411 Music Presents…2008 Year In Review: Part 1.1 - Staff Picks, Vol. 1

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 01.05.2009

The staff looks back one last time at 2008, as AC/DC, TV On The Radio, T.I. and tons others make our Top Albums, Coldplay annoys some of us, Guns N’ Roses and others surprise and disappoint us, Katy Perry and other bands break through and Metallica rises again…



PART 1.1: STAFF PICKS, VOL. 1
Well, folks, it's that time of year when every good music lover is making his or her lists and reflecting on the past 366 days of rock ‘n‘ roll. The esteemed staff here at 411 Music is no different. We've assembled all the 411 brothers and cousins for one last family holiday gathering. Put down your Guitar Hero: World Tour mic for a moment (they STILL haven't told you that you can't sing?) and peep what really rocked our individual socks off this year.

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MITCH MICHAELS
(Editor, Reviewer, Newsman, Lord of the Quick ‘n' Dirty, Guy that put this shit together)


Top Eight Albums of 2008:

1. Metallica - Death Magnetic: A review I read for Death Magnetic said it best: it's "the musical equivalent of Russia's invasion of Georgia — a sudden act of aggression from a sleeping giant." I'm not a 90's Metallica hater – sure, St. Anger was as bad as people say, but the Load-era stuff was quite good – but you can't deny the pure power and aggression of Metallica's early thrash years. Death Magnetic takes us back there. It begins with the end of your life and takes you through the scariest nightmares imaginable. What awaits you after death? Metallica has showed us one option, and it ain't pretty.

2. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch: It takes a lot for a Tom Petty project to not make my yearly favorite list, but this one went above and beyond. The addition of a couple old friends to the original Heartbreakers (especially guitarist Jim Leadon) took us to a place I'm not sure Tom had ever been. It's as fun as the Wilburys, but grittier than TP's ever sounded.

3. Chris Knight - Heart Of Stone: Another usual favorite, I learned this year that it's easy to take Chris Knight, a guy so consistently amazing, for granted. Heart Of Stone is the same old same old from Chris, but you can't argue when that same ol', same ol' is the best country music to come down the pike this millennium.

4. Weezer - Weezer: I couldn't stop playing the Red Album in 2008 – surprising since I thought "Pork & Beans" was such an awful single. Weezer had started to take not taking themselves too seriously too seriously over the years, but that's out the window here, as the tracks are Weezer-riffic, yet experiemental. Plus, kudos to the other three guys in the band pulling out some awesome tracks.

5. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends: I can't help it. I just fucking love it and I can't stop listening to it. I even bought Prospekt's March!

6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!: This one took a while to grow on me, as it just came off too abrasive when I picked it up from Barnes & Noble. I saw Cave in concert a couple months later and the set drew heavily from the new record. I realized in about 2 hours that I was pretty fucking wrong about the quality. The Lyre Of Orpheus was a little too bloated but showed flashes of early brilliance, but Lazarus continues that path. There's no one that can sound this vital and relevant this long after their debut – period.

7. Drive-By Truckers – Brighter Than Creation's Dark: You gotta go back to January for this chestnut. Another album that was boosted by seeing the live show, Brighter is a very deep and very dark record for DBT. I'm not too big on Shonna Tucker's vocal debut (she's very good on BGVs though), but both Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley pen some of their best songs for the album, which makes it definitely worth seeking out.

8. T.I. - Paper Trail: I came home from work one day and my wife said, "I think I like T.I. I like his new song, "Whatever You Like", I really like the meaning." Ha! Well, I have to give her kudos for recognizing a good rapper (what if she liked Soulja Boy?). Paper Trail benefits from all the crazy shit going on in T.I.'s life and is the best thing he's done, maybe since Urban Legend. Just fucking amazing with the guest spots at all the proper times (Love Luda on there too!)

