TOP 21 ALBUMS OF 2008

It should be noted I only counted albums released in 2008. If it was released digitally in 2007 it was NOT eligible … which is why you don’t see Radiohead, Robyn or MGMT on this list.

TV on the Radio, Dear Science
This mixture of high art and dance floor squonk not only bears up over repeated listens, it actually gets better. In that most rare of occurrences, the album I found myself turning to again and again too sate my more base musical desires also ended up feeding my intellectual hungers as well.
MP3: Dancing Choose | Buy on Amazon

TOP 10 RELEASES BY CHICAGO BASED BANDS IN 2008

Tom Schraeder and His Ego, Lying Through Dinner EP
On his latest EP Schraeder often mixes Americana with the feel of a humid New Orleans bordello. Boozy, swinging strains spill out of darkened nightclubs into puddle-splashed streets. Rouged nipples brush inches away from the unshaven crevices of a miner’s chin on the boozy sing-along “When You’re Not Around,” an excellent compliment to the soaring hopeful organ strains permeating “Guadalupe Cries.” Schraeder expertly mixes the dark with the light creating a chiaroscuro effect on his compositions.

Local H, 12 Angry Months
12 Angry Months deals with the intensely personal cycle of the demise of a major relationship and the year of fall-out that follows. It’s not like break-ups are exactly unusual territory in pop music, but Local H’s Scott Lucas has the undeniable talent to take an individual experience and expand its relevance to universally touch. Lucas still has a gift for injecting a darkly pretty melody into even the most abrasively angry guitar lines, and Brian St. Clair’s drumming is both massive and tasteful. This is the near perfect album Local H has been threatening to make for years … all it took was something deeply personal to allow them to make a universal statement.

Milk At Midnight, Less love More Acid
Milk At Midnight’s sound is chimeric, with the primary sonic tether between tunes being the group’s ability to graft memorable melodies onto craggy surfaces. The other connecting point is angry lyrics that both condemn and soar. The sunshine is there if you really quint and search it out, but eventually your eyes are going to tire and the light will temporarily slip from your vision again. It’s the hope that keeps us going even as I stare wide-eyed at the horrors around us.

Grammar, The Grammar Self-Titled Short Player
Grammar has the potential to grow into kings (and queen) of Chicago’s orch-pop particular scene. The band’s debut self-titled EP contains six songs of wistful and airy pop that flickers and twinkles, delighting the ears. Jaunty piano numbers melt into choirs of intertwining vocal melodies, politely restrained rockers descend from above, sparse and cutting acoustic odes seep in underfoot, and pleas for inclusion are folded into tiny synthetic symphonies and plinking xylophone runs. Sound like an earful? It is, but it’ll leave you wanting more. Not bad at all for a debut EP.

Walter Meego, Voyager
Voyager is one hell of a first album. It’s slinky, sexy guitar and synthesizer lines kiss and cuddle with each other, while the underlying beats seem destined to unleash a whole new class of freaky line-dancers getting ready to make babies. Their urbane, sophisticated delivery gives off images of disco balls, DeLoreans, glow sticks and day-long lollipops.

Fall Out Boy, Folie à Deux
Shut up, I don’t care what you think. Once you get past Pete Wentz’s celebrity antics and allow yourself to become enveloped by Patrick Stump’s powerhouse vocals that forsake emo delivery for good old fashioned soul you’ll begin to realize why Fall Out Boy’s albums actually seem to be getting better as they get more famous instead of the other way around.

Prairie Cartel, EP 1
The Prairie Cartel’s debut 12″ successfully lays out the group’s sonic manifesto in two original tracks, a cover, and a remix. Think of it as punk blood coating a Go-Go cage. The highlight of the EP is the cover of 999’s “Homicide” since it does the best job of offering the group a chance to let their talents for truly mixing the big rock with the surging dance. In my opinion it also does the best job of capturing the group’s electric at times careening live show.

