Best Albums of 2008, Official Twangville Picks
This is our second year aggregate of our year-end best album lists representing another great year in music. This year we’ve broadened the list to include our Reader’s Picks and Bobby K’s annual picks. Scoring was based on 10 points for a #1 pick working its way down to 1 point for a #10 pick. Non-ranked picks defaulted to 5 points. Being that the number of lists we pull from is still small there quite a few ties including our first tie at the #1 spot. The first number in parenthesis represents the cumulative score and the second number is the number of editors who selected the album. Enough about the scoring, here are the results:
- #1 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (New West) (28/4)
- #1 THE HOLD STEADY, Stay Positive (Vagrant) (28/3)
- #3 RECKLESS KELLY, Bulletproof (Yep Roc) (26/4)
- #4 HAYES CARLL, Trouble In Mind (Lost Highway) (20/4)
- #5 OLD 97S, Blame It On Gravity (New West) (19/3)
- #6 KASEY CHAMBERS & SHANE NICHOLSON, Rattlin’ Bones (Sugar Hill) (13/3)
- #6 ELI “PAPERBOY” REED, Roll With You (Q Dvision) (13/2)
- #6 AUSTIN COLLINS, Roses Are Black (Fat Caddy) (13/2)
- #9 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, Real Animal (Back Porch) (11/3)
- #9 LUCINDA WILLIAMS, Little Honey (Lost Highway) (11/2)
See full lists from Tom, Mayer, Chip and Kelly. Todd’s list was included but remains unpublished at this time.
About the author: Washington, D.C. area web designer by day. Certifiable music freak by night. Husband and father of two by the loving grace of God. by Tom Osborne in Best of Year, Videos
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Laura
,
Jan 23rd, 2009
That’s a pretty good looking list! I still need to check a couple of these out.
Bobby K
,
Jan 24th, 2009
How can all of you guys miss Ryan Bingham? I just don’t get it.
Bobby K
,
Jan 24th, 2009
One more comment (with reservation to make more) – I’ve listened to the Drive By Truckers for years and they have been so spotty for me. Some songs kill me, while others ….. I never felt that they made a consistent record through and through. Well, based on your list I just bought the new record and listened to it 3 times in a row. Now, I’m sitting here and I am pissed that I did not include it on my list. It is fantastic. Unfortunately, many of my readers are going to miss this one due to my omission. What a bummer!!! Now, I want you guys to listen to Ryan Bingham (Mayer – How the heck did you not find this guy). He will become a fav of Twangville. This artist is right in your wheelhouse. Anyway, thanks for the late, but better than never, recommendation.
Tom Osborne
,
Jan 24th, 2009
Hey Bobby. Glad to see you picked up the DBT record on our recommendation. It wasn’t in my top ten but I was in the minority. A good record for sure. Regarding Ryan Bingham, the main reason he didn’t show up in our lists was that his album was released in 2007. Still, its a surprise that he hasn’t shown up on Twangville more since he is as you put it “in our wheelhouse”. As always, a good recommendation from someone who influences Twangville greatly.
Baron Lane
,
Jan 27th, 2009
Bobby K – Ryan Bingham’s Mescalito was released in 2007.
Bobby K
,
Jan 27th, 2009
Tom – I bought Ryan’s record in late 2007; I think it was released in October. After listening to it in January, I didn’t take it off my turntable (so to speak) all year. I took artistic license with Ryan’s record and Anders Osborne’s record Coming Down which also was released in 2007. I guess when you write your own newsletter you can make your own rules.
By the way, I really love Bruce’s new record. After the very disappointing Magic, I was ready for another dud. The first song Outlaw Pete is not a great one and is 8 minutes long. It kinda spoiled for me the first time or two I listened to the record. After the second time I really started to get what Bruce’s doing on this record and now love it. To me it is a sister record to Tunnel of Love, with Tunnel of Love being about breakup and disappointment and Working on a Dream about an older man finding and realizing true love. I think this is Bruce’s best work in years with beautiful writing. At first i thought the lyrics were a little light for Bruce’s standards. However after reading them, I realized that since most of the songs were about love, the lyrics didn’t have the social impact I was looking for. However, for pure love songs they are absolutely beautiful. For instance, in “Kingdom of Days” he writes: “With you I don’t hear the minutes ticking by; I don’t feel the hours as they fly; I don’t see the summer as it wanes, just a subtle change of light upon your face”. Kinda of reminded me of Dylan’s “Your’e Gonna Make Me Lonesome…”, where Dylan writes: “Flowers on the hillside, bloomin’ crazy; Crickets talkin’ back and forth in rhyme; Blue river runnin’ slow and lazy; I could stay with you forever
and never realize the time.” This record demands that one really listen to it. I know it is difficult with all of the music out there, but do yourself a favor and listen to it 5 times over the course of two or three days and I think you will get it. Watching the DVD of the making of the record is also a treat and will help the listener understand what Bruce was after on this record. I give it 4 stars (I would have given it 5 if not for the first song). No Retreat, No surrender.
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