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The 2008 YECA: Attack of the Ambition (Top 10 MVs + ??)
ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 1/20/2004
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Great to see "All Hope Is Gone" in the top 10! ![clap](http://home.arcor.de/smiliez/smz/1074.gif)
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
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3 amazing albums.
Ashes Divide appear a little higher on my list.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
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Attack of the Ambition: Top 15 Albums of 2008 (7-4)
Yeah, like I said, this could be done tonight.
![](http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/TobiasIsGod/YECA%202008/YECA-1.jpg)
Scars on Broadway - Scars on Broadway
I find it funny that this album got almost completely ignored. Nevermind that the sum of its parts could be compared to the (just barely) superior Elect the Dead that System frontman Serj Tankian unleashed last year. Nevermind that this album is unlike anything that I could have expected, even after first hearing "They Say". With Scars on Broadway and the album of the same name, Daron Malakian finally got to continue on with the sound that he foresaw as the future of System of a Down, and took a few chances that, almost always, worked. "World Long Gone", as repetitive of a song as it is, is still a superior song, because of its musical arrangement. "Enemy" features a very distinctive guitar sound that is very hard to emulate, while "3005" is just about the most respectable song on the album. Of course, none of those songs, to me, are as just plain awesome as "Universe", which beats down on you right from the start with a fast-paced riff that pops up every now and again, accompanied by another riff that sounds even better than the first riff, especially in its second incarnation, when it sounds, dare I say, almost Muse-like. Hmm. Now there's an interesting comparison.
Favorites: "Universe", "World Long Gone", "Enemy"
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Now HERE is an artist and album that snuck up on me completely. Ladies and gentlemen, 2008's TV on the Radio! The only complaint I could possibly have about the album is that, in certain spots, certain songs sound a bit too familiar. However, the lyrics and the distinct vocal drawl are enough to overcome that shortcoming. Here is a band that was directly influenced by fellow New Jerseyian Bruce Springsteen. That's right, "The Boss" himself. And it's not hard to see the comparison throughout the album, especially in the gorgeous "Here's Looking At You, Kid". They are also definitively retro. Their sound, their look, their lyrics, they all represent a different time, a time that, admittedly, most of the people who listen to their music were not around to experience for themselves. In a way, The Gaslight Anthem is here to help remind us of our past, and how glorious of a time it was. One song that breaks through that retro-love and provides a message that can resonate with anyone is the title track, as the protagonist, as portrayed by Brian Fallon, wonders aloud what song his now-deceased friend listened to right before he died in a car crash. That song also features one of the most depressing lyrics in any song: "Young boys, young girls, ain't supposed to die on a Saturday night."
Favorites: "The '59 Sound", "Meet Me By the River's Edge", "Here's Looking At You, Kid"
Ladytron - Velocifero
The evolution of my music taste continued in 2008. In 2006, I went into full-on metal mode. In 2007, I experimented with a few more sounds, but, really, 2007 was the last gasp of what once was my old music taste. 2008 was the real changing tide. Songs that I would LOVE in 2007, I now didn't really like in 2008. On the opposite side, I began to appreciate more distinct sounds and more indie material. Keep in mind that I've always been against the "indie" sound. It never appealed to me, not even for a moment. This year, that changed. I found myself listening to more and more songs that would be defined as "indie". At the same time, I started listening to even more dance songs, songs that pushed the boundaries of what I thought could be dance music.
Enter Ladytron. The name seemed odd. "Ladytron? What in the world?" The name of their latest album seemed even more odd: "What the HELL is Velocifero, and why am I supposed to care?" Then, I man up and listen to the album. What a difference an album(and an hour) makes. I went from wondering about the names of the artist and album to falling in love Helen Marnie and Ladytron's sound. "Ghosts" is the song that everyone talks about, and rightly so, but there are many more songs that are just as badass. "I'm Not Scared" is a pulse-spiking song that features one of my favorite choruses of 2008, "Deep Blue" has a beautiful, pounding sound to it that I wish more artists would try to imitate, "Runaway" provides its own distinct, moody spark that is unlike anything else on the album, and "They Gave You A Heart, They Gave You A Name" is as brooding as it is melodic. "Predict the Day" immediately follows, and is the most simple song on the album, but, at its core, it's the most rewarding, a piece of music that starts off with just a very simple beat, and then implements vocals. Luckily, the vocals are quite melodic, and that elevates the decidedly dark music to a new level. Such is the case throughout the album. The beats may be relatively simple, but the vocals are so melodic and harmonic that they elevate the beats to a higher ground, and, as such, the music, as well.
