There were some massive albums this year. There were some massive singles as well. Unfortunately, not every album was as massive as a particular song might have been, and as such, it fell off of my list; but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t deserve recognition for being great. Also, there were some fantastic albums that were released this year that didn’t meet the criteria for my year end list (EP, re-release, live album, best of collection), so, instead of just ignoring them, I thought I would compile a little “best of the rest list” before getting into the meat of my favorite 31 records of 2008. How does that sound?
Alright, here we go:
The Cardigans – Best Of
Sara Bareilles – Between the Lines: Live at the Fillmore
Robyn – Robyn
Antony and the Johnsons – Another World EP
Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads
She & Him – Volume One
M83 – Saturdays=Youth
Dave Barnes – Me + You + The World
Jesse McCartney – Departure
Ben Folds – Way to Normal
Matt Alber – Hide Nothing
My Favorite Highway – How To Call A Bluff
Aqualung – Words & Music
Alright, I PROMISE that the next blog post will be your number 31 CD… stay tuned… it’s coming soon!
I have been sitting on this song for a few weeks now, but I have been enjoying it more and more with each listen. It starts off simple, and the builds to an all out head bopping dance rock-pop number that I swear sounds like The Cure, Morrissey, and The Shins are all collaborating on one track. The result is something so inherently 80’s alternative, yet still current enough to really make you want to pick up the record for future listens. The song would fit in either decade, but it’s definitely interesting to hear the 80’s sound of such great bands like The Cure being updated slightly for the here and now. 
I almost didn’t pick this one for this week because I picked a Matt Alber track last week, and I don’t want to delve into the realm of overkill. BUT… I saw the accompanying video for this song last night, and I shit you not, there were fucking tears streaming down my face by the end. It is an insanely beautiful song, and the video is so completely sweet, honest, and believable, that it really reminded me of the amazing scene between Jack and Jack on Torchwood (if you don’t know what I am talking about, 
This song is weird… and that is why I LOVE IT. The beat, the clapping, the weird background vocals, the tribal sounds… all of it is AMAZING. This is one of those songs that you hear it, and wonder what the fuck you are listening to, and you want to know because it is so fucking amazing that you have to have it and play it on repeat. These guys are being compared to fellow electro rock groups like MGMT, and I definitely see the resemblance, but there is something in this song that makes me love it so much more than anything I have heard from the others so far. Also, be sure to check out the trippy, and amazing 
I have been a fan of Freezepop ever since I heard the AMAZING track they did for the Guitar Hero series called Less Talk More Rokk. Well, I noticed on iTunes that they released an EP recently, I was really impressed by this track. This particular remix is incredibly hot, and is so synthed out that it is just insane. I want to put on my dancing shoes and fucking gyrate all night long to this track. It is actually hard to sit still and type as I listen to it. I am really glad to have been exposed to Freezepop from Guitar Hero, and I have enjoyed pretty much everything I have heard from them. 
Poor Len… such an amazing song, and that was about it. Well, lucky for them, this amazing track was recently featured in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, which instantly made me put it back into rotation; and I’m sure, made them a small chunk of change at the same time. This is one of those songs that are perfect to drive around to, or to enjoy a great time with friends. This song made a splash back in 1999, and was even featured in the movie Go (which had a pretty amazing soundtrack). Even though it was there one hit wonder, Len sure sold a lot of albums based on this little ditty; I remember for a while, you couldn’t go to a used CD store and see any less than 10 Len albums in the used bin. I guess people got tired of the song, but not me… I’m glad to bring it back!
Sometimes, not very often, I hear a song, and it fucking moves me. This is one of those songs. I was reading my favorite music blogs last night, and 
I have to say, that I have always been a “fan” of Take That, but I have always had a hard time really, really getting into them. However, after seeing Stardust, and LOVING their amazing song that plays as the credits roll (Rule The World), I will admit that I was excited when I heard they were releasing an album next month. Well, one listen to Greatest Day, and I am even more excited, because it has the same feel and energy as Rule the World, and I am really, really digging it. Maybe 2008 is the year that Take That take my attention fully? I can say that things are definitely looking good at this point.
First of all, I will say that the first time I heard this song, I didn’t like it. However, I watched the video all of the way through a second time, and I really got into the lyrics. After watching the video again, I realized that I actually REALLY like it after all. Not only that, but Logan is kind of adorable, and I love the tenderness in his voice coupled with the electro beats in the background. This song is a major grower, so if you don’t love it instantly, please give it a second chance; I am so very glad that I did, because I realized how great it is, rather than letting it slip into oblivion. Also, I love that Logan is an out queer artist (ahem, Out Magazine), and represents another great gay musician out there on the scene.
I have been enjoying this fun little rock number for a few weeks now, and I was instantly in love with it when I first heard it. I have had kind of a love/hate relationship with Fall Out Boy, loving some stuff and hating other stuff, but there is no denying that these guys can turn out a killer single. This song is crazy catchy, and the chorus is infectious! Also, one MAJOR bonus, and perhaps the reason that I wanted to feature them this week, was that 
Here’s this week’s 90s one hit wonder flashback track… and it’s a doozy. This song was in the controversial movie Kids, which I remember seeing in high school and being completely blown away at how gritty and no-holds barred it was. Regardless of how I felt about the movie, one thing REALLY stuck with me; this amazing song. I bought the CD single (remember doing that!!??), and my friend Chuck and I would drive around and listen to this song on repeat. After finding it again last night while I was looking for 90s one hit wonders, and listening to it again, I remember why I loved this song so much; it is epic. This song is so catchy, and the beat is so head bopping amazing, that even now, more than 10 years later, I find myself listening to it on repeat again. This song is fantastic, and I am glad to rediscover it. Just wait and see what else I have if you love this forgotten gem!!!
Well, Out, you’ve gone and pulled another “WTF” moment on us with your recent choice of Katy “UR So Gay” Perry as MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR!!!!?!?!?!??! Regular readers know that I was been pissed at them before for 
This is just what we need to bring us some good spirits; a new gay anthem, right?! This song is amazing, and I am in major music debt to my friend Stu for this one. He simply told me that I had to hear it because it is amazing, and well, he is right… it is utterly amazing and the only bad thing about it, is that it isn’t longer. It is so feel good and has the perfect dance beat. It doesn’t get much gayer than this; it is practically it’s own gay pride float!! Agnes is another one of those amazing Swedes bringing us the best that pop has to offer, and she was a winner of Swedish idol to boot! Play this song on repeat for a little while, and you will definitely be dancing around and have a smile on your face… trust me; I’ve been playing it on repeat all week long!
Okay, I have to admit that I have been holding this one back for a few weeks now. I love the song (it seems that Red One and Akon can do no wrong these days, production wise, eh!?!), but I couldn’t find an mp3, so that I could feature it on one of these five song Fridays (damn you iTunes and your mp4’s!). Well, I managed to scrounge one up, because I had to bring something peppy and fun for this week; especially with the aforementioned stuff swirling in my brain. Tami Chynn has had a couple of hits in her home country of Jamaica, but this is her first one to try and capture the US market. I have to say, that this song has taken me by storm. It is a great hip-hop flavored dance jam, and should definitely deserves to be on the radio. I can’t wait to see what else we have to look forward to from Ms. Chynn.
This is unfortunately one of those songs that I was told about in the past, but I never got into it; only to hear it again later and be instantly taken by it. I hate when I am like that, because I really love sharing stuff with other people, and I really like getting recommendations myself; it’s just that sometimes I am out to lunch for whatever reason, and I guess if it doesn’t click then, I forget all about it. Well, lucky for me that I came back to this one, because the chorus is catchy, and will stick with you (even if it doesn’t the first time around!!). Laura brings us her great folk-pop from the UK, proving yet again that there is a ton of great music coming from those islands. It’s crazy to me that she’s only 18, because she definitely sounds older than that in her vocal styling. This is such a great single, and I absolutely love that chorus.
To quote 
Okay, I will admit openly that I am posting about Jamelia this week because of something that I wrote on 
I first heard Horse Feathers on the indie channel of XM, and I thought they were mellow and delightful. I downloaded their most recent release, and after hearing this song once, I freaking loved it. The vocals remind me of the smoky/raspy vocals of artists like Ray LaMontagne, which are coupled with a backing female vocal that take something beautiful and make it gorgeous. The delicate nature of this song just makes me want to close my eyes and absorb it all. The violins are achingly beautiful, and the tenderness and composition of the instrumentation is fantastic. The rest of the record is quite good, and being that this song was such an instant favorite, I am happy that I could share it this week. I love discovering stuff like this.
Now, I was originally a skeptic of PCD, but they wouldn’t go away, and eventually, I was lured into their pop web, and ended up becoming somewhat of a fan. Given that I loved the first single off of Doll Domination (When I Grow Up) so much, I had to give the rest of the record a chance, and in my time with it, I have found several great songs on the record. However, my favorite BY FAR, is this amazingly beautiful ballad that pretty much proves what we knew all along; not only is Nicole Scherzinger the voice behind the Pussycat Dolls, but she pretty much NEEDS a solo career. Seriously. Watch the video for this song. She’s definitely carrying this group, and that doesn’t bother me; so as long as they make fantastic songs like this one. I just hope that Nicole is happy, and keeps bringing the goods like she is doing here. Damn she sings the shit out of this song; just listen at about 3:10 in… wow.
