Albums in My Life: 2008

2008 was the year I graduated high school, as well as the year I started college. It was also the year I first moved to Pennsylvania to school, and where I still live, though I've moved around the state a fair bit since then.


Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
I picked this album out of a stack in my college's radio station and was blown away. I had no idea stuff like this existed in 2008. They were like the new generation's answer to Crosby, Stills & Nash. Their songwriting would get much better with their next release, but the harmonies, folky instrumentation and general vibe were there from the very beginning. That college radio station turned me on to tons of great music, and even in the age of streaming, I'd still say if your school has radio, try to visit and soak it all in.




MGMT- Oracular Spectacular

I remember hearing 'Kids' at a party or something, but it was my later exposure to 'Electric Feel' that sold me on MGMT. They were like new school hippies, but they also had a lot of electronic music influences. The band reminded me of Animal Collective, but a little bit less experimental and a little more dance floor ready. They would progressively get more and more experimental, eventually leading to their really weird self titled album, after which they switched it up entirely for a post punk sound. I was and really am a pretty big psych rock fan, so finding a band like that in the indie school in the late 2000s was pretty cool.



My Morning Jacket- Evil Urges
My Morning Jacket was another vaguely psychedelic band that almost bordered on a jam band that I got turned on to via the radio station. A lot of fans prefer Z or some of their earlier material, but since this was my gateway to them, I think this will always be my favorite. I was pretty obsessed with the song 'Highly Suspicious' for a time, just because the vocals were so weird. I also really enjoy how varied this album is. Every song is very different and the album has something to offer everyone because of that diversity.




T.I.- Paper Trail 
This and the next album really helped me appreciate hip hop. I wasn't a huge fan of rap when I entered college, but with this style of music being the soundtrack to many a college party, through the exposure I was able to gain a much deeper understanding and respect for the art form. Tracks from this record were played a lot at parties my freshman year, especially 'Whatever You Like', which along with Akon's 'I'm So Paid' and Kanye's 'Heartless', were essentially inescapable at my school.




Kanye West- 808s & Heartbreak
808s really changed a lot about hip hop. Suddenly, it was okay with being a lot more sensitive in rap, and a lot more introspective. The macho posturing took a back seat to a little more thoughtful content, though this is Kanye, so the braggadocious raps still exist. Also, this record really popularized auto tune past T-Pain features, and the current crop of SoundCloud rappers and auto-crooners essentially owe their entire careers to the combination of Kid Cudi, Drake, and impact this album had on the rap landscape.




So, that was 2008. That year was pretty monumental for me. Stay tuned for more of the albums in my life series, as well as the occasional new music review.



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