other.
Top Films
1. Slumdog Millionaire - Danny Boyle takes the audience on a journey through the slums of India to tell a story of life's beauty triumphing over the most dreadful of circumstances. Laced with a delicious score, Slumdog made me a believer and it will make you one too.
2. Let the Right One In - Director and Editor Tomas Alfredson meticulously crafts one of the most pleasurable "dark movies" in recent memory. The joy of Oskar, a twelve year-old boy, and Eli, a twelve year-old vampire, discovering much-needed friendships with each other resonates vividly over the bleak Nordic backdrop. The movie pays more attention to human interaction than special effects, but when they are used, the effects are very effective. Also, the score is gorgeous, and the use of sound is as good as any movie I've seen.
3. The Dark Knight - Reminding us that there is more to superhero movies than action. Using deeply interesting characters and effective observation of the modern American Zeitgeist, Nolan and co. created a film that I simply did not want to end.
4. Gran Torino - Though most of the films on my list tug at the heart, Gran Torino gave mine the heftiest wrench. Clint Eastwood carries the movie both as director and star. His young costars seem unnatural in their roles (the one who plays Thao kind of sucks). Maybe Eastwood just seems brilliant in comparison, but he succeeds in getting both laughs and tears (the latter not from me, though- promise!).
5. The Visitor - Perhaps the most compelling piece of propaganda I've experienced. I would love to see Richard Jenkins win the Oscar for his role as Walter (thank God he was nominated!). The humanity that Jenkins pours into the protagonist only adds to the heartache evoked by a story of relationships being damaged by the cruel hand of Uncle Sam.
