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Roger's Best of 2008 (#1 Tune Revealed)
ATRL Administrator
Member Since: 5/2/2000
Posts: 2,844
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Holy ****, man, you struck gold this time. I can't get over how good this set is. All of it! The whole damn thing.
Can't wait for the top 10!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 2/21/2005
Posts: 21,684
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The whole set is perfection.
Bring on the top 10!
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
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7.5/10
Violet Hill + Crushcrushcrush <333
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Member Since: 6/29/2007
Posts: 3,761
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53/90 on songs
Violet Hill, Heartless, & Lost Highway!!! 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/24/2004
Posts: 12,563
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I love every frickin' single you put from your number 20 (Adele) to number 11 (Disturbia). From what I've seen here, you're going to love my top ten. This is officially my favorite list out of the entire forum. ****in' A++.
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Member Since: 2/22/2008
Posts: 46,108
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8/10
CCC 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Oh NO! The hill with violets is starting to overflow! We're going to be crushed(crushedcrushed)!
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Member Since: 6/30/2007
Posts: 18,079
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the whole st is amazing except MIA
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 10/1/2002
Posts: 14,726
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Thanks everyone. Glad you enjoyed the set!
The Top 40 Albums of 2008: Part 8
5. The Killers – Day And Age
I think I was one of the very few who thought ‘Sams Town’ was spot on quality-wise relative to ‘Hot Fuss’, and that one was not better than the other because they were so completely different. ‘Fuss’ was #4 on the year-end tally in 2005, and ‘Sam’ was #1 in 2006. Chalk-up another top 5 year-end showing for The Killers, with their most confusing, and yet again, can’t clump it with the rest of them type of album. Despite it’s differences from ‘Fuss, at least ‘Sam’s’ had a signature pair of recognizable hits, ‘When You Were Young’ and ‘Read My Mind’. ‘Day and Age’ does not have that bonafide stadium anthem, and although ‘Human’ and ‘Spaceman’ are pretty damn close, they do seem B-list relative to those 2 monsters, as well as The Killers most classic hits like, ‘Somebody Told Me’ and ‘Mr. Brightside. All that aside, you have got to give The Killers credit for constantly wanting to expand their style and musical repertoire. The new wave anthems of ‘Fuss’ were updated with the large ambitious rock sounds of ‘Sam’s Town’, and now both of those elements are fused with dare I say, saxophone solos? Caribbean drums? Yeah, you’re not just reading crazy. It’s the truth. But somehow, it all works (well almost). And their ambition to reach for the moon and back is why their so huge on an international scene compared to most other big Modern Rock acts, because they appeal to such a wide array of tastes. The first 5 songs on ‘Day’ are absolutely phenomenal, from 'Losing Touch'’ to ‘A Dustland Fairytale’; you get big choruses, even confusing ones like “Are we human or are we… (Its DANCER! Not denser)”, the saxophone solos of ‘Joy Ride’, and the alien abduction of Branden Flowers in ‘Spaceman’, which has their best chorus since ‘When You Were Young’. These tracks are made for the stadiums. But it’s the latter half of the album that can get lost in the shuffle and is easy to skip. But there is still some good there, like the South African-tinged “This Is Your Life”. A confusing, albeit monumental effort from the world’s most diverse rock band.
4. Duffy – Rockferry
Amy Winehouse comparisons aside, and the unnecessary lumping into the British Female invasion of Leona Lewis, Estelle, and Adele – Duffy is a remarkable talent. Her sixties-soul suited voice pays homage to Dusty Springfield, in fact, you could almost say her album is indebted to Springfield for all of the influences that resonate here. Much like Amy Winehouse, Duffy was able to release a remarkably consistent album as her debut, very few fillers exist here. Although most critics would herald ‘Warwick Avenue’ as the true gem here, and it is fantastic, I’d have to digress and suggest ‘Stepping Stone’ as my favorite besides ‘Mercy’. ‘Stone’ embodies Duffy’s confidence, and coincides well with the albums overall retro lounge overtones. But obviously, it’s all about ‘Mercy’. Whereas Winehouse chanted “No, no, no” – as in desperation, Duffy seduces with “yeah, yeah, yeah” – and pours her delicious raspy vocals into a mouth-watering track of brute force and honesty. Other highlights include the sunny ‘Serious’, as well as the soaring ‘Rockferry’, where her voice truly shines on the chorus. Out of all the UK-females to break out this year, Duffy has the overall better album, and along with Leona Lewis, truly has a lengthy career ahead of herself.
