411 Music Presents...2008 Year In Review: Part 2 – Review Roundup

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 01.06.2009

Take a look back at 411 Music's best (and worst) reviewed albums of 2008 in metal, rock, pop, indie and rap, as we recognize the big ones like Metallica, Opeth, Neil Diamond, T.I., TV On The Radio and more…



PART 2: REVIEW ROUNDUP
A New Year is upon us. That means resolutions, taking down Christmas decorations, upcoming snow days and all manner of winter activities. But January also marks the end of our journey through the old year. With 2007 in the bag, the 411 Music review crew is taking a moment to look back at some our favorite (and not-so-favorite) albums of the past twelve months. To this end, we've rounded up a couple dozen or so records that, one way or another, just may rock those parkas and long johns right off. So study this list, print it off and take it to your local CD store. Whether you're a metal head, indie snob, rap aficionado or just like to rock the fuck out, these are 411 Music's best buys of the year that was:

Note: Just click on any album for their full, original review!



The year in indie saw a further deconstruction of the genre's very essence. Trippy noise-rock duos dominated the charts and the hearts of critics; MGMT and No Age respectively. Bands like Vampire Weekend divided opinions, while acts like Fleet Foxes could barely escape the hype machine. The electro trend reached saturation point when even Of Montreal couldn't produce a worthwhile record, though dance-rock fusion lives on in the spirit of Santogold and Flying Lotus. 2008 also saw the welcome and potent return of old favorites including the Cure and Portishead. And for yet another year, that new My Bloody Valentine album never surfaced. And so as we enter another expectant year (Animal Collective's newbie drops on January 20 by the way), let us reflect on the best this varied and beloved genre had to offer in 2008. – James Palm

	#1 TV On The Radio - Dear Science, The 411: …TV on the Radio has created an album that is complete. Nothing drags but everything mesmerizes…[a] heightened sense of maturity and candor…the band has remained accessible [and] innovative at the same time.
	#2 Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer The 411: …phenomenal; there is so much to enjoy that you will go back to it again and again…you don't criticize good music. You listen to it.
	#3 Zach Hill - Astrological Straits The 411: [a] highly regarded musician…[Hill] has proven himself to be an equal [to the big names he has worked with]…astounding. Those hesitant of the math rock movement will find what they need within this technological opus to jump ship.
…trumps their debut…gritty music and Lanegan's sandpaper vocals backed by Campbell's ghostly whispers sets a tense sexual tone to the music…perfect for a soundtrack to a dirty, sweaty night of loving. - Jasper Jones	#4 Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell– Sunday At Devil Dirt The 411: …a slow-moving, grinding, sexual album. The vocal contrast…is perfect for the setting.
	#5 The Magnetic Fields - Distortion The 411: …has a neat sound to it…sure to provide at least a couple tracks that will suit your fancy…You never know what to anticipate…and that is part of the beauty…definitely an early gem of 2008.

Nas proclaiming that "hip-hop is dead" in 2006, seemed at the time, the worst possible thing to do. We had artists such as Young Jeezy attempting to defend their position in the genre, and eventually a gap appeared between the old-school mentality artists and the new school, as well as those focused on ringtone rap. However, it seems that now, looking back over the last two years, it was possibly the best thing to happen to hip-hop in a long time, as artists have been continuously trying to step their game up in an attempt to prove that hip-hop IS alive and kicking, so long as you know where to look.

In 2008 we've seen a West Coast revival in both The Game and Ice Cube, both pulling through with two of the best albums this year. The South has risen with some quality material, hopefully proving the closed-minded folk wrong about their misconceptions of Southern artists as T.I., Ludacris, Bun B, David Banner and yes, even Lil Wayne, came through with some impressive work. That's not to say that the East Coast has been slacking either, as Nas made the top album of 2008, The Roots delivered as usual, and even GZA dusted off the microphone for another album, going so far as to throw shots at 50 Cent. Go on 50, try to take GZA on!

The mixtape scene is buzzing at the moment too, and not just with the latest Lil Wayne tapes either. There are a strong class of hopefuls looking to break into the game in 2009 such as Bishop Lamont, Crooked I, Glasses Malone, Wale, Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth and B.o.B.

