What Happened to the Music in 2008

[FortySuz&Two]

i blame american idol for all the bullshit that passes as music these days

[Darius_Orleans]

Invariably in these "oh woe is me the music isn't what it used to be" discussions I find that there's always good music being released yearly. But apparently not the kind that you listen to. Good Music's always there, just have to dig.

[scampr]

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Ditto Aerosmith and Black Sabbath and Deep Purple and Grand Funk and The Animals and Three Dog Night and Metallica and Iron Maiden ...

A ton of the bands we consider legends today didn't really catch fire right away and I doubt could have survived starting in the music climate we're in today and achieved their eventual world wide success.

[AgreeableMonkey]

Totally disagree, 2008 was the best year for music in a decade. Or it was for indie/rock stuff. Some of my faves were:

• The Apples in Stereo
• The Battle of Land & Sea
• Bloc Party
• Conor Obserst
• The Duke Spirit
• Fleet Foxes
• Glasvegas
• Her Space Holiday
• The Kills
• The Lucksmiths
• M83
• Lykke Li
• The Magnetic Fields
• Mercury Rev
• MGMT
• Noah & The Whale
• Friendly Fires
• Portishead
• Primal Scream
• The Raconteurs
• White Lies (or was that 2009?)
• Sigur Ros
• Spiritualized
• Sun Kil Moon
• Those Dancing Days
• Vampire Weekend
• Ida Maria
• Elbow

[trondi]

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Those bands are fine, but what I am getting at is.............there were no GREAT albums.
NO "3 feet High and Rising" No " Pauls Boutique" No "O.K. Computer" No" Exile in Guyvile" No " Let It be(replacements not the beatles)" no " Double Nickels on the Dime" no" Music Has The right to Children" NO "Trials of Van Occupanther"
I could go on......
Even bands that I really like, like The Duke Spirit put out a decent but not Great record. " Neptune" Has 4 really amazing songs and the rest are kind of mediocre, To ME.
2008 was not a very fruitful year that way. I also think that the talent bar is so low today, that most of the mentioned bands would never have gotten signed 10 years ago.
Oh well I am getting old and bitter.
2009 will be much better, it all ready is.
Neko Case's new record is proof.

[troup]

I think its difficult to tell what a great album is until it has been given some time. I dont think the talent bar is low at all, I find people all the time who can play instruments in new and exciting ways and push them to their limits.

Its not difficult naming the amazing bands and albums from the past, a lot of music at the moment seems more 'new' in that many bands have not had a proper chance to develop and be understood. A lot of the time a great album comes when you have a feel for the band, so maybe some of these newer artists will still make their great albums or some albums from 2008 could be rediscovered later.

[trondi]

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I know lots of people that can really play an instrument, really well, and they are not very good songwriters.

What 2008 albums though?
Death Cab For Cutie's "Narrow Stairs" was decent, but again, for me 4 great songs and the rest mediocre.
I don't think it is difficult to tell a great album. I think that when you hear it you know it is special, even if it isn't your thing.
all the records I mentioned earlier were like that.
The first time I heard Liz Phair's "exile in guyvile" I knew it was something special.
The Replacement's " Let It Be" record was like that too. I didn't love the whole thing right away, but I knew I had my hands on something pretty special.
I am just saying, I thought 2008 was one of the weakest years ever, for new recorded music.

[thermos]

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I'm currently on track 13......this shit is amazing.

[troup]

I think Elbows new album was probably one of my favourites and something I would hope I remember in the future too. I havent been through enough generations of music, so I feel I would be a bit pretentious to decide whether something is great or not (I am only 22). I think it would be easier for me to see greatness if I felt I had been a part of more revolutions or some shit.

[Fever]

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Props to you Troup on the honesty of your sentiment.
I believe you are absolutely correct in being hesitant to pass judgement; however, as someone a little longer in the tooth I can say as a senior in High School (17) when 'Appetite for Destruction', 'Joshua Tree' & 'License to Ill' released, and in college when 'Nevermind', 'Ten', 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik', 'Losing My Religion' & 'Ritual De Lo Habitual' came out, which were all huge albums to me - I knew something was happening.
That's what is missing for some of us.
And those are just the huge commercial shifts, lessers such as Tupac's reign to me far eclipsed anything lil' Wayne is capable of, because it was truly fresh. For others I realize it was Pavement or before then The Cure, etc. - the point is we all had those milestones, and I am curious what those significant shifts are/or have been for anyone in recent memory?
Beatles, Stones, Zep, Sabbath, all have had huge impact to date - I'd like to hear some speculation on who we will look back on as that type of influence from the current crop.
I don't want to be one of those crusty haters, as I take my kids to shows all the time hoping they find those inspiring forces, but I don't feel it. I enjoy the likes of everything from the Foos to QOTSA to Snow Patrol to Band of Horses to Raconteurs, etc. but I'm not sure any of their releases are truly 'groundbreaking' for true popular culture as some of those others.