6. People In Planes - As Far As The Eye Can See
I'm not fully sure that I first discovered this album in 2008. Even if it was 2007, it was probably close enough to still count. A very memorable rock album that mixes the tried, tested and true with some things I can't quite put my finger on.
5. Radiohead - Kid A
This past summer, I wrote a blog on my Radiohead experiment. The results found OK Computer as their best album. I've changed my mind. Kid A embodies Radiohead better than any other album. Also, I've come to accept that fact that I will never fully understand why Radiohead is the greatest band ever. Unrivaled in musicianship and ingenuity, that's for sure. But they're pushed more to the top because the latter attribute is also what our society holds as the highest virtue.
4. Cold War Kids - Robbers and Cowards
I went to see the Killers a few weeks ago, and was struck with the most pleasant of surprises - Cold War Kids were also on the bill. Even more surprising was that they looked nothing like the odd-ball rockers I had them pegged for. They were all fairly clean-cut young men, with the lead singer looking like Conan O'Brien. That's always a good thing. And of course the show was awesome, because Cold War Kids does what music is all about - they write, and play good songs. I guess this write-up is more about the show than the album, but the reason I liked that show was the same reason I love this album.
3. The Killers - Day and Age
I wasn't the biggest fan of the last bit of this album at first, and I'm still not. But I'm just liking the first eight songs more and more. It's too bad that the Killers got to famous and started being billed as the potential world's biggest band, because it plastered them with so many expectations. They're are not and will not be a band that is all things for all people. Just like this album. It's got rock, it's got dance, it's got jazz and who knows what else. But it certainly is not a hit machine in the traditional sense. There's a distinction between musicians who sell albums and musicians who sell songs. Day and Age works better as the full piece, which is not condusive to Big Band-ness. But I like it better that way.
2. Keane - Perfect Symmetry
Sweet, sweet Keane. Even though they are getting bigger, they are still a hidden gem. Keane is catchy and you like them when you first listen to them. Yet people who give this band a whole bunch of listens find more and more treasure each playthrough. Perfect Symmetry was very close to being the best album for me this year. But it does not function well enough on its own. It's missing Under the Iron Sea, just like Under the Iron Sea was missing Perfect Symmetry. Coupling the two together could be the culmatively greatest album of my life, but Under the Iron Sea is a few years to old for me to do that. It would just be unfair.
1. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends/Prospekt's March EP
However, both of the above albums came out this year, and were coupled in the same collection. Just like Keane's two recent albums, these two together could be culmatively the greatest album of my life. There will always be temptation to say that nothing can top Rush of Blood to the Head, but there would always be the temptation to think my life was awesome in grade 4 when I'm really just forgetting all the hardships that childhood had. There is a sure superior quality to Coldplay's work on these albums. They did a lot of different things, but it still sounds like good ol' Coldplay. Coupled with the new songs on Prospekt's March, this epic is one that I will look back on this album for the rest of my life. Probably listen to it, too.
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