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yan·off (yä nôf) n. A Wisconsin family consisting of Gillie, Carly, Kathy and Scott Yanoff.

music

Best Albums | Best Songs | Most Disappointing Albums

Scott's Picks for Best Albums of 2008

  1. Viva la Vida by Coldplay - iTunes is implying that this the most-played album for us this year, although the album by James (see below) was a real gem as well. This one had to grow on me a bit in much the same way their last one, X & Y, had to. However, I find that many of the dual-melody songs are a departure from your typical album and I'm always left wanting more. They followed this up with an EP entitled Prospekt's March, filled with worthwhile B-sides and a version of "Life in Technicolor" with lyrics.
    Favorite track: Viva la Vida
  2. Hey Ma by James - This band was popular in the 1990's and then disappeared for a while until this album. I was never into them before this album but they put a good selection of tracks up for preview on their MySpace page and it was enough to convince me to get this album. The lyrics are clever, biting, and relevant, and the music packs a punch. I ended up investigating the rest of their catalogue because of this album and purchasing another couple of albums as well as catching them at Turner Hall when they came through town.
    Favorite track: Whiteboy
  3. A Hundred Million Suns by Snow Patrol - I became a Snow Patrol fan a couple of albums back with with Final Straw album which was followed up with a very consistent work, Eyes Open. At the time, I commented that Eyes Open lacked a song such as "Chocolate" from Final Straw but it was good, consistent album filled to the brim with likeable songs. On their latest effort, they have both consistency and another song with great punch, "Crack the Shutters". Unfortunately, while their sound continues to evolve, the lyrics are not. They are still a bit sappy and sophomoric, but these guys are still good.
    Favorite track: Crack the Shutters
  4. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today by David Byrne and Brian Eno - Byrne and Eno streamed this one for free on their website and I have to give them great credit for doing so as they earned a customer in me. They even had a nice deal where the MP3 files were available before the CD itself was, so I could at least download the songs while waiting for the CD to arrive in the mail over a month later. Overall, this is just a real pleasant album to listen to with only one major dud (which I deleted).
    Favorite track: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
  5. @#%&*! Smilers by Aimee Mann - Kathy and I have been Aimee Mann fans for a while and we ended up seeing her in concert at the Pabst Theatre before we owned this album. It took a while to grow on us but it's yet another good piece of work in the Aimee Mann canon.
    Favorite track: Stranger into Starman
  6. Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings by Counting Crows - I told myself that I wouldn't buy this album but it grew on me enough that I added it to all the other Counting Crows albums that I own. I still think that Hard Candy or Recovering the Satellites are their best albums, but this one deserves more than the mediocre reviews it got from critics.
    Favorite track: On Almost Any Sunday Morning
  7. Accelerate by R.E.M. - I own every REM album, including this one. Most reviews that I have read have been good but I'm frustrated by the implication that REM is back. I think they never lost it. Reveal was a real dud for me, and Monster is also at the bottom end of their collection to me. However, I actually dug Around the Sun so I didn't see Accelerate as a comeback or step up. This is just a half-hour of good rock.
    Favorite track: Until the Day is Done
  8. Seventh Tree by Goldfrapp - I tried their other albums and found them to be too much electronica for me. However, this is a really beautiful album, and its mellow tone juxtaposes their previous efforts.
    Favorite track: A&E

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Scott's Picks for Best Songs of 2008

  1. Life in Technicolor ii by Coldplay
  2. Viva la Vida by Coldplay
  3. Death and All His Friends by Coldplay
  4. Whiteboy by James
  5. Hey Ma by James
  6. Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol
  7. On Almost Any Sunday Morning by Counting Crows
  8. Everything that Happens by David Byrne
  9. Take Back the City by Snow Patrol
  10. Hanging Tree by Counting Crows
  11. You Can Do Better Than Me by Death Cab for Cutie
  12. I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie
  13. Color by Toby Lightman
  14. Willin' by The BoDeans
  15. Everyday by The BoDeans
  16. Northern Downpour by Panic at the Disco
  17. Human by The Killers
  18. Yon Ferrets Return by Neko Case and Carl Newman
  19. Stranger into Starman by Aimee Mann
  20. No More Running Away by Air Traffic
  21. See Emily Play by Martha Wainwright
  22. A&E by Goldfrapp
  23. I Don't Know by Lisa Hannigan
  24. The Wrestler by Bruce Springsteen
  25. Reinventing the Heartbeat by E for Explosion
  26. Buildings & Mountains by Republic Tigers
  27. Missing Something by AutoVaughn
  28. Until the Day is Done by R.E.M.
  29. I'm Gonna DJ by R.E.M.
  30. Roadway Hymn by La Rocca
  31. The Lovers are Losing by Keane
  32. Yours Mine Ours by The Lemurs
  33. The Flicker of a Little Girl by Tindersticks

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Scott's Most-Disappointing Albums of 2008

  1. Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie - I liked their last album, Plans and I ended up buying a couple of songs off of this one, such as "I Will Possess Your Heart" and "You Can Do Better Than Me". However, I thought that they could do better than this.
  2. Flowers of Entanglement by Alanis Morrisette - It's not like I had high hopes for this to begin with but this was pretty pointless.
  3. I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too by Martha Wainwright - I liked her debut album but there were only three songs on this one that I purchased. She did a good job covering Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" and the first couple of songs were good but then there was not much more after that.
  4. Perfect Symmetry by Keane - I'm a fan of Keane although their work has steadily declined since their debut. With this third album, though, only the single, "The Lovers are Losing", was worth buying. Their bouncy drums-piano-vocals trio has yielded a fuller sound on this album that just does not suit them.
  5. Day and Age by The Killers - After a wicked debut, they tapered off with their Sam's Town album, which is still a rockin' effort compared to this. They go off in a couple of worthless directions musically here, and only the single, "Human", was worth buying.