2008: The Year In Music (Part One)
Jan 24 '09 (Updated Feb 10 '09)
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2008: The Year In Music Part One
So another year has been and gone, and it hasn’t been a good one for music. But we’ll get to that later. I’ve complied a list of the fifty best songs of 2008 and present here in a special two-part editorial for your reading pleasure.
However, before I start, I’m going to take some time to say this is the last year you’ll read such an editorial from me, the reasons for which are threefold:
The steady decline in quality of music has meant that it’s getting harder and harder to find fifty singles worthy of being called “the best of the year”.
This has indirectly lead to a decline in quality of radio, which has made me less inclined to listen and therefore I’m not discovering as many new songs as I used to. I guess Queen were right when they told radio “you’ve had the time, you’ve had the power. You’ve yet to have your finest hour”. I eagerly await radio’s finest hour and can only hope I’ll be a part of it.
But perhaps the biggest thing killing this list is the advancement of iTunes, and digital downloads qualifying for the singles charts. Both Phil Collins’ hit “In The Air Tonight” and Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” appeared on the New Zealand music chart this year, both with the tag “new” beside them. This is utter bollocks, as neither of them were new music. Both songs had been downloaded by the masses from the iTunes store and other such services – Collins due to his song appearing on the Cadbury ad with the drumming gorilla, and Buckley due to an American Idol contestant performing the song. Neither of them were “new”, and neither should have qualified as a single.
Due to the above reasons, I highly doubt I would be able to come up with fifty singles to call “the best of 2009”, even if I wanted to. Chances are I will make a list of the fifty best songs, which will include my favourite songs, be they singles or not, but that list will not appear on Epinions. It will be created solely for me and will be a playlist on my iPod. However, it may appear on my Facebook, although I won’t be justifying each choice like I do here. (Also, hello and welcome to anyone who has found this through my Facebook.)
With that said and done, let’s move onto the best fifty singles of 2008. As per usual, please bear in mind that if a song appears on this list, I judge it to have been released in New Zealand during the period of December 16 2007 to December 15 2008. Every song on this list is here for one or more of the following reasons
It’s a highlight of it’s genre
It’s one of the best I’ve heard from the band
It means something personal to me
It was too much of a hit to be ignored
It made me dance like a mad thing
It’s part of a great album
It’s something different from the band
#50
Artist: Elemeno P
Song: Baby Come On
Album: Elemeno P
It’s here because: it was too much of a hit to be ignored
One of the longest lasting songs of the year comes from a band who used to be one of New Zealand’s best, and based on this – the first single from their third album – they could have carried on that way. Unfortunately, that isn’t the way things turned out, but at least we can always remember that shoddy third album had at least a couple of good tracks on it
#49
Artist: The Living End
Song: Moment In The Sun
Album: White Noise
It’s here because: It’s part of a great album
The Living End have become one of my favourite bands over the last few years, and while White Noise doesn’t quite stand up to their previous album State Of Emergency, it’s still an absolute stonker filled with brilliant tracks. Like this one.
#48
Artist: Carolina Liar
Song: Show Me What I’m Looking For
Album: Coming To Terms
It’s here because: it’s a highlight of it’s genre
That genre being “ballad rock”, the kind of song that’s going to be extremely popular at high school reunions in ten years time. Like Phantom Planet’s “California” is now.
#47
Artist: Sugababes
Song: About You Now
Album: Change
It’s here because: it’s one of the best I’ve heard from the band…
…, well since Mutya left anyway. Thankfully, Keisha and Heidi manage to drown out the new girl in the catchiest song they’ve released since “Push The Button”.
#46
Artist: Katy Perry
Song: I Kissed A Girl
Album: One Of The Boys
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored
Lesbianism is always going to be a hit, especially amongst men. It’s been marketed like this before (remember t.A.T.u?), but “I Kissed A Girl” is a lot catchier and may just stand the test of time a lot better.
#45
Artist: Foo Fighters
Song: Let It Die
Album: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
Of course, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace isn’t really all that good for a Foo Fighters album, but a mediocre Foo album is still a great album, especially by today’s standards. Perhaps “Let It Die” was a slightly underperforming single from the album, but that just means it hasn’t yet been played to death.
