Year in Review: Music

I feel like there weren't too many really, really good albums last year. Since I don't keep up on music and the albums I've listened to last year aren't really that diverse (white people with beards and guitars, lolz) I'll just list some of the stuff I enjoyed last year.

Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
This has been a mixed bag in the press (The L's music editor hates it), but I like it. The songs are upbeat and fun to listen to. I don't really mind that their sound could be compared to the Clash. It's good driving music.

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
I don't hype myself up for Death Cab releases anymore. Their albums are always strong, but the last 2 releases have always been missing that little something that pushes it over to greatness for me. Where I'd usually listen to their albums for months, I've only listen to this one for like 2-3 before moving on and going back to it occasionally, all the while skipping over the ones I don't want to hear.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
This really seems like a 1997 release, because it was all the rage before the record officially came out last January.

She & Him - Volume 1
The only way I can describe this is that it had me at hello. Literally. Half way through the title track, 'Sentimental Heart', I already knew I would love this album and it didn't disappoint. I can't decide if this or Vampire Weekend is album of the year for me.

The Disappointments of 2008

Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Like his last album under Bright Eyes, this album has like 3 really, really good songs, but the rest are unlistenable to me. All his songs are just starting to sound the same to me... which is a shame, They all sound like rejects from A Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, but without the heavy synthesizing. Does that make sense?

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Whatever the hell influenced Rilo Kiley's last album obviously made it's way to Jenny's sophomore effort. The 2 songs she posted on her myspace as a preview before this record came out, 'The Next Messiah' and 'Acid Tongue' were great and also gave a false impression that the rest of the album was in the same vain. Instead it looked like a calculated manuver to hook in fans of Rilo Kiley pre Under the Blacklight. Which is what the album sounded like - a follow up to Under the Blacklight.

Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreaks
The College Dropout was phenomenal. I feel like all his albums have gotten progressively "worst". Not to say they were bad, Late Registration and Graduation were both decent, just not as good in comparasion. I'm not into the whole Auto Tune thing here... it makes him sound like shit live (see the SNL preformance he did to promote 808s). Also, why is it cool that Kanye can go all "emo" on us and people still eat this shit up like it's gangsta to be heart broken? Can't wait till my friend puts out his album 909s and Goodtimes.