My Top 25 of 2008

The year of 2008 has come and gone like Shwayze's career in the rap game. This year may have been the best complete year of music in my life. Every genre I listen to (meaning just about everything) had a great lineup of music to drop. So to recap the 08, I will share my Top 25 listens.

This list is not in any particular order of relevance, so I'm not playing favorites towards anyone. I am also including a few mixtapes and 'unofficial' albums, some of which have been featured here on The Boogie.

I already know that I may catch a lot of flack for some of these picks, but I can take the criticism.

So with out any further ado, here are my picks for the Top 25 albums from 2008:

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

One of my personal favorite bands, which is a side project of Jack White (of The White Stripes). It was inspired by Zeppelin and The Who, and is dripping in blues-esque heavy riffs.

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

Maybe not Atmosphere's best, but still damn good in today's hip-hop world. Slug and Ant tell their regular stories about the ugly side of life, and use their signature imagery to put you in the middle of the room in every song.

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

I've expressed my sentiments toward this album before, and they haven't changed. This album gets better and better after every listen. I think Paranoid may be my favorite track of 08.... maybe.

Q-Tip - The Renaissance

Just another one of those Q4 releases that almost transcends hip-hop in terms of its sound. The monotone drone of Tip's voice is something that was sadly missed, and with this comeback I'll be satisfied even he does decide to take another decade off.

Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch

From Gainesville and headed by Tom Petty, its a pseudo-Southern rock/blues-ish band that really surprised me this year. They're new, but have been in existance since 1970, its a long story...

88 Keys - The Death of Adam

I think I speak for the entire Boogie lineup when I say that this album might be the most slept on piece of brilliance in 2008. How a record like this could go so unnoticed in the mainstream is rediculous.

The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale EP

I feel like we've been talking about these guys for 5 years, but this EP was 'officially' released in June, and I still listen to it every other day it seems. I still think the beat on 'A Little Bit Cooler' is the nastiest thing I've heard in 2008.

Mitch Hedberg - Do You Believe in Gosh?

This a comedy album. Produced during one of the last shows Mitch Hedberg ever did before his overdose in 2005. Even though its been 3 years since his passing, his material is still great, and made me realize how much I miss this comedic genius.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One

This was her first album in 5 years, and it was worth the wait. She still sounds the same, she's still kinda sorta crazy, and the hair is still plentiful. Her videos are fresh, too.

John Mayer - Where the Light Is: Live In LA

People hate on him for being the epitome of soft, gushy chick rock, but the dude can play the shit out his guitar, and that's especially evident in this CD/DVD package that's well worth the money.

Murs - Murs for President

Guys been around forever, and he continues to reinvent himself, and push a new message at his listeners. He did a great job telling his story and throwing his political prowess into the mix at the same time.

Brad Paisley - Play: The Guitar Album

Yes, its a country album, and you can say whatever you want about it. Brad Paisley (like the aforementioned John Mayer) can play the daylights out of his guitar, and any album that features the legendary BB King at least once has to be good.

The Roots - Rising Down

Nowhere near Game Theory or Illadelph Halflife, in my opinion, but this was still great. This album was a true showcase of (my hero) ?uestlove's talent on the drums. The simple beats he puts down for this album are technical juggernauts on the case.

N*E*R*D - Seeing Sounds

Do I even have to comment on this album? If you've read this blog over the last 12 months, then you have to know how much each and everyone of us love this record. And just to beat the dead horse a little bit more: THANK YOU P, CHAD AND SHAE.

of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

This band and this album are.... um.... uhh.... different? Electro beats, synths and (at times) heavy riffs set this band apart from any other. Tracks about drugs, trannies and a certain part of the human anatomy may not be for everyone, but I love the sound they make.

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Mr. Fresco let me know about this group last year, and I haven't looked back. Their sound is almost impossible to describe (much like of Montreal, who they are touring with, as a matter of fact), and the concepts behind their videos are almost more impossible, but I love it.

Colin Munroe - ...Is the Unsung Hero

Yet another one of the guys Fresco got me turned onto. Even though this tape only dropped a couple weeks back, its still become one of my rapid favorites. When this guy's debut drops next year, I'll be first in line to buy it.

Adele - 19

This girl can flat out sing. This album is flat out amazing. And, if you knock me for loving this record, you're flat out dumb.

Elzhi - The Preface

Formerly part of the infamous Slum Village, Elzhi dropped two great albums in 08, with The Preface being my personal favorite. Its about time someone from Detroit came out with something meaningful, who's name isn't Marshall Mathers.

John Legend - Evolver

Yet another one of those albums hawked by The Boogie and just about every other blog on the face of the planet. Its not 'Get Lifted', but it was still G.O.O.D. Ya see what I did there?

Jay-Z & Coldplay (Mick Boogie and Terry Urban) - Viva la Hova

I cannot stop listening to this thing. This may have been the greatest idea since the computer was invented. Beach Chair is another track that's in the running for best of 08.

Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing

If you still haven't heard this yet, you're missing out. The sole proprietor of DC seems to be changing the game one track at a time, and this is part of the reason why. March couldn't come fast enough.

Rhymefest - The Man in the Mirror

Mark Ronson and Rhymefest in one package. Is it supposed to be this easy?

Maroon 5 and Everyone Else - Call & Response: The Remix Album

Another tape that just came out a couple weeks back, but its perfect. ?uestlove's production of Sunday Morning is like listening to the gates of heaven open.

Esoteric - vs. Japan: Pterodactyl Takes Tokyo!

This was hard to find, so I got it from a 'friend' via forum. It flew so far under the radar that wikipedia doesn't even have an entry for it.

So there we have it. 25 albums that I loved almost as much as life itself.