Most Annoying Album of the Year: Juno: Music From The Motion Picture. Released in the early days of '08, so we had plenty of time to be annoyed by it. I couldn't fucking stand this soundtrack on first listen (Kimya Dawson needs to have her fucking head flushed down the toilet), and seeing the movie didn't make me like it more. The Oscar buzz for Juno had the record in your face for a good 3-4 months, and damn, did it make me wanna puke (minus that good track by Sonic Youth). Sooo indie. Is that supposed to fucking impress me? Thankfully, America seems over this craze.

Biggest Music News of the Year: Guns N' Roses Releases Chinese Democracy. Love it, hate it or just fucking never go to Best Buy, the release of Chinese Democracy is probably the biggest news of the decade. I think once all the hype dies down, people will look back and say this wasn't that bad of an album at all.

Favorite Concert of the Year: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC. Ho-Ly-Fuck. Fucking amazing and I am literally getting chills sitting here thinking about it. And the concert was months ago! Maybe it's because I didn't know what to expect, but Cave is probably the best performer I have seen EVER. He totally engages the audience (helps that I was in the front row), is funny and fucking scary as hell at the same time. If you have ever liked anything you've heard by Cave, you owe it to yourself to see him in concert and realize that you had no fucking CLUE how awesome he was.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings. I kept hoping this record would grow on me, as I'm a big CC fan, but, aside from 3-4 really strong tracks in the first half, this album is completely forgettable. When I heard the Crows had a country album in mind, I was intrigued. When I heard Sunday Mornings, I slept in.

Biggest Surprise of the Year: Jay-Z & Beyonce Get Married. Who even knew they were dating? Sarcasm aside, this is now the ultimate power couple in music, and B has the 5 MILLION DOLLAR engagement ring to prove it.

Best Breakthrough Artist of the Year: OneRepublic. As much as I hated Timbaland's latest album, it did introduce us all to the greatness of OneRepublic. "Apologize" was one of the biggest songs of the year, and the band managed to pull a second hit without Timbaland on "Stop & Stare". With some great songwriting, I think things are just getting started for this group.

Comeback Artist of the Year: Metallica. Commercially, Metallica never really went anywhere, but the fact that they could come back MUSICALLY with such fierceness is astonishing. It's also amazing that a thrash album could wind up on so many mainstream year-end lists. Yes, Metallica has returned.

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ROB SAMUELS
(Ask 411 Music Guru, Classic Record Reviewer )


Top Eight Albums of 2008:

1. Duffy - Rockferry. Great album. It's well written, exquisitely sung and intelligently produced. Great stuff.

2. Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark. It's been said, first number one and a passionate album.

3. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid . Mercury Prize winning album, no more endorsement needed.

4. Seasick Steve - I started out with Nothin' and I still got most of it left . Great title, which is backed up by a raw blues fest. It's good to hear somebody producing music from their heart and not from their wallet.

5. South - You Are Here . I really enjoyed this album, but once again South have failed to make an impact on the scene. A real shame.

6. Metallica - Death Magnetic. I've put this in because I don't want to be threatened by an angry Metallica fan.

7. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely . I caught them on "Later with Jools Holland" and was impressed, good album.

8. AC/DC - Black Ice . I suppose I've got to throw ‘em in. This is typical AC/DC really. Three chord riffs and sex jokes. Great stuff.

Most Annoying Album of the Year: Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul. There's many I could choose from: Only By The Night (Kings of Leon) and Glasvegas' self-titled debut are particularly irritating, because they're both vastly overrated (and I like the Kings of Leon). I'm going to give the prize to Oasis though, give up you are no longer relevant.

Biggest Music News of the Year: Ronnie Wood Relapse. Ronnie Wood running off with a teenage Russian waitress. Ah Ronnie, what a legend. As soon as I finished the last page of his autobiography, the news broke of him falling off the wagon (or is it back on the wagon?), and running off with a young Russian girl. It's good to see he's still got it.

