hilarious

listen 1: i didnt listen to it to know its the worst album of the year

This is a cool video.

Just put on Giorgio Moroder's From Here To Eternity. Classic album. Disco, guys.

“This dad approves.” - Rob Gordon

#14.




The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
(3375 Points, 47 Votes, Four #1 Votes)

US Chart Position: #30

UK Chart Position: #15

Charting Singles: n/a

SOMB Says: the hold steady-often described more through their obvious influences or drinking habits-opted for positive change, for betterment, in a year where some things went right, but a whole lot more went terribly wrong. look to the album's title, for proof. rather than remind us about the hard times of boys and girls in america, finn and company provided us with anthems to keep us from collapsing. no longer satisfied to question the authority of scripture, the hold steady finally made the leap and established a church and doctrine of their own.

on songs like lord, i'm discouraged the hold steady perform a miracle of musical transubstantiation, turning defeat into triumph. and speaking of transubstantiation, stay positive makes music into nourishment and sustenance. manna, not from heaven, but from man.

"the sing-a-long songs'll be our scriptures" finn shouts on the title track. it feels like the keystone to the hold steady's entire body of work. but as for a literal expression of stay positive's thesis, finn nails it on the opening track: "let this be my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." coming from a band that's put out four albums in five years it can be interpreted as both a mantra and a promise fulfilled.

not all of stay positive's songs are keepers, but you know what, sometimes fake fights turn out bad. the failures don't mean much as long as the hold steady keeps on fighting and keeps us fighting on.

during a year when the word change was bandied around so freely, no musical act felt like an embodiment of the spirit of the times, of the difficulty which arises when a society changes faster than its population, than the hold steady. they themselves occasionally fall victim to rapid change, while also writing songs full of men and women falling behind the times and between the margins. it would be a lie to name stay positive as the band's best record. instead, especially considering its framing by such tumultuous and calamitous times, stay positive takes on a primacy which makes it, to me, their most essential album. - brobee

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: “Almost Killed Me” (#91 of 2004), “Separation Sunday” (#32 of 2005) “Boys and Girls In America” (#6 of 2006)

Ranked Highest By: brain_storm, w. josh, farawaysoclose, DemoAndrew (#1)

Also Ranked By: liquidheaven (#2), Dr. Rosenpenis, scarymuppet, Insane (#3), Montana, Northern Voice, 100% Vegetable Juice, Ella Isquire, 77 or 88 (#4), MattDrufke, Hewletts Daughter, Mike Schank (#5)

Amazon Link

montana, that video is amazing.

Amazing teaser quote for the HS.

This DAN disapproves!

“Stephen Thomas Erlewine's head is going to explode

” - ____________________________

#13.




Weezer - Weezer
(3420 Points, 44 Votes, Five #1 Votes)

US Chart Position: #4

UK Chart Position: #21

Charting Singles: "Pork and Beans" (#64 Hot 100, #1 Modern Rock), "Troublemaker" (#2 Modern Rock)

SOMB Says: Back in 2008
I wasn't feeling very great
then good dr bill said "hey come on"
and put a brand new record on
rivers cuomo was on it
he had a mustache on it
then i heard the mp3s that broke the chains i had around me
got together w/ my friends
posted in a few internet message threads
then we downloaded the whole leak
and watched those threads start to peak
heard the songs that made us cry
bgwaves thought it sounded good when he was high
the come on the radio now people go
this is the song
up down turn around make my dick all nice and brown tonight i think i'll fuck you chrono lick my balls while i shoot loads

Weezer's The Red Album is the greatest album to come out this year and it's also the best album this decade. The day the majority of it leaked was one of the happiest of my entire life and I'll continue to use that day as a benchmark to mark all future important moments as long as I live. It's brought me closer to one of my best friends in the whole world(Pavement Ist Rad himself) and gave me the strength to persevere through some tumultuous relationships(worthless cunts) that would've likely emotionally crippled me if it wasn't for the perpetuating happiness this album seems to resonate from every chord, lyric, and melody.

