It should come to no surprise that, as one of the less popular staff writers on the site, that I've been criticized by some of the other writers for not doing anything. It's always been my belief that the point of Sputnikmusic is to use the site as you see fit. If you're interested in the professional content, then you'd read the reviews published by the staffers and contributors. If you're not into writing reviews but want your opinion to be heard, then sound-offs and comments are your thing. I don't need to get into all the different things you can do on this site, but it was a collective fuck you from the staff writers critical of me that I'm doing it wrong. I don't even know what "it" is! My "it" is different than their "it," and your "it" may not even be remotely close to that. Part of the reason why I don't jock albums is because the other staffers tend to not care about my jocking because their jocking is more important (please disregard the fact that nobody really likes my taste in music anyway). I like what I like for one reason: I think it's awesome, and I try to share why with you. Nine times out of then, people will say, "Well-written review, but I don't agree with you at all - In Flames has sucked since 1999." But if I can convince a reader to check out Sleep Parade or Space, I feel I've done a good service to the community, especially if that person pays it forward to someone else, who passes it on to someone else . . .

... you should use the site as you wish, and seriously, who cares if you like Linkin Park or Soulja Boy. If you're a 20-something virgin and a hopeless romantic who dreams that Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody" will ring true for you, more power to you, but don't cry every time you hear it because you're not going to get laid any faster. Stop watching The Hills or Tila Tequila or whatever shit is playing on MTV/VH1 right now and go socialize. If you're one of those posters on here who say "Great review I'm gonna check this out!!1" but don't even follow up on it (and you know who you are), what good does that do for you, really? Your World of Warcraft guild will still be there, I promise (I've never played this game, which makes me happy to report with just as much fervor as me not having seen Napoleon Dynamite yet, but back in the day, I loved Diablo 2).

My Top Albums of 2007 list was criticized by the same writers as well because it included too many jocked albums and not enough of my "own personal finds." I don't like excuses, so I won't lie to you: I was teaching in a new school where I had to derive my own unit plans for two separate classes across five sections while being responsible for all the stuff a teacher has to do, from grading to forging home/school partnerships to being an active citizen within the school walls. Yeah, I fell behind on what was hip and cool, but I was burnt out, so I opted to check out what my colleagues were pushing. Is it my bad that I didn't realize until the last month or so of 2007 that Hopesfall released a pretty killer album? Probably, yeah. But that's one benefit of the staff writers here - they may be a little forceful with their egocentrism (George Carlin would be furious at me with this euphemistic language, so let me put it this way: it doesn't excuse them from being complete dicks), but they are helping expose our readership to major-label and independent artists. I have quite a few of the staffers to thank. Once upon a time, Greer and I were anything but amicable, but now he recommends stuff to me because, for some weird reason, we get along semi-frequently. Introducing me to Jubala, Son Lux, Dead to Me, and other artists (such as Hopesfall in 2007) has been a wonderful gift, and Channing, Trey, Mike, Alex, and some of the other writers are always valuable resources as well. And it wouldn't be right to not include Dave in the thank-you notes, as he does everything well and deserves the accolades he receives for the other publications he writes for. As for me, Lollapalooza was awesome, as was the In Flames/All That Remains/Gojira/36 Crazyfists show. The 89X Stole Christmas! show this year was a little lacking, but I got to see Innerpartysystem again (along with the better-than-expected Fall Out Boy, the barf-inducing Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and the Jom-is-ambivalent-towards The Academy Is...). It's my goal to attend more gigs in 2009.

And yet, I was still burned by last year's criticism (at one point, Greer accused me of "not even listening to music" correctly, so Channing wrote [this] for him. In his defense, I guess that makes me an idiot who doesn't understand the joke of subbing in a Greek letter which phonetically gives the first syllable of the word "music," so perhaps I'm not smart enough to be listening to Intelligent Dance Music), so I kept it in the back of my mind in 2008. Instead of staying in North America, I expanded my search, cold-calling various labels in Europe and Oceania explaining who I was and my tastes and asked if they had any artists that they could recommend for me to check out and pass along based on my tastes. In my list, you'll find albums that aren't on any of the other staffers' lists. Maybe I didn't jock an album as hard as some of the other writers jocked albums (in truth, I didn't jock hard, because I figured no staffer will puke over how good it was), but at least I can't be faulted for not trying this year.