Favorites: "Predict the Day", "Ghosts", "I'm Not Scared"
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
This is an album that is primarily a case of a group of songs surrounding two amazing, genre-bending pieces of music. The most incredible thing about that mini-summary is that the songs surrounding the two songs in question are actually REALLY good. "Aberkinula" and "Metatron" lead off the album, and provide a sense of where this album is going, with its ever-changing sounds and epic vocals and arrangement. "Askepios" provides a break, or as much of a break as TMV can provide with their music...that is, until the end of the song, when it turns into a hot mess of a song that completely explodes at the end. But they all pale in comparison to the two-headed juggernaut that spearheads this album. "Wax Simulacra" was the single, an shockingly short song for TMV, but one that makes up for its short length with making a song that provides as much power and epicness as any song can in a song that clocks in at under three minutes. No breaths, no time to reflect, it's just a constant wave of sounds that grabs you and sinks you into the abyss. Even still, that song is just a baby when compared to the subsequent song, "Goliath", which is a song that is fittingly titled. The power of this song knows no bounds, constantly challenging the shackles that music is supposed to hold on the ones who create the music. To The Mars Volta, however, there is no boundary that cannot be crossed. If you've got a rule, they'll break it. If you've got a tradition, they'll destroy that, too.
Favorites: "Goliath", "Wax Simulacra", "Aberinkula"
Next up will be 3-2, as #1 will be separate from the pack, and will also have the longest write-up, of course. See you then, whenever that is.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 5/9/2003
Posts: 3,779
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Gaslight Anthem <3. Haven't heard rest. Gonna check out Ladytron.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 1/15/2002
Posts: 1,940
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Woo Gaslight Anthem, thanks for mentioning it the other day. Anyways, nice choice there with Ladytron.
SoB are also okay from what I've heard. Haven't been bothered to download the album. Maybe I will though.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
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Not familiar with The Gaslight Anthem, but the rest are awesome indeed.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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Killers and Gnarls rule. Totally agree on your Odd Couple comments. That album was underrated pretty much everywhere.
****. I should of refreshed! Whole new section of albums! will read comments in full later, but The Gaslight Anthem are the greatest band in the history of bands. nice choice.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 1/20/2004
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Member Since: 10/18/2007
Posts: 28,980
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Mars volta
but i don't know other ![:D](http://www.atrl.net/forums/images/smilies/images/smilies/biggrin.gif) , i will listen for those
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ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 12/21/2002
Posts: 20,569
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Ladytron!! w00t. They're very high on my albums list.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Attack of the Ambition: Top 15 Albums (3-2)
Yeah, I'm going to be done with the list, like, really soon.
![](http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/TobiasIsGod/YECA%202008/YECA-2.jpg)
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
There was a time when I said that this album was even better than Year Zero. I may have been going just a tad overboard with that statement, but I wasn't kidding when I said that The Slip was amazing. Just because it's not Year Zero 2.0, that doesn't mean that it's bad. In fact, BECAUSE it sounds much more like the Broken sound, set in 2008, that makes it all the more remarkable. The album kicks off in spectacular fashion with the double shot of "999,999" and "1,000,000", which complement each other perfectly. They are followed by the intense "Letting You", which wouldn't sound out of place on the earliest Nails albums, if you take away the polished production values. "Echoplex" is another awesome song, one that features a beat that I find myself dancing to every time I listen to it. The first single, "Discipline", may not have been on the level of previous first singles, but it was still a different-enough sound to be considered worthy of being a first single. Hell, the album even decides to hit us with 12 more minutes of instrumental goodness, even after Ghosts I-IV destroyed all of us. "Lights in the Sky" precedes that instrumental period with one of the most beautiful and haunting songs of the decade. It's almost un-Nine Inch Nails like in its beauty, and is a huge contrast to the rest of the album, which is about as Nine Inch Nails as it gets.
Favorites: "Lights in the Sky", "Letting You", "1,000,000", "Echoplex"
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
The brilliance of Dear Science cannot be described in one sentence. It requires a deeper thought process, a delve into the psyche of the songs themselves. Whereas Return to Cookie Mountain was instantly accessible because of its unique sound, Dear Science requires a bit of patience and willpower to truly understand and appreciate. Once your patience is paid off, however, the reward is unlike anything else in music in the year 2008. Eventually, you find yourself tapping your foot to the marvel that is "Halfway Home", dancing to the aptly titled "Dancing Choose", appreciating the technicalities of songs like "Shout Me Out" and "Red Dress", and singing along with the harmonies of "DLZ" and "Lover's Day". "Golden Age" is a different beast altogether, a dance powerhouse that inspires me to tap my feet every time. And then, there's the softer spots of Dear Science, like "Family Tree" and "Stork and Owl", that are gorgeous pieces of music that are elevated by a much more epic sound. The beauty of this album is how no two songs sound the same. Every song is different in its own distinct way, and carries with it a different harmony and different beat. Compared to when TV on the Radio finished second two years ago, they were MUCH closer to obtaining #1 this year. In other words, I think I may actually like Dear Science more than Return to Cookie Mountain. Yes, seriously.