Textbook, Boxing Day Massacre

Boxing Day Massacre is equal parts All, Uncle Tupelo, and Cheap Trick. “Desperation Free” is the sort of song that lyrically appeals to the eternal 15-year-old in us, while sporting a a musical envelope that would fit equally well on Fuse or in the back room of Hideout. Textbook is one of those weird beasts that I could see the kids going gonzo over while the older crowd hangs near the back by the bar and tips perspiring bottles of PBR the band’s way in admiration.

Big Science, The Coast Of Nowhere EP
Big Science came out of nowhere during the latter quarter of this year to blindside us with their glam-pop. Their ’80s-inflected pop would have put them in permanent rotation on 120 Minutes between vintage Cure, INXS, and XTC. And believe us, I mean that as one of the highest compliments I can offer to a pop band. [Download the EP for free]

Parks and Gardens, Avec Cloture
Parks and Gardens doesn’t really deviate from the form of loop and sample laden rockin’ designed with the discotheque in mind, but instead of utilizing those elements to create a cliche they inject an angular artsiness into their songs. In effect this creates a minor agitation in the listener, and I think that’s kind of a bold move for any band trying to ingratiate themselves with a crowd not particularly interested in anything beyond basic Sybaritic pleasure.

THE 50+1 SONGS OF 2008
(in almost no particular order)

These tunes are all songs that will scream “2008!” any time I hear ‘em. They may not be the highest charting singles, and some are barely even known to more than a handful of people … but they are the top tracks on the mixtape that defines the feeling and experiences of 2008 for me.

MGMT “Kids”
Hey Champ “Cold Dust Girl”
Walter Meego “Girls”
Katy Perry “Hot N Cold”
The Black Ghosts “Repetition Kills You (with Damon Albarn)”
Neon Neon “I Told Her On Alderaan”
George Pringle “Carte Postale”
Alphabeat “10.000 Nights Of Thunder”
Amanda Palmer “Oasis”
Beck “Chemtrails”
Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”
Black Kids “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (The Twelves Remix)”
British Sea Power “Down On The Ground”
Chairlift “Bruises”
Coldplay “42”
Cut Copy “Lights and Music”
Does It Offend You, Yeah? “Dawn Of The Dead”
Estelle “American Boy”
The Feeling “Turn It Up”
The Futureheads “Think Tonight”
Hot Chip “Ready For The Floor”
Jay Reatard “See/Saw”
Kanye West “RoboCop”
The Killers “Spaceman”
Ladytron “Ghosts”
La Scala “ Love! Love! Love!”
Ladyhawke “My Delirium”
Lettuce “Blast Off”
Lily Allen “The Fear”
M83 “Graveyard Girl (Speechless Edit)”
Mansions “The Worst Part”
Mardeen “Telephones”
of Montreal “Gallery Piece (Jon Brion remix)”
Phantom Planet “Leader”
Pink “So What”
Prairie Cartel “Homicide”
She & Him “I Was Made For You”
The Submarines “You Me and the Bourgeoisie”
Supergrass “Rebel In You”
The Boy Least Likely To “A Balloon On A Broken String”
Titus Andronic
The Ting Tings “Great DJ”
The Virgins “Rich Girls (RAC Mix)”
Weezer “Pork & Beans”
What Made Milwaukee Famous “Sultan”
Friendly Foes “My Body (Is A Strange Place To Live)
Black Mountain “Stormy High”
Darker My Love “Two Ways Out”
The Hold Steady “Sequestered In Memphis”
Local H “White Belt Boys”

…aaaaand, while I was DJing the song regularly last year, it didn’t really explode until the summer so…

M.I.A. “Paper Planes”

I’ve never paid to see Lollapalooza in its current incarnation in Chicago

The first year a friend got me in to the Lollalounge through a radio contest she won, and each subsequent year I’ve had press access. I’ve read and written countless previews and reviews of the festival, and it wasn’t until this year that I realized each and every one was basically flawed. Sure, they tackled the bands appearing, and attempted to capture the vibe, but they never really grappled with the most primal question surrounding Lollapalooza; should you go?