Favorite Concert of the Year: The Police. Personally, I haven't had the chance to see that many bands this year. I got to see the Foo Fighters who were excellent, as well as The Police which was great (despite atrocious seats). There were a few more peppered around the year as well. I'll go for The Police.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Guns N' Roses Release Chinese Democracy. I'm not criticizing the music - I haven't even heard it. I'm just very disappointed that it was finally released. Chinese Democracy was one of rock's greatest running jokes. I suppose I'll just have to mock someone else.

Biggest Surprise of the Year: Duffy. She has been awesome this year, her album (which I reviewed, ahem) was outstanding (as was the review) and she has had an awesome year, gaining the respect of fans and critics alike. One of my friends was served bread by her in a bakery a year ago and now she's a chart topper. That's a fairy tale story.

Best Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Kings Of Leon. The 3 Brothers and 1 Cousin Folliwill have had an excellent year, metamorphosing from bearded country bumpkins to slightly less bearded indie rock superstars. You can't escape them over in here in the UK - they are huge at the moment.

Comeback Artist of the Year: Neil Diamond. I was going to say Britney Spears but I can't bring myself to. Instead I'll say Neil Diamond who finally got himself a #1 album after 176 years in the music business. Congratulations Mr. Diamond.

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PHIL WATTS, JR.
(Raw Addict, Hip-Hop Reviewer, Loop Digger )


Top Eight Albums of 2008:

DISCLAIMER: I know 2008 had plenty of other good albums, but since I've been out of the loop these past several months (and have been trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents on top of that), this is pretty much the best of what I bought this year. This is also in no particular order.

Pete Rock - NY'S Finest - Pete continues to prove that he's a legend when it comes to hitting the boards. This album had a decent variety of guests to keep things moving, from newbie's like Jim Jones and Papoose to vets like Redman and the Lords Of The Underground.

Q-Tip - The Renaissance - Tip comes back after eight years of label drama and brings his A-game this time (unlike his pathetic attempts at being a club rapper on Amplified or the really bad singing in his shelved Kaamal The Abstract album).

Madlib - WLIB: King Of The Wigflip - A lot of people swear up and down that this is his worst project. Whatever. Madlib brings back BBE's Beat Generator series with his brand of edgy and quirky beats. Hopefully, BBE Records won't do him like they did Pete Rock (remember: The InI/Deda "Lost & Found" 2CD set and the Surviving Elements instrumentals were released without his permission.)

Black Milk - Tronic - The Detroit native brings us a decent follow-up to his excellent debutPopular Demand. Even though Popular Demand was a little better, you can't go wrong with this one.

9th Wonder & Buckshot - The Formula - Even though the first one, Chemistry, had some good points, it felt cheaply put together, with some songs abruptly cutting off in places, and the somewhat weak sound quality. Thankfully, those problems get dealt with here, and the album as a whole is much better.

Al Green - Lay It Down - Al takes a chance by enlisting the services of ?uestlove for his latest outing. ?uestlove considers this the sequel to Al's Belle Album, and even though he has released several albums since then, none of them are as strong as this.

Raphael Saadeq - The Way I See It - Raph brings it back to Motown with this one. You listen to the songs in this album and you can't help but think of which past music star would sound good singing it ("Ooh Girl"=The Delfonics).

Heltah Skeltah - D.I.R.T. - Ruck & Rock are BACK! Even though they're dressed in cheap-ass Halloween costumes on the cover, ain't nothing changed. Thankfully, Rock's legal problems are now behind him, so he's got some catching up to do.

Most Annoying Album of the Year: T-Pain - Thr33 Ringz. Ugh. Even the title hurts. T-Pain is an example of everything that is wrong with today's R&B music in general. For one thing, he is a one-man Minstrel Show (as his embarrassing hosting stint on the BET Hip-Hop Awards shows). Second is his annoying, extremely TIRED use of Autotune (some pitch correction device that makes voices sound robotic)…then again, with how horrible his real singing voice is, he needs all the ‘pitch correction' he could get! It will only be a matter of time before people will look back on this Autotune shit and laugh. Then this embarrassment to music can disappear into relative obscurity, joining the likes of Lil' Jon, Dem Franchise Boyz, the Yin Tang Twinz, and Ja Rule.

