“What the F is up with all these damn lists?”
Another DrB year gone by.
Another DrB year spent obsessing over new music.
Another rewarding batch of new finds, new releases by fave bands, and plenty of “what were they thinking” albums as well.
Despite telling myself (again) that I would cut back, I found/listened to a rediculously large number of 2008 releases this year. Close to 500 albums, plus ~100 singles and EPs. Add onto that a few dozen live recordings. Whew.
The music industry went yet another year without revamping their sales approach. IMHO, it’s now officially over. I don’t believe the traditional label structure will ever be relevant or worthwhile again. C’est la vie.
On a positive note, the death of the industry has further opened up the onramp for new bands to explore and find a personal sound. Bands can even more freely make music to their own whims and engage with their fan base on a much more personal level. Great news for bands, great news for listeners. (40K sales volume is the new 1M)
In making this years list, these are my observations:
The top 5 were very easy to group together, similarly 6-8 fell easily into place.
Beyond the top 8, the next 30 or so are a real toss up.
I’d say their are definitely recommendable albums stretching easily into the 80s. Even up to 150+ there are albums well worth checking out.
Overall the year was very ‘middle-to-low heavy’, with many, many albums falling somewhere between ‘decent’ and ‘ho-hum’. As usual, I am shocked by some of the reviews that certain crap albums get out in the wwworld, no accounting for taste (including mine) I suppose…