You see, most reviews you’ll come across are written by folks like me. We get in for free, are granted access to amenities 99% of attendees are not, and – this is most important – we come from a vantage point of relative privilege since most critics have probably already seen the vast majority of the bands appearing at Lollapalooza. What does this result in? Well, usually you end up reading uniform reviews semi-complaining about the line-up, flagellating the festival and the bands involved for sponsorship issues, gripes about ticket prices, and much hand-wringing over the infamous “radius clause.” Oh, and if you’re lucky, you get some griping about drunk meatheads, sound bleed, and general overcrowding. (And, yes, every once in a while, you get honest-to-god reporting on isolated incidences.)

The thing is, all those write-ups sort of miss the whole point of Lollapalooza.

To the average person, all of the above doesn’t mean shit. Look, let’s say you like only 10 of the 120 or so acts appearing at Lollapalooza, and let’s say of those 10, 4 are headliners. If you were to see those 4 bands alone in an alternate “shed” or arena sized venue, you’d be paying upwards of $50 a piece, before Ticketbastard even hit you with their own charges. By that math alone, you’ve already made out with a relative bargain.

And the line-up? Who the hell can legitimately gripe about a 120 band line-up? Sure we heard gripes there wasn’t enough local talent, but last time we checked, Lollapalooza was an international destination festival and we just happen to be its base. By that virtue, shouldn’t the festival bookers be more interested in a diverse line-up and not be beholden to sticking a couple Chicago band on the bill? I’d love to see more Chicago acts play Lollapalooza, but I’d like to think they got on the bill through the virtue of their music and their draw rather than because the organizers were guilted into including them. Right?

Sponsorship issues? Well, if Rage Against The Machine and Radiohead can play on the AT&T stage, I don’t think there are any sponsorship issues. I’m just as old school indie rock as the next grouchy music critic, and I actually remember the ‘80s and the corporate-directed anger that lay within that decade, but at this point, in this climate, the point is moot. I have no problem seeing a logo plastered across the stage if it means that logo is partially lowering ticket prices through subsidization. More importantly, does anyone actually think the current generation of concert attendees even notices sponsors anymore after navigating websites festooned with pop-ups, banner ads, and other various attempted attention-getters they’ve already learned to tune out?

I’ve also heard Lollapalooza is killing the local music scene through its “radius clause,” or the contractual obligation it asks of its band not to play shows in the Midwest for months before and after their Lollapalooza appearance. Now, this is a gripe I used to buy into, having been a local promoter in the past, and having seen the summer scene dry up over the last few years. This year I realized something important though; the local scene isn’t drying up because of Lollapalooza, it’s drying up because of heavier inter-club competition and a dearth of bands large enough to actually command large followings over repeat performances. This year any band playing the festival that I wanted to see play in a small club ended up playing a small club later on in the evening. And some smaller bands seem completely unaffected. For instance locals OFFICE ended up playing during the Pitchfork Music Festival weekend and are also appearing at a local street festival next week. Well, so much for that draconian “radius clause” choking the smaller working indie talent, huh?

And finally, here’s the most important thing every single review seems to miss; people go to Lollapalooza to have fun, and to check out a few of their favorite bands. By the sheer virtue of the size of the festival we applaud the bookers for including a wide swathe of music, and hold out hopes that many attendees end up stumbling across a new favorite band playing some other stage as they make their way to the next ticked box on their personal schedule, and from a critical standpoint that’s all I can really hope for. I think it’s incredibly silly and short-sighted to slight a festival of Lollapalooza’s size for booking acts they hope will draw a crowd. Not to mention any line-up that includes Dierks Bently, Amadou and Mariam, Explosions in the Sky, Spank Rock, and Kanye West can’t exactly be called either predictable or generically mainstream.

And the folks at the festival had fun. Even those that had to wait in line and pay for beer, wait in line to use a porta-potty, wait in line to struggle through the crowd watching Girl Talk, and wait in line to wait in line to get into the festival. I tromped from one side of Grant Park to the other at least a dozen times each day. I waded through the masses. I waited in line for beer next to drunk frat boys. I saw indie chicks in day-glo green gym outfits camped out on bright red blankets. I say kids passed out in the shade after one to many afternoon cocktails. I saw you. And in all of this I saw a mass of 75,000 people a day having a good time, mostly getting along, and all smiling while watching either classic favorites or new musical discoveries. I saw a small city of people unwilling to consume itself, and a community hell-bent on having a good time.

