I havn't read any blurbs yet but No Age at #40 with Deerhoof at 40 something is an outrage. Astoundingly catchy rock music played by genius musicians vs two guys who can't play their instruments properly and can't record for shit.

“Somebody better tell these to get a less provocative name or else their thread might get deleted from an NPR MESSAGE BOARD.” - Pavement Ist Rad

#37.




Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
(1666 Points, 31 Votes, One #1 Vote)

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

SOMB Says: looking at what constitutes "hardcore" these days, it would be more apt to call all that crusty faux Discharge b.s. TARDcore (and I don't mean Jay, obv.) you want to blame the pitchfork reading indie boppers who ignore the stuff, but in the end it's nothing but the genre's fault. aside from the super obscure lo-fi scuzz punk that is just now starting to generate buzz in the indie world, punk in the classic sense of the term has become a caricature of itself, soiled by the countless teenagers who spend their days decorating their jackets with studs and Oi Polloi patches and adjusting their prissy blonde mohawks, more focused on preserving an image rooted in the past than producing any worthwhile music, hence the existence of Sick Of It All and The Casualties as leading anthemists for the genre. fist pumping hardcore in the post-millenial era just hadn't churned out a work that could be described as its Source Tags & Codes or even its Penance Soiree. enter toronto, ontario's FUCKED UP to accomplish said feat twice in only two years. as if 2006's steamrolling never let up double lp Hidden World wasn't mindblowing enough of a tour de force, Chemistry of Common Life takes the ambitions displayed on that release to creative heights rarely seen in the usually conservative hardcore punk genre and also acting as a step forward for this highly talented group. as far as delivering their rock power with equal amounts of hardcore fury and arena level bombast goes, the DÜ comparisons are perfectly apt, but this is 2008 and it's the highly progressive sonic and compositional choices in between the driving punk rock grooves that elevate these songs to the level of the day's most visionary rock music. first of all, if Spot had had the skills of whoever manned the boards on Chemistry of Common Life then Zen Arcade would be worthier of its distinction as 11/10 classic album than it already is. the album possesses a wide open multitracked sound that reveals just how tinny a sonic masterpiece like Loveless is by comparison, meaning that this is aggressive music that brutalizes your gut, not your eardrums, as there's little else from 2008 that has had this much care put into the actual sound of the music. second of all... it's a hardcore punk album, yeah, but you have isolated flute solos starting and ending the album, the Vivian Girls contributing heavenly backing vox, and a vocal melody in "Black Albino Bones" that sounds closer to Swervedriver than Skrewdriver. the almost comical lack of dynamic variation in frontman Pink Eyes's throat mangling vocal delivery only makes these melodic surprises all the more effective, cementing Fucked Up's place in the pantheon of groups finding that nearly impossible to obtain balance between ugliness and beauty, noise and melody, nihilistic rage and life-affirming joyousness. here's hoping that the rest of the punk rock community will be wise enough to follow suit. - James Iha

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: Saskadelphia (#1)

Also Ranked By: blackswede (#3), castaña (#5)

Amazon Link

still cant believe glasvegas already placed....

EDIT: alas, FUCKED UP has revived my faith...

The indie ethos couldn't be summed up better - not if Montana had a book.

Fucking awesome blurb, James Iha.

im awake

lets do this

nice blurb, mitch! then i see conor oberst though...

Fucked Up is good shit, I guess.

They need more teen angst Beatles parodies.

Nice, dude.

Thankfully something different is up with us then with people who can't at least appreciate, if not like the music, the fact that the guy's a great songwriter.

paul, i have to run out to dekalb at some point today(about 40 min away) and drive back, are you taking a break anytime today or am i going to have to miss some of the countdown

like is there a halftime show.

He's not.

Damn Montana, you really dunk'd me there with that spot-on assessment of Harvey Milk.

Thanks, it was a constructive way to spend a post Christmas Monday back at work I felt.

Not much better than Conor Oberst writing about fucking coconuts.

You obviously haven't heard the album, much less read RadioHitchcock's blurb- no teen angst whatsoever in this album.

“This is like southern disco.” - Gluehead

#36.




