Top 50 Albums of 2008: #11 -14

14. Los Campesinos! We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
As good as Hold On Now, Youngster is Los Campesinos! second record of 2008 was the one that showed that the band has depth and won't just be sticking to one theme or idea for their recorded output. Yes, this record is still knee deep in the realm of twee music but it takes the joyous, happy sounds of twee and pairs them with some miserable lyrics, lyrics that allow you to identify your own problems with those of an artist you appreciate. It's kind of what emo is supposed to be about, but they totally got away from that. Instead, singing about impending doom and relationship troubles the way Los Campesinos! do here proves to be more honest and a lot more fun to listen to. Yeah, it's all about opposites; happy music, sad lyrics and all that, but it's done to perfection on this record.
Los Campesinos! - "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed"
Los Campesinos! - "Ways To Make It Through The Wall"

13. Lil' Wayne Tha Carter III
I believe this is the highest charting record to appear on my list though I'm not gonna go and do the research to verify that. Instead I'm gonna say that there was very little popular music worth listening to this year, but Lil' Wayne certainly was and it was definitely popular. He went from being more of mix tape master to being a bona fide pop sensation. Appearances on SNL and such, but still being real about all the hip hop. While Kanye went to explore being a pop star and Jay-Z was busy working on bringing back The Blueprint almost no rapper was able to do anything more then make a catchy single, Wayne made a ton of catchy singles and songs that were loaded with depth and fresh beats. Yeah, he does a little bit of that rapper singing thing, which I can only take so much of, but he does it in a way that works for his throaty delivery and matches any singing with rhymes that are skillful and creative. This is a fantastic rap album and does a lot to prove his boast in "Mr. Carter" that he's on a level of Jay-Z, Tupac, and Biggie though he's not quite there yet.
Lil' Wayne - "Mrs. Officer"
Lil' Wayne - "Mr. Carter"

12. Max Tundra Parallax Error Beheads You
Considering that this was one of the latest records to come out this year and make my list it's pretty obvious that this record latched on to me really quickly, but with the catchy electronic sounds all over it it's pretty easy to see why it would be so immediate. It's actually a little surprising that it is such an immediate record considering that it took 6-years to make it and that some of it's reference points are almost 6-years old, but still that only adds some charm to a record that really didn't need any extra charm. The songs are what it's all about though and tunes like "Which Song" and "Will Get Fooled Again" are absolute keepers that should dominate dance floors wherever they're played.
Max Tundra - "Which Song"
Max Tundra - "Number Our Days"

11. New Bloods The Secret Life
Anyone still screaming that "punk is dead" needs to take a look around and see all the music that's coming up these days. Sure, it's not what we traditionally think of as punk with three chord songs that last less then three minutes, but the original idea of punk is well built in a lot of the music we're listening to these days. There may be no better example of that then New Bloods, a trio of ladies that all find themselves living alternative lifestyles and they're seem to be fucking tired of the way they get treated for that. Led by a violin and not a guitar this really doesn't seem like a punk record at first glance, the sound is so jarringly different from bands like The Clash and The Ramones, but the songs are built around that fuck the man, no taxation without representation ideal that we have all been fighting for for centuries. This is a powerful record in song and in music and it seemed to fly WAY too far under the radar for my liking. If you take my advice about one record you haven't really heard of this year, please make it this record! I love it and I think you will too.
New Bloods - "The Secret Life"
New Bloods - "The Cycle Song"