End of Year Music Issue

For the past 12 months in the great year of 2008, musicians far and wide have poured their hearts and souls out into accessible audio formats for the general pleasure and excitement of the public sector.  Here at Adventures in the Big Apple, we have toiled long and hard all year long to come up with what we feel are the "Top 7 music albums of 2008."  If you find yourself wondering what new music people have been listening to this year, or realized that you, yourself, need to "update your palette" when it comes to the music industry, look no further than here and now.    Why Top 7 and not Top 10?  Well, I've found that these are the 7 that I find most enjoyable.  I could have included 3 more to make an even 10, or even cut out 2 to make it a more exclusive Top 5, but I chose to just pick what I liked and put that number down.  So it's 7.  Which rhymes with heaven.  Convenient? It's up to you to decide.  (I also linked to their music in every review so have fun searching for it!)

7.  Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend.  This is what the cool New York kids are listening to.  When I hear the name "Vampire Weekend," I immediately think of 3 guys with hair past their ankles playing speed metal.  Well, this group couldn't be farther away from that category.  Call them sensitive, call them weird, call them whatever you want (they're from New York, so they're used to it) - they are a talented bunch.  I first saw them on a late night show, and saw their drummer going absolutely nuts to what I thought was pretty chill music.  I knew they were something I needed to get into.  They're also the hot topic in my running clique, and messageboards and music blogs throughout the internet can't get enough of them.  I have to agree.  It's a little different than what some people may be used to, so Myspace them first.  

6. Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger.  I'm addicted to Andrew McMahon.  I'll say it.  I'm not ashamed.  He has his way with words, in the Hemingway meets Lennon kind of way.  I'll join the throngs of teenage girls and emo boys who can't get enough of the former Something Corporate frontman.  I mean, the dude gets cancer, gets a transplant from his sister, and records an album right after it.  You can't help but hear it in the single Resolution - "I'm alive, I don't need a witness to know that I survived..." - he lays it on pretty thick.  This is a great follow up that I would recommend to any music fan out there.  It's definitely different from any Something Corporate record or his previous Jack's Mannequin record, but the guy sure knows how to write some catchy choruses and lyrics.  Check out the single here.

5. House of Heroes - The End is Not the End.  I'll admit, I never listened to their self-titled debut, much less even heard of these guys before this year..  But this album freaking ROCKS.  And they're from Columbus?  A mere 1.5 hour drive from my hometown?  I am mainly disappointed in myself for not reading the hype that surrounded their previous release, but excited to feel like I've come across a buried treasure of musical bliss to my ears.  (Kudos to relevantmagazine.com's The Drop that streamed their album in its entirety to my computer.)  Their debut single "In the Valley of the Dying Sun" was a hit on MTV and relavant.tv, and was a staple modern classic on radio stations throughout the continental U.S. (Hawaii and Alaska are "behind the times" when it comes to music.  No offense.)  I won't lie, they have a little place in my heart being from Ohio, but man, are these guys talented.  They kind of sound like a mix between Relient K and Switchfoot, which, in case you were wondering, are 2 of my top 5 favorite bands. Their name is pretty sweet as well, because it reminds me of Lord of the Rings or something.  I hope they continue to push the 'ol envelope with their sound, creating rock not yet imaginable, yet so perfect.  Go Ohio (minus OSU)!

4.  Hillsong United - The I Heart Revolution.  This actually isn't any new materical from the 'Blokes from Down Under,' but their powerful and creative release still got me excited about music.  Each song on the album was taken from a different show during their worldwide tour, which is pretty cool if you ask me.  From Toronto to Brazil, Tokyo to New Jersey, the worship team from the Sydney church of the same name provide a soundtrack for the new worship scene today.  Released later in the fall was a live DVD that showcased most of the songs and music from the album, along with footage of relief work and social justice issues the band faced during the tour.  Hillsong isn't a band that performs each night only to retreat to the bus and have all-night raves of Guitar Hero, they actually do something, which I feel warrants a nod in the "music of the year" in itself.  It definitely helps that they rock harder than I thought was physically possible on most of the tracks.  Whatever they do, they should keep doing it.  It's awesome seeing them jump and go nuts on stage - how rock SHOULD be.  Take a lesson, Metallica.  Download these tracks (legally): One Way, What the World Will Never Take, Take it All, and From the Inside Out.

3. Anberlin - New Surrender.  I was one of the lovers/haters of Cities, Anberlin's last release.  Although their new sound was electronic and hip and cool, I missed the passion and screaming from Never Take Friendship Personal.  Anberlin is one of those bands that surprises you with the way they rock hard and loud (The Resistance, Feel Good Drag, Disappear) and follow immediately with a softer, more accessible track (Breaking, Breathe), appealing to almost anyone.  This is their most overly spiritual album to date, and it oddly occurs with their first "big-shot" label release.  I wasn't expecting much more than a rehash of pop bands when I learned Anberlin signed with a major label, but this is a pleasant surprise and a breath of some very-much-needed fresh air to the world of Christian rock - where they show you can be creative AND in an act of worship.  Pick it up.

2.  Coldplay - Viva La Vida.  This was an easy choice, and the glamor pick of everyone else this year.  It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Coldplay is one of the most popular bands in the world right now, and it only takes one listen of their highly-anticipated 4th album to understand why.  I love their style and songwriting - it's so different from anything else, and it feels like you are watching an epic movie with events unfolding to an even more epic score.  My favorite track is "Yes," because it's a different twist to the normal Coldplay piano lick and high-pitched Chris Martin singing.  Martin starts off low and ends high in this intense, twisting rock piece.  I would have bet you your lunch money AND a pack of Skittles that this would have been the shoo-in for the Album of the Year, but that's why it would have been just a bet, and I would have lost like normal.  Because....

1. Jon Foreman - Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer EPs.  This is kind of cheating, as it is clear that Mr. Foreman broke his brilliance into four easily accessible EPs, corresponding to the four seasons.  For those of you who are new to Jon, he is the genius behind the alt-rock megaband Switchfoot, and cool enough to drop the 'h' from his first name.  And for those who've seen him go absolutely nuts in concert were probably in the same boat as me for his solo EPs: hesitant.  Don't get me wrong, I love Switchfoot's softer songs and acoustic ballads, probably more than the next guy, and I was overly excited about new material from Foreman, but I was more or less scared that he would let me down.  But he did not.  Oh, brother, he did not.  Jon touches on so many topics - from death and pain to renewal and joy to worship and praise.  And I'm not really even into to the whole "folksy-rock" scene that this falls into.  Maybe it has to do with my borderline obsession with the San Diego quintet, but I couldn't recommend his music more to anyone.  Brilliant.  

So that does it for this year's music list.  This is simply one author's humble opinion, but if you knew what was best for you, you'd take it for fact.  Tune in next week for more crazy antics, but enjoy the list as much as I enjoyed writing/listening to said music all yar.  Music is what makes the world go around - don't you forget it - and I'm happy to let you know what makes it turn the fastest.

Please leave me your comments, good or bad, you have of my list.  Also, leave your top music picks for 2008, because like the rest of you, I'm always up for some good music.

-Eric