If you made it this far, thank you. All the best in 2009, and without further ado:

Dutch-based The Monolith Deathcult's Trivmvirate is a stunning death metal record with minor industrial/electronic undertones. The chanting choirs are incredibly spooky (listen to "Deus Ex Machina"), and the band's allusions to historical world events is both intriguing (examples: "Wrath of the Ba'ath" is about Saddam Hussein's slaughter of the Kurds, and the German-sung "Kindertodeslied" deals with Hitler brainwashing the Hitlerjugend to help carry out his Final Solution) and brutal. The album's diversity across all facets - vocals, guitars, keys, and percussion - make for a truly spectacular listening experiences. Album art of the year, too.

Completely changing genres now brings me to Katy Perry's One of the Boys. Dear Katy Perry, let's go on a date. You say you love mini golf, so you have to buy lunch if I beat you (sidenote: I love sandwich shops and any happy, upbeat place - you might as well start thinking now since I'm guaranteeing victory). While Perry turned heads with "I Kissed a Girl" (I thought the first two seconds of this song proved to just be a sly cover of "Rock and Roll Part II" by Gary Glitter) and made the religious right freak the fuck out for no reason (despite Perry's claim that it "ain't no big deal, it's innocent," and is it really a shock that the religious right freaked the fuck out over nothing?), the rest of the world was treated to one of the hottest bar and club tracks. And then there's "Hot N Cold," which was even more popular than "I Kissed a Girl" (for whatever reason, singing about opposites is better than smooching ladies). I did call her at the number listed on her MySpace, but she never returned my call. I guess we were not meant to be :( (PS: call me, lady).

Disturbed's Indestructible, whose lead single "Inside the Fire" dominated summer radio, and for good reason: it's arguably their best song to date. It's hard to knock the Chicago quartet for their palpable improvements between records, but Indestructible is their finest record yet, as each member improved dramatically between Ten-Thousand Fists and this 2008 offering. In a year rife with mediocre American-based mainstream rock and metal releases, Indestructible came out as one of the better records this year.

If any album on my list this year was a grower, it was Rising Down by The Roots, as it took me multiple listens to fully digest and appreciate, because I heard something new with each subsequent listen. For a decade-and-a-half, The Roots have been a stable force in the hip-hop community, and this release cements their legacy as one of the genre's premier acts.

#21 is Son Lux's At War with Walls & Mazes. A somber trip-hop record by some dude named Ryan Lott, the album's grimey, forlorn vibe emanates throughout, with the album's first half shining superior to the latter half, but one thing to note is the album's flawless production. A shame that "Do" - an album B-side - didn't make the final cut.

20. Verse - Aggression [MySpace]
19. Jardin de la Croix - Pomeroy [MySpace]
18. The Butterfly Effect - Final Conversation of Kings [MySpace]
17. Heaven Shall Burn - Iconoclast (Part I:The Final Resistance) [MySpace]
16. Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem [MySpace]

The ever-savvy Verse brought forth a raucous and ridiculously-pissed album with Aggression. The three-part "Story of a Free Man" is a stellar tale and it baffles me how the vocalist's cords haven't been shredded after listening to his urgency in their delivery. One of the best hardcore albums of the year from one of the most resolute acts in the genre today.

Jardin de la Croix are a group of Spanish instru-MENTALists who e-mailed us to review their record, saying that it was getting a lot of positive publicity in their homeland but they sought a greater readership. They obviously came to the right place in seeking us out, as Pomeroy is a very fresh and innovative record. If you enjoyed Adebisi Shank's record this year, this would serve as nice juxtaposition and is certainly worth the requisite multiple listens.