If this album was any better I'd had to rip my own ears out because mankind is not quite ready for aural perfection. I suppose this is about as close as we can get. - Slap Nutz

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

Ranked Highest By: Pavement Ist Rad, Slap Nutz, Johnny’s Shack, Slackmo, The Good Dr Bill (#1)

Also Ranked By: avec (#2), Sam, stphone (#3), Diesel, Very Metal, +marios+, Dread, worrywort (#4), brain_storm, Nick, Guided By Ohio (#5)

Amazon Link

Weezer!

In 2008!!!

Here's some advice: GROW UP.

Seriously, I lost my shit when I read that. Stellar job, Paul.

Nice to see Sausage and Paves destroy another year end thread.

I'm quoting the whole thing:

great album.

You could always just not open this thread until the countdown is over if all you want to see is a final list with no running commentary.

nice to see that bunk is gay!

but seriously folks, enough w/ teh music

Tremendous blurb, Snausage. First time I've been glad someone else got to blurb my #1.

UNLIKE FUCKING LAST YEAR

Dad's gettin' high and watching the countdown.

That is until it's time to leave for the afternoon showing of Slumdog Millionaire.

Spoiler: The dog dies!

lol

Take out Johnny Shack and those four #1 votes are a brotherhood im proud to be a part of.

Cheers, slack

*raises glass*

Right. Because Nirvana gifs and a quote vortex is quality commentary.

Oh yeah, I forgot, Two Stars

Ahhh..the choices we make.

Endless Summer should have been higher. Obviously. Great blurb from undo, as well.

This whole top 40 has been all over the fucking place, but it's always a fun ride. I am going to listen to Weezer again right now.

EDIT: Black Sea should have been even higher. Even more obviously.

“There's nothing backwoods about it.” - Montana

#12.




Blitzen Trapper - Furr
(3471 Points, 40 Votes, Six #1 Votes)

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

SOMB Says: This band's just been getting better and better. The cover seems perfect for a Blitzen Trapper album. A little bit more reeled in and domesticated than what I'm used to from them, but man what a lovely song. This album is the real deal. This band sure grew in such a short period. It's so backwoods and shaggy. I love it when they fire up the Southern rock stuff, but at the same time, I think most of my favorite songs are the slower acoustic ones. Fleet Foxes is fine and good, but THIS is the best band in the northwest today. I hope this record gets the equal attention and adoration i'm undoubtedly sure it deserves.- Sound Opinions Message Board Megazord

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: “Wild Mountain Nation” (#74 of 2007)

Ranked Highest By: Ringo Is My Name, solace, DrJimmy, Ben Thayer, Music Saves, carl (#1)

Also Ranked By: hornpout (#2), 100% Vegetable Juice, maxexactly, elementus attacks!, cerebralcaustic (#3), Dark Heat (#4), Whiskey! (#5)

Amazon Link

OTM.

endless bummer

Just finished catching up on this thread. Reminds me of why I used to like this board so much.

The steady rancher keeps his eye out for Logic bears and Taste wolves as the SOMB sheep graze at yet another trendy urban twee in 2008.

Soon, the pasture will be bare and all will be forgotten, only to be repeated next season (except for the 60% of Frightened Rabbit fans who will probably take their own lives before the 2009 SOMB list).

Another Brooklyn vinyl purchase from last week. Really sounds excellent.

lol. Forgot about that one.

I'd like to thank Blitzen Trapper for reminding me how much I hate Bob Dylan.

biggie i miss you.

“There's like 6 or 7 songs on here that are just absolutely mindblowingly incredible and 7 or 8 that are just greaaaaaaaaaat.” - Chronodiggity

#11.




Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
(3485 Points, 38 Votes, Six #1 Votes)

US Chart Position: n/a

UK Chart Position: n/a

Charting Singles: n/a

SOMB Says: The human heart... it's wrapped up in every part of what Frightened Rabbit does. When most bands are worried about the cut of their denim jeans, the Hutchison brothers are more concerned with the cut of their own jib. They aren't afraid to write songs about love and loss littered with strange child-like metaphors involving the juicy physical mechanics of sex. They have the nerve to pound out their music in a live setting like it's the end of the world and they treat their fans like family. This band is all heart and guts and not afraid to let it show. Even the artwork for The Midnight Organ Fight and its various singles display dusty hand-drawn illustrations of human organs piled up in a jumbled mess and appearing as if everything seems to be on the verge of falling apart but still working.

