The Top 20 Albums of 2008 - Page 6

Still, if you're like me, and were initially disappointed by At Mount Zoomer, I suggest you give it another shot to win you over on its own merits.

6. TV on the Radio - Dear Science: At this point, it seems federally mandated that Dear Science must appear on a 2008 year-end albums list, so who am I to argue? It helps that this is the first TVOTR album that I was able to get into right away. I eventually came to enjoy Return to Cookie Mountain, but it took me awhile.

Maybe Dear Science was easier to get into because I was more accustomed to their eclectic style, or maybe TV on the Radio were less interested in proving themselves the smartest guys in the room with this one. Or maybe it's just easy to get into an album with an opener as triumphant as "Halfway Home".

5. Aimee Mann - @#%&! Smilers: Since numbers 8 through 4 are mostly interchangeable, I decided to give the bottom two spots of my top five to two personal favourite acts who happened to perform in concerts I attended this year. It's my list, and I'll play favourites if I want to.

When you're as consistently strong in what you do as is Aimee Mann, it's easy to be ignored by people who are always looking for the next big thing. While it's true that she has yet to release another album as great as Bachelor No. 2, and that Mann tends to stick within a certain range of music, it doesn't mean that critics are right in quickly assessing her work as "more of the same" then moving on to praise some new act that's doing the same things as her, only half as well.

Besides, anyone who says that the playful cynicism of this record is the same as the spacey solipsism of Lost in Space just isn't paying attention. Even if it were true, Mann's brilliance is such that I'd take repetitive albums every few years over most other acts anytime.

4. Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs: Not that I'm immune from chasing the next thing. Although they've been one of my favourite bands for awhile now, I wasn't overly excited when they released Narrow Stairs, and didn't spend too much time with it upon its release.

I can't say why, maybe it was just the time of year, but I mostly let it sit for awhile. In anticipation for their opening gig for Neil Young, I gave Narrow Stairs another shot, and it clicked. The first thing that stands out in the album is the longer, more ambitious jam track (and lead of single) "I Will Possess Your Heart". Maybe it's the reason I didn't get into the album at first, because despite the fact that I liked the song, I worried that the band was trying too hard to show off. Instead, I've come to realize that the best quality of Narrow Stairs is how effortlessly it all comes together.

Article Author: Andy Sayers

Andy Sayers is a technical writer from Canada, which automatically makes him funnier than people from other countries. When not writing about pop culture, he is consuming it alongside his loving wife.

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