Biggest Music News of the Year: Comebacks. This really pertains to all across the board. This is the year where a lot of veteran artists make comebacks in a world where YOUNG-YOUNG-YOUNG is the criteria. You had the return of New Kids On The Block for all the TRL fans---just in time for TRL's CANCELLATION! Metallica enlisted the aid of Rick Rubin in hopes of making people forget about St. Anger. AC/DC came back with their first album in years, and Axl Rose finally unearths the new Guns N' Roses album after holding it hostage for over a decade and a half. We also had the return of disco staple Donna Summers, soul legend Al Green, and the reunion of Labelle (Nona Hendrix, Sara Dash, and of course, Patti), with the help of Lenny Kravitz and the reunited Philly International duo, Gamble & Huff. In the hip-hop side of things, Dres (½ of Black Sheep) attempted a comeback as well, dubbing himself THE Black Sheep. Sadly, there was no Mr. Launge around to provide the dope beats and dick jokes. Both Q-Tip and Del Tha Funky Homosapien came back with the long awaited albums (if only Del's would have delivered like Tip's did). We've also had reunions of EPMD, Show & AG, the Pharcyde, and the Artifacts (even though the latter lasted for only a few hours!) Hopefully, next year will bring us the long awaited return of Maxwell and D'Angelo, as well as the Prince Paul-produced Souls Of Mischief album.

Favorite Concert of the Year: Pete Rock vs. DJ Premier (LA's Crash Mansion, April 18). I would've loved to have been there for this. This year gave us the battle between two of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, competing to see who can rock the venue the hardest. The both of them manning their turntables, they broke out their hits (from their respective groups) and played some old school breaks to get the crowd hyped. However, it was Premier that won, with a little help from one of his groups, the NYG'z and the returning Lady Of Rage. To tell the truth, the real winners were the people who were lucky enough to witness the event…and the true losers were CL Smooth (Mr. "Pete needs to stop being a FAGGOT and make my BEATS!") and the Guru (Mr. "Screw Premier---I have SUPER-PRODUCER SOLAR now!")

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak. I could've went with Prodigy's HNIC2 (which I clowned on earlier this year), but there's enough unintentional comedy value to make it entertaining ("A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P!"). Common at least had the good intentions of trying to remind people of the old pre-Marley electronic production with UMC, but nothing really works. THIS, however, is just plain BAD--'Bad' meaning BAD, not 'bad' meaning GOOD. Kanye hops on board the dreaded Autotune Bandwagon, while totally oblivious to just how horrible he sounds. On top of that, his production ranges from mediocre to horrid. This is a far cry from that ‘up and coming' producer that helped make Jigga's Blueprint a hit. If Kanye continues like this, he'll end up looking like Scott Storch, letting his massive ego write checks he can't cash.

Biggest Surprise of the Year: Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It. The way Raph was able to replicate the 60's Motown sound is nothing short of astounding. Seriously--play this in front of you parents! They'll start thinking that this came out back in the day, and when they ask who it is, you can break the news to them! That's just how well of a job he has done with this project.

Comeback Artist of the Year: Al Green. Like I said, there have been many artists attempting comebacks this year, but I chose to run with Reverend Al. I grew up on this man's music, so to here that not only was he coming back with a new album, he's enlisting the aid of ?uestlove the Roots Drummer, I had to put it on my waiting list. Both James Poyser and ?uest did a damn good job handling this record, and Al is still the same Al Green that killed it in the 70's. This is Al's first Top 10 record since 1973, so yeah - I'll call it a comeback.

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Aaron Mayagoitia
(Reviewer )


Top Eight Albums of 2008:

1. The Fireman – Electric Arguments: A late-year winner nobody was expecting. One of the most pleasant listening experiences I've had in a long while.

