Top 50 Albums of 2008: #39 - 42

42. Harvey Milk Life...The Best Game In Town
When you think of the music scene that has been built up in Atlanta you are generally thrust into one of two different areas. Either you think of the crunked out Southern rap that has been spewing from the city for years now or you think immediately of the garage sound that has been pushed by bands like Black Lips and Deerhunter. But those aren't the only things going down in the ATL these days as a band like Harvey Milk can attest to. Instead of dirty sounding pop music, Harvey Milk goes for a different realm all together taking the crusty lo-fi sound and turning it into something heavier and darker. On Life...The Best Game In Town, Harvey Milk have thrown metal into the lo-fi sound. They still maintain some of the pop sensibilities that the more garage like bands have, most notable thanks to the brief Beatles interlude that ends the opening track "Death Goes to the Winner", but for the most part they growl and dirge their way through the album making a heavy, propulsive record that is like nothing else coming fro that scene. This is a kick ass record that beautifully moves around the band's strange and storied history, while showing some new listeners what they are all about and showing that Atlanta is no one trick pony.
Harvey Milk - "Skull Socks & Rope Shoes"
Harvey Milk - "Motown"

---

41. Ra Ra Riot The Rhumb Line
For their debut full length Ra Ra Riot managed to harness all of the energy and passion that have marked their last two years as a blogger buzz band. By using songs that have been staples of the groups since it's inception and mixing it with new upbeat tunes Ra Ra Riot gave something to its fans that was immediate and impossible to ignore. Of course they didn't just throw old recordings onto The Rhumb Line, instead they reworked the older material to make into something a bit more dense and even catchier then it originally was. Look no further then the fan favorites "Can You Tell" and "Dying Is Fine" which have gone from being quick riotous bursts of pop, to fully fleshed out and thrilling ballads. Of course the release of The Rhumb Line will probably be most notable as the closing of the John Pike chapter of Ra Ra Riot. A huge portion of the record features songs written by their far too short lived drummer, and now the band presses on as something a little different and must find how to continue what John and they started together without him. It has worked for them live as they seem to play every show like it could be their last, but I'm really interested to see how it affects their future songs, what comes of it, and if the band can turn a terrible tragedy into a thrilling success story.
Ra Ra Riot - "St. Peter's Day Festival"
Ra Ra Riot - "Dying Is Fine"

---

40. Be Your Own Pet Get Awkward
Be Your Own Pet marked their 4-year existence as a band that wasn't willing to play by the rules. The teen punk quartet built a reputation on making aggressive tunes that wailed with teen angst and teen ire, while transforming their stage show into a riotous, fight filled event. On their final record, Get Awkward, the band translated all the violence and outlandishness into a an all out assault on our ears. Songs like "Becky" and "Blow Yr Mind" were somehow deemed to violent for our society and were pulled from the American release, but when those tracks were added into the mix it made for a blistering sustained attack of catchy punk anthem combined with ferocity that could be a bit scary at times. Of course none of this would have been possible without the band's front woman Jemina Pearl, who bottled up the anger and fury of her young life and poured it into her songs allowing herself to release those emotions before she took it out on some of her fans on stage. It was a wild four years, and Get Awkward was most definitely the highlight of their short lived band life.
Be Your Own Pet - "Blow Yr Mind"
Be Your Own Pet - "Food Fight"

---

39. Bonnie "Prince" Billy Lie Down in the Light
Bonnie "Prince" Billy is the consummate independent artist. For more then a decade he has dabbled in the world of indie music, creating consistently good work, collaborating and creating more artists then I have time to mention, and gaining a loyal and dedicated fan base. But for all of that he probably will never make a leap into the more mainstream world, because his music almost defies that. He adapts well, but always seems to be one step ahead of the curve allowing his followers the chance to pass him by taking his changes to the next logical step. Lie Down in the Light seems like it will be destined for the same sort of treatment. Luckily it seems like Will Oldham has finally begun to accept this as this record is built on the idea of modest pleasures like those of friendship, family, and the pleasure of making music. It's a stark comparison to what could be called his best record to date I See a Darkness, which revelled in the down side of life. But obviously that plays a part in the titling of the two albums, Darkness and Light. It makes sense that at this stage of his career Oldham would have found this happiness living in his niche, he's older and presumably wiser making him more willing to find complacency in the fact that he crafts truly enjoyable music and his fans adore him for it.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "You Want That Picture"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - "Lie Down in the Light"

Top Albums of 2008:
#47 - 50
#43 - 46