Australia has much to be proud of in my list, starting with The Butterfly Effect's Final Conversation of Kings, which sees the band integrate samples while keeping their trademark sound. These guys were criticized by some writers for a "lazy" album, but I don't hear anything that indicates this. While the album opener is a total dud, it does little in affecting Conversation's beauty (first single "Window and the Watcher," "7 Days," "Room Without a View," and the title track are all brilliant).

Germany's Heaven Shall Burn have one of the best album moments of the year with the transition from orchestral album opener "Awoken" to the snarl that segues into "Endzeit." The latter's opening lines - "Nothing, just nothing, nothing will wipe this heart out and no one, just no one, no one will break this frontline" are hair-raising, and the band's technicality and speed are arguably more impressive than their ever-bruising breakdowns.

As my favorite new act at Lollapalooza, Innerpartysystem's place on my list is warranted because their debut LP is very, very good. Electronic blips, bleeps, blops, and crunching guitars set the tone for an electro-rock record that needs to be cranked when possible. "Don't Stop" could go down as one of the most memorable singles of the year, and but tracks like "Hearts of Fire," "Everyone is the Same," and "Die Tonight, Live Forever" showcase that the band shouldn't be running out of ideas anytime soon.

15. Herbrightskies - A Sacrament; Ill City [MySpace]
14. Messiah J and the Expert - From the Word Go [MySpace]
13. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You... [MySpace]
12. Oceans of Sadness - The Arrogance of Ignorance [MySpace]
11. Cog - Sharing Space [MySpace]

I was particularly drawn to Herbrightskies' A Sacrament; Ill City this year because I came in with zero expectations and walked away impressed. When an album or an artist has that kind of staying power, it stands to reason that you're in for something special, and this is the case with the Swedish post-hardcore outfit. While the harsh vocals are a bit abrasive and the clean vocals aren't the best in the genre, the two styles weave with great interplay, and the guitars and drums are loud and in-your-face. A band to watch out for in the future, to be sure.

From the Word Go and When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold were two excellent hip-hop releases this year. MJEX and Slug are impeccable storytellers; they may not be lyrical trendsetters, but they could write fairy tales and listeners would still be hooked. MJEX's "Looking for a Long Term Thing" is arguably the Irish duo's best song to date, but when the two gents say it IS their best song to date, you might as well agree with them. After You Can't Imagine... left me hollow, ... Paint That Shit Gold was a terrific bounce-back record, and I felt that Slug made a conscious effort to push the envelope and explore new vocal deliveries.

Oceans of Sadness' Mirror Palace is one of my favorite albums, but The Arrogance of Ignorance showcases these Belgians putting all the best elements of their Byzantine sound into one cohesive record. The album is markedly heavier and more resolute than the band's previous efforts, and any listener who's sad that Arcturus broke up or "needs more Opeth" should listen to this relative unknown act. The album can shift from haunting to beautiful to venomous at any time, and the shifts are flawless.

Cog's Sharing Space is chock full of mellifluous ambiance and tone - bolstered in part by the infusion of electronics - that paint an exquisite aural landscape, making the album's flow feel seamless. "Bird of Feather" is both haunting and beautiful (as is the depressing "How Long"), "Sharing Space" is Cog's pop-oriented, electronic-driven wonder, and the controversial bookends "No Other Way" and "Problem, Reaction, Solution" showcase the here's-the-Cog-we-know-from-last-album-ness factor (although "Are You Interested?" would be a better choice for an album opener). A spectacular, if not straightforward, record.

10. Gates of Winter - Lux Aeterna [MySpace]
9. Anberlin - New Surrender [MySpace]
8. Equilibrium - Sagas [MySpace]
7. Sleep Parade - Things Can Always Change [MySpace]
6. In Flames - A Sense of Purpose [MySpace]

Canada's Gates of Winter and Germany's Equilibrium delivered behemoth records this year that make the music those fairies at Medieval Times play sound like child's play (although everybody should go to a Medieval Times show once just to see how ridiculously awful the actors are [click here]). While Gates of Winter are an independent act and Equilibrium have the backing of metal juggernaut label Nuclear Blast, Lux Aeterna's production is crystal-clear, and the mini-trilogy and dramatic crescendos are as noteworthy as Sagas' best moments. The instrumentation is absolutely beautiful on both records.