And that my friends, is what makes Lollapalooza worth it, for you and for me.

You can see all of the photos the author shot at Lollapalooza by visiting here.

The author at Lollapalooza 2008  shot by Clayton Hauck

Be Your Own Pet – Get Damaged EP
Seriously? these songs were banned from the American release of their last album? Doesn’t that make total sense for a Major in these parts? I can just see the boardroom discussion: “Well, there’s these three songs, and they’re really catchy, maybe the best three songs on the album, but the lyrics seem a little scary. They’re about girls punching other girls and stuff like that. I mean if it was about Hos and Bros, or date rape, or getting drunk and getting it on I would be totally down with that, but this chick that’s singing sounds mean. That sort of scares me, so let’s take these songs off the album, O.K.?”

Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
Tom Petty revives his first band to record the album they never got around to making. Is it the most rockin’-est, swingin’-est Petty has recorded in years? You bet it is! Is it exciting and interesting to listen to? With the exception o “Lover On The Bayou” you bet it ain’t. It’s kind of like if Uncle Tupelo had waited until after Anodyne to record No Depression. For fans only.

Human Highway – Moody Motorcycle
The dude from Islands mines his inner country indie-pop muse and comes back with an album of enjoyable, if slightly slight, tunes. Whispered vocals, sharply mellow beats, and minimal instrumententation mark the majority of the tunes. In fact, as the album went on I started to think of the band as being sonically akin to a laid back version of Fountains Of Wayne. If that sounds up your alley, check ‘em out.

Smoking Popes – Stay Down
If you don’t live in Chicago, you probably have no idea how much love the Smoking Popes receive. We like them way better than Alkaline Trio, The Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy, or Kill Hannah. Face it, the Caterer brother rule. So I was excited when they got the band back together and got Josh to sing about heartbreak again, instead of God (though I guess it can be argued God is in every heartbreak, but this is a music review, not a theology discussion).

So how does their first album in 10 years stack up against our sentimental memories? Pretty well! I’d say a number of the tunes would have benefited by  sticking to the under 3-minute rule, but I’m willing to let that go in the face of how much fun I just had listening to the band bash it out again.

Seabird – Till We See The Shore
More grand British-sounding rock and/or roll performed by Yanks. The thing about these bands is they all mix Travis and  Oasis into their sound to create such a populist melange that it’s difficult to ascertain any actual personality within the songs. At the same time, I like an urgent stadium rocker or over-the-top anthem just as much as the next cat, so Seabird does scratch a particular itch rather well. But they don’t really satisfy that itch, which leads one to not linger over their songs past a certain finite shelf-life.

Valient Thorr – Immortalizer
Yaaaaargh! Metal! Sweaty! Loud! Stinky! Balls-out! Waaaah! Too much metal for just one fist! Not too fucking shabby, actually. I mean, it is what it is. It ain’t groundbreaking, but it stays tight while still knowing how to swing.

Brett Anderson – Wilderness
I loved Suede. Honest I did. I worshiped Brett Anderson. So it pains me to describe this album as it is: the dude from Suede sings a bunch of incredibly mediocre , melodramatic, and maudlin ballads. Why, Brett, why?!

Be Your own Pet photo from their Myspace
Smoking Popes photo from their MySpace

As an artistic piece I still think Exile In Guyville is an amazing piece of emotional honesty. I could care less what motivated Liz Phair to write the songs, and from what I can tell she was an artist first and foremost, but she wanted validation from Nash Kato and that crew, so I think that supplied the drive to actually get her stuff released. I think the “potty mouth / slutty blowjob queen / Exile On Mainstreet / priveleged rich kid going bohemian” thing is an angle that lazy journalists employed then, and still employ. One watch of the Guyville Redux DVD that comes with the reissue is paints a much better representation of the indie scene at the time — Chicago in particular — and the way she actually fit into things at the time.