#44
Artist: Seether
Song: Breakdown
Album: Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces
It’s here because: It’s part of a great album
I’m still not sure why it took nearly six months after it’s release for this album to take off, but it was worth the wait to hear songs like this on the radio.
#43
Artist: The Veronicas
Song: This Love
Album: Hook Me Up
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
With the steady decline in rap, it’s good to see other genres are thriving. Pop in particular just seems to dominating these days, and with songs like this, that’s a very very good thing.
#42
Artist: Ladyhawke
Song: Paris Is Burning
Album: Ladyhawke
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Dance-pop isn’t a genre I’m normally into, but thanks to New Zealander Ladyhawke, the genre has at least one song that doesn’t stink like a pile of fresh dog turd.
#41
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Song: Start All Over
Album: Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It means something personal to me
I don’t know exactly what it is, but something about Miley in this video reminds me of early Avril. And since Avril these days doesn’t remind me of early Avril, I’ll take what I can get.
#40
Artist: Foo Fighters
Song: Cheer Up Boys (Your Makeup Is Running)
Album: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
See the notes on “Let It Die”. Additionally, “Cheer Up Boys” got a bit more play, a bit more love, and is slightly more deserving of all that.
#39
Artist: Carolina Liar
Song: I’m Not Over
Album: Coming To Terms
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Pop-rock has come a long way since Simple Plan, but thankfully, Carolina Liar, sound nothing like them. These guys almost completely lose the pop edge, and by just keeping a sliver, it seems to set them apart.
#38
Artist: Keri Hilson
Song: Energy
Album: In A Perfect World
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
It doesn’t sound like much the first time, but it grew on me, and now I actually find it pretty damn catchy. R&B can only benefit from someone who brings us songs like that.
#37
Artist: Christina Aguilera
Song: Keeps Getting Better
Album: Keeps Getting Better: A Decade Of Hits
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
If Christina carries on this way, she may eventually earn the title “Queen Of Pop”. She’s already more deserving of being called pop royalty than Britney, but who is it that gets all the media coverage? I suppose those of us who enjoy the odd Christina track can at least enjoy said songs without the singer’s image being constantly tarred by the media
#36
Artist: Finger Eleven
Song: Falling On
Album: Them vs. You vs. Me
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
Shame that any singles they released after this one have been ignored, but “Them vs You vs Me” is a truly great album, and “Falling On” is a great example of why. It’s message of positivity, persistence, and friendship is one a lot of people could do with hearing
#35
Artist: Fall Out Boy (Featuring John Mayer)
Song: Beat It
Album: Live In Phoenix
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s something different from the band
In this case, the genre I’m referring to is ‘covers’. John Mayer brings us an astounding guitar solo, and I think it says a lot for the quality of the original song is not even Fall Out Boy can screw it up.
#34
Artist: The Pussycat Dolls
Song: I Hate This Part
Album: Doll Domination
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Like Energy, I didn’t really like this to start off with, but when you start singing along to a song and hanging around to listen to the radio when they say it’s coming up, I guess you have to re-evaluate things.
#33
Artist: P!nk
Song: Sober
Album: Funhouse
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
No-one puts power and passion in their voice quite like P!nk. The woman is one of the best vocalists to emerge from the last decade, and “Sober” is a great example of exactly what she’s capable of.
#32
Artist: The Offspring
Song: Hammerhead
Album: Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
I didn’t hear a lot of albums from last year, but “Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace” is easily one of, if not the best, that I did hear. You don’t just sing along to “Hammerhead”, you drum along to it – but you may not realize you’re even doing it the first time.
#31
Artist: Linkin Park
Song: Leave Out All The Rest
Album: Minutes To Midnight
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Mike Shinoda doesn’t have a lot to do on Minutes To Midnight, as Chester Bennington takes over a lot of the singing, but “Leave Out All The Rest” is one of those songs where you don’t complain about that kind of thing too much. Chester shows off a great vocal ability here.
