2008 In Music: Foxboro Hot Tubs

My "beach read" album of 2008.


It is technically "Green Day"; but at the same time, it isn't quite Green Day. They're not blazing any new trails here - Stop Drop And Roll is definitely a throw-back to the 60's garage rock sound. Some critics rated this album poorly, saying it is just blatantly ripping off bands like the Kinks and Donovan. I personally don't care if they use recycled sounds. Stop Drop And Roll is light, lively and fun to listen to. Sometimes, that's just what the doctor ordered. Plus I've always been a fan of Billie Joe's voice, and I hear him doing some different things on this album. I dig it.

2008 In Music: Kings of Leon

These songs embed themselves in my soul more each time I listen, and in my book that's a damn fine album.



My next installment - Kings of Leon's Only By The Night. What can I add that hasn't already been written by others? This is one band where I definitely agree with the majority, popular opinion - they are fantastic (even though they were nominated for a Grammy :) Only By The Night is a real creeper. The first time I listened, I thought, "Eh, it's alright but not as good as the last one." Then it snuck up on me - BAM - and I wanted to hear it everyday. Even the massive amount of radio play hasn't turned me off yet, so that's saying something.

2008 In Music: North Mississippi Allstars

Even though I had a copy of this in '07, it wasn't officially released until 08 - so it still counts!

Hernando. Named after the trio's hometown, and without a doubt their best album for me. Of all the 2008 releases, I'm sure this one has gotten the most listens. Unfortunately, Luther took a break to play guitar with the Black Crowes, so I only caught one live performance after the album release. It was definitely one of the concert highlights of the year, though. Hard-hitting, bluesy, jazzy, funky - these guys can do it all. They're all vocalists. Very diverse group of gents. I love 'em.

Shake what yo mama gave you!

2008 In Music: The Procrastinator's Journey

For the past few weeks, I have been feeling the pressure to compile a "Best Albums of 2008" List. Let me just say that ranking music sucks - it's like comparing apples to eggplants.

So I'm not doing it. There are way too many albums that I liked in 2008 but have not heard enough. Instead of making a list, I'm just gonna take this thing one album at a time, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER. At this rate, I might have a Top 100 of 2008 by January of 2010 :O)

Let's kick this off with a rather obvious choice for me, and one that got many listens at home, on the road, and in concert:



Of course if you know me at all, you should've seen this coming. Nine Inch Nails. The Slip.

This one definitely doesn't have the Holy Shit factor that Year Zero did (or Ghosts for that matter); but considering that it was conceived in a relatively short time period and given away for free, it's pretty damn good. Seeing "Head Down" and "Echoplex" live certainly increased their impact on me. I also really dig "1,000,000." And "Discipline." The whole album is a solid listen. Then again, when's the last time you heard me say something negative about Trent.