As I mentioned earlier this week, I was excited to snag P!nk’s newest album, which came out on Tuesday, and I will say that this record is definitely a grower. With the first listen, I liked it, but with each subsequent listen, many of these songs are really sticking with me in a great way. This song in particular is beautiful, heartbreaking, and perfect for her smoky voice. I have liked P!nk for a long time now, and with this record, she has just further solidified her fan base; it is a great album, and is already among my favorites of this year. I hate that she had to endure a break up, but at least she was able to channel some of that energy into making Funhouse such a great record.
I was originally skeptical of the Saturdays (lots of skepticism this week!); mainly because I felt like they were a bit of a Girls Aloud wannabe. However, their first single, If This Is Love, found it’s way onto my ipod, and I found myself really liking it, and even featured it on a previous five song Friday. My buddy Stu (thanks Stu!!!!!) insisted that I check out the rest of their record, Chasing Lights, and I am VERY glad that I did. There are some very well produced pop songs on that record, and Work, by far, is my favorite. That chorus is just fierce. Girls Aloud have definitely got some competition from these beauties; but I am willing to bet that the world has room for more than a few studio-produced girl pop super groups, right!? With songs like this, I know that I definitely have room for them on my ipod!
Okay, it is no secret that I love Lady GaGa. I gushed yesterday about her amazing performance on Wednesday night, as well as her CD’s release earlier this week (FINALLY!), and since it was such a GaGa week, I felt compelled to bring at least one more track from her amazing record to the table. This song was the song that she closed with the other night, and she fucking tore it up! In fact, since the show, I have been playing this banger on repeat. This song is a new song for fellow GaGa fans; it was one of the two new songs that she put on her already impressive record for release here in the states. I have to say, that she definitely has my vote for best new talent of 2008, and if she keeps churning out impressive pop like this, she is going to be bigger than huge. I am so glad that I got to see her live in such an intimate setting, and I was (and still am) starstruck by the amazing Lady GaGa. Also, make sure you go and check out the video for Poker Face, the second AMAZING single from The Fame… it is FIERCE!
Wow. Pure. Raw. Emotion. You can literally feel it in each downbeat, and in each whisper from Rachael that she is contemplating something so intimate and difficult, that she almost doesn’t have the strength to utter it. Then, the simplicity of repeating, “what if I leave?”, is so palpable, that in hearing this song, you can truly tell that she has been through some shit in a relationship with someone who clearly didn’t understand the ramifications of their actions. Wow. This is such a powerfully contemplative break up song, that I was blown away by it. I absolutely love it for it’s simplicity, which actually makes it so elegant and sophisticated. If you liked this track as much as I do, I highly suggest you pick up Rachael’s most recent release, Elephants… Teeth Sinking In, because it is chock full of bittersweet gems like this one.
This song initially didn’t sway me, because I was skeptical (as you know I can be) for no real reason at all. However, there was something about it that I liked… the guitars, the way the used the starting and stopping of the riffs and the beats, the tenderness of the lead singer’s voice… something kept me coming back to this song. Whatever it was (perhaps the amalgamation of all of those things), I have been listening to this track over and over, and I can say now, without a shadow of a doubt, that I freaking love this song. It is so catchy, and so well crafted, that just begs to be played. I love the toe-tapping beat, and especially enjoy the lead singer’s voice. It is just a great song. After a few listens to the rest of the Wild Sweet Orange record, I definitely think that I have stumbled onto something here, and I am very glad that I kept going back to this track and gave it the shot it definitely deserved. Let this song grow on you if you don’t love it instantly… trust me. It is excellent!
This is one of those songs that I have heard many, many times, and even though I really liked it, I wasn’t motivated enough to download it (what can I say, I’m lazy). Maybe it was because the song is kind of “old” (out in ’06), or maybe it was because it is played a LOT on XM, but whatever the reason, I didn’t pick this one up until the other day (after I heard it again on XM). Well, I have to say, that I am glad that I did, because after listening to it on my ipod, I really realized that this song is MAJOR. This song harnesses some great rock power and great guitar riffs, and it sounds like a blending of the best of Filter with the raw power of Fuel. Now I can see why XM loves this track so much… it’s freaking great. Oh, and after listening to it once, you WILL be singing along. It is infectious… don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Oh Ben Folds. How I love thee!!! I have loved Ben Folds for MANY years (since back when he was with the Ben Folds Five), and my love only grew after his first solo release, Rockin’ The Suburbs, which is a fantastical album. Well, he just released his newest solo effort, Way To Normal, and even though I wasn’t initially blown away, I have definitely enjoyed this record more and more with each passing listen. There are so many fun things about Ben Folds, and his quirky stories and silly lyrics really make him a joy to listen to. I absolutely LOVE the teaming with Regina Spektor on this track, which is a fun, and almost sugary piano-pop track that just can’t be listened to without a smile on your face. There aren’t many artists out there like Ben Folds who are willing to take a stab at music, and make it less serious, and ultimately more fun… he is a welcome addition to my music collection, and has been for quite a while. I am glad that he is still bringing the goods, and making fun music that I definitely enjoy.