My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
(1695 Points, 29 Votes, Two #1 Votes)

US Chart Position: #9

UK Chart Position: #126

Charting Singles: "I'm Amazed" (#6 Triple A)

SOMB Says:
December 31, 2018
As My Morning Jacket prepares to ring in the New Year with another marathon show, I’ve decided that now is a good time to look back on their lost classic, 2008’s Evil Urges. Largely written off by fans at the time as the band abandoning its traditional sounds of alt-country, southern rock, and heavy-synth-space-rock, most of the album other than “I’m Amazed” was ignored live on subsequent tours. But over the last couple years, Jim James and his gang of bearded weirdos have slowly reintroduced the songs into their live repertoire, much to those same fans’ delight. Of course, it helps that the last ten years have seen the release of five new studio albums, each one expanding on a specific sound from Evil Urges that a lot of people hated at the time. We’ve seen full albums of what would appear to be genre exercise in AM soft rock, Sec Walkin’s country album, and space funk. Even “Highly Suspicious” now makes sense in the context of the follow-up to Evil Urges, a live album of funk and soul covers from the likes of Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, and Kool and the Gang. Ten years on, Evil Urges no longer looks like an attempt to freak out their audience or an embrace of extremes. It now plays like a band trying to match the recklessness of their live shows in the studio. In retrospect, it also makes sense as half of it being the next step from It Still Moves that Z didn't deliver and the other half being the logical progression from Z. Does it matter that following Evil Urges most of the excitement around a new My Morning Jacket release was that it meant a new tour? Kind of, considering that they’ve continued to release interesting material. But nothing has come close to pushing their musical boundaries and their fans’ expectations since Evil Urges. I’ve got to get to the show. I heard a rumor that as the clock strikes twelve, they’re going to play a version of “We’ve Only Just Begun.” - Paul

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: “Z” (#14 of 2005)

Ranked Highest By: MuteSuperstar, Paul (#1)

Also Ranked By: Dread (#5)

Amazon Link

Why would I appreciate the songwriting of someone who writes songs I don't like?

He wasn't talking about Conor Oberst.

this shouldve been the blurb for the oberst record

keep the brilliant insight coming, pavement, young hipster....and, btw, there's more teen angst in one syllable of that closing track on the Evangelista album.

I will need to muster some courage before attempting the Marling blurb.

lots of just completely worthless fucking albums so far

fucked up is great though

hahah

Loving the avatar, Slap Nutz!!!

Yeah that MMJ record....yikes.

We're probably going straight through to the end or 2 pm when I have to go to work, which ever comes first.

Listened to an iTunes sample of "Highly Suspicious" to hear what the big fuss was.

LOL @ that.

Conor Oberst fucked a coconut?

yeah, the bright eyes/ MMJ combo has me wallowing in meh-ness.

“WTF? Did I just hear some jazz flute?” - partlycloudy

#35.




The Black Keys - Attack & Release
(1708 Points, 27 Votes)

US Chart Position: #14

UK Chart Position: #34

Charting Singles: n/a

SOMB Says: “Attack & Release” begins with a terrific opening song. It sooths the listener. It puts them in a trance. It puts them at peace. It makes them tap their feet, close their eyes, and kiss their lovers. It makes them want to play guitar. It makes them want to have soul, passion, emotion. It makes them want to discover a newfound love. The haunting, dismal guitar solo that ends the first track tells us that we have an epic journey ahead of us.

With “I Got Mine” we hear The Black Keys. The rock 'n' roll/bluegrass/Southern band everyone grew to know and love. The scratchy lyrics. “So baby when I rolled, I rolled deep.” Such a bad ass song to sing along to. This whole album encompasses greatness. It makes the listener want to drink whiskey and put a cigarette out on anyone who looks at them wrong.

“Strange Times.” The single. The “oooo-ing.” The “ahhhh-ing.” The greatness. Awesome drumming at the beginning, with a damn near perfect guitar riff that enters. Head bouncing. Grinning. Charming. “Strange times are here.” When “I Got Mine” makes the listener want to start a fight, “Strange Times” imagines them actually beginning that fight. Breaking a Jack Daniels bottle over a police officer and riding away in my motorcycle.

“Psychotic Girl.” The piano. The drums. The perfection.

This album is about heartbreak. It's about revenge. It's about regret. It's about love. It's about loss. It's about torment. It's about torture. It's an album to drink to. It's an album to fuck to. It's an album to get arrested to. It's an album to fall asleep to.

This album is about doing anything imaginable in order to please a lady. Buying her gifts. Flowering her with presents. Pleasing her infinitely. Making her happy just to see her smile. Then, eventually, it's revealed that she might be kind of a bitch. She might be evil. She might be getting around. She might not be appreciating the relationship as she should. Then it's realized she's a crazy bitch and things kind of suck with her around. So distance is managed.