Scott Hutchison sings about being stuck in bad relationships via deceivingly celebratory melodies and lyrical puns that can get stuck in your head for days. Underneath his words, layered acoustic and electric guitars grind and buzz along to the syncopated beats of an unconventional drummer that adds his own church choir background vocals to the whole thing. They can toss off a tiny little ballad of high and lonesome melancholy or just as easily build a rough-around-edges big dumb rock song with a repetitive riff that rises into a glorious crescendo. This is not fleeting or disposable guitar pop music, it's an emotional record that you hold close to your own heart and play it for those people that you care about the most... hoping they hear it the way you hear it and feel it the way you feel it. It's all heart. - simakos

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

Ranked Highest By: MattDrufke, simakos, Hewletts Daughter, Le Bunk, RadioHitchcock, Man Is Matter (#1)

Also Ranked By: w. josh, Northern Voice, washing machine, worrywort, Bobzilla (#2), August West, suckeredyou, street samurai (#4), davidortiz (#5)

Amazon Link

post yr thoughts in my Slumdog Thread when u get back

A peak at Paul's template.

The Somb sheep weather yet another dry season. as shepherd Rivers Cuomo strokes his mustache and leads his army blissfully off a cliff to indie rock mediocrity.

Yeah, what's up, Biggie.

Glad that this thread entertains you.

Rock on.

Wow, it's hard to think of someone having Furr at #1, never mind six people. I guess I should have predicted it but this one is leaving me all

Paves we should retire after this thread.

Okay.

People like melody

Chuffed to see Furr so high up the list. I still adore it.

“BUT, about the Nick Cave interview, did Dero actually begin by essentially asking Nick why he's so awesome? Yikes.” - Vesuvio

#10.




Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
(3519 Points, 48 Votes, Four #1 Votes)

US Chart Position: #64

UK Chart Position: #4

Charting Singles:

SOMB Says: Notes On Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!: Gathered While Riding a Train from San Francisco to San Jose, New Years' Day, 2009

Right now, in shorthand, I realize that my city is depraved. At least the city as soundtracked by Nick Cave and His Bad Seeds. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is the playlist at a party celebrating the end of the world. There's a man out my window urinating against a graffiti'd pillar; "Night of the Lotus Eaters" repeatds on my headphones.

DLD!!! is an album both from and about the waylaid and razed industrial landscape. These are obviously songs - and good fucking songs at that - but the ambient sleigh bells, whirrs, whistles and grinding blend in with the industrial landscape (the train I am on now especially); the music seems to not only exist in, but also emanate from the distressed landscape I'm seeing right now. And here's Nick Cave, the communion waif sermonizing at its center.

Cave and Bad Seeds occupy a sort of animalistic space in the music, rebelling - disintegrating - against the songs' structure. Guitars spasm, background vocals interrupt, and Cave's peculiar howls and vocal tics shatter the expected course of the music, as if the song itself were bucking against its tumbling self. It is chaos, but with the constant, mechanic thrum of the rhythm section holding the center together. This is music that perfectly, if not regrettably, mirrors and mimics the landscape of the contemporary world.

At least I'm not going to L.A. - dicorice

Artist's Previous Rankings on Our Albums Lists: “Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus” (#33 of 2004)

Ranked Highest By: 50/50, Jim DeRogatis, Greg Kot, Pookie (#1)

Also Ranked By: Ringo Is My Name (#2), Dark Heat, nole.kennedy, Gluehead, DemoAndrew (#3), Paper Tiger, Torrance (#4), birdistheword (#5)

Amazon Link

Listened to that album once.

It was okay.

Dick Slave & The Sad Keeds

More like Dig, OLDSTERS, Dig!!!

Just when I thought the Jim & Greg decision wasn't going to have any real effect...

I figured The Midnight Organ Fight was a lock for top 5, knowing the FR fanbase on here. Kind of disappointed that it didn't even make top 10.

Nothing a pair of scissors won't fix.