I was torn about featuring this track, because of the response a fellow 
Yes, the choice of this and the aforementioned Saturdays song are intentional; I love how the titles are so similar, yet so opposite to one another. I wanted to post a great song from Jennifer Hudson’s fantastic debut album, which came out earlier this week, and seeing the Saturdays song, and the title of this one, there is no way I couldn’t choose them both for today’s selection. I should start by saying that Jennifer Hudson has been a favorite of mine since her season of American Idol, and I have been watching this girl, just knowing that great things would come from her. Well, I have to say, that I have not been let down yet; her performance in Dreamgirls was amazing. Additionally, her new record, which is infused with ballads, pop songs, and even a few hip hop numbers, is a showcase that has succeeded in allowing her to show off her amazing voice. While this track admittedly isn’t the one that highlights her amazing instrument the best, it is a really fun track that I keep coming back to, and one that would most certainly be a hot single if it is chosen to be one. I hope that this record is just the first from Jennifer, because, based on what I have seen and heard so far, she is a real star, and a true talent, and one that should be around for a very long time. I am very pleased with her record, and glad that she took her time putting it out; every time I hear her sing, I am really, really impressed. I do have to say, however, that I wish T-Pain would quit with the vocoder. There is a song on the record that he guests on, and it is just too much. End the madness T-Pain!
Okay, I am going to make a pretty grand statement here, so get ready… This is probably the most powerful, well written, and amazing pop ballad of 2008. Will Young has released his fourth record, and he has proven (again) that he is way more than a flash in the pop pan; he plans on sticking around, and making some fabulous music while he’s here. As I mentioned last week, his record is a fantastic blend of jazz, pop, soul, and just overall musical greatness. It is definitely one of the albums of the year, in my opinion, and one that was well worth waiting for. Congratulations are in order for Will, who has succeeded in making another amazing album. And this song… well, I just cannot get enough of it. It is one of those songs that you hear, and think to yourself, “wow, that was pretty amazing, let’s hear that one again”, and then you listen to it again, and you realize not only that you were right, but that it was even better the second time around. It just keeps getting better with each listen for me, and it really makes me wonder why acts like Will Young aren’t popular here in the States. Oh well… at least I know about him, and can educate at least some of you about the pop brilliance that is Will Young.
So here’s the thing, apparently, he was the lead singer of a famous Britpop band called Suede… who I’ve never heard of. Okay, that may be a bad thing, considering how much I love pop music, but it is what it is. Now, I heard this song somewhere (I think it was iTunes), and I have to say, that it is literally, quite amazing. I have almost posted it several weeks before now, but it always got bumped for one reason or another; but this week, it is on the list! I love the feel of his vocals (they’re almost haunting me!), and the gentle piano that accompanies him on this track. This song is from his recently released solo album, which is his second one. Perhaps I need to spend some time exploring his past, and see how he got to this point, because this song is just amazingly beautiful, and I have been enjoying it for several weeks now. 
Before last weekend, I had never heard of Kings of Leon, even though they apparently have the number one song in the UK with 
I will start by saying that this song really, really surprised me. I haven’t traditionally been a fan of the Killers, mainly because of how much Hot Fuss was overplayed and over hyped. I did love Shadowplay, though, mainly because it was in Guitar Hero. That being said, when Human was released earlier this week, I wasn’t even interested in listening to it, but I did on accident (I was trying to listen to something else, and this was mistakenly linked as that song), and I found myself instantly really, really liking it! I have heard a lot of people kind of dissing on it, because it doesn’t sound like a typical Killers song, but I think that is why I like it so much. I really like it that they can do something that is a little different from their more commercial singles, and with Human, they may have just became part of a “you should really give us another chance” trifecta; first it was Coldplay with Viva La Vida, then it was Keane with Spiralling… and now, the Killers have wowed me with Human. What’s next!?!
Okay, this song is a little bit silly, but it is a lot sassy at the same time. I was really surprised (maybe that is the theme of today’s music?) that Margaret was going to do a pop album, and I was very apprehensive to hear the first song from it. I have to say that she has released a sassy, sultry, club-ish track; but she adds the “Cho” factor and makes you laugh with a well placed “bitch please” here and there. I am glad that I gave this a listen, because it really has me interested to see what else she has up her beautiful heavily tattooed sleeves. The voice overs just crack me up, and the synth on this track is just hot! She just wants to go crazy like Britney… handcuffed to a stretcher bitch! I love you Margaret!