#30
Artist: The Veronicas
Song: Hook Me Up
Album: Hook Me Up
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Some people dismissed this song without even really hearing it, but these people should be forced to listen and open up their minds a bit, otherwise they will continue to miss out on great tracks.
#29
Artist: Fall Out Boy
Song: I Don’t Care
Album: Folie A Duex (The Shared Madness Of Two)
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It made me dance like a mad thing
I have danced nude to this song. To clarify, it’s not like I heard this song was coming on and stripped for the occaision – it came on just after I’d finished drying myself off after my morning shower, and the rhythm just took over. To this day it’s kept it’s catchiness. Say what you like about Fall Out Boy, but this will always be the song I have danced nude to.
#28
Artist: Buckcherry
Song: Sorry
Album: 15
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Perhaps there were a few too many songs like this out in 2008. But the rock-ballad is something a lot of bands struggle to find the perfect formula for. Green Day pretty much hit on the head four years ago, and artists have been trying to copy it ever since. “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” this ain’t, in fact it’s closer to some of the stuff on the last Lostprophets album, but “Sorry” is a damn good effort nonetheless.
#27
Artist: Weezer
Song: Troublemaker
Album: Weezer (The Red Album)
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
I’ve never been a huge fan of Weezer, but every now and then they manage to blow me away – “Say It Ain’t So”, “Hash Pipe”, “Island In The Sun”… now add “Troublemaker” to that list.
#26
Artist: Jordin Sparks
Song: One Step At A Time
Album: Jordin Sparks
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
It’s taken a long time for me to like “No Air”, mainly due to my absolute hatred of Chris Brown. But when I proclaimed it to be one of the worst songs of 2007, I was probably judging it a little unfairly. Jordin herself actually has quite a remarkable voice, something I’ve come to realize over the last year with her more recent singles. Not only that, but “One Step At A Time” features quite the message, about slowing down, living life one day at a time and just taking things as they come.
#25
Artist: Daughtry
Song: Feels Like Tonight
Album: Daughtry
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
He may not have won his series of American Idol, but Chris Daughtry still put out one of the best rock albums I’ve heard recently. “Feels Like Tonight” wasn’t a huge single from it, probably because it doesn’t quite stand up to the monstrous “Over You” that came before it, but it definitely deserved to be a lot bigger than it was.
#24
Artist: Seether
Song: Fake It
Album: Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album, It’s something different from the band
Being that I own all Seether’s albums, I can honestly say I never expected them to sound like this. “Fake It” is utterly indescribable. Still, it’s also absolutely brilliant, and is another song that deserved to be a lot bigger than it was. However, Seether’s success would come.
#23
Artist: Finger Eleven
Song: Paralyzer
Album: Them vs. You vs. Me
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album, It means something personal to me
They may have been around for years, but “Paralyzer” was the first song from these guys to truly break the New Zealand market. “One Thing” was briefly popular a few years ago, but it seems to have disappeared entirely now, not even able to be found in out iTunes store. Then we got “Paralyzer”, a song that finally forced us to sit up and take notice. And although I’ve got more on this planned for later in this editorial, I can certainly relate to the lines ”If your body matches what your eyes can do / you’d probably move right through me on my way to you”.
#22
Artist: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Song: Your Guardian Angel
Album: Don’t You Fake It
It’s here because: It’s part of a great album
Granted, it’s perhaps a little bit soppy, and hardly all that original for a love ballad, but sometimes all you need is a basic formula and you’ve got a masterful song on your hands.
#21
Artist: Lupe Fiasco
Song: Superstar
Album: The Cool
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
There are times when I fear NaS is right and hip hop is dead. Very few quality hip hop songs have hit the mainstream lately, because they can’t break through the clutter of sh*t that is Chris Brown, T.I., Akon etc. However, sometimes we get a real gem. A decent beat with real rapping and even a dash of singing thrown in. That was Superstar, and it stands as one of the best mainstream hip hop songs of possibly the last three or four years, never mind just 2008.
#20
Artist: Puddle Of Mudd
Song: We Don’t Have To Look Back Now
Album: Famous
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Basically the same as Carolina Liar back at number 48, but it was out first and was a bigger hit, so it gets elevated up the chart.
