best albums of 2008: #10-#6

Alright so I too will be posting what I think are the ten best releases of 2008. This is difficult because I haven't been listening to too much new music this year, in fact, I've been listening to a lot of older stuff. Well anyway, I did listen to a few new records. So here we go:

#10. why? - alopecia

for fans of: cLOUDEAD, sunset rubdown, xiu xiu

With this years "Alopecia" Why? won the hearts of many. The band has certainly found a formula that works, the blend of mellow indie rock and hip-hop topped with Yoni Wolf's self confessional lyrics. The album has a great vibe and lots of catchy moments, one of these for me is the chorus of the albums second track "Good Friday."

#9. the cool kids - the bake sale

for fans of: little brother, lupe fiasco, a tribe called quest

Alright so maybe The Cool Kids are "hipster" rap, but with two releases this year, "The Bake Sale" and "That's Stupid The Mixtape," The Cool Kids bring hip hop back to its roots. Most of the duos songs are composed of simplistic beats and almost silly rhymes, but it's totally 90s. For anyone tired of gangster rap about girls and money The Cool Kids  got what you're looking for. I would rather hear rap about bikes and video games any day. 

#8. crystal castles - crystal castles

for fans of: digitalism, justice, css

Finally some innovation to the genre of electronic and dance music. I love how Crystal Castles make music thats really noisey but still catchy and danceable. I also have a crush on singer Alice Glass. There's other shit to dance to besides Girl Talk.

#7. genghis tron - board up the house

for fans of: daughters, the number twelve looks like you, psyOpus

With their third release Genghis Tron have earned a lot of fans and a lot of remixes. I haven't listened to any of the recent remixes of "Board Up The House," I'm not really a remix guy, but thats pretty cool that people are remixing grindcore. Alright, well, I guess Genghis Tron aren't really a grindband, but they are the really the first ones to successfully blend it with electronica. Genghis Tron are not just another grind band with a drum machine.

#6. the faceless - planetary duality

for fans of: between the buried and me, necrophagist, as blood runs black

I was a big fan of the first release from The Faceless, but this album might be even better. The band has certainly stepped up their technique for this release, if you want an album that shreds without being pretentious then this is it. The Faceless have also begun to incorporate a lot of different elements into their music with this release; clean vocals, jazzy interludes, and more melody in general. This is one of the best examples of growth I have seen from a band in recent year, I can't wait to see what these guys put out next. 

Check back for number one through five appearing soon! I might do movies as well, maybeee.