Pinto's Top Ten Of 2008

So I see that a lot of blogs do these lists toward the end of the year so I thought I'd try to put together a list of my favorites of 2008.  I know I'm going to forget a bunch of albums.  I'm sure I'll remember ones that I forgot about in the weeks to come but these are what's coming to mind now.  2008 as a whole had been a pretty good year for music if you ask me.

1- Young Widows - Old Wounds

I've already posted this before and I'll say it again.  The best album of the year.  I just can't get enough of it.  The best noise-rock album to come out since the 90's in my opinion.  Download

2- Earth - The Bees made Honey In The Lion's Skull

With this album they improved on what was missing from Hex; Or Printing In The Infernal Method.  Hex marked return of Earth after a long hiatus.  Dylan Carlson came back with a whole new band and a whole new sound.  But with Bee's the sound is filled out a lot more and has a bit more weight to it than Hex.  This album brings back a little bit of the old Earth sound.  This was probably the record I listened to the most this year.  Download

3- Dead Meadow - Old Growth

Old Growth is probably the bands most accessible album.  Not quite as fuzzed out sounding as some of their older material.  I guess you could say that Old Growth is Dead Meadows most mature album.  Who says you can't have a little Pop in your Stoner Rock?  Download

4- Heroine Sheiks - Journey To The End Of A Knife

So Shannon Selberg moved back to the Cows home town of Minneapolis and started a whole new Midwest version of the Heroine Sheiks.  It resulted in his most Cows sounding record since the Cows.  Download

5- Russian Circles - Station

This album is all about precision and control.  Station also has some of the best drumming that I've heard all year.  My favorite post-rock/metal album of the year.

6- Spiritualized - Songs In A & E

It's the Christmas season.  What's more appropriate than songs about drugs and Jesus?  Download

7- High Dependency Unit - Metamathics

I had waited 7 long years for HDU's next release and it was well worth the wait.  Download

8- Mills Of God - Call Of The Eastern Moon

Sludge never sounded so groovy.  Download

9- The Dead C - Secret Earth

I guess you could consider Secret Earth a return to form for the band.  It's the most "rock" sounding album they've put out in years.  Every song has vocals and only one song runs longer than 15 minutes.  Download

10- Bardo Pond - Circuit VIII

It's only one song but it sounds as if it were four.  Circuit VIII has these epic movement that go from drone to acoustic to rock and back to drone again all with in the same song.  It has a clean studio recording and seems more well thought out than the typical Bardo Pond jam.   Download

Other great albums of 2008...

Fight Amp - Hungry For Nothing

5ive - Hesperus

Capricorns - River, Bear Your Bones

The Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded

Don Caballero - Punkgasm

The Goslings - Occasion

Wavves - S/T

Harvey Milk - Life... The Best Game In Town

Boris - Smile

18th Dye - Amorine Queen

Scul Hazzards - Let Them Sink

Ufomammut - Idolum

Grey Daturas - Return To Disruption

The Hospitals - Hairdryer Peace

H.O.F. - A New Kind Of Hate

Gown - For The Maples

Monno - Ghosts

Across Tundras - Western Sky Ride

Bongripper - Hate Asbury

Deerhunter - Microcastle

Melvins - Nude With Boots

I didn't want to take the time to upload all of these so I did take a few from other sites like Sordo Music and others.  So as of now all the links are active, but everything on this list is still in print I believe so please buy anything you like.  Christmas gifts maybe?