Anberlin's hybrid rock/pop-punk sound is a welcome style, and New Surrender is leaps-and-bounds better than the already-favorable Cities. The band's progression between albums is worth noting, and the album's streamlined sound is an added bonus. Stephen Christian's vocals are as empowered as ever, and the instrumental and vocal improvements should not go unrecognized.

My favorite album to come out of Oceania is Sleep Parade's debut LP, Things Can Always Change. The anthemic mantra "All we are is all we are" defines the record, a personal look into how schizophrenia affects not just the ill individual, but the relationships he or she has with family and friends (and their relationships with one another as well). I loved the synthesizers and electronics in the somber "Passengers," the heaviness of "Carry On" and two-parter "Everyday," and "Weeping Walls" - the album's thundering, yet majestic closer - is rife with multiple layers and melodies, and the ever-building crescendo explodes in one of the most dramatic climaxes heard this year, encapsulating the listener within walls of pounding toms, screaming guitars, and one of Leigh Davies' many vocal highlights on the record. If there's a can't-miss record from Oceania this year, it's from this Melbourne trio.

Going back to my intro, In Flames has not sucked since 1999. Anybody who says this needs to suck an exhaust pipe. Your metal cred won't be ruined by liking this record. I've grown tired of people dumping on Anders' vocals and saying his voice is shot or that the guitarists have gotten boring, because that's far from the truth. Yes, Anders has a couple clunkers on this record (I don't think anybody is going to live down his "I feel like shit, but at least I feel something" line from "Disconnected"), but there are so many outstanding vocal offerings ("Move Through Me," "Condemned," "Eraser") and brilliant interplay between Jesper and Bjorn ("The Mirror's Truth," "Delight and Angers") that it's hard not to enjoy this album. I always feel that Daniel is improving between each record in the 2000s, and he has some absolutely killer stuff on this record (he forms a great rhythm section tandem with Peter). I'm not going to convince everybody that this album rules, but I haven't listened to an In Flames record so consistently since Clayman first dropped at the beginning of the decade.

5. Meshuggah - obZen [MySpace]
4. The Loved Ones [US] - Build & Burn [MySpace]
3. Jubala - Jubala [MySpace]
2. Butch Walker - Sycamore Meadows [MySpace]
1. Cynic - Traced in Air [MySpace]

Imagine gripping a Jaws of Life to your balls, squeezing tight, and then smashing them with a sledgehammer while listening to the opening seconds of "Bleed." That's how brutal and heavy and intense obZen was this year. If you disagree with me, do everything I wrote in the first sentence and report back to me (photographs unnecessary but recordings of you screaming is acceptable). As if Tomas Haake wasn't already a monster behind his kit, his performance on this record cements him as a legendary icon. Vocalist Jens Kidman is time and time again a model of consistency, and guitarists Thordendal (his tremendous leads and solos on obZen are some of his best to date) and Hagström (whose heavy riffs and downstrokes complement an assertive but never domineering Lövgren as the backbone of Meshuggah's sound) are spectacular as well.

If I was in charge of the USO and I wanted to send two American rock-and-roll artists who released records in 2008 and are truly slices of Americana, I'd send The Gaslight Anthem and The Loved Ones. Is there any opening line to a record this year more personally relevant than "I've been working longer hours," even if you're not exactly "watching money streaming in?" Build & Burn is a tremendous record and the group's punk-rock tendencies make for a very accessible and pleasing listen. I want to emphasize the accessibility aspect of this band: if you or a loved one feels slighted by 2008 this year for whatever reason (not that anybody should feel slighted, as 2008 was a pretty good year), this record should be considered (and forgive me for the two awful puns).