2. Black Mountain – In the Future: I fell in love with this as soon as I listened to it. This is what would've happened if Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath would've jammed together.

3. Guns N' Roses – Chinese Democracy: If you can ignore that Axl Rose is an asshole for making us wait so long, you'll find out that this is one great album and that some people work best when they have forever to finish anything.

4. The Black Crowes – Warpaint: A blues-rock album with a lot of soul in 2008? Is it possible? It is. This could easily be the best album the Robinson brothers have ever created. If they can top this, it'll be sweet jelly.

5. R.E.M. – Accelerate: Just when almost everybody thought that R.E.M. was done for, they returned with a triumphant fast-paced rock record with a tender underbelly for balance. I didn't care for R.E.M. until I listened to this.

6. Portishead – Third: 2008 saw the return of Portishead and it was good. The hypnotic trip through misery that is Third will suck you in and haunt you even after you stopped playing the record. Get it.

7. Beck – Modern Guilt: A droning album full of sonic details ideal for repeated listening through headphones while relaxed. I had a hard time choosing between Modern Guilt and Third for the higher spot.

8. Motörhead – Motörizer: Motörhead is like a cumbersome old machine: all steel, heavy, built strong and reliable. Motörizer proves that when it comes to playing flawless crunching rock, Motörhead has no equal. Play it loud and piss the neighbors off –you know you want to.

Most Annoying Album of the Year: Metallica - Death Magnetic. It hurts me to place Metallica in this category, but the clipping issues present in Death Magnetic are beyond annoying if you care for audio quality. I happen to care.

Biggest Music News of the Year: Pink Floyd's Rick Wright Dies. Some artists are so legendary that we sometimes forget that they are like the rest of us: mortal. The death of Wright shook my foundations after realizing that the glue of Floyd's sound was gone for good and that true Pink Floyd music will never be made again. R.I.P. Rick.

Favorite Concert of the Year: Joe Satriani with Mountain at House of Blues in San Diego, California: I only went to two concerts this year and this one was the best. Read my review of the gig if you want in-depth details; I've already said all I can say about that.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Not Catching The Metal Masters Tour. Not having enough money and a ride to go catch Testament, Motörhead, Heaven & Hell and Judas Priest together at the Metal Masters tour. The very thought of it makes me feel like shit. I envy all those who got to go. May Soulja Boy ring in your ears for all eternity.

Biggest Surprise of the Year: Guns N' Roses Releases Chinese Democracy. This goes to show that Axl wrote "Patience" with a purpose in mind. I bet his next album will have more guitarists, more studios, more waiting time, and less Dr. Pepper.

Best Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Orange The Juic e. An unknown Polish band that begs to be heard. Imagine a party with Frank Zappa, Napalm Death, Primus, System of a Down, and a bowl of altered punch. The music they create is INSANE! If you get to listen to them, you are going to laugh, cry, shout and headbang, all at the same time. Their debut album You Name It will surely leave you thinking "what the hell just happened?"

Comeback Artist of the Year: Journey. With a very good new album and a more than apt new singer, Journey went on to re-conquer the world. I got to see them live (my other concert) and while Heart and Cheap Trick did very little to make the night worthwhile, Journey entertained, rocked, moved and satisfied the audience. The best wishes to the band, their hard work makes them deserve it. Now the question is who the hell is Steve Perry?

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Tom Santoro
(Reviewer )


Top Eight Albums of 2008:

1. The Hold Steady – Stay Positive: Hands down the best record this year for me. Stay Positive has great lyrics and storytelling with equally flawless musicianship. In the footsteps of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Elvis Costello and the Attractions, the best bar band in the country has elevated itself to another level with this darker album with themes of religion and the bad effects drinking can cause in your life. I have played it at least once a week since I bought it and will surely play it more. Try "Constructive Summer"; "One for the Cutters"; "Magazines"; "Slapped Actress"

2. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: I played the hell out of this at the beginning of the year. This collective of Ivy League dudes play world music in the footsteps of Paul Simon. I understand their world music is not for everyone, but I found it to be fun, campy and not complex at all. Try "A-Punk"; "Campus"; "M79"; "Oxford Comma"

3. The Killers - Day and Age: I think everyone will agree that Hot Fuss was a great debut album. Also most people would agree that Sam's Town was a little early for the band to start changing their sound as most casual fans panned it. Day and Age is a well produced and cohesive album of an eclectic mix of styles ranging from funk, glam and synth pop. It even has a Jim Steinman-esque song. It is great to see this band continue to evolve. Try "A Dustland Fairytale"; "Goodnight, Travel Well"; "Losing Touch"

4. Los Campesinos! - Hold on There, Youngster: I love Superchunk. I love Broken Social Scene. I love Possum Dixon. Now if these bands had a baby it would be named Los Campesinos! From Wales, this 7 piece band released 2 poppy synth and fuzz guitar albums this year, the better of the two being the debut Hold on There, Youngster. The band consists of 3 women and 4 men and a variety of instruments. Try "My Year in Lists"; "You! Me! Dancing!; "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks"; "Drop it Doe Eyes"

5. Kings of Leon - Only by The Night: The Followill boys got a little more sexually charged on this one and rocked a little harder. As this is their fourth release the songs are stronger and the album gets stronger every time I listen to it. Try "Sex on Fire"; "Use Somebody"; "Be Somebody"; "Revelry"

6. TV On the Radio – Dear Science,: I almost left this off the list simply because they could put out an album of just farting and most critics would declare it amazing. But it is hard to hate this album as they take their distinct sound and make another solid album. Not as good as Return to Cookie Mountain, but still better than thousands of other releases this year. Try "DLZ"; "Love Dog"; "Shout Me Out; ""Crying"

7. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue: The frontwoman of Rilo Kiley released her second solo album (well technically this is her first solo album because she was with the Watson Twins on the last one) with some friends like Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson and Zooey Deschannel. More folky chick rock and acerbic tones toward the male gender. Her honesty and way with words makes the album enjoyable. Try "Carpetbaggers"; "Godspeed"; "Bad Man's World"; "The Next Messiah"

8. Santogold – Santogold: Santi White made a classic debut album full of 80's style post punk pop songs. The sound is mostly like Missing Persons and Blondie with a little bit of The Pixies thrown in. Try "Lights Out"; "L.E.S. Artistes"; "Starstruck"; "My Superman"

Most Annoying Album of the Year: Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy. Without a doubt Chinese Democracy is the biggest load of crap released this year. After a decade and a half of waiting and millions of dollars in production, Axl gives us a schizophrenic album that mixes all the different rock styles popular over the past 15 years. Thankfully Axl didn't rap Fred Durst style on anything.

Biggest Music News of the Year: Guns N' Roses Releases Chinese Democracy. As much as the album sucks the mere fact that I had the damn thing in my hands is pretty big news. Its legend had reached mythical proportions like stories of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. I am still not sure I actually own the thing, now that I have it I wish it never existed. Oh yeah, please rescue Tommy Stinson!

Favorite Concert of the Year: Radiohead: In a year that started off witnessing David Lee Roth singing for Van Halen again and ended with me seeing AC/DC, Radiohead takes the gold for me. I had been waiting for them to come to my city since I heard "Creep" for the first time, but our paths never crossed until this year. They concentrated on songs mostly from Kid A and on, but the best part for me was hearing songs from The Bends played live. It was an amazing set list and as a highlight I scored tickets for only $10!

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Coldplay. I own all of their albums but I am not in love with them. Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends made a terrible impression as they seemed hell bent on trying to unseat U2 as the biggest band in the world. They definitely have them beat as most pretentious. To top it all off they have been sued for plagiarism by Joe Satriani. I hope the rumors are true and that they will retire after the next album.