3. Britney Spears – Circus
Even though it’s #3, I’d have to say this was the most refreshing album of the year. I’m not sure why, but there is something great about seeing Britney Spears healthy, looking sexy as hell, and being involved in her career. She is truly a gifted entertainer (not necessarily vocalist), and despite how good ‘Blackout’ was, the distance between Spears and the album, and how forced everything just felt, kind of left a sour note in your mouth despite how sweet the music actually was. That’s why I’m glad ‘Circus’ is a perfect combination of all the elements that made ‘Blackout’ worthwhile, as well as paying homage to one of the greatest pop albums of the millennium so far, her 4th studio album, ‘In The Zone’ – often overlooked despite the fact it’s where ‘Toxic’ was born. So now Britney Spears is involved and seemingly conscious, and she realizes her strengths and hires the best production team (Avant, Bloodshy, Max Martin, etc) to make them flourish. First; Britney always makes electronic-pulsating pop sound sexy, like she did on tracks like ‘Toxic’ from In The Zone, or ‘Break The Ice’ from Blackout – here, she fiddles with similar sounds on tracks like ‘Shattered Glass’, the saucy and hilarious ‘If You Seek Amy’, and ‘Kill The Lights’ – all of which are bred for the club and shimmer with confidence. Second; Britney has a knack for the dark and ominous, gothic-sounding pop tracks that are soaked in sexuality. She did it well with “Early Morning”, “Breathe On Me”, and “Touch of My Hand” from In The Zone, and to some extent, “Gimme More” from Blackout – here she does it again with the album highlight; “Unusual You”, a glowing and melodic confusion tale of feeling loved but not knowing how to respond. Also in the same vein are tracks like ‘Blur’ (a terrific homage to the damaging effects of alcohol in clubs, haha) and ‘Phonography’ –which is the most accurate representation of how people can get off without actually physically being with other people. And last; Yes, Britney can do ballads. She proved it with ‘Everytime’ – and she shows her vulnerability here with tracks like ‘Out From Under’, a terrific, but I hope it’s not the third single, track. Then obviously, you have the two singles, ‘Womanizer’ and ‘Circus’, which are perfect examples of Britney creating perfect pop music.
All there is to really say is that Britney Spears completed a 360-degree revolution from January 2008 to the end of the year, transforming from the realms of the psych ward to the upper rungs of the world’s music charts. A sold out tour, a monstrous second single, and everyone’s favorite pop superstar is back. It’s terrific to see.
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The Top 100 Tunes of 2008: Part 10
10. Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling Into Place
‘In Rainbows’ is by far one of the best albums of the past few years, and it’s brilliant marketing was one of the most innovative musical ventures ever seen. Criminally ignored as a major single from the album, seeing release in the UK and Canada only, ‘Jigsaw’ I always pegged as the major highlight off that album. It slowly builds momentum into the twisted and demented closing chorus, with Thom Yorke sounding absolutely absurd yet positively confirming. With all their atmospherics and antics, Radiohead have a knack to keep you interested and invested. ‘Jigsaw’ waits until the right time, about 2:30 minutes in, to give you it’s payoff; and man is it worth it.