Things suck but it had to happen. Maybe she will end it eventually, so it's not a problem. Loss causes pain and he misses her being so close but he can't trust her any more. Either way, he was in love. He still is. He can't stop thinking about her. He wants her back and he doesn't know why. His heart has been replaced with a stone and lies are all around. Too much pain. Too much deception. Remember when? Two great songs back-to-back with the same lyrics but different rhythms. Something triggers an old emotion. At first, he feels upset. He feels sad. He feels sorrow. Depression transforms to anger. Now he's going to drink. Now he's going to crack a pool stick over a bartender face's. Damn, love stings.

“Attack & Release” is about lost causes. It's about mistaken identities. It's about old memories. It's about saddening thoughts. It's about hungover nightmares. It's about dwindling depression. It's about uproarious anger. It's about mischievous sorrow. It's about exciting evil. It's about skeptic thieves.

No matter how hard you try, life and the surrounding love is going to hurt. Love with defeat you and leave you empty. But we constantly try and strive for that euphoria for that perfect moment. We crave it. We desire it. We need it. Sometimes it just won't come. Shit happens and the old times are sometimes always better. One thing is certain: things ain't like they used to be.

While this album might not have been my favorite of the year, I am positive that I won't listen to a 2008 album in the future more than “Attack & Release.” The Black Keys' masterpiece.

“Ain't it just like dying, except you can still feel the shame. All hands on deck now, the sea is getting rough again.” - SonicAlligator

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: SonicAlligator, The Gram (#2)

Also Ranked By: Sid Hartha (#4), Vivian Darkbloom, solace, nole.kennedy (#5)

Amazon Link

And Theremin thought none of his list would make it!

Well, let me tell you, he was wrong! He was dead fucking wrong!!!

Yeah, and it swung from the branch both ways.

What even is that?

should be higher imo, but i'll take it!

The Black Keys - Attack & Release

album cover turned me off.

man talk about some turds

this is the worst top 40 list ever

garret, get onto AIM we need to chat about this list.

k

What if Conor Oberst fucked a coconut so hard, it threw up Emmylou Harris?

Doors cover band.

Who in their right mind thought this was better than Chinese Democracy? You voted for a third rate Doors cover band while bypassing a true rock original. Shameful.

one of my old room-mates once fucked a canned-ham...

“Listened to this in the car yesterday. I was practically headbanging when that awesome riff on 'bright light' kicked in ” - James D

#34.




Black Mountain - In The Future
(1722 Points, 35 Votes, One #1 Vote)

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: #72

Charting Singles: n/a

SOMB Says: Putting it plain and simple; these are my thoughts.

"Tyrants" is definitely the piece that worked the best for myself. It's wonderfully catchy and it has a great, punchy riff.

"Bright Lights"..(Light Brights..and no, not the flashy colored kids game I don't think ) is a good enough epic song, that 8 minutes-in leads to another riffy, hand-banging section that lasts long enough to satisfy most.

"Evil Ways" (no, not referencing the Santana hit in anyway, at least that I have been able to tell) and "Queens Will Play" are two of the other highlights here. Both are also catchy and psychedelic.

Black Mountain manage to create a mood trippy enough to have you imagine you're back in the psychedelic era of the late 60's or early 70's.

As a progressive rock fan, they are 2008's answer to a recent resurgence in psychedelic groups who are combining male + female vocal arrangements. Not as intricate as say 2006's big name Pure Reason Revolution, and not as song-oriented as 2007's splash Fields. But also not as stoner-like as a group like The Sword, or as simplified as Wolfmother. They share elements in common with all those groups, but still manage to carve out enough of their own identity on this sophomore record.

While it wasn't as addictive as some others in 2008, nor some of those groups I just mentioned. In the Future's best moments especially, still stood the test of time this year. Also worth a mention, their live show was memorable as well. It included a very moody atmosphere filled with strobe lights and a foggy, smokey Halloween-like stage set-up.

72/100 - Soundscape

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: n/a

Ranked Highest By: hornpout (#1)

Also Ranked By: bleach (#2), cerebralcaustic (#4)

Amazon Link

i never got to hear this.

I thought Chinese Democracy was terrible and even I can get behind this statement.

Two blacks in a row!!!

The Doors?

wtf???? never heard a single smidge of Doors influence in TBK since 2001?

???

Very good album, though.

What's next, TV On The Radio???

paves & montana otm about black keys

more like black guys

???????????????????/

I'd like to know who's throwing on No Age at a barbecue.