I have my regrets in life, one of them is not enjoying 2007 the way I should have because sweet Christ did I hate 2008 in terms of music. 2007 was a cornucopia of strong releases, both from talented newcomers and old favorites, as well as little surprising gems from both major labels and indie garages.

For me, none of that really happened in 2008. I spent the entire year either looking for something to surprise me and being disappointed or waiting for the returns of several old personal favorites to please me... and being disappointed. Metallica, Guns N Roses, Nine Inch Nails and AC/DC all released pale imitations of their former glory to resounding sales.  At the same time, I don’t feel like it’s been that astounding a year for indie this year: the big breakouts like Vampire Weekend have all the depth of plastic spoons, instead relying on Pitchfork provided fan bases to fuel their popularity.

Basically, it’s rough to make a top albums list in a year when there’s no In Rainbows or Year Zero. With that in mind, instead of composing a more literal top 5 list I’ve picked a few CD’s that I felt were worthy of mention and instead of ranking them speak to their individual merits.

“The Boy’s Club”

Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On

After listening to this, i think Queens of the Stone Age may have been dethroned. At least in 2008 The Eagles of Death Metal are the best spawn of Kyuss. This is not high art- it's just good fun in a year lacking it. Heart On possesses all the three-chord swagger of generations of cock rockers, but adds in sly lyrics and some much unexpected ethnic rhythms and beats. In an age where dude rock is making a serious comeback thanks to morons like Hinder and Buckcherry, it’s nice to hear the genre done right. None of the songs here are formulated by bigwigs looking back at the days of Motley Crue and aching for those record sales, instead it’s just down and dirty. This was my feel-good record of the year.

“The Surprise”

Coldplay -Viva La Vida

I'm baffled as to how this happened. Coldplay to me was one of the single most overrated bands in modern music--their sounds and emotions pilfered from other better tested artists, only polished and reworked to maximize pop-sensibility and thus ensnare more whining teenage boys and weepy easily-manipulated girls than their peers. At least Muse had the common decency to steal Radiohead's sound and then evolve it in a different direction while Coldplay made snoozefests like a rush of Blood to the Head. This is (hopefully) the first step in their evolution. The sounds are lush and colorful, the longing and sorrow is more believable. Chris Martin steps his game up here: on the title track i sense some real malice when he sneers 'people couldn't believe what I’d become', and he even stops falsetto-ing on a song! Honestly I give more credit here to superstar producer Brian Eno than the actual members of the band, but this is an impressive CD.

“The Party Record”

Pendulum - In Silico

 Not only is this a natural evolution and step up from their impressive 2005 debut Hold Your Colour, but a clear advancement of the sound. This is a great Drum N' Bass record, but it's also rollicking Cock Rock sans misogyny but plus vocoder, with some of that Hip-Hop that made 'Slam' such a good single. Yes it's silly and a bit repetitive but the sheer energy present here is almost... punk? This Cd’s given the band a meteoric rise in blogs, charts, and myspace hits—mostly thanks to the lead single ‘Propane Nightmares’—resulting in their first American tour. This CD won’t change anyone’s life, but it makes fists clench and bodies move, which is certainly an admirable result.

“The Darkhorse”

Portishead - Third

Out of all the returning champions I adored this year, somehow Portishead produced the best disc. Metallica, Guns N Roses, Nine Inch Nails, and AC/DC (among others) managed to retread their old ground with their new releases--cockteasing just enough to keep album sales and downloads high, but holding out enough to jade listeners. This is nothing like that; Portishead instead released their strongest disc yet. In that decade-long hiatus Beth Gibbons has somehow made her amazingly haunting voice even deeper and more searing, the kind of sound that keeps one up at night. The samples and sounds are similarly gloomy--this is Trip-Hop Noir-- but varied, catchy, surprising, deep, perfect.

“The Wunderkind”

Cynic – Traced in Air

A history lesson: Cynic was a jazz-influenced progressive metal band from Florida that released one CD in 1993—their opus Focus—before disbanding and sinking into obscurity. This year the band reformed and reformatted, much to the delight of musical eggheads like myself who care as much about time signature as catchy chorus. I was expecting an avant garde soundscape full of odd rhythms beats and lyrics musing on philosophy... which is exactly what I got. But what I also got was a beautiful release seeped in sonic color, texture, and sheer beauty. This is the most original disc I’ve heard this year, awash in vocoder and keyboards over a skeleton of impeccable guitar, bass, and drums. Ruthlessly original, while still keeping the tradition of prog masterminds like King Crimson and Pink Floyd, Cynic is sure to only increase their cult cred with this CD.