Favorites: "Halfway Home", "Stork and Owl", "Golden Age", "Family Tree"
#1 will be coming within the hour. ARE YOU PSYCHED?! Well, really, if you know me, you should know what #1 is, by now, so...probably not. Even still, #1's coming soon.
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Member Since: 9/18/2005
Posts: 6,209
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i thought velocifero was going to be top 3, but 5 is good enough. and of course that top 3 won't disappoint: NIN and tv on the radio are such good choices
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 1/20/2004
Posts: 46,574
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1/2 = NIN
Wow, you're going really fast! ![eek](http://www.atrl.net/forums/images/smilies/images/smilies/eek.gif)
I wonder why... ![huh?](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/korn0818/7be5c36a.gif)
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Quote:
Originally posted by faint_lpc
Wow, you're going really fast! ![eek](http://www.atrl.net/forums/images/smilies/images/smilies/eek.gif)
I wonder why? ![huh?](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/korn0818/7be5c36a.gif)
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The last two years, I've been REALLY bad about getting my lists up on time. This is my way of making up for that.
Don't worry, this will slow down to a crawl when it becomes time to post my singles list. I have barely even begun to work on it.
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Banned
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 1/20/2004
Posts: 46,574
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
The last two years, I've been REALLY bad about getting my lists up on time. This is my way of making up for that.
Don't worry, this will slow down to a crawl when it becomes time to post my singles list. I have barely even begun to work on it.
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Ahhh ok. Well, can''t wait to see the singles list. ![:p](http://www.atrl.net/forums/images/smilies/images/smilies/tongue.gif)
I wish I could have time to work on my Best Of 2008. ![:(](http://www.atrl.net/forums/images/smilies/images/smilies/frown.gif)
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Attack of the Ambition: Top 15 Albums of 2008 (#1)
And now, (not-so) finally, #1. And it really shouldn't be that big of a surprise.
![](http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/TobiasIsGod/YECA%202008/YECA-2.jpg)
Metallica - Death Magnetic
The greatest comeback of the decade? Possibly. After years upon years of futility, Death Magnetic saw Metallica join forces with that music maestro himself, Rick Rubin, to try and regain the magic spark that made Metallica one of the greatest of all time, while still keeping a slight hint of the recent Metallica intact. What was unleashed was an album filled with songs that are all longer than five minutes, a call-back to the days when all four members had a huge lock of hair, and, more importantly, respectability among the metal community. I was skeptical, at first. It's not that I do not question the awesomeness that is Rick Rubin. No, I questioned the awesomeness that lurked within Metallica. I knew it was still there, everyone else knew it was still there. It just seemed like Metallica didn't. Even after listening to various clips around the net of the new material in concert, I still didn't get my hopes up. Then, we finally got that first glimpse of the "new" Metallica: "The Day That Never Comes". For about the first five minutes, it sounds...well, it sounds pretty good, but nothing amazing or anything. Then, out of nowhere, the song kicks into overdrive, into a sound that I thought was long gone, a sound that I thought that Metallica had banished from its soundcabulary forever: Thrash. This is what people wanted from St. Anger all along. Sure, you can give us some of that softer sound, but, if you're trying to locate yourselves and what you're supposed to be, don't put out pseudo-metal and then tell us that's you going back to your roots. ********. THIS is more a case of going back to what made you guys so awesome, in the first place.
The album kicks off with a single rhythmic heartbeat. It's a sign of what's to come. Throughout the build of the first song, "That Was Just Your Life", you get this sense of pride, this sense of joy, one that I haven't experienced from Metallica in a long time. Then, the song kicks into high gear, and I find myself banging my head. Banging my head! TO METALLICA! And it's not the 80's! The song continues, and, dear god, it's a respectable solo! No, wait, strike that, it's an AWESOME solo. Dear god, I forgot that such a thing could exist with Kirk Hammett! As you continue on with the album, you find that the album is very similar in its awesome factor. Every song is lined with a distinct change in tempo and sound, solos, and, most importantly, a much more in-command-of-his-vocals James Hetfield. We have been waiting for this moment for almost 20 years now, since they released ...And Justice For All. Now, I'm not the kind of guy who bashes The Black Album because they "sold out". I love The Black Album. Even still, it WAS a drastic change, a change that grew in size until the shitbomb that was St. Anger was released. Rock bottom was reached, both inside and outside. This was the result of the rise from the ashes, the result of the release from the band's personal and professional demons. Death Magnetic is the culmination and realization of the potential of what we all knew they could still do, even if they didn't. This is Metallica, the Metallica that we all know and love. And that, my friends, is enough for #1.
Favorites: "That Was Just Your Life", "The Day That Never Comes", "All Nightmare Long", "The Judas Kiss", "The End of the Line"
With that, the albums list is complete. Coming up much later: The Top 80 Songs of 2008. Of course, there may be a couple of surprises along the way, so stay tuned.
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