But I think she was/is an artist with a limited well from which to draw. There’s a reason the good songs on later discs were mostly reworkings of stuff from the Girlysound tapes. I think she hit upon a bright burst of inspiration at a certain point in her life and after that was gone she didn’t have anything else unique to say.

Another journalist and I were having an argument recently over whether or not Guyville is even a feminist work. I argued it wasn’t philosophically, but understood that since it empowered so many women some folks just lump it in as a “feminist work.” And I think that’s the most important thing, and one that gets severely overlooked since almost everyone that’s ever written about the album is male, and they totally fucking miss this point just about every single time, but when that disc came out there were a LOT of girls that were suddenly like, OH my GOD, I think those same things too. And it’s O.K. I’m not alone!”

Who cares if Phair never writes another decent song, or that her career nowadays is one naked grab for attention after another? That’s her business, and I don’t hold it against her one whit, and I think it’s idiotic for people to hate on her for trying to make a career within today’s totally fucked up music industry. What matters is that, once upon a time, she created a piece of art that gave a lot of people courage by shouting universal truths previously held behind closed doors. For that Liz Phair will always have my respect.

Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
There are still bands playing that mid-’90s punk/ska thing? Really? Why?

Look See Proof – Between Here And There
Another English band probably signed because they sound vaguely like Futureheads. Not bad, but not really original or particularly memorable.

Kylie Minogue – X
This didn’t sell that well, and has since been viewed as sort of a disappointment because of that, but I think it’s a pretty good album. Minogue continues to deftly blend club beats with an indie-pop sensibility to create a varied and fun piece of work. Artistically, Madonna would do well to follow her example.

Ladytron – Velocifero
I have a weak spot for this sweet gothy electro-pop. Ladytron sound like they’re never going to leave the ’80s behind and I’m totally thankful for that. (See also: the latest from M83.)

Phantom Planet – Raise The Dead
Phantom Planet continues to travel the Radiohead-lite road illuminated by The Bends, and end up turning out a pretty good pop-rock album with some slight art leanings. Bonus points for the children’s choir they include on “Leader” since it kills me every time.

Santogold – Santogold
I’m actually glad I didn’t get around to writing about this until now. had I tackled it when it first came out my review would have been filled with superlatives and announcements of “another great voice for her generation!” type stuff. Repeated listens have revelaed the album to be far less interesting that I originally thought, since it tends to wear its welcome out quickly. I still think it’s an interesting album, and “L.E.S Artistes” is a fan-fucking-tastic single, but it’s already showing its age and it’s barely a few months old.

We Are Scientists – Brain Thrust Mastery
More ’80s dance rock goodness. This is the opposite of the Santogold disc: I anticipated the giddy joys offered by its gloss and shiny pop would rub away pretty quickly, but I was wrong. I think I might like the sonic depth offered by Brain Thrust Mastery over the frenetic pop of the band’s Major Label debut.

What Made Milwaukee Famous – What Doesn’t Kill Us
And finally, let’s file this under pleasant surprises. From the opening notes of the anthemic “Blood, Sweat & Fears,” through the insanely catchy horn-laced indie-pop of “Sultan,” and through sweetly waning “Blood, Sweat & Fears,” this disc has yet to grow old to our ears. What Doesn’t Kill Us is equal parts earnest and engaging, playful and smart, and wholly satisfying.

I wonder what happened?

O.K., the title is a bit misleading. I love the Dandy Warhols — even though I refuse to admit the existence of Odditorium — and have bought just about everything they’ve ever put out right down to the self-released Black Album/Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols package. I’ve easily spent hundred of dollars collecting import singles for unreleased tracks and remixes. But that was back in the days when that was the only way to get those tunes … now I wold just pay 99 cents for the song I didn’t have and save the other nine bucks.

