It’s that time of the year, that everyone starts selecting their top albums of the year. Here is my list, and obviously, was hard to choose and give numbers. The minimum criteria to be on this list, is that I have had to listen to the album from start to finish at least 3 times. Here I present to you The AskOmar.com Top 10 Albums of 2008! (Click on the covers to go to their MySpaces)
10 – Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
The blend of the electronic music and the singing, makes it unique and very interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by this album, exceeding my initial expectations.
Cut Copy – Strangers In The Wind
cutcopy-strangersinthewind.mp3
9 – Sébastien Tellier – Sexuality
Sexuality, co-produced by GuyManuel de Homem-Christo from Daft Punk. If there is one word to describe this album, that word would be “Sexy”. All the songs have a sexual innuendo, and he sings in French, which makes it double interesting.
Sébastien Tellier – Kilometer
sebastientellier-kilometer.mp3
8 – Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter 3
I couldn’t left Lil’ Weezy out of this list. Every single that has been released to date from this album has been a hit. I need to listen “A Milli” sometimes to get in a determined mindset, as weird as it sounds. This is a fun album. It features a top class artists and producers.
Lil’ Wayne – A Milli
lilwayne-amilli.mp3
7 – Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
90% of people discovered Vampire Weekend through their amazing song A-Punk. I saw their music video on MTV2 a long time ago, and I said to myself, “Who The Fuck are them? Sounds different and I like it!” Personally, I’m not a big fan of this type of music, but I do admit that I enjoyed this album very much.
Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
vampireweekend-apunk.mp3
6 – Santogold – Santogold
A lot of people criticized Santogold for going mainstream on this album. I’m happy that she did. This is a great produced album. She has a great voice that accompanies a fun and cheering music. I heard her the first time in Mark Ronson’s album. I had that thought that if she released an album, it would be good.
Santogold – Creator
santogold-creator.mp3
5 – Flying Lotus – Los Angeles
When you listen to this album, your ears will question your decision of playing his album. But as every minute you listen to this album, you will be awed in amazement on how good this album is. Its Experimental Hip-Hop, which J. Dilla, RJD2, Cut Chemist, to mention a few fall into this music style. This album is a musical playground, that will introduce you to sounds that you never thought would sound as good as they sound on this album. Don’t skip this one folks.
Flying Lotus – Parisian Goldfish
flyinglotus-parisiangoldfish.mp3
4 – E-603 – Something For Everyone
Don’t underestimate E-603. If you like Girl Talk, you will like E-603. Some people prefer this album over Feed The Animal. I do love this album. This is my type of mash up, the other mash up of getting a beat and putting the singing from another genre makes me hate both songs. How E-603 does it, its in a creative way, which takes elements from one song and use it as an instrument, its a song of its own (the previous sentence also applies to Girl Talk). Give it a listen, its free to download here
E-603 – Sugar, You A Hater
e603-sugaryourahater.mp3
3 – Kanye West – 808′s And HeartBreak
This is a last minute decision to put Kanye on this list. To accept this album, I had to listen to it like I have never listened to Kanye before. I had to listen to within the context of the album, within the subject, which is Beats and Heartbreaks. When I finally set my mind to do so, I was honestly blown away. This is an amazing album, from start to finish. He did a great job. I know people critized his heavy auto-tune/melodyne use, but you have to understand, this is his artistic decision, he wanted this sound, even if its not natural, its all part of the context of the album. Give it a listen with this mindset and you will like it more, I can assure you that
Kanye West – Bad News
kanyewest-badnews.mp3
2 – Coldplay – Viva La Vida Or Death To And All His Friends
Regardless of all the scandal that this album has stirred, this album is near perfection. Every time I hear Viva La Vida, I get the chills, because the song is that powerful and emotional. The whole album carries the same emotion.
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
coldplay-vivalavida.mp3
1 – Girl Talk – Feed The Animal
This album is a clear definition of ‘Popular’ Music. He does an amazing job of mashing up artists from different spectrum’s of music into a beast of its own; a beast that will make you move your feet and dance like a crazy person. A very entertaining album to listen. You can buy here it in a “Pay what you want” format.
Girltalk – Still Here
girltalk-stillhere.mp3
Honorable Mentions
Kid Cudi – Plain Pat & Emile Presents A Kid Named Cudi. This album almost made it to the top 10. Download it here.
M83 – Saturday = Youth
Cool Kids – The Bake Sale
TV On The Radio – Dear Science,
Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Booka Shade – The Sun And The Neon Light
Ratatat – LP3
Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads
