Top 5 Albums

1. M83 – Saturdays = Youth

Mirroring the minds tendency to only remember the good, Anthony Gonzalez revisits his formative years to make an album that is able to capture everything great about the 80s and touch up everything that wasn’t. One of a select few artists that are able to create full albums that are enjoyable from beginning to end, this french producer made an album from the past that sounds completely new.

2. The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale

In a year that has seen rap hit new lows (a circus freak named T-Pain and the abuse of the auto-tune), The Cool Kids single-handedly brought cool back to a genre in desperate need. This album can appeal to such a wide variety of people, it’s no wonder it’s such a success. Whether you’re a music freak who obsesses over the sparsely perfect production, a fan of the flow that revels in the ease that Antoine “Mikey Rocks” Reed and Evan “Chuck Inglish” Ingersoll communicate, a lyrics man who laughs along with the tongue and cheek rhymes, or just a fashion fiend who appreciates the forward thinking threads that The Cool Kids have adopted as their signature style. Let’s hope that in 2009 rappers stop trying to be Cher and bring the same originality that The Cool Kids brought us in ’08.

3. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

Recording the basic tracks of the album in his father’s hunting lodge deep in the woods of Wisconsin, Justin Vernon creates an almost heartbreaking recreation of the sparse and harsh beauty of winter.

4. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles

I got into this CD late because of listening to a bunch of Crystal Castles in ’07 but the album is surprisingly good. Anyone who reads this blog knows my love for 8-bit sounds and Crystal Castles do it in the best way possible. ‘Nuff said.

5. Girl Talk – Feed The Animals

I honestly didn’t understand why people liked Girl Talk after his first album. It was way too hectic and A.D.D. for me. He wasn’t able to allow any of the songs to breathe and it all kind of sounded like a jumbled mess. With ‘Feed the Animals’ Girl Talk has honed his skills and compiled a mish mash of classic songs that creates a straight up feel good, sing-a-long, party album. Nicely done.

Top 5 Shows

(I shouldn’t really get to participate in this because I only saw 3 shows but they were all pretty rad shows so I will comment on them anyway.)

1. Justice – Montreal

I was lucky enough to attend this show (almost) completely sober and experience all the raw energy of Justice and the crowd (if you’ve seen the DVD ‘A Cross The Universe’, the scene where the shirtless guy is making a blood curdling scream towards the sky at what I can only imagine are the Electro Rock Gods was the Montreal concert). After being completely satisfied by a nice re-working of ‘Cross’ I was awarded with a Justice remix of Metallica. As a giant fan of both Metallica and Justice it immediately became one of my favorite concert moments of all time.

2. Radiohead – Glasgow, Scotland

I truly felt like I was watching rock royalty during this show. They worked the crowd just as you would imagine them, playing hit after hit (with such a large and illustrious catalogue it makes it easy for them). There are so many memories from this show that it’s hard to pick just one but I will go with singing Fake Plastic Trees with thousands of drunk Scottish people as the rain began to pummel us from above. That’s Scotland for ya.

3. Yelle – Toronto

This was a solid concert that had a very carefree and playful attitude to it. I had a damn hard time singing along to words I didn’t know and songs I didn’t understand, but Yelle made it clear that it didn’t matter that a lot of the crowd wasn’t familiar with any songs besides “A Cause de Garcons”, she was here to have a good time. Having TEPR and Grand Marnier backing her up was a great treat as well.

Top 5 Remixes

1. Vitaminsforyou – B4U (TMDP Remix)

A journey of a song that has sounds you’ve never heard before. When the laser synth starts hitting later in the song I have to close my eyes to avoid sensory overload.

1. Kanye West – Love Lockdown (1994 PILOTPRIEST Remix)

I have to tie this with TMDP’s remix because I really can’t pick a favorite between the two. I have 3 songs by this relatively unknown artist (outside of Toronto that is), and they always make it into my setlists. Someone please give this guy a ton of money so we can hear what he can do with a whole album.

3. Robbie Robb – In Time (Futurecop! Remix)

A perfect pairing. I feel like Futurecop! started making music just so they could eventually remix this song.

4. Van She – Changes (G.L.O.V.E.S. Remix)

This song is always appropriate to play. I guarentee you’ll be singing “Orange juice won’t stain” for hours after you hear this song. I can’t wait to hear what G.L.O.V.E.S. does in ’08.

5. Kid Cudi – Day ‘N’ Night (Crookers Remix)

Dagada Dagada Dagada Dagada BAOOOM BAOOM BAOOM! Dagada Dagada Dagada Dagada BAOOOMBAOOMBAOOMBAOOM! If it wasn’t so good I would wish that didn’t get stuck in my head every time I hear it. Undeniably catchy.