So I was excited to hear the band was releasing it’s latest, …Earth to The Dandy Warhols…, under a remarkably forward-thinking subscription model. For a set price you would get the album as an immediate download, a physical CD once it was released, a screen printed poster, and any b-sides released in the next year. That is all pretty cool, right? The only problem is that they want $34.99 a year for the whole package. For me, that’s pretty steep, even when you include a healthy mark-up for materials and postage, though I’m sure plenty of folks would be more than happy to pay that. Good for them.

What I think would have been a better solution would be to offer the disc and music subscription for something closer to $15-$20, even allowing a lower tier for folks that wanted to go digital only. What do you think, am I being to stingy or am I right in thinking the band might have been better off offering a variety of packages to their fans?

Either way, I’m pleased to see them making a go of it without a Major label, and commend them for at least trying something new, even if it is out of my price range for disposable income these days.

And I’m just thinking of the live music community … if this thing passes the dance scene in Chicago will basically disappear overnight.

Chicagoist — the local Chicago website I write for — writers Marcus and Lizz have written about this situation much better than I have, and Jim DeRogatis’ daily updates have proven invaluable.

If you are reading this and live in Chicago LET YOUR ALDERMAN KNOW HOW MUCH YOU DISAPPROVE OF THIS … TODAY! RIGHT NOW! RIGHT THIS SECOND! And be sure to mention that if they DO vote for it, they’ve lost YOUR vote when they run for re-election.

If you don’t live here, well, wish us luck … or your band / DJ crew / hip-hop group might have a much harder time finding a gig next time you come through town.

UPDATE: The Chicago “anti-promoter” ordinance has been tabled for “further research” so there will be no vote on it tomorrow. Independent promotion is safe in Chicago for now, and I think it’s entirely due to the strong and immediate response from the music community. I’ve been told this is 100% sure to still come to a vote — possibly within the next month — so folks need to keep the pressure up on Chicago aldermen!

I met the guys in The Milwaukees years ago through my pals in Woolworthy. I can’t remember if the bands shared a label, or if they had toured together, or what, but I’ve kept in touch with The Milwaukees — who are actually located in New Jersey — over the years. There last album was titled American Anthems Vol. 1 and it was a raucous dose of rock and/or roll Minneapolis stylee — yes, I’m just going totally location name-happy here — that got a couple spins on the tankPOD.*

Anyway, I wrote elsewhere about the band last year when they went on a “living room” tour. The band booked acoustic shows in fans’ houses and just hopped from city to city. It underscored one of the reasons I really dig the boys, aside from the hooks of course, since they go out of their way to get the word out and get in touch with folks kind enough to give their songs a chance.

Today they just told me they’re now offering all of American Anthems Vol. 1 as a free download from their website. (Wonder if Reznor gave them a pep talk or something?) So I’m pleased to pass this info on to you. If you enjoy pop rock stuff, or that Replacements / Soul Asylum vibe, I recommend you expend a little bandwidth to snag to album.

DOWNLOAD: The Milwaukees – American Anthems Vol.1

*Getting more than two plays on the tankPOD is pretty impressive when one considers the sheer volume of music I have to listen to daily just to keep up with things.

I guess they didn’t count on someone over at Apple posting the disc as being available on iTunes yesterday, leading to a bunch of folks buying the disc 5 days before it was supposed to be released. In a digital file-sharing culture this is the same as leaking the album 3 months ago, since the internet critics will be falling all over each other to give their definitive views of the album.

Personally I’m going to hold off until Tuesday. Waiting week for an album is nothing tome … heck I used to have to wait months before I could hear something, and that was even backing the days when we always got mailed physical promos due to long lead times (a practice that is quickly growing extinct). I understand folks are excited about new music, and especially excited about anything with Jack White and Brendan Benson’s name on it, but just this once, when the band went through great lengths to a) NOT keep everyone waiting and b) expose everyone to their new album at the same time, would it have killed folks to wait it out the extra few days?

Additionally, his isn’t the first time a greatly anticipated album has “accidentally” been offered for sale through iTunes prematurely, so shouldn’t someone be asking some serious questions about just what the heck is up over there?