Honourable Mentions:
- Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
- The Verve - Forth
- Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
- Common - Universal Mind Control
9. Weezer - (The Red Album): Great singles with "Troublemaker" and You-Tube inspired video for "Pork & Beans". Rest of the album shows their diversity. "Everybody Get Dangerous" chorus feels lifted from OK Go.
8. Glasvegas - (self-titled): These guys could be the NBT from Scotland, which has exporting some of my favourite bands of all time (Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand, Del Amitri, and Simple Minds just to name a few). "Geraldine" has to be my most favorite tune of 2008. But the whole disc is pretty good, hence no mention of these guys (and gal drummer) in my singles list. Lots of potential here folks...
7. John Legend - Evolver: Kanye West's protege actually passes his master this year with his third studio album. With his talent, he can recruit the best in the biz with contributions by Kanye West, Brandy, Estelle and Andre 3000. "Green Light", "Everybody Knows" and "Cross the Line" show his take on love from different angles.
6. All-American Rejects - When The World Comes Down: I should have banned these guys (or put them on my dead-to-me list) for canceling their Canadian tour this fall. Their excuse was this album, so I have mixed feelings about it. Their use of an orchestra/strings is getting a little bit excessive.
5. The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing: Just like the White Stripes, how can a duo make such good music? Yeah, I know they cheat with looping samples etc. Front woman Katie White, who actually plays the guitar during their shows, picks up the rock gal crown (that Shirley Manson abandoned) in an imaginary title fight with Karen O of the YYYs. Very infectious tunes. Very much a guilty but admit-able pleasure.
4. Vampire Weekend - (self-titled): Managed by the same manager as the previously mentioned White Stripes, these guys are awarded my Rookie Disc of the Year trophy. Better attempt at fusing Congo/African rhythms than anything Paul Simon put out. Do they poke fun at themselves with "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" or the doubters out there?
3. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs: I still regret not being able to see these guys live. But at least the next time I do, I'll get to hear them jam to "I Will Possess Your Heart" which reminds me a bit of "Roxanne" with its stalker overtones.
2. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns: I was actually a little disappointed when I first listened to this album. They seemed to fall into their Grey's Anatomy groove with their mellow side of things, but the more I listened to it, their more energetic side did show through on "Take Back the City" and "Crack the Shutters". This is their first album in a while not to take the top spot. Am interested in Gary Lightbody's rumoured solo album though
And the winner is (drum roll)...
1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends: These guys don't seem to rest on their laurels. They could have just slapped something together and have their iPod ad and magazine reviews do all the work, but Chris Martin and the boys holed themselves up in an old bakery to work on their latest effort. "Lost" defiantly starts off with stating that, "Just because I'm losing, doesn't mean I'm lost". "Viva La Vida", the video for "Violet Hill" and even the album artwork all have subtle or not so subtle religious or political references and undertones. They joke about giving their fans a choice in what to call this album with its long title. Grab the Prospekt's March edition if you haven't picked this up yet or just add the EP as a supplement. It even has an appearance by their label boss, Jay-Z.
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