In all, it's been an incredible year for hip-hop, with not only revitalized sales, but artists too. We can only wait and see what 2009 holds, but if it's as good as 2008 has been, I can't wait. - Patrick Robinson

#1 Nas - Untitled The 411: …Nas [wanted] to present a message through his music…[and the tracks that do] are some of the best Nas has done in years…is going to make a lot of ‘Best Of' year end lists easily. Highly recommended.
#2 T.I. - Paper Trail The 411: …The house arrest hasn't brought down T.I.'s spirits…energetic and outgoing…top quality production…Highly recommended and you'd be crazy not to give this a go...
#3 Ice Cube - Raw Footage The 411: …I didn't think that Cube could bring that lyrical ferocity from his glory days…but this is one case where I was happy to be proven wrong…an excellent and mature album that encompasses the aggression and frustration of Cube without sounding like an almost 40 yr old blowing hot air at today's youth.
#4 The Game - LAX The 411: If this is Game's swan song…it's a damn fine one. Game finally appears comfortable with his role as a West Coast rapper. Backed by powerful production and lyrics dripping with emotion and West Coast flavor…undeniably one of the most enjoyable albums I've heard this year…Game finally carved an identity for himself.	Controversy seems to be Nas' running partner these days…Even after a name change Nas managed to provide us with a strong message [and] solid production… making it the best hip-hop album of 2008. - Patrick Robinson
#5 The Roots - Rising Down The 411: The Roots are still in Game Theory mode and rap music is better for it. The collective uses haunting backdrops and a variety of voices to deliver a powerful album.

Toward the end of 2006, Josh Homme side project (one of many) Eagles Of Death Metal opened their first night of a three week run for Guns N' Roses at a now infamous show where GN'R fans seemed to be more interested in checking out Axl's band and an aging Sebastian Bach. Axl responded to the less-than-stellar crowd response by proclaiming that it would be the last show the "Pigeons Of Shit Metal" would be playing with GN'R. EODM promptly left the tour.

Flash forward a year and Homme and his band have made an album that was has critics and rock fans grooving, while Axl Rose is back in the papers for releasing Chinese Democracy after a feverish decade and a half wait to a resounding fart. Such is rock ‘n' roll.

Of course, 2008 in rock was nothing if not a year of surprises, and that's reflected in the rest of our Top 5. The Drive-By Truckers suffered the loss of a key singer/songwriter to put out one of their darkest and most mature albums yet. Weezer proved that there's room in the world for at least three albums with the same name. Nine Inch Nails showed why they didn't really need a label. Rise Against showed us that pop-punk still had some gas in the tanks after years of abuse. And bands like the Airborne Toxic Event came from out of nowhere to rock our faces off.

So yeah, there's been more going on than Chinese Democracy, but the album that many thought would never be was definitely a symbol of how strange 2008 got in the rock world. - Mitch Michaels

	#1 Eagles Of Death Metal - Heart On The 411: …an expert musical experience detailing a wild night out on the town in L.A. Go out and buy this album…an amazing experience from start to end, and the best album of the year hands down.
	#2 Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark The 411: …shows the Drive-By Truckers continuing to evolve, but rocking harder…the album proves that there's still plenty of gas left in the songwriting tank…deep and full of questions, much like life itself. Tracks like "The Righteous Path" and "That Man I Shot" are some of the best the band has ever written…If you wanna know what Drive-By Truckers are all about, you can start here.
	#3 The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely The 411: … the surprise of the year so far…rocks harder than the debut and the blues influence comes shining through on most of the tracks…[this is] the band wearing their 70's influences on their sleeves. I can't recommend [this album] enough… potential [for my 2008] top ten list.
…hands down my favorite album of 2008…12 of the tightest, catchiest, and laugh out loud funny songs of the decade. - Mike Adler	#4 Rise Against - Appeal To Reason The 411: …simply amazing…has it all. Powerful music, perfect sing-a-long vocals, and thought provoking messages. One of the best albums of the year.
	#5 The Airborne Toxic Event – The Airborne Toxic Event The 411: Airborne Toxic Event made it without a label, or any type of promotion, [so good] they don't need a publicist to tell them how to make it big. Go see this band live before they start playing arenas and charging an arm and a leg…probably the best album of the year, everyone should get their hands on it immediately... Finally, I have a new crush…This could be love.

Born of the darkened musical muse of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, sharpened over the years by the leather of Judas Priest, the weapon of war that was Metallica, released into extremes by the weapons of mass destruction that was Slayer, and ground nʼ pounded by the likes of Pantera, heavy metal is the conscious of society lurking on the edge of mankindʼs awareness. Itʼs the thing in the abyss that stares back when youʼve looked into the darkness too long. Heavy metal is the full embodiment of controlled chaos, a fist pounding display of energy and aggression that is still rooted in song construction and skill. It boils the blood and releases a primordial urge to hunt, yet reaches deep into the psyche to challenge what you think as well.