There have been few records this year that have captured the imagination with as much fervor as Jubala's self-titled debut release. The Californian quintet's music is unabashedly soulful, with heart-on-one's-sleeve lyricism that's astutely supported by atmospheric, melodic instrumentation. Jubala's record is intricately designed, but never over-the-top in composition or delivery, and their aural landscapes and sonic ambiance will suck you in. Jubala is a dynamic and diverse album that requires nothing less than your immediate and undivided attention. There is a lot of music on this record; without question, listeners will hear something new or innovative with each subsequent listen. How many songs this year start off moderately, with only bass and vocals, before giving way to a keyboard interlude that seamlessly segues into a saxophone solo that sounds like it was taken right out of a 1930s Chicago club? The track (aptly titled "On Stage") does not stop there - the saxophone break turns into a funky, guitar-driven passage that serves as an absolute album highlight. There is so much beauty to be heard on this record that it must absolutely be sought out and heard for yourself. Tracks like the socially-cognizant "Welcome to the Fall," the epic "Climber" and its extended metaphor are arguably two of the best songs of 2008, and the emotional outpouring heard on "On Stage" is an amazing cut. Many other tracks - namely "This High," "Aftermath," the Incubus-esque "Spiritual Warrior" and "Far Away" (especially its piano feature, which is absolutely awesome) - forge their own individualities on the album. If you have an attention span, listen to this record.

Butch Walker released a near-classic this fall with Sycamore Meadows. The album, released after his Malibu condo perished in a fire (losing all of his master tapes, and worse yet, everything else he owned), is introspective throughout, but there's really no shocking elements considering his discography - stories of heartache, loneliness, breaking-up, and his requisite scene critique, but is there a sadder break-up song released in the history of ever that rivals "Here Comes the..." (featuring P!nk) or is there a better power-pop track this year than "The Weight of Her?" If there is, let me know, but I haven't heard an album created out of heartache that's been as omnipresent in my listening this year as Sycamore Meadows.

Why is Cynic's Traced in Air my top album this year? Is it because they finally returned after a fifteen-year absence? Is it because I'm a Sean Malone fan? Is it because they finally dropped the vocoder vocals that characterized Focus? None of the above (although I will attest to being a Sean Malone [and Sean Reinert!] fan) - in truth, this album absolutely slays.

There are an incredible number of highlights on this record -"The Unknown Guest's" gorgeous main riff, the "King of Those Who Know's" Byzantine, schizophrenic crunches could have split Pangaea while soothing one's ears like aural aloe (what a beautiful outro, by the way - almost as majestic and innocent as "The Space for This's" introduction). The lyricism on the record is also top-notch and challenging; once again, Masvidal returns to theological, spiritual and philosophical issues - themes typically far removed from your average death metal record.

Sean Reinert and bassist Sean Malone are phenomenal, as expected. They are quite easily one of the best rhythm sections to ever grace the Earth. Malone needs no expansive introduction: a well-versed fretless bassist who also composes for his Gordian Knot project, his lush basslines and tandem effort with the renowned Reinert consistently pull you in. Album opener "Nunc Fluens" (translation: "The Moving Present") starts so softly, but as soon as Reinert starts pounding away in a frenzied, almost tribal run, Malone's plunking adds just enough gasoline to set the song's low-end inferno ablaze. As for the bookend "Nunc Stans" ("The Timeless Present" - in theology and philosophy, a point in time where one cannot establish causation between the now and the past or future)? It must be heard.

Actually, the whole record needs to be experienced - Cynic sound tighter than ever - and like "Focus," "Traced in Air" will challenge you to listen for things you previously may not have looked for in music, your emotions will calmly ebb and flow just as much as they will violently turn, and the seamless listen from start-to-finish will leave you speechless.

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© 2008 Jom, for sputnikmusic.com

Send any and all feedback, questions, compliments, criticism, libel, or mini-golf date requests* to Jom at:
Jom.sputnikmusic(at)gmail.com - or just post it here, dudes and ladies.

My personal and super-special thanks to our friends at iMeem, Space, all my friends at Nuclear Blast, Century Media, Island Def Jam, For the Win!, Exolution Entertainment, Seasons of Mist, Epic, etc. (Loana, Charles, Joanna, Corey... the list goes on and on!) for being wonderful people (by sending me free shit and Christmas cards), Damrod for making badass banner images for me, and of course, Dave and the other moderators here.

*Katy Perry need only apply for this

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