9. Britney Spears – Womanizer
Is this, maybe, the most iconic and recognizable pop song of 2008? Covered by rock bands, infamous music video, and undeniable anticipation for it to be released and performed live, there was no stopping this slick and refreshing piece of pop craftsmanship. ‘Womanizer’ was the song to bring Britney Spears back into the game; it secured confidence in the buying public and critics that ‘Circus’ might not be a joke after all, and that she is actually taking her **** seriously. Laced with Nintendo-like sirens and a repetitive bridge, the chorus explodes into a “what you are-are-are” frenzy. The quick and robotic pronunciation of the lyrics, like “fake it like a good one but I call ‘em like I see ‘em I know what you are” – everything flows, its fluid. Coherence and Britney were not synonymous a mere 11 months ago, and now, the two are interchangeable.
8. Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
Leona Lewis possesses a rare capability to stop the motion of time, and capture the attention of all those who might be listening at that very moment. She did it during her entire run on X-Factor, and she did it twice more on that show with her performances of ‘Bleeding Love’ and ‘Run’. A sure-fire superstar in the U.K., breaking her in the United States was another story. You can give Simon Cowell all the credit you want for launching the superstar, but it was her voice and this song, that made her a star. It’s that early 90’s Mariah Carey ballad that has been long kept in the vault and finally unleashed in a monstrous way. With it’s sweeping and momentum-building verses, its simple and resonating chorus, “I don’t care what they say, I’m in love with you.” No need for complexities and underlying meanings, it’s the voice that makes the song soar and take it above lyrical interpretation. Then you’ve got the two huge vocal showings at the end of the track. I mean, this will be one of those songs that’s always played on the radio, always played in the office at work – you’ll never escape it. And maybe we don’t want to escape it anyway.
7. Kanye West – Flashing Lights
Here is the third of four tracks from Mr. West, giving more love to ‘Graduation’. Along with ‘Homecoming’ and ‘Good Life’ – this completes the best of the best from that terrific album, which was #1 for me on my 2007 year-end albums tally. ‘Flashing’ has that undeniable and irresistible beat-driven opening, before unleashing into rapping verses of only treasuring life’s material, and not the simple things, like ‘Shooting stars’. Then of course, that sonic and electrifying chorus, ‘As I recall…. Flashing. LIGHTS. LIGHTS. LIGHTS’. The whole sound actually fits the concept of his Glow in the Dark tour very well. It’s all very extra-terrestrial and out of this stratosphere. Maybe that’s why it sounded even better live than it already does on CD.
Tomorrow: We bust down the top 5 doors. #6-3 tunes!
Hope to see ya then.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
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WOW. 3 great albums and 4 awesome songs.
You are on fiyahhhhh!!!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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you've been killing it, Roger. Some really great sets on both the album and single sides. Love all the Yeezy all over the top 20.
can't wait for whats next!
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ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 2/19/2003
Posts: 34,484
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Geez, those are four great songs. (I will concede Bleeding Love's greatness!) And four great graphics!
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Member Since: 5/28/2006
Posts: 8,159
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Albums: The Killers
Tunes: Jigsaw Falling Into Place and Bleeding Love (Agreed).
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
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Womanizer + Bleeding Love <333
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/24/2004
Posts: 12,563
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I love your picks. All of those 3 albums made my list and you are killing it with the singles! I'm anticipating for your top 5 tunes, sir!
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Member Since: 3/18/2008
Posts: 25,896
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Wow, what a great set on the singles list! I can't stand "Bleeding Love", but a lot of people love it, so I guess I'll have to deal with that, but the other three songs are just awesome sauce.
And then, Day & Age. I'm glad to see someone else recognizes the greatness of that album.
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ATRL Administrator
Member Since: 5/2/2000
Posts: 2,844
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Your write-ups are out of this world; you should work for a magazine. I'm with you 100% on Bleeding Love.
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Member Since: 6/29/2007
Posts: 3,761
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55/94 on songs
Nice Killers write-up!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 10/1/2002
Posts: 14,726
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Thanks for the comments everyone.
This set, I’m really pumped to show. All four of these songs are so ****ing amazingly mind-blowing (and it’s a shame I cant have 6 #1 singles of the year, because they all deserve it) – and I crank them hard still to this day.