Approaching four decades and an incredible diversity of styles under its bullet belts, heavy metal is a phenomena that continues to grow despite a mainstream it continues to confound. 2008 saw many more great releases, so raise a cold one and the horns to celebrate the music that makes you want to stand up and yell! - Dan Haggerty

#1 Opeth - Watershed The 411: …definitely the best piece of music I have heard all year…If you like metal music even a little bit, you need to pick [this] up…the type of album that only comes around every couple of years…as brutal as the band has ever gotten…a potential future classic.
#2 Dismember - Dismember The 411: A massive shot of Swedish death metal…a must own if you like extreme music…skull frying death metal set to kill…one of the few classic bands to still carry the standard of straight up death metal…Sometime soon you'll venture into the metal section of your favorite music store, where Dismember will jump out of the rack and go for the jugular, waiting until you stop twitching to drag you off to feast at its leisure. You've been warned.
#3 Metallica - Death Magnetic The 411: Metallica took a shot at redemption and hit a home run…a front-to-back solid album, with decent vocals, great drums, amazing riffs, and some of the best guitar solos I've heard in a long time…Metallica is back…an amazing album, almost untouchable in terms of modern releases…an incredible album.	…another gem in their immense catalog that pushes the boundaries of death metal…the aggression is turned down, but the songwriting is top-notch…instantly memorable. I'm proud that Watershed is 411 Music's #1 metal album of 2008. - Dan Marsicano
#4 Testament - The Formation Of Damnation The 411: …one of the best "Old School" kick ass attacks of the year…I fully expect it to end up on a number of Top 10 lists. If you like thrash metal, then this is a must own album.
#5 Trivium – Shogun The 411: …one of the best metal albums of the year…Trivium is in top form, and some of the tracks rank as the band's best material…a fantastic accomplishment and one that finally shows the true sound that we all have been waiting for…

While 411 covers all corners of the music world, from underground hip-hop to the darkest of metal, the sounds that come out of your Top 40 radio stations still provide a vital core to our existence. Do we listen to pop music because we're miserable? Or are we miserable because we listen to pop music?

Top 40 music will always be the common language that binds people, and 2008 provided Americans with plenty of reference points, be it through teen popsters like the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift or the return of a music icon in Neil Diamond. You had the Winehouse effect going, as Duffy rose from across the pond to jazz us all, and don't forget the completely inescapable "biggest band in the world" - Coldplay . It's another diverse list for the review crew, as we conquer all things popular. - Mitch Michaels

	#1 Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark The 411: …a great marriage of stripped down vocals and musicality with slick studio production. [Diamond's] best album since the early seventies...songs that build in intensity and explore age-old themes in new ways….top-flight musicians performing brilliantly. Fans of classic singers and songwriters will really love this…park your reservations at the door and prepared to get Diamondized.
	#2 The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing The 411: …[The Ting Tings] are perfecting a proven formula and creating a collection of euphoric tracks that are as catchy as they are sophisticated. Packed with great drum beats and suave vocals, the album will struggle to be beaten as the best pop album of 2008.
	#3 Taylor Swift - Fearless The 411: Fearless will most likely win you over with its charismatic star, powerful lyrics, and glossy production…left me excited to hear what Taylor Swift will offer next.
Much like Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash, he's stripped Diamond of the glitz and excess and returned him to his roots while also updating his sound. Home Before Dark went #1 in its first week of release - Diamond's first #1 album ever. - Leonard Hayhurst	#4 Jonas Brothers - A Little Bit Longer The 411: …will appeal to everyone that can stand a couple cords of today's pop music…coherent, enjoyable, and leaves the pretense at the door…The same way people compare the Jonas Brothers to Hanson, critics of the future will compare boy bands to the Brothers…This is their niche and their genre to lose.
	#3 Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends The 411: …possibly Coldplay's greatest [album]…by stretching their boundaries…the band has produced their most immediately satisfying set to date…not a moment of boredom…with its themes of death and spirituality, this isn't a party record for the summer, but it's sure to spend plenty of time in your bedroom CD player or car stereo.

For the 26 amazing albums we've chosen as 2008's crème de la crème, there are always countless others that barely didn't make the grade. Stuff like country legend George Strait's Troubadour, or Duffy's self-titled debut. Or, for that matter, great records by KaiserCartel, R.E.M., The Black Keys and Lil Wayne.