Biggest Surprise of the Year: M.I.A.. I put this as my surprise because Apple is not the only entity to be able to increase album sales as Seth Rogen joins them in controlling what you buy. "Paper Planes" was released in August of 2007 but had a monster 2008 because the song was used in the trailer for Pineapple Express. I had friends buy the soundtrack only to find it is not on it. Too bad Huey Lewis and the News didn't get a huge push for doing the theme song for the movie.

Best Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Katy Perry. Last year she was an underground artist with a modest hit ("Ur So Gay"). Ten years ago, a song about kissing a girl (and liking it) would have made her the most controversial singer in the country. With significant cultural acceptance of such an act, Perry was singing "I Kissed a Girl" on the "Today Show" in front of Al Roker, grandmas and 5 year olds. I also saw her at the Warped Tour, which definitely is a venue I should not have seen her at, but somehow she did not seem out of place. The song was everywhere at the start of summer and is one of the year's top sellers.

Comeback Artist of the Year: AC/DC. I only put this here because they have been dormant for the past 8 years. A lot has changed in the music business since the release of their last record. But without the help of digital downloads and only being sold at one major U.S. retail store, Black Ice managed to sell just under 2 million units since its release; proving that some people still want whole albums. They have sold 6 million records worldwide and are in the middle of a sold out US tour.

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Jasper Jones
(Reviewer, Leader of the Country Singles Jubilee )


Top Eight Albums of 2008:

1. Eagles Of Death Metal - Heart On : Eagles of Death Metal's latest, Heart On, is my number one album of 2008. This good-time band made up of Jesse "Boots Electric" Hughes, Josh "Baby Duck" Homme, and a few others have made one rockin' record. "Anything Cept The Truth", "Wanna be In LA", "Tight Pants", and "Prissy Prancin'" are prime reasons why Hughes and Homme are musical saviors. Rock ‘n' roll is meant to be fun. If I can steal a line from one the biggest movies of the year: Why so serious? Pop open a beer, put on your groovin' shows, and let the Eagles of Death Metal show you why rock ‘n' roll still rocks and rolls.

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!: I'm glad Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are back. Grinderman was ok, but something about it kept it from heavy rotation on my iPod. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is a return to form for Nick Cave. He's said that the album is "the raising of Lazarus from the dead told from Lazarus' point of view, but set in New York City". Only from the mind of Mr. Cave. The title track is great and the video for it is even better. And like EODM, Cave's mustache in the video is a sight to be seen.

3. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely: Outside of the song "Level", I was not a huge fan of The Raconteurs' first album. With Consolers of The Lonely, the band has seemed to come into its own. They've dropped what didn't work so well on the first album and fleshed out what did. The album sounds like a mish-mash of Americana and music from the British Invasion era. Sounds strange, but maybe that is what appeals to me.

4. Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell - Sunday At Devil Dirt: When these two get together, sparks fly! The album's so smooth and sexy, yet so rough and dirty at the same time. It's amazing. I've always been fan of Mark Lanegan, but it seems that when he teams with Isobel Campbell, he's at his best.

5. Adam Green - Sixes & Sevens: Adam Green makes some seriously bizarre and off-the-wall pop music, but somehow makes it so damn catchy (He tends to get lots of comparisons to Harry Nilsson). I have little idea what any of his songs are actually about, but I find myself singing them all the time. Sixes & Sevens was released back in March. Since then Green has been on a world-wide tour in support of this incredible album. "Tropical Island" and "Morning After Midnight" are my personal favorites.

6. Tom Gabel - Heartburns: 2008 was a good year for frontman solo albums. Tom Gabel, of Against Me!, released Heartburns back in October just in time for the election. In this EP, Gabel makes it clear where he stands when it comes to politics, and that's anywhere he wants. "Anna is a Stool Pigeon" is one of the best songs Gabel has written in a long time. If this is any indication on where the band itself is headed, sign me up.

7. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst: This was a solo outing for Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst, released back in August. His recent stuff, including Bright Eyes' last album Cassadaga, has really been impressive. On this solo record, Conor Oberst leads the pack of indie singer/songwriters. "Get-Well-Cards" has "young Bob Dylan" all over it and Oberst proves that he can get rocking when he wants to with "I Don't Want to Die (In the Hospital)".

8. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology: Ryan Adams has been described as a music factory, cranking out multiple albums a year. However, this was his only release of 2008 and it shows in quality. The album is collectively fluent, something that is lacking in most Ryan Adams albums. "Magick" is a great song. If you haven't heard it yet, check it out.

Most Annoying Album of the Year: Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus. Technically, this album came out in 2007, but it was 2008 when all the singles poisoned the radio. Kid Rock is one of the biggest musical wastes of the last decade. His music is generic and his association with country music makes me want to gag. "All Summer Long" got way too much praise for basically being a cover of two of the most popular songs of all time. Kid Rock got way too much credit for basically laying different words on someone else's song. There's nothing clever about that. It's lazy. I know artists sample all the time, but the best samplers know how to spin the music to at least make it sound like their own. "All Summer Long" sounds like an un-funny Weird Al parody. Don't even get me started on "Amen". Hopefully history will put Kid Rock right where he belongs...in the discount bin next to other "musical acts for meth-heads" like Jackyl and The Black Crows.

Biggest Music News of the Year: Guns N' Roses Releases Chinese Democracy. So, it actually happened. Someone finally discovered Bigfoot. No, wait. Guns N' Roses finally released Chinese Democracy. For what it is, the album is good. If anyone was expecting Appetite for Destruction II, then you were doomed for disappointment from the beginning. GN'R isn't even the same band from back then.

Favorite Concert of the Year: Dr. Dog with Delta Spirit: I mainly attended this concert, at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, to catch Dr. Dog. I had the opportunity to see them play at Bonnaroo 2007, but passed to see something else at the same time. Tickets were fairly cheap, so I drove to Nashville to check them out. Dr. Dog was great and played most of what I really wanted to hear, except "Alaska". What really surprised me about the concert was the opening act, Delta Spirit. They were incredible! The amount of emotion and drive they put into every song they played really impressed me. The lead singer could sing and wail his ass off! It's a shame that the same feeling I got from Delta Spirit live isn't the same feeling I get when I listen to their album, Ode To Sunshine. Compared to that live performance, the album is wet noodle. I highly recommend seeing them for yourselves.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year: Todd Snider - Peace Queer/Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher. Two of my favorite artists put out some pretty lackluster albums this year. Todd Snider's latest, Peace Queer, lacks his unique charm that I liked so much from The Devil You Know. Old Crow Medicine Show's Tennessee Pusher isn't a bad album overall, but some of the tracks slow the record down and bore me. Big Iron World and OCMS both flowed flawlessly. Neither of these albums are particularly bad, but I expected more from two of my favorites.

Biggest Surprise of the Year: Guns N' Roses Releases Chinese Democracy. Once again, I am going to go with the release of Chinese Democracy. The much fabled phantom album from Guns N' Roses finally materialized this year. You think ten-plus years is too early for a follow-up to The Spaghetti Incident? Way to strike while the iron is hot, Axl.

Best Breakthrough Artist of the Year: Katy Perry. 2008 was the year that Katy Perry came from left field to be one of the most successful artists of the year. Before the release of One of the Boys in 2008, Katy Perry was a little known artist by a totally different name (Katy Hudson). Now she has a platinum album and a single, "I Kissed a Girl", that reached number one in over twenty-two different countries. I'd call that one hell of a breakthrough.

Comeback Artist of the Year: Metallica. I have to go with Metallica on this one. When they released St. Anger in 2003, fans and critics alike were claiming that Metallica was dead and needed to give it up. Five years later, everyone is singing a different tune. With the release of Death Magnetic, Metallica has saved their own career and possibly their legacy too. Now fans and critics alike are claiming that Metallica is back and ready to kick some ass again.

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Hey, you're only partway done! Make sure to check out PART TWO of the 2008 Year In Review Staff Picks!