Top 100 Tunes of 2008: Part 11
6. The Killers – Human
When I first heard this, I kind of reacted like most did; damn, it’s not as good as ‘When You Were Young’, and definitely no- ‘Mr. Brightside’. But you know what, that’s alright. I think The Killers are so much more as a band than one that just replicates the success of their most legendary singles. ‘Human’ is just another detour in the band tour de force that is Brandon Flower’s hit-machine. With its disarray of sonicating synths introduced at about the 1:00 minute mark, a curious electronic pulse initially accompanies even more spell-binding lyrics, where “platforms of surrender” are pondered and Flowers apparently getting “nervous” when he sees “that open door”. I guess the best thing about this track is that non-sensical chorus, which Flowers had to clarify after so much buzz on blogs about whether or not he was saying ‘dancer’ or ‘denser’. It’s that kind of pointless debate that great songs are made of. And with the soaring bridge, ‘There’s no message we’re receiving, let me know is your heart still beating’ – perfectly leading into the climactic ending chorus – you forget about the likes of ‘Brightside’ and ‘When You Were Young’ for that one moment – and appreciate ‘Human’ for how good it really is.
5. Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire
They were waiting for the time when North American audiences would finally realize what all the cool kids in the U.K. have known for quite some time already. ‘Sex On Fire’ was their outlet to mainstream, but not sell-out, success. This epic rock song is a sex and alcohol-drenched ode to the Southern Tennessee band’s well oiled thought processes, and concepts for their songwriting. “Lay where your laying, don’t make a sound…” – where Caleb Followill’s relentless vocals pound away verses that couldn’t ever possibly prepare you for the world’ most infectious stadium/festival sing-along chorus. And it’s so simple; “This sex is on fire”. It doesn’t need anything but it’s perfected presentation, the blazing underlying guitars, and it’s undeniable ability to never, ever fail in eliciting a chant of the lyrics back to Followill at the foot of the concert stage, where he and his bandmates now stand atop the modern rock world.
4. Estelle f/ Kanye West – American Boy
It’s looking increasingly likely that Estelle could be a one-hit wonder, at least in North America. But you know what – at least we got this absolutely amazing slice of striking soul and sensible RnB, with an out-of-this world guest appearance from Kanye West. The track, which pays homage to the boys of Stateside which Estelle digs, is littered with lyrical sass and quick wit – with lyrics about seeing what’s underneath baggy jeans, and really wanting to kick it with you. Her high-pitched vocals suit the humor of the track, as her trans-Atlantic love story is taken to new heights with Kanye’s two verses; both of which are in true cocky vein; bragging about selling out all the floor seats, and calling himself a ‘bloke’. Only a UK-lass could pull this track off – and her seducing vocals and word smarts prove that she can hold her weight against the big names that helped make her album ‘Shine’ an international success. ‘American Boy’ sounds outstanding in the club, and it’s just flat out innovating.
3. Duffy – Mercy
The world’s most used song in 2008 – whether it was in commercials, advertisements, movie trailers, sport montages, whatever – Duffy hit gold with her seducing “yeah, yeah, yeah” calls, and the infectiously soulful “I’m beggin you for mercy, why won’t you release me” chorus – one that heralds carefully deliberated desperation and a desire for release. Although Duffy doesn’t have the vixen allure of Amy Winehouse, she makes up for it with sass and seduction – two words very rarely associated with Winehouse these days. ‘Mercy’ was a U.K. bred hit just waiting to implore American shores. Her sugary sweet vocals snap, crackle, and pop with soul and confidence on ‘Mercy’ – a track that cemented Duffy as a face to watch in the years to come. It’s retro lounge backdrop beat and satisfying lyrics get you off your feet and make you sway – there’s no movement absent when you hear this track. Like the rest of the songs on ‘Rockferry’ – ‘Mercy’ may appear timid, before it blossoms into an arousing piece of contemporary pop.
Tomorrow: #2-1 albums (early in the afternoon); #2-1 tunes (nighttime)
Huge day. Don’t miss out!
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