Unfortunately, these albums aren't by any of those groups. No, these are the ones we wished we'd never put the headphones on for. The soundtracks to our worst or most benign nightmares. This is the shame of 2008 – Avoid at all costs. - Mitch Michaels

#1 New Kids On The Block - The Block The 411: …hilarious…[NKOTB] kept the cheesiness of the 80's boy band lyrics, and then turned it up a few notches and made it explicit. They tried to make this romantic and sensual, but it turned out distasteful and creepy…a little late.
#2 Queen + Paul Rodgers - The Cosmos Rocks The 411: …aptly named, as both parties almost refuse to come together to record anything cohesive…an uneven pondering of why the band decided to go through with this in the first place…may serve Rodgers's legacy, but certainly not that of his bandmates.
#3 Soulja Boy Tell'em - iSouljaBoyTellem The 411: …lacks a catchiness factor that made his first album a success…even more forgettable than those on his debut…outside producers can't save Soulja Boy from his inability to step his lyrical game up…you're better off throwing your money straight into the garbage.
#4 Mudvayne - The New Game The 411: If you have low expectations…some of this album may appeal to you. Hardcore fans of Mudvayne are going to be disappointed…The sound is barebones of what this group used to be…plays as a group of B-sides. Don't bother checking this album out; it is clearly not worth your time: all redeeming moments are lost in the uninspired, blanched production and vocals.	…an embarrassment not only to [NKOTB], but also for everyone who enjoyed it…by far one of the worst albums of 2008, and they should have stopped when their careers did - Brittany Haskins
#5 Rocko - Self-Made The 411: …Rocko is pretty much a poor man's Young Jeezy…pretty much bottom of the barrel. Totally uninspired production courtesy of Drumma Boy and an even worse lyrical performance from Rocko…one of the worst albums of 2008 and one of the worst albums I've heard in my life.

And now, from the home office in Sioux City, Iowa, we bring…aw, fuck it. Here's 411 Music's top 10 sure bets of 2008. Buy these albums, listen to them, worship them. We'll be busy keeping our eye out for the next big thing. - Mitch Michaels

	#1 TV On The Radio - Dear Science, a deeply mature album…the problems of the wider world are encapsulated and played out to a soundtrack that crosses boundaries. - James Palm
	#2 The Fireman - Electric Arguments …an addictive, colorful collage of sounds featuring stellar instrumental, lyrical and vocal performances; essential. - Aaron Mayagoitia
	#3 Opeth - Watershed …another brilliant release from Opeth. The band does what they want to do and doesn't follow any trends or what is popular in the "mainstream"…definitely the band's most unique album…the most beautifully tragic masterpiece of the year and an experience that can't be missed. - Dan Marsicano
…[TVOTR's] proverbial letter to the American populous; at times an angry and mournful lament for the country's tough contemporary living, yet also a joyous celebration of better times to come…complete…everything mesmerizes…Outstanding. - James Palm	#4 Nas - Untitled The misconceptions of black America, the misconceptions of modern day American society, racism in it's different forms and the hardships that face a young black person trying to grow up…Nas' message does indeed shine through on every track. - Patrick Robinson
	#5 Eagles Of Death Metal - Heart On …oozes awesomeness…No song is out of place, and when the album's over, you're left wanting more…this album alone should make Axl eat his words. - Mike Adler
	#6 T.I. - Paper Trail T.I.'s charisma [is] borderline ridiculous… probably the best [production] I've heard all year on any album… - Patrick R.
	#7 Ice Cube - Raw Footage …the production from start to finish is damn near perfect…Cube sounds aggressive without posturing, teaching but not preaching as he talks about people getting caught up in their futures. - Patrick R.
	#8 Dismember - Dismember …the real deal…nothing mainstream or accessible…a tour de force of traditional death metal from the cold land that has always prided itself on extreme music…not the place to jump in and learn about death metal - this is the deep end of the pool and filled with pre-Jurassic terrors. - Dan Haggerty
…that rare work of art. Just like the album's cover, the music within is full of color and creative spirit…emotion looming around every sonic corner of this sensational musical accomplishment. - Aaron Mayagoitia	#9 Metallica - Death Magnetic …The instrumentals are back, the guitar solos are back, the underlying album theme is back, the "ballad at track 4" is back. What more could you ask for? The Metallica of St. Anger and "Some Kind Of Monster" draws it's last breath in the opening seconds of this album and a legend is reborn in the unknowns of what exists after death… - Mitch
	#10 Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark …definitely one of their best albums in years…[it] shows the band renewed and full of energy - Mitch

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And that's all, folks. We'll see you tomorrow for Part 3 of our 2008 retrospective, where we look at some brilliant musical careers that were sadly ended over the year. Also, be sure to stay glued to 411mania's album review section so you'll never miss out on what the music world has to offer.