#19
Artist: The Living End
Song: White Noise
Album: White Noise
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
The Living End almost cross the line from singing to yelling in certain places on this track, and oddly enough, it works. “White Noise” is about as harsh and in your face as the band gets, and they do it spectacularly.
#18
Artist: Santana (Featuring Chad Kroeger)
Song: Into The Night
Album: Ultimate Santana
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Music doesn’t have to be complicated. Santana’s built his career on simplicity and as such has put out a lot of truly great music. Add his brilliance with a guitar to Chad’s gravelly vocals, and it seems the perfect recipe for a killer track.
#17
Artist: Linkin Park
Song: Given Up
Album: Minutes To Midnight
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
Nice to hear Chester screaming again. Shame this is basically the only track on the album in which he does so.
#16
Artist: OneRepublic
Song: Mercy
Album: Dreaming Out Loud
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
It may have been “Apologize” that finally brought these guys some success, but there’s a lot of other great tracks on the album. Most of them are very mellow, but that seems to work for them, and “Mercy” is one of the best.
#15
Artist: Seether
Song: Rise Above This
Album: Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
And so Seether’s success came. “Rise Above This” may have been the second single from the album, but it was a bigger hit than “Fake It” and “Breakdown” combined. Probably because it combined a great vocal showcase from Shaun Morgan with the kind of rock music the band is traditionally known for.
#14
Artist: Nickelback
Song: Rockstar
Album: All The Right Reasons
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
What? Nickelback, this far up? On a serious list? You’d better believe it. People simply do not give Nickelback enough credit. They get slammed a lot and have done absolutely nothing to deserve it. In fact, they’ve put out some of the best rock music in recent years. “Rockstar”, for example, along with it’s video, is a great singalong tune with a message about everyone, regardless of age, sex, race, religion (etc etc) being able to achieve their dreams. Not only that, but it inspired a parody that says more about the lifestyles of the rich and famous than Good Charlotte ever could (which you can find on YouTube by searching “Nickelback Popstar”)
#13
Artist: Puddle Of Mudd
Song: Psycho
Album: Famous
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s something different from the band
The style is a similar vein to Seether’s “Fake It”, and equally as memorable. However, while “Fake It” was only slightly different to what Seether fans are used to, “Psycho” resembles none of the singles Puddle Of Mudd have ever put out before, and it was an instant, if somewhat brief, hit.
#12
Artist: Kid Rock
Song: All Summer Long
Album: Rock & Roll Jesus
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s something different from the band
I had no idea whatsoever who this was or what it was when I first heard it on radio, and thanks to the station I was listening to being as helpful as ever, there was no intro or backsell. When I finally found out it was Kid Rock, I couldn’t believe my ears. Put this alongside “Bawitdaba” and I’d have a hard time believing they were the same artist. But that alone isn’t enough to make this list. The fact that “All Summer Long” is catchy as hell, easily sung along to, and constantly references a classic rock song (“Sweet Home Alabama”) – that’s what gets it so high here.
#11
Artist: OneRepublic
Song: Stop & Stare
Album: Dreaming Out Loud
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
And here’s the other brilliant track from Dreaming Out Loud, which is probably why it was that album’s biggest hit (although the remix for “Apologize” was included on the album). Anyone who enjoyed “Stop & Stare” and “Apologize” should definitely check out the album.
#10
Artist: Busta Rhymes (Featuring Linkin Park)
Song: We Made It
Album: Blessed
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre
When Linkin Park performed in New Zealand on their tour to promote “Minutes To Midnight”, Mike Shinoda had so little to do onstage that at one point he busted out some Fort Minor lyrics. “Minutes To Midnight” simply does not feature enough rapping, which is why it’s good to see him get his own verse here. No only that, but in Mike’s one verse he manages to completely outshine Busta’s two verses. Not that Busta Rhymes is bad, he’s just obviously not the lyricist Mike Shinoda is. And it’s got a damn fine hook to boot.
#9
Artist: Thirsty Merc
Song: Those Eyes
Album: Slideshows
It’s here because: It means something personal to me
Thanks to the girl from <a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_5191475332">The Story Of Her</a>, I will always identify with this song – although in my case it’s not so much “those eyes”, but more “that smile”. Thirsty Merc sing about being hypnotized by the eyes of a special girl, which sums up quite well the way I felt every time I saw that smile.
#8
Artist: Nickelback
Song: Gotta Be Somebody
Album: Dark Horse
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It means something personal to me
And reading some of the comments on YouTube about this song, I’m not the only one who can personally identify with it. Many people feel the frustration that can come from being alone and wondering when you’re finally going to meet your “One”. But Nickelback don’t stop there. The song runs the gamut from that initial frustration, to meeting her, then looking back with advice for the rest of us.
#7
Artist: Cobra Starship
Song: The City Is At War
Album: Viva La Cobra!
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It means something personal to me, It’s part of a great album
I’m so glad I can finally put a real Cobra Starship song on this list. 2006’s “Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)” was merely a soundtrack song, and didn’t seem to get any play as a real single. They were able to release their debut album “While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets” around the same time, but it took opening for Panic At The Disco for them to get some real radio airplay in mid 2008, by which time I’d already had “Viva La Cobra!” for months. Had it gone by quality of music rather than popularity, Panic At The Disco should have been opening for these guys, not the other way around. I implore you to check these guys out if you haven’t already – they’re something truly special.
#6
Artist: Jordin Sparks
Song: Tattoo
Album: Jordin Sparks
It’s here because: It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It means something personal to me
I heard this for the first time while I was over in Australia for a couple of Kelly Clarkson concerts. When this came on the radio, my friend and I had no idea who it was, but we thought it sounded a bit like Mandy Moore, who we’d seen open for Kelly the previous night. I was shocked to find out who it really was, and it was then that I was forced to admit Jordin actually has quite a good voice, and I know all about having someone on your heart so long it’s like their name’s been permanently etched there, much like a tattoo.
#5
Artist: P!nk
Song: So What?
Album: Funhouse
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre, It’s part of a great album
When P!nk herself first introduced this song to radio, she said it was three minutes of every emotion and feeling under the sun, as well as being a whole host of other things, concluding by saying “I don’t really know what it is. It’s fun though.” It’s brilliant is what it is. Only P!nk could say the things she does here about her ex-husband Carey Hart, and have him appear in the video.
#4
Artist: The Veronicas
Song: Untouched
Album: Hook Me Up
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre
The first time this was played on radio, the announcer asked for feedback via the SMS machine. One SMS that was read out said “It’s kinda catchy, this new Veronicas song. They won’t be untouched when I get through with them though, if you know what I mean.” The announcer declared the writer of said SMS to be a pervert, but I reckon they’ve got a point. Lyrically, this leaves a little to be desired, but it’s well-crafted and catchy as hell.
#3
Artist: Flobots
Song: Handlebars
Album: Fight With Tools
It’s here because: It was too much of a hit to be ignored, It’s a highlight of it’s genre
And so we come to the best song of the year to feature rapping – probably because not only does it feature lyrics whose intensity you can only really understand by rapping along (best done in private for some of us), but it samples a classic hip hop song from the past decade, “Forgot About Dre”.
#2
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Song: See You Again
Album: Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus
It’s here because: It means something personal to me
Snigger all you want at the thought of a Miley Cyrus song making it to number two. I know some of you are thinking I must be an absolute joke of a music reviewer, but the truth I couldn’t give a rats who sings this – it’s the lyrics that get me. This is about your first infatuation, you first crush, and if you’re lucky enough, your first love. It’s about wishing you could at least speak coherently around them, and making a promise that you’ll at least manage to pull yourself together next time the two of you are face to face. And it’s about the utter elation you feel when you find out they have noticed you and want to see you. I’ve been through that more times than I care to remember, and I’m willing to bet the vast majority of you reading this have gone through it at some point too.
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Thus ends part one of my 2008 wrap-up. Part two has now arrived, so please <a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_5279621252">click here</a> to continue
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Epinions.com ID:
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Member: Dean Cowie
Location: Invercargill, New Zealand
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